Latest news with #Lessard
Winnipeg Free Press
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Football Canada hires LaPolice, Lessard as national flag football head coaches
OTTAWA – Paul LaPolice has a new coaching gig. The former CFL coach was named head coach of the Canadian men's national flag football team Thursday. Football Canada also announced the appointment of Rachel Lessard as the head coach of Canada's senior women's squad. Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028 in Los Angeles. LaPolice has over 20 years of pro coaching experience, having served as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2010-12) and Ottawa Redblacks (2020-2022). He has most recently worked as a football analyst with TSN. LaPolice has also worked as an offensive coach over his CFL tenure, which should benefit him in transitioning him to flag football. 'We're thrilled to welcome Paul LaPolice to our national team program,' Katie Miyazaki, Football Canada's director of high performance, said in a statement. 'His proven leadership and commitment to excellence along with a wealth of experience from the pro sport landscape is going to elevate our program to the next level.' Canada will begin preparations for international qualification events and the '26 IFAF world flag football championship, which will be a key event toward Olympic participation. 'I am humbled to be able to represent the football community of Canada as well as the country that I have called home for the past 25 years,' said LaPolice. Football Canada's final ID camp will be held in Montreal May 23-24. Lessard brings over 29 years of experience as a player and coach to the national women's program. She will lead Canada into the '25 World Games in Chengdu, China. 'Rachel has a deep understanding of what it takes to perform at the highest level and how to be a leader in that space,' said Miyazaki. 'She's a proven winner and we are certain that under coach Lessard's guidance, our athletes will be well-positioned to achieve their fullest potential on the international stage.' Lessard has also served as head coach/defensive co-ordinator for Montreal's Cayenne senior team, Quebec's under-18 provincial excellence program. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Lessard has earned multiple medals — nationally and internationally — as a player and coach, including gold at the '24 national senior championships and '24 Tampa world championships. Most recently, she coached the University of Montreal to a second Canadian collegiate flag football national crown. 'This game has given me everything,' Lessard said. 'I'm proud and humbled to have the privilege to lead these extraordinary athletes. 'Eyes on the podium. The journey starts now.' Football Canada's final national ID camp will be held May 22-24 in Montreal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2025.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Education, Dodd Stadium and jobs: Five takeaways from the May 5 Norwich City Council meeting
Long Norwich City Council Meetings are how you know budget season is in full swing. The council held a regular meeting on Monday, May 5. The chambers were packed with people who wanted to talk about the Board of Education budget and the future of Dodd Stadium, as the city council adopted a preliminary budget. The next public hearing for the budget is on May 12 at 7:30 p.m. The City Council has to adopt a budget by 11:59 p.m. on June 9, or else the City Manager's proposed budget from April 7 will automatically be adopted. Here are five takeaways from this week's City Council Meeting. Board of Education The Norwich City Council had proposed a $956,809 reduction to the Norwich Board of Education's increase as proposed by the draft budget, which would have yielded a no increase year. Superintendent Susan Lessard said the ad-hoc committee did not have the chance to review the work of City Manager John Salomone's 1% budget increase, instead of the 4.5% the Board of Education originally requested. This is at a time when other area districts are requesting around a 5.5% increase, she said. The Ad Hoc Committee would meet the following night on May 6, Lessard said. The Board of Education approached its budget differently this year by involving the city council early in the process, and already included significant reductions, Lessard said. 