Latest news with #Fricker
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Marquis Who's Who Listee Brian Fricker Featured on Innovator's Journey to Discuss Staffing Partners Inc.
Brian Fricker, president of Staffing Partners Inc., was featured on Innovator's Journey to discuss the unique staffing services his company offers. Under Mr. Fricker's leadership, Staffing Partners Inc. has become one of the top staffing agencies in the state of Wisconsin. Unlike other staffing companies, the agency offers transportation and PPE equipment for all employees. Through the BakPak division, the company is able to provide a warehouse space with a forklift and loading dock where clients can have assembly, packaging and fulfillment services completed. Looking to the future, Mr. Fricker hopes to expand Staffing Partners Inc. out of Wisconsin. For more information, visit About Marquis Who's Who®: Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at For more information about TV Interviews, please contact us at tvinterviews@
The Advertiser
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
'Fundamentally unfair': Hunter councils banned from issuing ticketless parking fines
The days of controversial ticketless parking fines are quickly coming to an end. From July 1, all councils will be required to provide immediate notice to vehicles involved in parking violations. In recent years, thousands of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie drivers had to wait about 10 days before receiving written advice from Revenue NSW about their alleged violation. In most cases, the opportunity to gather evidence to dispute the infringement had passed. Merewether builder Mark Fricker was among dozens of drivers who had their ticketless parking fines dismissed in court. Mr Fricker made headlines in February when he challenged his $320 fine, issued by a City of Newcastle vehicle fitted with licence plate recognition technology, for parking in a bus zone outside his house while he unlocked a gate. The episode prompted Newcastle councillors to defend the ticketless parking fine scheme, arguing its removal would put parking rangers at psychological and physical risk. However, it was also acknowledged that the system would be fairer if a text was sent when a ticketless fine was issued to allow the penalised driver to collect evidence in their defence. Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said the state government was determined to stamp out ticketless parking fines. "The ticketless parking fine system introduced by the previous government was fundamentally unfair, which is why we've taken strong action," she said. "We've given councils plenty of opportunity to transition to the new system. From July 1 any fines they issue must comply or will be invalidated." Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils confirmed they would comply with the NSW Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Act 2024 from July 1. "City of Newcastle (CN) does not currently issue notifications of parking infringements via text message, as we do not have access to mobile phone information for registered owners," a spokeswoman said. "As per a lord mayoral minute at the February 2025 council meeting, City of Newcastle wrote to the NSW government to request the use of text message notification through their current ownership information database. "Our understanding is this process has not been adopted by Revenue NSW." A Lake Macquarie council spokesman said council rangers did not have access to phone numbers associated with vehicles. Therefore text message was not a viable notification alternative. Ticketless parking fines, in particular the practice of automatically referring them to Revenue NSW, also featured in the recently released report into City of Newcastle's policies, processes and procedures. The Davidson Business Advisory review recommended that the council consider introducing a parking fine review process prior to referring fines to Revenue NSW. "Complaints related to disputed parking fines are referred directly to Revenue NSW, without an internal review of whether the fine was reasonable, or compassionate grounds should be considered in the specific context," the report said. "The review found that CN staff distanced themselves from any responsibility for review of parking infringements by deferring to Revenue NSW for all decisions describing a review function as 'not their role'." The days of controversial ticketless parking fines are quickly coming to an end. From July 1, all councils will be required to provide immediate notice to vehicles involved in parking violations. In recent years, thousands of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie drivers had to wait about 10 days before receiving written advice from Revenue NSW about their alleged violation. In most cases, the opportunity to gather evidence to dispute the infringement had passed. Merewether builder Mark Fricker was among dozens of drivers who had their ticketless parking fines dismissed in court. Mr Fricker made headlines in February when he challenged his $320 fine, issued by a City of Newcastle vehicle fitted with licence plate recognition technology, for parking in a bus zone outside his house while he unlocked a gate. The episode prompted Newcastle councillors to defend the ticketless parking fine scheme, arguing its removal would put parking rangers at psychological and physical risk. However, it was also acknowledged that the system would be fairer if a text was sent when a ticketless fine was issued to allow the penalised driver to collect evidence in their defence. Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said the state government was determined to stamp out ticketless parking fines. "The ticketless parking fine system introduced by the previous government was fundamentally unfair, which is why we've taken strong action," she said. "We've given councils plenty of opportunity to transition to the new system. From July 1 any fines they issue must comply or will be invalidated." Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils confirmed they would comply with the NSW Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Act 2024 from July 1. "City of Newcastle (CN) does not currently issue notifications of parking infringements via text message, as we do not have access to mobile phone information for registered owners," a spokeswoman said. "As per a lord mayoral minute at the February 2025 council meeting, City of Newcastle wrote to the NSW government to request the use of text message notification through their current ownership information database. "Our understanding is this process has not been adopted by Revenue NSW." A Lake Macquarie council spokesman said council rangers did not have access to phone numbers associated with vehicles. Therefore text message was not a viable notification alternative. Ticketless parking fines, in particular the practice of automatically referring them to Revenue NSW, also featured in the recently released report into City of Newcastle's policies, processes and procedures. The Davidson Business Advisory review recommended that the council consider introducing a parking fine review process prior to referring fines to Revenue NSW. "Complaints related to disputed parking fines are referred directly to Revenue NSW, without an internal review of whether the fine was reasonable, or compassionate grounds should be considered in the specific context," the report said. "The review found that CN staff distanced themselves from any responsibility for review of parking infringements by deferring to Revenue NSW for all decisions describing a review function as 'not their role'." The days of controversial ticketless parking fines are quickly coming to an end. From July 1, all councils will be required to provide immediate notice to vehicles involved in parking violations. In recent years, thousands of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie drivers had to wait about 10 days before receiving written advice from Revenue NSW about their alleged violation. In most cases, the opportunity to gather evidence to dispute the infringement had passed. Merewether builder Mark Fricker was among dozens of drivers who had their ticketless parking fines dismissed in court. Mr Fricker made headlines in February when he challenged his $320 fine, issued by a City of Newcastle vehicle fitted with licence plate recognition technology, for parking in a bus zone outside his house while he unlocked a gate. The episode prompted Newcastle councillors to defend the ticketless parking fine scheme, arguing its removal would put parking rangers at psychological and physical risk. However, it was also acknowledged that the system would be fairer if a text was sent when a ticketless fine was issued to allow the penalised driver to collect evidence in their defence. Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said the state government was determined to stamp out ticketless parking fines. "The ticketless parking fine system introduced by the previous government was fundamentally unfair, which is why we've taken strong action," she said. "We've given councils plenty of opportunity to transition to the new system. From July 1 any fines they issue must comply or will be invalidated." Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils confirmed they would comply with the NSW Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Act 2024 from July 1. "City of Newcastle (CN) does not currently issue notifications of parking infringements via text message, as we do not have access to mobile phone information for registered owners," a spokeswoman said. "As per a lord mayoral minute at the February 2025 council meeting, City of Newcastle wrote to the NSW government to request the use of text message notification through their current ownership information database. "Our understanding is this process has not been adopted by Revenue NSW." A Lake Macquarie council spokesman said council rangers did not have access to phone numbers associated with vehicles. Therefore text message was not a viable notification alternative. Ticketless parking fines, in particular the practice of automatically referring them to Revenue NSW, also featured in the recently released report into City of Newcastle's