Latest news with #JimMartin
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Garland cyclist hit by domestic violence suspect in police pursuit expected to recover
The Brief A Garland bicyclist is recovering after being hit by a domestic abuse suspect fleeing police on Saturday in Dallas. The victim, Jim Martin, was carried on the hood of the suspect's car for nearly half a mile before being thrown off. The suspect, Justin Johnson, faces multiple charges including family violence, evading arrest, and causing serious injury. GARLAND, Texas - A Garland bicyclist who was hit during a domestic abuse suspect's alleged attempt to flee police is expected to recover. Another cyclist who was riding next to him at the time of the incident tells FOX 4 the crash happened in a split second, and he's still wrapping his mind around what happened. The Victim Last Saturday was no different from any other for a Garland cycling group. They set off from east Dallas like normal, but as they were nearing the end of the ride, disaster struck. Jim Martin was hit by a speeding Dodge Charger, then carried on the hood for nearly half a mile before it crashed into two other vehicles, throwing him off. Photos show the aftermath of the crash. Martin was taken to a nearby hospital, and he's expected to recover. The Suspect Police were chasing the suspect, Justin Johnson, after a domestic violence incident in Garland. A woman called saying he had hit her and smashed the windows of her car. When officers found Johnson and tried to pull him over, they say he threw drugs out the window before driving off. Police say Johnson struck Martin during the chase. Johnson is currently being held here at the Dallas County Jail. He faces charges of family violence, evading arrest, causing serious injury and tampering with evidence. Police also say there was a warrant for him at the time of the crash for a parole violation. It's unclear what the violation was. According to public records, Johnson's criminal history dates back to 2011, and he's served time for multiple burglary convictions. What they're saying Greg Murff is also part of the Garland cycling group, and he was right by Martin's side when the incident happened. "This is a Saturday route that's been going on for decades," said Murff. Murff says it all happened in a flash. "In an instant, we heard a roar of a car come up behind us," Murff said. "There was a honk, and then Jim was gone." "I couldn't see him left, right, behind me, and then a second later I could see him kind of peeking over the top of the car, and it was just horrifying," Murff went on. Murff is grateful his friend is still alive after the traumatic incident. "I went back to check on Jim and, of course, like most cyclists, he asked where his bike was," Murff said. "It's your Saturday morning, you've done it 100 times, and you've seen that route, you've seen these people and nothing's unusual and to have a person disappear right in front of you, it's hard to wrap your mind around, it really is," Murff continued. Murff says he's going to find a new Saturday morning route from now on. The Source Information in this article comes from Dallas County, Greg Murff and previous FOX 4 reporting.
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Accomplished footballer Kevin Morgan passed away in Spain
Kevin, who had just celebrated his 80th birthday, was an accomplished footballer, achieving notable success in both Gaelic soccer, and golf. His talent emerged at an early age when he played in a very successful Bank Rovers minor team, managed by Jim Martin and included such noted players as Tomas Kelledy who played with Dundalk, Eddie O'Connell, Stephen Maguire and Benny Gaughran who went on to play with Louth. Kevin's greatest achievements in football came as a goalkeeper in the black and green of Young Irelanders, for having won a JFC medal with the club in 1977 when they beat Oliver Plunketts in the final in Knockbridge, he kept his place in goals when the club regained their senior status. When the Irelanders reached the senior final in 1979 for the first time in 29 years, Kevin was in goals when they upset the odds beating the dominant team in the county at the time Cooley Kickhams who were going for their 4th title in a row. He continued playing long after others of his age quit, and was readily available to help out any team when asked. In recent years he kept himself fit playing golf, another sport at which he was accomplished, and the sudden nature of his death shocked many for Kevin was a well known and popular figure in town. Originally from Cluan Enda, Kevin's father was a well known referee in junior and minor soccer leagues, and he lived in Vincent Avenue for most of his married life. The sympathy of many is extended to his wife and family. Reposing at his home on Saturday between 4pm and 8pm and on Sunday between 2pm and 8pm. Removal on Monday afternoon at 12.30 (walking) to St. Patrick's Cathedral arriving for Funeral Mass at 1pm. Thereafter (driving) to St. Patrick's Cemetery for burial. House strictly private at all other times.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri campaign watchdog is once again unable to function due to vacancies
