Latest news with #Furr
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
‘A housing crisis on steroids.' Seniors are increasingly living in cars.
She fled an abusive marriage three years ago, carrying what she could fit in one suitcase. Her weight and blood pressure shot up, her knees gave out, her ability to work declined, and, with little money, she resorted to alternately renting a room from a friend and couch surfing at her daughter's home in Boston. 'A lot of people didn't know I was homeless; they thought I was back just chillin' with my daughter,' Furr said. 'Just having that secret, I felt embarrassed because I was in my 50s, and I just couldn't understand how I ended up here.' Advertisement After months of ferrying belongings from place to place, she found an apartment in October with Advertisement Sometimes, just a relatively small amount of money to help pay a late utility or tax bill, or basic house repairs, can prevent or delay homelessness, said 'We found that out of 119 people we helped last year, we provided an average of $116.40 to each person to prevent them from becoming homeless,' she said. Now, 'I am finding more seniors living in their cars,' said Sheri Miller-Bedau, a city health inspector in Attleboro. 'We are in Massachusetts. We have great schools. We are supposed to be leading edge. How is this happening?' She said local shelters were so full this past winter that even older adults living in their cars were not considered an emergency and were told they had at least a six-month wait. Staff from the 'In January alone in Hampden county, 45 people over 65 were identified as homeless, five of whom were sleeping outside,' said Pamela Schwartz, the network director. 'These numbers are cause for alarm and for action.' Schwartz and others are backing Advertisement The Somerville pilot program started in February with $100,000 in state funding and has so far helped 10 households with older adults remain in their homes by paying a portion of their rent and also helping them enroll in other assistance programs. But that's a fraction of those needing help. As of last October, 271 older adults in Somerville were on a federal affordable housing waitlist, and of that total, just four found housing in 2024. The shortest wait time was 10 months, said Ellen Shachter, who directs the Somerville Office of Housing Stability. 'I don't have the illusion that any one program is going to be enough to keep every older adult in their home until there's a permanent solution,' she said. But the Bridge program, which is hoping for $200,000 from the Legislature in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, is a start, she said. Another proposal, by Senator Julian Cyr, a Provincetown Democrat, aims to help residents aged 65 and older who often find themselves house rich but cash poor, living on a fixed income in homes where they can no longer afford the taxes or upkeep. The bill expands the state's current Advertisement Cyr, whose district — Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket — is home to the state's oldest population, said it's becoming increasingly common to see seniors living in their cars. 'It's a housing crisis on steroids,' he said. 'When I stop at a park or restroom [on the Cape], I will often see a car, a sedan packed to the gills, and there is an older person, usually an older woman, who is living in the car.' Furr, the former health aide who couch-surfed for two years and is now living in Hearth affordable housing in Boston, is hoping to help other women who find themselves in the precarious place she was in not that long ago. 'I've seen women sit at the bus stop and their whole life is in their backpack,' she said. 'I know their pain.' Research indicates people who are homeless Since receiving housing last fall, Furr has lost 30 pounds. Her blood pressure is in check. Her energy is back. And she's working: she's the night manager of the building where she now lives. She's also talking to Hearth about helping her open a new health center that would help other women. 'At 55, 56 years old, if you got to put your life on your back and sit outside all day, you could be the victim of anything,' she said. Advertisement She envisions a place that helps prevent homelessness by providing a meal, friendship, education, counseling, and help to find housing, if that's what's needed. 'I appreciate the help that I got,' Furr said. 'I don't want to just say, 'I appreciate it.' I want to do something.' Kay Lazar can be reached at
Miami Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
New Barry University men's basketball coach working to return Bucs to glory
After a quarter-century as an assistant men's basketball coach, Justin Furr is finally running his own program – and he's not going to get out-worked. Furr, 48, was named Barry University's men's basketball coach on May 1, replacing Butch Estes, who retired after 12 years with the Bucs. 'I'm excited,' Furr said. 'It feels like I'm coming home.' That's because Furr – who is a native of North Carolina and played college ball at Wingate – had some of his most successful years at Barry as Estes' assistant coach. In Furr's five years at Barry, the Bucs went to the NCAA Division II Tournament each time. And, in Furr's final season as a Barry assistant, the Bucs made it to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years. They also won an exhibition game over Auburn, which went on that year to win the SEC regular-season championship. 'I'm delighted with the choice,' Estes said of the Furr hiring. 'I don't think they could've hired anybody who fits Barry better. 'Justin was responsible for recruiting many of the players that took us to the highest levels of Division II basketball. And, since he left Barry, he prepared himself even more to become a head coach.' Indeed, in the past seven years since leaving Barry, Furr was a Division I assistant coach, first at Florida Gulf Coast and then at Indiana State, the school made famous by Larry Bird. In Furr's three seasons at Indiana State, the Sycamores went 69-38, including a 32-7 record and a berth in the NIT championship game in 2023-2024. That was Indiana State's best record in 44 years. Which leads us to how hard Furr has been working at Barry. After getting hired last week, Furr left his home in Terre Haute, Indiana at 3:30 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. flight to Miami. From there, he and assistant coach Kevin Donahue worked until 10:30 p.m. as they strive to put together a roster for the 2025-2026 season. 'Not every day is going to be like that,' Furr said. 