Latest news with #Cottrell
Dominion Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Dominion Post
WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities facing elimination
MORGANTOWN — After nearly five decades providing and promoting better services to West Virginians with disabilities, the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities has about 60 days remaining without a budgetary Hail Mary. It's not alone. All University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) are set to be eliminated Oct. 1 without changes to the upcoming federal budget. The Association of University Centers on Disabilities notes there are currently 68 UCEDDs, including at least one in every state and territory. The centers work with people with disabilities, members of their families, state and local government agencies and community providers on projects that provide training, technical assistance, services, research and information sharing. 'UCEDDs have played key roles in every major disability initiative over the past four decades,' the AUCD notes. According to the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget in Brief available at University Centers for Excellence in Development Disabilities have historically fallen under the Administration for Community Living, which is being consolidated with the Administration for Children and Families to create the Administration for Children, Families and Communities. With the consolidation comes a reprioritization of funds. 'Savings come from eliminating radical diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory programs, which weaponized large swaths of the federal government against the American people and moving programs that are better suited for states and localities to provide.' In addition to University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, funding will also be eliminated for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Community Services Block Grant programs, transitional medical services for refugees, refugee social services, chronic disease self-management education, limb loss resources, paralysis resource center, voting access for people with disabilities and the White House Conference on Aging. A press release issued by the WVU CED says the centers are being incorrectly lumped in with DEI programs. 'The WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities has been the foundation for developing, testing and sustaining evidence-based trainings and services that help West Virginians with disabilities achieve independence and a better quality of life – building a support system that the community and state depend on,' WVU CED Director Lesley Cottrell said. 'Over the years, programs like Life Quilters and the intensive Autism Services Delivery clinic for children have originated and grown through the efforts of CED team members, trainees and experts.' Last year, the WVU CED provided services to more than 435,000 people through its numerous programs and clinics. These services are critically important, Cottrell continued, considering one in three West Virginians (37%) live with a disability according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Census Bureau statistics also show West Virginia has the highest disability rate in the country at 19.4%. In addition to the services, loss of funding would eliminate 96 jobs and likely eliminate more than $11 million in additional funding leveraged through the federal allocation. 'Many West Virginians have been trained in some form by the services at the CED if they work with individuals with disabilities. Many of these individuals have gone on to develop and expand services within West Virginia and across the nation,' Cottrell said. 'With secured funding, the center will continue to train our future, advance our knowledge of key disabilities through innovative research and work hard to make sure that these services are available to every community in the state.' For those interested in getting involved, WVU CED is asking individuals, professionals and students to share a positive experience at Similarly, the AUCD is collecting feedback at
South Wales Argus
12-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Question over George Cottrell and Nigel Farage campaign
Known as 'Posh George,' George Cottrell was a volunteer for Farage in 2016 before his arrest in the US on money-laundering charges and ultimate guilty plea to one count of wire fraud in a case unrelated to his work at Ukip, Farage's party at the time. The crime was committed in 2014, before Cottrell worked for either the anti-EU party or Farage. Cottrell served eight months after a plea agreement that reduced his possible prison sentence from a maximum of 20 years, according to court documents at the time. He has been seen at Farage's side on the campaign trail over the last week, including the day the Reform UK leader was hit by a milkshake thrown by a member of the public. Many thanks, Andrew Nutt, Bargoed
North Wales Chronicle
11-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Authority over death belongs to God alone, Church of England leader warns
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell praised a colleague and member of the House of Lords for her 'principled and persistent opposition' to proposed legislation being considered at Westminster. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill cleared the House of Commons last month in a historic vote, bringing assisted dying closer to becoming law in England and Wales. It has now moved to the House of Lords where it will undergo further debate and scrutiny. In the immediate aftermath of the June vote, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, who sits in the House of Lords, said peers 'must oppose' the Bill when it reaches them due to the 'mounting evidence that it is unworkable and unsafe'. She is among those opposed who have called for more work to improve funding and access to 'desperately needed' palliative care services instead. Addressing the Church of England General Synod – also known as the Church's parliament – on Friday, Mr Cottrell voiced his staunch opposition to the Bill. He said there was a 'compelling narrative of what it means to be human – and in all our glorious diversity, made in the image of God, and living Jesus-shaped lives – that will enable us to withstand, and even turn back, those utilitarian tides of opinion that risk making, for instance, assisted dying a reality in our national life, changing forever the contract between doctor and patient, pressurising the vulnerable, and assuming an authority over death that belongs to God alone'. Mr Cottrell – who is the temporary leading religious voice of the Church while the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury is awaited – thanked Dame Sarah and 'other Lords Spiritual for their principled and persistent opposition to the assisted dying Bill in Parliament'. It is expected Synod members will engage in a debate on assisted dying during this five-day session. Making the case for assisted dying ahead of last month's vote, a terminally ill Christian preacher criticised the 'nonsensical' religious argument against assisted dying that suffering must be part of life. Church of England lay preacher Pamela Fisher, who is terminally ill with cancer, made an impassioned speech against the religious arguments made by some who oppose assisted dying. Speaking to reporters in June, she said: 'I completely reject the assumption that the sanctity of life requires terminally ill people to undergo a distressing and painful death against their will. 'I disagree with those that say it is God alone who decides how and when we die. 'Yes, life is a gift from God to be honoured but it's nonsensical to say that assisted dying is wrong because suffering is part of God's plan for us.' The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Elsewhere in his opening address to Synod, Mr Cottrell acknowledged, in an apparent reference to controversy around the handling of abuse scandals over the years, that the Church of England had been 'humbled' of late. He said: 'God has humbled us in so many ways this year. 'It has not been easy, but if it has made us more penitent, more determined to put victims and survivors first, more resolved to sort out all sorts of things to do with clergy discipline and accountability, terms of service, independent safeguarding, and other things besides, then, Synod, God the Redeemer, who believes in his Church, is at work among us.'