The Missouri Ethics Commission meeting Oct. 16 at its Jefferson City offices. Members at the time, from left, were Jim Martin, Whitney Smith, Robin Wheeler Sanders and Jeremy Schneider. Attorney Scott Pool, the commission's counsel, is at the far right (Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent). Last fall, St. Louis attorney Brad Ketcher read the news that a Republican candidate for the Missouri Senate was using money from his church to help fund his campaign. As the chief of staff to former Democratic Gov. Mel Carnahan in the 1990s, Ketcher helped establish the Missouri Ethics Commission, a state agency that enforces campaign finance and ethics laws. He was so 'appalled' when the Senate candidate in question won the seat in November that Ketcher filed an ethics complaint asking the commission to investigate. But in April, he learned his complaint was getting thrown out because there weren't enough commission members to convene a meeting to review it. 'Because there were not four commissioners able to consider the investigation within the statutory timeframe, the commission could take no action on this complaint,' the commission said in dismissing the complaint. The complaint is among 16 others that have been dismissed in the more than 100 business days since the commission last had enough members to reach a quorum. It's the second time in less than a year that the commission hasn't had enough members to enforce state campaign and ethics laws. Missouri Ethics Commission finally has a quorum — but still can't meet or take action Ketcher refiled the complaint last week in hopes that the governor will fill the commission vacancies. When he served as Carnahan's right hand, Ketcher said he'd never want to read a headline: 'Governor fails to appoint ethics panel.' 'Do I want that headline?' he said. 'Hell no, I don't want that headline. Even though there's probably nothing nefarious going on, that's what it looks like to the rest of the world — like you're trying to hide something, you're up to something or trying to protect somebody.' A spokeswoman for Gov. Mike Kehoe, who was sworn into office in January, did not respond to a request for comment. On Jan. 13, former Gov. Mike Parson withdrew two commissioners who he'd appointed months earlier but who had not yet been confirmed by the Missouri Senate. That left only two of the six seats on the commission filled. The last time the commission had enough members to meet was Nov. 20. Ketcher said it's challenging for the ethics commission to get a new governor's attention in the middle of his first legislative session. 'I would say it's probably doubly a challenge for an acting executive director,' Ketcher said. Stacey Heislen, acting executive director of the commission, declined to comment. State law requires an investigation be completed within 90 business days of a complaint, which is then presented to the commission to determine whether there are reasonable grounds of a violation or whether it should be dismissed. However, for campaign-finance complaints 60 days from an election, the investigations must be completed within 15 days. The law also requires at least four commission members for a quorum, and at least four affirmative votes shall be required for any action or recommendation of the commission. The state faced the same problem last year for several months, before Parson appointed Jeremy Schneider of Macon in April, Whitney Smith of Des Peres in June and Jim Martin of Perryville in July. With Robin Wheeler Sanders serving as the chair since 2022, the commission finally had a quorum after those three appointments. However, only Sanders and Schneider remain after Parson withdrew his appointments for Smith and Martin. The law states the vacancies are to be filled within 75 days. 'State government has made crime fighting a priority, and that should include enforcement of the ethics and nepotism and conflict of interest laws,' Ketcher said, 'and they ought to move promptly to get a full commission in place to deal with those important issues.' Missouri's governor appoints commission members from nominations received by the congressional districts of the political parties that received the two highest votes for the last gubernatorial election. Members are prohibited from running for office, making contributions for or against a candidate or issue, working as a lobbyist, for the state or any political subdivision, being an officer of a political party or participating in an election except for voting. The state Senate must then confirm the appointments. For Ketcher's complaint, he believes the Senate confirmation raises an 'interesting' question. The focus of his complaint is Joe Nicola, a Republican from Grain Valley now serving in the Senate and able to vote on nominees for the ethics commission. 'Let's assume the governor does appoint some commissioners, is Nicola gonna basically get to vote for or against his jury pool?' Ketcher said. 'And I think that will be a moment of truth for the state Senate and for him.' Nicola told The Independent that Ketcher's complaint was 'ridiculous.' 'My church made donations to a PAC,' Nicola said, but he doesn't believe it's against regulations because his church isn't a registered nonprofit.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Casella subsidiary sues NH over Dalton landfill permit denial
