Latest news with #JamesSpencer
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dallas police, TxDOT stepping up 'Click it or Ticket' enforcement
The Brief Texas law enforcement is stepping up seat-belt enforcement for the Memorial Day weekend, with nearly 4 million Texans expected to travel. Drivers and passengers caught without seat-belts face fines of up to $250; children under 8 or less than 4'9" must be in a child or booster seat. The "Click It or Ticket" campaign, now in its 23rd year, is credited with saving over 8,200 lives in Texas. DALLAS - As nearly 4,000,000 Texans prepare to travel this Memorial Day weekend, TxDOT, along with local police agencies, will be stepping up enforcement of the state's seat-belt law. Drivers and passengers face fines of up to $250 if they are not properly restrained. In Dallas alone last year, 416 people who failed to wear seat-belts were killed or seriously injured. While not buckling up may seem like a victimless crime, TxDOT says it is far from that. TxDOT says under Texas law, children who are under 8 years old or less than four feet nine inches tall need to be in a child's seat or a booster seat. What they're saying James Spencer, assistant chief with the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, says unbuckled passengers don't just hurt themselves. "If you are in a crash not wearing a belt you might be thrown into other passengers with a frightening force," said Spencer. Chief Spencer says officers would much rather give unbuckled drivers and passengers tickets for up to $250 than to see them after it is too late. "It could be mind-altering, paralyzed, whether legs down, neck down. Now your whole life has changed. Wheelchair. Now it not only affects your life but others," said Spencer. "You have to do due diligence and advise passengers to put their seat-belts on if you want to ride in this car." Dallas police assistant chief Catrina Shead says law enforcement will be actively looking for violators through June 1. "We will watch cars drive by. When they drive by without a seat-belt, we will stop them," said Shead. "We are not here to be an aggressive enforcement arm, but to show care for you." Sergeant Caleb Boyer with the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Southeast Texas says he is one who had to learn the hard way two years ago. "I was dispatched to an emergency call… My vehicle went off a highway, hit a culvert and went airborne before landing. Rolled over twice, I was not wearing a seat-belt. I was ejected from my patrol car and thrown several feet," said Boyer. "I sustained serious injuries to the whole left side of my body, and lost part of my left leg." Big picture view The Click it or Ticket campaign is now in its 23rd year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates it's saved more than 8,200 lives in Texas alone. The Source Information in this article was provided by TxDot, Dallas Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety during the seat belt education and enforcement campaign on May 20.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Clarenville has a new church, and it's made of Lego bricks
Rev. James Spencer spent almost a year building a replica of St. Mary's Anglican Church Image | Reverend James Spencer Caption: Rev. James Spencer has a passion for Legos, and he built an exact replica of his church from them. (St. Mary's Anglican Church - Clarenville/Facebook) Open Image in New Tab There are two Anglican churches in Clarenville: St. Mary's, and an identical one made of small plastic bricks. Rev. James Spencer has been a Lego fanatic since he was eight years old, and he says he still has his old building sets to prove it. He felt a burst of inspiration when he first started working at St. Mary's Anglican Church. "I thought, 'You know what, this is a beautiful building. I'd love to try and see if I could actually put it together,'" Spencer told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. That's exactly what he did. Spencer started by measuring every surface in the church so he could scale it all down. Even the windows and artwork are all the same — he says the trick was taking pictures of them and printing tiny stickers to put on the bricks. Lego St. Mary's is a true, one-to-one model of the real building, Spencer says. It took him the better part of a year to build and he says the parishioners appreciate the handiwork. "I was thoroughly impressed," said Paul Tilly, who heard Spencer talking about his project for the past several months. "He didn't only do this one, he did one for the church in Burgoyne's Cove, and I was amazed at how much of a replica of the real thing it was," said Tilly. "He's done a phenomenal job." Spencer says sourcing some of the Lego pieces was a difficult task and he used some of the stock from his personal collection, but had to head to some online shops for roof tiles and other scarce-types of bricks. The little Lego people inside the replica church aren't identical, but Spencer recognizes each and every one of them. "There's me, and there's a little girl in the congregation who always brings a little stuffed dog," he said. Spencer didn't stop creating when he finished the replica church. Downstairs at the real St. Mary's, he hosts the church's new Lego club on Thursday afternoons. Spencer says it's an activity for everyone, including young Parker Johnson who says instead of playing video games in his room, he can now do something new. "I've always wanted to build, but I never had the pieces," said Johnson, who was inspired by Spencer's work, too. "I really like the details, and if you just look, everything is the same," he said. "Even the little blue poster that's over there. It's super detailed and that's why I love Legos, 'cause you can just do, like, insane things with them." What's next on Spencer's Lego bucket list? He says he's going to take little St. Mary's to the Blocks on the Rock conference in St. John's set to take place in a few months. For now, it has a special place near the real church's altar.
