Latest news with #Felts
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man already in jail charged in Atlanta double shooting that left 1 dead
Atlanta police have charged a man who was already in the Clayton County jail with murder and armed robbery. Police say Desmond Felts, 24, was in custody in Clayton County, but has since been extradited to Fulton County in connection with the deadly shooting of a 33-year-old man. Felts is charged with murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of armed robbery. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Officers were called to Newcastle Street just after 12:15 a.m. on April 18. Channel 2's Bryan Mims was at the shooting scene during Channel 2 Action News This Morning. Police shared video after the shooting of a group of three men walking up to a home and then being let inside. TRENDING STORIES: Governor's office said it will start issuing special tax refund checks this week Tomatoes sold in Georgia could be deadly, FDA says 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Dwight Eubanks diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer Atlanta police say two of those men are believed to have been involved in the shooting. It's unclear who the third person is. A 32-year-old man was also shot several times and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. His current condition is unclear. Neither victim's identity has been released. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents persuade Rutherford school board to rescind rule to stop busing for some students
Rutherford County school officials pleased parents May 7 by rescinding a recent decision to stop busing students living close to school campuses. The unanimous Board of Education followed the recommendation of Schools Director Jimmy Sullivan to rescind the previous April 24 decision in a 4-3 vote to review and study the issue. The majority board previously aimed to save $3 million by establishing Parent Responsibility Zones (PRZ) for parent-transportation by the August start of the next school year for able-bodied students and family members living within a mile radius of schools for grades K-5 and 1.5 miles for grades 6-12. Prior to rescinding, the board heard Lascassas Elementary School mother Elizabeth Adkins and three other parents speak in opposition to the PRZ policy during the public comment part of the meeting. "In our county, many students who live within the PRZ would be forced to walk along roads with 55 to 65 mph speed limits (on) roads with no sidewalks, no crosswalks," Adkins said. PRZ issue: Rutherford schools director recommends reversing budget cuts for bus service to nearby campuses Adkins mentioned the traffic concerns of many drivers ignoring the speed limits near her child's school on state Route 96 (Lascassas Pike) northeast of Murfreesboro. "My daughter is 5-years-old," Adkins said in a tearful tone. "She weighs 35 pounds. That's who this policy is asking to walk to school along three dangerous roads." Adkins also told the school officials that many families do not have the option to drive their children to nearby schools because the parents are "working jobs that don't allow them to come and go freely." "Expecting every family to manage this without transportation support is unrealistic and unfair," Adkins told the school officials. 'We are banished': Rutherford schools book banning upsets free speech advocates School father Mike Felts told the board that Parent Responsibility Zones disproportionately affect low-income families. "Many parents work multiple jobs, lack reliable transportation or simply can't afford to take time off during school hours," Felts said. "Expecting them to meet additional requirements within a defined geographic area unfairly punishes those already stretched thin." Felts urged the school officials not to punish families for circumstances they can't control. "Instead, let's invest in solutions, like flexible school bus routes, expanded before- and after-care, and better communication between schools and families," Felts said. "That's how we create a district that truly works for all children." School free speech issue: ACLU files First Amendment lawsuit against Rutherford school board for book bans Lascassas Elementary Parent Teacher Organization President Ashley Hale also urged the board to reconsider the PRZ policy to keep children from walking to school on high-traffic roads with high speed limits. "We also cannot ignore the threat of child predators," said Hale, a mother of two students at Lascassas Elementary. "For some of our youngest students, children as young as 5, it would be asked of some of them to be alone, vulnerable and unprotected. These are not hypothetical risks. This is not the world our parents grew up in. These are known dangers. And they are preventable." 'Damage is already done': Rutherford school board rescinds resolution supporting border closure La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole, who's also a school father, also spoke in opposition to the PRZ policy that he said "blindsided" families with an unplanned decision. He urged the school officials to complete a comprehensive study before implementing any possible revised PRC policy. Cole also said the PRZ previously approved would have impacted 80% of the 7,000 homes in the still-growing Lake Forest Estates development in La Vergne. "Keeping our students safe should be the priority − not just looking to cut costs," Cole said. 'We're not all treated the same': County Schools building plans annoy La Vergne leaders The board previously voted 4-3 April 24 for the PRZ policy with tan Vaught, Katie Darby, Butch Vaughn and chairwoman Claire Maxwell in the majority. Board members Tammy Sharp, vice chairwoman Frances Rosales and Caleb Tidwell opposed. The six present board members May 7 rescinded the previous decision. Vaught was absent. Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@ To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription. This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Parents persuade Rutherford board to rescind PRZ rule to stop busing
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Woman dead, man hurt after serious crash in Isle of Wight
ISLE OF WIGHT, Va. (WAVY) — A woman has died and a man is hurt after a two-vehicle crash in Isle of Wight on Wednesday, police said. Around 3:20 p.m., state police responded to Route 258, south of Bones & Arrows Road. The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of a Honda Civic, 50-year-old Kristin Wiley Felts, was traveling southbound on Route 258 when she swerved into the northbound lanes of Route 258 and into the path of a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro, striking the vehicle head-on. The driver of the Chevrolet Camaro, a 28-year-old man, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Felts was taken to Obici Hospital in Suffolk, where she later died. Currently this is still an active and on-going investigation. It appears that weather and speed were both contributing factors in the crash. No indication that alcohol was a factor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Galax woman killed in deadly roll over crash