South Wales Guardian
11-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Authority over death belongs to God alone, Church of England leader warns
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell praised a colleague and member of the House of Lords for her 'principled and persistent opposition' to proposed legislation being considered at Westminster. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill cleared the House of Commons last month in a historic vote, bringing assisted dying closer to becoming law in England and Wales. It has now moved to the House of Lords where it will undergo further debate and scrutiny. In the immediate aftermath of the June vote, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, who sits in the House of Lords, said peers 'must oppose' the Bill when it reaches them due to the 'mounting evidence that it is unworkable and unsafe'. She is among those opposed who have called for more work to improve funding and access to 'desperately needed' palliative care services instead. Addressing the Church of England General Synod – also known as the Church's parliament – on Friday, Mr Cottrell voiced his staunch opposition to the Bill. He said there was a 'compelling narrative of what it means to be human – and in all our glorious diversity, made in the image of God, and living Jesus-shaped lives – that will enable us to withstand, and even turn back, those utilitarian tides of opinion that risk making, for instance, assisted dying a reality in our national life, changing forever the contract between doctor and patient, pressurising the vulnerable, and assuming an authority over death that belongs to God alone'. Mr Cottrell – who is the temporary leading religious voice of the Church while the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury is awaited – thanked Dame Sarah and 'other Lords Spiritual for their principled and persistent opposition to the assisted dying Bill in Parliament'. It is expected Synod members will engage in a debate on assisted dying during this five-day session. Making the case for assisted dying ahead of last month's vote, a terminally ill Christian preacher criticised the 'nonsensical' religious argument against assisted dying that suffering must be part of life. Church of England lay preacher Pamela Fisher, who is terminally ill with cancer, made an impassioned speech against the religious arguments made by some who oppose assisted dying. Speaking to reporters in June, she said: 'I completely reject the assumption that the sanctity of life requires terminally ill people to undergo a distressing and painful death against their will. 'I disagree with those that say it is God alone who decides how and when we die. 'Yes, life is a gift from God to be honoured but it's nonsensical to say that assisted dying is wrong because suffering is part of God's plan for us.' The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Elsewhere in his opening address to Synod, Mr Cottrell acknowledged, in an apparent reference to controversy around the handling of abuse scandals over the years, that the Church of England had been 'humbled' of late. He said: 'God has humbled us in so many ways this year. 'It has not been easy, but if it has made us more penitent, more determined to put victims and survivors first, more resolved to sort out all sorts of things to do with clergy discipline and accountability, terms of service, independent safeguarding, and other things besides, then, Synod, God the Redeemer, who believes in his Church, is at work among us.'
Rhyl Journal
11-07-2025
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
Authority over death belongs to God alone, Church of England leader warns
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell praised a colleague and member of the House of Lords for her 'principled and persistent opposition' to proposed legislation being considered at Westminster. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill cleared the House of Commons last month in a historic vote, bringing assisted dying closer to becoming law in England and Wales. It has now moved to the House of Lords where it will undergo further debate and scrutiny. In the immediate aftermath of the June vote, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, who sits in the House of Lords, said peers 'must oppose' the Bill when it reaches them due to the 'mounting evidence that it is unworkable and unsafe'. She is among those opposed who have called for more work to improve funding and access to 'desperately needed' palliative care services instead. Addressing the Church of England General Synod – also known as the Church's parliament – on Friday, Mr Cottrell voiced his staunch opposition to the Bill. He said there was a 'compelling narrative of what it means to be human – and in all our glorious diversity, made in the image of God, and living Jesus-shaped lives – that will enable us to withstand, and even turn back, those utilitarian tides of opinion that risk making, for instance, assisted dying a reality in our national life, changing forever the contract between doctor and patient, pressurising the vulnerable, and assuming an authority over death that belongs to God alone'. Mr Cottrell – who is the temporary leading religious voice of the Church while the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury is awaited – thanked Dame Sarah and 'other Lords Spiritual for their principled and persistent opposition to the assisted dying Bill in Parliament'. It is expected Synod members will engage in a debate on assisted dying during this five-day session. Making the case for assisted dying ahead of last month's vote, a terminally ill Christian preacher criticised the 'nonsensical' religious argument against assisted dying that suffering must be part of life. Church of England lay preacher Pamela Fisher, who is terminally ill with cancer, made an impassioned speech against the religious arguments made by some who oppose assisted dying. Speaking to reporters in June, she said: 'I completely reject the assumption that the sanctity of life requires terminally ill people to undergo a distressing and painful death against their will. 'I disagree with those that say it is God alone who decides how and when we die. 'Yes, life is a gift from God to be honoured but it's nonsensical to say that assisted dying is wrong because suffering is part of God's plan for us.' The proposed legislation would allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death, subject to approval by two doctors and a panel featuring a social worker, senior legal figure and psychiatrist. Elsewhere in his opening address to Synod, Mr Cottrell acknowledged, in an apparent reference to controversy around the handling of abuse scandals over the years, that the Church of England had been 'humbled' of late. He said: 'God has humbled us in so many ways this year. 'It has not been easy, but if it has made us more penitent, more determined to put victims and survivors first, more resolved to sort out all sorts of things to do with clergy discipline and accountability, terms of service, independent safeguarding, and other things besides, then, Synod, God the Redeemer, who believes in his Church, is at work among us.'
