Latest news with #Ellis'
Eyewitness News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Desiree Ellis names the team for the Botswana and Zambia friendlies
JOHANNESBURG - Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has announced the squad that will face Zambia and Botswana in international friendlies to be played this month. 'We are the highest-ranked team in the COSAFA region, but I don't think that means anything. I think being the WAFCON defending champions as well, I think that carries a bit of weight on your back with everybody wanting to play you and wanting to beat you and come up and put up the best performance,' said Desiree Ellis. The South African senior women's national team will play against Botswana on Wednesday, 28 May 2025, and then Botswana and Zambia will face off against each other on Saturday, 31 May 2025. Then, Dr Ellis' charges will wrap up the Three-Nations series against Zambia on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. 'But we also know that it's a test not just for us but for them. We're all going to the WAFCON. Botswana got to the quarterfinals, and Zambia got to the semi-finals the last time. So the test is for us, but just so much as it is for them, and I think the physicality that both of them are going to bring is something we sometimes struggle with.' The matches are part of the senior women's national team's preparations for the defence of their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title as the countdown continues to the continental tournament to be hosted in Morocco from 5-26 July 2025. 'I think we've got to have more control, and this will help us to see where we are with that. Defensively, we've got to be sound and obviously at set-pieces we're going to be challenged with the area that they have. The speed of both teams' attack that they have, we've got to be able to then organise our defensive shape better because that is what's going to happen at WAFCON.' Thembi Kgatlana has not been selected to this camp as she has club commitments that would have made it difficult for her to travel from North America and still be fresh enough for the two friendlies. All three matches will be played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, and kick-off is at 15h00 for all of them.
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Former NZ Idol judge Paul Ellis living in his car, guilty of drink driving at almost 7 times the limit
According to a summary of facts, police tracked Ellis down on the morning of February 21 after investigating a report that someone had collided with a parked vehicle in the Nelson suburb of Tāhunanui. Police followed a clear trail of vehicle fluid from the crash-damaged vehicle that led directly to the front passenger wheel of Ellis' vehicle, which was parked on a nearby street. Ellis, exhibiting signs that he had been drinking, admitted he was a disqualified driver. An evidential breath test followed and showed a reading which was 6.7 times the limit. Ellis told the police that he had been living in his car at Nelson's Isel Park. He had been drinking wine but the crash was an 'oversight' he had not been aware of. It is not the 62-year-old's first time before the courts. In November 2023 he was convicted in the Blenheim District Court for driving while disqualified, fined $400 and given a six-month disqualification. He was also granted leave to apply for an alcohol interlock licence at the time. But, police said he failed to do this, which meant that when he was caught in February this year, he was still driving as a disqualified driver. Ellis was also convicted in the same court in June 2018 on two separate charges, 10 days apart of driving with excess blood alcohol. He was convicted again in May 2022 on a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol for a third or subsequent time. Ellis was born in Timaru but grew up in Picton, and moved back to the region in 2020 when he helped organise the Linkwater Summer Sounds Music Festivals. He had a successful career in the music industry as a producer and manager and had worked with international music stars, including several from New Zealand. Ellis was a Sony Music executive living in New York at the time of 9/11 and was a judge on the first two NZ Idol seasons, before appearing as a judge on New Zealand's Got Talent in 2008. Ellis was remanded on bail for sentencing in August. His earlier request for name suppression lapsed today.
Axios
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Top SF official Kimberly Ellis ousted after misconduct probe
The embattled director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women has been removed from her position amid allegations by the city that she failed to disclose work for a political group and approved questionable expenditures. The big picture: Kimberly Ellis, once considered a power player in California Democratic politics, was appointed by former Mayor London Breed in 2020 to oversee the agency. The agency, tasked with advancing equity for women and girls, shifted under Ellis' tenure from focusing on gender-based violence to taking on a larger role bolstering women in politics. Driving the news: The Commission on the Status of Women, the department's oversight board, unanimously voted late Wednesday night to oust Ellis "for the benefit and the future success of the department," commission president Sophia Andary said. The seven-member panel, which chose not to disclose its discussions on her dismissal, announced the decision after two hours of deliberation. The dismissal is effective immediately and comes after Mayor Daniel Lurie, who does not have the authority to remove Ellis, asked the commission to do so. What they're saying:"I have the highest expectations for city employees, and the City Attorney's investigation found that Director Ellis committed a range of misconduct, unlawful activities, and mismanagement," Lurie said in a statement to Axios. Jen Kwart, spokesperson for the city attorney's office, declined to reveal details of the probe but said it concluded after "we had already gathered significant evidence of wrongdoing." The other side: Ronald Arena, Ellis' attorney, told Axios via email that Ellis was targeted "not because she did anything wrong, but because she refused to be complicit in wrongdoing." Arena's statement accuses the city of withholding key records, using her medical leave to rush termination, bypassing mandated ethics procedures and leaking details to the media to control the narrative. "The City's conduct represents a profound abuse of authority and a betrayal of its own stated values," Arena said. Catch up quick: Lurie suspended Ellis in March amid questions about her financial management and claims that she fostered a culture of fear. She has denied all allegations and maintains she did nothing wrong. In 2023, her department awarded an $85,000 contract for a behavioral coaching company to a longtime collaborator whom Ellis described on social media as a " dear friend." The department also spent over $600,000 on a one-day conference, including for food, lighting and a fashion show. (Andary received a $1,000 speaker's stipend, documents show.) She later overruled employee concerns to approve a $30,000 overpayment to the political nonprofit that put on the conference via a no-bid contract. Ellis has also faced scrutiny for failing to disclose nearly $20,000 in payments from the progressive Power PAC in 2023 through a personal consulting firm. Her department had granted the PAC's nonprofit affiliate $120,000 in contracts the year prior. What to watch: Ellis announced a lawsuit against the city earlier this month, accusing the city of bringing back "discredited ethics allegations" to force her out. "Director Ellis was not forced out for poor performance or ethical misconduct. She was forced out for telling the truth, for defending the vulnerable, and for refusing to quietly disappear," her lawsuit reads. She claims the campaign to oust her was retaliation against her for reporting "credible and deeply disturbing" sexual misconduct. The city attorney's office has not yet been served with Ellis' lawsuit, according to Kwart, who said her allegations were thoroughly investigated and deemed "baseless."
