Latest news with #JasonWalsh
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Business
- Sunday World
Man ran ‘Europe's cheapest car park' in scam on school grounds
Jason Walsh (36) was caught several times charging up to 150 vehicles to park in the school after breaking the locks and getting in An intruder broke into a Dublin secondary school and turned the grounds into an unauthorised paid car park in a money-making scam. Jason Walsh (36) was caught several times charging up to 150 vehicles to park in the school after breaking the locks and getting in. Judge John Hughes said it must have been the 'cheapest car park in Europe' when Walsh maintained he only made €200 himself after donating half the proceeds to charity. Dublin District Court heard students' events had to be scaled back or cancelled to pay for the €1,000 of damage Walsh caused, and the judge told him to repay this or face jail. Walsh, of The Willows, Finglas Road, Glasnevin, pleaded guilty to trespassing, criminal damage and deception by inducing the public to pay for car parking on private property without permission. The court heard the caretaker at St Vincent's Secondary School, Finglas Road, Glasnevin, called gardaí after the locks on the front gates were broken and two men were parking cars on the grounds in exchange for unknown sums of money. The same thing happened again on two other days. Walsh had 181 previous convictions for offences including burglary. The accused apologised and indicated he was going to pay for the damage, his solicitor said. Walsh was trying to 'make a few extra quid' when he got involved in the offence with two other people. Judge Hughes told Walsh he had a 'good oul run of it' and when asked how much he had got from it, Walsh replied €200. The judge said with 150 cars, it was 'the cheapest car park in Europe, I'd say'. The court heard to pay for the damage, the school had to redirect funds from student events. Walsh said he was a recovering drug addict, rebuilding his life. The court heard he had suffered a lot of personal trauma, including the loss of a partner who was murdered. 'There's kids who didn't get to go on school tours because yourself and your buddies were running a scam,' the judge said. 'You are going to have to pony up the cash or you're going to jail.' Jason Walsh said he made €200. Photo: Collins Courts News in 90 Seconds - 3rd June 2025
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Republicans Vote to Kill Job-Creating Clean Energy and Manufacturing Investments and Tax Credits
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a nearly party-line vote, House Republicans passed a budget reconciliation bill that would effectively kill clean energy and manufacturing tax credits. Every single Democratic member of the House voted against the bill. This legislation introduces provisions that would effectively kill the job-creating investments in the Inflation Reduction Act by rendering the law's tax credits for clean energy and advanced manufacturing unusable and sunsetting them early. Recently released modeling from Energy Innovation found that the Republican bill would cost Americans more than 830,000 jobs for just the year of 2030, and 720,000 jobs for just the year 2035. These numbers do not account for the likely cancellations of planned clean energy manufacturing facilities. 'These clean energy tax credits have been a game changer for communities across the nation, including in the districts of the Republican representatives,' said BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director Jason Walsh. 'The GOP caved to the MAGA extremists in their party so they could screw over America's workers to stuff the pockets of billionaires.' Additional research suggests killing the credits will increase costs for American families. Other harmful provisions include: Repealing the Clean Vehicle Tax Credits; Repealing the Clean Hydrogen Tax Credit; Clawing back unspent funds for air quality monitoring in schools, clean manufacturing, state and community energy programs, and electric grid upgrades; Defunding and delaying the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP), which reduces pollution and protects the health of workers and communities; Clawing back all unspent Inflation Reduction Act funds, including many provisions that would have lowered energy bills, created jobs, and reduced pollution; and Attacks on additional Inflation Reduction Act programs and initiatives. 'Every single Republican that said they were going to stand up for jobs in their districts either voted for this atrocity or didn't vote,' said Walsh. 