Latest news with #GovernmentCode
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Unlikely Heroes Former Anti-Trafficking CEO Files Federal Motion to Stop "Hostile Takeover" of Victim Charity by Billionaire-Linked Foundation
LOS ANGELES, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a federal court filing that is raising concerns among nonprofit and survivor advocacy experts, Erica Greve, founder and former CEO of Unlikely Heroes, has filed an emergency motion to halt the proposed sale of estate assets—including confidential survivor records, donor files, and the organization's name, likeness, and mission—to a private foundation connected to a billionaire whose previous lawsuit allegedly resulted in the nonprofit's bankruptcy petition. The motion alleges that Human Investment Foundation (HIF), a Texas-based foundation founded by philanthropist Janet Jensen, former Unlikely Heroes donor and member of Women Moving Millions, is now poised to acquire the very nonprofit it spent years litigating against. HIF has no record of trauma-informed services, yet seeks to take over the nonprofit's identity and gain access to private records of children who experienced severe trauma and received services through Unlikely Heroes' programs. "These are not just documents," said Greve. "They are the medical, psychological, educational, and legal records of children who endured significant trauma. You don't sell that. You protect it with everything you have." Now, HIF could cause the unredacted files of those girls, including their asylum records, safe house addresses, photos and therapy documentation, to be transferred without consent, redaction, or oversight. "This is not just a nonprofit being sold," Greve said. "It risks undermining the trust placed in us by survivors. The very foundation whose lawsuit led to our closure is now trying to wear our name, use our channels, and access our children's deepest traumas while presenting itself as a philanthropic initiative." The motion further alleges that Trustee Sandra McBeth, who is overseeing the Chapter 7 liquidation, failed to provide legally required notice to the California Attorney General's Charitable Trusts Section, in violation of Government Code § 12598 and federal fiduciary obligations. Greve contends this has enabled a rushed and opaque foundation sale to an entity with alleged competing interests and no demonstrated qualifications to handle survivor care. In a further breach, the motion states that formal legal objections submitted by Hon. F. Whitten Peters, former U.S. Secretary of the Air Force and legal counsel for five survivors, were never filed with the Court by the Trustee or her Counsel, prompting concerns about proper court procedure and oversight of due process and legal ethics. Granting the motion would authorize HIF to operate under the Unlikely Heroes brand, initiate direct engagement with survivors, and potentially collect confidential information from trafficking victims under a false nonprofit identity. "This isn't about me," Greve said. "This is about the safety, dignity, and identities of survivors. These children trusted us with their stories, and I will not stand by while that trust is auctioned off." Greve requests that the Court stay the sale, appoint an independent examiner, and refer the matter to the California Attorney General for investigation. She also seeks a court-supervised accounting of donor-restricted funds, which may have been deposited after the nonprofit filed for bankruptcy, in potential violation of standard post-petition procedures. To date, Greve has personally incurred over $500,000 in legal fees defending the nonprofit, its survivors, and the principle that a child's trauma should never be treated as a transferable asset. "This case draws a hard line between protecting survivors and permitting the exploitation of their pain. No court should allow a child's story to be treated as commodities within an organizational transaction." About Unlikely HeroesFounded in 2011, Unlikely Heroes is a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and restoring child survivors of sex trafficking. The organization has provided long-term housing, trauma-informed therapy, education, and medical care to more than 400 children across the United States, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Nigeria. Among those served were five Nigerian girls who escaped the 2014 Boko Haram kidnapping in Chibok, Nigeria – an event that sparked the global #BringBackOurGirls movement. These survivors were brought to safety in the United States under the legal guardianship of Unlikely Heroes' founder Erica Greve, with the full consent of their families and the U.S. government. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Unlikely Heroes Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
SAISD and Wall ISD set to review district boundaries.
