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They said it couldnt be done back in April.

In the midst of the COVID-19 shutdown, NASCAR officials were deep in the complicated work of trying to save the 2020 season. It wasnt just enough for league president Steve Phelps to complete a partial season. The industry needed to reach 38 televised Cup Series events.

Without the full slate, teams would not receive the complete allotment of NASCARs broadcast money and couldnt afford to send cars to tracks. The sanctioning body would not meet the terms of its TV agreements.

Two months and nine weeks passed without a green flag. The completion of a full season that ended short of Thanksgiving felt like a near impossibility. There were just too many moving parts to navigate.

The tracks owned by either NASCAR itself or Speedway Motorsports Inc. provided flexibility, but the Cup Series was also contractually obligated to compete at independent venues Indianapolis, Pocono and Dover.

A self-inflicted complication was that NASCAR also wanted to complete the regular season in time to contest the 10 Cup Series playoff races as originally scheduled.

To do so, NASCAR and its TV partners would need to mutually agree to several midweek races, which would also be complicated by the eventual resumption of the stick and ball season. At one point during the summer, a major first happened when the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NASCAR all contested events at the same time.

Talk about crowded airwaves.

And yet, NASCAR was able to become the first major televised sport to return from the shutdown, accomplishing all of its goals with a regular season that largely ran in Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday intervals from May to September.

That asked a lot from fans, officials, competitors, broadcasters and the independent media.

Certain states wouldnt permit fans, and some like California or New York, wouldnt allow events whatsoever. To contain costs, additional races were added close to home at Charlotte and Darlington. The All-Star Race was moved from Charlotte to Bristol because Tennessee permitted up to 30,000 fans. Watkins Glen was replaced with the Daytona Road Course.

It worked.

NASCAR completed a full regular season, teams got paid, and the playoffs took place as scheduled. The campaign ended with the divisions most popular driver (Chase Elliott) winning three of the final five races to capture his first championship.

He won when it mattered the most, upsetting historic seasons by Denny Hamlin (7 wins) and Kevin Harvick (9 wins) to capitalize on the playoff format.

The 2021 schedule was released to much fanfare. There are several new teams on the grid at the expense of several veteran departures.

AD 2020 was a frustrating year for numerous reasons but NASCAR ended it with a considerable amount of momentum.

In no particular order, here are the stories from the 2020 NASCAR season that well be talking about for years to come.

The 2020 Season Was Completed

For nine weeks, and after just four races to start the season, NASCAR was shut down by COVID-19 in exchange for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. In the meanwhile, series officials were at work putting together a schedule for all three national tours that essentially amounted to one-day shows without practice or qualifying sessions.

NASCAR scheduled doubleheaders for Michigan and Dover, alongside the pre-scheduled one at Pocono -- in addition to the points races at Charlotte and Darlington for cost containment purposes.

When Watkins Glen couldnt happen, NASCAR pivoted to add a replacement race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Chicagoland, Sonoma and Richmond were canceled in exchange for the races in the Carolinas a byproduct of the flexibility of NASCAR and SMI owning a majority of the dates.

"I believe (we were) the only sport that finished a full season," Phelps said. "The NFL is obviously in the midst of theirs. We are hopeful that they continue with their progress and finish their season. But as of now, as of tomorrow, we're the only major sport that finished a full season. (Im) certainly proud of that."

Out With the Old, In With the New

The NASCAR Cup Series ownership pool is about to get younger and more diverse.

Consider the stalwarts of ownership before we look at the fresh faces: Chip Ganassi is 62. Gene Haas is 68. Rick Hendrick is 71. Jack Roush is 78. Joe Gibbs is 80. Roger Penske is 83.

Sure, some of these teams will be inherited by their next-generation successors, but the Cup Series needed a fresh coat of paint, and it will get it next season following a considerable amount of ownership turnover in advance of the Next-Gen cars debut in 2022.

Archie St. Hilaire (61) has sold his ownership charter for Go Fas Racing to the new Live Fast Motorsports team owned by BJ McLeod (37) and Matt Tifft (24) with McLeod behind the wheel. Justin Marks (39) has launched Team Trackhouse with an ambitious diversity and education platform with Daniel Suarez behind the wheel.

NASCAR spotter and executive turned sports agent Jeff Dickerson (45) will expand his Spire Motorsports entry into a two-car effort after purchasing the charter owned by Leavine Family Racing owner Bob Leavine (76).

And, of course, the most notable additions to the ownership landscape are Denny Hamlin (40) and Michael Jordan (57) with the launch of 23XI Racing for driver Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace and Social Activism

Few things in NASCAR are transcendent these days, but Bubba Wallace generated headlines across sports, pop culture and the mainstream this summer for his increased activity and leadership within the social activism realm.

Wallace is the only full-time Black driver across all three NASCAR national touring divisions and the first since Wendell Scott from 1961-1973. He called for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag this summer, which it did, and raced at Martinsville Speedway in June with a #BlackLivesMatter scheme.

At Talladega in June, NASCAR officials found a garage pull-down rope fastened as a noose within the stall that housed his Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Chevrolet. An FBI investigation determined that the rope was tied that way since the previous race in October, when it contained another car, and determined that a hate crime had not been committed.

"Whether it was tied sometime throughout 2019, the fall race there, someone did it with whatever intent they had," Wallace said. "We werent in that garage stall at that time, so we cant say it was directed toward me, which is good. It wasnt directed toward me or my family.

"But somebody still knows how to tie a noose and whether they did it as a bad joke or not, who knows? But it was good for the public to see. It still wont change some peoples mind of it being a hoax, but it is what it is."

Michael Jordan and 23XI Racing

Jimmie Johnson's (Sort Of) Retirement

Its not a goodbye, but its essentially a see you over there kind of thing.

Thats the best way to describe the retirement of NASCAR Cup Series living legend Jimmie Johnson. After seven championships, 83 wins and two decades of dominance, Johnson is simply trying something different.

