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News from November 22, 2025

42 articles found

Caesars Palace fined $7.8M over gambling by bookmaker linked to Ohtani's interpreter
Business

Caesars Palace fined $7.8M over gambling by bookmaker linked to Ohtani's interpreter

Nevada gaming regulators voted to fine Caesars Palace $7.8 million Thursday over failing to comply with anti-money laundering rules, settling a case that centered on an illegal bookmaker with ties to the former interpreter for the baseball star Shohei Ohtani. The Nevada Gaming Control Board alleged that Caesars Palace failed to verify bookmaker Mathew Bowyer's source of funds as he gambled millions of dollars between 2017 and 2024, despite suspicions being raised on several occasions and an anonymous tip that Bowyer was a bookie. It's the third casino to be fined at least partly in relation to Bowyer's activity; a $10.5 million stipulated fine handed to the Resorts World casino earlier this year was the second-largest ever from the gaming board. Caesars executives said their systems for catching such behavior had failed. “There is no customer that’s worth illegitimate profits. We didn’t catch Bowyer and we should have,” Tom Reeg, the CEO of Caesars Entertainment, said at Thursday's hearing. Bowyer pleaded guilty to federal charges in 2024, which included running an illegal gambling business and money laundering. Prosecutors said Bowyer took bets from hundreds of people, including Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara — who translated for the Japanese athlete — was sentenced in federal court earlier this year to five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account. The settlement between Caesars Palace and the Gaming Control Board includes requirements for the casino company to better ensure compliance with anti-money laundering laws, including more training for staff. “The way our (anti-money laundering) program operated in this instance was unacceptable," said Gary Carano, the executive chairman of Caesars Entertainment's board of directors, at the hearing. “We will do everything possible to prevent this from coming before you ever again.” Earlier this year, MGM Resorts International was fined $8.5 million for actions related to Bowyer and another bookmaker, the Nevada Independent reported. MGM Resorts International and Resorts World did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Jesse Bedayn
Cardi B Transforms Her Newborn's Umbilical Cord Into Gold Pendant
Health

Cardi B Transforms Her Newborn's Umbilical Cord Into Gold Pendant

Stefon Diggs cut the cord and then Cardi B turned it into gold ... because Cardi took their newborn son's umbilical cord and got it transformed into a pendant. The "Bodak Yellow" rapper enlisted Mommy Made Encapsulations to turn the umbilical cord into some heart-shaped, gold jewelry. In the video shared online, Mommy Made Encapsulation takes folks through the transformative process ... the umbilical cord is shaped into a heart, dehydrated and then dipped in gold chrome. Cardi B didn't stop there ... she also had the company take part of her placenta and make it into edible capsules. Mothers all over the world consume their placentas for supposed health benefits, so Cardi B's not alone here ... but the umbilical cord jewelry is a little more rare. As you know ... Cardi gave birth earlier this month to a son with her boyfriend Stefon, who plays for the NFL's New England Patriots. Cardi shared the first photos of their bundle of joy the other day, and Stefon was there in the hospital with her ... you didn't see the child's face, but he was wrapped in a Diggs Patriots blanket. It seems like Cardi B might be a returning customer, because Mommy Made posted photos of Cardi's procedure on their Instagram in 2024 ... when she had her third child, Blossom Belle Cephus.

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Campbell's Soup VP recorded ridiculing 'poor people' for eating 'bioengineered meat' in 's**t' product: Lawsuit
Technology

Campbell's Soup VP recorded ridiculing 'poor people' for eating 'bioengineered meat' in 's**t' product: Lawsuit

