Latest news with #JohnNorris
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mr Chonkers review – you never know what's going to happen next
With his show and persona Mr Chonkers, American clown John Norris scored a cult hit on the fringe three summers ago – and now a booking off comedy's beaten track, at anything-goes alt-theatre hub Summerhall. He'll fit in, because his is a show (seemingly the same one he performed in 2022) that marches to the beat of its own drum. The upside of that? You never know what's going to happen next. The downside: with little by way of theme, narrative or structure, there's not much left to hang on to when the laughs abate. A portion of the audience will be giggling too giddily for that to be an issue: Norris is the kind of act who, if he gets under your skin, doesn't get out again. After a dotty prologue as a faceless monk, he offers us a supposed showcase of his recently acquired performance talents – in poetry, comedy and theatre. With a Janus-faced manner that twins eagerness to please with disciplinarian tendencies, he then serves up a tenuous film star impersonation (that wraps up the comedy section), some verse (including a standout about 'horny wives in your area') and – the bulk of the show, this – a theatrical act-out of a Sicilian family drama. Frustrated he's not getting it right, Norris performs that scene over and again, in (not very) different ways. If you're barely amused by the arresting sight of him, in character as a little Italian boy, retreating his head into his neck, this looping scenario may test your patience. It did mine. There are strong stand-alone sections elsewhere: a none-more-clown sequence about his ever-shrinking headgear; a gestural dumbshow of the apologies we make in company when we're detained by a phone call. Strongest of all is Norris's existential angst as his gig collapses, leaving him exposed to the chill winds of post-show, pining to return to his imaginative world. Whither your self-esteem when you can't even get a performance with no rules right? I cherished this playful glimpse into the jester's abyss, delivered (like everything here) with a wonderful alertness to the moment, albeit in a show that may drive you to distraction as well as delight. At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 24 August All our Edinburgh festival reviews
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corales Puntacana Championship kicks off with the announcement of a multi-year extension through 2027
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic, April 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With a purse of US$4 million and valid for 300 FedExCup points—the highest in the history of Dominican sports—and featuring players from 20 countries across 5 continents, the 8th edition of the Corales Puntacana Championship PGA TOUR Event kicks off from April 17–20, 2025, at the Corales Golf Course of Puntacana Resort. The tournament's opening press conference brought together executives from Grupo Puntacana, partners, brand allies, and members of the media. The main table featured Manuel Sajour, Executive Marketing Director of Grupo Puntacana and Director of the Corales Puntacana Championship; John Norris, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs; Nate Lashley, PGA TOUR professional and one of the "Kings of Corales"; and Hiram Silfa, Director of Golf Courses at Puntacana Resort and professional golfer. The PGA TOUR and Grupo Puntacana, through its Puntacana Resort brand, announced a multi-year extension through 2027 for the Corales Puntacana Championship—the Dominican Republic's first and only PGA TOUR event. "We are pleased to renew our relationship with Grupo Puntacana and the Corales Puntacana Championship, the first PGA TOUR event in the Dominican Republic and one that plays a vital role in driving local development," said John Norris, Senior Vice President of Tournament Business Affairs at the PGA TOUR. "The PGA TOUR is experiencing incredible momentum thanks to support from partners like Grupo Puntacana, and we are committed to sharing that energy with our passionate fans around the world." Manuel Sajour, Executive Marketing Director of Grupo Puntacana, added: "The Corales Puntacana Championship has become a flagship event for Puntacana Resort. We are filled with pride and joy to continue this tradition and celebrate a sporting event that is not only unique in the country, but also promotes the Dominican Republic and Punta Cana globally as a leading golf destination in the Caribbean." A total of 132 players from the United States, Europe, and Latin America will compete for the title of "King of Corales," including past tournament champions Chad Ramey (2022), Joel Dahmen (2021), and Brice Garnett (2018), as well as Nate Lashley, Korn Ferry Tour champion in 2017. Also participating are renowned players such as Charley Hoffman, a five-time PGA TOUR winner and former Chairman of the PGA TOUR Player Advisory Council; along with Justin Lower, Ben Martin, and Emiliano Grillo, ambassador of Puntacana Resort. The tournament has a reach of 7 billion digital impressions distributed as follows: 63 million in video reach digitally, 585 million in social media reach, 7 million viewers in North America and 4 million viewers in Europe, and 10.7 million visits to the official app and website. For more information: Instagram/Facebook @coraleschampionship View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Grupo Puntacana Sign in to access your portfolio
Axios
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Polk County's administrator search is on hold
Three months after ousting county administrator John Norris, Polk County supervisors still have no timeline to begin searching for his replacement. Why it matters: The administrator oversees the county's $350 million-plus budget and day-to-day operations. The continued vacancy leaves a key leadership role unfilled as legal and political tensions mount. Catch up quick: Norris' January departure followed years of internal strife, including the 2021 firing of HR director Jim Nahas, who alleges whistleblower retaliation in an ongoing lawsuit against the county. Norris, a former Iowa Democratic Party chairperson, was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after two new Republican supervisors took office in January. Last month, supervisors agreed to pay nearly $520,000 in salary and other expenses in exchange for his resignation and agreement not to sue. Driving the news: Board chair Matt McCoy said in a meeting last week that he doesn't believe it's the best time to launch a search, citing ongoing internal issues and media scrutiny that could make the job unattractive to prospective candidates. State of play: Frank Marasco, a sheriff's office administrator, continues to serve in the role on an interim basis. Meanwhile, Sarah Boese, a deputy administrator, has filed a separate complaint alleging unethical conduct and political retaliation for the board's refusal to consider her for the job and choosing Marasco as the interim, the Register reports. The bottom line: The administrative search might not begin for months.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Polk Co. administrator John Norris' departure, when could the role be filled?
