Latest news with #Bevin
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin cannot have contact with adoptive son, judge rules
Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin was ordered by a Louisville judge Tuesday to have no contact with one of his adoptive sons after the son sought an emergency protective order against him earlier this month. Judge Angela Johnson extended for six months an emergency protective order brought by 18-year-old Jonah Bevin, who alleged Bevin exhibited a pattern of 'threatening,' 'intimidating' and 'manipulative' behavior toward him. The Bevins adopted Jonah from Ethiopia when he was 5. Until a few weeks ago, Jonah was homeless and living in Utah. Johnson's actions Tuesday were part of an agreement reached between Jonah and his adoptive parents, who first appeared in court together Friday. Former First Lady Glenna Bevin, who appeared virtually Tuesday, is also barred from contacting Jonah by way of a civil restraining order, though she was not the primary subject of Jonah's protective order. The domestic violence order against her was dismissed. Glenna filed for divorce from the one-term governor in 2023; it was finalized this month. Jonah was granted an emergency protective order against Bevin on March 7. Neither Matt nor Glenna had extensive contact with Jonah for months until recently, when they both contacted him about traveling to Ethiopia to visit his birth mother, whom Jonah had long been told was dead, he testified Friday. That disclosure unnerved Jonah, who said he has long distrusted 'Matthew,' including for abandoning him at Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica, where staff were physically and emotionally abusive, he said — an experience detailed in an extensive interview in Kentucky Lantern last month. Jonah said his adoptive father pressured him to go to the East African nation but provided few details about the trip. As an incentive, Bevin texted Jonah a picture of his biological mom and told him she was alive. 'They'd told me my whole life my mom has been dead. And now they told me she's alive. You told me it was a secret,' Jonah said to Bevin in court last week. 'I would never keep a secret like that.' Jonah said he feared he was being lured to another country to be abandoned again, so he sought a protective order to legally prevent his adoptive father from contacting him. If Bevin does not violate the emergency protective order over the next six months, Johnson said Tuesday, it will be replaced by a civil restraining order. Violating a protective order can result in arrest and up to a year in jail, whereas violating a restraining order carries a lesser criminal penalty. While the EPO is in place, the former governor — who signed a bill legalizing permitless concealed carry in Kentucky as governor — is barred from possessing any firearms and must stay at least 500 feet away from Jonah. Both the protective and restraining orders prohibit Bevin from having any 'direct or indirect' contact with Jonah, the judge explained. The agreement also requires the Bevins to turn over to Jonah's attorneys 'any information or documents related to (Jonah's) biological family, whether they're alive or not,' Jonah's attorney John Helmers said. 'That is very important to him.' 'Sadly, that should not be required for this young man to learn about his family,' Johnson said. 'That should be done, regardless. And I'm going to leave that there.' 'Agreed,' Bevin nodded and mumbled. In Friday's initial hearing, Bevin did not have an attorney present and instead represented himself. He directly questioned Jonah, at first referring to himself in the third person. The hearing eventually devolved into a periodically tense exchange, offering insight into Jonah and Bevin's fraught relationship. Jonah at times raised his voice, and Bevin had to be warned more than once to stop interrupting Jonah's responses. Zach Buckler, a Lexington-area attorney, represented Bevin on Tuesday. Johnson asked Buckler if his client understood the parameters of the settlement, including that any information related to Jonah's birth parents be disclosed to Jonah's attorneys. 'Have you explained this to your client?' Johnson asked. 'Yes, your honor, my client understands the EPO remains in effect and subjects the violating party to the arrest powers of the police, and that a civil restraining order subjects the violating party to the arrest powers of the court,' Buckler said. 'I do believe my client is fully informed as to what the requirements are as to what his expectations should be as it relates to both of those orders.' 'While this is in effect, you can't contact him by social media, by third party, by message through a pigeon, you cannot contact him,' Johnson told Bevin and his attorney. 'You can't post on social media a message that is meant for him. Any violation of this will be considered a criminal offense.' After the hearing, while he waited for the elevator, Bevin did not answer reporters' questions, including why he didn't go to Jamaica to pick up Jonah after he was removed from the facility by the country's child protective services. Glenna issued a statement through her attorney, Steve Romines. 'This situation has been extremely difficult and painful for our entire family. I am glad it is over and the case against me is dismissed,' she said. 'I love my children and want what is best for all of them.' Outside the courtroom after the hearing, Jonah, smiling, said he 'felt like the judge understood' his plight. 'It looks like to everybody that Matt Bevin had everything figured out in his life, but he had nothing figured out,' Jonah said. 'There's an image they want people to see, and they don't want an image of what's actually going on in their homes. 'And today, we brought it out. We brought out what he didn't want people to see.'
