Latest news with #GregWillis
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Airport reopens most parking areas, reunites some owners and cars ahead of travel weekend
Owners are beginning to get their cars back nearly a week after a fire devastated parts of a parking garage at the Jacksonville International Airport. The process of moving cars out of the South Hourly Garage and into a temporary lot for pickup began Wednesday night, and officials said the process will likely take multiple days. 'When we get to a safe vehicle we'll log the tag, cross-reference it with what we have in our database and give the person a call and tell them their vehicle is available,' said Greg Willis, Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. 'We're working round the clock to do what we can to get as many out in a safe manner and safely relocate them.' Once inside the lot of Pecan Park Road, owners can grab them whenever they're able. Car owners can submit their information for updates on the airport's website. Just in time for the Memorial Day travel weekend, JAA announced Thursday that all parking areas have also reopened, aside from the southern portion of the Hourly Garage. Related: Navigating limited airport parking for Memorial Day weekend: Here are some options Not everyone is getting their cars back right now. Those whose cars were severely damaged or were in the collapse zone will have to wait. 'One thing I've learned since last Friday is one problem at a time, and this is today's problem, getting people the vehicles that we can salvage,' said Willis. Several people who have been impacted are already seeking legal help. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Below is a statement from law firm Morgan & Morgan: 'We have been retained by several people impacted by the massive fire at Jacksonville International Airport's Hourly Parking Garage whose cars, along with dozens of others, have been destroyed. We have already begun to investigate what went wrong and what could have been done to prevent this fire. We will work to uncover any negligence that contributed to this scary and dangerous incident and hold potentially responsible parties accountable for the damage caused.' When informed about the legal firm's investigation, Jacksonville International Airport told Action News Jax that right now, it is 'focused on reuniting passengers who parked in the hourly garage with their vehicles, stabilizing the comprised garage structure and returning the airport to normal operations.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Associated Press
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Florida airport closes after vehicle catches fire in parking garage, officials say
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida airport was closed Friday after a vehicle caught fire in a parking garage, officials said. Arrivals and departures were halted at Jacksonville International Airport as firefighters contained the blaze in an hourly garage near the terminal, airport spokesman Greg Willis said. Officials were hoping to reopen later Friday. No injuries were reported. Officials didn't immediately know how badly the parking structure was damaged, but they estimated that dozens of vehicles were affected. Officials didn't immediately say what caused the fire.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grand jury indicts 14 UT Dallas pro-Palestinian protesters, 7 have charges dismissed
The Brief 14 of the 21 people arrested last May after a pro-Palestinian protest on the UT Dallas campus have been indicted. They're now facing a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of a passageway. Charges were dropped against 7 of the people who were arrested. RICHARDSON, Texas - A Collin County grand jury indicted more than a dozen people because of last year's pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Texas at Dallas. What we know The grand jury decided to charge 14 of the 21 people who were arrested in May. Prosecutors said they built an encampment with tents, tarps, wooden structures, tires, chains, and other materials on the UTD campus. The university asked them to remove the structures because they were blocking pedestrian walkways. Some protesters refused to clear the area and instead locked arms. They were arrested for criminal trespassing. After reviewing the evidence, the grand jury charged them with obstruction of a passageway, which is a Class B misdemeanor. All charges were dropped against seven of the protesters. What they're saying "Free speech is protected. Blocking access and refusing lawful commands is not," said District Attorney Greg Willis. "These charges reflect that a clear line exists between protest and unlawful disruption." What we don't know The DA's office didn't release information about why some of the charges were dismissed. The Source The information in this story comes from the Collin County District Attorney's Office.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
14 indicted in UTD protest case for obstructing passageway amid free speech concerns
Nearly a year after authorities broke up a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus of The University of Texas at Dallas, indictments have been handed down by a Collin County grand jury. UTD students and professors were among the 21 people who spent the night in the Collin County Jail. On Thursday, the Collin County District Attorney announced that 14 of the arrested had been indicted for obstructing a passageway, a class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail. Greg Willis said the case should not be interpreted as a prosecution of the protest itself. "Free speech is one of our most important constitutional rights and enforcing the law is actually what keeps free speech standing strong," said Willis. Willis said those indicted were interlocking their arms and blocking a pathway, refusing multiple commands to disperse. At least four UTD professors who were also arrested were not indicted by the grand jury. "It's all about the evidence and it's about the law, so in that sense, [we] will treat these cases like we will any other case," said Willis. "We follow the evidence. We are fact-driven." Students for Justice in Palestine set up an encampment in an area known as Chess Plaza. Adwoa Asante and Dan Sullivan are the attorneys representing the 14 indicted protestors. "The indictment has a chilling impact on political speech nationally," said Asante. "I mean, this isn't one and done. This is part of a whole array of political repression for, you know, those people of conscience in the United States that are opposed to genocide in "And the way that they're reading that statute, it seems to me, means that the police can shut down any protest they want, anytime they want, simply by saying it's obstructing something," Sullivan said. "A plaza, a park, if you have a protest anywhere, you could inconvenience someone." While there haven't been violent clashes with authorities around campus since the demonstrations last year, Students for Justice in Palestine continues to promote protests around campus, including one planned for May during the school's design expo.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Grand jury indicts 14 for pro-Palestinian encampment, protest at UT Dallas
A Collin County grand jury returned indictments for 14 people in connection with last year's pro-Palestinian protest and encampment at UT Dallas. According to District Attorney Greg Willis, the 14 people were indicted for obstruction of a passageway, which is a class B misdemeanor. Seven others who were arrested following the May 1, 2024, protest were no-billed, meaning they will not be prosecuted. Class B misdemeanors in Texas carry a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and a $10,000 fine. The protest at UT Dallas was one of many that cropped up nationwide last year as students protested Israeli military action in Gaza. Among the students' demands was for the university to divest from corporations that do business with the Israeli military. The encampment at UT Dallas on May 1, 2024 CBS News Texas/Jason Allen At the protests, come students set up barriers like wooden pallets to block a walkway on campus. The district attorney's office said that university officials instructed the protesters to remove the encampment, and law enforcement moved in when some protesters refused. "While many individuals complied and left the area, a group of 14 protesters sat down in an outward-facing circle, locked arms, and refused repeated commands to clear the walkway. Officers arrested 21 individuals for Criminal Trespass, a misdemeanor offense under Texas law," the district attorney's office said in a statement.
