Latest news with #Baxter
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Nonprofit founder who trained Maine's first comfort dogs mourns his loss
May 30—Maine's first comfort dog, Baxter, had been rescued as a puppy and bottle-fed by volunteers for a nonprofit in New Hampshire that pairs trained dogs with veterans and first responders. "We're heartbroken," the organization's founder, Laura Barker, said in an interview on Friday, a day after the Maine Department of Public Safety announced Baxter had been found dead in a state vehicle. "We know that Baxter was loved his whole time on Earth," Barker said. "He also helped a lot of people while he was here." Barker said she and her colleagues are still in shock at the loss, and are confident that the department will conduct a thorough investigation. It's still unclear exactly what led to Baxter's death. The 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever had been working as a comfort dog for dispatchers under the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications since he was introduced to the state in the fall of 2022. A spokesperson for the department said he was found dead Wednesday afternoon after the vehicle "unexpectedly" shut off while he was inside. The vehicle was parked at the communications center in Bangor, where the National Weather Service recorded temperatures up to 82 degrees that afternoon. Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for DPS, said she could not answer questions about the type of vehicle and how long the dog was left inside. She confirmed that Brodie Hinckley, the director of the Bureau of Emergency Communications, had been Baxter's handler. Hinckley did not respond to requests for an interview on Friday. Moss did not answer follow up questions asking if Hinckley was placed on leave. Some newer vehicles have an auto shut-off feature, where the engine is disabled after a certain amount of time if it's left running while parked. In recent years, some police departments have purchased technology that will alert officers if the car shuts off or gets too hot. The Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society, notes that temperatures inside a car can rise rapidly in minutes. Even with the windows opened slightly, temperatures can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes on an 85 degree day, according to Humane World. Baxter was trained through Hero Pups and AT&T FirstNet paid for the dog's vet visits and supplies before he joined the bureau in 2022, according to Hero Pups and the Department of Public Safety. Barker, Hero Pups founder, said Baxter's DPS handler took care of him full-time after his first birthday, but he came back to the New Hampshire non-profit occasionally for training. She encouraged the public to wait to hear all of the details before assuming what happened. 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
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Should police officers be in Ontario schools? Province wants to revive controversial program with new legislation but not everyone agrees
The Ontario government plans to require public school boards to implement school resource officer programs in areas where they are offered by local police services, beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The proposal is part of the Supporting Children and Students Act, introduced May 29, which the Ministry of Education says aims to strengthen government oversight, accountability and transparency in public school boards, post-secondary education and children's aid societies. The legislation would also give the education minister enhanced powers to more easily put school boards under provincial supervision. School resource officers (SRO) have been a source of debate at school boards across the province, with critics raising concerns about negative impacts on racialized and marginalized students. In a news release , Police Association of Ontario president Mark Baxter said the organization endorses the government's initiative and looks forward to seeing the SRO program implemented, where available, at school boards provincewide. 'The school resource officer program plays a crucial role in fostering trust, safety and mentorship within our schools. Having experienced the positive influence of an SRO in my own life, I understand how impactful these programs can be for young people,' Baxter said. Ontario's largest educator union disagrees. Calling it an 'egregious overreach' the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) issued a statement opposing the plan. 'ETFO strongly opposes the Ford government's latest legislative proposal that grants the Minister of Education additional powers to more easily place elected school boards under supervision and that forces the presence of police officers in schools,' the union stated. ETFO described the bill as 'authoritarianism cloaked in the language of accountability,' saying the government is attempting to deflect blame, suppress dissenting voices and tighten political control over the public education system. The union added the proposed changes would transfer power from democratically elected trustees to Queen's Park, and would compel boards to reintroduce SRO programs 'despite their well-documented harm, particularly to Black, Indigenous, and other racialized students.' The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association also criticized the proposal, calling it an attempt to erode local decision-making and divert attention from broader issues in the education system. 'Mandating school resource officers (SROs) is yet another move that undermines local decision-making,' the union said in a statement. 'Over the last decade, many school boards have chosen to end SRO programs after listening to experts and the voices of students, particularly those from Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving groups who often felt surveilled and unsafe by the presence of police in schools.' The union added that mandating the return of police to schools sends the message that marginalized voices do not matter and ignores evidence that these programs have failed to foster trust between police and students. SRO programs have faced scrutiny from critics provincewide. The Hamilton-Wentworth School Board (HWDSB), for example, scrapped its police liaison program by a 7-3 trustee vote in 2020. Alex Johnstone, HWDSB chair at the time, said the program made some students feel unsafe — even if most students were indifferent to the police presence. 'It is incumbent upon us to have a duty to act to ensure that we have a safe and supportive school for all students. 