Dane was born on November 9, 1972 and raised in California. His father, a Navy man, died of a gunshot wound when he was 7. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to purse acting, landing guest roles on shows like “Saved by the Bell,” “Married…With Children,” “Charmed” and “X-Men: the Last Stand,” and one season of the short-lived medical drama “Gideon’s Crossing.”
His big break arrived in the mid-2000s, when he was cast as Dr. Mark Sloan, a.k.a. McSteamy, on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” a role he would play from 2006 until 2012 and reprise in 2021. In 2019, he did a complete 180 and became Cal Jacobs, a troubled married man, in HBO’s provocative drama, “Euphoria,” a role he continued in up until his death.
Dane also starred as Tom Chandler, the captain of a U.S. Navy destroyer at sea after a global catastrophe wiped out most of the world’s population, in the TNT drama “The Last Ship.” In 2017, production was halted as Dane battled depression.
In April 2025, Dane announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body.
Great Britain have claimed a second gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics after Huw Nightingale and Charlotte Bankes won the mixed team snowboard cross event.
Brooklyn Beckham Breaks Silence Family Feud: Explained
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham just broke his silence on the ongoing feud between him and his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and his estranged family: parents, Victoria and David Beckham, and siblings, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper Beckham.
For a bit of context, there initially appeared to be tension between Victoria and Nicola after her and Brooklyn’s 2023 wedding. However, by 2024, the family seemed to put on a united front and were back on good terms…for about a year.
Once 2025 rolled around, it did not go unnoticed by fans that Nicola and Brooklyn failed to attend any of David’s three 50th birthday celebrations, and they also didn’t publicly acknowledge his big day on May 2, or Father’s Day — despite David and Victoria including their eldest child in multiple gushing posts at the time.
It’s worth noting that Brooklyn also did not acknowledge his mom on her birthday or Mother’s Day, nor his brothers on their birthdays. However, he and Nicola did post about his younger sister, Harper Beckham’s, 14th birthday back in July.
Shortly after Father’s Day, Brooklyn appeared to rub salt in the wound when he posted a birthday tribute to his Instagram story in honor of Nicola’s dad, billionaire Nelson Peltz. Alongside a photo of him and Nicola posing with Nelson, he wrote: “Happy Birthday Nelson x we love you ❤️”
Since, Brooklyn also failed to acknowledge his dad’s knighthood in November — something that David made no secret is incredibly important to him. Then, shortly before Christmas, Brooklyn’s youngest brother, Cruz, publicly revealed that Brooklyn had blocked the entire family on Instagram after tabloids mistakenly reported that David and Victoria had unfollowed their son.
Responding to a Daily Mail headline about the couple unfollowing Brooklyn on social media, Cruz wrote: “NOT TRUE My mum and dad would never unfollow their son.. Let’s get the facts right. They woke up blocked… as did I.”
Up until this point, nobody in the family aside from Cruz had publicly commented on any of the reports, but earlier today, Brooklyn sparked shockwaves with an explosive six-post statement that he shared to his Instagram story, where he made several bombshell claims.
“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed,” Brooklyn’s shocking statement began. “I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”
“For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into,” he went on. “Recently, I have seen with my own eyes the lengths that they’ll go through to place countless lies in the media, mostly at the expense of innocent people, to preserve their own facade. But I believe the truth always comes out.”
“My parents have been trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped,” Brooklyn added. “My mum cancelled making Nicola’s dress in the eleventh hour despite how excited she was to wear her design, forcing her to urgently find a new dress. Weeks before our big day, my parents repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name, which would have affected me, my wife, and our future children. They were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they have never treated me the same since. During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me ‘evil’ because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra, and Nicola’s Naunni at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.”
“The night before our wedding, members of my family told me that Nicola was ‘not blood’ and ‘not family.’ Since the moment I started standing up for myself with my family, I’ve received endless attacks from my parents, both privately and publicly, that were sent to the press on their orders,” Brooklyn added. “Even my brothers were sent to attack me on social media, before they ultimately blocked me out of nowhere this last Summer.”
