Latest news with #Bastin
Chicago Tribune
7 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Oswego Police Department to get full-time training coordinator
Oswego Village Board members have authorized the hiring of a full-time police training coordinator to manage the Oswego Police Department's enhanced training program and growing police force. Oswego and Yorkville have had a shared services agreement that employed a police specialist working between the two communities. However, Yorkville has notified Oswego that it is transitioning to a full-time police training coordinator effective Jan. 1, 2026. The city also notified Oswego that it has hired the individual. Yorkville and Oswego have shared the position since 2023. The two communities previously did not have a police training coordinator, Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin said in a report to trustees. The change to a full-time training coordinator in Oswego is necessary to keep up with enhanced safety protocols plus a growing police force, he said. 'We have increased our training program beyond just mandates and have discovered that a part-time training coordinator is unable to fulfill the requirements of the role in only 20 hours per week,' Bastin said. The police force previously had some 7,500 hours of training annually and that has since increased to more than 9,000 hours each year, Oswego police officials said. In addition, the police training program has grown to include new proficiency training and standards or Core Critical Tasks. 'CCT's are a new training practice that requires officers to receive training in high risk/low frequency events, and to show minimum proficiency annually in all training disciplines,' Bastin said. Bastin requested the village hire a training coordinator in November at an approximate cost of $19,500 for the two months prior to the new fiscal year in 2026. The training coordinator doesn't actually do the training but rather manages the public safety training for the department. The training coordinator further ensures training complies with relevant requirements for public safety employees and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, officials said. In addition, the individual develops and maintains training reports and training documentation. The new position in Oswego is posted on the village's website. The deadline to apply is 8 a.m. Aug. 29. 'It does offer an opportunity to look at candidates who have retired from a police department and have been involved in their department's training program,' Bastin said. He said retired police officers who have 'been out there and done the work' can bring another perspective to the position, Bastin told trustees.
USA Today
31-07-2025
- USA Today
2-year-old killed, 14 injured after car crashes into Portillo's restaurant
A 2-year-old boy was killed and 14 others injured after a car crashed into a Portillo's restaurant in Oswego, Illinois, officials said. Shortly before 2 p.m. local time on July 30, a car crashed through the front entrance of the restaurant in what officials believe was a "tragic accident," Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin said at a briefing. "We understand how difficult and emotional this incident is for everyone involved, to include the families impacted by this tragedy, as well as our community, our officers and the fire department personnel who responded," Bastin said. Bastin said an investigation into the crash is ongoing, and police are reviewing surveillance video and witness statements "to determine exactly what occurred." Oswego is about 40 miles west of Chicago. Portillo's is a Chicago-area fast food chain known for hot dogs and sandwiches. USA TODAY has reached out to Portillo's. More news: An infant was found abandoned. Then, police discovered 4 people dead. 8, including driver, hospitalized in Portillo's crash Bastin said of the 14 injured in the crash, eight individuals, including the driver of the vehicle, were transported to area hospitals. Six others were treated at the scene and released, Bastin said. Three of the victims had serious injuries, Josh Flanders, Oswego Fire Protection Chief, said. The driver, a 50-year-old woman, was the only individual in the car when it crashed, Bastin said. 2-year-old was inside Portillo's when he was killed in crash A 2-year-old boy was a patron inside the restaurant when the crash occurred, Bastin said. Officials have not released further information about the child's identity. "On behalf of the police and fire department we extend our deepest condolences to the family during this devastating time," Oswego Police said in a social media statement. "We ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve this unimaginable loss." Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Tiruchi company trains women to become e-auto rickshaw drivers
Eden Green Mobility (EGM), an electric-vehicle shared transportation company based out of Tiruchi, is aiming to bring women drivers into its fold through a special training and employment programme for its e-auto rickshaws, in collaboration with the Namma Yatri ride-booking App. 'A total of 30 women are currently enrolled for training; we hope to start on the second batch soon. Women are initially reluctant to become auto-drivers, but they are convinced when the skill empowers them with financial independence, especially in rural pockets. Auto-driving gives women a sense of accomplishment, and they can earn a regular monthly income. Above all, e-vehicles are more eco-friendly,' Sona Bastin, director, EGM, told The Hindu. On Tuesday, approximately 20 women trainees from Musiri and Thuraiyur gathered at a public ground in Mannarpuram to test their e-auto rickshaw driving skills as instructors rode with them to grade their performance. 'The training is offered through theory and practical lessons. Besides this, we also help our candidates to secure jobs once they graduate. Those who get employed by us can expect to earn ₹20,000 per month, besides being enrolled on the Namma Yatri App, which ensures drivers' benefits like insurance and financial aid for children's studies. We have kept the entire process free of charge to encourage more women to join,' said Ms. Bastin. The company, which has been the operational partner of Namma Yatri in Tiruchi for the past four months, has also been collaborating with the Indian Overseas Bank's Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI). ' We are also in talks to establish a women's only fleet of e-auto rickshaw for the local administration's schemes such as mobile vegetable vending vehicles. People with disability and transgender persons are also welcome to join,' said Ms. Bastin. The company's auto rickshaws are powered by solar energy. EGM maintains a charging station at Chathiram Bus Stand.
