Latest news with #BrianWalker
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How many Kansans will a semi of mac & cheese feed? Breaking down gift to food bank
How many people will 38,000 pounds of mac and cheese feed? Hungry Kansans are about to find out. The Kansas Food Bank in Wichita, which supplies 18 million pounds of food a year to agencies that help with hunger in 85 counties statewide, got a donation Thursday from Land O'Lakes for roughly 38,000 pounds of macaroni and cheese. It will start sending the food out Monday and Tuesday to food pantries and other organizations that support hunger. Kansas Food Bank President and CEO Brian Walker said the timing is perfect: School is out and more children are missing meals. There are food programs through schools, but not everyone will be able to make it to the school to get the food. 'It's really great because macaroni and cheese has made a comeback,' Walker said. 'If we go out to eat, I don't think there's a restaurant that doesn't have macaroni and cheese.' Land O'Lakes has made large donations in the past, he said, but an entire semi-trailer full of one item is always a significant donation. The pre-cooked mac and cheese can be boiled in the bag or popped in the microwave. Here is a breakdown of how much mac and cheese that is: 24 pallets full About 52 cases on each pallet (total of 1,260 cases) Each case has six 5-pound bags of macaroni and cheese Total weight: 37,800 pounds of macaroni and cheese That would be 81,067 servings of one cup (about 7.5 ounces each) The macaroni and cheese was provided through Land O'Lakes First Run. In a December 2024 post, the company said it donated 297,675 pounds of Land O'Lakes macaroni and cheese the past year and 7.3 million pounds of food since starting the program 14 years before. 'As a farmer-owned cooperative, Land O'Lakes, Inc is deeply committed to hunger relief. This effort begins locally in the communities that our members and employees call home, many of them rural.' Land O'Lakes Senior Vice President and General Counsel Sheilah Stewart said in the 2024 statement. 'We are honored to help our Feeding America food bank partners get fresh, nutritious food directly to the families who need it most.' About 14% of Kansans fall under the threshold as being food insecure, according to Feeding America. The Kansas Food Bank said it is 20% for children.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas Food Bank gets massive mac and cheese donation
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Nothing says comfort food like mac and cheese, and thanks to a massive 40,000-pound donation from Land O'Lakes, the Kansas Food Bank is about to get a whole lot cheesier. With school out and pantry shelves running low, the timing couldn't be better. Brian Walker, President & CEO of the Kansas Food Bank, said, 'It could not have come at a better time. More households than ever are turning to us for support.' Walker said the mac and cheese, which will be distributed to pantries across the region, is an easy win for busy families—simple to heat, familiar to kids, and ready to serve in a pinch. 'You just zap it in the microwave and it's ready to go,' Walker said. 'Let's face it, everybody loves mac and cheese.' Walker said the donation will help fill empty shelves and serve as a quick, comforting meal option for struggling families. 'You know this time of year, donations like this are very important,' Walker said. 'Lots of folks think about hunger during the holiday season… but it's May, school's out, and we do see an increase in demand. This just helps us get started and hopefully get through the summer months.' Wichita nonprofit helps inspire Hispanic students to dream big Walker noted that the need for assistance has surged across age groups. The Food for Kids program reached a record of 6,500 weekly bags, while some areas are now seeing up to 25% of food bank users over the age of 60. 'With inflation, our purchasing dollars don't go as far,' Walker said. 'Anytime we receive a donation like this from corporate citizens like Land O'Lakes, it just helps—not only the food bank, but definitely helps the people who see that on their table.' Despite the scale of the donation, Walker said the warehouse turns over roughly every 28 days, so the need for food remains constant, and the mac and cheese will go fast. 'That's a semi-trailer full of mac and cheese,' Walker said. 'It will go a long way, but it will go out pretty quickly.' For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA's new parliament crossbench considers power as Labor's total control comes to end
As WA's new legislative councillors take their seats today, there will no doubt be a few nerves in the chamber. The March election might not have delivered a change of government, but it has resulted in a significantly reshaped upper house. Labor has lost its 'total control' of state parliament, meaning it will once more have to negotiate with friends and foes to get its legislation passed. More than half of members were not there before the election — with both Nationals MPs swapped out, three new Greens members and the return of a crossbench of five members. For the only returning crossbencher, Legalise Cannabis MP Brian Walker, the change could not have come soon enough. "People said it was a democracy, but it was actually an autocratic dictatorship. There was no real debate," he said of the last four years. "The people who write these laws are actually very skilled but they don't cover everything, and so when you do examine it in detail, as we should, you find little things coming up which make a big difference." The example often pointed to by critics was the government's failed attempt to re-write Aboriginal cultural heritage laws, which was wound back in the weeks after Roger Cook became premier. From today, the government will have three options to get support for its legislation: the Greens, the opposition or the five crossbench MPs. Traditionally, the Greens would most closely be aligned with Labor's priorities — with leader Brad Pettitt declaring his group of four would be focused on housing, cost of living and climate action. It's that final point where the duo's alignment might come under pressure, especially with journalist-turned-politician Sophie McNeill leading the party's climate charge. McNeill was escorted out of oil and gas giant Woodside's AGM earlier this month after protesting the company's climate action. The incoming leader of the opposition in the upper house, Nick Goiran, said he would continue being open to working with the government to pass legislation where there was common ground. "But it's in those minority occasions where you want to have some improvement and some enhancements. Let's be honest, no government produces flawless pieces of art to the parliament that cannot be critiqued," he said. "Of course they can be critiqued. That's the job of the opposition and we intend to do it." If Labor does not want to take either of those options, the crossbench is its final resort. Brian Walker would at least be a familiar face and while his party's name highlights a major focus, it is not his only one. "My particular issue is wellness — physical, mental, social and financial wellness," he said. But he is hoping to make headway on his push for people to be allowed to