There is something brewing in San Diego’s agriculture. Hop farms are growing almost as quickly as the plants that can sometimes drop six to 10 inches per night. 

According to the San Diego Farm Bureau, there are now 15 hop growers in the county compared to zero almost a decade ago.

“It’s something we’re trying to see if it’ll work because the beer industry is so huge in San Diego,” Gary Johndro, who owns San Diego Golden Hop Farm, told NBC 7 San Diego.

San Diego’s craft beer industry has exploded over the past decade.

According to the San Diego Brewers Guild, there are 128 breweries in San Diego County at the moment, with a couple dozen more on the way. In 2015, the craft brewing industry generated about $850 million in San Diego and employed more than 4,500 people.

It’s obvious why local growers are trying to get in on the success of San Diego suds.

Johndro has about 1,400 hop plants right now, and says he expects to sell the entire hop haul over the next couple of weeks.

Right now is hop harvest season, one of the best times of the year for local brewers.

“This is my favorite time of the year to be brewing,” explained Tom Nickel, owner of Nickel Beer Co. in Julian. “All of the fresh hops are coming in and we finally have a hop industry in San Diego where you can get freshly grown hops pretty much the same day they’re harvested and brew with them right away.”

Brewing with whole, fresh, hop flowers is a process known as “wet hop.” This type of beer has grown in popularity over the past decade, but it’s not cheap to produce.

A batch of wet hop beer will use several times as many hops as a typical brew, all for a flower that will only soak in the beer for about 90 minutes of the nearly two-week-long brewing process. Still, brewers like Nickel say it’s worth every dollar, and every minute.

“To me, fresh beer is going to be the best tasting beer you can get,” he said, “I’m not looking to save money, just looking to make great beer with local ingredients.”

And that works out well for growers like Johndro, and Eric March, who started growing hops nine years ago at Star B Ranch and Hop Farm.

March says people laughed at him when he started.

“A lot of people didn’t think it was possible,” March told NBC 7.

Hops thrive in the much wetter, longer summer days of the Pacific Northwest, but growers like Johndro and March have found certain varieties of the plant do very well in Southern California and they have the customers to back that up.

“I have pretty much as many people coming to me to ask about growing hops or start growing hops as I do brewers coming to me that want to use my hops,” March said.

Nickel said San Diego hops have their own unique characteristics, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re delivered in person, without having to pay for shipping from another state.

The trickle down does not end there.

After they’ve been used for brewing, Nickel’s brewery sells its used hops to local ranches as feed for livestock.

Scot Blair, of Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery, said it’s exactly what he likes to see for region.

“The whole footprint of this process of fresh hop beer is very sustainable,” Blair said.

Monkey Paw is another local brewery that produces wet hop beer. In fact, the business just tapped a keg this week of its newest wet hop creation.

In other words, you can expect the relationship between San Diego’s growers and brewers to keep flourishing. For Johndro and other small business owners who are in the mix, that’s certainly worth a toast.

“It’s just exciting to be a part of it,” he added.

The ex-wife of Steve Bannon claims he made anti-Semitic comments when the couple fought over which private school to send their daughters to nearly a decade ago, NBC News reported. 

The allegations were made in a sworn declaration by the ex-wife in a 2007 court filing. They were brought to light amid scrutiny over Bannon’s appointment as Donald Trump’s campaign CEO.

Three separate anti-Semitic remarks were allegedly made by Bannon while the couple toured Westland School, Willows Community School and The Archer School for Girls. 

NBC News reached out to Bannon's personal spokeswoman for comment, but was unable to reach her. 

The revelation followed news of a police report obtained by Politico late Thursday and confirmed by NBC News, in which the ex-wife claimed Bannon attacked her 20 years ago. Bannon was charged with three misdemeanor domestic violence-related charges and pleaded not guilty. The charges were dismissed six months later after prosecutors said they could not find his wife.

The death toll in Italy’s earthquake rose to 291 Saturday as the country began a national day of mourning and prepared for a mass state funeral for some of the victims, NBC News reported. 

Italy’s civil protection agency said the death toll included 230 victims in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli and 50 in Araqta del Tronto, after a hospitalized man succumbed to his injuries. 

Mourners gathered at a sports center in Amatrice, where 35 coffins were lined up by early Saturday. 

