Latest news with #Ashby
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lewiston mother sues Androscoggin County jail, medical contractor for son's 2023 death
Jun. 9—LEWISTON — The first thing Pamela Ashby asked when she learned her son Trevor had died from pneumonia at the Androscoggin County Jail: how could this happen? Two years later, after reviewing medical records and video surveillance, she still has the same question. "It kind of left me even more dumfounded," Ashby said in an interview with the Portland Press Herald. "There were so many people involved here ... yet it still happened." Ashby is now suing the Androscoggin County Jail and its health care provider, Correctional Psychiatric Solutions, or CPS, alleging they denied her son adequate medical care. In her complaints, Ashby says the jail ignored pressure wounds that had developed on her son's back, which grew infected, and his worsening condition. Trevor Saunders died Nov. 18, 2023, from a disease that Ashby and her lawyers say has long been curable in the United States. Ashby believes her son's death is indicative of a larger, systemic problem at the jail where, her lawsuits state, staff routinely dismiss and ignore inmates' medical needs. Both lawsuits cite medical records, in which several employees said they met with Saunders, who had come into the jail still dealing with the effects of a stroke he had survived the year before. Some of the employees, according to the complaints, eventually suggested they send Saunders to get treatment outside of the jail — but they never did. "Trevor's death is the result of a broken system where needs for basic medical care were ignored, training was lacking, and constitutional protections were routinely violated," Rosalie Wennberg, one of Ashby's attorneys, said in an emailed statement. "The facts of this case make it clear that Trevor's death was preventable, and that at every turn, he was denied help and care that would have saved his life." Ashby is suing CPS and two registered nurses who worked for the jail under the Maine Wrongful Death Act. She is also suing the jail, the county and several officials — including Sheriff Eric Samson, his chief deputy William Gagne, former jail administrator Jeffrey Chute and nearly a dozen corrections officers — for violating Saunders' constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. "Contracting out the provision of jail medical care to a private company does not relieve Defendant Androscoggin County of its constitutional duty to provide adequate health care to inmates at ACJ," the complaint states. The county defendants did not respond to calls and emails Monday afternoon seeking a response to the lawsuit. Joshua D. Hadiaris, an attorney for CPS, said his client cannot comment on the specifics of Saunders' case because of patient confidentiality obligations. "However, CPS is committed to providing quality healthcare and takes all concerns related to patient care very seriously," Hadiaris wrote in an email. THE STROKE Trevor Saunders, 25, was Ashby's only son. He had two siblings on his father's side, according to an obituary, and several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends described as "chosen family." He went to school in Auburn, Mechanic Falls and Poland, Ashby said, and was an active young man who could talk to anybody and pick up almost any sport. He had a particular affinity for basketball and golf, which he still played even after a rare spinal stroke upended his life in March 2022. "I think that was going to be the sport that he would have continued on forever," Ashby said, "no matter how much of his physical ability he got back." Saunders had only been out of school for six years when he had the stroke. He had been doing manual labor and trying to create a good home for his son Alex, Ashby said. He was the kind of father, she said, who waited with his son at the bus stop and taught him video games and wrestling. Saunders struggled after the stroke. Ashby said her active and adventurous son, who prided himself on his strength and mobility, was suddenly unable to get out of a hospital bed in Boston, where he was being treated. Physical therapy helped, but Saunders was frustrated by all of the things he still couldn't do, Ashby said, and the new reality depressed him. One night in January 2023, Ashby said, Saunders went drinking with friends. Ashby said she thinks her son just wanted to have a normal night out, but he ended up in a single-car crash, injuring himself and damaging property. Afterward, Saunders spent several weeks in the hospital. He was later sentenced to 45 days in jail for operating under the influence and on a revoked license. Neither Ashby nor Saunders were concerned about what his time in jail would be like. She said her son was willing to take the accountability for his actions and entered the jail "physically fine." AT THE JAIL Ashby says jail staff wouldn't let Saunders wear a hand brace that helped keep his muscles from retracting while he slept, a long-lasting byproduct of his stroke. She said it was just the first of many instances in which staff dismissed her son's medical needs. He later developed pressure sores on his back, the lawsuits state. Saunders first reported his wounds to the jail on Nov. 1, according to both complaints. He spent the next two weeks meeting with various nurses and physician's assistants, in-person and over Zoom, all of whom documented his worsening condition, his irregular heartbeat and complaints of pain. One of the lawsuits says Saunders, who was under the constant surveillance of several jail officers, spent days moaning from his cell and begging for a cane, a wheelchair and diapers to help with his urinary incontinence, another lingering symptom of the spinal stroke. It alleges his cellmate and others also called for help, and they were ignored. No one took Saunders' vitals, the complaint claims, or ordered lab testing that one nurse suggested could identify the problem. According to the lawsuits, staff offered him an extra mattress, Gatorade and ibuprofen. On Nov. 14, 2023 — nearly three weeks into his sentence — a nurse determined Saunders' wounds were a medical emergency, but their boss still refused to send him to get treatment outside of the jail, the complaints state. Instead, they