Latest news with #Howells
Calgary Herald
13-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Want to help save the Great Barrier Reef? Become an ecotourist
Article content Article content During my scuba adventure through the Ribbon Reefs aboard the Spirit of Freedom dive boat, our group transformed into part-time marine scientists. Armed with underwater slates and pencils, we conducted rapid monitoring surveys, recording everything from fish species to coral impacts to promising new coral growth. Article content Even getting scuba certified has regenerative benefits. When I upgraded my diving credentials with Diver's Den, a PADI Eco Center that operates our dive boat, a portion of my course fees supported PADI AWARE. This global conservation non-profit partners with the UN's Green Fins Program to minimize tourism's footprint on fragile ecosystems like coral reefs. Article content Article content Article content The impact of visitor participation can be profound. Data collected through the Dive Against Debris citizen scientist program led Vanuatu to become the first country to ban single-use plastics. Thanks to similar community-collected evidence from Sydney Harbour, all Australian states and territories have enacted plastics policy changes. Article content Beyond its five-star comforts, the island houses the renowned Lizard Island Research Station, which provides crucial scientific data for reef management. Resort guests can tour the facility, peer into aquariums meticulously maintained to mirror natural conditions, and have the opportunity to talk with passionate researchers whose work is making a difference. Article content Article content Article content 'Just because the reef is in trouble doesn't mean it's not a wonderful place to visit. We have the data, and we know what the solution is. We as a society need to do our part to remove those pressures. We need action on an individual level and at the government level for policy setting,' notes Howells. Article content My revelation came during my night dive when dozens of sharks glided past me with supreme indifference. These weren't the mindless killers of movie fame but graceful predators with zero interest in adding me to their menu. Article content Article content People protect what they connect with. Lock eyes with a curious Maori wrasse, witness coral spawning under moonlight or share a wave with a sea turtle, and suddenly, abstract conservation concerns feel personal. Article content
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Mother, child seriously injured in hit-and-run outside Walmart, suspected driver arrested at hotel
The Brief Largo police say a driver hit a mother and her 6-year-old child in a Walmart parking lot on Thursday night. Both victims suffered serious injuries, with police saying the child's injuries are life-threatening. Officers later arrested Lauren Howells, 32, on multiple charges. LARGO, Fla. - Largo police say they've arrested the driver who took off after hitting a mother and her 6-year-old child in a Walmart parking lot, leaving both with serious injuries. What we know The Largo Police Department says a woman later identified as Lauren Howells, 32, hit the victims and crashed into other vehicles shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday outside Walmart off Roosevelt Blvd. Both victims went to the hospital, with police saying the child's injuries are life-threatening. Investigators say the Clearwater Police Department found Howells' vehicle parked at the Days Inn on Gulf-to-Bay Blvd., but Howells had left. Law enforcement later found Howells at Murphy's Motel off 34th St., according to police, at which point she admitted to crashing in the Walmart parking lot and leaving the scene. What we don't know Police did not release the names of the victims or the gender of the child who was hit. What's next Howells faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash with property damage, two counts of leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, and one count of reckless driving with serious bodily injury. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source This story was written with information from the Largo Police Department. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Epoch Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Howells Fire District in New York Wins Vote to Build New Firehouse
ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—The Howells Fire Company got the go ahead vote to construct a new fire house. The decision needed to pass a bond referendum, allowing the fire district to borrow money and raise the fire tax. The bond referendum for $9.5 million to build the new firehouse passed on May 6 with 162 saying 'yes' and 40 saying 'no.' The Howells Fire District includes Wallkill and part of Mount Hope in Orange County and Mamakating in Sullivan County. People in the served area will pay an additional $.85 to their Howells Fire District Tax Bill every day. Howells will likely need to pay about $600,000 on the bond annually, lasting 25 to 30 years. Price and costs are still in negotiation. Howells Fire District Commissioner Louis Ingrassia told The Epoch Times: 'We are very proud of the fact that we have not gone to the public for a public referendum for money since 1992, over 30 some years ago. Whereas there's a lot of fire districts around us that, when they buy a new truck, they have to bond it, they have to pay the interest payments.' Ingrassia credits treasurer Bob Wheeling for the good management. Wheeling's been in the position for 28 years. Related Stories 5/7/2025 5/6/2025 Fire districts work similarly to school districts in that they need to hold a public referendum on whether they can bond money and go into debt. The reason that the fire district wants a new firehouse is that the old one was built in 1915, with some additions in 1969, and it is now too small for the level they are operating at. Currently, the Fire Company cannot house all six of its vehicles inside the firehouse. The firehouse also lacks many amenities and safety features required for modern firehouses. There are no showers or spaces for gear washing and storage. The new firehouse would be one story, compared to the current two story firehouse that violates parts of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new 16,000 square foot firehouse would have new lockers, an electric room, a radio room, communications, and training areas. Ingrassia hopes the new firehouse will last 50 to 60 years. He said it would take about 12 to 14 months to complete building once it is started. Over the past seven years, the fire district has acquired 60 acres of land down the road from the current firehouse. They plan to use five acres for the new firehouse. The rest will be conserved or saved for later development, according to Ingrassia. He suggested that a pavilion and recreation area might be created. Deputy Commissioner James Finn described the response to the proposed new firehouse bond at a public hearing on April 21. 'We probably took a dozen questions and the overall feel was that we had community support. I don't think 25 people is really representative of our whole community.' Howells Fire District Commissioner Louis Ingrassia (L) and Deputy Commissioner James Finn (R) inside the Howells Fire District firehouse on May 7, 2025. Oliver Mantyk/Epoch Times The vote showed overwhelming community support, with 81 percent of voters voting, 'Yes.' Voter Dave Hoyt gave his reason for supporting the new firehouse. '[The Howells Fire Company] has been in our house a couple times recently because we had some false alarms with our alarm system. They've been very competent, very helpful,' he said.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Midlands projects win RIBA architecture awards
