Latest news with #Hanley
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta testifies at Ohio Statehouse in favor of age verification in app store
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers want to give parents more say in what their kids do on their smartphones and tablets. And Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, is on board with the proposal. Ohio lawmakers did pass a bill to require age verification in social media apps, but a federal judge struck that law down after social media companies challenged it, calling it a 'breathtakingly blunt tool' to reduce harm. Gov. Mike DeWine called for lawmakers to take a new approach to age verification for minors, and that is where House Bill 226 comes into play. Victoria's Secret responds after website, app shutdown leaving customers in the dark House Bill 226 would require app developers to determine whether their app is likely to be used by children under 16 years. If so, the developer needs to let the app store know that it will need age verification before being downloaded. This bill would largely impact social media like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Teens use more than 40 different apps a week, so that's a lot for parents and it's a lot of personal information that would need to be shared with each individual app to verify who the parent is and the child's age,' Head of Safety Policy for North America at Meta Jennifer Hanley said. Hanley said she thinks this bill will be more effective, because it does not specifically call out social media apps. 'We've seen courts across the country say if you're looking at things selectively, examining the types of content or who the speaker is, then you're running into First Amendment issues,' she said. 'We think here this kind of addresses that and resolved some of the First Amendment concerns by making it speaker and content neutral instead.' First responders line roads as body of killed deputy returned to Morrow County Hanley said age verification in this form is what parents want, and points to Utah and Texas that have recently enacted similar laws. But some leaders at the statehouse think that companies like Meta are simply punting the responsibility to keep children safe. 'There is certainly no excuse for these big social media, data companies, to not have some sort of guidelines,' Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. 'They certainly know how to develop the algorithms to target minors and there's no excuse for them not also being able to use that as safeguards.' Russo said she does think that this is a step in the right direction but does not go far enough. 'Do I think [HB 226] is going to be as effective as some of the other things we know [social media companies] have the capacity to do using their own algorithms? Certainly not,' Russo said. City of Columbus asks court to dismiss cyber lawsuits 'We at Meta and other companies will still have a role to play in providing a safer, more age-appropriate experiences for teens and looking for those who are lying about their age,' Hanley said. The bill still awaits both a House committee vote and House floor vote before being sent to the Ohio Senate for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
VSP: 7 died in Memorial Day weekend crashes in Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – Preliminary data released by Virginia State Police (VSP) show that seven people died in crashes over 2025 Memorial Day Weekend, almost cutting the number of deaths in half compared to the recorded 13 deaths during the 2024 weekend. VSP warns drivers to still keep their guards up on the roads, as 25 deaths were recorded the week following the holiday in 2024. 'With graduations and summer travel continuing beyond this past weekend, we are continuing to ask drivers to buckle up, slow down, drive sober, and avoid distractions,' said Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of Virginia State Police. The fatal crashes occurred in the the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, as well as Bedford, Buckingham, Caroline, Fauquier and Spotsylvania counties. The fatal crash in Bedford County Saturday afternoon, which was a hit-and-run involving a bicycle and a second vehicle, remains under investigation. All VSP troopers were on patrol during the weekend as a part of Operation C.A.R.E (Crash Awareness Reduction Effort). Virginia State Police collaborates with North Carolina State Highway Patrol to reduce impaired driving VSP troopers cited over 3,300 drivers for speeding and over 1,500 drivers for reckless driving. Seventy-one drivers were arrested for driving under the influence and 405 drivers were cited for violating the 'hands-free' phone law. While the numbers are down across the board, Hanley said there is still work to be done. 'Our goal remains to see a holiday weekend where there are no fatal crashes.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Phil Henley's Spellbound, an account of life with dyslexia, inspires