He then confirmed unverified reports that were shared after his and Nicola’s wedding, writing: “My mum hijacked my first dance with my wife, which had been planned weeks in advance to a romantic love song. In front of our 500 wedding guests, Marc Anthony called me to the stage, where in the schedule was planned to be my romantic dance with my wife but instead my mum was waiting to dance with me instead. She danced very inappropriately on me in front of everyone. I’ve never felt more uncomfortable or humiliated in my entire life. We wanted to renew our vows so we could create new memories of our wedding day that bring us joy and happiness, not anxiety and embarrassment.”
“My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one. My mum has repeatedly invited women from my past into our lives in ways that were clearly intended to make us both uncomfortable,” Brooklyn continued, before claiming that he and Nicola did travel from their home in Los Angeles to London to see David for his birthday. He wrote: “Despite this, we still travelled to London for my dad’s birthday and were rejected for a week as we waited in our hotel room trying to plan quality time with him. He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner. When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.”
“My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations,” he claimed. “We’ve gone out of our way for years to show up and support at every fashion show, every party, and every press activity to show ‘our perfect family.’ But the one time my wife asked for my mum’s support to save displaced dogs during the LA fires, my mum refused.”
For reference, the tragic LA fires occurred in January of last year, which appears to be in keeping with the timeline of this feud. In a final post, Brooklyn concluded: “The narrative that my wife controls me is completely backwards. I have been controlled by my parents for most of my life. I grew up with overwhelming anxiety. For the first time in my life, since stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared. I wake up every morning grateful for the life I chose, and have found peace and relief. My wife and I do not want a life shaped by image, press, or manipulation. All we want peace, privacy and happiness for us and our future family.”
Whew — what I wouldn’t give to be in the Beckham family group chat right now! So far, none of the family has responded to Brooklyn’s claims, but we’ll be sure to let you know if they do. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Javier Zanetti lived out his dreams as a player, lifting 16 trophies in an Inter Milan career that spanned a record 858 appearances, winning 145 caps for Argentina, and earning a reputation as one of the best defensive players of his generation.
Claudio Braga and Stephen Kingsley were on target as resurgent Hearts won 2-0 away to misfiring Falkirk to move six points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership.
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry speaks exclusively to Sky Sports to discuss 2027 free agency
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has opened up on his plans for free agency in 2027 after admitting situations change “really fast” in the NBA.
The prospect of Curry, a two-time league MVP and 11-time All-Star, playing for any franchise other than The Dubs is a strange one.
After being drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2009, Curry has gone on to revolutionise the game of basketball, helping himself to four championships, one finals MVP and the NBA record for most three-pointers made with 4,058 to add to his overall tally of 25,386 points.
All while wearing No 30 for the Warriors.
4 x NBA champion
2 x NBA MVP
2022 NBA Finals MVP
11 x NBA All-Star
2 x NBA All-Star MVP
11 x All-NBA Team selection
2024 NBA Clutch Player of the Year
2 x NBA Three-Point Content champion
Most three-pointers made in NBA history
Curry signed a one-year extension with the team in 2024, worth a reported £47.5m ($62.6m) and ending growing speculation around his future in the process, keeping him in San Francisco until 2027.
Two years from now, when that deal expires, the greatest shooter of all time will be 39.
After averaging just under 25 points, six assists, and over four rebounds in his 16th season, as well as longevity being more prominent than ever in the league, it is clear to see that his time in the NBA is far from over.
But could the next chapter in his illustrious career lie away from Chase Center? Do not rule it out.
“What I have learned about this league is that things change really fast,” Curry told Sky Sports while discussing Underrated Golf, a programme set up by the point guard to break down barriers to entry and increase diversity in the game of golf.
Underrated Golf is an initiative led by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to create a pathway into the sport for young athletes from underrepresented communities.
The programme aims to break down barriers in the game of golf to give prospects a level playing field, in a bid to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for young golfers.
“What you might feel like in two years from now could be totally different. I try to stay in the moment as much as possible; it’s not the glitziest answer but it allows me to enjoy what is happening now.
“I do want to play for only one team, let’s keep that pretty clear. Being at the Warriors has been unbelievable and I feel blessed to have only played for one franchise and to have accomplished what we have.
“So if I could have the best of both worlds and continue to be championship relevant over the next couple of years, that would be great but this league is wild. You kind of just stay in the moment.”
Despite a decision on his future looming as we approach 2027, Curry’s full focus remains on securing more success with the team he holds so dear to his heart in the upcoming 2025/26 season.
