Latest news with #Hockaday
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur man accused of stealing furnace from public housing to provide heat for girlfriend
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur man is charged with burglary after police said he stole a furnace from public housing and hooked it up to his own home to provide heat to his girlfriend. She had just been evicted from that public housing, and the furnace came from her former home. In a sworn statement obtained by WCIA, Officer Jeffrey Hockaday said that Michael Webb, 37, had a home on Neely Avenue, but he also shared a second home with his girlfriend and another housemate. That home, located on North 31st Street, is owned by the Decatur Housing Authority and on Jan. 17, the DHA evicted the trio. Decatur teenager accused of pointing stolen, loaded gun at friend during argument Three days later, a maintenance man who entered their former home found the furnace and water heater missing, along with copper piping from the air conditioning unit and a utility closet. Hockaday said the duplex's property manager suspected Webb and his girlfriend. Continuing to investigate, Hockaday said he learned Webb recycled 13 pounds of copper piping with Mervis Recycling on Jan. 30 and 31. The Macon County Sheriff's Office arrested Webb and his girlfriend on Feb. 16 in connection to a different burglary. Hockaday said that when deputies served a search warrant for Webb's home on Neely Avenue that day, they found the furnace and water heater stolen from the DHA duplex. The third housemate who lived with Webb and his girlfriend was present when the warrant was served. Hockaday said he spoke with investigators and told them he was aware of the burglary on 31st Street. '(The housemate) advised they were going to move into Michael's residence…which did not have heat,' Hockaday said. '(The housemate) advised that Michael broke into (their former home) where he stole the water heater and furnace because he wanted (his girlfriend) to have heat.' Woman shot by 'masked male' in Decatur; police investigating By the time deputies served their search warrant, the furnace had been hooked up and was operational while the water heater was not. Hockaday said that another search warrant was served Feb. 21 and Webb voluntarily pointed officers to the location of both the furnace and the water heater. After being read his Miranda rights, Hockaday said Webb admitted to breaking into the 31st Street home after eviction and stealing the items. Macon County court records show Webb is charged with a single count of burglary, a Class 2 felony. He was released from custody with conditions and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 12. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We work for the people': Dozens rally at Arizona national parks to protest federal cuts
Dozens of protesters showed up at Grand Canyon National Park and Saguaro National Park on Saturday as part of a series of nationwide rallies on public lands. At least five national parks, monuments and forests in Arizona were expected to see protesters. The list also included Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and Devil's Bridge in the Sedona-Coconino National Forest, according to a protest list created by Resistance Rangers, a coalition of more than 650 national park and forest workers. Videos posted to social media showed groups of protesters at some of the state's most iconic viewpoints. John Hockaday, an organizer of the protest at the Grand Canyon, said about 100 people turned out for the rally and were spread out among four protest sites on the South Rim. The protests come in response to recent budget cuts at federal agencies, which led to mass layoffs of national park and forest rangers. Roughly 1,000 National Park Service employees and 3,400 Forest Service employees were terminated on Feb. 14. Many of those employees were in probationary periods — the final step in the competitive federal hiring process. An earlier executive order forced the agency to rescind more than 2,000 seasonal and permanent job offers. President Donald Trump's order, which came during the first hours of his second term in office, directed a hiring freeze on all federal civilian positions. Hockaday, 33, said both actions had huge impacts in Grand Canyon Village, where he and his partner have lived for three years. His partner is a full-time employee at the park, and Hockaday works as a seasonal park ranger. "Honestly, we're all on edge," Hockaday said. "We don't know if my partner's job is safe or if she's going to be next. A lot of people she knows have been terminated. It's definitely been a big thing for us." Others are worried that they may not be able to get hired for seasonal roles that they've held year after year. Sean Adams, 29, of Flagstaff, said he has twice worked as a lead biological technician on the "fish crew" at the Grand Canyon, which works to remove invasive trout and conduct conservation research on native fishes. "My two seasons here with the fish crew have been highlights of my whole life," Adams said, adding that he hopes to "come back for more." Arizona is particularly hard hit by the cuts. More than 10 million visitors annually flock to the state's iconic national parks, spending an estimated $1.2 billion and supporting about 17,300 jobs. Saguaro National Park announced last week that it would close both its visitor centers one day a week "until further notice." The park's statement did not list a reason for the cutback, but commenters speculated the reduction in service was related to the recent mass firings. Meanwhile, Grand Canyon National Park — the state's oldest and most popular — saw long entrance lines over President's Day weekend, attracting national attention. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said Friday that she would not use state money to ease the wait times. "I certainly am not interested in bailing out the Trump administration for dumb decisions they make, like cutting off funding and staff for one of the largest tourist attractions in the country," Hobbs said. Hockaday said he and other protesters spoke with park visitors on Saturday. They were largely met with support, he said. "I think people who come here realize how special the Grand Canyon is and how important it is to protect this place," he said. "It takes park rangers to make parks run, and we work for the people, not the billionaires." Arizona Republic reporters John Leos, Stacey Barchenger and Michael Salerno contributed to this article. This is a developing story. Return to for updates. Pushback: Gov. Hobbs won't use state dollars at Grand Canyon for 'bailing out' Trump This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: National parks protest: Dozens rally at Grand Canyon, other AZ sites
