Latest news with #Duman
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suffolk mayor touts job creation, population growth in ‘cool' State of the City
During the State of the City address on Tuesday, Mayor Mike Duman announced continued investment in Suffolk that illustrates how the city continues to welcome new businesses and residents at a remarkable pace. 'We've made great strides this year, whether it's economic development, infrastructure development or community engagement,' Duman said. 'Suffolk is a city on the rise — rooted in history, driven by innovation and united by a shared love for this place we call home.' He emphasized how Suffolk was the fastest-growing city in the commonwealth, with an 8.7% population increase from 2020 to 2024. Commercial real estate development in the city over the last five years has exceeded $2.7 billion, resulting in more than $29.8 million in annual revenue, he said. During this same time frame, approximately 13,663 jobs were created. He noted that major employers reported that more than half of their workforces live in Suffolk, up from only 20% to 30% previously. 'Now, I know I told you Suffolk is cool, and we are,' Duman said. 'But related to economic development opportunities for private investment and job creation, we are hot.' Duman shared that Automatic Coating will add more than 21,000-square-feet to their facility with a $4 million investment — just two years after opening their U.S. headquarters in Suffolk Industrial Park. Solenis, a chemical company in the city for more than 40 years, is investing an additional $76 million toward its local operations — increasing its total planned investment to nearly $270 million — with an 80,000-square-foot production and packaging building, tank farm, rail spur and 38 more jobs. Transnational Foods will move its operations into a new 350,000-square-foot facility at Coastal Logistics II. And the new Harbour View Medical Center, the first 'smart hospital' within the Bon Secours Mercy Health system, opened this month after an $80 million expansion. Other city milestones included the opening this past year of Downtown Festival Park — a symbol of the city's resilience and spirit following the tornado that ripped through its center five years ago. Fire Station 11, with advanced training space and specialized response teams, opens this summer, he said. The new two-story Suffolk Central Library is anticipated to open this fall and the new 94,500-square-foot campus for John F. Kennedy Middle School is on track to open in 2026. The presentation highlighted the infrastructure improvements that are underway and nearing completion, including the expansion of the U.S. 58 corridor with three miles widening from four to six lanes, new sidewalks, a multi-use path, upgraded signals and improved drainage. Duman said the city continues to address challenges with the strain on the city's roads and traffic systems, with more than $229 million in projects under construction and more than $368 million in additional projects under design. Wearing dark-colored sunglasses, Duman addressed a sold-out crowd of about 540 people during the event, the final in the series hosted by the Hampton Roads Chamber. Each attendee received a pair of sunglasses further emphasizing the city's coolness. 'Suffolk isn't cool by accident,' the mayor said. 'We're cool by nature, cool by design and cool by choice.' Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836,
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman to deliver State of the City address
SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Suffolk Mayor Mike Duman is set to deliver the State of the City address Tuesday afternoon. The address will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront. During the address, Duman is expected to discuss business development initiatives, provide updates on what is happening in the city, address challenges and what residents can expect for the city's future. 10 On Your Side will stream the address and provide updates throughout the day. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Turkey's Kurds wary of path to peace after PKK declares ceasefire
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AP) — A momentous ceasefire declaration on Saturday stirred a mix of emotions in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where people bore the brunt of the 40-year conflict between Kurdish militants and the Turkish state. The militants' ceasefire announcement could mark a significant boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, two days after their imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm. On the streets of Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, some of those who had lost relatives fighting on the side of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, were wary of placing their faith in the Turkish government. Turkey has yet to make a detailed response to the PKK's ceasefire announcement. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'We do not trust them, they said the same things before, nothing has changed. Twelve years ago they said peace, peace, peace. Then there was a ceasefire and then we saw what happened,' said Turkan Duman, 56, referring to a previous peace process that broke down in 2015. She said her son is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for PKK membership. He was jailed after crossing the Syrian border to fight with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group at Kobani in late 2014. Duman also lost two brothers who were killed fighting Turkish security forces in the mid-2010s near Lice, a town to the north of Diyarbakir where the PKK was founded in 1978. Kiymet Soresoglu, who like Duman is part of the Peace Mothers' Association, also expressed doubt over the government's intentions. 'Of course we want peace to be established. We are afraid because they make plans or (could) play a trick,' she said. Soresoglu, 55, also has a son serving a prison term for being a member of the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. He was wounded in fighting in Diyarbakir's downtown Sur district when the earlier ceasefire broke down 10 years ago. 'There is not a single inch of land left in Kurdistan where the blood of martyrs has not been shed,' she said. 