The search for survivors continued, but it’s been three days since anyone was found alive in the ruins of the worst-hit mountainous towns. Hundreds of families were left homeless by the trembler, which hit the area on Wednesday.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) announced this week that a CrossFit workout has been created in memory of fallen Officer Jonathan "JD" De Guzman, who was killed in the line of duty last month.

SDPD shared the workout of the day, also known as "WOD," on their Facebook page, inviting local gyms and CrossFit facilities to particpate in the challenge.

Various CrossFit locations across the county planned to take part in the workout on Saturday.

With a photo of De Guzman on a screen on the workout floor, CrossFit ATR on Pepsi Drive took park in the event:

The "GS 24 Memorial WOD" is a two to four person workout that includes running, wall balls, burpees and pull ups.

The following gyms and CrossFit locations will be offering free workouts to members and non-members:

• ZASTC on Denny Way, El Cajon
• CrossFit 858 on Miramar Road, San Diego
• CrossFit ATR on Pepsi Drive, San Diego
• CrossFit Point A on Woodland Parkway, San Marcos

A man was found dead in a home in Borrego Springs Saturday morning in a case now being investigated as a homicide by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (SDSO).

The man was found unresponsive and lying on the floor of a home in the 400 block of Verbena Drive just after 7:45 a.m. after deputies from the SDSO’s Borrego Springs office received a report of a possibly dead man inside the residence.

Deputies said man had suffered “obvious signs of trauma,” and homicide detectives were called to take over the investigation.

The SDSO said detectives did detain a person of interest in connection with the man’s death, but further details were not immediately released. The man’s name was also not released, though the SDSO did say he was approximately 50 years old.

The investigation is ongoing. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office will perform an autopsy on the man to determine his cause and manner of death. Those details are forthcoming.

Anyone with information on this case can call the SDSO’s Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321 or (858) 565-5200, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Here’s a look at what is going on in San Diego sports for the week of August 29^th to September fourth.

CHARGERS: The Bolts wrap up preseason play this week when the San Francisco 49ers head to town Thursday September first. The game starts at 7 p.m.

PADRES: The Friars are on the road all week. Monday is a travel day as they head to Atlanta where they’ll face the Braves Tuesday-Thursday. After that, San Diego travels to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers Friday-Sunday.

A storm system in the Florida Straits strengthened to a tropical depression Sunday, NBC News reported. 

The tropical depression was south of the western tip of the Florida Keys and was moving west late Sunday afternoon. It was expected to move back east and travel over Florida by Thursday and Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. 

Gov. Rick Scott has warned South Florida residents to have an emergency plan in place in the event of flooding. Between 1 and 4 inches of rain could fall over the southern half of Florida through Wednesday, and some parts could get 6 inches, the hurricane center said. 

Any heavy rains could also pose a setback to control mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus, which has been detected in areas of the state, forecasters said.

Debra Guedry has lived in her Denham Springs, Louisiana, home for 10 years. She didn't want to leave when the flood waters came knocking on her door.

"We watched it," she said. "The water was pouring into the neighborhood. You could just see it. But my daughter said, if we don't leave now, we won't get out at all." 

The flooding devastated a swath of Louisiana near Baton Rouge, blamed for 13 deaths and displacing thousands, like Guedry and her husband.

Along with their daughter, they rushed around to place furniture up onto risers or chairs in hopes of saving it before a neighbor took them to safety in his boat.

Guedry had promised her elderly neighbors she wouldn't leave without them, and convinced the neighbor with the boat to rescue the older couple as well.

The six of them floated down the street of their immaculate 40-home community out over the 6-foot high wrought iron entrance gate and down the road until the boat couldn't go any further. 

When the family and their neighbors had to abandon the boat, Guedry, who stands a slight 5-foot-4 at best, said the water was up to her chest and she was worried about her elderly neighbors.

"All I could think was, the water was going so fast," she said. "How are we going to keep them standing?"

They interlocked arms and waded out.

"We're fortunate we all survived it," Guedry said as she stood on the back porch of her home, where the family has collected the items they think can be salvaged, including a gorgeous wooden king-sized bed frame, a wardrobe and a coffee table.

Guedry's newly married daughter Erin Cleveland said they were trapped because the interstates and roads leading to her home and any other relatives' homes were all blocked. The family, along with Cleveland's husband Ryan, camped out at Cleveland's photography studio on air mattresses for three days until they could get out.

On Saturday at dinner time, Red Cross trucks drove through the streets announcing hot meals. It's one of the many organizations providing help following the devastating flooding. Guedry had a bucket with a Red Cross on it, saying it was topped off to help them clean up. She's thankful for any help that comes by as the four of them work tirelessly to get the home ready for repairs.