A company looking to build a new landfill on a controversial site in the North Country town of Dalton is suing state environmental officials, claiming a rule used to deny its permit application 'violates the constitutional separation of powers by usurping legislative authority.' Granite State Landfill LLC, a subsidiary of Rutland, Vermont-based Casella Waste Systems, filed a complaint Tuesday in Merrimack Superior Court against the state Department of Environmental Services (DES). Granite State Landfill (GSL) had filed an application with DES to open a proposed 70-acre lined landfill that would replace Casella's North Country Environmental Services (NCES) Landfill in Bethlehem, which is scheduled to stop accepting waste in 2028. Casella appealed the state Waste Management Council's decision to reject a previous landfill permit request to the state Supreme Court. The site of the Dalton landfill would be less than half a mile from Forest Lake State Park, sparking attempts over the past three years to convince the Legislature to impose more restrictions on siting landfills in the state. The Legislature created a study group to examine the issue and make recommendations. DES ruled GSL's application is considered 'dormant,' and denied the request according to its rules. In a complaint filed Tuesday, GSL argues state law specifies the grounds on which DES may deny an application. 'Dormancy is not one of those grounds,' the complaint read. 'GSL submitted its application in October of 2023 and has made ten substantial submissions to NHDES since then to supplement the application, the last of which was provided on February 27, 2025. Most of GSL's submissions were in response to additional information sought by NHDES in letters finding the application 'incomplete.' 'In no way could GSL's application be considered 'dormant' within the ordinary meaning of that word,' the complaint argued. While GSL says it plans to appeal the decision to the New Hampshire Waste Management Council, it says because the administrative rule on which NHDES based its decision violates the constitutional separation of powers by 'usurping legislative authority,' GSL is asking the court to declare the rule void. Jim Martin, public information officer for NHDES, said the department 'cannot comment about ongoing litigation.' Jeff Weld, vice president of communications for Casella, said that if additional capacity is not permitted, 'New Hampshire residents and businesses throughout the state will likely incur additional disposal costs due to increased transportation charges and decreased competition in the marketplace.' 'It is unfortunate that despite providing thousands of pages of documents over the course of two years and nearly a dozen separate supplemental submissions in response to requests from NHDES, that they chose to deny the permit application based on dormancy,' Weld wrote in an email. 'The ongoing submissions, conversations, and work being conducted in support of the permit application supports our claim in the petition that there is no way for the application to be considered 'dormant' within any ordinary meaning of that word. We are confident that our petition for declaratory judgment will be successful, and the development of the Granite State Landfill will remain on track.' Weld said the need for disposal capacity to serve more than 60,000 customers and nearly 200 New Hampshire towns once NCES ceases operations in Bethlehem 'is made clear by NHDES' in its biennial report. The Dalton landfill proposal is facing renewed political opposition. In her inaugural address in January, Gov. Kelly Ayotte addressed the topic, saying the 'greatest resource our state has besides its people is our beautiful landscape.' 'No other state boasts the natural beauty we do, and there is a lot that comes along with that, from recreation to tourism, to industry as well,' Ayotte said. 'There will be no landfill at Forest Lake in Dalton. We will not allow that beautiful area of our state to become a dumping ground for out-of-state trash. Not gonna happen.' Asked about DES's denial of the permit application, Ayotte said they "did their work and they denied the permit on the Dalton landfill that is in the court process and I expect that will be followed.' 'Of course, I have confidence that they did their work properly but that will be defended by the attorney general's office.' In denying the permit application last week, DES officials said a permit application becomes dormant when the applicant fails to submit required information requested within a year of first being notified an application is incomplete — which came and went in February for GSL's application. In a letter, Michael Wimsatt, director of DES' waste management division, wrote a dormant incomplete application is 'deemed denied without further action by the department.' In its complaint, GSL claims it 'provided all the necessary information to complete the application by February 27, 2025, at the latest.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Casella sues state over permit denial for proposed Dalton landfill
Granite State Landfill LLC, a subsidiary of the Vermont-based Casella Waste Systems, filed the legal complaint in Merrimack County Superior Court Tuesday. (Photo by Claire Sullivan/New Hampshire Bulletin) A company that has spent years trying to build a landfill near a lake in a northern New Hampshire town is taking a recent permit denial to court. Granite State Landfill LLC, a subsidiary of the Vermont-based Casella Waste Systems, filed a legal complaint in Merrimack County Superior Court Tuesday against the state's Department of Environmental Services, arguing the administrative rule that the agency used to deny its application 'violates the constitutional separation of powers by usurping legislative authority.' Last week, DES denied the company's solid waste permit application for the proposed landfill in Dalton, which has drawn years of opposition over its close proximity to Forest Lake and fears about negative public health and environmental impacts. The agency said the application had become dormant and was therefore denied under its rules. While the solid waste permit is one of several sought by the company, the project cannot move forward without it. In Tuesday's legal complaint, the company argued that that dormancy rule is beyond the scope of the department's legal authority, making its denial of the permit application on that basis 'unlawful.' GSL is asking the court to declare that the rule is void for that reason and, consequently, the denial. The