CARROLL COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) – Virginia State Police are reporting a woman from Galax has been killed in a single-vehicle accident that occurred in Carroll County on February 4. VSP said that around 7:55 p.m. on Tuesday, a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, driven by 79-year-old Annie R. Felts of Galax, was heading east on Pipers Gap Road when she went off the right side of the road and hit a tree and then a fence. 90-year-old Lynchburg man killed during crash on Moreview Drive identified by LPD The collision caused the Pathfinder to roll over around four times, ejecting her from the vehicle. Felts was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said she was not wearing a seatbelt. The crash remains under investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cruz Foam: Founded By 2 Surfers To Save Us From Plastic
It's the year 2025 and, by now, it is abundantly clear that we have a major plastic problem–garbage patches in the ocean, trash mountains in developing nations, microplastics in organs, sperm, and embryos, and plastic pollution all along our shorelines. While the awareness has led to many important environmental regulations and a shift in consumer behavior, the reality is that government bans will never fully address the issue–the best chance for success comes from innovation within the business sector. Hence the story of Cruz Foam, a sustainable foam packaging company that was founded by two surfers, John Felts and Marco Rolandi, that started with the vision of making eco-friendly surfboard blanks and then pivoted to address the packaging problem as a whole by developing a compostable alternative to plastic foams. Their work has garnered the attention of big name investors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher, entry to the prestigious Maison des Startup Accelerator by LVMH, awards like Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2023, and support of innovative organizations like One Small Planet. In short, they're turning all the right heads while keeping their eyes on the prize–to clean up the ocean by removing single-use plastic from the mainstream business supply chain. Felts, who studied chemical engineering throughout university, started his studies with a certainty that he would go on to work as a chemical engineer for a petrochemical company and, as one does, 'make good money.' Thankfully, life had other plans for him and one of the cues came via surfing the beaches around Santa Barbara whilst he was a student at UCSB. 'All of the oil rigs in the area were contributing to huge amounts of tar on the beach that would end up stuck all along the bottoms of our feet. The only way to remove it was to scrape it off with a knife which is a pretty gnarly thing to have to deal with every time you go to the beach.' Although the tar itself didn't ring the alarm bell for change, Felts realizes now it certainly registered in his subconscious mind. The real catalyst came along with tragedy when his mother suffered a stroke, 'that moment redefined everything. I realized that life is short and incredibly precious. I knew that I had to change course from petroleum engineering, it was absolutely clear to me.' The new life path led him into environmental engineering, which pays about half as much as petroleum engineering, and eventually introduced him to Rolandi, someone who Felts describes as, 'more of a surfer than me and an expert bio-polymer engineer.' Rolandi was Felts' professor at a specialized program at UC Santa Cruz and where they bonded over their shared love of surfing. It was there that the idea for Cruz Foam was born when they realized that surfing in the ocean is, 'one of the most powerful mediums for engagement with nature, but with the worst possible materials (Polyurethane Foam). Being in Santa Cruz, surfboards felt like a perfect place to start to try and solve the problem. We had a ton of community support.' Surfboards, however glorious they may be, are only a miniscule representation of the larger problem, Rolandi and Felts realized that, to truly make an impact, 'it has to scale, and it has to cost the same as petroleum foam. The problem with bio-polymers, in a large sense, is that most applications are super niche.' So the question became, 'How do we get to the roots of this and find a product that can scale and create significant impact?' Once they developed their proprietary blend, which is primarily made from upcycled food waste, they knew they had to consider the powers that be–the oil and gas industry and their petrochemical operations–because, 'they hold all the cards.' Now, this is something rarely talked about in environmental circles and that is, how do we make friends with those who we have vilified for so long? In my opinion, this is where things get very interesting… 'In our outreach, we have been speaking to some of the largest foamers in this country and from around the world. We were shocked to learn that, even as highly profitable companies, they have no innovation branch–their product has been the same for nearly 70 years. That's a huge opportunity to bring value to an industry that is ready for change.' Now, if all my environmental friends could take a moment to think about what it's like to be in the shoes of an employee for a plastics company and that they too have children and a concern for the future and plastic pollution problem, you can begin to see the possibility for immense change. Especially when you know that a certain company has cracked the proverbial code of the packaging problem–Cruz Foam is non-toxic, compostable, has reached cost-parity with traditional plastic foams. As anyone who has tested the waters of startup funding lately will tell you, funds and investors are looking for quick returns or hedging their bets on companies in hot areas like AI and, given the stock market fall of 1/27/25, it's risky and wild. Environmental solutions are often long plays with steep challenges, Cruz Foam has been fortunate to receive early backing from investors who could see past the short term and are now in an incredible position to work alongside some of the biggest and most formidable companies in the world (Big Oil) to create a future that is not poisoned by plastics. Cruz Foam is SURFER Approved.