'These folks just voted to kill good-paying jobs and huge private investment in their hometowns.' In March, a group of Republican Representatives, led by Rep. Andrew Garbarino (NY-2), penned a letter calling for the protection of the tax credits. Those Representatives are: Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), David Valadao (CA-22), Young Kim (CA-40), Earl 'Buddy' Carter (GA-1), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-1), Erin Houchin (IN-9), Don Bacon (NE-2), Thomas Kean, Jr. (NJ-7), Mark Amodei (NV-2), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Michael Lawler (NY-17), David Joyce (OH-14), Jennifer Kiggans (VA-2), Vince Fong (CA-20), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Gabe Evans (CO-8), John James (MI-10), Ryan Mackenzie (PA-7), Rob Bresnahan (PA-8), Dan Newhouse (WA-4). While Garbarino himself did not show up for last night's vote, all the other signers voted for the bill. 'Now the fight moves to the Senate. We urge all Americans to call their Senators and remind them who they work for. We will not stand by as they kill family-sustaining, union jobs, increase energy prices, and surrender our manufacturing future to China while trashing our clean air and water,' Walsh said. CONTACT: Abby Harvey BlueGreen Alliance 9208381661 aharvey@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Travel Daily News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Protect Group set to offer protection on $7 billion in bookings by end of 2025
Protect Group projects $7B in protected bookings by 2025, driven by tech-enabled, non-insurance refund solutions boosting conversions and ancillary revenues. LEEDS, UK – Protect Group, a leader in ancillary travel products, is on track to offer protection to $7 billion worth of travel and event bookings by the end of 2025, driven by rising global demand for innovative, tech-driven ancillary services. The company's Travel, Tours & OTAs vertical alone has recorded a 54% year-on-year growth in conversions, underlining the growing appetite for revenue-boosting upgrade options at checkout. From refundable bookings to flight delay compensation, the tech provider's unique, non-insurance-based model continues to resonate across the travel sector. By enabling partners to offer seamless refund upgrades without regulatory barriers, Protect Group is helping airlines, OTAs, and hospitality brands unlock new revenue streams, reduce overheads, and increase customer satisfaction. Jason Walsh, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Protect Group, said: 'There's a clear shift happening in the industry. Travellers expect flexibility, and businesses need smart ways to deliver it. Our results show travel providers don't have to pick between customer experience and revenue growth. By building refund protection into the booking journey, we're helping our partners increase conversions, drive repeat business, and grow revenue without adding complexity.' At the core of the offering is Refund Protect, Protect Group's flagship product. This allows customers to upgrade their tickets for a full refund in unforeseen circumstances outside their control. The company's AI-driven Pulse platform delivers this, integrating directly with existing systems to deliver scalable and personalised customer experiences. Also gaining traction is Protect Plus, a growing portfolio of ancillary services that includes flight delay compensation, delayed baggage compensation, carbon offsetting, eSIM solutions, and lounge access. These services are built to match the expectations of today's travellers while delivering strong revenue opportunities for partners.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Washington County district attorney comments on child predator hunter group sting in Peters Township
Peters Township Police arrested a man on multiple child pornography charges after an online child predator hunter group tracked him down. William Jones was arrested this week, two months after the group's sting was broadcast live on Facebook. The group, known as Niky Sal, goes across the country and meets up with suspected predators after chatting with them online. They confronted the suspect behind Grande Restaurant where he worked. 'They are difficult to prosecute because the law in Pennsylvania doesn't allow a civilian to act in that manner,' said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh. In this case, you can watch the civilian explain to Peters Township police what is happening. He says in the video, 'he was telling me that he had some child porn in his phone that he needed to get rid of...' Police did a full investigation and retrieved child pornography. Walsh said in similar cases he has not been able to prosecute because they cannot take the sting operation to court. 'I understand they have their hearts in the right places, and no one wants child predators out there, we can all agree with that. But the best circumstance would be to alert law enforcement and not take things into your own hands.' Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Boston Globe
10-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump is freezing money for clean energy. Red states have the most to lose.
