Latest news with #BudgetInn
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
MPD investigating overnight shooting in motel parking lot
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Police are looking for two men they said were involved in an overnight shootout in the parking lot of an Airport area motel. At 12:20 a.m., officers responded to the Budget Inn located at 2745 Airways Blvd. When they arrived, security told them that there was a shooting in the property's parking lot. Officers checked surveillance video footage and discovered that a shootout took place between two people. In the video footage, a man in a black hoodie (Suspect #1) was seen arguing with a man in a red hoodie (Suspect #2). Man killed in Frayser shooting Suspect #1 then pointed a gun and fired at Suspect #2, who returned fire and hid behind a white Nissan Pathfinder that was parked nearby. Police said both suspects left the scene. Suspect #1 ran away on foot, heading southbound in the parking lot. Suspect #2 headed westbound in the parking. Security told officers that Suspect #1 returned to a room at the motel. They tried to detain him, but he fled on foot and scaled a fence on the west side of the complex. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trading Mere Survival for a Chance at Stability
Da'Monya Cavitt tiptoes down the stairs of the house in Vallejo, Calif., that he shares with his father and two other refinery workers. He moves quietly — everyone else works night shifts, and he's careful not to wake them. The curtains stay drawn. The rooms stay dark. The creaky floors demand attention. There's no Wi-Fi, but there's space, a roof overhead, and — most important — possibilities. At 29, Mr. Cavitt is ready to trade survival for stability. After years of housing insecurity, a carousel of low-wage jobs, and a childhood marked by upheaval, he's been accepted into a competitive apprenticeship program with the Steamfitters Local 342 in Concord, Calif. It's a path to solid union wages, benefits, and a career he hopes will allow him to someday own a home — maybe even flip houses like his mother used to. 'You get to a point where you realize you don't just want to work — you need a career,' he said. 'I want to build something for myself.' For now, he lives in a small upstairs bedroom, just large enough for a bed and a dresser; a PlayStation 5 controller and iPad rest neatly on his quilted bedspread. There's a portable AC in one corner, a ceiling fan above, and a narrow path between furniture. 'It's pretty spartan,' Mr. Cavitt said of the furnished rental. But compared with the cramped motel room he and his father, Anthony Levi, 56, shared for nearly a year, this place is a breath of fresh air. Until recently, the two lived at a Budget Inn in Vallejo. They stayed for 10 months, packed into a kitchenette with two beds. Mr. Cavitt kept things quiet and dark there, too, while Mr. Levi slept off refinery shifts. At the new place, the silence is sometimes broken by the sound of barking — 'two huge beasts across the street and one next door,' Mr. Cavitt said of the neighbors' dogs, who launch into a frenzy whenever a delivery truck dares enter the cul-de-sac. 'Haven't figured out how to keep them quiet yet,' he adds good-naturedly. Mr. Cavitt's journey to this moment has been long and unpredictable. Born in Watts, he spent his early childhood bouncing around Southern California. His mother, Nicole Cavitt, 48, bought and flipped houses, often living in them until they were sold. But when the dot-com bubble burst and the 9/11 attacks sent markets into a tailspin, her real estate business collapsed. They landed back in Watts, in an environment she had tried to shield him from. 'That's not where she wanted to raise me,' Mr. Cavitt said. 'There were gangs, there was violence, there were drugs. There were a lot of ways for an innocent person to get hurt for no reason.' When Ms. Cavitt moved to Georgia, Mr. Cavitt — then 14 — declined to follow. He stayed behind in L.A., moving in with a friend's family. Later, he joined his mother in Georgia for about a year, but came back again, once more living with the same friend. He got a job at a natural foods store and supported himself through high school. 'The healthiest I've ever been!' he said, laughing. Da'Monya Cavitt, 29 Job: Customer service at a cannabis dispensary On his residential dreams: 'In five years, I hope to be a homeowner — paid well enough to own multiple properties and flip houses like my mom used to.' On starting classes: 'Longevity and stability were — and still are — the end goal. So I'm sticking to my script because I know I have something going now.' That living arrangement lasted until a fire tore through the friend's house. 'After that, we stayed with about five or six people in someone's living room,' he recalls. 'If you counted the dogs, there were about nine of us sleeping on a couch and a chair. I had no idea where any of my stuff was.' Ms. Cavitt eventually moved to Arizona and then to Seattle, in 2016. She persuaded Mr. Cavitt to go with her. By then, he'd started making music under the name 'King Cavitt' and dreaming about starting a fashion line called Renaissance. In Seattle, he worked as a groundskeeper and moved into an apartment — a one-bedroom for $1,200 a month. 'It was my first apartment,' he said. 'But sometimes, when things come easy, you take them for granted. I was late with rent. I had to get real with myself.' He lost the apartment in 2022 and moved back in with his mother. That's when his father stepped in, encouraging him to return to California and look into union work. With dispensary experience from Seattle, Mr. Cavitt found a customer service job at a shop in Fairfield, about 20 miles from Vallejo. He has a driver's license but not a car, so he commutes by Uber or Lyft — 'up to $35 a ride,' he said. 'I know customer service and I know weed,' he adds. 'But this is just to tide me over until I get that apprenticeship. Right now, I'm working on my credit, building savings. I really want to create an even foundation.' That foundation starts with the Steamfitters program. Mr. Levi introduced him to the opportunity and encouraged him to apply. Mr. Cavitt got in. He's set to start classes in July. The five-year program isn't easy to crack. According to a Local 342 spokesperson, only about 100 of the 1,000 annual applicants are accepted. But those who make the cut have a good shot at being placed directly into jobs, with starting wages around $30 an hour, plus benefits. For Mr. Cavitt, that paycheck would be life-changing. In Vallejo, he pays $1,500 in rent — a leap from the motel, but still a stretch. 'It's not ideal,' he said. 'But it's progress.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