Morocco World
06-05-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Aviation: Masterflex Group To Open New Plant Near Morocco's Casablanca
Rabat – Masterflex Group, a company specializing in manufacturing connections and hose systems, announced on Monday its plans to open a new plant in the MIDPARC free trade zone near Casablanca. 'With an investment of almost three million euros over the next five years, the company plans to build a production facility and offices on an area of around 4,000 square meters,' Masterflex Group said . The company added that the opening of the facility is part of its first step, seeking to create at least 65 jobs in the coming years. Masterlex CEO Andreas Bastin commented on the opening of the new plant, recalling the importance of the global aviation industry that is experiencing an 'extraordinary increase in demand for air travel.' The sector is reaching 'record highs both nationally and internationally,' he said, noting that Morocco has become an attractive location for aviation companies thanks to its investment-friendly climate and its proximity to Europe. 'The good training, the high quality of the work, the strict adherence to processes and quality standards, but also the geographical proximity and the overall costs – these are all factors that convinced us to choose Morocco,' Bastin explained. The group further stressed the importance of the aerospace and automotive sectors in Morocco, noting that the Masterflex Group is benefiting from a major investment program in this sector. Data from 2024 shows that Morocco's aviation manufacturing sector concluded last year with unprecedented growth. Exports increased by 17.3% to reach $2.1 billion in the first ten months, surpassing the previous year's record. President of Midparc Hamid El Andaloussi said in an interview last August that the country's aerospace exports are expected to double to $4 billion by 2030. A new analysis by Marie-Noelle Nwokolo, an associate researcher at the Brenthurst Foundation, also highlighted the growing importance of Morocco's aviation sector. According to Nwokolo, the North African country was the first African country to sign an Open Skies agreement with the EU in 2006. Morocco has long emphasized its vision to double employment in the aerospace sector by 2030. The sector created an overall of 20,000 jobs, reaching an integration rate exceeding 40.5%. Tags: aviationaviation in morocco
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Lumberjack Jet-Powered One-Way Attack Munition Can Drop Its Own Precision Bomblets
Northrop Grumman has just unveiled its new Lumberjack loitering one-way attack drone at the Modern Day Marine conference in Washington, D.C., at which TWZ is in attendance. We talked to Michael Bastin, Director of Technology for the firm, on the show floor to get the low-down on Lumberjack and what it brings to the table. The jet-propelled weapon falls into the U.S. military's Group 3 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) category, defined as designs weighing between 55 and 1,320 pounds, able to fly at between 3,500 and 18,000 feet, and having top speeds of between 100 and 250 knots. Lumberjack can be launched from the surface or the air. It carries a payload size similar to that of a 250-pound class Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). It can be configured for kinetic strike, including dropping submunitions of its own, or other roles, such as acting as an electronic warfare platform or reconnaissance. This flexibility comes via a modular center base compartment. 'Because it is air-launched and/or ground-launched, and it has a several hundred-mile range, you can basically put in kinetic effects from a forward-deployed ground base — very modular — it's a two-man lift. So you can have an ability to sort of reach out and defend surface and land capabilities, as well as air deploy, and have non-kinetic electronic warfare protection for your main forces,' Bastin told us. It can also trade its range for loitering endurance, staying in the air over an area for 'a couple hours.' In terms of launch options, Bastin told us that 'we've demonstrated two different launchers. One is an electric rail system developed for… the Navy, intended actually to launch off of ships. So you could actually launch this off of surface vessels. We've also launched it using a pneumatic technique, which is field-deployable. It's very similar to what's being employed currently in Europe… If the ground forces want it, it's basically a large, effectively a potato gun. Very cheap, very easy to build. You can build it in, you know, local components.' Cost-wise, Lumberjack is aiming to come in at around '$75 to $100k,' per weapon, according to Bastin. This would be a comparatively attractive price, especially for a modular kamikaze drone that is jet-powered and can fly at least a few hundred miles. This would equate to roughly half the cost of a Hellfire missile. Alternately, a single 227mm M31 GMLRS guided artillery rocket, which has a range of around 50 miles, costs around $150k. Lumberjack would not strike as fast as the M31, but it would cover a much larger area and do so more flexibly from a single position than current GMLRS offerings, and even the forthcoming GMLRS-ER, which has nearly double its progenitor's range. With this in mind, from a single ground position, Lumberjack would allow a very small team to take on targets anywhere in a circle ranging at least 200 miles (possibly significantly further) in any direction, and do so relatively rapidly thanks to the Lumberjack's jet speed. Once again, this is a capability far beyond the range of traditional and guided rocket artillery systems, and one that can be employed without the need to put airpower overhead. That is a huge amount of territory that can be put at risk very cheaply. The ability for a single Lumberjack to attack multiple small targets geographically separated using submunitions on its one-and-only sortie it will fly is also a major plus, both in terms of value and flexibility. Lumberjack's potential use as a ship-based weapon is also attractive, especially due to its cost, range, and smaller size. Its loitering ability could come in use for many roles, from electronic warfare to reconnaissance, but especially for setting up force protection pickets between the ship and potential small surface threats. You can read all about how a weapon just like this could be a huge plus for surface combatants in this past feature of ours. As for air launch capabilities, that seems a little less defined as of now. The weapon has roughly the same size and mounting provisions as a Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), Bastin told us, and the company is working with a 'number of government partners' investigating a variety of launch platforms. When it comes to the possibility of putting this on fast jets, not just slower helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, there are 'customers interested in certifying it for that,' Bastin said. Then there is the fairly bizarre name, Lumberjack. Bastin wasn't sure how that came about, but as we look at the concept and its submunitions dropping capability, as well as other Northrop Grumman products, it may be that it is intended to drop Hatchet, the company's 6lb micro guided munition, which is already finding its way onto other Group 3 unmanned aircraft. The pairing of these two concepts together would be highly logical and would up the procurement case for Lumberjack. According to Bastin, Lumberjack has been undergoing test flights and demonstrations since last year in conjunction with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E). The system is at the point now that Northrop Grumman is looking for a customer to move it out of the experimental development realm. We will keep an eye on how Lumberjack progresses, but it certainly fits with the broader trends in warfare we are experiencing. Whether or not it will actually get a chance to take a chop at the enemy on a real battlefield, we'll have to wait and see. Howard Altman contributed to this story. Contact the author: Tyler@