"It's been a whirlwind of emotions," Cleveland said, holding two hot meals she just took from the truck. "It just came out of nowhere."

Cleveland said they really had no warning that the water would reach them the way it did.

Cleveland's home stayed dry and that's where the Guedrys are sleeping, on their daughter's sofa and chair until they find a more permanent solution.

While the family said they're working night and day, it could be a year before they're back in their home, and they know it will be a house without furniture.

Their flood insurance will only cover the structure, not the contents, which are piled over six feet high along the curb.

It's a story told over and over along the streets of so many towns in Louisiana reeling from a deadly and devastating flood.

Small planes outfitted with video cameras have been flying over Baltimore since January, capturing activity on the streets below and relaying the footage to police to help them catch criminals, NBC News reported.

The public knew nothing about it until this week — when Bloomberg Businessweek ran a cover story about the trial program.

The revelations triggered outrage from elected officials, defense lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union, who said the program raised privacy concerns and could aggravate public distrust in a city that exploded in riots last year after the death of a man in police custody.

The response put Baltimore, where tensions between law enforcement and minority neighborhoods run high, on the edge of the debate about police use of rapidly evolving technology.

A 28-year-old man has been charged with beating his mother and father to death inside the family's West Deptford, New Jersey, home, police said.

Ryan Coles faces homicide charges in the deaths of Edward and Rosemarie Coles.

A member of the family found the couple's bodies after stopping by their Pennfield Drive home Friday. Police said they went to the house after being unable to get hold of them over the phone Thursday night.

Police said Ryan Coles was in the house when they arrived. He was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and later charged in the deaths. He was placed in Salem County Jail Saturday on default of $1 million bail. It's not clear if he has retained an attorney.

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An autopsy performed Saturday determined the couple died from blunt head trauma and their deaths were ruled a homicide.

Edward, 58, and 55-year-old Rosemarie Coles formerly owned a well-known music store — Coles Music Service — in the community.

"It's been a shock. It's been a rough day," said Lauralee Houghton, Ed's cousin. She bought the business from him in 2012, but he regularly worked in the store fixing instruments, she said.

"We have customers come specifically to us because of Ed's work and reputation," she said. "I'll just miss Ed's sense of humor."

Houghton said she didn't know Ryan well and that she never worked with him.

Two adult brothers have been charged with the murder of 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge, Chicago police announced Sunday morning. 

Aldridge, a mother of four and the cousin of Bulls star Dwyane Wade, was fatally shot while pushing a stroller on the city's South Side Friday afternoon.

Police identified the brothers as Derren Sorrells, 22, and Darwin Sorrells, 26. It wasn't immediately clear if they had an attorney.

Derren Sorrells, of the 6000 block of South Indiana Ave, is a documented gang member and was on parole for motor vehicle theft and for escaping custody, police said.

He had a total of six felony arrests in his background and was on his daily break from an electronic monitoring bracelet at the time of Friday's shooting, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a news conference Sunday. 

Derren Sorrells was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, both felonies, according to police.

Darwin Sorrells, of the 7500 block of South Wentworth Ave, was a co-conspirator in the crime, police said, and was also on parole for a gun charge. He was sentenced to six years in prison in January 2013 and released early in February 2016, according to police. 

The elder Sorrells brother was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder and one felony count of attempted murder, authorities said, as well as one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass to land.

Aldridge was shot and killed after registering her children for school on Friday afternoon, walking in the 6300 block of South Calumet Ave in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood, according to police.

"When Nykea Aldridge registered her child at school on Friday afternoon, she wasn’t aware she’d be the subject of national headlines just hours later. She wasn’t aware that her short life would stand as an example of the clear failure of the criminal justice system here in Chicago," Supt. Johnson said Sunday, addressing the case and the city's violence from police headquarters.

"She was just another mother who wanted her children to get an education just like any good parent would," he added.

Johnson said the Sorrells brothers approached another man nearby and opened fire, targeting an individual who "was driving females from a suburb to Chicago in a fair exchange program."

Johnson said the driver was cooperative throughout the investigation. 

Aldridge was not the intended target, but was struck in the arm and head. She was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

"She loved God, loved her family," family spokesperson Pastor Edward Jones said Friday. "Just like everyone else, just wanted a better life, to live a better life. This is tragic because now it struck home with us. Something has to be done. This has got to stop."