Johnson has signed a two-year deal to race on the road and street courses in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing and has teased an openness to attempt the Indianapolis 500, too.

Meanwhile, the 2020 season wasnt the send-off everyone had imagined when Johnson first announced his retirement. The pandemic began four weeks into the season, and tracks were forced to say goodbye the best way they could, even if most had little to no fans.

Johnson didnt win a race and he missed the playoffs by six points. He was forced to miss the Brickyard 400 due to a positive COVID-19 test and that was likely enough to derail his championship hopes.

There were other disappointments too, like a disqualification for a technical infraction in the Coca-Cola 600 that cost the No. 48 team 45 points after a second-place finish. He also crashed from the lead in the first race back from the shutdown at Darlington. He was fifth-place in points at the time.

He ended his full-time career with a fifth-place run at Phoenix.

"I thought I hit bottom a few times, and there was a bottom a little lower than what I envisioned," Johnson said. "I felt like on track there was mistakes that I made, and we had issues, times where the team made mistakes, had bad luck on track, supposedly had COVID and missed the Brickyard 400. There were just many lows that kept rolling. When I thought that was it, there was another low. I just had to figure out how to put a smile on my face."

The Wildly Different 2021 Schedule

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule looks radically different than any that has come before it.

To start, there will be seven races on road courses next year, more than double the amount from the previous two seasons and the most since there were four on the 1964 schedule.

Three of these races will take place on new venues or configurations: Circuit of the Americas, Road America and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, which replaces the Brickyard 400 on the tracks legendary oval layout.

But wait, theres more!

For the first time in 50 years, the NASCAR Cup Series will also contest a race on dirt. The annual spring event at Bristol will see its high banked concrete surface temporarily covered in clay for a doubleheader with the Truck Series.

The last of the new additions is a return to the Nashville region, home to one of NASCARs strongest and most loyal audiences, with a tripleheader at Nashville Superspeedway.

Absent from the schedule are Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. Texas Motor Speedway will only host one points paying race but gains the All-Star Race from Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We said back early in 2018 that we wanted to evolve the schedule," said NASCAR Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell. "2020 was going to be a year where we could make some moves within the portfolio of races we had. You're going to see some really bold changes from NASCAR in 2021 and beyond. We believe we've delivered on that."

Kyle Busch's Championship Hangover

It has been a long time since the previous years champion suffered a hangover, but thats exactly what happened to Kyle Busch in 2020.

The two-time champion won just once, and that triumph came after he had been eliminated from the playoffs.

Worse yet, he called when he would be eliminated. Busch finished eighth in the standings, his worst such result since 2014. His average finish of 13.8 was his worst since 2010. He had won 26 races in the previous five seasons combined.

As a result, Busch will be given a new crew chief in Ben Beshore, with Adam Stevens (the architect of his two championships) moving over to the No. 20 team to work with Christopher Bell.

"We obviously weren't good enough," Busch said. "We weren't able to capitalize and do what we needed to do ... [My team members] give full effort, man. There's no quit. But it just hasn't quite lined up for us this year."

Ryan Newman's Daytona 500 Crash

Ryan Newman will contest the full Cup Series schedule for a 20th time in 2021, but he isnt sure how thats possible.

The Rocket Man believes he should have died at the end of the 2020 Daytona 500.

He was involved in a crash coming to the checkered flag of the Great American Race when he was turned sideways into the wall, flipped upside down and then hit on the drivers side door by an oncoming Corey Lajoie.

He was rushed to the hospital for what was later described as a bruised brain, where he left two days later holding the hands of his two daughters, a surprise to everyone. Newman called it a miracle and a testament to NASCARs safety initiatives.

He missed just three races as the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down for two months just three weeks after his injury. He was cleared for competition by May.

"Its great to be alive," Newman said. "If you looked at my car, its a miracle."

Kyle Larson's Slur, Exile and Return

Kyle Larson has experienced a remarkable journey, both professionally and personally, during the 2020 season.

Through the first month of the season, Larson had guided the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 team to seventh in the championship standings and looked to be a consistent threat to contend in his final season before reaching free agency.

Then came the COVID-19 shutdown and Larsons casual usage of a racial slur during an iRacing broadcast. Within two days, every major sponsor on the No. 42 threatened to withdraw support of the team until Larson was removed. Thus, Ganassi fired and replaced him with the retired Matt Kenseth. NASCAR indefinitely suspended the 28-year-old.

Larson went on to enjoy one of the most remarkable dirt seasons of all-time, winning over 50 features within the confines of a Sprint Car, Midget and Super Late Model. Simultaneously, Larson increased his work with several inner-city youth and diversity foundations as penance for what transpired.

He was reinstated by NASCAR in October and was signed by Hendrick Motorsports for the 2021 season. He will continue working with NASCAR on diversity programs as per the conditions of his reinstatement.

"I definitely think theres probably a lot of people out there that have concern about me," Larson said. "Its not something that happens overnight.

"I think its something that takes time. I think people, as they get to spend more time around me or get to see what Im doing off the racetrack, outside the race car and get to really learn who I am, I think thats when the forgiveness will be there and people will have a more open mind to forgive me.

"I know that takes time. Its still been such a short time since this all happened that I still have a lot of my reputation to rebuild. I look forward to being around Mr. (Hendrick) and learn a lot off of him because hes probably one of the if not the most respected people in the garage area. It will take time, but I think who I really am will shine through and people will be able to forgive me."

President Donald J. Trump Attends the Daytona 500

Donald Trump became just the second sitting president to visit the Daytona 500. George W. Bush attended the 2004 race. He delivered a speech to the crowd before the green flag, met several drivers prior to the drivers meeting, and took several laps around the track in the presidential limo.

"The Daytona 500 is a legendary display of roaring engines, soaring spirits of the American skills, speed, and power," Trump said in his speech.