NZ Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Halberg Games providing inspiration for Amy Ellis chasing Paralympic dreams
Ellis is a T13 athlete, specialising in 100m, 200m, and 400m racing, and is legally blind, having been born with three conditions. Nystagmus, a condition characterised by involuntary, rhythmic, and repetitive eye movements, coloboma, where part of the eye structure is missing, giving her larger pupils, and convergent squints, where one eye usually turns inward. Despite all this, the 18-year-old already holds multiple age-grade New Zealand records in all three disciplines, plus long jump for T13 Para women, and is targeting higher honours. 'My ultimate goal is to go to the 2028 Paralympics,' said Ellis. 'More short term, I would love to participate in the Ocean champs and possibly then the World Para Athletics Championships.' Recently, in her first competition in Australia, Ellis set a new personal best of 29.30s in the 200m. Like most kids, Ellis loves sport, and she initially played football for four years with able-bodied kids before it got too challenging. Even at high school, there were difficulties with getting picked last for certain things because of her disability, but Ellis says simple changes like using a neon-yellow coloured football can make the world of difference. But after being introduced to the Halberg Foundation, Ellis has seen the Games grow, and it has given her the chance to try new sports like crossfit, snag golf and swimming. 'They are so inclusive, and I feel like I can truly embrace my disability and be open to the struggles that I have and be happy to ask for help. 'The games means so much to me, and that I can just meet new people as well with the same visual impairments or things like that as well.' Running has always been in Ellis' blood. In her primary school years, she would always run around the streets of Taranaki and take part in cross country and athletics days and even went on to the regionals in those competitions. But since focusing on sprints last year, Ellis says there was some adjustment, but she loves taking part. 'When I started with my coach, it was about giving them the knowledge of what I can see, what I can't see, and it's just a little adaptive stuff like putting a cone every 30 metres so I would know where to go. 'I initially started in lane one, so I would be able to see the difference between the grass and the track because I find it quite hard to see the white lines.' Ellis is also part of the Halberg Youth Council, which enabled her to take part in February's Halberg Awards. She was on stage alongside rowing great Rob Waddell to present Olympic gold medalist Hamish Kerr with his Sportsman of the Year award. 'I couldn't see Hamish coming towards me, and Rob was always whispering in my ear to say how far away he is. 'It was such a spectacular moment to be able to be like a visually impaired person can do this, that it's possible. It was so awesome to be able to be on live TV, present this award, and just have that moment of it was awesome.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Youngkin fires Bert Ellis from University of Virginia Board of Visitors
The Rotunda at the University of Virginia. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong/Virginia Mercury) Gov. Glenn Youngkin fired businessman Bert Ellis from the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors on Wednesday and announced plans to appoint former state senator and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to replace him. 'It is with sadness that I remove you as a member of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors,' the governor wrote in a Wednesday letter to Ellis, who has a history of making controversial statements and whose 2022 appointment to the board was protested by UVA 'faculty senate, student council and campus newspaper, the Cavalier Daily,' according to VPM News. Youngkin thanked Ellis for his 'hard work,' but also wrote that Ellis' conduct 'on many occasions' has violated the state's Code of Conduct for state boards and commissions, and the Board of Visitors Statement of Visitor Responsibilities. Youngkin's letter stopped short of expanding on Ellis' alleged violations. Ellis' future on the board came into question after the Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the governor wanted to remove his appointee, despite the two sharing a common goal to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. On March 8, the board voted to dissolve UVA's DEI office to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order that threatened to strip federal funding from colleges and universities that didn't comply. DEI opponents believe that hiring and promoting people should be based on merit and not on someone's race or gender, while supporters say DEI initiatives are meant to address systematic bias that historically stalled the progress of Americans of color and women. 'This board unanimously voted to rip out the entire DEI infrastructure and everybody who works in the DEI infrastructure,' Ellis told The Daily Progress March 20. 'Absolutely every aspect of it, every aspect of every program. Every aspect of DEI is to be ripped out, shredded and terminated.' But that wasn't the first time the outspoken Ellis has expressed his opinion on other controversial matters, including social issues and pro-Gaza demonstrations. He has been recorded criticizing law enforcement for how they do their jobs on UVA's campus and reportedly confronted a student about a sign posted on her dorm room door referencing the university's ties to slavery. Ellis is a 1975 UVA graduate and the former president of the Jefferson Council. He is a serial entrepreneur and investor who has founded and operated numerous companies including Ellis Capital, a consulting and investment firm focused on media, technology, healthcare, and fintech. He also serves as the Lead Director of Johnson Energy Storage in Atlanta, which is developing next-generation solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Shortly after dismissing Ellis, the governor announced that Cuccinelli, a 1991 UVA graduate, would join the board. 'Ken's legal and policy expertise will be incredibly valuable to ensure swift action with the ongoing changes and challenges in higher education,' Youngkin said in a statement. 'I have full confidence he will help ensure Mr. Jefferson's University remains a place of opportunity, merit, and academic freedom.'