A Campbell's Soup executive was allegedly recorded mocking the company's customers and making racial comments against its Indian employees, according to a lawsuit from a former employee. Robert Garza of Monroe, Michigan, says that he was fired from the company after complaining about the comments made by the executive in an hour-long rant he recorded from a meeting at a restaurant. 'I don't buy Campbell's products barely anymore. It's not healthy now that I know what the f**k's in it. ... Bioengineered meat — I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.' The executive, Martin Bally, is now the vice president of the company. "He has no filter," Robert Garza said to WDIV-TV. "He thinks he's a C-level executive at a Fortune 500 company and he can do whatever he wants because he's an executive." Garza was hired as a remote security analyst in September 2024 for the company's headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. He said he recorded the conversation with Bally because he felt there was something off about his former supervisor. "We have s**t for f**king poor people. Who buys our s**t? I don't buy Campbell's products barely anymore. It's not healthy now that I know what the f**k's in it. ... Bioengineered meat — I don't wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3-D printer," said the man identified as Bally by Garza on the recording. He also derided the workers from India at the company. "F**king Indians don't know a f**king thing," the man said on the recording. "Like they couldn't think for their f**king selves." Garza said he felt "pure disgust" after hearing the rant. He says that Bally admitted to being high on marijuana edibles on the job as well, which is included in the filing. In Jan. 2025, Garza went to his supervisor to complain about the comments, but Garza says he was fired weeks later. "He reached out to his supervisor and told the supervisor what Martin was saying, and then out of nowhere, my client was fired," said Garza's attorney, Zachary Runyan. "He was really sticking up for other people," Runyan continued. "He went to his boss and said, 'Martin is saying this about Indian co-workers we have. He's saying this about people who buy our food — who keep our company open, and I don't think that should be allowed.' And the response to Robert sticking up for other people is he gets fired, which is ridiculous." Garza said he was shocked at the decision because Bally had praised his performance during the meeting. "He had never had any disciplinary action; they had never written him up for work performance," Runyan added. RELATED: FDA announces ban on red food dye over cancer concerns The lawsuit accuses the company of maintaining a racially hostile work environment by firing Garza in retaliation. He says that he never received a follow-up from Human Resources or from the company, and it took him 10 months to find another job. The company released a statement to WDIV about the lawsuit. "If accurate, the comments in the recording are unacceptable," the statement reads. "They do not reflect our values and the culture of our company. We are actively investigating this matter." The lawsuit names vice president and chief information security officer Martin Bally and supervisor J.D. Aupperle as defendants in addition to the Campbell Soup Company. The Campbell Soup Company employs more than 144K employees and has more than $10.3 billion in net sales annually, according to its website. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Flu activity is low, but experts worry about a new strain and vaccination rates
Health

Flu activity is low, but experts worry about a new strain and vaccination rates

The U.S. flu season is starting slowly, and it's unclear if it will be as bad as last winter's, but some health experts are worried as U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Friday shows a new version of the virus has emerged. An early analysis suggests current vaccines may still be somewhat effective against the new version of the flu, which has been the main driver of recent infections, CDC data shows. Some scientists and medical professionals are more worried about disappointing vaccination rates, a main reason why flu hospitalizations and deaths were unusually bad during last year's flu season — one of the deadliest this century. “I think we’re going to see a really severe season," said Asefeh Faraz Covelli of the George Washington University School of Nursing. Last winter, the overall flu hospitalization rate was the highest seen since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. Flu was the underlying or a contributing cause of more than 18,000 deaths, and one seven-day stretch early this year saw more than 1,800 deaths — the highest one-week spike in at least a decade. Child flu deaths also were far higher than usual. CDC data posted Friday showed low flu activity so far, with only one state — Louisiana — reporting moderate activity. Most of the reported infections have been in children, said the CDC's Alicia Budd, who tracks flu infections for the Atlanta-based agency. Most also have been a new version of the type A H3N2 virus that historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. That type is responsible for most flu infections so far this year, and more than half have been a new subclade K variant that is different from the strain this year's flu shots were built to fight. A preliminary analysis from the United Kingdom suggests the shots do provide at least partial protection, although it will take some time for scientists to know exactly how effective they are. Experts say any protection that softens the blow of a flu infection is important to get. Flu seasons tend to get bad between December and February, and illnesses likely will accelerate as people travel and gather for Thanksgiving, Covelli said. “I think it’s going to start picking up here,” she said. “This is the ideal time to get vaccinated.” Researchers this year have been facing an unusual struggle to get a handle on how respiratory infection and vaccination rates have been trending. They usually rely on the CDC for data, but a recent government shutdown halted data collection and reporting just as respiratory infections started ramping up. Meanwhile, government efforts to promote disease-preventing shots have been more limited since U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was put in charge of the CDC and other federal health agencies. Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine activist, has fostered uncertainty about the safety of vaccines, including flu shots that contained a preservative called thimerosal. Indeed, vaccination rates against COVID-19 clearly continue to plummet, with about 6% of children and 14% of adults up to date on their shots, according to other CDC data posted Friday. Each figure is about 3 percentage points less than it was at this point last fall. For the flu, vaccination trends are a little muddier. Some sources have suggested flu vaccinations are down. Over two million fewer flu shots were given at U.S. pharmacies through the end of October compared to last year, according to data from IQVIA, a health information and research company. But the latest CDC data indicates that for children, the vaccination rate this year is about the same as it was at this point last fall, at 34%. And the vaccination rate for adults is up a few percentage points to about 37%, according to the CDC data, which relies on survey information. It is early in the season and too early to know if the increase will be sustained or what is causing it, CDC officials said. As of the beginning of November, the U.S. flu hospitalization rate is about the same as it was at the same point in 2024. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 and another respiratory virus, RSV, are lower so far this season, according to another set of CDC data. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Mike Stobbe
Letters: The U.S. had nothing to gain by attending climate conference
Politics