Chase Elliott Wins the Cup Championship

Chase Elliott captured the NASCAR Cup Series championship at just 24-years-old, adding to the family legacy established his by father and 1988 Cup Series champion Bill Elliott.

The younger Elliott won three of the final five races, including the final two at Martinsville and Phoenix to hoist the Bill France Cup. The win at Martinsville propelled him to the final four for the first time in his career, after getting denied just short of the championship race in three other playoff appearances.

Elliott won five times overall and now has 11 wins in 185 starts in addition to his winning the most popular driver award in each of the past three seasons.

"I've been thinking hard about (why I dont have the words to describe what this means) and I don't know why I can't put it into words," Elliott said. "I think part of it is that it's just a moment that I've wanted my whole life.

"You want time to stop so bad in that moment and that's just not how time works. You can't just pause. Like anything else in life, when you're having fun, time flies.

"So, I had that moment, one that I couldn't ask for anything more and time just cruises on. And it's hard to sit down right now and think too much about it, because if you do, time flies and we'll be right back in Daytona. So, I'm getting there. I don't know that I'm there yet, but I'm getting there."

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The Best Stories From a NASCAR Season They Said Couldn't Be Done - Autoweek

Earlier this week, a report surfaced via ESPN that the Portland Timbers were exploring options for sending Jeremy Ebobisse out on loan to a team in the German 2. Bundesliga. It set off a bit of a discussion amongst Timbers fans, both on twitter and in the comments section, around its validity, rationale, and potential impact for both player and club. Despite being only a reported rumor in its current state (one that doesnt even merit a post on the league website at this moment, for what its worth), the prospect clearly struck a nerve amongst the Rose City faithful.

In that spirit, it seems appropriate to take a moment to look at why the rumored move might make sense, why it actually might wind up being only a rumor, and what the news itself represents for the future of Jebo in Portland.

The biggest beneficiary of a potential loan might be Jeremy Ebobisse himself. After putting in another solid season in 2020, Jebo was treated to a December filled with reports of Portland working their hardest to bring back Felipe Mora. This is nothing against Mora, who has proven to be a solid addition to the Rose City. But Ebobisse, despite putting in the work to perhaps earn a starting job, has instead been stuck behind forwards each season hes been in Portland. Now, he faces the prospect of being behind another player who may start ahead of him for another season. With no signs that he will undoubtedly be the starting striker next season, if he wants to start and develop, moving to Europe might make sense.

It might also make sense for the Timbers if they are choosing to prioritize the impact that Mora and Niezgoda may bring. Rather than deal with a striker conundrum and potentially scorned players, they could make their 2021 forward hierarchy the clearest it can be by letting Ebobisse spend some time away. Of course, they would need to sign at least one player to shore up depth at the forward position, most likely even a couple. But it would make the depth chart much more straightforward for this season at least.

It may also make the beginning of the season more straightforward as well at least from a playing time and competition perspective. The 2021 season start date is rumored to be in March, but that isnt confirmed at this point, so it could wind up being later in the year. Another complication are the reports from ESPN suggesting that the league is seeking to terminate the current collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association, setting up a potential work stoppage next year (that is a whole can of worms worth its own article at some point in the future).

In either of the above scenarios, players may be faced with the prospect of not having games to play for an extended period of time. Sending Ebobisse out on loan to play games when he would have none available is good for his development and for the Timbers, as they have a key player getting meaningful minutes where there may be none to be had stateside.

There are indeed arguments in favor of a loan move for Jeremy Ebobisse. But, as appealing as it may seem on the surface, the deeper you go the more you realize that a loan move probably isnt in the cards.

Is saying its the silly season enough of an explanation? No, seriously rumors and reports like these around talented players popup every single gosh dang winter. It doesnt matter how many years theyve been with a club, scuttlebutt around players moving or being loaned to places make the rounds on the internet without fail.

This recent rumor has all of the trappings of one of those. Rather than being shared by a specific journalist or having its own dedicated article, it was included in a running log of transfer notes and rumors. The tweets that have been circulating also do not cite a specific report or journalist, only including that sources have shared the news with ESPN. I do not doubt the stature or reputation of the worldwide leader, but this rumor doesnt quite crack the level of theres some smoke there if youre looking for a fire.

Plus, Portland will be in dire need of depth at forward this season. Jaroslaw Niezgoda is sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ACL injury, and even if Mora is the presumptive starter, there is need for a backup. The MLS season is long and arduous, and balancing fatigue and injuries are essential for success, with the pandemic making this even more true (just look at how 2020 ended for Portland for evidence of that).

The Timbers will also be embarking on another CONCACAF Champions League campaign, which in addition to league play and the potential return of the U.S. Open Cup makes three competitions that Portland will want to be competitive in. Managing minutes with depth will be all the more important next year. Moving a player in a key position doesnt make sense- at least, as the roster is currently constructed.

Does the rumor have legs? Potentially! Theres always at least a grain or two of truth to any transfer season rumor. It is a possibility that a 2. Bundesliga team dialed up the Timbers and potentially inquired about acquiring Ebobisse on loan. Or maybe Portland is doing their due diligence and is asking around for potential fits and taking a players interests into account, as they did with the Marco Farfan and Julio Cascante trades. But the confluence of evidence really doesnt add up to Portland being without one of their key and proven players for such a busy season. I will gladly raise my hand and say I was wrong if it does come to pass. But based on the evidence in front of us right now, a loan move feels unlikely at the current moment.

Whether the loan happens or not has a to be determined outcome. But that doesnt mean that the news itself wont have immediate impact for the next season of Portland Timbers soccer.

The loan happening or not has no bearing on the questions that are now being asked around Portlands development plan for Jeremy Ebobisse. He just signed a contract extension with the team in the beginning of 2020, so presumably he still figures into their plans. Whether its as a contributor on the field or a potential asset to be traded or transferred, however, is the question that remains unanswered. And all of that is after you consider what Ebobisse wants for his own career. He has talent and wants to be in a situation to showcase it, but the current situation in Portland may not allow him to do so.

