Vol. I: Issue 027                                                                                             June 26th, 2026

Breaking news out of Starlight City, where the north end of the Starlight Strip is about to get a very big new landmark.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held today for Georgito Grand Resorts’ newest entertainment complex, a massive cone-shaped venue being called, simply enough, The Cone. And simple name or not, there is nothing small about it.

Plans call for a towering 450-foot structure with a 500-foot base diameter, a design that is all but guaranteed to make an instant mark on the Starlight City skyline. The exterior will be clad in an estimated 837,000 programmable LED pucks, giving The Cone the ability to transform its entire surface into a glowing, moving display visible across the Strip.

And the inside sounds just as ambitious. Georgito Grand Resorts says The Cone will feature a fully immersive movie and concert venue, complete with a 4K surround screen and haptic seating for up to 10,000 guests. In other words, this is not being built as just another theater. This is being pitched as an experience venue, one where the show does not simply happen in front of you, but all around you.

Speaking after the ceremony, Georgito said The Cone is part of a larger push to bring a new kind of visitor to Starlight City. Not just tourists drawn by games of chance or sports betting, but guests looking for sights, sounds, and spectacle they cannot find anywhere else on the Gurth.

It is a bold bet, and in Starlight City, bold bets are something of a local language. If The Cone delivers on even half of what was promised today, it could become one of the most recognizable entertainment destinations on the continent.

So keep your eyes on the north end of the Strip. The foundation is being laid, the skyline is about to change, and I’ll be tracking every phase of construction, every new detail, and every milestone along the way, so you always know what’s coming next, because Duke’s Gotcha covered!

 

Hiya friends!

Oh, that sounds so exciting! Word on the street is that Twysta Limón will be starting up a residency over there with shows every weekend, and I have to say, that sounds like a pretty fabulous excuse for a trip to Starlight City. I may just have to make that happen.

Now, speaking of Starlight City, the weather over there is looking downright sizzling this week.

We’re talking blazing sunshine, very dry air, and the kind of desert heat that does not play around. Even the “cooler” days are still going to feel awfully hot, so this is definitely one of those weeks where shade, water, and a little extra patience are going to be your best friends.

So if you’re heading out for a show, a stroll, or rolling the dice, make sure to stay hydrated and do your best to beat that afternoon heat, because Starlight City is going to be absolutely baking this week.

 

The Mumph here, and this weekend Hambone and I are heading up to the Tastyville Rib Cook-Off. We’ll be posted up right next to Bertha’s booth, signing a few autographs, judging a few ribs, and in Hambone’s case, probably judging every rib within smelling distance. So if you see us out there, come say hello. Just maybe keep your plate above bulldog level.

Now, on to the diamond, where Whiskview came out swinging and never really let Oniontown get comfortable.

The Black Birds jumped on the Crushers early, putting up one in the first, three in the second, and two more in the third. That is a 6 to 0 lead before Oniontown could even get its cleats under itself. The Crushers finally punched back in the fourth with a three-run inning, and for a second there, you could feel the old Oniontown crowd trying to talk itself into a comeback.

But Kneedler kept the lid on it. He settled things down after that fourth, gave Whiskview steady innings, and never let the Crushers turn one good frame into a full-blown rally. Whiskview added one more in the sixth, and from there the Black Birds kept it clean the rest of the way.

Final score, Whiskview Black Birds 7, Oniontown Crushers 3. Winner, Whiskview. MVP, Kneedler on the mound.

My two cents, opening games are about making a statement, and Whiskview made theirs early. When you hang six runs in the first three innings, you are not asking permission to win, you are grabbing the game by the seams.

 

Hello out there…

You know I don’t enjoy being the person who darkens the room, but today’s news out of Starlight City shines a rather harsh light on a problem that has been quietly building for years.

Ever since the Shared Utility Act of 1927, every state in the Continental Concordia, and every city within them, has had the right to draw from a centralized pool of public utilities. Power, water, and other essentials are distributed under that system for a flat monthly cost shared across the board. In principle, it was a noble idea. A common grid, a common good, a common understanding that basic services should not depend entirely on geography.

But principles age. Infrastructure ages. And laws written at the dawn of the electrical era do not always survive contact with the appetite of the modern world.

Much of that shared electrical burden still traces back to the aging Glowdin Power Plant, perched on the banks of the Karipop River just outside our own hometown of Whiskview. When the Shared Utility Act was drafted, nobody could have imagined the sheer scale of modern energy consumption in a place like Starlight City, a city now built on spectacle, excess, and enough flashing light to rival a second sunrise.

Which brings us to The Cone.

Projects like that may rise in Starlight City, but the cost of keeping them glowing does not stay there. Under the current system, it spreads outward, quietly, evenly, and inconveniently, into households across Gurth. So while The Cone may be marketed as a marvel for one city, many people elsewhere may soon feel it reflected in their electric bills.

And I say many people, not all, because some cities have already chosen another path. Philly Heights, for example, opted out of the Shared Utility Act model and invested in independent wind energy. A serious choice. A forward-looking one. And, I would argue, the kind of decision that looks wiser with every oversized vanity project somebody else decides to illuminate.

If Starlight City wants to keep greenlighting energy-hungry monuments to itself, then it ought to start taking responsibility for the strain those choices place on everyone else. That means investing in its own sustainable solutions, easing the burden on the shared grid, and showing at least some interest in fairness beyond its own skyline.

Because public utilities are supposed to serve the public, not subsidize spectacle.

And that’s The Scoop.