Letters: The U.S. had nothing to gain by attending climate conference

U.S. had nothing to gain at COP30 I’m glad the U.S. didn’t send a delegation to COP30, the two-week-long U.N. “Climate Change Conference” in Brazil this month. This costly annual event accomplishes next to nothing (other than CO2 emissions from all the private jets flying in). Press releases touted the “progress” China is making in reducing greenhouse gases, while complaining the U.S. isn’t “doing enough.” The truth, however, was hidden away in some committee reports discovered by the Economist magazine of London. Their article noted that in 2023, CO2 emissions from China were more than double the emissions from the U.S. and Europe combined. (China still builds new coal-powered electric generating plants, while exporting all but a tiny fraction of the solar panels and windmills it manufactures.) The Economist also pointed out that, over the past decade, the U.S. has led the world in the reduction of CO2 emissions, primarily by burning natural gas rather than coal. Mike Heller Walnut Creek Don’t cancel comic for having an opinion I find it ridiculous that people are trying to cancel “Mallard Filmore” because they disagree with his conservative-leaning views. Different views are important to democracy. Where were these people during the eight years of brutal attacks by “Doonesbury” against President Bush? Perhaps only their views are the correct ones? If Mallard is canceled, be sure you cancel “Doonesbury” and every other strip with an opinion. ACA spat wasn’t worth the lengthy shutdown I am a life-long Democrat, but I did not support the government shutdown based on health care insurance issues. Approximately 85% of American residents receive their health care insurance via Medicare, Medicaid or their employers. Only about 7% get it via Affordable Care Act exchanges. The ACA has been a wonderful program to supplement households that would not be able to afford health care insurance in the private market. In 2024, most of those signed up via ACA exchanges paid no more than $10 per month. The federal government paid the rest directly to the insurance companies. This system will be firmly in place into 2026. In question was whether the “enhanced” ACA features would continue. The Republicans won the election in 2024. They want to let the ACA enhancements expire at the end of the year. Democrats should have avoided the shutdown, then regrouped to fight another day. George Fulmore Rather than hike sales tax, fix Prop. 13 Let’s be honest, we’ve all been tired of the rising sales taxes here in California. With this, Oakland leaders are scrambling to figure out a new tax to fund public services. However, what leaders haven’t considered yet is taxing the ultra-wealthy. Proposition 13, passed back in 1978, froze property tax rates for homeowners and corporations. While this is a good thing for homeowners, major corporations have been pocketing billions of dollars every year because they are simply not paying their fair share in property taxes. If we want to have stable revenue in this state and not pay soaring taxes on everything, we must reform the commercial side of Proposition 13. Jules Pizano Oakland should enact progressive parcel tax Despite many queries to Oakland city leaders over many years, they are apparently still unwilling to consider that a parcel tax doesn’t have to be a flat, regressive tax. All our neighboring cities pass progressive parcel taxes, assessed by square footage; Oakland, a supposedly progressive city, can and should do the same. However, Oakland homeowners have to let their council members know that they insist on a progressive and not a regressive parcel tax. I hope all my fellow Oaklanders will communicate this to council members and the mayor. Beth Weinberger

Letters To The Editor
Elderly NYC man fatally shoots career criminal who allegedly lunged at him — and gets prison sentence for infuriating reason
Technology

Elderly NYC man fatally shoots career criminal who allegedly lunged at him — and gets prison sentence for infuriating reason