The fact of the matter is that if Mora returns, Portland has three starting caliber strikers once Niezgoda heals. All are in or are entering their prime, and all represent significant investments. None of them want to be perpetually riding the pine. Its like having three expensive and fancy sports cars; you cant just leave one sitting in the garage collecting rust all year, but you may not have time to drive all three.

Lets game this out: We can assume that the likeliest outcome will come to pass, and Jebo stays in Portland for 2021. He spends the first chunk of the season backing up Mora, making some spot starts at either forward or as a winger, but mainly comes off the bench. Niezgoda returns around the summer, and then all three forwards trade time a la the way they did in the 2020 season. Lets say Ebobisse has a similar return to what he did in 2020, something around the eight to nine goals, three to four assists range. Solid for his role, but not spectacular numbers or much of an improvement from 2020.

Ebobisse is a soon-to-be 24-year-old talented forward, a fringe national team player, and one who has been discussed in some circles as having a potential future on the senior USMNT if he can put up better numbers. Can he afford to have his fifth full professional season in MLS be one where he is still a backup and spot starter, even though he has shown that he likely can reach full starter level? Is he satisfied in that role? Im not him or a professional player, so I have no idea. But my gut tells me that a rising young player would want to play as many minutes as they can.

2021 may represent an inflection point for the Timbers and Jeremy Ebobisse, loan or no loan. Giovanni Savarese, Gavin Wilkinson, and the rest of Portlands decision makers need to decide how they view Jebo as a player. If they still see him as the future of the forward line, there may be some decisions that need to be made around either Moras or Niezgodas futures in Portland. If they see the newer additions as their best chance at sustaining success and winning trophies, it may be in their and Ebobisses best interest to make a call on his fate in green & gold sooner rather than later.

Either decision carries hefty long term implications. Do you gamble that Ebobisse will develop and blossom, while moving on from proven veteran entities? Or do you potentially miss out on Ebobisse turning into a game-changing forward for your team by moving him? When Portland traded up to draft Ebobisse in the 2017 SuperDraft, they showed that they werent afraid to take a risk to try to find future success. The decision that they make around what to do with Ebobisse in 2021 may prove to be just as risky, and just as impactful.

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That Jeremy Ebobisse loan rumor, and what it means for 2021 (whether it happens or not) - Stumptown Footy

If you were looking to forget all about the coronavirus pandemic on New Year's Eve, your best bet would have been to visit a Lakeland bar.

At Federal Bar Lakeland on South Tennessee Avenue, for example, the main thing staff adjusted for the 2020 New Year's Eve celebration was their expectations.

Kara Simm, the bar's events manager, said it was their third holiday season open and they followed the blueprint of the past: a live band, a DJ, and a complimentary midnight champagne toast. The patio was open, there was no cover charge, and patrons could grab festive gear to wear throughout the night.

More: Polk County sets COVID-19 record for second straight day with 637 infections

Despite throwing the same event as usual, Simm knew the pandemic could affect turnout as some may still fear gathering in large groups.

"We don't expect it to be crazy tomorrow night at all," Simm said Wednesday.

Despite rising cases of the virus in the state, several popular Lakeland bars planned to hostholiday parties on Thursday in which masks may have been encouraged but weren't required.While some events stayed the same, others made adjustments for COVID-19 or were canceled altogether. And thoughsome may be critical of the decision, owners and managers said bars were hit hard by financial shutdowns and need to stay afloat. Besides, people were free to stay at home if they wish, they said.

Ahead of the Thursday ragers, Polk County set a COVID-19 record for new daily infections a second straight day, reporting 637 new infectionsin Thursday's report. The Florida Department of Health also reported six more Polk County deaths. The positive test rate was 16.06%.

The spike follows a disturbing trend: at 320.2 average cases per day in December, Polk County has surpassed its previous high average of 279.5 daily cases in July. And it's more than double the 147.3 average in November.

While the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines have stirred optimism, most members of the general public likely won't see their doses until well into 2021.

Were youlooking to spend your New Year's Eve out of your house with a drink in your hand? There were plenty of options.

"Well tonight, we are having like what we normally do: a big New Year's Eve Party," said Soloman Wassef, owner of Lakeland Loft on South Tennessee Avenue,on Thursday.

Like Federal Bar, the Lakeland Loft threw its party like it was any other year. Wassef said he wanted people to be safe and practice social distancing "if they want to." While some may criticize those who spent the holiday outside of their homes, Wassef noted going out to ring in the new year is a tradition some are unwilling to give up.

"This is one day people want to go out. They don't want to cook at the house, they don't want to wash dishes at the house, they want to go out and be pampered," Wassef said. "We don't want to force people to go out, [but] we don't want to force people to stay in. We want people to practice normal life because this is going to be the norm from now on."

And some might've ventured out to seek catharsis, beaten down by the difficult year. That's a feeling Brewlands Bar & Billiards on Florida Avenue South tapped into, theming their New Year's Eve Party around a "funeral" for 2020, complete with a handmade coffin.

Randi Allen, general manager of the bar, said customers could write down whatever they wanted to leave behind in 2021 and have it burned by staff at midnight, signaling a new start for a new year even if the first few months, at least, will likely look eerily similar to most of 2020.

"They just wanted to bury 2020 and move on and forget about it the best they can," Allen said. "Are we going to wake up tomorrow and everything's gonna be completely different? Probably not. But it's a new year, it's a new beginning. Let's try to think positive and move forward."

Even though many party plans remained largely unchanged, bar owners expected lower turnout than years past. Although bar attendance has experienced a slight uptick in the last few weeks, it's still nothing compared to last year's performance, they said.

"We expect it to probably be on the quieter side," Allen said Thursday. "Which we respectbecause some people may not feel comfortable going out, and that's OK."

