Latest news with #Leitch
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio State's Nisonger Center seeks public help to stop elimination of federal funding
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center's center for people with disabilities would lose all federal funding under the proposed national budget. OSU's Nisonger Center helps families and individuals with developmental disabilities. Now, the center is asking for help in return, calling on anyone who has used the center's services to submit testimonies about how the Nisonger Center has helped them in an attempt to keep its federal funding. According to the Nisonger Center, the proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2026, which would begin on Oct. 1, would eliminate all federal funding for the center. Nisonger Center is a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, or a UCEDD, which are facing dramatic cuts under the federal budget proposal. OSU researcher: $700K grant canceled when DOGE misunderstood use of 'climate' 'We are closely monitoring federal budget proposals and the potential impact they may have on programs such as the Nisonger Center,' Wexner Medical Center spokesperson Marti Leitch said. 'We will be engaged with our representatives in Washington throughout the budget process.' NBC4 requested an interview with Nisonger Center staff, but Leitch said the hospital was only able to offer a statement. According to the center's 2024 summary, one-third of all of its funding came from federal grants, or around $4.8 million last year alone. Founded in 1966, Nisonger Center was among the first federally funded UCEDDs. It staffs around 120 faculty and staff and serves more than 38,000 people each year, according to its website. The center offers programs and assistance for all ages, from early childhood education programs to smart home technology training for adults. 'The Ohio State University Nisonger Center provides outstanding, nationally recognized programs, patient care and research for individuals with developmental disabilities,' Leitch said. 'The center's work is vital to the entire Ohio community and, most importantly, to the families they serve.' See which 72 golfers are playing in the 2025 Memorial Tournament in Dublin The center also found out this month that the National Science Foundation eliminated all funding for the Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking and Transition Opportunities in STEM. Nisonger Center workers posted on social media that the center had led the Northeast Hub of the alliance, uniting students with disabilities from Gallaudet University, Landmark College, Purdue University, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Connecticut and OSU. Nisonger Center employees said Ohio State students in the alliance began an organization and a faculty training initiative, co-presenting at 14 conferences across three years. The alliance was funded by a federal grant which still had two years left when it was canceled. Although the canceled alliance grant cannot be appealed, Nisonger Center is asking anyone who was worked with the center to submit their stories through a brief survey to help protect its funding. Anyone interested in submitting a testimony can do so online here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Glasgow Times
7 days ago
- Glasgow Times
Motorcyclist who died in crash in East Ayrshire named
Kris Leitch, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene after the blue and white Sherco 290 motorbike he had been riding crashed on Main Street in Auchinleck. The incident occurred at about 12.25am and no other vehicles were involved. READ NEXT: Concerns growing for missing woman with links to Glasgow (Image: Police Scotland) Police said Mr Leitch's family have asked for their privacy to be respected at this time. Inquiries to establish the full circumstances of the crash are ongoing and officers have appealed to anyone with information about the incident to come forward. Sergeant Brian Simpson said: 'Our thoughts remain with Kris's family and friends as they come to terms with their terrible loss. 'Our inquiries to establish the full circumstances of the crash are ongoing and we are asking anyone who saw the motorbike prior to the crash, or has any dashcam footage, to please contact police. 'We are also keen to speak with anyone who attended the scene to assist but did not remain to provide their details to officers.' READ NEXT: Police appeal after motorbike rider dies in fatal early morning crash Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 0082 of May 24, 2025. The road was closed for about six hours while investigations were carried out.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Foot Locker security guard stuck his finger in a shopper's belly button - and groped another: lawsuit
