Latest news with #Doughty
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Spend Now To Reduce Flood Risk
Spending money now will save Kaikōura from facing the full effects of a damaging future flood, says Kaikōura District Council boss Will Doughty. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November 2016 dislodged a significant amount of gravel, which left the town vulnerable in a major flood, he said. Environment Canterbury (ECan) has been reviewing its gravel management strategy on rivers throughout the region, with submissions closing last month. While it was difficult to estimate how much money needed to be spent now, Mr Doughty said an event similar to a Kowhai River flood in 1993, which devastated the town, would have a significant long-term economic impact. Implementing a gravel management strategy to extract excess material would help maintain the natural flow of the river and reduce the likelihood of blockages or sediment build up. ''The wandering nature of the Kowhai River and the dynamic nature of the system is a key challenge when attempting to determine the response of the river to flood events,'' he said. ''The likely damage to the town would depend on the severity and duration of the flood event, but vulnerable infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and public services could be impacted, leading to both immediate repair costs and long term economic impacts.'' ECan rivers manager David Aires said tens of thousands of cubic metres of gravel were removed from the Kowhai River to assist with reconstruction work following the earthquake. Local contractors and Environment Canterbury's river engineers have removed a further 25,000 cubic metres in the last eight years. ECan manages 18km of stopbanks along the Kowhai River, which are designed for a one-in-20-year flood event. This is equivalent to around 250 to 270 cumecs of water flowing at a rate of one cubic metre per second. Mr Aires said the Kaikōura flood protection scheme is being reviewed. ''Over the next six months we will be measuring riverbed levels so we can determine where further gravel extraction might be required in the Kowhai River as we work through the scheme review.'' Reducing flood risk in rivers has been a major focus for ECan and other regional and unitary councils, which led to the report ''Before the Deluge''. The report was presented to the Government in late 2022, warning of the risks and costs of a major storm or flood event. The Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck in January 2023, are estimated to have resulted in between NZ$9 billion to $14.5 billion in damage. ECan set aside $25m a year over the next 10 years in last year's 2024/34 Long Term Plan and called on the Government to contribute $38m. Last year the Government announced $9.5m funding towards three projects, including upgrades to critical and aged flood management infrastructure across the region to make it more resilient to the changing climate. ECan also spent $22.6m in repair work following the May 2021 heavy rainfall event, which caused widespread flooding and prompted a region-wide state of emergency. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Brickbat: Breathe It In
Curtis Doughty, a former corrections officer at Henry County Jail in Indiana, pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights under color of law and received a two-year probation sentence for shooting an inmate in the back with a pepper ball. During a cell pod search, inmates were moved into a holding area in the recreation yard and ordered to sit on the floor facing the wall. Doughty, a member of the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team, was tasked with watching over the inmates. When one inmate turned his head away from the wall, Doughty, without warning, shot his pepper ball gun at point blank range into the inmate's spine, injuring him. "Congratulations, you all inhale that now," Doughty then told the other inmates, referencing the pepper ball gas. The post Brickbat: Breathe It In appeared first on
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How Dinosaurs Shaped Fruit Evolution
What do humans have in common with the dinosaurs that trampled through ancient forests? It turns out that both may have a surprising impact on the size of seeds in the fruits growing around them. When researchers mapped the evolution of seed sizes onto that of land animals, they observed that when land animals got bigger, so did fruit seeds—with a few outsize exceptions. A recent study in Palaeontology illustrates how, over the course of natural history, gigantic megafauna such as dinosaurs curbed the growth of seed sizes by physically altering the ecosystem, influencing forest light levels. Today that role may be filled by a much tinier species: humans. The idea that land animals can alter their environments is 'fairly straightforward and well substantiated in a variety of scales,' explains Clive G. Jones, an ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., who was