The holiday season had already been slower than usual. SantaCon, a popular bar hopper event, failed to be all that jolly.

"It was much quieter this year, you know, than in years past, unfortunately," Simm with Federal Bar said. "It's a pandemic year."

Wassef said he actually had higher participation in SantaCon this year than in the past. But he noted his bar, usually filled with jazz music, attracts an older clientele. For SantaCon, most of the participants he saw were between 25 and 40 and may have spilled over from bars they frequent more often.

While still on, some events looked significantly different than they had in the past in an attempt to make celebrations safer in the COVID-19 era.

Hannah Duling, the assistant manager at Swan Brewing on West Pine Street, said they planned to make New Year's Eve look like a typical night with the simple additions of free champagne and extended hours until midnight.

"We have a band playing and food trucks, but that's pretty normal for us on any given day. Really, the champagne toast is the only thing that we're doing for New Year's," Duling said. "I would say we toned it down."

Plus, while many bars are operating at full capacity, the tap room at Swan Brewing is still capped at 50% while the outdoor patio is fully open.

Union Hall on Florida Avenue Southalso toned down their event, capping ticket sales for their New Year's party at 100 for an event space that can fit 250. Manager Parker Duncan said the event in the Champagne Room was "packed" in 2019.

Duncan said that on Wednesday, they'd only sold two tickets. But he noted that people will often show up and pay at the door. So what if way more than 100 people showed up?

"If it's like busy busy and it starts to get full, I would prefer to cap it just to make everybody feel safe," Duncan said. "The last thing we want here is someone coming in and this is the last place they were at and they're like 'Oh, I got COVID at Union Hall.'"

Duncan said Union Hall staff wear masks and guests are asked to mask upwhen walking around or at the bar.

Duncan said he didn't have "high expectations" but hoped to at least get to $500. While before this year the bar would often make between $1,500 and $3,000 on a weekend night, events lately are only bringing in between $300 and $600.

Some events were just canceled altogether. In 2019, Haus 820 hosted a New Year's Eve party with regular and VIP admission prices in addition to a trolley service that made stops in Dixieland and downtown Lakeland. This year, the space remained dark.

"As a company, we are trying to be mindful of large events at this time," said venue manager Danielle Skolozynski in an email. "We want to keep the health of our guests and staff at the forefront, so we decided it would not be wise to host our NYE this year."

For New Year's Eve, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that if you gathered with someone outside of your home, you wear a mask, stay six feet apart and avoid crowds or poorly ventilated indoor spaces. While many Lakeland bars have outdoor options, the nature of going out and drinking makes mask usage difficult, elevating the risk of spread of COVID-19.

But for those who would critique a bar's decision to host a pandemic party, those in the business say that they can't afford to stay closed.

"I think us as a bar, we got hitthe hardest out of everybody. And you know, this is our livelihood and this is what we do for work. A lot of us, we can't just, you can't like go from the money you're making as a bartender, all of asudden to go work at McDonald's or something like that because you live your life based on the money you make," Duncan said. "If you don't want to come out, don't come out. But we've still got to make our living."

Other bar owners and employees said they were excited to work New Year's Eve and were not afraid of the risk.

The position can be polarizing. One bar declined to comment for this story, saying they won't speak about anything COVID-related as "you're going to piss someone off."

Business closures and other economic devastation related to COVID-19 havehit restaurants and bars hard. While long-term recovery is still out of reach, perhaps 2021 will bring hope for the industry. It's the little things: Simm, for example, would like to see the event space at Federal Bar get some love in the new year.

"We're hoping things pick up in 2021," she said.

Allen with Brewlands is cautiously optimistic.

"I think once you know, you have a full-fledged like vaccines going out and numbers keep coming down, I think people are going to become more and more comfortable with going out," Allen said.

Maya Lora can best be reached with tips or questions at mlora@gannett.com or 863-802-7558.

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'This is our livelihood': Lakeland bars held little back on New Year's Eve - The Ledger

It will not be long before The Promised Neverland makes its much-awaited comeback, and fans are obviously excited to see what the series will offer. After all, The Promised Neverland came to an end this year in print, but its creators aren't done with the story just yet. According to a new report, the show will feature untold stories in season two which co-creator Kaiu Shirai is overseeing.

The report surfaced online as vetted fan-pages like WSJ_manga shared the news. As the report goes, The Promised Neverland season two will feature "original scenarios" that are overseen by Shirai. There is no word on what these stories contain, but fans are excited to take in the canon content.

These additions are just some of the ones which Shirai and Posuka Demizu have worked on. Recently, the pair came together to post a couple of one-shots based on The Promised Neverland. The first one published focused on Krone before Isabella came into focus with the second story. As for the upcoming third tale, it will act as an epilogue of sorts. The story plans to check in on Emma, Ray, and Norman following the events of the series finale.

If you are looking forward to this second season of The Promised Neverland, you should know it will debut soon. The series is slated to return in early January 2021. Season two comes on the heels of a live-action movie that debuted in Japan in December 2020. A live-action adaptation of the manga is also being developed in Hollywood by Amazon Studios and Touchstone Television.

What do you make of this new report? Are you excited for The Promised Neverland season two to go live? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

Read more:
The Promised Neverland Season 2 Will Tell New Canon Stories Not Seen in Manga - ComicBook.com

Final Fantasy 7 Remake changed the relationship dynamic between Cloud and Aerith , and it may affect their story in the next parts of the game.

There are many subtle changes from the original game in Square Enix'sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, from additional story content in the slumsthathelps fill out primary and secondary characters to how Cloud's relationships with other characters play out. The biggest of these changes is Cloud's relationship with Aerith, which appears much more romantically charged than in the original Final Fantasy 7.

