Latest news with #Gasser
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lieutenant Gasser named Evansville Firefighter of the year
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Green River Kiwanis announced the 2024 Evansville Firefighter of the year during a ceremony on Wednesday. Lieutenant Drew Gasser was awarded the honor during the club's meeting at Epworth United Methodist Church. Gasser said he found out about the award just a few weeks ago, and he's not sure who nominated him for the award. However, he said he believes he received the award because he has been volunteering at the station during his time off and teaching rope courses at the station. Evansville Fire Chief Tony Knight presented the award alongside Mayor Stephanie Terry and members of the Board of Public Safety. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hidden Away For Decades, 1955 Chevy Bel Air Racer Looking At Restoration
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious The 1950s were an incredible time for the automotive and drag racing communities to emphasize insanely powerful and unique race cars. Of course, the steel-bodied masterpieces of that era became instantly iconic due to the owners' ability to modify the exterior to fit their personality exactly. Under the hood were some of America's most significant engines, which pushed out massive amounts of horsepower and torque. This meant that straight-line speed was the main focus for most American automotive enthusiasts in that period. Without a doubt, these cars did their job exceptionally well and have gained an insane reputation and following from the older car crowd. Watch a Gasser race a new Supra here. This car is a perfect example of that intense image, a 1955 Chevrolet Gasser! While the vehicle may not look like much of anything in its current state of not having a drivetrain of most of the front half of the car, it was an incredible racer in its prime. After sitting in the woods for an unknown amount of time, the car was finally purchased and transferred to an indoor storage facility for decades. The car's creator was a man named Tommy Clayton, who initially slapped together a 301 ci Chevy small-block which was paired to a three-speed transmission. While the transmission may have been an odd choice for the time due to the popularity of the four-speed manual, the combination worked very well as the car was known at the local tracks as a great performer. Unfortunately, the car was met with tragedy at Harriman Drag Strip when the clutch exploded, destroying most internals. The racer salvaged what he could and put it all into a Chevy Bel-Air, which would use a four-speed transmission and received the name "Phantom." Nowadays, the car is looking down the barrel of a massive restoration project ahead of the current owner. In contrast, it may seem nearly impossible due to its current lack of engine, transmission, and many of the necessary working parts, as well as a ridiculous amount of rust. Nevertheless, he has already made good progress and has big plans for this piece of American automotive history.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Champaign man sentenced to 31 years in prison for road rage shooting
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign man who shot a U of I student in a case of road rage more than three years ago was sentenced to 31 years in prison for the crime after he pleaded guilty on Thursday. Derrick Humphrey, 34, reached a deal with prosecutors where he pleaded guilty to charges in two separate cases against him. One case was the road rage shooting, and he pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder. In the other case, he pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon as a felon. Sangamon Co. jury finds man guilty of sexually assaulting his granddaughter Police officers found Humphrey in possession of a gun during a routine traffic stop seven months after the shooting. Ballistic testing later determined it was the weapon used in the road rage shooting. After accepting Humphrey's guilty plea, Judge Roger Weber sentenced him to 31 years in prison for attempted murder and a concurrent seven years for unlawful weapon possession. Humphrey was given credit for two years he's already served in custody. The sentencing came almost two years to the day after that testing gave prosecutors the evidence they needed to charge Humphrey with shooting Liam Gasser on Oct. 24, 2021. Champaign Police determined that at the intersection of Prospect Avenue and Town Center Boulevard, a car cut Gasser off and he honked his horn. Decatur man accused of shooting at rival DoorDash driver and her children Humphrey was inside the car that cut Gasser off, and he responded by firing a shot at the 24-year-old college student. Gasser, a club lacrosse player at U of I and an aspiring EMT, was getting supplies for his Halloween costume when his life was changed forever. The bullet struck him just behind the left ear, ricocheted off his cervical vertebrae, and exited below his right ear. It was an injury that Gasser survived, but he was left forever paralyzed. The shooting happened in broad daylight and at a busy intersection in Champaign's shopping district. Despite witnesses describing the car responsible for the shooting — a black Chevrolet Equinox — it was 18 months before Humphrey was finally charged. Champaign shooting victim responds to suspect's arrest Before that, officers pulled over a black Equinox in May of 2022. Humphrey was driving the car and officers found a gun inside, which prosecutors said he wasn't allowed to have. Humphrey was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, and he was later released on bond. It wasn't until March of 2023 that testing revealed the gun found in Humphrey's car was the weapon used to hurt Gasser. When Humphrey was walking into court for his unlawful possession case, he was arrested and charged with attempted murder. Humphrey has been in custody ever since and he will spend 29 more years in prison following his guilty plea. 'It's always the smallest tip that helps…' shooting victim's mother looking for help from you New details in possible road rage shooting incident Loved ones looking for support as U of I graduate suffers bad injuries from shooting Mother of shooting victim advocates for license plate cameras VIDEO: Champaign shooting victim defies odds by walking again 'Love for Liam' benefit draws hundreds in support of shooting victim 1 year later, Champaign 'road rage' shooting remains unsolved Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
19-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
US moves backward amid steps to close racial gap in homeownership