DSM man receives 30-year prison sentence for shooting at deputies
DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Monday for shooting at Polk County deputies in 2023. On the morning of September 30 2023, Scott Eugene Smith led law enforcement on a car chase across the northeast side of Des Moines, the Department of Justice said. The car chase ended when Smith jumped out of his vehicle, a Honda Civic, in the 5200 block of NE 14th Street and fired a handgun at a deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Smith fled from the scene and barricaded himself in a room at the Budget Inn, causing an hours-long standoff with law enforcement before being taken into custody. No injuries occurred during the incident. Des Moines police seek help in fatal hit-and-run crash At the time, Smith was wanted on an arrest warrant and faced charges of attempted murder, felon in possession of a firearm, drug charges, and more. On Monday, Smith was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the charges of possessing firearms as a felon, possessing a distribution quantity of methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. After Smith finishes his prison sentence he will be required to serve five years of supervised release. Metro News: Fire engulfs, destroys Indianola home overnight DSM man receives 30-year prison sentence for shooting at deputies Des Moines police seek help in fatal hit-and-run crash Ankeny officials to share ideas for city revitalization Postal workers rally in Ames, other rallies occur across the state Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Town of Unicoi concerned about former Budget Inn building transformation
UNICOI, Tenn. (WJHL) – In December of 2024, the former Budget Inn building was purchased to create temporary housing for survivors of Hurricane Helene. However, town leadership said they have concerns about the project. Since its purchase, Mayor Kevin McInturff has worked alongside Melanie Klump, CEO and director of Buffalo Disaster Relief, which purchased the property. According to McInturff, things had been squared away early into their discussions. 'We had a long conversation,' McInturff said. 'Had a good meeting, and everybody left with a good mindset on it.' But McInturff said the building's condition isn't where they hoped it would be. '[Klump] had her artwork of what it was going to look like when it was finished,' he said. 'But the people that live [on that road], they look at it every day. It needs to be resolved in some manner.' According to McInturff, the steps needed to move forward haven't been taken yet. 'Like the building inspector said, as long as the proper steps are taken, you can move on with it,' McInturff said. 'But we haven't seen it yet.' Community Heroes: Buffalo Disaster Relief flipping former motel to house flood victims McInturff stressed that he fully supports the end goal for the building but just wants to see it restored soon. 'We all remember what a beautiful place it used to be out there,' McInturff said. 'And we need to move on with it.' News Channel 11 reached out to Klump for a comment. That statement can be found below: 'At this time, we are unable to provide a comment. We have been actively working through the appropriate governmental channels and pursuing legal avenues to expedite the process. Any concerns from the mayor's office should be directed to his staff, as we have adhered to the guidelines set forth by local authorities. Any delays have been the result of local government procedures, rather than any actions on our part. Our primary goal remains securing the necessary support to transition the victims of Helene from temporary shelters into sustainable housing—a matter that should be a top priority for the mayor and local leadership.' Melanie Klump, CEO and director of Buffalo Disaster Relief Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Community Heroes: Buffalo Disaster Relief flipping former motel to house flood victims
UNICOI, Tenn. (WJHL) — A couple is giving a run-down former motel new life while helping those who lost their homes in the flood. They are from middle Tennessee but moved here after Hurricane Helene. Melanie Klump and her husband bought the motel and are turning it into a space where displaced people from the hurricane can live while they figure out their next step. They plan to use the facility to help flood victims–and others in the future. It was once a motel with a high crime rate. Now, the former Budget Inn is getting a facelift thanks to the Klumps and the folks with Buffalo Disaster Relief. 'So [the] main goal right now is getting the displaced, whether or not they come from North Carolina from Virginia, from South Carolina, from Tennessee,' Klump said. 'However, we need to get these people stability'. The Klumps have gutted each room, and are ready to implement the next step in the process. 'We have volunteers that are on standby. We have contractors that are on standby. We have been making sure that we are following everything to a tee to make sure that we go through the fire marshal and get their approval first we get our proper building permits.' The group needs donations, skilled workers and volunteers for demolition and utility installation. 'We need them to understand that this is going to open up 69 doors for people. So it's not about us or Buffalo Disaster or anything, it's about the displaced, it's about the people that are living in campers or living in tents that don't have a home to go to.' Klump says her long-term plans for the building will shift to another population in need after flood recovery has dwindled: Veterans. 'The long-term goal is to get these guys, educate them get them stable, get them into permanent housing,' she said. 'And then from there, we are we've been reaching out to the Veterans Association to see what we can do. Long-term goal, there's always going to be a crisis in the need. But the first and foremost is the hurricane.' It's a commitment to an area hard-hit by the hurricane that will have a lasting impact. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