'If they tell us to lay down our weapons without expecting anything in return, we, the guerrillas and mothers of martyrs, will not accept this. We would be the ones that would take the weapons of our children and continue the struggle.' Sitting alongside her friend, Duman added: 'But we want peace. Peace so that no more blood is shed, it is a sin.' Since the PKK launched its armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984, tens of thousands have died. Exact casualties are difficult to calculate but the International Crisis Group says 7,152 have been killed since fighting resumed in July 2015, including 646 civilians, 1,494 members of the security forces and 4,786 PKK militants. Saturday's ceasefire announcement was preceeded two days earlier by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's call for the group to disarm and disband. Vahap Coskun, a law lecturer at Diyarbakir's Dicle University, said this indicated how closely the PKK leadership based in northern Iraq was in step with Ocalan despite his 25 years behind bars. 'A very high threshold has been crossed in terms of disarmament,' he said, adding that he expected the PKK to move swiftly to hold a congress to dissolve itself. 'Unlike the last solution process, this solution process is being handled with utmost sensitivity regarding the use of time,' Coskun added. Across the mountainous Iraqi border, which for years saw PKK insurgents slip into Turkey to stage attacks, Kurds in Sulaymaniyah welcomed the ceasefire with hopeful expectation. Najmadin Bahaadin described it as a 'historical moment' different from previous peace deals. 'It is not like the previous experiments where the PKK stopped the war several times and demanded peace but (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and Turkish policy were not convinced,' he said. 'It seems they both reached to this conviction now.' Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, is the city closest to the PKK's headquarters in the Qandil mountains and many locals support the group. Awat Rashid questioned whether Ocalan had been pressured by his captors to make the peace bid. 'If Mr. Ocalan was in the Qandil mountains, on top of his leadership council, would he make this peace decision? This is the question that should be asked,' he said. 'To what extent you think this is reliable and it can be trusted?' —— Ahmad contributed from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
The Hill
01-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Turkey's Kurds wary of path to peace after PKK declares ceasefire
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (AP) — A momentous ceasefire declaration on Saturday stirred a mix of emotions in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where people bore the brunt of the 40-year conflict between Kurdish militants and the Turkish state. The militants' ceasefire announcement could mark a significant boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, two days after their imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm. On the streets of Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, some of those who had lost relatives fighting on the side of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, were wary of placing their faith in the Turkish government. Turkey has yet to make a detailed response to the PKK's ceasefire announcement. 'We do not trust them, they said the same things before, nothing has changed. Twelve years ago they said peace, peace, peace. Then there was a ceasefire and then we saw what happened,' said Turkan Duman, 56, referring to a previous peace process that broke down in 2015. She said her son is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for PKK membership. He was jailed after crossing the Syrian border to fight with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group at Kobani in late 2014. Duman also lost two brothers who were killed fighting Turkish security forces in the mid-2010s near Lice, a town to the north of Diyarbakir where the PKK was founded in 1978. Kiymet Soresoglu, who like Duman is part of the Peace Mothers' Association, also expressed doubt over the government's intentions. 'Of course we want peace to be established. We are afraid because they make plans or (could) play a trick,' she said. Soresoglu, 55, also has a son serving a prison term for being a member of the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. He was wounded in fighting in Diyarbakir's downtown Sur district when the earlier ceasefire broke down 10 years ago. 'There is not a single inch of land left in Kurdistan where the blood of martyrs has not been shed,' she said. 'If they tell us to lay down our weapons without expecting anything in return, we, the guerrillas and mothers of martyrs, will not accept this. We would be the ones that would take the weapons of our children and continue the struggle.' Sitting alongside her friend, Duman added: 'But we want peace. Peace so that no more blood is shed, it is a sin.' Since the PKK launched its armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984, tens of thousands have died. Exact casualties are difficult to calculate but the International Crisis Group says 7,152 have been killed since fighting resumed in July 2015, including 646 civilians, 1,494 members of the security forces and 4,786 PKK militants. Saturday's ceasefire announcement was preceeded two days earlier by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's call for the group to disarm and disband. Vahap Coskun, a law lecturer at Diyarbakir's Dicle University, said this indicated how closely the PKK leadership based in northern Iraq was in step with Ocalan despite his 25 years behind bars. 'A very high threshold has been crossed in terms of disarmament,' he said, adding that he expected the PKK to move swiftly to hold a congress to dissolve itself. 'Unlike the last solution process, this solution process is being handled with utmost sensitivity regarding the use of time,' Coskun added. Across the mountainous Iraqi border, which for years saw PKK insurgents slip into Turkey to stage attacks, Kurds in Sulaymaniyah welcomed the ceasefire with hopeful expectation. Najmadin Bahaadin described it as a 'historical moment' different from previous peace deals. 'It is not like the previous experiments where the PKK stopped the war several times and demanded peace but (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and Turkish policy were not convinced,' he said. 'It seems they both reached to this conviction now.' Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, is the city closest to the PKK's headquarters in the Qandil mountains and many locals support the group. Awat Rashid questioned whether Ocalan had been pressured by his captors to make the peace bid. 'If Mr. Ocalan was in the Qandil mountains, on top of his leadership council, would he make this peace decision? This is the question that should be asked,' he said. 'To what extent you think this is reliable and it can be trusted?'
