Latest news with #JoshuaJones
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Beaufort County Community College celebrates second Patrol K-9 graduates
WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) — The Beaufort County Community College celebrated the graduation of its second Patrol K-9 class on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. K-9s in order from left to right: Corporal Scott Gashi and K9 Shadow, Officer Christopher Fortune and K9 Atlas, Deputy Joshua Jones and K9 Rocky, Deputy Hayden Green and K9 Bruer, and Officer Franklin Blanton and K9 Kapi. Officers in order from left to right: Officer Christopher Fortune, Deputy Joshua Jones, Corporal Scott Gashi, instructor Ken Mathias, Deputy Hayden Green, and Officer Franklin Blanton. The officers graduating represents the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Haywood County Sheriff's Department, North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections, and Savannah Police Department. They completed a 14-week program, accumulating 540 hours of specialized training, which included obedience training, drug detection, suspect apprehension, and both daytime and nighttime search and rescue techniques. Beaufort CCC is only one of a few colleges in Eastern N.C. to offer this program. The Patrol K-9 program aids law enforcement agencies in finding missing persons or suspects using highly trained canine units. The Director of law enforcement programs at Beaufort CCC, Cliff Hales, said that the college developed the program to help trainees earn college credit for the extensive hours they invest in training. Deputy Joshua Jones gave remarks on behalf of the graduating class, and Mathias, along with last year's Gold Collar Award recipient, Greg Van Essendelft, presented Officer Christopher Fortune with this year's Gold Collar Award for his hard work and positive attitude. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
70th Annual Special Needs Fishing Derby
JIM THORPE, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Casting out a line to reel in community support, all part of a decades-old annual fishing event in Carbon County. 28/22 News has more about how the event involves hundreds of students with disabilities. Stepping off the bus, ready to go, 'Fishing!' exclaims Joshua Jones, Lehighton Area High School. 'Pull it back and wham! It goes into the water, and the fish come in and then bam! You are there with a fish!' said Ryan Kelly, a student at Jim Thorpe Area High School. More than 200 students with mental and physical disabilities from Carbon County are casting lines, all part of the Germantown Grove Club's 70th Annual Special Needs Fishing Derby in Jim Thorpe. 'I think right now we live in a world where we're connected to our phones or our devices. This gives the students the opportunity to come out, be with nature. They may not want to fish, but just sit here and watch their friends, cheer their friends on,' explained Kim Sargent, coordinator at the Germantown Grove Club. The annual two-day event shares the legacy of Phil Rodgers, who started it back in the 1950s. His daughter Mary says he always wanted to help out, especially sharing the hobby of fishing with those who couldn't do it on their own. Black smoke: No decision after Cardinals hold morning votes on new pope 'It was his idea, it is just fantastic to see it continuing and to see all the young kids that come in and the smiles on the faces! We can't say it enough times,' said Mary Rodgers-Marzen, daughter of the founder of the special needs fishing derby. In partnership with the local American Legion, volunteers by the dozens help out with the event, of all generations. 'I've been taking part in this for 35 years so this is my lifetime,' said Butch Mertz, member of the Germantown Grove Club. 'It's really exciting to see them learning and have the same experience that we do,' said Jagger McElmoyle, a volunteer at the special needs fishing derby. Weeks of prep work goes into it, including stocking the creek. 'All kinds of fish we have palominos, browns, tigers, brookies. It's a wonderful thing here,' explained Mertz. Hooked on the fun, everybody has their favorite part. 'Just helping a kid catch their first fish,' said Carter Rice, a volunteer. 'It's fun teaching them. They understand it quickly, I think,' said Andrew Sargent, a volunteer. Hard work, all for the smiles. 'It's good to get outside today!' said Jones. The fishing derby will run through today and tomorrow, rain or shine. If you'd like to donate to the event, visit the Germantown Grove Club's 70th Annual Special Needs Fishing Derby. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Izhaadaa Agwajiing features year-round outdoor recreation in Red Lake
Feb. 7—RED LAKE — Students from Red Lake Public School, the Endazhi-Nitaawiging Charter School and TrekNorth donned their ski gear for a fun outing on Wednesday as a conclusion to their Nordic Ski season. A mile off Minnesota Highway 89, the skiers meandered their way through a tree-lined path as they raced to the finish line — met with cheers and applause by their coaches and visitors. The first Nordic Ski meet at Red Lake in its history, spirits were high and the temperatures were low at a site that was a mere dream some years ago. The trails, trailhead buildings and surrounding nature compose an area unofficially referred to as Izhaadaa Agwajiing — named after the "Let's Go Outside" program. The program is administered by Ombimindwaa Gidinawemaaganinaadog, or "Uplifting Our Relatives." "The program is aimed at creating outdoor recreational opportunities for the community, and we offer activities for all seasons," Red Lake Department of Natural Resources' Joshua Jones said. "It's going to be free for the whole community so that families can come out and use it anytime." The program focuses on bringing outdoor activities to Red Lake where facilities may otherwise be limited. The program has been supported by the Tiwahe Foundation — a Native-run organization — as well as grants from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation, which aim to expand Izhaadaa Agwajiing. "This programming is a result of a lot of really great work on behalf of the organization, to really look at how we're engaging with community members," Tiwahe Foundation's Audrianna Goodwin said, "and also recognizing that our people deserve the best. You don't often see these kinds of facilities on the reservation." Goodwin added that many band members would have to travel 45 minutes to Bemidji or an hour to an hour-and-a-half to Thief River Falls to make use of similar facilities. Bringing these services to Red Lake is a way to support tribal membership in a myriad of ways. "This space really holds a lot of significance," Goodwin said, "and it's a dream coming true." Though not officially open to the public, Red Lake members and Wednesday's guests have made use of the area. Located on either side of an ice rink, two trailhead buildings constructed within the past year provide space for equipment as well as communal areas for relaxation and a much-needed warm-up from frigid temperatures. The trailheads are replicas of those found at the Movil Maze Recreation Area north of Bemidji. "That's part of what makes this program a success, the collaborative nature of it," Goodwin added. "People are willing to share their gifts." Izhaadaa Agwajiing currently boasts 10 miles of ski trails forged by Jones. "When we have good snow years, that's an incredible amount," Red Lake ski coach Dan Rogers said. "We have a really good drop-off, really good terrain here, glacial moraine features. Just an overall great ski area." Once the snow thaws, Izhaadaa Agwajiing will retire its skis, sleds, ice skates and three ice houses as the warmer months provide their own set of activities. By springtime, Jones hopes that Izhaadaa Agwajiing will have a completed amphitheater to host live music and plays among other performances. A goal for summer includes an added zipline and a campground with a learning forest to recognize Ojibwe culture. "When you go out, you'll be able to scan QR codes on the trail and it'll tell you how to say the tree or plant name in Ojibwe and how it's culturally significant to us," Jones said, noting additional plans for fasting camps, a sweat lodge and sugarbush workshops. "We're going to be building a whole bunch of cultural things all around us." Aiding its operations are youth part of the foster care system or in juvenile detention, of which more than 30 were employed last summer. "We teach them as many skills as we can, give them the opportunity to have a good-paying job. They work on our trails, the buildings, all the things we're doing here," Jones said. "They're a part of all of it." With its namesake credited to the program, an official name for the area will be unveiled on Wednesday, Feb. 12, by a Red Lake elder. Such a development will aim to solidify the place's mission moving into the future. "When you come into this space, people are happy and they're laughing," Goodwin left off. "It's just a beautiful place to explore all these different sides of who we are, not only as a collective society but as Anishinaabe people." More information can be found on the "Izhaadaa Agwajiing" Facebook page.