not involved in the new study. For instance, savanna elephants push down trees and tear at shrubs, transforming the plant landscape. But even this elephantine influence is minor in comparison to that of prehistoric creatures. The researchers' new model suggests dinosaurs caused a level of destruction that suppressed an evolutionary tendency for seeds to grow bigger, says study lead author Christopher E. Doughty, an earth system scientist at Northern Arizona University. Bigger seeds tend to attract bigger animals for dispersal and to sprout taller plants, Doughty explains; both factors can give plants better access to sunlight in crowded conditions. But this was generally not the case when there were 'big lumbering dinosaurs knocking things down, opening up the environment' and thinning forests, Doughty says. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] After dinosaurs went extinct, forest understories became about 20 percent darker. This change 'reset the slate' for plants and other animals, Doughty says. And 'during this time the canopy became more closed,' notes Brian Atkinson, a University of Kansas paleobotanist not involved in the study. This growth would have placed evolutionary pressure on seeds to get larger again, Atkinson says, which is also reflected in fossil data. Another dip in seed size occurred with the emergence of early giant mammals and persisted until they died out. But even though we're far from megafauna-sized, humans' influence on forests—particularly via logging—resembles that of those long-extinct giants, Doughty says. If we continue at this rate, our effect on fruit seeds might someday rival that of dinosaurs. Jones notes that humans influence plant life in many other ways as well. 'Agriculture [is] one obvious example,' he says, along with 'introducing exotic species, clearing forests to make suburbia, to make cities, and so on.' That complexity is one reason it could be difficult for the model to predict future fruit seed sizes, Doughty says. Another important factor to consider is the rapid pace at which human technology tends to develop in realms such as farming. Although the model provides a good analytical comparison of forest density alterations by megafauna and by humans, developments such as agriculture mean 'normal ecological rules don't really apply anymore.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tony Carroll riding high as champion trainer
With Willie Mullins retaining his British jump trainers' title and Aidan O'Brien already a seven-time leading trainer here, there is a strong chance that, by the time 2025 is over, Tony Carroll will be the only British champion trainer in Britain. Who'd have thought it? Carroll, 68, is one of those people who has underpinned the sport for half a century, for 20 years as a jump jockey and as a trainer for nigh-on three decades. A fortnight after he was finally crowned leading trainer on the all-weather with 57 winners on Good Friday having missed out by one the previous year, he is still on a high. He is one of the sport's unsung heroes. Born in Lambourn, he started with not much more than his wits, trains in a place better known for its vegetables, his horses are not household names, he is unlikely to have a runner at Royal Ascot although he is mustard at Brighton and Wolverhampton and he does not have much of a social media presence. But he makes up for that by going racing almost every time he has a runner and meeting people and he will have 100 plus winners before the year is out with horses largely costing less than £10,000. I would pitch him into the top three happiest trainers I have ever met, a low bar but nevertheless. The Carroll look is having his reading glasses perched on his head because, that way, he knows where they are and, though now a bone fide champion, he jokes that he does not feel he is 'quite there yet' to wear sunglasses at the races. He is also as much about people as he is horses. Every single one of his lads wished me 'Good morning' which, I think, says as much about the trainer as his title and he has brought his apprentice, Jack Doughty, with him this winter to much wider attention. Doughty, he predicts, will go far but not at the wheel of a car any time soon as he recently failed the theory part of his test. 'We've been giving him a lot of stick for it,' says Carroll laughing. 'When he was asked for a common sign that you would see beside a main road, he replied: 'Pick your own strawberries.'' Living in the Vale of Evesham, though, Doughty may have had a point. Neither Carroll's career nor Cropthorne Stud, his 90 acre yard, were built in a day but both are pretty much where he wants them now. It looks slightly unpromising as you drive in but it then opens up into what reminded me, topographically at any rate, of a mini-Ballydoyle, an oasis with a couple of gallops, several barns and room to turn his horses out for an hour a day every day. Having outgrown his previous yards in Worcestershire, an owner who had come to see her horse, said she had to leave to meet the agent selling her small-holding. He saw it that afternoon and had bought it by nightfall. 