Mother and Daughter Turn Down Over $26 Million to Sell Their Farms to Developers Hoping to Build Data Center

A Kentucky mother and daughter rejected multimillion-dollar offers for their farmland from unidentified developers

NEED TO KNOW

• The proposed data center project could bring 400 full-time jobs and over 1,500 construction jobs to Mason County

• Both women cited concerns about transparency and the impact on their community as reasons for refusing the offers

A mother and daughter have together rejected over $26 million for their farms in Kentucky.

Ida Huddleston has turned down multiple offers from a tech giant, consisting of $60,000 per acre for her 71-acre property, according toLEX 18.

The proposed buyers? Developers for a large data center project that have not publicly been identified.

But Huddleston, who, according to theDaily Mail, is 82 years old, isn't budging, calling the offers "mind harassment," per LEX 18.

Following suit is her daughter, Delsia Bare, who has turned down a $48,000-an-acre offer for her 463-acre property, the local news outlet reported.

"When they will not reveal who they are, that's a major player in what you're going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here," said Bare. She is 54, per theDaily Mail.

In a similar fashion, Huddleston has one message for the Fortune 100 company: "I don't want your money, I don't need your money."

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She is concerned, though, about those who live around her as she says, "They're gonna be affected by it."

The data center would be located at Big Pond Pike in Mason County and would create 400 full-time positions, along with more than 1,500 construction jobs, according to LEX 18.

Mason County Fiscal Court is still reviewing the project, per the outlet.

Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, however, told LEX 18 that "As far as jobs would go, they would become if not our largest employer, definitely top three."

Bare guesses there won't be "over 50 and they won't even be here at this building when it's said and done."

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But regardless of what happens, Huddleston told LEX 18 one thing is clear: "I'm staying put."

Read the original article onPeople

byJastin Mags

in

March 12, 2026

Mother and Daughter Turn Down Over $26 Million to Sell Their Farms to Developers Hoping to Build Data Center

A Kentucky mother and daughter rejected multimillion-dollar offers for their farmland from unidentified developers ...

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Blake Lively Defends Jury Trial Request in Justin Baldoni Case as May Trial Date Looms

Blake Lively's lawyers argue the case should proceed based on evidence gathered, not just the written complaint

NEED TO KNOW

• A recent federal appeals court ruling supports Lively's position to keep her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni alive

• Both actors are expected to testify if the trial, currently scheduled for May 18, moves forward

Blake Livelyis urging a judge to rejectJustin Baldoni'slatest effort to dismiss her claims as their legal battle overIt Ends With Uscontinues to move toward trial.

In a letter filed Thursday to Judge Lewis J. Liman in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Lively's lawyers pointed to a recent federal appeals court ruling they say supports keeping her lawsuit alive.

The decision, issued earlier this week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, said courts should not dismiss a case based only on the wording of a complaint if evidence has already been gathered during the lawsuit.

Quoting the ruling, Lively's, 38, attorneys wrote that dismissing a complaint at that stage "would hardly serve the efficient or just resolution of disputes" if evidence collected during the case may be enough to support the claims.

Lively's legal team argues the same principle applies in her case. They say the court should evaluate the claims based on the evidence already gathered through discovery — including documents and testimony — rather than focusing only on the written allegations in the complaint.

Baldoni, 42, and other defendants have asked the judge to throw outLively's claims through a series of legal motions, including a request for summary judgment— a step that asks the court to decide the case based on the evidence already gathered rather than sending it to trial.

But Lively's lawyers argue the case should move forward and be evaluated using the full record of evidence developed during the lawsuit.

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PEOPLE has reached out to both Baldoni and Lively's representatives.

The filing is the latest development in the ongoing legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni tied to their work on the filmIt Ends With Us.

In December 2024, Lively, 38 sued herIt Ends With Usdirector and costar Baldoni along with other defendants, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation — claims he has denied.The actress is seeking more than $160 million in damages.

Baldoni previously filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively of extortion and defamation, but that case waslater dismissed by the judge.

The update comes weeks after theIt Ends With Uscostars attended a court-ordered mediation session in New York. On Feb. 11, Lively and Baldoni spent about six hours with Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave as part of a required settlement meeting, but the session ended without an agreement in Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against the director and actor.

Both actors are expected to testify if the case goes to trial, which iscurrently scheduled to begin May 18.

Judge Liman has not yet ruled on the defendants' request to dismiss the claims.

Read the original article onPeople

byJastin Mags

in

March 12, 2026

Blake Lively Defends Jury Trial Request in Justin Baldoni Case as May Trial Date Looms

Blake Lively's lawyers argue the case should proceed based on evidence gathered, not just the written complaint ...

Read More

Figure skater Alysa Liu gets hometown hero's welcome in Oakland after Olympics win

American figure skaterAlysa Liureceived a hometown hero's welcome in Oakland, California, Thursday, three weeks afterwinning Olympic gold.

Liu, who became the first American woman to win the gold medal in figure skating since 2002 at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, was celebrated with a rally in front of Oakland City Hall.

"We've got a lot of soul here," Liu said Thursday about her hometown, where she started figure skating at age 5 at a rink just one block from City Hall.

Liu watched from the stage and joined in the celebration as singers and dancers performed and fellow Oakland-born celebrities and elected officials spoke to the crowd.

One of the opening singers, current "American Idol" contestant Abayomi, sang  Donna Summers' "MacArthur Park Suite," which Liu performed her gold medal-winning free skate to at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Feb. 19.

Local Bay Area athletes boxer Andre Ward, who won gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, who won the gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics, also attended the rally to support Liu.

"You've shown the world that being yourself is your greatest strength, Yamaguchi said to Liu in her remarks.

Alysa Liu wins gold; Team USA beats Canada in women's hockey

In addition to the in-person accolades, Liu also received video messages of support Thursday from fellow Olympic figure skater Brian Boitano, also an Oakland area native, and Golden State Warriors' star Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr.

Along with Thursday's rally, the Bay Area is also celebrating Liu's Olympic success with a billboard congratulating her,according toSan Francisco ABC station KGO-TV.

Olympic gold medalist skater Alysa Liu drops out of world championships

Liu, who at age 13 madehistoryas the youngest woman to win a U.S. Championship title, came out of retirement to compete in the Milan-Cortina Games.

In addition to her individual gold medal, Liu also took home a gold in the team figure skating event in Milan.

Shortly after the Olympics, Liu announced she would not compete in the International Skating Union Figure Skating World Championship at the end of March.

"As some of y'all already know, I withdrew from Worlds," she wrote in a since-expired Instagram story. "There's been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I'm taking some time for that. I will be cheering everyone on from afar -- see y'all next season!!"

byJastin Mags

in

March 12, 2026

Figure skater Alysa Liu gets hometown hero's welcome in Oakland after Olympics win

American figure skaterAlysa Liureceived a hometown hero's welcome in Oakland, California, Thursday, three weeks afte...

Read More