say, officers moved him to a higher-security area where they could watch him on camera. The complaint against the jail includes photographs of Saunders, lying near his own urine, unable to sit up, hold a cup or eat. Ashby and her lawyers claim this was the result of the jail's "custom and practice that discouraged providing inmates with necessary care from outside medical providers, even where such care was medically necessary, in order to keep costs down." During his time there, Saunders had complained some to his mother, but she said she is mortified by what she has learned over the last two years about his treatment. "We should be providing a place for people to go serve their time for something they've done, and come out and potentially be someone that can be in our community and maybe learn from being in there," she said. "Instead of not coming out at all." For Ashby, she now spends time golfing with Saunders' son, Alex. That's what her son would be doing, she said, if he were still here. She said he had a lot to offer Alex. "Not only to his family but to other people in his life," Ashby said. "And he just wasn't given the opportunity to be the person he could have been." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Council shelves proposed parking charge rises around Coalville
Plans to increase parking charges in and around Coalville and Ashby have been West Leicestershire District Council had been looking at increasing fees at the car parks it the authority has confirmed it will freeze rates based on feedback from 4,500 residents and businesses received during a consultation held earlier this month."We recognise that it's a tough time for our town centres," said deputy council leader Michael Wyatt. The authority said it had launched a review of charges to try to cut the amount it spends subsidising parking because its income from car parks is outstripped by the cost of running them. Wyatt said: "Throughout the course of the car parking review, we've reflected on what people have told us. "We have also done a lot of engagement with partners and businesses in the district, who are understandably concerned about the current economic climate and ongoing pressures on the high street."While we do need to balance the running costs of our car parks, we also understand that they must be priced competitively to encourage people to continue to visit and work in our town centres."Therefore, we've decided that our car parking fees and charges will remain as they are for the foreseeable future."
Sky News AU
19-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Net zero debacle arises potential Paris Agreement renegotiations
One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby suggests renegotiating the Paris Agreement might be a 'compromise' the Coalition can take. 'Australia should be able to go in and at least renegotiate the Paris Agreement that we signed up to,' Mr Ashby told Sky News host Peta Credlin. 'If we don't do something, we're going to drive the economy into the ground.'
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Northland's meth crisis: ‘There's no magic wand for any of this'
Tia Ashby heads Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, a Kaikohe-based iwi organisation that provides housing, health services and programmes like Paiheretia, which helps men caught up in the Corrections system. She said the meth crisis was 'real, complex and growing'. 'We see the daily toll it takes on whānau, on their wairua, their homes and their hope. We do what we can, but the reality is, the demand is outpacing our capacity. 'We're just not funded at the scale needed to respond to the tsunami of need we are facing.' Jade and Scott — they did not want to give their last names, because their work brings them into contact with organised crime — are employed by Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi as kaiarataki, or navigators, helping meth addicts and their whānau get the help they need. Jade said the problem was getting worse, and the money spent on drugs meant other family members missed out on essentials. 'The biggest thing that we see is the effect on the kids, on the mokos. You've got whānau that are going without kai, the living conditions can be appalling. It's a real pandemic, you could call it, and has some real atrocious effects.' Scott said the men they helped came with a whole raft of problems, including homelessness, poor health, mental distress, and crime. But when they burrowed deeper, they often found the underlying cause was meth. Scott said there were many reasons behind the drug's prevalence. 'Obviously, the cost of living out there. High unemployment. And people's trauma as well. It's about unpacking it all to find out why people are addicted to methamphetamine. It ruins households, it ruins families, it ruins communities, it brings crime. Nothing will ever end good unless people stop taking it.' Ashby said the Government's Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities ROCC programme, which had so far been rolled out in seven regions across New Zealand, was a good start. Although still in its early stages, ROCC aimed to stop people becoming addicted in the first place. 'It will build up resilience within whānau and prevent rangatahi [youth] from ever wanting to pick up the pipe, by making sure they're on the right pathway for education or employment, and not being led by gangs,' Ashby said. 'The focus needs to be upstream, we don't want to be the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff all the time. But the reality is, those who have addiction need support now. There's no magic wand for any of this.' While ROCC was 'a step in the right direction', more and sustainable investment in prevention was needed. Also desperately needed was comprehensive, culturally responsive residential treatment in mid-Northland for people who wanted to come off drugs. Currently, most providers of those services, such as Grace Foundation and Higher Ground, were based in Auckland. Ashby said everyone would have to work together to tackle the meth conundrum. Police, MSD, iwi, Māori providers and local services such as Whakaoranga Whānau Recovery Hub were doing their best with the resources they had, she said. 