policies, processes and procedures. The Davidson Business Advisory review recommended that the council consider introducing a parking fine review process prior to referring fines to Revenue NSW. "Complaints related to disputed parking fines are referred directly to Revenue NSW, without an internal review of whether the fine was reasonable, or compassionate grounds should be considered in the specific context," the report said. "The review found that CN staff distanced themselves from any responsibility for review of parking infringements by deferring to Revenue NSW for all decisions describing a review function as 'not their role'." The days of controversial ticketless parking fines are quickly coming to an end. From July 1, all councils will be required to provide immediate notice to vehicles involved in parking violations. In recent years, thousands of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie drivers had to wait about 10 days before receiving written advice from Revenue NSW about their alleged violation. In most cases, the opportunity to gather evidence to dispute the infringement had passed. Merewether builder Mark Fricker was among dozens of drivers who had their ticketless parking fines dismissed in court. Mr Fricker made headlines in February when he challenged his $320 fine, issued by a City of Newcastle vehicle fitted with licence plate recognition technology, for parking in a bus zone outside his house while he unlocked a gate. The episode prompted Newcastle councillors to defend the ticketless parking fine scheme, arguing its removal would put parking rangers at psychological and physical risk. However, it was also acknowledged that the system would be fairer if a text was sent when a ticketless fine was issued to allow the penalised driver to collect evidence in their defence. Finance Minister Courtney Houssos said the state government was determined to stamp out ticketless parking fines. "The ticketless parking fine system introduced by the previous government was fundamentally unfair, which is why we've taken strong action," she said. "We've given councils plenty of opportunity to transition to the new system. From July 1 any fines they issue must comply or will be invalidated." Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils confirmed they would comply with the NSW Fines Amendment (Parking Fines) Act 2024 from July 1. "City of Newcastle (CN) does not currently issue notifications of parking infringements via text message, as we do not have access to mobile phone information for registered owners," a spokeswoman said. "As per a lord mayoral minute at the February 2025 council meeting, City of Newcastle wrote to the NSW government to request the use of text message notification through their current ownership information database. "Our understanding is this process has not been adopted by Revenue NSW." A Lake Macquarie council spokesman said council rangers did not have access to phone numbers associated with vehicles. Therefore text message was not a viable notification alternative. Ticketless parking fines, in particular the practice of automatically referring them to Revenue NSW, also featured in the recently released report into City of Newcastle's policies, processes and procedures. The Davidson Business Advisory review recommended that the council consider introducing a parking fine review process prior to referring fines to Revenue NSW. "Complaints related to disputed parking fines are referred directly to Revenue NSW, without an internal review of whether the fine was reasonable, or compassionate grounds should be considered in the specific context," the report said. "The review found that CN staff distanced themselves from any responsibility for review of parking infringements by deferring to Revenue NSW for all decisions describing a review function as 'not their role'."
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside Calvin Pickard's long journey to starting Oilers' Round 1 playoff games
LOS ANGELES — This was never supposed to be the plan for Calvin Pickard. That Pickard has started the last three playoff games for the Edmonton Oilers isn't how coach Kris Knoblauch would have drawn it up a few months ago. The Oilers started the season by charting a course for how to best prepare Stuart Skinner for a long playoff run. Pickard's role, as it's often been in his career, was to relieve Skinner and provide mentorship to the younger goalie. Advertisement But Skinner's inconsistent play and late-season concussion changed Knoblauch's thinking to the point where he knew he'd have to rely on Pickard. 'We're very fortunate that Calvin, who's a typical backup goalie, is a gamer,' Knoblauch said. 'He's ready. He likes the pressure. A lot of credit to him.' And so it's been the veteran journeyman who's backstopped the Oilers from a 2-0 deficit to a 3-2 advantage in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. 