1. ITALY TO HOST 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS: The International Olympic Committee has chosen Milan and Cortina in Italy to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Italy won the bid over Sweden on Monday. CNN: “The announcement marks the Winter Olympics' return to Europe, with the event having been hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and the Chinese city of Beijing staging the Games in 2022. Italy has twice hosted Winter Olympics in the past—Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006—but it will be the first held in Milan. The bidding process has been criticized for the small number of cities on the ballot paper. It's the second time that only two bids have contested the final vote since Russia spent approximately $51 billion on venues and infrastructure for Sochi 2014.”
2. LIVE NATION TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF BONNAROO: Bonnaroo co-founder Rick Farman of Superfly Entertainment will no longer have a role in the festival starting next year, as Live Nation plans to buy out the company’s remaining share. The festival in Manchester, Tennessee, will now be produced by co-founder AC Entertainment and C3 Presents, which Live Nation purchased in 2014. Live Nation purchased a controlling interest of the festival in 2015. Billboard: “A year after purchasing a controlling stake in the event, Live Nation bought a majority share of festival co-founder Ashley Capps Entertainment. As part of the 2015 agreement, Superfly and AC Entertainment were retained as operators, and a number of improvements were planned for the Great Park Stage site, also known as the Farm, which organizers purchased in 2007."
3. GOOGLE WARNS EMPLOYEES ABOUT PROTESTING DURING PRIDE EVENTS: Google told employees they’re allowed to peacefully protest YouTube and Google during the San Francisco Pride parade, as long as they’re not marching with the company in an official capacity. According to an internal memo sent to employees, those who protest while representing the company in any capacity will be in violation of Google’s code of conduct. The Verge: “The discussion came out of a broader conversation among the Gayglers listserv, one of Google’s L.G.B.T.Q. groups, about petitioning San Francisco Pride to remove the company’s float from this weekend’s parade. Some employees planned to march with Google, while also visibly demonstrating against YouTube’s recent policy decisions with signs or t-shirts. According to screenshots shared with the Verge, when one Googler asked if this would be tolerated by the company, an inclusion lead said no.”