Housing experts say it doesn't have to be that way. The road to homeownership runs uphill for many prospective buyers, but for those of color, the grade is steeper. The good news is: with hard work, discipline, patience, and the right coaching, many renters who don't think they can achieve their goal of becoming homeowners actually can, giving them access to the many financial benefits of owning property. Advertisement Bob Credle is the director of community programs for Credle and his colleagues look at the prospective buyers' overall financial picture and coach them on how to save money, improve their credit scores, and get low-rate mortgages and down payment assistance. Many of their successful clients were people who thought they could never own a home because they just didn't know where to turn for help. Advertisement 'We're able to help a lot of people get into down payment-assistance programs, [like] the OneUnited, one of the largest Black-owned banks in the country, recently launched a 'As counselors, we're taking money from a lot of different sources to patch together a down payment with whatever they've saved,' Luc said. 'Maybe it's the minimum to actually get into the market. They find a property, and now there's even more cost that's involved for repairs to get the property. It makes it very, very difficult.' David Gasser, programs director at the 'We have generational wealth being created by those who had access to homeownership,' Gasser said. 'And all the economic benefit that comes from that system perpetuates itself, and unless you're going to create the supply necessary to create affordable new entry points, it's going to be very difficult to narrow the racial homeownership gap.' Advertisement The SHIBA report found homes in majorityBlack neighborhoods are more likely to be appraised for less money than similar homes in majoritywhite neighborhoods. This can have a cascading effect, as homes that are appraised for less than they are worth might sell for less than they are worth, bringing down the value of neighboring properties. 'The appraisal bias issue is a very stark example of a complicated problem, because those appraisals are so individual and the way appraisers are trained and regulated is somewhat difficult to address, but we do participate in some of those efforts,' Gasser said. Melvin A. Vieira Jr. of He said many of his clients of color come from families that never owned a home, so growing up, they never heard anything about the home-buying process and had no one to ask about it. He said people like himself and organizations like Urban Edge and MAHA can't reach enough people by themselves to narrow the racial homeownership gap. He said an updated version of the old home economics course should be part of every public high school curriculum. 'It's not about cooking and cleaning; it should be talking about checkbooks, talking about savings,' he said. 'They should explain how interest works and how to invest in the stock market. How to make yourself financially fit so you can achieve your financial goals after you leave high school. Because the majority of people who come out of high school don't even have a checking account. Advertisement 'If you give a person knowledge, it can't be taken away,' he said. 'When you teach a person how to fish, they'll always know how to fish.' Jim Morrison can be reached at . Follow him on X .
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Ways we can help Haiti
The images flashed on TV and published in the daily papers show a grim situation in Haiti. Yet without being there, few of us will ever know the pain and hardship that Haitians now face. Still, we can help. People in the Hutchinson area, just as across the world, are responding with an outpouring of support. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are worthy organizations that deserve donations and will do a great deal to provide relief to those affected by this tragedy. Other relief organizations, some based right here in Minnesota, are worthy of support, as well. On Friday we talked with two Hutchinson women, Beth Gasser and Cindy Haugland, who have been to Haiti and have high praise for three agencies tied to Rotary International that are already working there: < Shelterbox is an immediate-response program that provides equipment and teams on the ground quickly in disaster areas. Shelterbox teams arrived in Haiti last week to provide relief. For more information, visit < Haiti Outreach is a Minnesota-based and Rotarian-led organization that has teams on the ground in Haiti with more than 20 years of experience building infrastructure such as wells and equipping schools. Visit < The Web site is promoting several options for Rotary Clubs and other organizations looking for ways to assist in Haiti. Mss. Gasser and Haugland traveled to Haiti two years ago and spent two weeks there on a mission conducted by Rotary International. They saw firsthand the work being done there. If your idea of a vacation to the Caribbean is spending hours sunning yourself on a tropical beach, this trip would not have been for you. The two women and 10 others spent almost all their time in a rural area near the village of Pignon. There they helped support efforts to drill wells and build school desks. They visited hospitals, orphanages, churches and schools to learn about Haitian culture. The experience was an eye opener, to say the least. The group reached Pignon by airplane, landing in a field at sundown. The plane barely made it back into the air that night, as there were no landing strip lights. In fact, the village had no electricity at all. 'It's quite the feeling when you're in a Third World country and you get dropped off in the middle of nowhere,' Ms. Gasser said. The group stayed in a deserted missionary compound outside the village. They mostly ate goat and Spam. There were no paved roads, homes were built of mud, and tarps were used as roofs. They had brought money, but there was no place to spend it. 'There wasn't even a store,' Ms. Gasser said. A couple of days, though, someone brought soda and beer to sell in the village. Travel to other villages was difficult at best. Roads were washed out and an entire day was needed to travel only a short distance. 'Even under the best circumstances it's terrible,' Ms. Gasser said. Ms. Haugland said what she saw in Haiti was 'the poorest of the poor.' 'It was worse than I expected,' she said. 'It was shanties and shacks and some people had nothing to eat.' She recalled being invited to one's family tiny home and learning that all they had to eat was an orange. Since last week's earthquake, the two women have been facilitating efforts to bring relief to the region. Help will be needed for a long time. 'The need is going to be just as great three months from now as it is today,' said Ms. Haugland, who hopes to visit Haiti again in a few months when travel conditions improve. Anyone who wants to donate to Shelterbox and Haiti Outreach, she said, can be assured that 'their money can be trusted to be used in the best way.' Ms. Gasser said Haiti Outreach has very little overhead and donors 'can make sure the money goes to the people who need it.' We checked out the group with the Charities Review Council of Minnesota and it meets all of the council's standards. Eighty-six percent of all revenues go directly to programs, far exceeding the council's 70-percent minimum standard. The two women's humanitarian spirits also run in their families. Both have young daughters who attend New Discoveries Charter School and are collecting donations for Haitian relief efforts there. The anguishing TV images of the Haitian people are not going unnoticed in Hutchinson. As Ms. Haugland noted, 'It's sad to see people who had nothing to now have even less.' But thanks to these women, there's hope. (Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@