One of the biggest additions toFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis a series of moments thatimpact how much Tifa and Aerith like Cloud. Making the wrong choices in these moments can greatly influence the way the story plays out. For Aerith, it starts when she offers Cloud a flower Chapter 2. Afterwards, Cloud must complete a list of "Odd Job" side quests for Aerith and comment correctly on her outfit in Chapter 9. The player must even directly choose between Tifa and Aerith in the sewers. This is all to trigger a special cutscene in Chapter 14 with Aerith, Tifa or Barret. While this kind of dating mechanic was in the original game, its results played out much later on, during the player's second trip to the Golden Saucer, and it was not nearly as involved in the overall storyline as inFF7 Remake.

Related:FF7 Remake Part 2 & Final Fantasy 16: Which Will Release First?

Even the moment where Cloud and Aerith meet has changed inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. In the originalgame, players meet Aerith when Cloud falls through the ceiling of the church in the Sector 7 Slums, which Crisis Coreplayers learned was actually how Aerith also met Zack Fair. InFF7 Remake, however, Cloud meets Aerith in the marketplace, when she is being attacked byFF7 Remake's Whispers. This meeting feels less intimate and personal than the original, which makes the following romantic events and choices feel rushed between the two characters.

While being able to romance a character in a game is fun, the changes made to Cloud and Aerith's relationship inFinal Fantasy 7 Remake greatly alters how their relationship could be perceived by players. The relationship between Cloud and Aerith in the original game was easilyviewed as romantic, but it built slowly over the course of the narrative, and so it felt more natural. Because so much of these romance mechanics are stuffed into the first part ofFF7 Remake- forcing players to strive for a romantic cutscene with her (or Tifa) - their relationship feels forced and lacks the delicate magic of the original game.

Read this article:
FF7 Remake: How Cloud & Aerith's Relationship Changed From The Original - Screen Rant

Airtels wired broadband connections stood at 2.44 million in April, which increased to 2.67 million in October while that of ACT increased to 1.74 million from 1.59 million. (Representative image)

Reliance Jio is turning out to be the biggest gainer from the current practice of work from home, as the telco added over 8 lakh wired broadband connections in the six months since April 2020. Bharti Airtel comes a distant second with 2.30 lakh additions, followed by ACT, which added 1.50 lakh connections. State-run BSNL, in contrast, lost 2.20 lakh connections during the same period.

As per data from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Jio had 0.90 million wired broadband connections in April, which increased to 1.70 million in October. Airtels wired broadband connections stood at 2.44 million in April, which increased to 2.67 million in October while that of ACT increased to 1.74 million from 1.59 million.

To cash in on the current practice of work from home as well as learn from home, Reliance Jio on August 31 came out with new tariff packages for fixed line broadband (FBB), with the monthly starting price point as low as Rs 399. Airtel followed suit with a starting price of Rs 499 for its FBB plans. The new plans seem to be working well for Jio as the company added around 2.7 lakh FBB connections in September and 1.8 lakh connections in October. Airtel, on its part, added about 70,000 connections each in September and October.

Analysts have noted that the current times are best suited for faster growth of fixed broadband in the country, which otherwise is an under-penetrated market with only around 21 million subscribers. It is largely the wireless or mobile broadband at around 700 million users which has led to the data boom.

As per Motiwal Oswal Financial Services, Indias home broadband market has a minuscule $2-billion market size, accounting for a meagre 9% share of the countrys Rs 1.7 lakh crore wireless market. Subscriber growth has been modest in the last five years, with annual CAGR of just 5%. It has largely been an urban product, with low penetration of 7% due to limited network connectivity with just 80100 million estimated home passes which has restricted subscriber growth. This has given way to increased wireless consumption in India, which has a far easier and convenient installation/activation.

Globally, wired broadband is well-established and significantly utilised for data consumption as it is cheaper than wireless. In contrast, in India, the need for data consumption is fulfilled through wireless as it is cheaper. But with Jios entry in home broadband space in 2019 and its huge target, other players such as Bharti Airtel have also increased their focus in this space in a bid to gain ground.

As per Motilal Oswal, industry average revenue per user (arpu) in the home broadband market has remained fairly stable at Rs 400Rs 500 for copper connectivity and Rs 700Rs 800 for fibre to home (FTTH) packages.

Recently, Gopal Vittal, Bharti Airtel MD and CEO (India and South Asia), said fixed broadband was witnessing a very high traction, given the current context when most of the people are working from home due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Jio, which is late entrant in the FBB market has so far rolled out fibre in over 1,500 cities and aims to have 50 million homes and enterprises on fibre broadband.

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Wired broadband: Jio top gainer as nation took to WFH - The Financial Express

Welcome to your comprehensive look at whats scheduled to hit Netflix throughout January 2021. This will be the list of Netflix Originals and non-Netflix Original titles scheduled for release in the United States throughout the first month of the year.

This list includes all the additions but remember Netflix always loses titles too and January 2021 will be a bumper month for Netflix removals. Big licensed titles like When Calls the Heart, The Office and Gossip Girl are all due to depart throughout the month.

Although this list now includes the full list provided by Netflix for whats coming in January 2021 it will still grow over time with titles unannounced ahead of time.

Note: If youre looking for We Can Be Heroes, it got moved from January 1st to December 25th. 53 new arrivals landed on Netflix on January 1st.

What are you looking forward to watching in January 2021? Let us know in the comments.

See original here:
Whats Coming to Netflix in January 2021 - What's on Netflix

Former Detroit Red Wings forward Andreas Athanasiou is one of the players making his Kings debut this month.

(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

While Athanasiou will have to wait and clear a quarantine period before joining camp later this week, the Kings other key offseason acquisition made a strong first impression Thursday.

Two-time Stanley Cup champion Olli Maatta, a 26-year-old left-handed defenseman the Kings acquired in an October trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, slotted in next to Doughty on the teams top blue-line pairing.

Our games are very similar, said Doughty, who has cycled through a host of different and often less experienced partners in recent seasons. He used to spend his offseasons in [Doughtys Ontario, Canada hometown] London so I skated with him for maybe three or four summers there. I get along with him really well. I think were going to be something special together.