'I want to pitch in any way I can,' Pickard said. It's only fitting Pickard's in this situation in this manner. After all, little about the 33-year-old's career has turned out as planned. Outside of Pickard himself, no one knows that better than his personal goalie coach, Paul Fricker. The two met when the pupil was just 15 and Fricker was guiding the netminders for the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds. Pickard was a workhorse for the T-birds back then and wound up setting the league's all-time saves and minutes played records, doing so in just four seasons rather than the maximum five. Pickard was on his way to being an NHL goaltender. It took most of three seasons with the American Hockey League's Lake Erie Monsters, but Pickard broke through during the 2014-15 season with the Colorado Avalanche — the team that drafted him the second round in 2010. His breakout campaign came in 2016-17, when he appeared in 50 games and posted a respectable .904 save percentage for the last-place Avalanche. He was Canada's starting goaltender at the World Championship and went toe-to-toe with future Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist in the gold medal game, only to lose in a shootout. Pickard was then selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft and was supposed to back up Marc-Andre Fleury. As Fricker said, Pickard 'naively thought' Vegas would be his team. Just as that inaugural season began, the Golden Knights plucked Malcolm Subban off waivers and ditched Pickard. That sent Pickard on a nomadic trek across the minor leagues with cups of coffee in the NHL for the next six-plus seasons. Advertisement It wasn't always easy, but seldom did Pickard get sour or cynical with his career prospects. 'He's never given up on himself,' Fricker said. 'He's stayed singularly minded and focused on doing what needed to be done at a given time.' Fricker likens Pickard to a 'chameleon' because he's easily adapted to any situation and, without fail, with a great attitude. However, that also got the goalie pigeonholed. He was viewed as someone who could support a younger netminder an organization had invested more in. That started when he left Vegas and went to the AHL's Toronto Marlies to work in a tandem with Garret Sparks. They split time in the regular season, but Sparks got the net in the playoffs. 'I've been at this 45 years,' Fricker said. 'He might top the list on mentally tough, even though his demeanor doesn't show it. He hasn't just endured. He's actually succeeded and been effective.' He's done so without much championing. That's because Pickard's style has often been the subject of concern and criticism. Fricker calls Pickard an 'in-betweener,' someone who was caught between two stylistic eras of goaltending. 'I'm talking the difference between just going out and allowing it to happen, and all the form and technique that started to override the position,' Fricker said. During the 2022 offseason, Pickard signed a two-year contract with the Oilers to be the organizational No. 3 behind Jack Campbell and Skinner. He was given a chance with the Oilers only because of Campbell's poor start to the previous season. Pickard knows his technical abilities aren't perfect; his strengths are his athleticism and the way he battles around the crease, and Fricker has never tried to reinvent that approach. Pickard poked fun at himself late in the regular season for doing a double-pad stack in 2025. Advertisement Knoblauch said what Pickard lacks in that regard, he makes up for in the way he thinks the game, reads the play and skates. The latter skill is a hallmark of Fricker's teachings. 'Calvin's been very valuable since I've been here,' Knoblauch said. 'Think about the games that he's come in. He has a winning record as a backup goalie in the regular season. Last year, we put him in in the playoffs, and he puts in two really good games against Vancouver. Lets Skins reset. Skins had a good run after that.' It took a lot of guts for Knoblauch and Oilers goalie coach Dustin Schwartz to veer away from Skinner in the third period of Game 3 in that second-round series against the Canucks. It also took Pickard's puck-stopping efforts to make them look smart. He made an impact in a Game 4 win, stopping 19 of 21 shots. He was just as good in Game 5 with 32 saves, but J.T. Miller scored in the final minute to restore the Canucks' series lead. The Oilers went back to Skinner for Game 6, a move that wasn't necessarily met with universal approval within the dressing room given how well Pickard had played. 'You can make the argument he saved the playoffs for them,' Fricker said. That's not hyperbole. Had the Oilers stuck with Skinner in Game 4 and he continued to struggle, the Oilers easily could have been facing a 3-1 deficit with little hope of recovering. Instead, Pickard helped turn the tide. This season, he's doing it again. Pickard is quick to point out that his teammates are playing much better in front of him than they did for Skinner. It's not like he's stealing them games. But he's been providing steady netminding, especially over the last 5 1/2 periods dating to Kevin Fiala's breakaway marker midway though the second period of Game 4. 'It's sooner in the playoffs,' Pickard said of the difference between 2024 and 2025. 