Latest news with #Gillen
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow man accused of badly mistreating six animals leaving them sick
James Gillen is said to have caused "un-necessary suffering" to four cats and two dogs at his flat in Glasgow's Springburn. One allegation claims the 27 year-old did keep them in "un-hygenic and dirty conditions" resulting in flea infestations and a skin condition. Gillen is accused of then failing to get the animals to a vet. A separate charge claims the cats and dogs were exposed to "household clutter and hazardous waste" in the flat. READ NEXT: Driver who is banned to 2030 caught in 33-mile 100mph high-speed chase READ NEXT: Skilled surgeons saved youth after woman struck bottle in his neck This allegedly included dirty floors, over-flowing litter trays and insects. As a result, prosecutors claim Gillen did not provide a clean space for the animals to live in. It is said he also did not protect them from "suffering, injury and disease". This allegedly caused the cats and dogs to be affected by dermatitis, itchy-skin and what is described as "self-trauma". Gillen faces the two different charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. The accusations span between September and November 2024. A hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court was continued without plea. The case is scheduled to call again next month.
STV News
4 days ago
- STV News
Man accused of keeping four cats and two dogs in 'unhygienic and dirty conditions'
A man is accused of badly mistreating six animals, leaving them sick. James Gillen is said to have caused 'unnecessary suffering' to four cats and two dogs at his flat in Glasgow's Springburn. One allegation claims the 27-year-old kept them in 'unhygienic and dirty conditions', resulting in flea infestations and a skin condition. Gillen is accused of then failing to get the animals to a vet. A separate charge claims the cats and dogs were exposed to 'household clutter and hazardous waste' in the flat. This allegedly included dirty floors, overflowing litter trays and insects. As a result, prosecutors claim Gillen did not provide a clean space for the animals to live in. It is said he also did not protect them from 'suffering, injury and disease'. This allegedly caused the cats and dogs to be affected by dermatitis, itchy skin, and what is described as 'self-trauma.' Gillen faces two different charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. The accusations span between September and November 2024. A hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court was continued without plea. The case is scheduled to call again next month. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Man left cats and dogs in 'dirty conditions' and 'hazardous waste'
One allegation claims the 27 year-old did keep them in "unhygienic and dirty conditions" resulting in flea infestations and a skin condition. Gillen is accused of then failing to get the animals to a vet. A separate charge claims the cats and dogs were exposed to "household clutter and hazardous waste" in the flat. This allegedly included dirty floors, over-flowing litter trays and insects. Read More As a result, prosecutors claim Gillen did not provide a clean space for the animals to live in. It is said he also did not protect them from "suffering, injury and disease". This allegedly caused the cats and dogs to be affected by dermatitis, itchy-skin and what is described as "self-trauma". Gillen faces the two different charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act. The accusations span between September and November 2024. A hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court was continued without plea. The case is scheduled to call again next month.
Politico
5 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
How Democrats could gerrymander New York
With help from Amira McKee WHAT COULD BE ON TAP FOR 2028: There's never been a full-fledged partisan gerrymander on the books for New York's congressional districts. Democrats and Republicans have split power in Albany during most modern redistricting cycles. When they didn't in 2024, the lines drawn by Democrats after a series of court battles were nowhere near as aggressive as some partisans hoped. Gov. Kathy Hochul now wants to change that in response to similar Republican efforts in Texas. Redrawing the lines would be complicated in the Empire State. It couldn't happen until 2028 at the earliest, and even then, it could only move forward if voters approve a constitutional amendment to permit a mid-decade gerrymander. But that begs a big question: What would an all-out New York gerrymander look like? The political realities of 2028 are tough to predict. Some incumbents will be gone by then, and political shifts could come to various pockets of the state. And if President Donald Trump has his way, a new Census could throw the current mapmaking calculus out the window. But as things stand now, at least two Republicans have reason to fret, and maybe as many as four. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis has topped 60 percent in the past two elections. Her district currently encompasses Staten Island and merges it with portions of Brooklyn mostly to the east of the Verrazzano Bridge, most of them Republican-friendly. In 2022, Democrats wanted to extend the district further north into Brooklyn to include portions of the left-leaning enclave of Park Slope. Enacting such a plan would turn the district into a battleground. A more aggressive approach — harkening back to a map used in the 1970s — would merge Staten Island with parts of Manhattan. In Westchester, Democratic Rep. George Latimer has a lot of breathing room — he received 72 percent of the vote in 2024. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler doesn't — he received 52 percent. There are towns, such as the ones immediately south of the Tappan Zee, that could be swapped from Latimer's district to Lawler's, growing the number of Democrats in the Republican's seat. The four Congressional seats on Long Island are currently split between Democratic Reps. Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi and Republican Reps. Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino. 