'We did this in good faith and with trust in the process,' she said. Lessard said that a 1% increase is not sustainable but can be made to work for fiscal year 2025-2026. During the past two years the district already cut and demoted numerous administrators to math and reading specialists and classroom teachers. City Councilmember Stacy Gould was one of the sponsors of the cut. She was encouraged by what Lessard said, and, urging Lessard to stay within the 1% increase figure, she opted to withdraw the agenda item. Norwich Sea Unicorns General Manager Lee Walter, Jr. talks with Norwich City Councilmembers Stacy Gould and Bill Nash after the meeting Monday night. Dodd Stadium While there was an agenda item concerning listing Dodd Stadium for sale, the council decided to postpone any decisions until the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget is completed. Dodd Stadium has been a staple of Norwich for 30 years, and had been home to minor league baseball teams until 2019, when Major League Baseball took away its affiliation from the then Connecticut Tigers and many other teams across the country. The now Norwich Sea Unicorns have been successful in the college ball Futures League, winning the past two championships. Large community events, including the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce's Healthy Living Festival, use it as event space. However, it costs the city up to $300,000 annually to operate it, and the stadium is due for maintenance. There was vocal support for the city not selling Dodd Stadium from both people who work for the team and community members. One community member who spoke in support was Brandon Hyde, who said the stadium is a place of unity in a currently divided world. 'I understand there are costs and challenges, but the cost of losing this is far greater than the price of preserving it,' he said. The only community member who spoke against the stadium was Joanne Philbrick. She questioned how many of the team's employees are actually Norwich residents and reminded the city council they need to reduce the tax burden for seniors, she said. After the meeting, Sea Unicorns General Manager Lee Walter thought it was smart to postpone the vote. 'We know how much of a burden things are in the city, but I just don't want them to gloss over what Dodd Stadium means and what our organization brings to the city,' he said. 'I want it to be a creative discussion, and this allows time for it to happen.' Walter wants to work on creating more events and activities alongside baseball so Dodd Stadium doesn't have an annual cost to the city, he said. Staples City Council President Pro Tempore Joe DeLucia wanted to know if the Norwich Community Development Corporation or the City of Norwich itself had made any attempt to save the Norwich Staples location, which is expected to close next week. The business provides valuable services and residents will now have to travel to New London, he said. Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said he called Staples' corporate office, but nobody returned his call. DeLucia still wants to see if something can be done. With Hartford Healthcare taking over Staples' spot, Nystrom reminded the public that HHC is still a tax-paying entity in the city. Firefighters Firefighting is still a partisan issue in Norwich. One agenda item the city council considered, and eventually failed, was reductions to the police department, public works, and both paid and volunteer fire departments. After the city council decided to vote on the funds for the volunteer fire department separately, it declined to cut funds for the police, paid firefighters, and public works. Gould wanted the volunteer departments to keep their money because it goes directly to firefighting, because the volunteers work for free, she said. DeLucia countered that while volunteer firefighters save Norwich money, they still cost the city $1.5 million a year once you figure in factors like a special tax abatement and the relief fund. Gould responded by saying not every volunteer firefighter in the city benefits from those programs, and she felt it was unfair to cut from volunteers if the police, public works and paid fire department kept its money, she said. The cut to the volunteer fire departments also failed. One job saved At the April 16 Public Hearing, Sally Masse explained to the council the importance of her job as the Rose City Senior Center Receptionist, and advocated to keep her job. After that, Norwich Human Services Director Kate Milde spoke with City Comptroller Josh Pothier, and they decided Masse's job could be saved for at least fiscal year 2025-2026 through being half paid by city money and half paid from the opioid settlement funds. City Councilmember Shiela Hayes wants to see if opioid settlement funds can be used to also save other city jobs, including Jake Dilts' role as an assistant program manager for Norwich Human Services and as the coach of the Norwich Raptors youth rugby team. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Five takeaways from the May 5 Norwich City Council Meeting
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It's life-affirming to walk': South West Coast Path hopes for visitor uplift from Gillian Anderson film
