Two-Grand Phones, Go-Karts & Other Signs We’re Doing Fine

Tuesday, September 15th, 2026

Good morning! Welcome to The Tradesman, a 5-minute newsletter tailored just for America’s tradesmen.

Apple wants two grand for a phone, South Park is apparently changing countries, and Columbus decided what this town really needed was an 80,000-square-foot go-kart track. Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to keep the truck running, the bills paid, and our phones alive until payday. Anyway, punch in—it’s been a weird week.

Last week, Apple announced its brand-new phone meant to compete with Samsung's Galaxy Fold.

The phone, called the iPhone Duo, is the first of its kind at Apple in its ability to be both the size of a tablet and fold down to the size of a phone.

It also costs a staggering $1,999.

It's a big ask to charge more than most people's rent for one phone, but maybe the new features are worth it. Click here to see what they are.

After 29 years on air, the adult animated show "South Park," known for its satire, dark humor and fearlessness toward making fun of anything or anyone, is renaming itself.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced right before the start of the show's new season that "South Park" will be renamed "South America" in solidarity with Apple's and Google's recent map changes.

Since taking office, President Trump has issued several executive orders renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and Lake Ontario Lake America, and Apple and Google have updated their maps accordingly.

Season 29 of "South America" premieres Wednesday, Sept. 16, on Comedy Central.

When you think of world-record-breaking buildings, you expect them to be in major cities like New York, Los Angeles or other similar cities abroad.

But what if we told you Columbus, Ohio, of all places, is about to have its own world-record breaker?

Supercharged Entertainment is currently building the world's largest indoor go-karting track in Polaris, set to be 80,000 square feet and multilevel.

The building will also have an arcade, gaming area, multiple virtual reality experiences and more.

This location will be Supercharged Entertainment's second, built to be similar to its first location in New Jersey. You can find their website here.

Speaking of Columbus, Columbus resident James Strahler II, 37, was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for cyberstalking and creating real and AI-generated sexually explicit images of at least six women and minors.

Prosecutors say he used dozens of AI platforms to harass victims and their families, threatening to release images unless demands were met.

Officials believe he is the first person convicted under the federal Take It Down Act.

Do you remember September 11th?