The arrival of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in February has shown early signs of promise after the Warriors reached the Western Conference semi-finals last time out, only to be denied the opportunity to show their title-winning credentials following a Grade 1 hamstring strain for Curry in game one against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A 4-1 defeat in the series would follow but heading into 2025/26, the roster has been bolstered by a new two-year deal for Jonathan Kuminga, as well as the arrival of 2024 NBA champion Al Horford,to run alongside long-term teammate Draymond Green in the frontcourt.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (left) Stephen Curry (centre) and forward Draymond Green (right)
With Curry now back to full fitness and fresh depth surrounding him, the intentions from the Warriors have been clear from pre-season.
The Dubs are 3-1 in games Curry has featured in, beating the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers twice, with attention now turning to the season opener against the Lakers on October 21, live on Sky Sports.
When asked what aspects of the game still motivate a player who has already achieved so much in the sport as we approach a new 82-game season, Curry added: “I talk about championships, and that drive – it allows every part of the journey to matter.
“Even in the off-season, how you prepare for the year, come in and try and build chemistry with your teammates and how you get through the emotional rollercoaster of an 82-game season.
“All of that is built into being at your peak come playoff time in April.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during the pre-season game against the Los Angeles Clippers
“Individual accolades take care of themselves. When you win, everybody is rewarded. As long as I’m taking care of championship motivation, everything else takes care of itself. Whether you win or not, you just lay it all out there.
“We have a brand new team again. We’ll all try and stay healthy and try and get to the finish line. That’s our goal.”
The Warriors have won seven championships in total across their 78-year history, with Curry leading them to more than half of that total.
If the franchise is to add an eighth banner to the rafters in 2026, their point guard will be the man to lead them there.
His powers at the highest level are showing no signs are waning, with the 37-year-old looking to replicate the successes of the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant by “redefining” what it is to be playing at a high level towards the latter stages of their respective careers.
“I feel like I’ve got some good basketball ahead of me. I’m trying to redefine what it is to be playing at a high level at this age,” said Curry when the question of his timeline leading the roster was posed.
“I still love the work that goes into it and playing the game; hopefully, that will carry me. I don’t want to put any limits on it.”
Watch the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports + on October 21, tip-off 3am UK time.
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is in good form going into the World Athletics Championships
The world’s best athletes will take to the track and field this weekend when the World Athletics Championships get under way in Tokyo from September 13-21.
Many of the stars who shone at Paris 2024 will be there, including Britain’s 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and USA’s 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles.
One of the major talking points away from the sport has been the introduction of a mandatory SRY or sex test for athletes who intend to compete in female categories.
All athletes in female category take new ‘sex test’
World Athletics, led by their President Seb Coe, have taken an unambiguous stance for several years when it comes to talking about and defining new rules around the sensitive issues of the protection of female categories, transgender and DSD (Difference of Sexual Development).
They became the first global sporting federation to announce they would introduce a mandatory, once-in-a-lifetime gene test, known as an SRY Test earlier this year.
The test identifies the Y chromosome which causes male characteristics to develop. If an athlete returns a negative result, they are eligible to compete in female categories at world ranking events, including these World Championships.
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World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female
World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female
Coe told Sky Sports he expected every athlete required to take an SRY Test will have done so by the time track and field events get under way in Tokyo, including all French athletes.
In France, the process has been complicated by French law where the SRY gene test is illegal in France due to a 1994 law banning DNA testing for non-medical, non-judicial purposes to protect family integrity, so French athletes have had to undertake the SRY test by travelling outside of France.
Coe confirmed that while it is World Athletics’ stated aim to have all athletes tested by the start of the World Championships next month, the results do not have to be known due to the tight time frame.
For athletes whose national federation hasn’t been able to offer an SRY test yet, World Athletics will step in and offer the test at holding camps in Japan used by athletes prior to competing in Tokyo.
“By and large, the process has gone pretty smoothly, but it’s not been without its challenges,” Coe said. “The vast majority have been pretty straightforward and we’ve (World Athletics) made a contribution of about US$100 per test.”
How important are championships for Coe?
Very.
He has transformed the athletics governing body since his election in Beijing in 2015 from the tarnished old IAAF to the new World Athletics.