'Most students' is not good enough,' Johnstone said in 2020. The Toronto District School Board voted to end its SRO program in 2017 following community consultation that found a regular armed police presence in schools was particularly harmful to vulnerable students. The proposed legislation would also mandate public disclosure of expense claims made by school trustees and other key personnel, requiring school boards to post expenses to a public-facing website. The move follows a number of high-profile expense controversies at Ontario boards. Last fall, a Brantford-area Catholic school board garnered headlines after it spent $145,000 to send four trustees to Italy to buy pricey art for schools. A trustee implicated in the scandal later said they 'deeply regret the trip' and vowed to remedy the situation. A portion from each trustee's biweekly honorarium payment is being deducted to repay the trip expenses, the Hamilton Spectator reported last month. The province proposes requiring school boards to implement School Resource Officer (SRO) programs where they are offered by local police services starting in the next school year. Disclaimer: Reader survey results are not scientific. As the informal findings of a survey presented to the readers of this site, they reflect the opinions of those who have chosen to participate. The survey is available online to anyone interested in taking it. This poll does not restrict the number of votes each person can cast. — With files from Metroland, the Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto Star Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Maine public safety dog dies in state vehicle that 'unexpectedly' stopped running
May 29—The state's "first official comfort dog" died Wednesday while inside a vehicle that "unexpectedly" stopped running. Baxter, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever, was found dead inside a state vehicle at the Bangor Regional Communications Center around 2 p.m. The vehicle, which he was regularly transported in, stopped running and the air conditioning turned off, the Department of Public Safety said in a statement Thursday. The agency is conducting an inspection to determine why and how the vehicle malfunctioned. A spokesperson did not respond Thursday to questions about how long the dog was left inside the vehicle and what type of vehicle he was in. Baxter was brought on to the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022 to "help improve the mood and well-being of first-line responders in Maine's three emergency communication centers" in Augusta, Bangor and Houlton, the Department of Public Safety said. He was trained through the New Hampshire-based nonprofit Hero Pups, which pairs dogs with first responders and veterans. Since then, he has appeared at several conferences and spent time with dispatchers at the communications center, the Department of Public Safety said in social media posts. 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
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Maine public safety dog dies in state vehicle which 'unexpectedly' stopped running
May 29—The state's "first official comfort dog" died Wednesday while inside a vehicle that "unexpectedly" stopped running. Baxter, a 3-year-old chocolate Labrador, was found dead inside a state vehicle at the Bangor Regional Communications Center around 2 p.m.. The vehicle, which he was regularly transported in, stopped running and the air conditioning turned off, the Department of Public Safety said in a statement Thursday. The agency is conducting an inspection to determine why and how the vehicle malfunctioned. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about how long the dog was left inside the vehicle and what type of vehicle he was in. Baxter was brought on to the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022 to "help improve the mood and well-being of first-line responders in Maine's three emergency communication centers," the Department of Public Safety said. This story will be updated. 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
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
‘We're out of time': Leading defence investor and former Shark Tank judge Steve Baxter demands greater defence investment
A leading investor has urged for greater defence investment as a warning that Australia is 'out of time' weighs on the nation. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report on Thursday urging Labor to spend a larger chunk of the nation's budget to go into defence to 'reflect the reality of threats facing Australia'. Australia's defence spending constitutes about two per cent of the nation's GDP, putting the nation considerably behind allied nations such as the United States (3.5 per cent). The nation's lower portion of defence spending sparked concerns for former Shark Tank judge and tech and defence investor Steve Baxter who warned Australia needed to boost investment to better position itself amongst its allies. 'It would be very hard for us to act as a deterrent to China in any respect,' Mr Baxter said on Sky News' Business Now. 'We've always fought alongside and had the cooperation of larger allies. In World War 2 and pre-WW2 it was England and (post WW2) it's been the US. 'We have to be a good ally to assist in that deterrence and to do that we need to spend.' Pressed on whether China was the main adversary Australia faces, Mr Baxter dumped cold water on the prospect Australia faces similar threats elsewhere. 'They're the only one (we're) worried about,' he said. He also weighed in on the importance of attracting investors to the Australian market and referenced two major warnings in the Defence Strategic Review from March 2023. 'It said two things I think it got correct: It named China and then it said 'we're out of time',' Mr Baxter said. 'In the context of being out of time, that alluded to our strategic warning time being eroded and we no longer have 10 years - we have a lot less - to repair. 'What do you do in that context?' He urged the Australian government to 'supersize incentives' and called for bigger tax breaks than those seen with Early Stage Venture Capital Limited Partnerships and investment in businesses that qualify as an early stage innovation company. 'Instead of the 10 and 20 per cent incentives, if we think this is a really strategic problem and we're out of time, let's make that 50 or 100 per cent tax incentives,' Mr Baxter said. 'So, if we are out of time, we need to start acting.' The report from the ASPI said that while the Labor government 'claims to have made a 'generational investment in Australia's defence', that investment has been put off for another generation' as federal investment will not kick in until after 2029.