'But the next day was a 14-hour day. There are long days in this job, but I'm thrilled with the reception I've gotten from local high school and junior-college coaches. It's been awesome.' The Bucs are coming off a 12-17 season, which is a long way down from the 117-37 record that Estes posted with Furr as his assistant. In those five seasons, Barry's average record was 23-7. Since then, Sunshine State Conference rival Nova Southeastern University hired coach Jim Crutchfield, and the Sharks have dominated the league … and the country. Over the past three years, NSU has won two national titles and finished second once, leaving schools such as Barry in the proverbial dust. 'Coach Crutchfield has a unique style, and I have the utmost respect for him,' Furr said. 'He has put a stranglehold on the league, but we're going to try to match up with them.' Furr said that, going forward, Barry will be analytically driven, meaning a fast offense that hunts layups and 3-pointers. The object will be to score in the first 15 seconds of every possession. Barry, which will primarily run a man defense, has six scholarship players returning. That includes five players who started games last season: Malik Stanley; Michael Bradley III; Adren Roberts; Akeem Crandon; and Sami Elkamel. Furr said he is looking to sign three or four more players, and he is optimistic he will find some gems. 'There are so many players available now due to the transfer portal,' Furr said. 'There are players visiting our campus that we never could've gotten previously. 'I'm just trying to be patient.' Furr said he is confident he can bring Barry back to where it was one decade ago. 'It's not going to be built in a day,' Furr said. 'But we're looking for players with competitive character – guys who will give you their best no matter the circumstances. 'We want problem solvers and not excuse makers.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Conservative groups push back against potential property tax hikes in Davidson County
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Three conservative grassroots organizations have joined forces in an effort to fight back against a possible property tax hike in Davidson County. The organizations have said that property taxes are becoming a burden. With higher costs and economic uncertainty, the possibility of higher property taxes in Nashville has gotten pushback. Americans for Prosperity Tennessee, GOP Nashville and the Nashville Tea Party have teamed up to campaign against a potential property tax hike in Nashville after a 34% increase in 2020. PREVIOUS: Davidson County home values increase, potentially meaning rise in property tax 'Nashvillians are not the ATM. There are other ways. You could cut your spending,' said Pamela Furr, the grassroots director of Americans for Prosperity Tennessee. Furr told News 2 that she had seen some Metro Councilmembers send emails to constituents in their districts talking about federal cuts. 'There have been, to my knowledge no federal cuts to anything that should affect Nashville — not Nashville city government,' Furr said. 'If you want that transit plan to be fully funded and to work, keep more money in our pockets so that we can spend money on goods that will be sales taxed.' Mayor Freddie O'Connell has said in the past a tax hike this spring is likely, but he has not said how much of an increase. In a March press conference, the mayor said he thinks the federal funding scenario is going to put a lot of pressure on it.'Nashville's overall popularity and overall low taxes mean people continue to relocate here and as we grow, we have to provide services to more residents than ever,' he said during a roundtable discussion in April. ⏩ The groups plan to bring the issue up in a call to action on May 1 at the Nashville Public Library, coinciding with the Mayor's State of Metro address. 'Now is the time for Nashvillians to get together,' Furr said. 'I think that Mayor O'Connell is a reasonable person … we can talk to and say, 'No new taxes, sir. Please, do not do this to us again.'' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
William Furr odds to win the 2025 Texas Children's Houston Open
William Furr odds to win the 2025 Texas Children's Houston Open Texas Children's Houston Open details and info Date: March 27-30, 2025 March 27-30, 2025 Course: Memorial Park Golf Course Memorial Park Golf Course Location: Houston, TX Houston, TX Previous Winner: Stephan Jaeger How to watch the Texas Children's Houston Open Thursday: Golf Channel Golf Channel Friday: Golf Channel Golf Channel Saturday: Golf Channel, NBC Golf Channel, NBC Sunday: Golf Channel, NBC Watch golf on Fubo! Furr odds to win the Texas Children's Houston Open PGA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 2:59 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Furr odds to finish in the top 5 at the Texas Children's Houston Open Furr odds to finish in the top 10 at the Texas Children's Houston Open Other betting markets for Furr at the Texas Children's Houston Open Furr recent performances Furr participated in 19 tournaments over the last year, and he did not secure a top-10 finish. In his past four appearances, Furr finished outside the top 20.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Truck driver seriously injured in I-77 pile-up, faces long recovery
A truck driver faces a long recovery after he was seriously hurt Friday in a pile-up on Interstate 77 in Statesville. Chopper 9 Skyzoom was over the scene when a medical helicopter landed on I-77 to fly an injured Larry Furr to a hospital. 1 hurt after tractor-trailer causes chain-reaction crash on I-77, troopers say 'After seeing the pictures of his truck, I'm truly thankful that he did survive,' said Cheryl Faggart, his fiancé. Furr was driving a tractor-trailer that was partially crushed in the wreck. Faggart said she knew something was wrong when Furr didn't call her back for hours. 'After he didn't contact me back, I was checking his location and his location was in the same spot for a long time,' she said. 'Normally, when that happens, he does call me back. So, then I started kind of panicking thinking he had been in an accident.' Faggart found out after Furr's trucking company called her. The medical helicopter flew him to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. Furr lost part of his lower leg and part of his intestines were removed. His liver was repaired. Faggart is grateful Furr is alert and awake, talking and joking. 'He's kind of joking around about things. I'm sure that's just to kind of keep himself going at this point,' Faggarts said. She added, 'He is just a good man. He was working hard to provide for our family and that has kind of, been taken away from us now. And it definitely takes both of us to be able to do what we need to do to survive.' Furr's next steps are rehab and more surgeries before being prepped for a prosthetic, she said. 'The one thing that he has said time and time again is that he truly believes that Jesus was with him in that truck,' Faggart said. 'Because if not, he does not think he would have survived.' Furr has a second grandchild on the way. If you would like to help Furr, click here. VIDEO: Tractor-trailer crash shuts down I-77 near Troutman