He’s serving his third and final term as president and while no doubt still pondering his defeat in March’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency election to Kirsty Coventry, his first love has always been track and field, and during his term as president he has tackled controversial issues like banning Russia and bringing in updated rules on gender eligibility.
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Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role
Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role
While those issues can be divisive, the progress of time has shown that many, if not most, sporting federations have followed athletics’ lead by watching and then following.
It’s interesting to note that the new IOC President, whom he lost out to, is preparing the IOC to greater understand and perhaps even lead on gender eligibility and protections for female sports stars.
He also wants athletics firmly in the position of the world’s second most popular sport behind football by showing off packed out stadia in Tokyo.
The World Championships take place in the 70,000 capacity Olympic Stadium where during the 2020 Olympics not one fan was able to watch the sport on offer due to a strict Covid-19 lockdown in Japan.
Many of the sessions during the nine days of competition are sell-outs and, according to Coe, no session will have fewer than 50,000 people in attendance.
Tokyo heat, humidity and typhoons
World Athletics deliberately scheduled the start of their marquee championships later than they would normally. Two years ago in Budapest, for example, the schedule ran during August.
High temperatures and humidity can be exceedingly high in Japan during the months of July and August, as many athletes who competed at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago will testify to.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will be held at the National Stadium in Tokyo from September 13-21
However, heat mitigation measures will again be in place as Japan has experienced temperatures 2.36 Degrees Celsius above average between June and August, with local temperatures in Tokyo this week reaching 33 Degrees Celsius.
World Athletics president Seb Coe is of the belief that climate change is not temporary and is here to stay; at these championships, decisions on whether competition will go ahead will not be in the hands of local organisers, but World Athletics.
Information on drinks, ice baths and cooling techniques has been shared widely with athletes and their federations, while plenty of provision will be in place for spectators.
Tokyo and Japan, in general, is prone to typhoons at this time of year, indeed many British and Northern Irish athletes were confined to their hotel at their training camp for a few days due to a typhoon. If such a weather system hits Tokyo during the championships, it will again be a decision for World Athletics to make as to whether to postpone or cancel events.
Where could GB medals come from?
Great Britain and Northern Ireland haven’t been set a medal target, but a top-eight finish in the medal table is the challenge, with an expectation of several of their world-leading track stars to medal and all relay squads to medal.
So who are the stars? The women’s 800m final has been scheduled for the last session of the last day of the championships, as it’s been viewed as being a hot ticket in town. Two Brits could well end up on the podium, both friends and training partners coached by husband and wife duo Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter – Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter-Bell.
Hodgkinson was one of the stars of Paris last year, streaking home to become Olympic champion and, although she has suffered hamstring injuries this year, she has come back to racing in time and is running ferociously quickly.
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Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
While perhaps not quite the right time for a tilt at the 800m world record, if Hodgkinson feels it, she’ll go for it.
Elsewhere, medals could come in men’s middle distance, with 1500m runner Josh Kerr defending his world title he won in 2023.
His battles with Norway’s Jacob Ingebrigtsen have already become legendary, with the two not the best of pals. At the Paris Olympics, one of the two should have taken the gold medal, but their attention on one another allowed the USA’s Cole Hocker to shock them both and cross the line first.
George Mills, son of Danny – the former Leeds, Manchester City and England defender – is a serious contender for medals in the men’s 5000m. This season he’s beaten Sir Mo Farah’s long-standing British 5000m record and ran the second fastest 1500m by a Brit, so the 26-year-old is well warmed up.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is always a threat at major championships, and at Tokyo she will defend the heptathlon world title she won two years ago. She was also crowned world champion in 2019, and took Olympic silver in Paris.
Dina Asher-Smith will make her seventh appearance at a World Championship and, while the competition is fierce in both the 100m and 200m, she is running quickly this season.
“I’m just really happy,” she told Sky Sports. “I think the other week in Zurich is testament to what kind of shape I’m in because, honestly, I knew that I’ve been in good shape for a very long time and I know that I’ve been putting together some great races in the past few months, but to run a 10.90!
!I was picking it out because I know I could have had faster in me that day, but still obviously I’m very happy.”
Could Dina Asher-Smith medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Also very quick is Daryll Neita, who finished fourth in the women’s Olympic 100m final in Paris, narrowly missing out on a medal. She did, however, take home an Olympic Silver medal from the 4x100m women’s relay and in Tokyo it is expected that Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal in all five relay disciplines.