company also said it would seek an appeal of the denial through the state's Waste Management Council. Jim Martin, a public information officer for the department, said DES 'cannot comment on ongoing litigation.' This latest chapter comes at a new height of political opposition against the landfill. In her inaugural address, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte vowed she would not allow the project to go forward and endorsed a one-year pause on all new landfills in the state, a stark change in tone and policy from her predecessor Chris Sununu. In the Legislature, a host of bills aim to address various waste issues in New Hampshire, including strengthening siting requirements that critics say are far too relaxed. Jeff Weld, Casella's vice president of communications, said the company was 'confident' its petition for declaratory judgment would be successful, and that 'the development of the Granite State Landfill will remain on track.' He defended the project as creating needed additional disposal capacity, something opponents have argued the state won't need for years. 'It is unfortunate that despite providing thousands of pages of documents over the course of two years and nearly a dozen separate supplemental submissions in response to requests from NHDES, that they chose to deny the permit application based on dormancy,' Weld said. 'The ongoing submissions, conversations, and work being conducted in support of the permit application supports our claim in the petition that there is no way for the application to be considered 'dormant' within any ordinary meaning of that word.' His statement echoes a point made in the legal filing; while the company argues that dormancy is not a legitimate reason for the department to deny its permit application, it also argues that the permit could in 'no way' be considered dormant 'within the ordinary meaning of that word.' The company said it has submitted 'approximately 4,000 pages of documents and plans' to the department, that it has made 'ten substantial submissions' since the application was filed in October 2023, and that 'most of GSL's submissions were in response to additional information sought by NHDES in letters finding the application 'incomplete.'' Amy Manzelli, an attorney with BCM Environmental & Land Law who represents the North Country Alliance for Balanced Change, a citizen group opposed to the landfill, said GSL and its parent company, Casella, 'sometimes fall into this trap of mistaking quantity for quality.' 'The complaint goes on at length about how much quantity of application material GSL submitted, but that doesn't necessarily mean they met the required quality of information that they needed to provide,' Manzelli said, 'and I think they just missed the mark on that.' She said she doesn't think the company has a 'winning argument.' 'There's a clear statutory authorization to the Department of Environmental Services to make rules about denying permit applications, and so the department went ahead and did that,' Manzelli said. In its permit denial last week, the department told the company that a permit application becomes dormant when the applicant fails to submit required information requested by the department within a year of first being notified that the application is incomplete, a date that came in February for Casella. A dormant, incomplete application 'shall be deemed denied without further action by the department,' said Michael Wimsatt, director of DES' waste management division, in a letter to the company. Wimsatt said the application remained incomplete for a number of reasons, like not including a 'site report that demonstrates that the location of the proposed facility complies with all applicable siting requirements and that the site is a suitable location for the proposed facility….' Additionally, 'the maps, figures, and hydrogeological report' submitted by the applicant in 2023 had not been updated to show compliance with the state's regulations that were updated in December, Wimsatt said. Wimsatt also said that legal agreements submitted by the company 'failed to fulfill application requirements because they were heavily redacted and referenced other legal agreements, which were not provided.' The company asserts in its legal complaint that it 'provided all the necessary information to complete the Application by February 27, 2025, at the latest.' It also argued the department was 'not entitled to the entirety of the agreement between GSL and the landowner, where the redacted terms have no bearing on whether GSL will have the requisite ownership interest.' It also pointed to the fact that the updated rules were not in effect at the time its application was determined to be incomplete. Adam Finkel, a Dalton resident and former federal regulator who opposes the project, has also frequently been critical of the department. He pointed to those critiques in outlining his doubts about Casella's legal argument. 'My real beef with DES and with the Legislature is that the statutes give them (the department) too much authority. … Like (RSA) 149-M says, 'Go ahead and make rules in the following 11 areas,'' Finkel said. 'So there's almost nothing they're not allowed to do. So I was actually kind of amazed that Casella's now saying, you know, 'You don't have authority to do this,' because the statutes are so open ended.' He urged the Senate, which has traditionally been a hurdle to landfill legislation, to approve a moratorium, bolster siting requirements, and greenlight other bills aimed at strengthening the state's waste policy. 'The Senate has no excuse now but to pass these bills, because we're under siege from a company that won't go away,' Finkel said.