So far, Republican-voting communities have benefited the most from that law. In the nearly three years since it was passed, private companies chasing the law's tax breaks have announced plans to spend $165.8 billion to build factories that make solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and more, according to new data from Atlas Public Policy, a research firm. Roughly 80 percent of those investments are in Republican congressional districts, where they are creating a once-in-a-generation manufacturing boom. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Inflation Reduction Act, along with a separate 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, also provided tens of billions of dollars in grants that have since been awarded by the federal government to private companies, states, and nonprofit organizations. These are legally binding obligations that have allowed companies to make investments, sign leases, and hire workers, with the expectation that they would be reimbursed by the government. Advertisement Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to end its freeze and release money from programs authorized by Congress, but there is evidence that several agencies are still blocking funding. The uncertainty is delaying projects and halting investments in areas that voted for Trump. In Montana, a biofuels plant did not receive on time a $782 million payment it was owed, the first part of a $1.67 billion federal loan guarantee. In Georgia, $1 billion in projects to modernize the power grid are on hold. In Nevada, a half-dozen large solar projects on federal lands are caught in a permitting freeze. The upheaval has put Republicans in the tricky position of defending a White House that deems money for clean energy a 'waste of taxpayer dollars' while working behind the scenes to protect their towns from the loss of new manufacturing jobs. Advertisement 'This is where we get a test of whether the Republican Party is a real political party serving its constituents, or a personality cult,' said Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor unions and environmental advocacy groups. 'I expect thousands of people to be laid off, I expect workers to be furloughed, and I expect construction projects to halt,' Walsh said. The political turmoil could put planned manufacturing projects at risk, analysts said. Of the nearly $30 billion in clean technology factories that were scheduled to come online in 2025 — including manufacturing facilities for solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles — more than half are now predicted to face delays or cancellations, according to a new report by BloombergNEF, a research firm. That's not solely because of Trump. Some factories were already struggling with weaker-than-expected demand for electric vehicles, rising costs, or foreign competition. But many manufacturers now face 'significant political uncertainty' on top of that, as companies wonder whether the Trump administration will repeal or modify federal loans and tax incentives, said Antoine Vagneur-Jones, head of trade and supply chains at BloombergNEF. 'Bringing a lot of this manufacturing back to the United States would be tricky even in the best case,' Vagneur-Jones said. 'You need massive amounts of political determination and policy clarity to pull this off. And when that's lacking, things start to get very messy.' At the Environmental Protection Agency, programs funded through the Inflation Reduction Act remain paused despite the recent court orders, according to internal emails. That included grants to states for reducing air pollution at ports and schools, monitoring pollution levels in neighborhoods next to industrial facilities, and installing solar panels in low-income communities. And at the Energy Department, employees said money for various grants and awards was still frozen. Advertisement The Interior Department has stopped permitting for solar and wind projects on public lands and waters for at least 60 days, saying it was conducting a review. At the Army Corps of Engineers, permitting for 168 renewable energy projects was paused last week. On Thursday that pause was lifted, but not for wind power projects, said Doug Garman, an agency spokesperson. The White House declined to comment. Neither the EPA nor the Department of Energy responded to requests to explain why they halted legally binding contracts despite the judge's order. The uncertainty over whether Republicans might repeal major clean-energy incentives to pay for Trump's tax cuts and immigration policies is also making investors nervous. In the Northeast, offshore wind companies are pulling back plans for multibillion-dollar investments after Trump issued an executive order halting approvals for turbines in the ocean. On Monday, New Jersey abandoned plans to award new offshore wind contracts after Shell withdrew from the most promising project. While many planned offshore wind farms would be in Democratic-led states such as New York and Massachusetts, the projects themselves support a $25 billion supply chain that includes steel mills, shipbuilders, and other manufacturers across 40 states, including Ohio, Louisiana, and Texas, according to a report by the Oceanic Network, a nonprofit group that represents the offshore wind industry and its suppliers. 'When a big, multibillion dollar project doesn't move forward, there are so many downstream investments that are affected,' said Stephanie Francoeur, a spokesperson for Oceantic. Advertisement The freeze has put Democrats in the unusual position of insisting that money continue to flow to their political rivals. 'It is illegal and we're not going to stand for it,' said Representative Kathy Castor, a Florida Democrat. 'We're going to fight back to make sure that these dollars get to where they are supposed to go.' Republicans whose districts have projects that are now on the chopping block have refrained from publicly criticizing Trump's actions. 'There might be some things in there that are worth saving,' said Representative Michael Rulli, an Ohio Republican whose district has $415 million in private investment spurred by federal incentives, including a $230 million auto parts manufacturing facility in Dover that is expected to create 650 new jobs. 'That's going to take a little time to figure out.' This article originally appeared in