"She wasn't bothering anybody, just going to register her kids in school — and bullets that fly around and have no name decided to find its way to her head," said Aldridge's aunt Pastor Jolinda Wade, Dwyane Wade's mother, outside the hospital on Friday.

Dwyane Wade issued an impassioned plea for help in combating the city's violence following the shooting Saturday, tweeting, "The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!"

Aldridge's death also became politicized when Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, tweeted that her shooting is a reason why black people will vote for him, initially misspelling Dwyane Wade's first name. The tweet prompted a harsh backlash on Twitter, and Trump later tweeted his condolences for the family.

"This tragedy isn’t just noteworthy because Miss Aldridge has a famous family member," Johnson said Sunday. "It’s noteworthy because these two offenders are the prime example of the challenge we face here in Chicago with repeat gun offenders that don’t care who they shoot, don’t care whose life they take, and clearly, clearly don’t fear the consequences of their actions."

A special prayer vigil was held in Aldridge's honor at Jolinda Wade's New Creation Church in the city's West Pullman neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

With recent polls showing Hillary Clinton maintaining a sizable lead over Republican rival Donald Trump, many Democrats are predicting a landslide win in November.

But if Trump does lose, he's unlikely to just go away, NBC News reports.

Instead, with his ever-tighter ties to former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes (who is now reportedly advising the Republican candidate) and his recent hiring of former Breitbart chairman Steven Bannon, there's a growing chorus, propelled by a recent report in Vanity Fair, saying that Trump's endgame is not the nation's highest office — but to have a right-wing media outlet of his own.

If Trump lost in November and then launched his own media operation — a plan his campaign has repeatedly denied — what would it be exactly? And would it be a success?

"Losing in November would be the best thing that could happen, from a business standpoint," said Jon Klein, former president of CNN's U.S. operations.

Authorities plan to charge the man driving a charter bus carrying flood relief volunteers that crashed in Louisiana Sunday, NBC News reported.

Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, will be charged with two counts of negligent homicide, reckless operation and other crimes, according to Matey. Additional charges were expected. She said Rodriguez was in the country illegally and driving without a license. 

Two people were killed and 41 were injured in the crash. Spencer Chauvin, 36, a fire chief from St. John the Baptist Parish, was among the fatally wounded, Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey said.

The bus was headed to Baton Rouge Sunday morning to aid in flood relief effort when the crash occurred on Interstate 10 west of New Orleans, NBC affiliate WDSU reported.

A shooting victim trying to drive himself to the hospital caused a car crash that left four others, including two children, wounded on Sunday, according to Chicago police.

Just after 12 p.m., authorities said a 37-year-old man was driving in the 10100 block of South State St in the Roseland neighborhood on Chicago's Far South Side when he struck another vehicle.

Two adults and two children were in the car, according to police.

A 5-year-old girl and a 1-month-old boy were taken to hospitals in serious condition, according to police. A 24-year-old woman and a 45-year-old woman were taken to area hospitals and listed in good condition, authorities said.

The shooting victim was also taken to a local hospital in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Police did not release any further information on the location or circumstances of the shooting, and the investigation is ongoing.

A New Jersey Transit Police officer is being hailed a hero after he pulled a man off the tracks seconds before a train arrived.

Surveillance video shows NJ Transit officer Victor Ortiz struggling to pull a man to safety at the Secaucus Junction station in Secaucus, New Jersey, Friday.

In the clip, the man is lying on the tracks and resists Ortiz’s efforts to pull him away. Ortiz finally gets the man off the tracks seconds before a speeding train arrives.

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“Officer Ortiz’s selfless and heroic actions demonstrated a level of bravery and a true sense of compassion and purpose that often goes unrecognized but is ever present in our law enforcement community,” a New Jersey Transit spokesperson wrote in a released statement.

“NJ Transit could not be more proud of Victor Ortiz and of the New Jersey Transit Police Department and we hope this serves as a stark reminder of what these men and women do every single day to keep us safe throughout this state.”

Wheelchair rugby is not for the faint at heart. It is full contact, full throttle, and that's just during practice.

Sunday was the last practice three athletes from the San Diego Sharp Wheelchair Rugby Team in Oceanside will have until they head to the Paralympic Games in Rio next month.

“It smashes that stereotype that quadriplegics are fragile. When you come out and see this sport people say 'that really redefines what I thought of a quadriplegic,'" player Andy Cohn said.