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Controversial animal sanctuary kicked out of Oxfordshire site by council
A controversial animal sanctuary which had operated for six years on a site in an Oxfordshire town has been kicked out by the district council due to planning violations. Didcot Animal Sanctury was the subject of some controversy when it left its original site near Didcot in 2019 and moved to land near Hithercroft Roundabout in Wallingford. Accusations were made that the site did not have suitable provisions for its animals and didn't treat them well, with critics saying they had 'too many animals to cope with'. READ MORE: 'Inspirational' Oxford washing machine runner dies In February this year, the sanctuary has shut down completely, with most of its animals rehomed but many having to be put down. Owner Julia Vaughan, who ran the site with her husband David, said they had a huge range of animals including donkeys, alpacas, sheep and more than 30 pigs, as well as hundreds of birds including ducks, chickens, pigeons and budgies. The sanctuary was told to leave the site due to planning breaches But when South Oxfordshire District Council served an enforcement notice in May last year due to both the change of use of the land to a sanctuary and associated developments, including an access track, they had to 'pack it in'. Missed a copy of the Oxford Mail you wanted? Here's what to dohttps:// — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) February 22, 2024 Mrs Vaughan said: 'The council got in touch and told us that we needed planning permission after we'd been there six years and it cost a lot of money to deal with it so we packed it all in. 'We started getting rid of the animals and clearing the land. My other half has been diagnosed with cancer so dealing with that and rehoming the animals as well, it just got too much.' She said that due to her and her husband's ill health, the sanctuary will not be set up elsewhere. The couple rented the land from Nikki Bevin in Hithercroft after their original Didcot site was taken over for redevelopment. READ MORE: Northern Lights in Oxfordshire tonight after red alert Ms Bevin said while they initially had a good relationship, by the end of the tenancy the situation had fallen apart. 'When I first met them it was in response to a plea from a registered charity,' she said. 'I thought I was doing a good thing, so I stepped in and offered them cheap rent if they could help me with my animals as well, as my health was declining.' Standing up for the sanctuary caused a lot of backlash for Ms Bevin, too, but she said Mr and Mrs Vaughan were looking after their animals well and they were 'working together.' Later, however, the situation began to deteriorate, as Ms Bevin said 'it spiralled for them'. She added: 'They did care about their animals, they were good people, and they thought they knew what they were doing.' Dealing with illness in her family, her own failing health and difficulties with her tenants caused great distress for Ms Bevin, and when the council notice was served the sanctuary 'left without clearing up' while 'owing hundreds, if not thousands in rent.' The sanctuary didn't clean up the site when it left (Image: NQ) Some of Ms Bevin's own horses were left in the field with rubbish from the sanctuary, which she said was due to a broken fence which she was unable to fix as she's been in hospital. READ MORE: Oxford United struggling in attack: Talking points from Hull City loss She said: 'I really appreciate people looking out for the horses – they shouldn't be in that field, but my hands were tied, and I physically haven't been able to get it sorted. 'I would ask people to stay away and let me get it sorted, as I've had a horrific year and a half and I'm just trying to get my head around this. 'But the support and offers of help from people has been really overwhelming, and I cannot thank them enough.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Gov. Bevin's adopted son files protective order against parents
