A court battle is brewing over public grazing leases that New Mexico officials believe were used to help shield a remote desert ranch owned by financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of abusing young women there before he died behind bars.State Land Office General Counsel Ari Biernoff said Monday that the state will defend in court its right to terminate two leases to a company previously controlled by Epstein.Cypress Inc. attorneys say the company subleased the state parcels to a local ranching family for years and complied with lease terms.Cypress is asking a state district court in Santa Fe intervene and preserve the leases. A portion of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in central New Mexico extends across state trust land, under the grazing contracts with Cypress. … [Read more...] about Court battle looms over land leased to Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey epstein
Why we can’t tell how good the Patriots are, and other thoughts
The only half-decent team they played was the Fool’s Gold Bills, who featured the worst quarterback most of us have seen. You certainly can’t do any better than 5-0 when you’ve only played five games, but New England’s degree of difficulty has been a joke. The mighty 2-3 Giants are next, and they just allowed 490 yards to the Vikings. The Patriots are 15½-point favorites Thursday. Then, it’ll be the (still winless) Jets again. Even Bill Belichick cannot be a fan of this. There has been no true measure. Are you entertained? ■ Theo Epstein and the Cubs really know how to fire people. When Theo decided it was time to break up with Joe Maddon, he shared a bottle of wine with Maddon the night before the final game of the season, then, before the Sunday finale, he held a joint press conference with the manager who’d won him a World Series. Contrast that with the Red Sox’ secretive, chaotic, ham-handed handling of the … [Read more...] about Why we can’t tell how good the Patriots are, and other thoughts
REVIEW: SDMT puts on a compelling ‘Man of La Mancha’
San Diego Musical Theatre’s “Man of La Mancha” is a moving tale of dreams, heartbreak and the realities of Spanish life circa 1594 as two stories unfold on the Horton Grand Theatre stage through Oct. 27.The first is of a man named Don Miguel de Cervantes (Broadway veteran Robert J. Townsend), an unsuccessful poet, soldier and actor who has turned to tax collecting as a means of survival. Unfortunately for him, he foreclosed on a monastery and — as a consequence — is imprisoned in Seville, Spain and is awaiting trial for heresy since the show takes place in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition.(The Inquisition was a 355-year effort by Catholic monarchs to identify heretics and bring them to justice.)His fellow detainees have their own hierarchy in the prison, as Cervantes and his also imprisoned servant Sancho (Broadway veteran Jeffrey Landman) quickly find out. To save his meager possessions — mostly costumes, but especially a manuscript for a play … [Read more...] about REVIEW: SDMT puts on a compelling ‘Man of La Mancha’
Red Sox willing to take their time replacing Dave Dombrowski
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman isn’t under contract for 2020. There is no evidence that suggests he would leave Los Angeles given how he has helped set up the team for long-term success. But he has yet to agree to a new contract. Team president Stan Kasten expects it to happen. But until Friedman signs a new deal, the Red Sox have to at least investigate the possibilities. He would be a perfect choice. Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim (pronounced HIGH-em) Bloom fits the Sox’ criteria. He’s a rung below Erik Neander in Tampa Bay’s structure but has been influential in putting the roster together. The Rays have won only six fewer regular-season games than the Red Sox over the last two years spending despite roughly $333 million less on payroll. Friedman left the Rays for the Dodgers and instilled financial discipline while remaining successful. Bloom could do the same for the Sox. The Dodgers combine … [Read more...] about Red Sox willing to take their time replacing Dave Dombrowski
The Boston-area housing crunch, distilled in one property
The split-development proposal is an example of the disparity between what kind of homes can be built throughout the region, depending on the city or town. Housing advocates say it’s a major contributor to the unrelenting housing crunch. “You cross a municipal boundary and the rules change,” said Clark Ziegler, executive director of the nonprofit Massachusetts Housing Partnership, which works on affordable housing development. “Places have more or less appetite for housing development, and that has an impact.” The former Corey Hill Nursing Home is on a street of brick two-family houses in Brighton, a few blocks from busy Commonwealth Avenue and the MBTA’s Green Line. Developer Jeffrey Feuerman wants the Boston Planning & Development Agency to change the nursing home zoning to allow for a four-story apartment building, of mostly one- and two-bedroom units. The parking lot on the back half of the site, in Brookline, is on a street that climbs … [Read more...] about The Boston-area housing crunch, distilled in one property