Individually, in the men’s sprint events (100m and 200m), Zharnel Hughes should at the very least make finals, as the qualified pilot has run sub-10 seconds in the 100m and sub-20 seconds in the 200m. With age, Hughes seems to get faster, as he broke both British 100m and 200m records in 2023, the same year he took his first ever global medal, a bronze at the last World Athletics Championships.
“Obviously the experience has been taking me into finals and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve always been one to be reckoned with when it comes to the championships. I’ve always been able to position myself into the finals at every major championship.
“Unfortunately, last year it didn’t get to happen due to injury, but I’m feeling confident and I’m looking forward to getting myself on that podium for sure. I’ll be giving it my very best, I’m filled with determination and I’m quite confident in my ability that I can always catch you at the very end.
“I’m trusting myself and trusting my speed. The work that I’ve put in leading up to this championship has been tremendous. It’s going to be great.”
While the British team is medal heavy on expectation from the track, also keep an eye on pole-vaulter Molly Caudery. She won the 2024 World Indoor title and won the Diamond League meeting in Doha in May.
The Cornishwoman is a huge talent was expected to challenge for the gold at the Olympics last year, but had a shocker and failed to even qualify for the final. The 25-year-old is determined to learn the mental lesson from a year ago.
Americans are famous for our creative dissents against taxes — just take the Boston Tea Party. Last week, a New Jersey man carried on the tradition at a town meeting by dancing to express his response to a property tax hike.In a video livestreamed on Cranford TV-35, Will Thilly, a candidate for the Cranford township committee, gets out of his seat and dances his way up to the podium. An official tells him, “I started your time,” and Thilly holds up his finger as he continues dancing.He pauses to grab a bottle of water and pieces of paper before asking the audience about their weekends. “Did you know I could do the backspin? Anybody?” he says. “Wanna see me do the backspin? No? I’m gonna do the backspin.”After proceeding to do so and unsuccessfully motioning for the audience to applaud, Thilly jumps into his remarks.”Well, why did our taxes go up so much? We were told the referendum was going to bring it up for an average household about $400,” he says. “And mine went up, like, 900 bucks. I think we were told, like, that was from the schools or something? But the school referendum said it would only go up, like I said, 400 bucks on an average assessed home.””So I wanted to know why it went up, if it did much more than that,” he goes on. “And what extra expenses were incurred by the schools that weren’t told to the public when we voted on that referendum?”Thilly then moonwalks back to his seat.”Thank you, Mr. Thilly,” Cranford Mayor Terrence Curran then says, according to NBC. “I like the interpretative dance.”Cranford is a town of less than 25,000 people as of the 2020 census, located 18 miles southwest of Manhattan. Thilly’s campaign website says he is running to “tell you the truth, to fight for what you need, and to defend our Town and schools,” explaining that he opposes “$150 million in 30-year tax exemptions to billionaire developers” for a development in his town.
Americans are famous for our creative dissents against taxes — just take the Boston Tea Party. Last week, a New Jersey man carried on the tradition at a town meeting by dancing to express his response to a property tax hike.
In a video livestreamed on Cranford TV-35, Will Thilly, a candidate for the Cranford township committee, gets out of his seat and dances his way up to the podium. An official tells him, “I started your time,” and Thilly holds up his finger as he continues dancing.
He pauses to grab a bottle of water and pieces of paper before asking the audience about their weekends.
“Did you know I could do the backspin? Anybody?” he says. “Wanna see me do the backspin? No? I’m gonna do the backspin.”
After proceeding to do so and unsuccessfully motioning for the audience to applaud, Thilly jumps into his remarks.
“Well, why did our taxes go up so much? We were told the referendum was going to bring it up for an average household about $400,” he says. “And mine went up, like, 900 bucks. I think we were told, like, that was from the schools or something? But the school referendum said it would only go up, like I said, 400 bucks on an average assessed home.”
“So I wanted to know why it went up, if it did much more than that,” he goes on. “And what extra expenses were incurred by the schools that weren’t told to the public when we voted on that referendum?”
Thilly then moonwalks back to his seat.
“Thank you, Mr. Thilly,” Cranford Mayor Terrence Curran then says, according to NBC. “I like the interpretative dance.”