An elderly New York City man has been sentenced to prison after he fatally shot a career criminal who allegedly lunged at him in 2023 — and for a reason many will find infuriating. Charles Foehner, 67, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of criminal weapons possession in a deal to end his case more than two years after he fatally shot would-be thief Cody Gonzalez, who charged at him near his Kew Gardens home in Queens, the New York Post reported. 'If we respected people's constitutional right and provided practical means for citizens to exercise that right, Mr. Foehner would not be in the position he is in today.' More specifically, Foehner will spend four years in prison after admitting to carrying an unlicensed revolver, the paper said, adding that Foehner's attorney blasted the city's "draconian" gun laws. The Post said the Queens District Attorney's Office decided not to prosecute Foehner — a retired doorman — for Gonzalez's killing after he told police that he defended himself from a mugger who lunged at him late at night holding what looked like a knife, except it was a pen. More from the paper: But prosecutors slapped Foehner with a slew of weapons raps for the unlicensed handgun and for an arsenal of illicit handguns, revolvers and rifles inside his home in the quiet neighborhood.Foehner took the plea deal to avoid a trial, where he faced 25 years in prison on gun charges that are not hard to prove, said his attorney Thomas Kenniff after Thursday's hearing in Queens Supreme Court.Kenniff called Foehner a "hero" who was put in an "impossible position" by what he called "draconian" Big Apple gun laws that make it difficult for "law-abiding citizens" to obtain permits to carry firearms. "If this was a state and a city that had its affairs in order, Mr. Foehner would be getting a plaque, not a prison sentence," Kenniff told reporters on the courthouse steps, the Post said. Foehner's attorney added that lawmakers in New York City and the state capital have "repeatedly frustrated the rights of law-abiding Americans, New Yorkers, that possess firearms," the paper reported. The Post said attorney Kenniff is known for successfully defending Marine veteran Daniel Penny from charges of fatally choking a homeless man who threatened New York City subway passengers in May 2023. "If we respected people's constitutional right and provided practical means for citizens to exercise that right, Mr. Foehner would not be in the position he is in today," Kenniff also said, according to the paper. RELATED: 7-Eleven hands down unthinkable punishment to clerk after she shoots knife-wielding thug who attacked, strangled her Following his arrest on the heels of the 2 a.m. fatal shooting in a driveway near his home at 82nd Avenue and Queens Boulevard, Foehner told police he had been carrying the gun in question to protect himself from crime in New York City, the Post noted. More from the paper: Security footage showed the alleged robber Gonzalez — who had at least 15 arrests dating back to 2004 and a record of mental illness — continuing to charge at Foehner even after the senior pulled his gun.Foehner took the deal Thursday with the understanding that he'd be sentenced to four years in prison at his sentencing date Jan. 14, his lawyer said.Until then, he'll remain "at liberty" and will be able to celebrate Christmas with his wife, Judge Toni Cimino ruled — over objections from the Queens DA's Office, which had pushed for him to spend the holidays at Rikers Island. "While we very much respect DA Melinda Katz and the fine prosecutors she assigned to this case, we were disappointed that the DA's Office sought to have Charlie remanded before sentencing," Kenniff noted Thursday, according to the Post. "We are grateful that Judge Toni Cimino agreed to let Charlie rejoice with his wife in the light of this Christmas season before he begins his sentence." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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Jets star Kris Boyd was shot after argument about what he was wearing, NYPD says
Sports

Jets star Kris Boyd was shot after argument about what he was wearing, NYPD says

A stranger shot New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd in the abdomen after taunting him about his outfit, police say. Boyd, two of his teammates and a third friend headed to Asian fusion hotspot Sei Less in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday to celebrate a friend’s birthday. As they were heading inside the restaurant, a group of men started “to chirp them” about their fashion choices, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told Pix11. The strangers then asked: “Do you think you’re better than us?” The football player and his friends spent about 10 minutes inside the restaurant before deciding they didn’t like the vibe and left, Kenny said. That’s when, just after 2 a.m., the strangers confronted Boyd’s group again, once again taunting them about their outfits. An argument quickly turned physical — and one of the strangers pulled out a gun, Kenny said. “Pretty chaotic scene. Probably about 50 to 60 people out there. People are running,” the chief of detectives added. EMS responded and transported Boyd to NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue in critical but stable condition, the NYPD said in a statement. The bullet travelled to his lung and is lodged in his pulmonary artery, Kenny told the outlet. There’s no information to suggest that the strangers recognized Boyd’s group. The man who struck Boyd has not been identified, police said. He fled the scene on foot and before getting into a white BMW about two blocks away, CBS News reported. Police are now asking the public for help identifying the man, who was last seen wearing a black cap, black sweatshirt, black pants, multi-colored sneakers, and carrying a black book bag. Boyd posted a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed on Instagram Wednesday, sharing that he was able to start breathing on his own. "God is real, God is powerful!" he wrote. "I'm sorry I have no words at the moment..Just grateful! I'm coming along, starting to breathe on my own now. Sincerely appreciate everyone!" Earlier this week, New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn said Boyd sounded “upbeat” in their conversation. “That’s what eases my mind, is that he’s in good spirits,” Glenn said Wednesday. “His wife and his kid, they’re in good spirits and he will walk away from this just fine.” The coach said he wasn’t sure when Boyd would be released from the hospital: “But I will say this, just talking to him, he felt really upbeat. And again, that’s what gives me comfort, that he feels like that and he’s talking that way.”