These athletes may have limited use of all four limbs, but don't let that fool you.

“Yeah we might use wheelchairs, but more than anything it's mental and heart,” player Kory Puderbaugh said.

He and two other teammates from San Diego Sharp Wheelchair Rugby will be representing team USA at the Paralympics in Rio.

Puderbaugh’s path to the world stage was far from easy. Besides his disabilities, he was verbally and physically abused as a child growing up in an orphanage in Poland.

“I didn't have the best childhood,” Puderbaugh told NBC 7. “I didn’t get down on myself. I wanted to be better than what people were telling me I was. Just that constant desire to be better."

He worked hard and now he’s ready for his sport’s ultimate challenge.

“I don't know if you can compare [Puderbaugh] to the Michael Jordan of basketball..., but he's really good,” teammate Howell Smith said.

Puderbaugh and his teammates will all be tested when the Games start on September 7th in Brazil.

A woman was rescued from the cliffs above Black's Beach Sunday afternoon and taken by helicopter to a hospital, according to San Diego Fire Rescue Department officials.

She was hiking along Ho Chi Minh Trail near La Jolla Farms Road and Blackgold Road around 4:25 p.m. when she hurt her knee and wasn’t able to continue, SDFRD Spokesman Lee Swanson said.

The woman's condition is not known. 

No other information was immediately available. 

Many Division-1 schools use the spread offense to pass the ball all over the place but the Aztecs still lean the other way.

And that's one reason why they are the favorite to repeat in the Mountain West.

"You know coming out of high school to here (where we are) running the ball all the time - I didn't really come from an offense like that," explained senior offensive lineman Nico Siragusa. "So when you come here, there's fullbacks, two tight ends, it's fun and you get used to it.

"And honestly," continued the Mater Dei high school product, "if you're an offensive lineman I don't see why you wouldn't want to come (and play) to an offensive scheme like this."

The playbook will be thicker for Carlsbad's Christian Chapman, the sophomore who enters his first full season as the Aztecs starting quarterback.

But expect SDSU to keep grinding down opponents behind their three seniors on the O-Line.

The trio includes Siragusa, a Chula Vista native who was named as one of SDSU's five captains this year, as well as fellow classmates Arthur Flores and Ramona high school alum Kwayde Miller.

"All three of them give us great maturity, great leadership, great experience,” said SDSU head coach Rocky Long.

“We'd feel better if we had five of them,” Long cracked with a smile, “but three’s pretty good."

Last season, for the first time in school history the Aztecs had two players rush for over 1,000 yards: DJ Pumphrey (1,653) and Chase Price (1,008).

Pumphrey and Price each averaged 5.3 yards per carry which is remarkable and a testament to their talent.

It’s also a tribute to the blockers in front of them.

With so many weapons on offense, if the linemen do their jobs, the sky’s the limit, or perhaps we should say, the ground’s the limit for SDSU’s stable of running backs.

“I mean every back is different - like (Rashaad) Penny's a bigger back, but he's elusively fast," added Siragusa.

"Juwan Washington's really - he'll hit the hole and he'll juke everyone out. Pumph, all you have to do is give him the littlest of a seam and he's going to hit it for a big gainer."

"When you look up at that scoreboard and that stat sheet and you see 300+ yards rushing, 250+ yards rushing, and people know that you're going to rush the ball - and you still rush for that amount - as an O-Lineman, the feeling, that's what we take pride in."

Pumphrey enters his senior campaign just 318 yards shy of breaking Marshall Faulk’s school record for career rushing yards.

The first test comes Saturday when Siragusa and his teammates try to push the pile against the New Hampshire Wildcats. Kickoff at Qualcomm Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. PT.

Six months after what students called a "play fight" at Lincoln High School, the president of the San Diego Schools Police Officers Association is frustrated.

“We’re extremely disappointed in the way the school district is handling the discipline of a student who battered not just a school employee but a police officer," said association president Jesus Montana.

In February a 16-year-old student was tased during the incident after allegedly hitting a school police officer, wounding him.

“The student should have been recommended for expulsion," said Montana.

Instead of being expelled, and while the officer is still recovering from his injuries, one of the teens charged with the assault is returning to Lincoln High Monday for the first day of school.

Superintendent Cindy Marten issued a statement that reads in part:

" ....I went with Chief Littlejohn to be at the hospital bedside of the officer injured at Lincoln. I continue to hope for that officer's full recovery…I've been clear the primary job of the schools is educating children, and we cannot let anything get in the way of their access to a good education."