They walk the path for a variety of reasons. For the challenge, the exercise, the views. To find companionship or seek solitude. Some walk with a sense of escaping problems, others with the idea of striding towards a goal. Many more are expected to head to the South West Coast Path, the 630-mile route around the shores of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset as the film The Salt Path hits cinema screens. The movie, starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, is based on the book of the same name by Raynor Winn telling the story of how she and her husband, Moth, took to the path after being forced from their home and found peace, resilience and healing. A gala screening takes place close to the path at the Lighthouse Cinema in Newquay, Cornwall, on Tuesday before its UK release on 30 May – and the hope is that more people will be inspired to walk it. People such as Jennifer Lessard, 45, from New York, who was found walking a stretch of the path in Torbay, south Devon. 'It's just so beautiful,' she said as she looked across a tree-lined bay. She plans to walk the path a few sections at a time during the visits to the UK. 'It may take me 20 years,' she said. Though in the US she has mammoth paths such as the Pacific Crest Trail to go at, the South West Coast Path is a bit more manageable. 'I feel safe here walking by myself,' Lessard said. But it is grand enough to be a challenge (if you walk the whole thing it is the equivalent of ascending Mount Everest four times). 'It's life-affirming to walk,' said Lessard. 'And I like the pubs at the end of the day. I'm into real ale.' British twins Roy and Paul Saxton, 75, were also walking this Devon section. They live more than 300 miles apart and get together for walking holidays. 'It's a great way for us to meet and catch up,' said Roy. Psychologists have noted that walking is a good time to have difficult conversations – you are side by side but not engaging with eye contact. 'It's very sociable,' said Paul. 'You meet such lovely people.' Martyn Green, 38, and his dog Rolo, were doing 30 miles of the path in a day. He is pretty much a full-time walker of the UK's coastal paths, recording his adventures on TikTok. 'I don't have any permanent abode; I float,' he said. Usually next to the sea. 'I love it – you never see anyone unhappy on the beach. When you're close to water you tend to be happy.' Tourism leaders in the south-west are looking forward to a boost in walker numbers on the back of the film. Jon Hyatt, the chair of Visit Cornwall, said there had been 'significant' interest from domestic and international audiences. 'Last week we welcomed two influencers from the Netherlands on a Salt Path-themed visit, timed with the film's premiere there,' he said. Emma Thomasson, CEO of Visit Exmoor, said the film showcases locations across the area. 'We hope and expect that this will inspire a broad range of visitors from home and abroad. It's a great opportunity to show what's here for everyone.' Julian Gray, the director of the South West Coast Path Association, the charity that looks after trail, said the film was timely as there had been a downturn in visitors in recent years. Factors such as rising prices, the increased interest in travelling overseas since the pandemic and the loss of foreign seasonal workers post Brexit have put tourism in south-west Britain under pressure. 'I think the film will raise awareness of the path and give us a chance engage with people about the transformational nature of trails,' said Gray. On any given day about 25,000 people may be walking the path (though so spaced out it never feels busy). It brings in £500m a year to the south-west economy and the public health benefits are judged to be worth tens of million more. There are lots of positives. The charity has noticed that more lone women, younger people and families are walking the trail. The charity is working hard on equity of access, making sure that people such as refugees and older people get a chance to walk it. But the costs of maintaining it are high, and rising steeply. It costs about £1,600 per mile, per year, to keep the path in good shape and clearly signed – more than £1m. Seven years ago it cost £1,100 a mile. The climate emergency is putting huge pressure on the trail. 'What we're seeing with climate change is a speeding up of the frequency of storms and an increase in their intensity,' said Gray. 'We're having to deal with erosion and diversions far more often.' It took three months to clear part of the path when Storm Darragh hit in December, bringing down trees and causing stretches to crumble. Wildfires have affected the path in Zennor in Cornwall and Bolberry Down, near Salcombe. Gray said: 'I see the film as an opportunity to engage with people on how they can make a difference to protect and enhance this world-class trail. If we want it for future generations, we need people to keep supporting us.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Samuel L. Jackson, Pierce Brosnan Battle for Missing Gold in ‘Unholy Trinity' Trailer