Kelly Rissman
Davis Administration signs $100 Million agreement for Beaches Exuma Resort
Business

Davis Administration signs $100 Million agreement for Beaches Exuma Resort

thegallery242.com The Davis administration today signed a landmark heads of agreement with Sandals Resorts International for the $100 million redevelopment of Sandals Emerald Bay into the new Beaches Exuma Resort. The signing ceremony, held at the Office of the Prime Minister, formalized plans for the two-year transformation of the existing property into a family-focused resort. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026. Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart described the moment as deeply personal. “For me this is a coming home and something we wanted to do for a long time,” he said. Stewart noted that Phase One of the redevelopment will see the Beaches property mirror the current size of Sandals Emerald Bay. “This is going to be spectacular,” he added. “We will put a water park in it, pickle ball, archery, field sports.” The project is expected to generate 450 construction jobs and more than 950 permanent positions once the resort opens. Independent assessments provided to the government estimate the broader economic impact will support more than 1,500 jobs annually, including indirect employment. Prime Minister Philip Davis, praising the scale and community-oriented focus of the investment, said the agreement represents a significant step forward for Exuma’s economic and social development. “We are marking the redevelopment of the former Sandals Emerald Bay into Beaches Exuma — a one-hundred-million-dollar investment and a full transformation of the resort into a family-focused destination over the next 24 months,” Davis said. But, he emphasized, the most meaningful impact will be on Bahamian families. “The dollars are not the heart of the story. The heart of the story is the people: the contractors who will get work, the small businesses that will feel the uplift, the young Exumians who will finally have a real pathway into the industry.” Davis noted the long-term benefits extend well beyond direct employment. “Once the resort is fully open, it will support more than 1,500 jobs each year and attract tens of thousands of visitors. That means more money circulating in Exuma’s economy, more opportunities for families, and more strength across the Family Islands.” A central feature of the agreement is a commitment to youth training and development. “There is something that gives me deep pride: the commitment to training our young people,” Davis said. “Sandals has agreed to a partnership with L.N. Coakley High School for a paid traineeship programme, twenty-five apprenticeships upon reopening, and an exchange initiative that will see Bahamians training in other Sandals properties across the Caribbean.” The prime minister added that such initiatives reflect his administration’s broader vision for inclusive growth. “This is exactly what we have been pushing for as a government — real opportunities that put Bahamians in a position to rise.” The Beaches Exuma Resort is expected to become one of the island’s largest employers and a major anchor for family-oriented tourism in the southern Bahamas.

media
Trump pushes Ukraine to accept peace plan ahead of Nov 27 deadline, Zelenskyy calls it 'tough choice'
World

Trump pushes Ukraine to accept peace plan ahead of Nov 27 deadline, Zelenskyy calls it 'tough choice'