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The San Angelo Independent School District will review district boundaries with Wall ISD in a special meeting on Monday June 9. SAISD School Board trustees to be administered oaths According to the school board's agendas report, during a routine property audit by the Tom Green County Appraisal District, inconsistencies in the school districts' property boundaries were discovered between SAISD and Wall ISD. It also said after a further investigation, it was revealed that the inconsistencies were in relation to current Texas Education Agency district boundary lines between the two districts. The board agenda report states that Walsh Gallegos was contacted to inquire about possible solutions to the boundary line inconsistencies. Gallegos researched the matter and provided both school districts and the appraisal district with a proposed option related to TEC Sec. 13.231Minor Boundary Adjustments by Agreement. Tex. Education Code – SUBCHAPTER F. OTHER BOUNDARY CHANGES Sec. 13.231. MINOR BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS BY AGREEMENT. (a) Two contiguous school districts may adjust their common boundary by agreement if, at the time the agreement is executed:(1) no child who resides in the territory that is transferred from one jurisdiction to the other is enrolled in a school of the district from which the territory is transferred; and(2) the taxable value of the territory that is transferred from one jurisdiction to the other does not exceed one-tenth of one percent of the total taxable value of all property in the school district from which the territory is transferred.(b) In this section, 'taxable value' has the meaning assigned by Section 403.302, Government Code. San Angelo elects new mayor, runoff for city council in June On May 19, 2025, the board of trustees approved a resolution delegating authority to thesuperintendent to negotiate a Minor Boundary Adjustment Agreement with Wall ISD and bring it back to the school board for consideration. It is reported that the approval of the MOU is the next step before sending all appropriate documents to the Texas Education Agency for consideration. The administration recommends approving an MOU with Wall ISD regarding an amendment to the school district's maps to correct a clerical error on the district's boundaries with Wall ISD,pursuant to the resolution approved by the Board at the May 19, 2025 meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
DNA evidence links man to 2003 sexual assault of Austin woman in Arizona
The Brief DNA evidence helped solve an Austin's woman's sexual assault in Arizona from 2003. The man was caught years later in California and his DNA was put into a national database. 19 states currently require DNA collection during all felony arrests, including Texas. AUSTIN, Texas - DNA evidence helped find the man responsible for the 2003 rape of a 19-year-old woman from Austin. What we know The assault happened when Ashley Spence was in college at Arizona State. A man came into her apartment in the middle of the night, covered her face with a pillow and nearly suffocated her. He sexually assaulted her, hit her in the face and threatened her. "He said, if you tell anybody, I will come back and kill you," Spence said." The man then slipped away. Spence reported the assault and it was investigated, but no one was linked to the crime, leaving Spence living in fear. "I would hear muffled screams of this guy's next victim in my head when I would try to go to bed at night because I knew he was out there, and I knew he wasn't stopping," Spence said. Seven years later, police in California caught Kevin Lee Francois trying to break into a home with three college women inside. When police searched his home, they were shocked by what they found. Francois was arrested, and his DNA was put into a national database. In 2015, that DNA from Francois was used to prove to a jury he was the one who assaulted Spence. "They were able to prove in my trial that it was 38 trillion times more likely his DNA on me than anybody else," said Spence. Francois was sentenced to 137 and a half years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Big picture view Currently, 31 states have enacted legislation to require DNA from certain felony arrestees and 19 states require DNA collection during all felony arrests, according to the DNA Justice Project. California, at the time of Francois' arrest, did require DNA collection. Since his arrest, Arizona has started requiring DNA collection during certain felony arrests. In Texas, HB 3956 mandates that booking facilities collect a DNA sample from all arrestees charged with a felony occurring on or after September 1, 2023, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. HB 3956 also requires the court to notify applicable law enforcement agencies who collect and receive the defendant's sample if the defendant is acquitted of the crime or if the case is dismissed, at which point the sample and profiles will be expunged and all samples/records destroyed for the defendant in accordance with Government Code section 411.151(a). What's next Now the FBI is looking into the use of rapid DNA, technology that would take about 90 minutes to eliminate or link someone to a crime. Monday night's CrimeWatch will explore how this technology could help find potential new victims in the case of Raul Meza Jr. The Source Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's CrimeWatch reporter Meredith Aldis.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LA relied on teen volunteers for years despite fire chief's warning, but leaders can't be sued: lawyer
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned board members in writing two years ago that her department needed to create a pair of fully staffed crews dedicated to clearing brush and maintaining wildfire lines to bolster the part-time team it had, consisting of mostly young volunteers. But despite her plea for funding, the City Council authorized only a fraction of it and hiring stalled, caught up in the red tape of L.A. bureaucracy, according to a new report. While some residents have sued the government over alleged missteps that played a role in the expansion of the devastating wildfires this month, residents have little recourse beyond electing new city leadership, according to a local lawyer whose clients include homeowners looking elsewhere for relief after the fires leveled their communities. "It's a political disaster and may result in Bass being recalled," Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based attorney who is representing multiple local clients in lawsuits in the aftermath of the destruction, said about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "But there is nothing that can be done legally." Essential Phone Numbers For Los Angeles-area Residents And How You Can Help Them Despite the missed warning, city leaders are likely immune from civil litigation under state laws that protect authorities from liability, Rahmani said. Read On The Fox News App "Government entities have broad immunity under the Government Code and can't be sued for failing to prevent fires," he told Fox News Digital. "The lawsuits against the City and DWP will be dismissed." The chief's memo, written in January 2023, was first reported by the Washington Post. Californians 'Angry' Amid Devastating Wildfires, Asking Where High Tax Dollars Went "The one significant area of weakness in our arsenal is that of a regularly