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — Matt Bevin's adoptive son has filed a protective order against the former governor and his estranged wife, Glenna. According to court records, the protective orders were filed on Friday in a Jefferson County Court. Former Gov. Bevin's adopted son allegedly became ward of Jamaica after troubled-teen program disbands Former Gov. Matt Bevin barred from wife's home amid divorce and harassment allegation As a result, court documents show that the former governor has been ordered to surrender any guns that he owns. In an interview with the Kentucky Lantern, Jonah revealed that he was the adoptive son the Bevins allegedly abandoned at a Jamaican troubled-teen boarding school. 11:11 Media Impact has been diligently working to protect and advocate on behalf of the American boys removed from Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica. These boys, including Former Governor Bevin's son, were taken into the custody of Jamaica after experiencing horrific abuse and have since been returned to the United States, and placed in alternative more appropriate placements. It is our understanding that Noah is safe and we will continue to look out for the welfare of all children who experience institutional child abuse and neglect. 11:11 Media Impact Jonah, now 18, told the Kentucky Lantern that he's now living on his own in Utah, working part-time construction jobs and finding temporary places to live, receiving no assistance from his adoptive family. Soldiers from Fort Campbell deployed to southern border Pineville pair charged after hidden gun, drugs, bags of cash found during Laurel County traffic stop Former Gov. Bevin's adopted son files protective order against parents A 2024 London Times investigation took an unexpected turn, revealing that former Gov. Matt Bevin's adopted son was one of the three boys left behind when the Atlantis Leadership Academy (ALA) dismantled, a school that promised the ideal environment for healing. Instead, several staff members were arrested in connection with the reported abuse students endured. Jonah told the Kentucky Lantern he'd once attempted to escape, only to return and be brutally beaten. 'I was bleeding from my nose, mouth,' he said. 'They made me clean it up with a mop. They made me clean up my own blood.' Read more of the latest Kentucky news The Bevin couple filed for divorce in July of 2024, the former governor even being barred from his estranged wife's home. The case was eventually sealed by a Jefferson County judge. A protective order hearing has been set for March 19. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New European
26-02-2025
- Politics
- New European
The end of Nato... and a new beginning
'I am very curious to see how we are heading towards the Nato summit at the end of June,' he said. 'Whether we will still be talking about Nato in its current form or whether we will have to establish an independent European defence capability much more quickly.' This week, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has never looked closer to death. To make sense of what is unfolding, we need to look back to its birth. Contrary to critics' claims, Nato was not spawned by America in a bid to dominate the globe. Its true father was a very different figure: a man who had once created Britain's Transport and General Workers' Union. Ernest Bevin's time as a trade unionist had made him a ferocious anti-communist. As Labour foreign secretary from 1945, he watched the USSR's colonisation of Eastern Europe and its backing of communist rebels, particularly in Greece, with mounting alarm. It was vital, he decided, to coax the Americans to stay in Europe. Children watch an RAF aircraft during the Soviet blockade of Berlin, 1948 Lord Ismay, secretary general of Nato, inspects Portuguese troops in 1954 Ernest Bevin signs the treaty creating Nato in Washington, April 4, 1949 The treaty was signed by Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the US Photos: Hulton-Deutsch/Corbis; Bettmann ; AFP; Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Like Britain, the US was occupying defeated Germany, but the idea that it might stay in Europe jarred against America's foundational worldview. The way to overcome this was the new, shared fear of Soviet expansionism. With Britain's economy exhausted, Bevin persuaded the US to take the strain in resisting communism in Greece and Turkey, in line with the emerging US doctrine of 'containment'. In January 1948, he pushed for a 'western union'. Weeks later, communists seized power in Czechoslovakia. Bevin told the US ambassador a joint military strategy was vital: the next two months might be 'the last chance of saving the west'. After Bevin made the same case to US secretary of state George Marshall, the president, Harry Truman, agreed to talks. That June, the Soviets blockaded West Berlin, triggering the cold war's first great crisis. As a huge operation got under way to feed two million people by airlift, the North Atlantic Treaty took shape. By spring 1949, Bevin was on BBC radio reassuring listeners that the agreement he was about to sign did not seek to interfere in the Soviet bloc. But it expressed a collective determination to resist 'the right of any power with aggressive intent… to bring us into bondage'. Britain was joined in founding Nato by nine western European states, Canada and, crucially, the US. That