Montana said there was an agreement with the district for both the student and the officer to be transferred to different schools, but only the officer will be involuntarily transferred after he recovers from his injuries.

“For the officers it’s a sense of betrayal, mistrust and not knowing if the district will have their back in the future if politics will lead the decision," said Montana.

On Sunday the Vikings play the first football game in their new, state-of-the-art, $1.1 billion stadium, a preseason game against the Chargers. It is not a coincidence the National Football League scheduled the Bolts to be Minny’s first home opponent.

U.S. Bank Stadium is new and shiny and massive and an example of what the NFL wants to see built in San Diego. If you listen to the folks involved in getting it built, this is one of the greatest days ever.

“The Minnesota Vikings have a new home and they are here to stay!” proclaimed Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority, at the stadium’s ribbon cutting ceremony. These folks say it’s not just the Vikings that will call the admittedly impressive new facility home.

The 2018 Super Bowl will be in Minneapolis. The 2019 NCAA Final 4 will be there, too. The 2017 and 2018 X-Games have signed on to let Minnesota host their spectacle. And that’s not all.

“More than 300 youth sporting events will compete on this very ground,” says Kelm-Helgen. “Weddings, craft shows, major conventions and roller blading will happen here.”

All this will happen in a new stadium that sits on the site where the Metrodome used to be. U.S Bank Stadium is so large that its predecessor would actually fit inside it. It has a one-of-a-kind clear roof that gives games played indoors the feel of being outside. The structure of the seats puts many of the 66,000 fans right on top of the field in an attempt to create a home-field advantage similar to what the Seahawks enjoy at CenturyLink Field.

This new monster was financed through a combination of public and private financing, split almost down the middle. The public portion comes from sales, gambling and tobacco tax increases.

During the 31-month build the area surrounding it also saw a near $1 billion renovation with new offices, residences and a public park going in. Those are the things the stadium proponents point to when justifying the more than $600 million expenditure by the public.

“This economic renaissance of East Town (the area where the stadium sits) will be a lasting legacy to those of us who worked on this project,” says Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton.

But unlike the pending stadium/convention center initiative in San Diego, the bill to get the facility in Minneapolis built was structured so that it was never put to a vote, and that raises serious red flags.

“I actually think Minneapolis got one of the worst deals as far as I’ve seen and it’s too bad that we did that,” says City Councilmember Cam Gordon. “It’s just going to set the precedent for the NFL teams to think they can get that from other cities.”

Like, say, San Diego for example. Gordon wonders why private entities can pony up $1 billion for offices and parks but the NFL, a $13 billion a year company, asks for so much help from the public to build its facilities. There is only one existing NFL stadium that was built entirely with private funding: MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants. Many people in Minneapolis feel money from a major tax increase should be used on schools, roads and first responders … a sentiment echoed by a large number of San Diegans.

“I think the things you’d look at and say, well this is something for the public, a library or a school or a park that everybody is going to get to use and it’s going to benefit everybody, they’re not going to have to pay to use it, that’s where we should make these investments,” says Gordon.

That brings us to the realm of “economic impact,” which is open to interpretation.

“Now that the stadium is competed it will continue to benefit our community in so many ways,” says Kelm-Helgen. One study anticipates the Super Bowl and Final 4 alone will bring $600 million to the region. How long that kind of interest and engagement lasts, however, could be a big concern.

“There’s going to come a time 25, 30 years when they’re going to say this is obsolete, we need a new stadium,” says Gordon, “and they’ll probably come back to the public and say can you please build it for us so we can keep making these exorbitant profits.”

Another parallel to San Diego is the scare tactic. The Vikings threatened to leave Minnesota if they did not get public funding for a new stadium and it’s no surprise what leverage they used.

“Los Angeles was what they used for us, too,” says Gordon.

The circumstances in Minneapolis and San Diego are similar. Both have football teams that threatened to leave, wanting public money through a tax increase, raising the same types of economic concerns. The biggest difference is the amount of money being asked for.

The Chargers want more than twice what the Vikings received, mostly because of the addition of the convention center. The one thing just about everyone we have talked to agrees on, whether in favor of or opposed to a new stadium, is the real benefit of keeping an NFL team in a new facility is civic pride. Now if someone can find a way to quantify and perhaps even monetize that, a lot of questions will be answered in America’s Finest City.