The Independent
01-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Turkey's Kurds wary of path to peace after PKK declares ceasefire
A momentous ceasefire declaration on Saturday stirred a mix of emotions in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq, where people bore the brunt of the 40-year conflict between Kurdish militants and the Turkish state. The militants' ceasefire announcement could mark a significant boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, two days after their imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm. On the streets of Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, some of those who had lost relatives fighting on the side of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, were wary of placing their faith in the Turkish government. Turkey has yet to make a detailed response to the PKK's ceasefire announcement. 'We do not trust them, they said the same things before, nothing has changed. Twelve years ago they said peace, peace, peace. Then there was a ceasefire and then we saw what happened,' said Turkan Duman, 56, referring to a previous peace process that broke down in 2015. She said her son is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence for PKK membership. He was jailed after crossing the Syrian border to fight with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State group at Kobani in late 2014. Duman also lost two brothers who were killed fighting Turkish security forces in the mid-2010s near Lice, a town to the north of Diyarbakir where the PKK was founded in 1978. Kiymet Soresoglu, who like Duman is part of the Peace Mothers' Association, also expressed doubt over the government's intentions. 'Of course we want peace to be established. We are afraid because they make plans or (could) play a trick,' she said. Soresoglu, 55, also has a son serving a prison term for being a member of the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. He was wounded in fighting in Diyarbakir's downtown Sur district when the earlier ceasefire broke down 10 years ago. 'There is not a single inch of land left in Kurdistan where the blood of martyrs has not been shed,' she said. 'If they tell us to lay down our weapons without expecting anything in return, we, the guerrillas and mothers of martyrs, will not accept this. We would be the ones that would take the weapons of our children and continue the struggle.' Sitting alongside her friend, Duman added: 'But we want peace. Peace so that no more blood is shed, it is a sin.' Since the PKK launched its armed campaign against the Turkish state in 1984, tens of thousands have died. Exact casualties are difficult to calculate but the International Crisis Group says 7,152 have been killed since fighting resumed in July 2015, including 646 civilians, 1,494 members of the security forces and 4,786 PKK militants. Saturday's ceasefire announcement was preceeded two days earlier by imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's call for the group to disarm and disband. Vahap Coskun, a law lecturer at Diyarbakir's Dicle University, said this indicated how closely the PKK leadership based in northern Iraq was in step with Ocalan despite his 25 years behind bars. 'A very high threshold has been crossed in terms of disarmament,' he said, adding that he expected the PKK to move swiftly to hold a congress to dissolve itself. 'Unlike the last solution process, this solution process is being handled with utmost sensitivity regarding the use of time,' Coskun added. Across the mountainous Iraqi border, which for years saw PKK insurgents slip into Turkey to stage attacks, Kurds in Sulaymaniyah welcomed the ceasefire with hopeful expectation. Najmadin Bahaadin described it as a 'historical moment' different from previous peace deals. 'It is not like the previous experiments where the PKK stopped the war several times and demanded peace but (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan and Turkish policy were not convinced,' he said. 'It seems they both reached to this conviction now.' Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, is the city closest to the PKK's headquarters in the Qandil mountains and many locals support the group. Awat Rashid questioned whether Ocalan had been pressured by his captors to make the peace bid. 'If Mr. Ocalan was in the Qandil mountains, on top of his leadership council, would he make this peace decision? This is the question that should be asked,' he said. 'To what extent you think this is reliable and it can be trusted?' —— Ahmad contributed from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