'It was a rickety place with just 20 acres,' he says, pointing to Bredon Hill. 'The first thing I thought was: 'If I was a horse I'd want to live here.'' He has subsequently built his own house and added a further 70 acres when the land has come up for sale and, latterly, business has flourished. 'The last few years it's been like a graph, 50 winners, 60, 70, high 80s' he says. 'Last year we had a stronger start, there were some incredible performances from the horses, The Craftymaster was Racehorse Owners Association All-weather Horse of the Year, winning seven races and we got to 100 in a calendar year for the first time. 'Of course we dream of Group winners. Caspian Prince, won in Dubai (a £70,000 first prize) and the Epsom Dash. We won a big handicap sprint at York with Recon Mission, we've won Listed races in France with two-year-olds. His first job was with Barry Hills riding out at weekends. He served his apprenticeship with Pat Taylor, rode a dozen winners on the Flat, got heavy, and rode for seven years for Stan Mellor. 'I rode from 16 to 36, they ride a lot longer these days but it was a good innings then,' he reflects. 'After being out for a year with a broken leg I walked into Newmarket and picked up bits and pieces. The last five or six years I just enjoyed the riding. 'I met Terry Ramsden, [a flamboyant owner-punter] with Alan Bailey. He had a filly which won a seller by quite a long way and everyone was very happy and I became part of the Ramsden job. He put me on a retainer. I rode Stearsby in the Sun Alliance Chase for him. It was my best chance of ever riding a Festival winner, he was travelling so well but didn't get high enough at the last ditch.' After 280 winners he packed up spontaneously after beating Norman Williamson a head at Southwell one day. 'It felt right. I got home… you've never had a job but you really didn't have a job then. 'I was married at the time and we were financially OK but I couldn't find the right place to train. My wife was into care homes, one was coming up in Malvern so we put in a silly bid and got it so for the next year I helped her get it up and running. Though we're divorced, she's still got it and it's very successful but it wasn't for me and I ended up renting a dozen boxes near Alcester.' He kept outgrowing his yards until he found Cropthorne, which he has grown with. After the experience of narrowly missing last year's title, he says: 'The last six weeks I've been hell to live with. It was all about making sure I did win. Missing it by one wasn't going to happen this year. 'You don't sleep well, thinking about this horse and that horse. I've had real support from my partner, Lisa Judd. She's successful in London, I'm chipping away here and we meet in the middle. When you get to a stage in life you have to enjoy it but I've got a real taste for this success thing. I don't mind where they win as long as they win. 'I love the horses. They've been my life, they're wonderful creatures. We're blessed to live around them and train in a place like this. You give your life to racing but I'm very grateful for what it's done for me. I count myself very lucky, I've come the long road but had so much fun, met some incredible people, the [late] Queen twice, been to the castle. 'I'm not sure what Tony's got next. But it's not all about me, it's about the staff too. I feel sorry for them. Every time I buy a horse for £2,000, I bring it home and expect them to work magic on it. They'd like to go to Royal Ascot too!'
Telegraph
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Tony Carroll riding high as champion trainer
With Willie Mullins retaining his British jump trainers' title and Aidan O'Brien already a seven-time leading trainer here, there is a strong chance that, by the time 2025 is over, Tony Carroll will be the only British champion trainer in Britain. Who'd have thought it? Carroll, 68, is one of those people who has underpinned the sport for half a century, for 20 years as a jump jockey and as a trainer for nigh-on three decades. A fortnight after he was finally crowned leading trainer on the all-weather with 57 winners on Good Friday having missed out by one the previous year, he is still on a high. He is one of the sport's unsung heroes. Born in Lambourn, he started with not much more than his wits, trains in a place better known for its vegetables, his horses are not household names, he is unlikely to have a runner at Royal Ascot although he is mustard at Brighton and Wolverhampton and he does not have much of a social media presence. But he makes up for that by going racing almost every time he has a runner and meeting people and he will have 100 plus winners before the year is out with horses largely costing less than £10,000. I would pitch him into the top three happiest trainers I have ever met, a low bar but nevertheless. The Carroll look is having his reading glasses perched on his head because, that way, he knows where they are and, though now a bone fide champion, he jokes that he does not feel he is 'quite there yet' to wear sunglasses at the races. He is also as much about people as he is horses. Every single one of his lads wished me 'Good morning' which, I think, says as much about the trainer as his title and he has brought his apprentice, Jack Doughty, with him this winter to much wider attention. Doughty, he predicts, will go far but not at the wheel of a car any time soon as he recently failed the theory part of his test. 