autumn, it emerged that Stalin had the Bomb. From there Nato expanded, first gradually, then suddenly. West Germany joined in 1955, triggering the creation of the Warsaw Pact. France left in 1966, not to re-join for decades. It was only later that Nato ballooned. US Marines take part in a Nato naval exercise in Denmark, 1952 An F-15E Strike Eagle takes off on a mission against targets in the Balkans, March 1999 US president Richard Nixon attends a Nato meeting in Belgium, February 24, 1969 Ethnic Albanians greet American Nato troops in Gjilan, Kosovo, June 1999 Photos : FPG/Hulton Archive; Bettmann; Jeffrey Allen ; Ami Vitale/Getty During the cold war, the alliance never fired a shot in anger, but it did in the decade that followed: to maintain a no-fly zone in the Bosnian war, then in its mission to stop Serbia's 'ethnic cleansing' of Kosovar Albanians. More recently, it has even played a role outside Europe. And ever since 1990, it has grown eastward. Russia complains that this broke western leaders' assurances. But the claim that this was imperialist American expansionism is as much of a reversal of the truth as calling Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. In the early 1990s, a wary Nato viewed the idea of new Eastern European members as destabilising. It was these states themselves that clamoured to be let in. Does anyone still wonder why? Ukraine had wanted to join for years, but had not yet succeeded when Russia invaded. In response, Finland and Sweden rushed to join. This exacerbated the very phenomenon to which Russia objects – the alliance's presence on its border – and made the Baltic a Nato lake to boot. Now, the largest member is turning away. This should not be a surprise; Donald Trump pronounced Nato obsolete in 2017, before walking the comment back. He has long objected, with reason, to the failure of many members to stump up the expected 2% of their GDP. Only 23 of 32 managed it last year, and that was the best ever. No wonder America tires of seeing its taxes go to protect a continent that often attacks it as imperialist. Soldiers from the Royal Welsh Battlegroup in manoeuvres on the Estonian-Latvian border in May 2022 Finnish soldiers take part in a Nato exercise in March 2024 A French soldier keeps watch in 2004 in Afghanistan Photos: Yoray Liberman; Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP; Jeff J Mitchell / Getty If the US withdraws its assistance, can Europe save Ukraine alone? Some estimates give it around six months, partly because of the loss of US intelligence and satellites. As the historian Timothy Garton Ash has pointed out, it would help if the air defence systems Europe has promised Ukraine actually arrived. Chatham House analyst Orysia Lutsevych notes that Kyiv produced 1.5m drones last year, and has dropped its recruiting age to 18. And there are steps Europeans could take swiftly, like sending Ukraine the $150bn it holds in frozen Russian assets. Defence expert Garvan Walshe suggests Norway could donate its profits from energy price spikes caused by the war. But the bigger question is whether Nato could face down a Russian invasion of one of its members without America (the treaty's Article 5 provides sufficient leeway that the US could stay at home). Russia is expanding its military for 'a potential conflict with Nato', according to Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service. Moscow reportedly has more troops than when it invaded Ukraine, is investing in drone production, and is looking to China for components to avoid sanctions. Some analysts suggest the alliance, which has more troops than Russia, would manage in a short war, but that in time it would sorely miss US capability, not least in sheer scale. Perhaps, as Lutsevych suggests, one solution would simply be to buy the equipment the US once contributed. Underneath all this, there runs the question of the American nuclear umbrella. For the moment, that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but already Merz is mooting the idea of exploring a German-French-British collaboration to replace it. Whether or not its current form survives, however, the principle driving Nato is not finished. Talk among western members about catching up with the Baltics and Poland and meeting their spending commitments is growing urgent. Since JD Vance's diatribe, Denmark has announced significant increases; the UK is getting there. The accession of Sweden and a heavily armed Finland brings much-needed additional strength. More money will take time to feed through – and is nothing without unity and resolve. But America's nationalistic retreat at least seems to be prompting a return to the collective determination to defend democracy that Bevin proclaimed back in 1949. Phil Tinline is the author of The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British Political Nightmares; his next book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax that Duped America and Its Sinister Legacy, is out in March