'Towards the end of the regular season, I got a decent amount of games to feel ready. Last year, I was off for quite a while before I stepped in against Vancouver.' Advertisement Pickard's insertion into the net isn't the reason the Oilers are ahead against the Kings. He didn't come in and immediately change the complexion of the series. In fact, he allowed a goal on the first shot he saw from Kings sniper Adrian Kempe in the third period of Game 2, albeit on an uncontested chance in close. He allowed seven goals over the next two games, including a couple of iffy ones to Trevor Moore. But Pickard has been solid since allowing that Fiala breakaway chance. He wasn't tested much from that point onward as the Oilers took over that contest, but he didn't allow another goal as part of a 38-save performance. The Oilers' domination of the Kings continued in Game 5, but Pickard still had to do his part. He managed to keep out a Kempe breakaway attempt halfway through the game and got his right pad on a Fiala wrapround try with two minutes left with the Kings at six-on-five and in search of a tying goal. 'Picks is just making every save he needs to make,' winger Zach Hyman said. 'As a player, that gives you confidence that if you go out and do your job then everything is going to work out.' 'Picks has done a great job all year staying ready and staying sharp. The moment never seems to be too big for him,' fellow winger Evander Kane added. 'He's come into this series and been a big boost and done an incredible job for us.' It's a testament to his perseverance and dedication to his craft. Fittingly, he earned the Oilers' nomination for the Masterton Trophy from the Edmonton chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association last month after a 22-win campaign. 'It's been impressive to watch, to be a part of to some degree,' said Fricker, who gets a call from Pickard daily and still works with him every summer in Winnipeg. The Oilers players were thrilled that Pickard got that Masterton recognition. He's regarded as someone who's down-to-earth, a tremendous teammate and a dressing room cutup thanks to his quick and wry sense of humour. Advertisement That means a lot to Pickard, but he's always wanted more. He's taken a long and circuitous route to get to this point, but he's in an important role for the Oilers right now. 'It feels good getting your name called upon early,' Pickard said. 'I just want to go out and do my job. I've been saying it all year, playing behind our team, it's a blessing for me. I just want to keep continuing to do what I can do and help the team win.'
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Democrat fights to implement Platte County child mental health tax
PLATTE CITY, Mo. – The Children Services Tax in Platte County has a new twist. Democratic House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City and Platte County resident, has filed a bill that she says would close a loophole the county commission used to avoid implementing the quarter cent sales tax. It was aimed at helping children with their mental health in the county. 56 percent of the voters in the county supported the tax in November of 2024. The commission ended up not implementing the tax. KCFD says all Cloverleaf Apartment tenants relocated, complex closed Platte County Republican Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker had not heard of what Aune had done when FOX4 reached out to him Monday morning. Aune's office came out with a news release about this issue Monday. She filed the legislation Thursday. The three-member county commission said that because of the way state law's worded, counties 'may' implement a Children Services Tax, but they don't have to if they don't want to. Aune says her bill clarifies that if a county's voters approve of establishing a tax like the one Platte County residents did in November of 2024, it must be implemented. FOX4 wasn't able to talk to Aune on camera Monday. 'When voters agree to tax themselves to protect the welfare of children, their wishes must be respected,' Aune said. 'Elected officials who don't like an electoral outcome should have no ability to thwart it. My legislation simply closes a legal loophole to guarantee the will of voters is carried out.' Besides Aune's bill, supporters of the Platte County tax have sued the county to try to get them to implement it. 'Both actions are intended to placate the base,' Fricker said about both the lawsuit and the legislation. 'Their base is screaming about this, so I understand that they need to do something, and the other similarity is that neither one really has much of a chance of success.' Fricker pointed us back to a study the Platte County Health Department came out with in January. Fricker's opposition on this issue, Dennis Meier of the mental health agency Synergy Services said that in January, the improvement of the mental health of the children in Platte County was very small. Family releases statement after boy killed in Platte Co. crime spree Monday, Fricker said there's no mental health crisis in the county. 'It's in my view, a manufactured problem,' Fricker said. 'Really?' FOX4 replied. 'Yes, it's a manufactured problem,' Fricker said. 'Even though the majority of the voters would disagree with that?' FOX4 replied. 'The majority of the people who voted on that day obviously disagree with that,' Fricker said. 'I represent everybody in Platte County, and most people don't vote as we all know.' Fricker said Platte County already sends $3 million a year to the Clay, Platte, Ray Mental Health Board of Trustees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Platte County residents sue officials over refusal to enact voter-approved sales tax