Cranford is a town of less than 25,000 people as of the 2020 census, located 18 miles southwest of Manhattan. Thilly’s campaign website says he is running to “tell you the truth, to fight for what you need, and to defend our Town and schools,” explaining that he opposes “$150 million in 30-year tax exemptions to billionaire developers” for a development in his town.
The referendum to overturn Ordinance No. 987, the Summit County Council’s 4 to 1 approval of the Dakota Pacific Real Estate project in Kimball Junction, will not be up for a vote in November.
Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik on Tuesday afternoon denied a motion challenging Summit County Clerk Eve Furse’s declaration that the referendum signature-gathering effort was insufficient. Mrazik determined that neither the court’s decision nor the referendum “will have any practical effect on the mixed-use development authorized” by Senate Bill 26, and the lawsuit was deemed moot.
“… Petitioners have failed to show how granting their motion will have a meaningful impact on the practical positions of the parties,” the ruling states.
Five residents — Angela Moschetta, Reed Galen, Dana Williams, Ruby Diaz and Brendan Weinstein — sued the Clerk’s Office in July over the insufficient declaration, which stems from the rejection of 30 signature packets, and asked the judge to reverse the decision to allow the referendum to appear on the general election ballot.
Diaz and Weinstein are two of the seven original community members who sponsored the referendum application, organizing under the name Protect Summit County. The group said it disagrees with the mootness argument, but found the ruling to be “the second best outcome.”
The Utah Legislature passed S.B. 26 during the general session earlier this year. The law took effect in the spring and provided the same use and zoning changes as the ordinance approving the mixed-use development. Summit County was also restricted to taking an administrative role and was limited in its ability to stop the project’s approval under S.B. 26.
Summit County Manager Shayne Scott approved an administrative development agreement with Dakota Pacific on July 28, which closely mirrors what the County Council approved in December.
Former Park City Mayor Dana Williams collects signatures in January for a petition for a referendum to put the Dakota Pacific decision on the November ballot. He is one of five residents suing the Summit County Clerk over its decision to disqualify 30 signature packets. Credit: Park Record file photo by Clayton Steward
Mrazik’s ruling states that even if the petitioners show the County Clerk was incorrect and that the referendum was legally sufficient, “the practical reality of the parties, and the citizens of Summit County at large, will not be changed.”
“The argument is unavailing because Petitioners have not identified any legislative act within Ordinance 987 that is not also granted by S.B. 26. Similarly, Petitioners have not shown how S.B. 26 fails to completely supersede Summit County’s legislative authority regarding the land that is the subject of Ordinance 987,” the ruling states.
In other words, Mrazik argued he would not be able to provide meaningful relief even if he ruled in favor of the petitioners and declared the referendum sufficient because S.B. 26 supersedes the court’s authority. The ruling asserts there was a change in circumstances with the passage of S.B. 26, essentially eliminating the “legal controversy between the two parties.”
A court hearing was originally scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, but it was subsequently cancelled. Mrazik did not hear oral arguments from the two parties. He determined the mootness of the motion upon studying the briefs in preparation for the hearing, according to the ruling. Then, the hearing was nixed to prevent unnecessary costs.
“Put simply, the Utah Legislature, when it passed SB26, determined what will happen at the DPRE property, not my office, the referendum, or the referendum lawsuit,” Summit County Clerk Eve Furse said in a prepared statement. “Ultimately, my office’s responsibility is to uphold the law, which I’ve remained committed to throughout this entire process.”
Mrazik did not rule on the signature collection issue because the referendum was deemed moot.
One of the requirements for putting the referendum on the November ballot was receiving 4,554 verified signatures, the total number of which needed to make up 16% of voters countywide, plus 16% from three of the four voter precincts.
Earlier this year, Furse said the sponsors missed the minimum signature count and failed to meet the minimum percentages in the voter areas.
Furse invalidated 30 of the 77 packets because they allegedly did not comply with the statutory packet requirements that include ensuring the signature packages are bound as part of a packet. The packets contained about 2,500 signatures, enough to meet the ballot threshold if they had been deemed countable.
Meanwhile, the petitioners said only a few packets were separated after preparation and alleged the Clerk’s Office universally rejected packets with three-hole punches without verifying if the pages had been removed. The group argues Furse erred in her judgment and that the referendum sponsors followed state law.