'We've been giving him a lot of stick for it,' says Carroll laughing. 'When he was asked for a common sign that you would see beside a main road, he replied: 'Pick your own strawberries.'' Living in the Vale of Evesham, though, Doughty may have had a point. Neither Carroll's career nor Cropthorne Stud, his 90 acre yard, were built in a day but both are pretty much where he wants them now. It looks slightly unpromising as you drive in but it then opens up into what reminded me, topographically at any rate, of a mini-Ballydoyle, an oasis with a couple of gallops, several barns and room to turn his horses out for an hour a day every day. Having outgrown his previous yards in Worcestershire, an owner who had come to see her horse, said she had to leave to meet the agent selling her small-holding. He saw it that afternoon and had bought it by nightfall. 'It was a rickety place with just 20 acres,' he says, pointing to Bredon Hill. 'The first thing I thought was: 'If I was a horse I'd want to live here.'' 'You give your life to racing but I'm very grateful for what it's done for me' He has subsequently built his own house and added a further 70 acres when the land has come up for sale and, latterly, business has flourished. 'The last few years it's been like a graph, 50 winners, 60, 70, high 80s' he says. 'Last year we had a stronger start, there were some incredible performances from the horses, The Craftymaster was Racehorse Owners Association All-weather Horse of the Year, winning seven races and we got to 100 in a calendar year for the first time. 'Of course we dream of Group winners. Caspian Prince, won in Dubai (a £70,000 first prize) and the Epsom Dash. We won a big handicap sprint at York with Recon Mission, we've won Listed races in France with two-year-olds. His first job was with Barry Hills riding out at weekends. He served his apprenticeship with Pat Taylor, rode a dozen winners on the Flat, got heavy, and rode for seven years for Stan Mellor. 'I rode from 16 to 36, they ride a lot longer these days but it was a good innings then,' he reflects. 'After being out for a year with a broken leg I walked into Newmarket and picked up bits and pieces. The last five or six years I just enjoyed the riding. 'I met Terry Ramsden, [a flamboyant owner-punter] with Alan Bailey. He had a filly which won a seller by quite a long way and everyone was very happy and I became part of the Ramsden job. He put me on a retainer. I rode Stearsby in the Sun Alliance Chase for him. It was my best chance of ever riding a Festival winner, he was travelling so well but didn't get high enough at the last ditch.' After 280 winners he packed up spontaneously after beating Norman Williamson a head at Southwell one day. 'It felt right. I got home… you've never had a job but you really didn't have a job then. 'I was married at the time and we were financially OK but I couldn't find the right place to train. My wife was into care homes, one was coming up in Malvern so we put in a silly bid and got it so for the next year I helped her get it up and running. Though we're divorced, she's still got it and it's very successful but it wasn't for me and I ended up renting a dozen boxes near Alcester.' 'I've been hell to live with' He kept outgrowing his yards until he found Cropthorne, which he has grown with. After the experience of narrowly missing last year's title, he says: 'The last six weeks I've been hell to live with. It was all about making sure I did win. Missing it by one wasn't going to happen this year. 'You don't sleep well, thinking about this horse and that horse. I've had real support from my partner, Lisa Judd. She's successful in London, I'm chipping away here and we meet in the middle. When you get to a stage in life you have to enjoy it but I've got a real taste for this success thing. I don't mind where they win as long as they win. 'I love the horses. They've been my life, they're wonderful creatures. We're blessed to live around them and train in a place like this. You give your life to racing but I'm very grateful for what it's done for me. I count myself very lucky, I've come the long road but had so much fun, met some incredible people, the [late] Queen twice, been to the castle. 'I'm not sure what Tony's got next. But it's not all about me, it's about the staff too. I feel sorry for them. Every time I buy a horse for £2,000, I bring it home and expect them to work magic on it. They'd like to go to Royal Ascot too!'