Some might know Canadian standup comedian Phil Hanley from memorable appearances on late night talk shows or festival appearances found on Instagram, where his intelligence and quick crowd work have won the Oshawa native a growing audience. In his surprising and moving memoir Spellbound, we learn that planting his feet on the standup stage and finding comfort and a career came to Hanley after many globetrotting adventures — all the while struggling with a severe form of dyslexia that made almost everything he undertook at school painstaking and fraught with anxiety. As is often the case with many brain processing issues, his one challenge is often compounded with others. Whether his distractibility and obsessive compulsions are also medical grade is less relevant than how Hanley has managed to cope and flourish. Spellbound While Hanley mixes up letters and numbers, it seems the number '10' starts to stick. Fancy folks in the fashion business see a commodity in his healthy figure and handsome face. Suddenly, a standup memoir becomes a book about high fashion during a fertile and freaky era. (The more the better!) Soon Hanley is in Milan working as a runway model. He finds a similar lost soul in the troubled and ill-fated designer Alexander McQueen. But life on the upside has its downs, and after a whirlwind season or so and a heavy heartbreak, Hanley lands back in North America. Next up, he's testing his quick wit with the improv collective Upright Citizen's Brigade — who, along with L.A.'s The Groundlings, have been keeping Saturday Night Live in cast members for many seasons. It's during this period in New York that Hanley begins to explore whether solo standup might be the ideal job. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. At the same time, a need to stay grounded leads him to transcendental meditation, made famous by the likes of the Beatles and David Lynch. The practice helps Hanley write, focus and tap into the absurd ideas that make his comedy unique. Being a former model doesn't help much on open mics, but it comes in handy as his prospects improve. Hanley's description of his rise to current fame takes up the last quarter of the book and is funny, wise and engaging. But near the end of his story so far, he circles back to his most steadfast companion — dyslexia. With Spellbound, and in his talks in schools, he is working to remove stigma and dispense encouragement. It must be said that it's not in paper format that we feel the full power of Hanley's resilience. He has recorded an audiobook, which took him over twice as long as a regular reader. Dyslexia doesn't care that he wrote the book. So while this review of Spellbound covers the print edition, the audiobook is a massive personal accomplishment, and should be mentioned as such. Lara Rae deals with attention deficit disorder and borderline personality disorder, and is a standup comic originally from Glasgow.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
‘I want to buy a castle, but my wife won't let me': Newmarket lotto winner overjoyed with $65M windfall
A Newmarket wife was having none of her husband's early morning shenanigans when he recently tried to rouse her from slumber. 'Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?' Mark Hanley asked his wife recently. 'She sternly said, 'No,' and tried to go back to sleep.' Hanley was up early that morning, enjoying his breakfast, when he decided to check a Lotto Max ticket from the March 28 draw. He usually checks the lotto numbers one by one on . After realizing he had matched the first three, he started to pay closer attention. Numbers four, five, six and seven also matched. But it didn't dawn on him yet that he'd won. 'I've been playing the lottery for 30 years, and when I counted all seven numbers, I was disappointed that I didn't match the bonus number,' Hanley said in an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. press release. 'Then I realized there are only seven numbers with Lotto Max, and I got the big one! When I saw there was only one winner and the jackpot was $65 million, I started jumping for joy, saying, 'Touchdown!'' That was when he debated waking his wife. 'Is this important enough to wake up my wife, who loves her sleep?' he thought to himself. When his first humorous attempt to wake her failed, Hanley convinced his wife to get out of bed and meet him downstairs so he could show her his winning ticket. 'She looked at the ticket and thought, 'So what …?' So, I told her to go take a shower to fully wake up. When she came back, the reality of this win started to settle in, and she began crying tears of joy.' The retired business software analyst and his wife then decided to tell their grown children the news face to face, but may have left too much to the imagination. 'We called to make sure they were home, and I said to my wife, 'Don't tell them anything — just say we're coming over.'' As his wife made the call, she began crying again. 