Dakota Pacific Real Estate has been approved for an 885-unit, mixed-use development near the Park City Tech Center in Kimball Junction. Credit: Park Record file photo by David Jackson
However, the Utah Rules Review and General Oversight Committee voted to begin drafting reforms to the state referendum statute following the dispute in Summit County.
Furse said she looks forward to seeing how the Legislature helps clarify the process for both voters and local governments across the state.
The County Council last week declined to repeal Ordinance No. 987, instead waiting for the Third District Court ruling to interpret the state’s referendum rules. Officials will likely do so at a future meeting.
If officials leave the ordinance in place, Protect Summit County said it will appeal the mootness ruling and “fight to get Ordinance 987 on the ballot as quickly as possible.”
“Summit County could have resolved this matter weeks ago when we asked them to stipulate Ordinance 987 has no force and effect. This would’ve saved both sides over $150K,” the group said in a statement.
The county’s chief civil deputy, Dave Thomas, said during the County Council meeting last week that Dakota Pacific could technically come back and submit an application if the ordinance remains intact.
However, the development firm also requested the County Council repeal Ordinance 987. It’s unclear how a new or revived application could differ from what was approved under S.B. 26, which legislatively changed the zoning of the Park City Tech Center.
Dakota Pacific plans to build 385 market-rate units and 275 affordable housing units on the back half of its property. A proposed public-private partnership would also create 225 workforce housing units and a senior living facility near a public plaza surrounded by mixed uses. Dakota Pacific representatives reaffirmed their commitment to building options for local seniors.
There would also be a new transit center, structured parking and a pedestrian bridge connection to the east side of S.R. 224. The existing Kimball Junction Transit Center and the Richins Building would be demolished, too.
Superstar L.A. agent Tomer Fridman has taken his team to Aaron Kirman’s Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California.
Fridman announced the news on social media Wednesday, putting an end to questions of where the luxury agent would take his business following his abrupt departure from Compass last Friday. He joins Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California as executive director of private wealth and luxury estates. He and his team with bring about $1 billion in listings to their new agency.
The Beverly Hills-based brokerage is helmed by CEO Aaron Kirman, who launched the business in 2022. Fridman joins a brokerage that also includes other high-profile agents, including Cindy Ambuehl, Shelton Wilder, Timothy Prizito and Dalton Gomez.
Fridman’s team, The Fridman Group International, adds 12 people to the brokerage. That includes his mother Isidora Fridman, who is also the founding partner of Israel Sotheby’s International Realty.
Fridman declined to comment further on his move through a Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California spokesperson.
But in his social media announcement, he cited his new brokerage’s global brand and international reach, giving “clients an elevated experience tailored to their evolving needs.”
“I am grateful to Compass for the remarkable journey we’ve had together that allowed my brand to grow from Calabasas and Hidden Hills to Beverly Hills and the Platinum Triangle,” Fridman said in his post. “Those years laid a strong foundation, and I am proud of everything we accomplished.”
Fridman went on to say he had been considering the move “for some time.”
He also shared that he and Compass agent Sally Forster Jones would continue “our very successful collaboration with even broader reach and influence.”
Fridman and Forster Jones began building a mega team this year, merging their respective groups in April to form Jones Fridman International. They added the seven-person Straser Silicon Valley team in June to expand into Northern California luxury markets such as Atherton, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. At the time, Jones Fridman counted 45 agents with $25 billion in sales.
At the time of the Straser merger, Fridman and Forster Jones told The Real Deal that they were also looking at markets such as New York, Miami, Nashville, Montecito, Aspen and Orange County for expansion.
An abrupt shakeup of their group occurred Friday when Parker Beatty, Compass regional vice president of Southern California and Hawaii, announced to staff and agents Fridman’s departure from the firm. The split was effective immediately, according to the email announcement reviewed by TRD.
Compass declined comment Monday on Fridman’s departure. Forster Jones did not return a call seeking comment.
Fridman made a name for himself in L.A.’s luxury market with a high-profile client roster that has included Khloe Kardashian, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, former BCBGMaxAzria Group chief creative officer Lubov Azria, Sylvester Stallone and Pamela Anderson.
Read more
Tomer Fridman out at Compass
Aaron Kirman shelves AKG name in brokerage rebrand