A New York City couple is suing Foot Locker after a security guard working for the chain allegedly groped the two men during a shopping excursion, twice inserting his finger into one's navel before commenting on – and pawing at – the other's 'nice booty,' according to a disquieting human rights lawsuit obtained by The Independent. Following the 'shocked' duo's hasty exit from the store, the unnamed guard was later seen 'ogling… and harassing' another customer, the lawsuit contends. It says plaintiffs Christian Leitch, a 38-year-old animator, and Brian Williams, a 47-year-old designer who also works in sales, contacted Foot Locker management about the incident, but never got a response. 'People need to be aware that things like this don't just happen at a club or at a bar,' Williams told The Independent. 'It's happening when you're shopping for a pair of socks.' Leitch, for his part, told The Independent that he was left 'flabbergasted' and 'freaked out' by the creepy situation. A Foot Locker spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The 'deeply unsettling and inappropriate encounter' occurred on the afternoon of June 24, 2024, at a Foot Locker in Harlem, according to Leitch and Williams's complaint, which was filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court by attorney Robert Wisniewski. The two 'are a gay couple [whose] interactions and demeanor made their relationship readily apparent,' says the complaint. Williams had a family reunion coming up, and he and Leitch 'were out and about doing some shopping,' he told The Independent. A Foot Locker security guard in Manhattan, the company's careers site shows, earns $16.00 to $18.75 an hour to 'act as a customer-friendly visual deterrent to crime.' Duties include the ability to 'stand in a professional position (for up to an entire shift),' and to 'observe and report suspicious activities and persons on property.' However, upon entering the crowded West 125th Street store, which sits diagonally across from the world-famous Apollo Theater, Leitch and Williams were promptly subjected to the 'unwarranted attention' of a security guard identified in court filings as 'John Doe,' the complaint goes on. It says Doe, who is described as 'an African-American male, approximately 5'10' to 5'11' with a slender build, wearing a bucket hat and a navy/black jacket,' forced himself on both Leitch and Williams 'in a manner that was both intrusive and inappropriate.' Williams, who is Black, told The Independent that he and Leitch, who is also Black, noticed Doe staring intently at them but that they 'didn't pay it any mind, because that's what security guards do.' He said he was browsing the footwear section when Doe made 'several inappropriate comments towards me.' According to the complaint, Doe told Williams 'that he had a nice booty,' and 'touched him without his consent.' 'He repeated this action three times while no other employee was around,' the complaint states. Doe then turned his attention to Leitch, who told The Independent that he was waiting to try on a pair of Nikes when the guard walked over and 'pounced on me.' 'Without any provocation or justification, John Doe lifted Leitch's shirt and began to touch his stomach and stuck his finger in his belly button, repeating this action twice,' the complaint alleges. Leitch and Williams were 'initially too shocked to fully process the incident,' according to the complaint. It says the couple then 'immediately left the store because they felt unsafe around John Doe's presence.' The two, neither of whom have any sort of criminal record, were wise in removing themselves from the scene, according to Wisniewski. 'The choice is either to get into a confrontation or walk away,' he told The Independent. '[They] would have been arrested.' Once the two had managed to grasp what had occurred, Leitch and Williams returned to the same Foot Locker so they could snap a photo of John Doe in order to report him, the complaint continues. While there, the complaint maintains, Leitch and Williams 'observed John Doe ogling at and harassing a… male customer.' Doe was 'literally on top of him,' Leitch claimed. That evening, Williams penned an email about Doe's alleged behavior and sent it to Foot Locker's Customer Care department, which never got back to him, according to the complaint. 'I contacted Foot Locker that very day, and I did receive an automated reply saying, 'Thank you for your message,' and then nothing else ever happened with it,' Williams told The Independent. 'I didn't want to have to take legal action, but here we are.' Leitch and Williams's lawsuit argues that the 'sexual nature of John Doe's assault and harassment,' along with his 'ogling of other men,' is evidence that Doe targeted them 'because of their sex, gender, and sexual orientation.' Foot Locker, the suit asserts, should have been aware of Doe's 'propensity to commit sexual harassment and/or assault' against customers, and failed to stop him from doing so. Leitch and Williams say they have sustained 'emotional suffering and distress,' along with 'mental anguish,' and claim they will 'continue to suffer same in the future.' Foot Locker's roughly 2,400 stores can be found in 20 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Although the footwear and apparel retailer reported worldwide sales of $8 billion in 2024, it reported a net loss for the first quarter of 2025, due in no small part to concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed tariff regime. On Thursday, Dick's Sporting Goods announced it would be acquiring Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion cash-and-stock deal. Leitch and Williams are demanding a jury trial, along with compensatory damages and punitive damages 'to deter similar behavior in the future.'
