Latest news with #CommunityCouncil
Leader Live
20-05-2025
- General
- Leader Live
Bangor on Dee debris set to be cleared amid concerns
Bangor Bridge in Bangor on Dee is a historic, Grade One listed monument that the local community is keen to protect. Several residents including members of Bangor on Dee Community Council contacted Wrexham MP, Andrew Ranger to express concern about the build-up of debris in the river following the autumn and winter storms, which had settled and blocked part of the bridge. It was unclear who was responsible for the land under the bridge which was important for the MP and his team to establish. The blockages are affecting two of the four arches. The Debris at Bangor on Dee bridge. (Image: UGC) The MP's office convened a meeting last week involving Cadw, Wrexham County Borough Council, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and members of the Community Council to discuss what could be done. At the meeting NRW confirmed that the debris did not present a flood risk to the village and had modelling to share with residents to show this. It was estimated by Wrexham Borough Council that the weight of the debris was 600 tonnes, the equivalent of around 100 African elephants and was therefore putting pressure on the bridge which, though built in 1658, has medieval foundations. Cadw expressed concern that if left unaddressed, the debris has the potential to cause damage to the historic bridge. All parties agreed to work together to address the problem with removal of the debris to be undertaken by Wrexham Council. Mr Ranger said: 'Residents and community councillors were rightly concerned about the impact of the debris on the bridge and the river, as well as the impression it gives to the multitudes of tourists who come to admire the village's stunning scenery every year. MOST READ: "The meeting last week has hopefully answered their questions and brought a resolution to this particular issue. I know that the groups involved will continue to collaborate and communicate going forward which is another positive outcome.' Following extensive lobbying from Andrew Ranger MP, Bangor on Dee Community Council, local borough councillors, and Bangor on Dee residents, Cadw announced they would be providing a grant for the removal of the debris with the rest funded by Wrexham Council The work is expected to begin at the end of July.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- New York Post
Reckless e-bikers are a menace — here's how the NYPD is cracking down
Every New Yorker understands how frightening it is to jump out of the way as an e-bike drives on the sidewalk, or to pull their kids back as one barrels through a busy crosswalk. Over the past few years, e-bikes have become commonplace in communities across our city. These motorized vehicles are convenient, but they are also fast, heavy and can be extremely dangerous. What's more, the rapid proliferation of e-bikes has not been met with any meaningful governance of their safe use — until now. Operating any vehicle, including an e-bike, on a city street comes with certain responsibilities. Chief among them is following the very basic rules of the road — and when it comes to traffic safety, compliance is not optional. So to increase safety on our roadways, the New York Police Department is stepping up enforcement on 14 high-traffic, high-volume e-bike corridors throughout the city, including Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. Officers are focusing on peak morning and evening hours, and targeting serious e-bike traffic violations such as reckless driving, wrong-way riding, disobeying red-light signals, disobeying traffic control devices and failure to stop at stop signs. And to make our enforcement more effective, these especially dangerous violations are now issued as criminal court summonses, or 'c-summonses.' Previously, such infractions were eligible for traffic court summonses, or 'b-summonses' — but a loophole in the system rendered those tickets essentially worthless. When vehicle drivers fail to respond to a traffic summons, their licenses can be suspended. But e-bikes do not require any license, so their operators can simply ignore a traffic summons with virtually no meaningful repercussions. Now, we're closing that loophole by issuing c-summonses —the only real option available under the law to hold reckless e-bike operators accountable. As always, we are open to working with lawmakers on effective alternatives. In the meantime and under current law, public safety will remain our top priority. Some critics have suggested that this new e-bike safety enforcement policy represents an overly punitive dragnet. But this behavior is clearly unlawful, dangerous, and degrading of our collective quality of life in New York City. Last week the NYPD issued 11,245 moving summonses for cars compared to 654 for e-bikes, proving this new approach is both balanced and targeted. A c-summons will not appear on a driver's rap sheet, and judges still have the option to dismiss a case if the offender avoids any further violations during a six-month period. Others have expressed worry that pedal bicycles could be swept up in this enforcement action. While bicycles are subject to traffic laws, this crackdown is specifically focused on e-bikes — and directly responsive to resident concerns. New Yorkers have been raising these concerns in NYPD precincts, at Community Council meetings, at town halls and elsewhere. They have told us about their very real fears of serious injury or worse. And now, the NYPD is taking action. Since this initiative began, compared to the same period last year, e-bike enforcement is up by a factor of 100. As always, the NYPD does not inquire about a person's immigration status and does not cooperate with ICE on civil immigration matters. The only objective here is the elimination of hazardous e-bike operation and the restoration of safety and order on our streets and sidewalks. In my 17 years working in city government, I have never accepted the status quo when the status quo no longer serves New Yorkers. And previous e-bike enforcement was clearly not serving New Yorkers. We cannot tolerate these vehicles speeding through traffic, running red lights, ignoring stop signs, driving on the sidewalk and careening through crosswalks. This is common sense, it is our job, and it is exactly what New York City expects from its police department. Jessica Tisch is commissioner of the New York City Police Department.