drive with medicinal cannabis in their system. "People who are not impaired are declared to be impaired unfairly and [left facing] a lot of consequences," Dr Walker said. Joining Dr Walker will be two One Nation MPs — leader Rod Caddies and Philip Scott. Mr Caddies, whose work experience spans construction, child protection and Army Reserves, has been elected on his third attempt. "When I look at homelessness and the rental crisis, things like that, I think that for me is a major thing I want to look at," he said. Immigration would be on the agenda in the context of its impact on resources and infrastructure, Mr Caddies said, but he promised his first priority was the "the people of this country". "It won't be about what our party wants, it'll be about what the people need," he said. Maryka Groenewald is the Australian Christians' first MP to be elected since the party was created in 2011. The operation of WA's Equal Opportunity Act, including the ability of schools to "employ staff that share their values" and how to stop "gender centres" from prescribing "life-altering medication for minors" were top of her priorities. The UK's Cass Review last year recommended significantly limiting the prescription of puberty blockers for people aged under 18 while the Queensland government has paused new transgender patients under the age of 18 from accessing the state's public health system while a review is completed. "We can't just put our heads in the sand and go 'this is an issue that's not going to affect children and young people', because it is," Ms Groenewald said "We can't be prescribing life-altering surgeries and medication to kids who just don't have the emotional or psychological capacity to understand what they're doing." The former community development worker said she was already thinking about trying to establish a parliamentary inquiry into the issue. It is in that space where the non-government parties could wield the greatest influence in the upper house. If the Liberals, Nationals, Greens and crossbenchers voted together, they would have the numbers to establish parliamentary inquiries or refer legislation to a committee for review. Animal Justice Party MP Amanda Dorn rounds out the crossbench but did not respond to the ABC's enquiries. A former City of Swan councillor and real estate agent, her profile on the party's website describes her as being "deeply committed to protecting the natural environment and fostering a more compassionate society". The page lists her previous campaigning on issues including factory farming, climate change and wildlife conservation.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New psychiatric facility near CSN campus in Las Vegas priced at $420 million
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new psychiatric facility for criminal offenders with mental disorders is planned on land directly east of the College of Southern Nevada's West Charleston campus. The Southern Nevada Forensic Facility, expected to open in 2029, carries a combined budget of about $420 million for construction and land acquisition near the southwest corner of Charleston and Jones Boulevard. The four-story facility would house 300 offenders — almost double the number currently at Muri Stein Hospital, which is adjacent to where the new building would go up. Lawmakers listened Tuesday in Carson City as officials from the Nevada Public Works Division detailed the budgets for two projects connected to the new building. Both will be paid for entirely from state funds. 'Obviously, this is a significant investment for the state of Nevada,' Brian Walker, deputy administrator for professional services of the state Public Works Division, said. A $38 million project would pay for the land, as well as design and construction to replace three buildings on the site that will be demolished to make way for new facilities. A solar array along the west side of Jones Boulevard will also be removed. A $382 million project would fund the construction of the new building, with three wings for patients and a fourth for administration. It will be the state's first 'purpose-built' psychiatric facility for offenders, Walker said. Muri Stein Hospital and Lakes Crossing in Sparks were both converted to serve as psychiatric facilities. Currently, Stein has 153 people and Lakes Crossing has 86. A budget for furnishings and fixtures is expected to be submitted in 2027, adding an estimated $28 million to the project. The 300 beds will be divided into four categories: 30 intake and assessment beds 60 long-term beds 30 high-risk beds 180 competency restoration beds 'This building has also been planned with the ability to add a fourth patient wing in the future,' Walker said. That new wing would bring an additional 90 beds, he said. Democrats Assem. Shea Backus and Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager asked about capacity and whether the fourth wing would be needed immediately. Public Works officials responded that there would be a 'methodical' transition and the new building will probably meet the needs initially. It is designed to serve all of Clark County and surrounding rural counties. Stein is currently at 99% capacity, officials told lawmakers. 'It seems like we are always in the situation of not having enough beds,' Yeager said. Muri Stein Hospital will eventually be demolished and turned over for Campus for Hope, a project that will address homelessness. That project was approved in January by the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED). Another budget presented Tuesday would pay $5.5 million for a new building at Summit View Youth Center, located on Range Road just south of the I-15/215 Beltway interchange in northeast Las Vegas. 'The intake building will include a classroom, offices, restrooms and intake room, and this will enable the facility to establish a juvenile justice youth intake and assessment unit at Summit View,' Marla McDade Williams of the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) said. That facility takes in youth offenders and assigns them to one of the state's sites to serve their sentence. 'They are youth who have been committed to us for detention in one of our facilities. So, yes, every youth in the state in that situation is either going to Elko, Caliente or Las Vegas,' McDade Williams said. Currently, there is no housing dedicated for intake, so incoming youth get mixed in with youth assigned to the Las Vegas facility. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Yahoo
North Kingstown police searching for missing man
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — North Kingstown police are asking for the public's help in finding a missing man. Brian Walker was last seen at his home on Potter Road around 6 a.m. Monday. Police say he may be driving his car, which is a 2019 Gray Ford Ranger with Rhode Island commercial license plate 321. He is known to visit North Kingstown and Coventry often, according to police. Walker is described as a white man who is six feet tall, weighs around 230 pounds, and has brown, hazel eyes. He also has multiple tattoos, including a Jesus tattoo on his right forearm. Anyone with information on Walker's whereabouts is asked to contact the North Kingstown Police at (401) 294-3311. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