US President Donald Trump on Friday urged Ukraine to accept his administration’s plan aimed at ending the war with Russia by ceding territory, saying his counterpart in Kyiv will “have to like it.” “He’ll have to like it, and if he doesn’t like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting,” Trump told reporters who asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s less-than-enthusiastic response to his plan. “At some point he’s going to have to accept something,” Trump added during the Oval Office meeting with New York City’s future mayor Zohran Mamdani. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Friday, Zelensky pushed back on the American plan, saying he would not “betray” his country over the 28-point document, seen in Kyiv as very favorable to the Kremlin. More from World Trump signs bill to release Epstein files, DoJ has 30 days to make them public Mamdani seeks meeting with Trump, reaches out to White House The 79-year-old Republican has grown frustrated at not succeeding in ending the war triggered in February 2022 by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is now seeking an acceleration. Earlier Friday, Trump set a deadline of November 27 – the American Thanksgiving holiday – for Ukraine to accept his administration’s plan aimed at ending its war with Russia. “I’ve had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines. But Thursday is, we think, an appropriate time,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News Radio. Quick Reads View All Russia threatens more territorial seizures if Ukraine rejects US plan Eli Lilly becomes first drugmaker to hit $1 trillion market value on weight-loss drug boom Under the plan, Ukraine would give up a swathe of eastern territory to Russia and slash the size of its army, according to a draft obtained by AFP. Kyiv would also pledge never to join NATO, and would not get the Western peacekeepers they have called for, although European warplanes would be stationed in Poland. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump said that if fighting continued, the Ukrainians would still end up losing the territories they would have to cede to Russia under his peace plan. “Say what you want, they were very brave,” he said about Ukrainian forces fighting the Russians. Russian President Vladimir Putin “is not looking for more war,” the Republican leader responded when asked about the possibility of Russia attacking other countries in Europe after it invaded Ukraine in 2022. Trump also stated that Putin was “taking punishment” for the conflict going on for nearly four years now when, the US president added, it “was supposed to be a one-day war.”

Agence France-Presse
First saplings grown from iconic Sycamore Gap to be planted after tree was illegally felled
World

First saplings grown from iconic Sycamore Gap to be planted after tree was illegally felled

The first saplings grown from the iconic Sycamore Gap are set to be planted after the beloved tree was illegally felled, the National Trust has announced. Five saplings will go in the ground on Saturday as National Tree Week kicks off, with more than half of the 49 “trees of hope” from the sycamore to be planted over the course of the week. The tree, which stood for more than a century in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall, was deliberately cut down overnight in September 2023, prompting a national outcry and a police investigation. Earlier this year, Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were found guilty of its illegal felling and were sentenced to more than four years in prison. The saplings – 49 to mark the sycamore’s height in feet when it was cut down – were grown from the seeds and material rescued from the felled tree, which grew on land cared for by the National Trust, and were nurtured at the charity’s plant conservation centre. The first places to plant the trees, which are now between four and six feet tall, include the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry, where a teenage trio set up a project to rescue their city’s trees. Saplings will also be planted on Saturday at a site commemorating the Minnie Pit mining disaster in Staffordshire and at the former military base and location of the protest camp at Greenham Common, Berkshire, which reopened to the public in 2000. Later in the week, saplings will be planted at The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, at Hexham General Hospital in Northumberland, and at a veterans’ charity, Veterans in Crisis, in Sunderland. Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian’s Wall properties, said: “It’s incredible to think that this weekend, the first ‘offspring’ of this very famous tree will be planted – it feels like just yesterday that those tentative first shoots appeared. “Over the next couple of years, the saplings will really start to take shape, and because sycamores are so hardy, we’re confident they’ll be able to withstand a range of conditions.” The very first sapling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree was gifted to the King last summer and will be planted on behalf of the nation at a later date. More than 500 applications were received to host one of the 49 saplings, the National Trust said. One of the successful applicants is the Tree Amigos, who set up their Tree Sanctuary for unwanted trees in 2023, and will be planting their tree of hope on Sowe Common North on Saturday. Martina Irwin, a co-founder of the Tree Sanctuary, said: “Planting the sapling today will be really special and gives us a great opportunity to connect even more people, especially young people, to nature. “We’ve chosen to plant it among some other ‘saved’ trees that we have planted on Sowe Common, serving as a beacon to inspire respect, understanding, and a sense of responsibility toward all trees. “We hope the planting of the Sycamore Gap tree sapling will encourage the next generation of young Tree Amigos to join in with future tree-planting projects in Coventry.” Hilary McGrady, director general of the National Trust, said: “It was the quick-thinking of our conservationists in the aftermath of the felling that has allowed the Sycamore Gap tree to live on. “The team has cared for these 49 hopeful saplings beautifully and they’re now ready to be given to communities, where they’ll become a source of inspiration, a place to reflect, a home for nature, or simply a reminder that there are always good things worth fighting for, even after something so senseless. “We’re looking forward to seeing them thrive.” Early next month, an additional sapling which was given to the school closest to the Sycamore Gap, Henshaw Church of England Primary School, will be planted in its grounds. And another 15 saplings will be planted in each of the UK’s national parks in early 2026, including one in Northumberland where the original sycamore stood.

Tara Cobham
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