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wayfinder's Derby Day Benefits Foster Care and Adoption Programs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. , May 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Wayfinder Family Services hosted its annual fundraising event, Derby Day, at Mulvaney's B&L restaurant in Sacramento on Saturday, May 3rd. All proceeds from the event benefit Wayfinder's foster care and adoption programs in Northern California. Over 150 guests enjoyed a live auction, hat contest, Southern-inspired food and live feed of the Kentucky Derby race. Wayfinder's Community Council, a group of local volunteers who raise awareness and funds for Wayfinder's mission, hosted the event. Jay Allen, Wayfinder's president and CEO said, "while Wayfinder's main campus is in Los Angeles, we have equally deep roots in this area. I want to thank Wayfinder's board, Community Council, today's sponsors and donors, as well as Wayfinder's phenomenal staff. They are the definition of 'above and beyond' and are who makes Wayfinder the best in class at what we do." Annie Hallsten Narayan, member of Wayfinder's Community Council, emceed the event and kicked it off with John Nicolaus, co-chair of Wayfinder's Community Council and a member of its board of directors. Jade Pillsbury, Wayfinder Community Council member and adoptive mother, gave the audience a firsthand account of Wayfinder's services. "The work that they do here—the trainings, the courses, the support groups, the support offered, the mentorship, the friendship that comes from this—is beyond my expectation, and I am very grateful." Since 1980, nearly 18,000 children have found stability and permanency in loving homes through Wayfinder's adoption programs and last year it served over 10,000 foster, adoptive and kinship families. The organization serves a total of over 22,000 individuals statewide each year through child welfare and disabilities programs. About Wayfinder Family Services Wayfinder Family Services provides expert, individualized support and services to children, youth, adults and families—from people with vision loss and developmental disabilities to children in need of temporary shelter, foster care and adoption. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Wayfinder Family Services
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Following deadly crashes, county to expand Hiawassee safety improvement effort
A string of deadly crashes along North Hiawassee Road is leading Orange County leaders to expand the area they're studying for safety improvements and a potential road redesign. County staff have been studying the stretch of road between Colonial Drive and Silver Star Road since 2023, which came in the wake of the region's 'Vision Zero' push to reduce traffic fatalities. However, Commissioner Mike Scott said county staff would start to look north of Silver Star after two major crashes this past week, including one Monday night where a woman died after hitting a tree at the intersection of Hiawassee and Nestor Street. Last month, three people died in a crash one intersection to Nestor Street's north, at Hiawassee Meadows Drive. The Vision Zero data collection effort tallied more than 50 major crashes in the area between 2018 and 2022, including seven fatal incidents. 'I was standing on the side of the street, and the car came so fast past me you thought it was the Daytona 500, and that just can't be a thing,' Scott said after visiting the Nestor crash site. The push was primarily spearheaded by Pine Hills Community Council President Dr. Latanya Nichols. 'Many phone calls from residents that are concerned about what are we doing,' Nichols said. 'We need something now… If they're speeding, they need to be fined, not just given a warning.' County staff confirmed work would be done in two parts: a cheaper, fill-in-the-gap interim effort to reduce crashes, followed by a series of permanent improvements once the studies are complete. They said the sheriff's office has been involved in the discussions. Several community members said they hoped the road redesign would include more consideration for the large number of people who don't own cars. 'There's no walkways, and then when they cross over, there's no sidewalks,' Deirdre Graybill, a fellow member of the Community Council, pointed out at the edge of a shopping plaza. 'So you cross over from the street to get to the other side of the street, to walk in the street to get to shopping.' Freshly placed speed monitoring trailers could be seen along the side of Hiawassee Road Wednesday. County staff said they hoped to have more details about some of the interim improvements in the near future. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
BBC News
06-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Christmas trees used to shore up Lossiemouth beach dunes
Hundreds of Christmas trees are being used to shore up sand dunes at Lossiemouth in a bid to keep coastal erosion at Community Council is behind the project at the Moray town's East have been assisted by personnel from RAF Lossiemouth and volunteers from the local already being collected and carried to the beach, a trench will now be dug and the trees put in place. The plan is that grass will later be sewn, and that sand will catch, forming new eco-systems. At the end of last year, the community council made a plea asking for people to donate their discarded Christmas trees for the coastal erosion trees have been collected over the past few weeks. Carolle Ralph, who is the chairwoman of Lossiemouth Community Council, told BBC Scotland News a micro digger will be used for the trench and trees, after matts are used to get it across a beach bridge."The last thing we want to do is damage the bridge," she said, after it opened in the East Beach erosion project, she said: "It's the first time we have done this so we didn't really have a full concept of what was needed." She explained: "We first spoke about it at the end of Covid times. Coastal erosion is a problem."Building the dunes back up to restore them is something of little cost and it is also recycling trees."The aim is for children to get involved in the next stage of volunteering when marram grass will be sewn in a bid to knit the trees together."The hope is the trees and grass will catch the sand and new eco-systems can develop," she said."The trees will be at a 45-degree angle, facing the sea and wind. We will pack the trees down thoroughly."We may lose some but we will take evidence over the next few months."We have tried to involve as many people as possible."She described the RAF Lossiemouth help as a "welcome sight" both in terms of planning as well as pure physicality when they were moving the trees into place. RAF Lossiemouth said it was "proud" to have been helping, on a voluntary said the project was "aiding in conservation activities to benefit future generations"."The 'Team Lossie' ethos we have here on station often emphasises the importance of our personnel spending their time wisely and contributing back to the local community that give us so much support daily," a statement Council added: "While Christmas is long behind us now, it's heartening to see the festive spirit and a local commitment to recycling make a real impact in efforts to protect dunes at Lossiemouth East Beach from the ongoing threat of coastal erosion."
