Latest news with #CNU
AsiaOne
4 days ago
- AsiaOne
12-year-old girl locks herself in room, police negotiators called in, Singapore News
A 12-year-old girl has been arrested by the police after she locked herself in a room of her Yishun HDB flat. The police received a call for assistance at Block 348A Yishun Avenue 11 on Sunday (June 1) at around 3pm. In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police said that the girl had locked herself in a room of a residential unit. After assessing that the girl might pose a danger to herself, the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were activated. Speaking to AsiaOne, SCDF said that a safety life air pack was deployed as a precautionary measure. The police managed to gain entry to the room at around 4.55pm, after which the girl was apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008. Under Section 7(1), it is the duty of police officers to apprehend any individual who they believe are a danger to themselves or to others on the basis of suspected mental disorder. No injuries were reported, according to the police. The CNU is a specialised unit of the Singapore Police Force that handles critical events such as hostage incidents, civil disobedience, kidnapping and attempted suicides. It is an auxiliary unit managed by the Special Operations Command and comprises police officers and psychologists who are secondary appointment holders in the SPF performing duties as negotiators, in addition to their primary duties. Last December, the unit was deployed to a HDB unit in Hougang when a middle-aged man reportedly locked himself inside his unit. The police were engaged in a four-hour standoff and only managed to leave at midnight after eventually ensuring the safety of residents in the unit. Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800 Institute of Mental Health's Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928 [[nid:718537]]
American Press
27-04-2025
- American Press
A move to make Lake Charles more ‘walkable'
The standard for urban design is shifting, and the expert wisdom of internationally recognized city planner and architectural designer Jeff Speck will be passed down to Lake Charles next week. Speck is known for advocating for walkable cities. As the author of the books 'Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time' and 'Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places,' he is known for inspiring cities to take actionable steps to improve urban walkability. At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, in the Lake Charles Event Center Contraband Room, he will give a lecture on walkability in Lake Charles at a community session presented by Just Imagine SWLA and the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana. Community Foundation of SWLA Board Chair Jim Rock attended the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) in Cincinnati last year, where he attended an hour-long Speck lecture. He was fascinated by Speck's philosophy on urban development and walkability.' 'And you might think an hour-long talk about walking is boring as all get out. But this guy, his presentation style, he was entertaining, he was educational, he was inspirational,' Rock said. In a serendipitous chain of events, he was able to meet Speck at CNU. After a year of email communication, the two were able to organize Speck's two-day visit. On Wednesday, he is going to spend three or four hours with Rock and others from the Community Foundation walking around downtown. He will make recommendations about walkability and connectivity, especially with the lakefront and Drew, Lock and Millennium parks, at the session on Wednesday. Claire Pumpelly read one of Speck's books in her book club, and she's eager to hear him speak. In her early adulthood, she took a 'short' trip to Paris that ended up lasting seven years. Moving back to Lake Charles to help run her father's business was an adjustment, she said. In Paris, she had access to the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. But what she misses the most is the ability to walk down the street and run mundane errands on foot. While she lives in 'one of the most walkable areas' of the city, Margaret Place Historic District, she is only able to reach a few restaurants on foot and is otherwise car-dependent. She believes Lake Charles deserves more. 'I really miss that way of life. You could work all day and then after just walk out with your headphones on and stroll and not feel unsafe. 'We're never going to be able to scale in the way these other big cities, like New York, Chicago. I just think there are small changes and implementations that we could make here to just bump up our walkable score,' she added. These changes could be as simple as repainting the streets, adjusting speed limits or adding shade along sidewalks. Rock said Speck's walkable city designs are supported by four pillars – purpose, safety, comfort and interest – that will be discussed during the lecture. A focus on these pillars could be the 'icing on the cake' for Lake Charles, a city that has made 'positive strides' during nearly five years of disaster recovery, he said. About 100 people have already RSVP'd for the community session. He called this a call to action for local community leaders, business owners and municipalities to improve walkability in SW La. The Community Foundation hopes to be able to replicate the plan Speck provides Lake Charles in other communities in the region, like Westlake and Sulphur, Rock said. The lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. Speck will be available to sign books at 7 p.m.
Korea Herald
20-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
88-year-old who overcame lifetime of hardship donates building to university
Yun Geun, 88, an inn owner in Busan, has donated her building worth 4 billion won ($2.73 million) to Chungnam National University in her hometown area of South Chungcheong Province. The self-made businesswoman, who never had the privilege of even attending elementary school, expressed her wishes that her donation would allow financially-challenged students to pursue their dreams. She owns a six-story building in Yeongdo-gu, Busan, which was erected in 1995, where she has runs the Dongnam Inn. "I earned my life's savings by overcoming hardships, never even stepping foot in an elementary school. I hope students with economic hardships can to focus on their studies, so they can become great leaders of the world," Yun said. Yun said she was inspired by the late Lee Bok-sun, also known as the "gimbap lady," who donated 5 billion won in real estate and money to the university in 1990. Her nickname came from her work selling gimbap and running an inn. She passed away in 1991 at the age of 79. The university said it is considering using Yun's building as educational facilities or a camp center for students. Born into a farming family in Cheongyang-gun, South Chungcheong Province, Yun and her two sisters lost their mother when she was three, and then their father when she was 13. Her family's poverty prevented her from getting an education. She married a miner when she was 17, and has worked as merchant since age 19. Her husband had two sons with another woman, despite the fact that it was Yun that provided the main source of income for the family. Yun relocated to Busan in the 1970s in search of opportunities, earning enough money to buy a two-story house that she turned into an inn. She ran a successful business that led to the inn expanding over the following decades, eventually into the six-story building that it is currently located in. CNU President Kim Jung-gyeom praised Yun, saying her life represents the history of the Korean people, spanning from the era of Japan's 1910-1945 colonization throughout the era of economic growth and to the current day. He vowed that the university will respect her wishes and do its best for the education of its students.