That could be a key development for the Kings. Doughty, 31, might be the veteran they most need improvement from. Though the team believes his numbers dont tell the full story, the former Norris Trophy winner has seen his production slip significantly over the last two seasons.

A lot of people have me written off as not even a good player anymore, Doughty said. So all that becomes personal, and all that drives me to be better this year, to make our team better.

The Kings will also have to decide which prospects crack their opening night roster. Among players aged 22 or younger, Vilardi looks like the only lock. Andersson, Samuel Fagemo, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Akil Thomas, Rasmus Kupari, Matt Luff and Carl Grundstrom could all be in contention for a forward spot; Mikey Anderson, Kale Clague and Tobias Bjornfot (who played in the World Junior Championship) could compete for a position among the defensemen.

Fellow World Juniors participants such as Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Arthur Kaliyev are also set to join either the Kings taxi squad or their minor-league roster following that tournaments conclusion. The team appears unlikely to play any of them to eclipse the seven-game NHL threshold in order to preserve a year on their entry-level contracts.

More:
Five things the Kings must do to return to the NHL playoffs - Los Angeles Times

The story of the year, of course, was COVID-19. From the March announcement of the states first positive tests to the December arrival of the states first batch of vaccines, the coronavirus inserted itself into pretty much every aspect of life in Montana. Tourism took a hit, even as out-of-staters flocked to Montana for a respite from pandemic hotspots. Industries from oil to agriculture to media felt the pandemic ground shifting their foundations. When the state went into stay-at-home mode, business closures tossed thousands of Montanans onto the unemployment rolls. It wasnt long before a vocal minority of citizens began chafing under the strain, questioning the states restrictions in an increasingly politicized atmosphere that continues to show few signs of finding consensus.

Montana Free Press covered COVID-19 outbreaks, the states struggles to keep up with the fast-moving virus, and the pandemics impacts on everything from renters to real estate to rural hospitals. We enlisted reporters statewide to paint the developing COVID scene from Butte to Havre to Billings to Cooke City to Kalispell.

Wherever we went, we found the crisis landing heavily on vulnerable populations, and we tracked the impacts on food security, at-risk kids, their parents, prison populations, and people trying to make their way in an unprecedented new world without so much as a home to shelter in.

And then there was the all-consuming public health response, from testing challenges to contact tracing to Montanas role in vaccine development.

The crisis also put a weighty burden on the very people tasked with helping Montanans navigate it, pinching public health workers between a sometimes suspicious public and occasionally uncooperative elected officials.

But neither 2020 nor COVID-19 was all problems. This summer MTFP partnered with the Solutions Journalism Network to produce a series of reports on community responses to COVID-19 that delivered deep dives about systemic innovations in Missoulas music scene, local food systems, early education, community health, mental well-being, wildland firefighting, local business, and even childbirth.

Still, the years news wasnt all COVID, even if it sometimes seemed like it was.

The summer brought responses to racial injustice home to roost around the state, and MTFP followed organizers as they navigated oppression and opposition in Uphill, a two-part podcast about Black Lives Matter in Montana.

And of course 2020 was an election year of consequence, and while COVID changed how candidates campaigned and how voters voted, the show went on, as it must. The main events were term-limited Democratic Gov. Steve Bullocks failed attempt to unseat Republican Sen. Steve Daines and Republican Congressman Greg Gianfortes successful second attempt to gain the governors office, but under the long shadow of President Donald Trump, down-ballot races offered some stark contrasts as well, especially in the contests for U.S. representative, superintendent of public instruction, and attorney general. Not to mention one easily overlooked initiative-invoked ban and one closely watched initiative-invoked de-prohibition that became law by the will of the electorate.

Along the way, MTFP tried something new, partnering with Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio to produce a 10-episode election-season podcast called Shared State that looked at key races and issues through the lens of that roadworn campaign phrase, Montana values, and its foundations in Montanas Constitution.

In the end, all statewide offices went Republican, delivering a unified statehouse for the first time in decades and upending a long-standing dynamic between the state executive and the Legislature.

It remains to be seen how another long-standing dynamic that between uneasy factions within the Legislatures Republican caucus might play out over the course of the 67th session. And, to close the loop, it remains to be seen as well how the session itself will play out in the face of a continuing pandemic.

2020 was also the year of the U.S. census, and as with everything this year, the process was buffeted by the coronavirus, with potentially profound consequences.

But if the whole world wasnt consumed by COVID, neither was it consumed by politics.

We kept an eye on the world outside this year with reporting on environmental news dominated by legal conflict. Regardless of Bullocks support, construction of the Keystone XL pipeline continued to face new hurdles from courts and tribes both. After the DEQ approved the Black Butte copper mine, environmental groups sued to block it. After environmental groups sued, the Wildlife Services division of the Department of Agriculture agreed to cut back on killing wildlife. Lynx were the subject of an Endangered Species Act lawsuit in December, and a federal decision that wolverines arent threatened was challenged just weeks later. Whitebark pine, meanwhile, were given a ticket to the endangered list, and the state Supreme Court blocked a gold mine in the Paradise Valley.

But the most impactful environmental lawsuit of the year was doubtless Gov. Bullocks takedown of acting BLM director William Pendley a shake-up with potentially widespread implications for land management in the West, where political maneuvering around public lands is likely to continue well into the new year under a new administration.

Along the way, chronic wasting disease continued to establish new footholds and a new reality across the state, the American Prairie Reserve continued to generate innovations and controversy, and a panel created by Bullock released a Climate Solutions Plan calling for the state to reach net-zero carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050.

And finally, a collision of environmental, economic and political issues played through to its long-awaited conclusion in the CSKT water compact, which began the year facing opposition from a small contingent of hardline Republicans, and exited 2020 with congressional approval via a must-pass appropriations bill and, eventually, ratification by the tribes, bringing years of negotiation and conflict to a close.