Samuel L. Jackson and Pierce Brosnan have their eyes on a missing stash of gold in the trailer for the Western movie The Unholy Trinity. Saban Films and Roadside Attractions are set to release director Richard Gray's feature in theaters nationwide June 13. Brandon Lessard, Veronica Ferres, Gianni Capaldi, Q'orianka Kilcher, Tim Daly, Ethan Peck, Katrina Bowden and David Arquette round out the cast. More from The Hollywood Reporter Bono Shares Emotional Memories and Performs U2 Hits in Apple's 'Stories of Surrender' Trailer Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom Try to Stop Crime With Improv in Amazon's 'Deep Cover' Trailer Chloe Fineman Gives Sex Pointers to an Awkward Teen in Hulu's 'Summer of 69' Trailer Set in Montana in the 1870s, The Unholy Trinity centers on Henry Broadway (Lessard), who heads to the town of Trinity with a plan to murder the man who framed his late father. Once he arrives, Henry is caught in a feud between the upstanding new sheriff (Brosnan) and the mysterious St. Christopher (Jackson). 'Let me give you a bit of advice: Keep your ancestry between us,' Brosnan warns Lessard in the trailer after learning of his father's identity. 'Not every man who is known is loved.' Later, Jackson boasts, 'I know your daddy real well. Me and him stole enough gold to pave the streets of heaven.' He goes on to add, 'In case it ain't obvious, you will find that gold.' Gray (Murder at Yellowstone City) directed the film from a script by Lee Zachariah. Serving as producers are Gray, Carter Boehm, Kellie Lessard Brooks, Jeanne Allgood Gaisford, Michele Gray, Colin Floom and Cameron Lessard. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter late last year to promote his drama The Last Rifleman, Brosnan reflected on his busy schedule of late. 'I've got four movies in the can,' the actor said at the time about Black Bag and other projects. 'I'm at a very joyful time to be able to move around the stage and to be able to have choices and hopefully to be able to equip myself within the roles.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
High Point Community Foundation program seeks to improve student literacy
(WGHP) — The North Carolina House is now considering a bill that would provide money to help more people learn to read. 54% of adults in the United States read below a sixth-grade level. Nearly one in five adults reads below a third-grade level. Illiteracy is a national problem that touches communities in the Piedmont Triad. It's been an ongoing issue in High Point for decades. When most adults worked in furniture or textiles, they didn't have to be able to read well to do their jobs, but times have changed, and while House Bill 342 moves through the legislative process, the High Point Community Foundation is working hand-in-hand with Guilford County Schools to help the next generation of workers change too. 'About two years ago, one of my chairmen challenged me to come up with an initiative that could change our city. The entire city.' After several months of research, Paul Lessard realized students in Guilford County Schools needed extra help today to be ready for tomorrow, and as President of the High Point Community Foundation, he could help make it happen through the . 'Ultimately, what I realized was, if you take any of the social problems we have in High Point, and any economic problems, if you dig deep enough you will find that it's education, and specifically literacy.' Lessard says public schools do a wonderful job, but they're never given enough money. He says it'll take the business sector, the private sector, and the philanthropic sector to underwrite programs that help the schools produce future workers with literacy skills to be successful in high-tech jobs. 'What we realized early on is it's not an issue of not knowing how to do it, it was an issue of manpower and money.'' Through the Students First Initiative, the High Point Community Foundation is helping fund what's called . The former Chief of Staff for Guilford County Schools, Jose Oliva, explains 'high-dosage tutoring happens with high frequency, so two to six hours per week, these are not tutors who tutor a group of students, this is either in a small setting, one to one, or one to two, and the tutors are trained with our core curriculum.' Federal funds paid for the tutoring during the COVID pandemic, but that money's running out. Now, the Students First Initiative will start by funding high-dosage tutoring at four High Point Elementary Schools with plans to expand. Lessard says, 'we're going to draw a line in the sand and say no kid in High Point is going to get past third grade without reading at grade level. If we can do that successfully, imagine what the ripple effect will be.' Lessard says the time and money invested in children today will create a stronger workforce in the years ahead and benefit everyone in High Point. 'When we talk about this being the right moral and ethical thing to do, it's also the right economic development thing to do. We can either pay now or pay a lot more later.' Last week, the High Point Community Foundation donated $400,000 to boost high-dosage tutoring. NC House Bill 342 would allocate $5 million dollars to support the program. It passed the first reading and has been referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