'You could pull Suozzi's district more into the city. You could pull Gillen's district more into Gregory Meeks' territory,' Hofstra University's Larry Levy said, referring to the Queens Congress member. That would allow for some portions of the Suozzi and Gillen districts to be merged with the Democratic strongholds currently situated in Republican districts: 'You probably could make either Garbarino or LaLota more vulnerable, but not both,' Levy said. In the western half of upstate, Democratic Rep. Tim Kennedy and Republican Reps. Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy each received around 65 percent of the vote in 2024. Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle got 60 percent. There might be a path to joining slices of the Kennedy and Morelle seats with Democratic-friendly towns like Geneva and Oswego, allowing the Tenney district to become a bit more competitive. But there's not much to work with. 'Kennedy and Morelle are kind of islands of Democrats in a sea of Republicans,' one Buffalo Democrat said. With that in mind, the end result might just be jeopardizing two Democrats without actually making the Tenney seat winnable. — Bill Mahoney FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL MAMDANI TURNS UP PRESSURE: Zohran Mamdani sought to press his advantage today among Democrats who have yet to support him by leveraging a New York Times report that rival Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump have discussed the mayoral race. 'My administration will be Donald Trump's worst nightmare,' Mamdani declared, predicting his policies to boost working-class New Yorkers would show how Trump has failed those communities. The Democratic nominee for mayor accused Cuomo of 'conspiring' with Trump. He spoke to reporters in Lower Manhattan outside 26 Federal Plaza, where federal immigration agents have been detaining migrants outside of court. Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo by 12 points in the June primary, stood with the leaders of labor unions that have endorsed him after previously backing Cuomo. 'We know that Andrew Cuomo will sell working people out for his interests, for the interests of the billionaires that support him, for the interests of Donald Trump,' Mamdani said, 'because all of those interests are lining up as one and the same.' Cuomo, who's running an independent general election bid, told reporters in Midtown Manhattan that he doesn't remember the last time he spoke with Trump and knocked the story as 'palace intrigue.' The former governor said he did 'leave word' with the president after an assasination attempt. 'I've never spoken to him about the mayor's race,' Cuomo said, denying the Times report. 'I had spoken to him when I was governor dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of times. We went through Covid together.' Cuomo told reporters he would defend New York City against Trump 'with every ounce of my strength.' The Times additionally reported today that Cuomo has told business leaders he's not 'personally' looking for a fight with the president. In Brooklyn, Mayor Eric Adams, who's also running as an independent, said he's never discussed the campaign with Trump and that his 'conversations with the president is about bringing resources to the city.' Mamdani told reporters today that he's willing to talk with Trump and keep an open dialogue but only to improve the lives of New Yorkers. 'If he wants to actually act upon the cheaper groceries that he told us he would deliver, that is a different conversation,' the candidate said. — Emily Ngo, Joe Anuta and Amira McKee 'LOOK ON THE HAT': The first borough office of Adams' uphill reelection campaign is borrowing the headquarters of one of Brooklyn's old-guard political clubs. The self-titled 'child from Brownsville' cut the ribbon at his new Mill Basin office Thursday, announcing that the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club headquarters — now plastered with 're-elect Eric for Mayor' posters — will serve as the nerve center for the campaign's Brooklyn efforts. 'Why Brooklyn?' Adams said at the Thursday event, gesturing to his cap. 'Brooklyn is the place I was born. When you look on the hat, it says Brownsville. It was the place that shaped and made me. It was the place that taught me the fortitude that I have right now to lead this city.' Adams' team said today it expects to unveil more offices across the five boroughs — just a day after the New York City Campaign Finance board denied the incumbent millions of dollars in public matching funds, putting him at a weighty financial disadvantage against Mamdani. This isn't the first time Adams has encountered trouble with the CFB, whose public matching fund program requires strict adherence to reporting mandates and individual donation limits. A 900-page CFB audit of Adams' 2021 campaign found more than 150 fundraising events that the Adams campaign said they paid for but did not document how much was spent and by whom — a red flag for potentially prohibited in-kind contributions. The campaign declined to address those irregularities in its official response. POLITICO reported in 2021 that Adams also intermittently used office space occupied by the Democratic Party's law firm without disclosing the relationship in campaign finance filings. When asked about how much his campaign was spending to rent the home of one of New York's oldest and most influential Democratic clubs, Adams shrugged. 'Every payment we do is listed on the campaign finance so you can look at that,' he said. Despite the CFB denying his funding request for the tenth time yesterday, Adams said he was unfazed, dodging questions about whether he would shake up his campaign staff or forgo the matching program to accept larger donations. 'The life of a person born in Brownsville, you're always meeting obstacles,' Adams said, again gesturing to his cap. 'But in all those obstacles, what happened? I'm the mayor, because I'm a working class, resilient, hard working New Yorker, and we're used to obstacles.' — Amira McKee From City Hall DEPARTMENT OF WISHFUL THINKING: City Hall is asking agencies to contribute ideas for Mayor Eric Adams' 2026 State of the City address — a request that assumes the mayor will win reelection despite poll numbers suggesting otherwise. On Wednesday, Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy blasted out a message encouraging agencies to submit ideas for the theoretical address by Aug. 11, according to a copy of the missive obtained by Playbook. The request comes as Adams, who is running as an independent, remains a longshot contender for a second term. The incumbent is running as an independent in an overwhelmingly Democratic town. The Campaign Finance Board appears determined to deny him millions of dollars in public matching funds. And the latest poll had the mayor winning just 7 percent of the vote, coming in behind Mamdani, Cuomo and GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa. Regardless, Levy is bullish on the mayor's odds. 