These were hardly the only stories worth reading in 2020 MTFP published some 400 stories this calendar year, as we expanded our editorial staff with new reporters Chris Aadland and Mara Silver but its a sample worth remembering as a first draft, at least, of history constantly in the making. Well be revisiting many of these issues in 2021, as we expand our staff again, starting Monday, with the additions of full-time staff reporters Amanda Eggert and Alex Sakariassen on the environmental and education beats, respectively.

And then, of course, there will be the new years new news the stories no one saw coming, and the stories well be ready, thanks to the continuing support of readers, to report thoroughly, fairly, and accurately. Thats what were most looking forward to in the coming year. Well see you then.

Read the rest here:
The stories of 2020 - Montana Free Press

In the scope of Star Wars, how will Rangers Of The New Republic connect to Return of the Jedi or The Force Awakens?

Lucasfilm announced enough new projects to make a Star Wars fans head explode at Disneys recent Investor Day event. Among these projects are three streaming series spun off from The Mandalorian Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Rangers of the New Republic that will run concurrently with its story threads.

RELATED:The Mandalorian: 10 Reasons To Be Excited For Rangers Of The New Republic

Of the three shows, Rangers of the New Republic is the one with the most connection to the Skywalker saga. It can explore the transfer of political power in the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens in more depth than any other Star Wars media to date.

The most interesting thing about the New Republic officers appearances on The Mandalorian has been seeing how the Rebel Alliance morphed into a governing body that polices the galaxy.

Between the Empires fall and the First Orders rise, the New Republic enjoyed a brief period of success. In the Rangers series, the New Republic will be at the height of its powers.

Essentially, Rangers of the New Republic will be a law enforcement procedural set in a galaxy far, far away. But the tragic undercurrent is that the enforcing body, the New Republic, is inevitably doomed to fall to its knees and concede power to a fascist dictator.

The New Republic already collapsed before the events of The Force Awakens. Rangers of the New Republic can connect the victory at the end of Return of the Jedi to the defeat at the beginning of The Force Awakens.

Lukes triumphant appearance in the second-season finale of The Mandalorian proved that Disney+s new roster of post-Return of the Jedi content overseen by the dream team of Favreau and Filoni can do justice to the legacy characters who got skewed beyond recognition in the sequels.

Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover could reprise their roles as young Han and Lando, respectively, while Billie Lourd could play a CGId-up young Leia like she did in The Rise of Skywalker.

Instead of telling the story of how Han and Leias son Kylo Ren trained under Luke and turned to the dark side, the sequel trilogy picked up after all that had already happened and there wasnt much story left to tell.

RELATED:Star Wars: 10 Ways The Mandalorian Has Been Setting Up Its New Spin-Offs

With Luke, Han, and Leia all playing major roles in the formation of the New Republic after the events of Return of the Jedi, Ben Solos childhood could factor into the story arcs in Rangers.

In its exploration of a post-Return of the Jedi galaxy, The Mandalorian has made it clear that the Empire was still operational after Palpatines defeat; it just had a fraction of the power it once had.

The Imperial Remnants have existed in the background of The Mandalorian, only appearing in the context of the search for Grogu, but Rangers of the New Republic can put them at the forefront.

When The Force Awakens opens, the Empire is already back in full force except its now called the First Order with giant fleets of TIE fighters and Star Destroyers and a bigger Death Star than ever before. The sequel trilogy gave no indication about how the First Order rose to power.

George Lucas made an entire trilogy out of the birth of the Empire. Rangers of the New Republic can set the stage for the First Orders takeover.

If the young Luke Skywalker introduced in The Mandalorian crosses over into Rangers of the New Republic, then he could be seen spending time with the Force ghosts who watched over him at the end of Return of the Jedi.

An Obi-Wan ghost played by Ewan McGregor might seem strange (and a computer-generated Alec Guinness might be even stranger) and Yodas spirit appeared in The Last Jedi, but Hayden Christensen is primed for an appearance as Anakins Force ghost after his inclusion in the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi.

In The Force Awakens, Finns arc makes it clear that the First Orders Stormtroopers arent expendable cannon fodder; theyre brainwashed orphans. In theory, under all those helmets are a bunch of misunderstood Finns in need of better guidance.

RELATED:The Mandalorian: 10 Best Moments Between Djarin and Grogu

But Stormtroopers are still treated like cannon fodder for nostalgic purposes. And Finn reveals that he was in sanitation, negating his entire internal conflict. Rangers of the New Republic can explain exactly where the First Order got its troops from.

In the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi is filled with terrible additions like Jedi Rocks and the Sarlaccs beak. One addition that sort of fits is the victory celebration at the end, which shows worlds from the entire Star Wars saga Naboo, Coruscant, Bespin etc. celebrating the Empires defeat.

Before the First Order rises up, Rangers of the New Republic can take a couple of seasons to show the galaxy enjoying peace and prosperity after the fall of a dictatorship.

Palpatines return technically wasnt teased in The Force Awakens. In fact, it wasnt teased at all. It was announced in a random game of Fortnite and explained away in a couple of vague lines of dialogue in The Rise of Skywalker. But the latter movie did reveal that Supreme Leader Snoke, who supposedly took Palpatines place as the galaxys dark side ruler in the interim between trilogies, was one of his creations.

The Imperial Remnants obsession with cloning Grogu for his M-count in The Mandalorian has already hinted that a deeper exploration of these barely congruent plot points is on the way.

NEXT:Star Wars: 10 Details About Porgs You Missed

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Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, and independent filmmaker, and he's good at at least two of those things. In addition to writing for Screen Rant and Comic Book Resources, covering everything from Scorsese to Spider-Man, Ben directs independent films and does standup comedy. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature film, Hunting Trip, and has been for a while because filmmaking is expensive. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema and BabbleTop.

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Rangers Of The New Republic: 5 Ways It Can Tie Into Return Of The Jedi (& 5 For The Force Awakens) - Screen Rant