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Kennedy Center Ceiling Collapses as Trump-Backed Board Pushes for 2-Year Closure
Confirmed
In Short: The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., reported a partial ceiling collapse during a rainstorm, underscoring the need for a two-year closure for renovations, according to Fox News.
The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., reported a partial ceiling collapse during a rainstorm, underscoring the need for a two-year closure for renovations, according to Fox News. The center's board, led by former President Donald Trump, voted in August to close the building for two years.
Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, stated that the collapse highlighted the urgency for the renovations. The center also recently removed a piece of modern artwork called 'Blue' that had been outside the building since 2019.
The collapse comes as the center prepares for a significant overhaul, following a federal court ruling. The board's decision to close the building for two years is part of a broader plan to restore and renovate the performing arts center.
The issue of data centers is also gaining attention, with local officials like Vogel in Iowa taking action to ban their construction in their communities. An NBC News poll found that 69% of respondents oppose the construction of AI data centers in their local area, with 45% strongly opposing the idea.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Last week, the center did remove a piece of modern artwork called "Blue" that has been outside the building since 2019, saying in a statement, "we are honored to have been stewards" of the late sculptor Joel Shapiro's work.
- But on this bit of policy they agree: Data centers are proliferating across the American landscape too fast.
- Vogel voted earlier this year for a moratorium that temporarily bans data centers from setting up shop in her heavily Republican county, which favored President Donald Trump 63% to 35% in 2024.
- “I don’t think this is a Republican or Democratic issue,” Vogel said on the sidelines of the Iowa State Association of Counties’ annual conference here in late August, adding that she hasn’t talked to a single voter at home who wants data centers.
- That point of view places Vogel in a loose, but very large, populist coalition that is fighting the rise of data centers at the ballot box, with yard signs, in courts and at all levels of government as November’s midterm elections approach.
- “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at the end of August.
- These voters, who span the political spectrum, said they don’t want data centers anywhere near their communities.
- “All of the data centers that are starting to pop up in areas, I find that troublesome because it drives utility costs for citizens in the area,” said Tamara Clark, 49, a Democratic voter who works in the healthcare industry.