'New York City's public servants are at their best when putting politics aside and staying focused on the work — and that is exactly what we are doing,' he said in a statement. 'The State of the City takes months of thoughtful planning, and we intend to deliver a speech in early 2026 that is as groundbreaking as ever.' Despite the aura of futility, some municipal workers are treating the exercise as a job preservation strategy, according to one city employee who was granted anonymity to discuss internal thinking. Should Mamdani win the general election, as polling currently indicates, senior staffers would have a readymade plan to pitch to the new administration and prove their worth. 'Zohran's people are going to gravitate to those who have an agenda that aligns with his populism,' another city staffer, also granted anonymity, told Playbook. Levy is convinced there will be no changing of the guard. 'We have appreciated POLITICO's coverage of our past four State of the City addresses, and we look forward to their continued coverage of Mayor Adams' next four,' he said in his statement. — Joe Anuta IN OTHER NEWS — MEGABILL CUTS: New York's social service providers are bracing for deep federal funding cuts as poverty rates rise among the state's elderly. (New York Focus) — ANOTHER LAWSUIT: A former top NYPD lawyer is suing the department, accusing top brass of firing her for investigating Adams' former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey. (Gothamist) — SLOW DOWN: New York City has instituted a new e-bike speed limit, but local officials don't have the teeth to enforce it. (The Wall Street Journal) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
New York Post
30-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Feds launch audit into FAA over gutted Long Island air traffic control facility as safety concerns rise over Newark airspace
The feds are questioning the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to relocate air traffic controllers who oversee Newark's airspace from Long Island to Philadelphia — following a series of radar blackouts and growing concerns over exhausted, short-staffed crews working 60-hour weeks. The Department of Transportation's Inspector General confirmed this week that it's auditing the FAA's 2024 decision to shift control of Newark Liberty Airport's airspace from New York TRACON, the radar hub in Westbury, to Philadelphia's air traffic tower after they experienced a series of radar blackouts in New Jersey. 'The FAA downplayed the safety risks,' Rep. Laura Gillen said of the relocation. 4 The DOT's inspector general confirmed that the agency will audit the FAA's decision to shift control of Newark Liberty Airport's airspace. Rep. Laura Gillen (pictured) accused the agency of downplaying safety risks. Brandon Cruz / NY Post 'They reported the risk of an outage is one in 11 million — and it happened twice in the year since they moved,' Gillen said — referencing two 90-second radar blackouts at Newark airport in April and May of this year. The controversial move stripped 12 veteran controllers from TRACON, one of the nation's busiest radar centers, and left behind what local leaders and air traffic controllers said is a facility in dire need of help. 'Staff are burnt out — and very concerned about safety and feel very strongly that those moved to Philadelphia should come back to this facility,' Gillen told reporters outside the TRACON building after touring it Tuesday. Erick Carlo, a veteran air traffic controller with over a decade of experience, agreed that he wants to see the jobs come back to Long Island. 4 The controversial move stripped 12 veteran controllers from TRACON. New York Post Carlo and Gillen, a Democrat who represents Long Island, described what is essentially a 'hole' on the floor where the relocated staff used to work, and said their absence has further hindered the progress of safer air travel in one of the busiest air traffic control hubs in the country. The FAA previously defended the move as necessary for efficiency and to address staffing shortages, but Gillen said only one additional graduate has joined the team and staffing issues remain relatively the same since the move. On top of the staffing issues, the facility is in dire need of modern upgrades. 4 Sean Duffy arrives for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing titled Oversight of the Department of Transportation's Policies and Programs and FY2026 Budget Request, in Rayburn building on July 16, 2025. 'It's tough to put it into perspective,' Carlo, a representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association labor union, told The Post. He described having to use radars and equipment from the 1980s and 90s at TRACON, and said that only 8% of the FAA's facilities and equipment budget goes toward modernizing the system that millions of travelers rely on each year. 'The staffing shortages are one thing, but the equipment we use… I can't say that the equipment is not working — it's working — but it's ancient,' Carlo said. 4 Air traffic controllers monitor air traffic at the FAA TRACON center in Westbury, NY. Freelance Prior to the move, if the old technology they are forced to work on had an issue, he was able to go over to Newark's side and collaborate to ensure the skies remain safe, which is no longer an option, Carlo, who watches over JFK, explained. The Department of Transportation audit will probe whether the plan actually backfired — compromising safety, morale, and operational continuity at one of the country's busiest air traffic control hubs. If the audit determines that operations are most efficient out of Long Island, then the air traffic controllers who moved from the area to Philadelphia will have to move back. FAA officials declined to comment outside of the facility.