With the departure of Polk County Administrator John Norris official, county supervisors will soon turn their attention to hiring a successor. But some want to do some spring cleaning first. Norris, who joined the county government in late 2020, agreed to step down after two months on paid administrative leave. He will receive more than $516,000 in compensation under a legal settlement the Polk County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday morning. Polk County Chair Matt McCoy told the Des Moines Register he was glad to have Norris' matter resolved but said there are more messes to clean up before the county is in a strong position to hire a new administrator. "It's sort of the equivalent of you clean your house before you invite the company in," McCoy said. More: Polk County Administrator John Norris to resign in more-than half-million-dollar deal He pointed to ongoing litigation and conflicts within the Polk County Attorney's Office related to that litigation, including a defamation case former county human resources chief Jim Nahas filed in 2021, which is set to go to trial in April. County attorneys also have been fighting subpoenas tied to a sexual harassment and retaliation case Deputy County Administrator Sarah Boese brought in 2022. Boese also has made new civil rights complaints after being skipped over this year to become interim county administrator — a job awarded to Frank Marasco, chief administrator in the Polk County Sheriff's Office. McCoy said he doesn't want to rush the new hiring process and hire the wrong person for the county administrator role. "We've done enough of that around Polk County," he said. "I want to take our time." "It's always a two-way street to interview and try to find somebody you like, but they have to like you. And right now, you know, I think we're a little bit scary and maybe a little bit unlovable," McCoy added. He said he envisions the county giving itself a six- to nine-month runway before casting a nationwide search, at which point he said the county could have a better chance of recruiting a solid, long-term candidate. He also said he wants to give Republican county board newcomers Jill Altringer and Mark Holm a chance to get their bearings. More: Bad blood, tangled ties raise conflict-of-interest issues in Polk County legal cases Meanwhile, Supervisor Angela Connolly said the sooner the county starts the hiring process, the better. The process to recruit a new hire will take several months, she said. "I'm not sure why we would wait. Someone's going to have to explain that to me," Connolly said. She said she'd like to see someone who has administrative, management, and policy skills in the role. McCoy acknowledged other board members would probably like to "start a search tomorrow." But at the moment, the county needs to continue to function and take care of the public's needs, he said. Marasco told the Register he was asked to take the administrator job on an interim basis to "fix some things" and make the office a better place for his successor. He said he couldn't discuss those fixes because they are mostly litigation- or personnel-related matters. "Anyone who comes into this role, you want it to be, you know, as good a workplace as possible and dealing with the least amount of those types of issues as possible," he said. While the supervisors will make the hiring decision, Marasco said he would encourage them to cast a broad search "just to see what's out there" and leave the position open for at least three months. When asked if he would like the job, Marasco responded that he does not have the desire to do it job long-term. He will continue his role with the Sheriff's Office while he serves as interim administrator. Under the agreement struck by attorneys and county officials, Norris will receive $190,408 for the 2024-25 fiscal year and $326,049 for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The amount would cover a year's pay, as well as other compensation and reimbursement for attorney fees. The resolution the board approved says it "denies all claims and makes no admissions, but wishes to resolve all matters with Norris." Norris's resignation was effective last week, but he will be available to the county to wrap-up work through July 1, 2026. Register reporter Lee Rood contributed to this story. Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@ Follow her on X at @vbarreda2. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What's next for hiring a new Polk County administrator?
