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Statt-us Update 1/5/22 – Today’s Headlines & More

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 Willie Nelson Has Won a Lot of Poker Games Against Celebs

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Willie Nelson‘s known for making great country music with his friends, but the country legend has far more tricks up his sleeve than that: For example, did you know he’s a shark at the cards table?

It’s true: Nelson loves to play poker, and he’s pretty dang good at it. The singer has won high-stakes games against a slew of celebrities, to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars. Among those who have fallen victim to Nelson’s poker game are Owen Wilson, Jamey Johnson and Jack Johnson — the latter of whom even wrote a song about his experience called “Willie Got Me Stoned and Took All My Money.”

Nelson can multitask during his legendary poker games, too. According to American Songwriter, it was during a cards game that Waylon Jennings first played “Good Hearted Woman” for his fellow outlaw legend, and Nelson added the line “Through teardrops and laughter / We’ll walk through this world hand in hand.” It went on to be the title track of a Jennings album in 1972, and Nelson added vocals to another version in 1975. Both renditions were No. 1 country hits.

Actor Woody Harrelson is another star whose wallet Nelson lightened in a poker game. During a 2018 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Harrelson recounted the experience, saying that former pro basketball player Don Nelson is another familiar name that has crossed paths with Nelson at the card table. While he declined to say exactly how much he’d lost to the country legend, Harrelson did admit that “I’ve built a wing on Willie’s house.”

Fans of Nelson’s storied career know that his high-stakes poker antics are just the beginning, and he’ll tell more of his life story in an upcoming new docuseries, which was announced in 2021. The end of last year also saw many live music ventures for Nelson and his musical pals: His annual Farm Aid returned to an in-person format in September, and his traveling Outlaw Music Festival hit the road once again.

Washington Football Team Announces They Will Reveal New Name on Feb. 2

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The Washington Football Team will officially have a new name for the 2022 season and beyond, and now we know exactly when that name will be revealed. Team president Jason Wright announced the new team name will be unveiled in about a month — Feb. 2, 2022. Top Names under consideration are: Admirals, Brigade, Commanders, and maybe the Defenders or Armada.

Betty White’s Hometown to Honor Her with Own Day on Her Birthday

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Betty White’s life and career won’t just be celebrated in one corner of Illinois — the village where she was born is creating a full-on holiday to honor the late actress … TMZ has learned.

“Betty White Day” will be recognized in Betty’s hometown of Oak Park, IL on January 17, which would have been her 100th birthday.

The president of the Village of Oak Park, Vicki Scaman, tells TMZ … despite moving to California as an infant, OP residents have been grateful that over the course of her life Betty spoke very highly of Oak Park. She continued to visit relatives there years after heading west.

We’re told that since she passed away, folks in Oak Park have been vocal about wanting to honor Betty, and that surely will be happening now. A few days before Betty’s birthday, Village Prez Scaman will read a proclamation for “Betty White Day” during a memorial for community members in Oak Park.

or Betty’s special day, the Oak Park small business community is banding together to offer discounts to customers and “Betty White specials.” For example, Mickey’s Restaurant will be offering a special consisting of a hotdog, fries, and diet coke — one of Betty’s favorite meals, and Turano Bakery is planning to make a giant birthday cake. Scaman tells us cutouts of Betty will cover walls in the downtown area.
The celebration will continue with a Betty White mural contest, in which the winning mural will be painted downtown. And, there’s a bonus … most everyone in town will already be off from work as BWD happens to fall on a national holiday — MLK Jr. Day — this year.

Crystal Pepsi Is Returning in Honor of Its 30th Anniversary

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Pepsi is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Crystal Pepsi by bringing the caffeine-free, clear soda back for a celebratory lap.
The beverage brand will rewind the clock back to 1992 to serve up a taste of nostalgia for fans, giving away free bottles of Crystal Pepsi through a special contest. Those hoping to win need only to post a picture of themselves from the ’90s on Twitter, using the hashtags #ShowUsYour90s and #PepsiSweeps.

“We wanted to do something extra special to celebrate and reward the passionate fans who have been clamoring online for [Crystal Pepsi’s] return” Pepsi’s VP of Marketing Todd Kaplan said in a statement. “What better way to kick off 2022 than to throw it back to 1992 in order to get their hands on this highly limited-edition batch of Crystal Pepsi.”

This isn’t the first time the brand has brought Crystal Pepsi back.
It first returned as a similar sweepstakes prize during the holiday season of 2015, after an online campaign led by fans to bring back Crystal Pepsi caught the company’s attention.
Limited runs continued throughout the late 2010s.

City officials: No plans to pursue proposed Middletown development, Hollywoodland

The mixed-use development would have been the first of its kind in the nation and would have spanned more than 50 acres along the Great Miami River.

Earlier in 2021, city officials said the development would create thousands of new jobs, and over $1 billion in private investment, drawing an estimated 3.5 million yearly visitors to Middletown.

However, many neighbors WLWT talked with at the time said they weren’t so sure about it.

City officials now say there are no plans to pursue the project.

Cincinnati Bengals placed several starters on the COVID-19 list

Safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, center Trey Hopkins, and guard Quinton Spain are all on COVID-19, the Bengals announced Tuesday. Asymptomatic players can return to the field in five days, under NFL protocols.

Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither was put on the Reserve/Injured list also.

With the Bengals already securing the AFC North and a playoff spot, it is unclear if any of the starters would have actually played in Week 18 against the Cleveland Browns.