staffed wildland hand crew," Crowley wrote to the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners, asking for a full-time staff of professionals. The city had been relying on mutual aid from the state and county, both of which had staffing shortages, and a volunteer "Cadet Crew" that consisted mostly of teens and young adults led by active firefighters. "The wildland hand crew is the make-or-break resource in ensuring fire lines are strong and secure," she added. "Without this resource methodically creating and supporting [a] fire line on a wildland fire, weakness in the line can mean the [difference] in containment or out of control spread." Crowley also warned that increased construction in fire-prone areas was among the factors that "dramatically increased" the threat of wildfires in Los Angeles in recent decades, in addition to the Santa Ana winds and climate change. Armed Homeowners Patrol For Looters Inside Evacuation Zone The Cadet Crew met twice a week with between 10 and 26 people, working on labor-intensive projects like clearing brush. The program was designed to train future firefighters, and as a result, suffered high turnover as members were hired into the department and transferred to other units, Crowley wrote. "The LAFD will need to expand staffing to meet the demands of a new normal, year-long fire season and a rapidly decreasing availability of mutual aid/auto aid Hand Crews State wide," she wrote. She urged the board to create two new hand crews, staffed with a handful of firefighters and dozens of paid fire suppression aids that would cover the city for seven days a week. She asked for $7 million to get it done, with nearly $4 million for salaries and the rest for a fleet of vehicles to carry them to the front lines over rugged terrain. While some of the money has been approved and hiring is underway, the crews are reportedly not yet operational. More Firebugs Charged As La's New Tough-on-crime Da Heats Up Fight Against Looters And Arsonists The fire department did not respond to multiple requests for comment. While city officials may be safe from legal repercussions, separate lawsuits against insurance companies and those who may have been responsible for igniting the wildfires remain on the table, Rahmani said. "The only real viable case is against Edison," he told Fox News Digital. Southern California Edison, a utility company, is facing several lawsuits alleging that its equipment helped start the Eaton Fire, which has scorched northern parts of Los Angeles County, including Altadena. Rahmani's firm is involved in the litigation against the utility and is also representing victims with insurance claims and seeking aid from government programs pro bono, he said. The Palisades Fire, which tore through the Pacific Palisades community, is being described as the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: LA relied on teen volunteers for years despite fire chief's warning, but leaders can't be sued: lawyer
Fox News
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
LA relied on teen volunteers for years despite fire chief's warning, but leaders can't be sued: lawyer
Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned board members in writing two years ago that her department needed to create a pair of fully staffed crews dedicated to clearing brush and maintaining wildfire lines to bolster the part-time team it had, consisting of mostly young volunteers. But despite her plea for funding, the City Council authorized only a fraction of it and hiring stalled, caught up in the red tape of L.A. bureaucracy, according to a new report. While some residents have sued the government over alleged missteps that played a role in the expansion of the devastating wildfires this month, residents have little recourse beyond electing new city leadership, according to a local lawyer whose clients include homeowners looking elsewhere for relief after the fires leveled their communities. "It's a political disaster and may result in Bass being recalled," Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based attorney who is representing multiple local clients in lawsuits in the aftermath of the destruction, said about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "But there is nothing that can be done legally." Despite the missed warning, city leaders are likely immune from civil litigation under state laws that protect authorities from liability, Rahmani said. "Government entities have broad immunity under the Government Code and can't be sued for failing to prevent fires," he told Fox News Digital. "The lawsuits against the City and DWP will be dismissed." The chief's memo, written in January 2023, was first reported by the Washington Post. "The one significant area of weakness in our arsenal is that of a regularly staffed wildland hand crew," Crowley wrote to the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners, asking for a full-time staff of professionals. The city had been relying on mutual aid from the state and county, both of which had staffing shortages, and a volunteer "Cadet Crew" that consisted mostly of teens and young adults led by active firefighters. "The wildland hand crew is the make-or-break resource in ensuring fire lines are strong and secure," she added. "Without this resource methodically creating and supporting [a] fire line on a wildland fire, weakness in the line can mean the [difference] in containment or out of control spread." Crowley also warned that increased construction in fire-prone areas was among the factors that "dramatically increased" the threat of wildfires in Los Angeles in recent decades, in addition to the Santa Ana winds and climate change. The Cadet Crew met twice a week with between 10 and 26 people, working on labor-intensive projects like clearing brush. The program was designed to train future firefighters, and as a result, suffered high turnover as members were hired into the department and transferred to other units, Crowley wrote. "The LAFD will need to expand staffing to meet the demands of a new normal, year-long fire season and a rapidly decreasing availability of mutual aid/auto aid Hand Crews State wide," she wrote. She urged the board to create two new hand crews, staffed with a handful of firefighters and dozens of paid fire suppression aids that would cover the city for seven days a week. She asked for $7 million to get it done, with nearly $4 million for salaries and the rest for a fleet of vehicles to carry them to the front lines over rugged terrain. While some of the money has been approved and hiring is underway, the crews are reportedly not yet operational. The fire department did not respond to multiple requests for comment. While city officials may be safe from legal repercussions, separate lawsuits against insurance companies and those who may have been responsible for igniting the wildfires remain on the table, Rahmani said. "The only real viable case is against Edison," he told Fox News Digital. Southern California Edison, a utility company, is facing several lawsuits alleging that its equipment helped start the Eaton Fire, which has scorched northern parts of Los Angeles County, including Altadena. Rahmani's firm is involved in the litigation against the utility and is also representing victims with insurance claims and seeking aid from government programs pro bono, he said. The Palisades Fire, which tore through the Pacific Palisades community, is being described as the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles.
