Latest news with #KatherineJones
BBC News
31-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Royal Wootton Bassett homes backed despite Swindon merger concerns
A development with up to 410 houses has been approved despite concerns it would remove the gap between a market town and Swindon. David Wilson Homes applied for outline planning permission, or approval of the broad concept, for the homes on agricultural land at Upper Woodshaw, on the east of Royal Wootton Bassett. Wiltshire Council received 418 letters of objection from residents, many expressing concern over the merging of the market town and Katherine Jones, from the developer's agent Carter Jonas, said the new development would "help to address Wiltshire's housing shortfall" and secure "'£3.4m in community benefits". Plans were approved due to the housing need. Ms Jones said the benefits included land for a nursery school, a walkable neighbourhood and new open spaces and play to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the proposed 27 hectare site is under a mile and a half from Junction 16 of the M4, off the A3102 behind Sally Pussey's Inn, and over a mile from the centre of Royal Wootton Keeling, development director at David Wilson Homes, said 98 of the houses would be for affordable rent, 41 would be reserved for first-time buyers, and 25 would be offered in shared houses would typically be two-storeys tall, with some standing at two-and-a-half storeys, the developer the development would be geared towards cycling and walking were met with credulity by some councillors, after hearing the nearest primary school, secondary school, and supermarket were all between 25 and 35 minutes' walk then emerged the developers had committed to buying each household two Stagecoach MegaRiders bus passes for six months, at a cost of £410,000, to encourage the new residents to use public the developer was encouraged to invest the money into existing public transport provision a final bid to get the application rejected, Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Matthews described the development as a "speculative, car-dependent development in open countryside, disconnected from the town centre" which would cause "significant increase" to traffic on a road already congested at peak added the houses would be built on "part of the rural buffer separating the town from Swindon – something that residents feel very strongly about."But despite the protestations, permission was granted because of the shortfall in Wiltshire's housing land allocation.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Roanoke, Better Business Bureau proclaim scam survivor awareness day
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — The Better Business Bureau serving Western Virginia and the City of Roanoke recognized Thursday, May 8 as scam survivor awareness day, and will continue to do so on the second Thursday in May moving forward. The initiative is aimed at encouraging more scam victims to report their experiences in hopes of raising awareness and preventing more people falling victim to scams in the future. One scam victim spoke with WFXR, but her name has been altered to Katherine Jones for this story. Soon after Jones graduated college as a first-generation student, she took on the burden of student loan repayment. When she was contacted by a group claiming to be a third-party repayment service that offered loan forgiveness, she was relieved. 'I thought I had found what looked like the legitimate resource that was going to be the most helpful to me, that was going to be the best repayment option for me,' she said. The company accurately reflected her FAFSA loan balance and had access to personal information that made the site look more credible. But after about six months of payments, Jones noticed that her balance was staying level, continuing to accrue interest. 'That was really the moment when they didn't have an answer that made sense to me,' she said. 'They didn't have something that I could concrete see that progress was being made.' Better Business Bureau warns of raising AI scams Jones identified other people sharing similar experiences online, prompting her to sound the alarm and report the scam. She was able to get her money back, but said the experience still left her shaken. 'In the end, it definitely left me with a lot more anxiety when it comes to trying to make sure I'm talking to the right people and that it's a trustworthy source that all my data is going to,' said Jones. She said it took some time to share the story with family and friends as a result of embarrassment. The BBB says that those feelings lead many financial scams to go unreported, as some victims feel like they are to blame. 'These scammers are criminals,' said Julie Wheeler, president of the BBB serving western Virginia. 'This is no different than being held up on the corner with a gun. We want people to recognize that it isn't you. You didn't do something wrong. You're not to blame for it.' Data from the BBB says that about 50 percent of scam victims report feelings of stress and anxiety after the crime, particularly if it causes them to lose large sums of money. Scam survivor awareness day seeks to change that. 'What we're trying to do here is recognize those who have been through these terrible financial scams and have come out on the other side positively and have figured out how to use their stories to help others,' said Wheeler. Jones said she was ultimately compelled to share her story in hopes it would help other victims feel less isolated, and to prevent future people from becoming victims. 'Trust your gut,' she advised. 'If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Err on that it's probably a scam until they can prove to you it's not, versus the other way around.' For more information on scam prevention, visit the BBB website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
PSP offers $5K reward for information on Clearfield woman missing for 50 years
CLEARFIELD COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Pennsylvania State Police announced that it is offering $5,000 for any information that helps solve a case involving a missing woman from Clearfield. Katherine Jones, 29, disappeared from Clearfield County with an unidentified man, who was believed to be her fiance, Sept. 27, 1974. The man, who has yet to be identified, was noted to have dark hair and a mustache, with one of Jones's friends noting that he was driving a red Volkswagen 113. Before leaving Jones left her four children with a friend, who told investigators that Jones was a dedicated mother and it was uncharacteristic of her to abandon her children. Several of Jones's family members told police that they received a note from her stating that she left the children because of her 'impending marriage plans' and that she planned to return for them in October 1974. None of Jones's loved ones knew who she was dating in 1974. Investigators now believe that there was foul play involved in her disappearance, as the case remains unsolved. Jones was noted to be a white female with brown hair, green eyes, around 5'0″ – 5'4″ and weighed between 104-114 pounds. Her nickname was known to be 'Kathy' and her maiden name was listed as 'Golemboski.' In May 1975, Jones's family reported receiving a telegram from her which was marked as coming from New Jersey. However, a friend of Jones later told police that she had sent the telegram on Jones's behalf. Anyone with information is asked to contact PSP Clearfield at 814-857-3800 or online. All callers could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to the solving of a cold case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