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kentucky lawmaker points to Biden pardons as reason to limit governor powers
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky lawmaker is hoping his quest to limit the pardon powers of governors in his state has received a jolt of momentum from public attention over the flurry of pardons and commuted sentences granted by former President Joe Biden before leaving office. 'Even though this obviously won't affect anything federally, it really brings to light what is the nature of the power,' Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel said Friday. His proposal would amend Kentucky's constitution to restrict the power of governors to issue pardons and commutations near the end of their terms. That authority would be suspended during the 60 days before a gubernatorial election and the time between the election and inauguration. The proposed constitutional change easily cleared the Kentucky Senate on Friday with bipartisan support. It now goes to the House, where similar measures died in recent years. Republicans have supermajorities in both legislative chambers. If it wins House passage, the proposal would be placed on the 2026 general election ballot for statewide voters to decide the matter. The measure is a response to what happened at the end of the last Republican governor's term in the Bluegrass State. During his final weeks in office, then-Gov. Matt Bevin issued more than 600 pardons and commutations — several of them stirring outrage from victims or their families, prosecutors and lawmakers. Bevin lost his 2019 reelection bid to Democrat Andy Beshear, who is now in his second term. Bevin's pardons dominated headlines for months in Kentucky. The Courier Journal in Louisville earned a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Bevin's actions. And fallout from the pardons continues. Last August, a man pardoned by Bevin was charged with attacking a woman with a knife, according to media reports. In another high-profile case, a man pardoned by Bevin for a drug-related homicide conviction in state court was later given a 42-year federal sentence for the same death. The man's family had political connections to Bevin, having hosted a fundraiser for the Republican. In a new twist, McDaniel is trying to stoke support for his measure by pointing to Biden's actions. Before leaving office, the Democratic president converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people convicted in the slayings of police and military officers. Supporters of Republican Donald Trump criticized the move. Biden also commuted several thousand sentences for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses and people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic. Biden pardoned his son Hunter, not just for his convictions on federal gun and tax violations but for any potential federal offense committed over an 11-year period, out of fear that Trump allies would seek to prosecute his son for other offenses. In a recent new release touting his bill, McDaniel berated Biden for a 'disgraceful abuse of executive power.' The release included links to news article about Biden's pardons for relatives and his action to commute the sentence of Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. It allowed Peltier to transition to home confinement nearly half a century after he was imprisoned for the killings of two FBI agents. 'Kentucky cannot address the abuse of presidential powers, but we can take meaningful steps to strengthen trust in our executive branch powers," McDaniel said. Unmentioned in the release was Trump's actions. Just before midnight on the final night of his first term, Trump signed a flurry of pardons and commutations. On his return to the White House this year, Trump pardoned his supporters who violently stormed the Capitol four years ago. During his remarks on the Senate floor Friday, McDaniel said the pardon powers in Kentucky allow a governor to 'override the judgment' of the entire judicial system. McDaniel said his measure would make governors more accountable by suspending that power before and after an election. 'There will be no more hiding in the darkness of the last minutes of an administration," McDaniel said. "There will be no more allowing the rich and powerful to influence the scales of justice without recourse from the citizens of the commonwealth.' Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press