Platte County residents are suing the Platte County Commission and the Missouri Department of Revenue for refusing to enact and collect a voter-approved sales tax to support youth mental health initiatives throughout the county. The lawsuit asks the court to require county and state officials to take the actions needed to start collecting the tax by April 1. Chuck Hatfield, an attorney who specializes in cases involving actions of Missouri governments, filed the suit on behalf of two Platte County residents: former Parkville Alderman Warren 'Greg' Plumb and Tara Bennett. The two supported the tax and the coalition that gathered signatures to get the question on the ballot in November against commissioners' wishes. In November, 56% of voters approved the quarter-of-a-cent-sales tax to expand mental health services through the creation of a Children's Services Fund. Despite the election results, the commissioners then refused to levy the tax during a largely attended meeting in December. The lawsuit says commissioners' 'failure to administer the Children's Services Tax is a violation of their mandatory duties' according to Missouri law. 'This has always been about kids and youth needing more services and better access to mental health care in five counties,' said Dennis Meier, co-executive director of Synergy Services. Synergy is a part of the coalition that fought to get the measure before voters by collecting signatures in the spring after commissioners said they would not voluntarily put it on the ballot. Other nonprofits such as Beacon Mental Health and Feed Northland also helped lead the signature gathering effort. Meier said the coalition is not the one suing because the dispute is not about the coalition specifically, but instead about the commission's choice to go against the will of voters. The lawsuit names Platte County commissioners Scott Fricker, Joe Vanover and newly elected Allyson Berberich as respondents. Also named is Patricia Vincent, the director of the Missouri Department of Revenue. The suit alleges that the state agency is 'statutorily required' to collect the tax after it was adopted by voters. But DOR officials said they would not levy the tax without an ordinance or a court order, according to the lawsuit. In a statement responding to the suit, Joe Vanover described the legal challenge as a waste of money to push a political agenda. 'The radical left only cares about raising taxes and advancing their woke agenda. Instead of helping children, they are wasting money on lawyers,' Vanover said in a statement. In December the coalition that pushed for the tax started a GoFundMe campaign for legal fees to challenge the commissioner's decision. As of Friday, the campaign had raised about $5,000 of its $75,000 goal. Berberich did not immediately respond for comment. 'The taxpayer funds spent on the attorney will be the result of this lawsuit, not a result of anything that the commission did,' said Fricker. Fricker also questioned who is funding the 'expensive' lawyers that the residents hired. In December the all-Republican commission heard nearly two hours of public comment from residents about the Children's Services Fund sales tax that voters had soundly approved the previous month to expand youth mental health services. Still, commissioners discarded the county's majority vote, claiming Missouri law gave them the discretion to not levy the sales tax if they didn't want to. Commissioners argued that the ballot question 'authorized' the county to implement the tax but didn't require it to, in effect leaving the decision up to the commission. The lawsuit disputes that interpretation, alleging the commissioners were required to enact the tax 'in obedience to the mandate of Missouri law, without regard to their own judgment or opinion.' During the meeting, the board called the county's legal counselor Rob Redman to explain the county's analysis of the state statute regarding the tax. Redman zeroed in on the word 'may' to justify the commission's decision. He read from the law, 'The governing body of a city not within a county, or any county of this state may, after voter approval under this section, levy a sales tax.' Vanover said the statute has been clear for 20 years, referencing a 2005 amendment to the law. To him, the Platte County Commission's unanimous vote was not an overturn or override of the voters in Platte because the statute has given the commission the authority to make the final decision. Some voters disagreed. 'The commissioners have decided our voice doesn't matter, and this should bother everyone no matter their vote,' said Platte County resident Lorene Osterhaus at the time. 'This board has told us our vote does not count.'