'She said, 'We're coming to see you … I can't tell you why … but everything's all right,'' Hanley said, but realized it sounded like they'd be delivering bad news. 'Oh good, now they think someone died.' As the couple pulled up to the house to visit their children, Hanley's wife asked if he'd hold her coffee so her hands would be free to give them a hug. 'She started to cry again,' he added. But the kids were happy when they learned the true purpose behind the surprise visit. 'I felt so good to tell them, and it's a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways.' Hanley had more surprises in mind to spring the news on immediate family members with a portion of his windfall. 'They're probably not going to believe it at first because you don't expect someone to suddenly come out of the blue and give you a gift like this.' Travel is now also on Hanley's itinerary. 'I want to travel the world for its food! I want to go to Italy, and especially France. I love French bread, French wine, and oh my, French cheese!' He also mentioned another aspiration that may be out of reach. 'I want to buy a castle, but my wife won't let me,' he said with a laugh. Hanley honestly said it would take some time before the reality of hitting the Lotto Max jackpot truly sinks in. 'The Lotto Max commercials say, 'Dream Bigger,' but I still haven't quite gotten that in my head. I always dreamt of winning a couple of million, but this amount is just baffling. I just feel so grateful and blessed that this win came my way.' The winning ticket was purchased at New Town Variety on Yonge Street in Newmarket.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Newmarket retiree scores $65M playing Lotto Max: 'Touchdown!'
Sometimes it takes a shower to fully realize you're a multimillionaire. Retired business software analyst Mark Hanley found this out about his wife after he won the $65-million Lotto Max jackpot from the March 28 Lotto Max draw. The Newmarket man was up early, enjoying breakfast, when he decided to check his lottery ticket 'I've been playing the lottery for 30 years, and when I counted all seven numbers, I was disappointed that I didn't match the bonus number,' he told OLG. 'Then I realized there are only seven numbers with Lotto Max, and I got the BIG ONE! When I saw there was only one winner and the jackpot was $65 million, I started jumping for joy, saying, 'Touchdown!'' Following his private celebration, Hanley had to decide whether or not to wake up his wife, who cherished her time asleep. 'So, I decided to share the news by saying, 'Honey, do you want to kiss a millionaire?'' Hanley told OLG. 'Funny enough, she sternly said, 'No,' and tried to go back to sleep.' Hanley then convinced his wife to get out of bed and meet him downstairs so he could show her his winning ticket. 'She looked at the ticket and thought, 'So what …?'' he continued. 'So, I told her to go take a shower to fully wake up. When she came back, the reality of this win started to settle in, and she began crying tears of joy.' The couple then decided to tell their grown children in person. 'We called to make sure they were home, and I said to my wife, 'Don't tell them anything – just say we're coming over.' 'When they answered the phone and my wife started to talk, she began crying again. She said, 'We're coming to see you … I can't tell you why … but everything's alright.'' Hanley started laughing and said, 'Oh good, now they think someone died!' When they arrived at the house to visit their kids, his wife 'asked me if I could hold her coffee so her hands would be free to give them a hug and then she started to cry again,' he told OLG. Their children were overcome with emotion when they were finally told the great news. 'I felt so good to tell them, and it's a dream come true to now be able to provide for them in so many incredible ways!' he told OLG. Hanley plans to surprise some immediate family members with a portion of his windfall. 'They're probably not going to believe it at first because you don't expect someone to suddenly come out of the blue and give you a gift like this,' he told OLG. Hanley also has his own plans. 'I want to travel the world for its food. I want to go to Italy, and especially France. I love French bread, French wine, and … oh my, French cheese!' There's another desire — although he might not have enough in the bank. $5M lottery mystery ends as winner steps forward before expiry date Five GTA construction company workers share $60M Lotto Max win 'I want to buy a castle, but wife won't let me,' he said with a laugh. 'The Lotto Max commercials say, 'Dream Bigger,' but I still haven't quite gotten that in my head. 'I always dreamt of winning a couple of million, but this amount is just baffling. I just feel so grateful and blessed that this win came my way.' The winning ticket was bought at New Town Variety on Yonge Street in Newmarket.