'But without the right tools, good intentions can only go so far. It's time to match the scale of the response with the scale of the need.' While the meth problem was not new, it hit headlines last month when Ngāpuhi chairman Mane Tahere made a public call for more policing and direct funding for iwi organisations whose work was slowed by government red tape. Northland MP Grant McCallum subsequently met Tahere and Far North Mayor Moko Tepania, who lives in Kaikohe, as well as staff at the local medical centre. He was shocked by the stories they told him. They included accounts of a young man high on meth assaulting staff and 'causing mayhem' at the medical clinic, and of drug-induced family dysfunction with girls as young as 11 becoming pregnant. 'But the thing that just got me is, you know how when we were growing up, your dad might give you a sip of his beer or something when you're a young kid? Well, in some families, they're giving him a little bit of P.' McCallum said he was pleased Tahere and Ngāpuhi were standing up and saying they had had enough. 'We have to try and break this cycle. It won't be fixed in five minutes, but we have to start, and one of the key things we've got to do to help break that cycle is get children to school and keep them there,' McCallum said. In the longer term, he said the answer lay in a stronger local economy and a good education system, so people in towns like Kaikohe had well-paying jobs and children had options for their future. 'But ultimately – and this applies to any community, we're not picking on Kaikohe here, it's just the first cab off the rank – the community has to own this problem. If they don't want drugs in their community, they need to make it clear they don't want it in their community. And they need to push back and feed information through to the police when they find people dealing.' During a recent visit to Whangārei, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the Government was focused on trying to stop drugs entering the border, coming down hard on dealers and organised crime, and taking a health-led approach to drug users. Although wastewater testing had shown a big jump in meth use, other data showed the number of users had not increased significantly. That suggested the same group of people was taking more meth, he said. Doocey offered a sliver of hope to organisations like Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi, who were calling out for more funding to prevent people becoming addicted in the first place. 'We're looking at the Proceeds of Crime Fund to fund some of that. When you look at some of the high-need areas like Northland, it will be a more targeted response. Also, we'll be looking at how we can resource existing services on the ground, who are already delivering, to scale up to the need,' he said. The Proceeds of Crime Fund, which reopened recently for applications after a three-year freeze, would now focus on reducing violent crime. Such crime was often driven by drugs, Doocey said. Meanwhile, back on the front line, Jade said collective action and more funding were vital. 'I'm not sure that heavy-handedness in the justice system, and filling the jails in a system that isn't working for our people anyway, is the right solution,' he said. 'It's going to get worse unless we can get ahead of it, and work together in the same direction. I'm not saying we haven't done that in the past, but it's going to need an even more collective approach. And I'm hoping people come with wallets open because it's going to need to be funded.' Scott highlighted the need for comprehensive residential treatment in Northland, so people didn't need to have to be shipped off to Auckland for help. 'You'll never stop drugs, but we can come together and try to minimise it. What that looks like, I don't know. Police are obviously under the pump out there, like everyone else,' he said. 'I think we need some more healing centres for whānau up here in Kaikohe. I don't like using the word rehabilitation. What's needed is a one-stop shop where people can reside, they can heal, get counselling, work on physical fitness, and the kids can go to school.' Whatever the answer, for the kids Scott and Jade see every day, it can not come soon enough.
Sydney Morning Herald
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘One Nation is the story': Hanson throws up election wildcard
Pauline Hanson's One Nation says a move to prop up Coalition candidates in key seats is designed to stop Anthony Albanese retaining power, as rising support for the right-wing party gives the Coalition hope of upset wins in Labor heartland seats on the minor party's preferences. Hanson placed the Coalition second on how-to-vote cards in about a dozen seats, including Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's, after the Coalition preferenced One Nation in 57 seats in a departure from previous attempts to lock out the minor party. Hanson said the movement toward One Nation, being picked up in published and major party polling, showed its messages were resonating with voters as her chief of staff, James Ashby, said there had been no quid-pro-quo with Dutton. 'People are saying, 'You've been warning us for years',' Hanson said, as her party's primary vote rises in polls from the less than 5 per cent it recorded at the 2022 election. 'On high migration, the tipping point for a lot of people was under the Albanese government.' Immigration has been high under Labor, but that comes after a period when borders were closed during the pandemic, putting numbers broadly on the same track it was before the pandemic. 'Isn't it funny now that leaders around the world, including John Howard, said multiculturalism hasn't worked. I'm 30 years ahead of them,' Hanson said. Then-prime minister Howard refused Hanson's preferences in 1998 partly over the firebrand's infamous statement that Australia risked being 'swamped by Asians'. But the Coalition has not rejected One Nation preferences this year. Ashby said the party had taken a 'principled approach' to preference the Liberal Party above Labor and conservative minor parties that were not running seriously in particular seats. 'We opted to move the Liberals up into second position in some of those key seats that we feel could be the make or break of a Coalition government versus Labor,' Ashby said.