A transformed 1930s fire station and a carbon-neutral nursery are among five projects to pick up regional architectural awards. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced the winners at a ceremony on Thursday evening celebrating great architecture across the five schemes were selected by an expert jury who visited all shortlisted Collett, chair of the West Midlands RIBA jury, said the winning projects demonstrated how "constraints can become opportunities". "Whether spanning a road tunnel, replacing a car park, or transforming underperforming existing structures into dynamic and exciting places to study and live, these projects deliver outstanding value," he 2025 RIBA West Midlands Award winning buildings are: One Centenary Way by Howells, Birmingham The sustainable, steel-frame office building, bridging over a busy road tunnel in Birmingham was awarded Project Architect of the Year. Hanbury Hall by Howells, Worcestershire The hall picked up its regional award after the addition of a new cafe to the Grade I listed country house. University of Staffordshire Woodlands Nursery by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios The timber-clad, carbon-neutral nursery, which is built on a former car park, received the Sustainability and Client of the Year award. Coventry University, College of Arts & Society by BDP The transformation of two brutalist buildings into a "future-facing hub" at Coventry Universities' College of Arts and Society was named Building of the jury praised how the architects ambitiously "knitted the formerly disparate existing buildings together". Old Fire Station by KKE Architects Ltd, Worcestershire The 1930s fire station on Copenhagen Street picked up one of the regional awards after it had been renovated into 28 new apartments and a retail space. Speaking about all UK award winners, RIBA president, Muyiwa Oki, said: "This year's winners exemplify architecture's power to transform - turning spaces into places of connection, creativity, and care."The Midlands winners will now be considered for a RIBA national award, which will be announced on 10 July. The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize for the best building of the year, will then be drawn from the RIBA national award-winning projects later in the year. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Film to be made on man who lost £570m bitcoin in Newport tip
A documentary is being made about the man who lost a hard drive containing £570m of bitcoin. James Howells, 39, has been trying to retrieve the hard drive containing his lost bitcoin fortune, which he believes is in a Newport landfill site, for over a a production company from America, called LEBUL, have acquired the exclusive rights to develop and produce his story. Mr Howells said he's "excited" to "finally be able to tell the story in his own words". Mr Howells acquired the bitcoin, also known as BTC, during the early days of the claimed his ex-partner mistakenly threw out the hard drive, containing 8,000 bitcoins, in 2013, with it ending up in a tip owned by Newport City month, a High Court judge threw out his efforts to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation, saying there were no "reasonable grounds" for bringing the claim and "no realistic prospect" of succeeding at a full led Mr Howells to represent himself at the Court of Appeal in London, using artificial intelligence to support his in March, the court dismissed his appeal, and he is now considering taking the matter to the European Court of Human Howell has also expressed interest in buying the site after the council said it planned to close it in the 2025-26 financial year, however Newport City Council said it was making no further comment on the matter. Mr Howells said "every man and his dog wanted to film this," claiming he received about 200 offers from around the world, including from BAFTA and Emmy-winning production said until recently, "the timing wasn't really right with the legal battles".However, on Tuesday, the Los Angeles-based entertainment company LEBUL announced plans for a docuseries, podcast, and short-form content documenting Mr Howells' mission to recover the mistakenly discarded hard drive containing 8,000 "The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells", the series is set to explore the early days of bitcoin, Mr Howells' involvement, the legal battle, and his high-tech plan to excavate the site, all brought to life with extensive Howells said it would also follow his efforts to purchase the landfill where the hard drive is believed to be buried."It will follow the live treasure hunt if you will because even though the court has said no to me - I'm not giving up the fight," He Van Allen, from LEBUL, said: "This isn't just content. "It's a live-action tech thriller with nearly a billion dollars at stake — and LEBUL is proud to bring it to the world". The company said the series had already begun attracting strong interest from global sponsors, crypto leaders, and major streaming platforms. Mr Howells said filming is scheduled to take place over the summer, with the documentary set for release in October or added: "This is the first sort of time that I've been able to show the world exactly what we want to do at the landfill site."Once people have viewed this documentary, they won't think this is a crazy plan and they'll think it is very achievable." What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a virtual or digital currency that has no physical can be split into smaller units, with a satoshi being the smallest monetary are named after bitcoin's inventor Satoshi Nakamoto – believed to be a pseudonym – who wrote a key document about the currency in investing in the product around this time, like Mr Howells, were part of a "very small" crypto community known as Cypherpunks, said Billy Bambrough, author of the CryptoCodex was not the first cryptocurrency to be invented, but it did gain considerable attention with early adherents being "very quickly enamoured with it", Mr Bambrough began to rise in about 2016 and 2017, and again in 2020 during the Covid pandemic when "stock markets, cryptocurrencies and meme coins went up hugely"."A lot of people got very rich, but a lot of people also lost money," Mr Bambrough cryptocurrency also saw rapid increases in late 2024, shortly after Donald Trump's victory in the US general election, with his administration being seen as far friendlier towards cryptocurrencies than the Biden White House."A lot of people in the crypto and bitcoin worlds say the price has gone up so much in such a short amount of time, they claim it could go higher and higher," Mr Bambrough said."So I can understand why James [Howells] is keen to find his bitcoin."