Tom's Guide
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Netflix's latest video game adaptations finally got some updates — and my nerves are officially kicking in
'Bioshock' and 'Gears of War' are easily in my top three favorite video game franchises of all time. Nothing can ever quite dethrone 'The Last of Us' from the No. 1 spot, but these two dystopian worlds have stuck with me and I find myself replaying them more than just about anything else. So when I first heard Netflix was adapting them into movies, I couldn't help but feel excited (even if my expectations were... cautiously low). For a while, though, updates were scarce, and months of radio silence had me wondering if the projects had been quietly shelved. Thankfully, both titles have gotten some encouraging news in the past few days. Director Francis Lawrence recently told IGN: 'Bioshock is still in development. I just actually just got a draft. We have a meeting with the writer [Justin Rhodes], so that's definitely a very strong possibility as well.' He also acknowledged the uphill battle in adapting the game: 'It's a tricky adaptation, so there's lots of things to figure out and to get right. There's regime changes at Netflix, and so things stall out and get re-energized and stall out and get re-energized, and I think we're in a pretty good place, honestly.' Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter shared that 'David Leitch is in negotiations to helm Gears of War.' Leitch, who is best known for 'The Fall Guy,' 'Atomic Blonde,' and 'Bullet Train', has a knack for slick, stylized action, which makes him a solid pick for the franchise. Netflix hasn't commented on the deal just yet, but Leitch and his wife/producing partner Kelly McCormick are also expected to produce the movie alongside The Coalition. These aren't massive updates, but they confirm one crucial thing: both adaptations are still alive and moving forward. And being such a huge fan of 'Bioshock' and 'Gears of War,' I can't deny that my excitement is growing. I think most of us can agree that video game adaptations are usually hit or miss. Just look at movies like 'Tomb Raider,' 'Warcraft,' and the recent 'Until Dawn' — more often than not, they just don't land. And there are plenty more where those came from, but we'd be here all day if I tried to list them all. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. On the flip side, 'The Last of Us,' 'Fallout,' 'The Witcher,' and even 'Halo' have actually done really well. What do they all have in common? They're TV shows. I've said for a while now that video game adaptations tend to fare better in a show format as there's simply more time to flesh out the world and dive deep into the characters. That's a big reason why blockbuster versions often fail. Which is exactly why I'm a little nervous about 'Bioshock' and 'Gears of War' getting the Netflix movie treatment. It's not that I don't believe in the talent behind these projects, because they're more than capable of telling great stories. It's just that the worlds in these games are so massive and detailed, I can see how tough it would be to translate them to live-action. The underwater city of Rapture and the fictional planet Sera are practically characters themselves. Their scale and intricate lore would be incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to fully capture in live-action without losing what makes them special. Honestly, maybe some games just aren't meant for that format. I'd be just as happy seeing them adapted as adult animated series instead. Since Netflix first confirmed a 'Bioshock' movie back in 2022, quite a few things have changed, and that includes the budget. During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, producer Roy Lee said: 'The new regime has lowered the budgets. So we're doing a much smaller version. It's going to be a more personal point of view, as opposed to a grander, big project.' The limited budget does have me a bit concerned that it could limit the movie's ability to fully bring this world to life, possibly making it feel less immersive. Still, I'm holding onto some hope, especially knowing that Lawrence has drawn inspiration from 'The Shining' for this 'BioShock' adaptation. As I mentioned earlier, TV shows clearly tend to work better. And while Netflix is adapting 'Gears of War' into a movie, it's also developing an animated series which I'm much more optimistic about. There aren't any details yet, but I'm confident the show will do a lot better than the live-action take. All that said, I'm still genuinely excited for these movies, even if I'm a little hesitant because these games are some of my absolute favorites. Honestly, I'd rather wait a few more years if it means they get the focus and polish they deserve. Netflix, I just have one wish: Would you kindly do these video game adaptations justice?
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Goodison possesses something bricks and mortar simply cannot provide'
Everton must now try to recreate the heart and soul of Goodison Park on the banks of the River Mersey at Bramley Moore Dock. It will be a tough task. While the old Leitch architecture gave the Goodison Park structure something unique, it also possesses something bricks and mortar simply cannot provide. Former Everton striker Andy Gray, who won the top-flight title, FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup, said: "We will leave Goodison Park. Goodison Park will never leave us." A lone trumpeter played a final, mournful version of 'Z Cars' to close the day, thousands of fans remaining in their seats and unable to tear themselves away from the places they have come to call their home. Tears of joy, despair and relief have all been shed here at Goodison Park. This time it was a mixture of emotions. Just as Everton labelled this day, it was "the end of an era". Read more from Phil on Goodison's farewell Watch Keown and Murphy discuss Goodison on MOTD2
