Latest news with #Lotz
IOL News
12-05-2025
- IOL News
Gunpoint hijacking of scholar transport in Wesbank leaves children in shock
A scholar transport from Riverside was hijacked at gunpoint on Friday morning while dropping learners off at schools in Wesbank. The incident in Waterblom Street occurred around 7:50am while the driver of the white Nissan NP200 bakkie with registration CF 290 839 was on her way to drop off learners. Elizabeth Lotz is the owner of Libby's Scholar Transport and said her colleague was on duty at the time. She said the scholar transport is for learners living in Riverside who attend school in Wesbank. 'Myself and another woman take turns to drop the children but it is my bakkie," said Lotz. "While she was driving to drop off the primary school children and one high school learner, a maroon Volkswagen Polo with tinted windows swerved in front of her before a speedbump. "One guy jumped out of the Polo with a gun, opened the bakkie and hit the driver over the head with the head and pulled her out. "They were two hijackers, one jumped out of the car and another one was driving their getaway Polo. "My daughter who was on her way to college was struggling with the safety belt and when she wanted to grab her phone, the driver pointed her with the gun. "He wanted to grab her but she left her phone and shoes and jumped out of the bakkie. "The children also started jumping out of the bakkie. The hijacker jumped in the bakkie and took off.' Lotz said the hijackers made off with the bakkie, the children's bags and two cellphones. 'Thankfully everyone is OK. They are in shock but nothing happened to them. The principal from one of the schools came to get the learners at the scene, while we were waiting for the police and the high-school learner's parents came to fetch her. "This is the first time that something like this has happened to me. The scholar transport is my bread and butter ,so I need my bakkie to be able to generate an income.' Police spokesperson, Anelisiwe Manyana, confirmed a case of carjacking was registered. 'Mfuleni police opened a case of carjacking for further investigation following an incident that took place on Friday in Waterbloom, Wesbank. "According to reports the complainant was driving at the mentioned address when a Volkswagen Polo vehicle drove past at a high speed and quickly stopped in front of her vehicle. "It is alleged that one of the occupants jumped out with a firearm in his hand and instructed her to get out of the vehicle. The suspect hit the complainant on the head with a firearm and drove off with her vehicle. "The unknown suspect who fled the scene is yet to be arrested." Police are appealing to anyone who may have information regarding this incident to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Cape Argus
Local Germany
26-02-2025
- Local Germany
Police pledge tightened security measures for Germany's carnival season
Carnival season is one of the most joyful times of year in Germany, where revellers take to the streets in technicolour costumes and huge parades take place on Rosenmontag in cities like Cologne and Düsseldorf. This year, however, the celebrations will be held under the shadow of a spate of recent attacks in Munich, Mannheim, Solingen, Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg. Earlier this month, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker rammed a car into a union demonstration in Munich, killing a 37-year-old woman and her two-year-old child. In Aschaffenburg in January, a horrific attack on a nursery school also led to the death of a two-year-old child, along with a 41-year-old man who had tried to protect the children. In both cases, terrorist motives are suspected. As the last touches are being made to the parade floats and costumes, the police are also stepping up security for this year's celebrations. Along with extensive weapon and glass bans in central areas, cities and towns hosting carnivals will also see a greater number of police and other security personnel at street parties and other public gatherings. Cologne According to police operations chief Martin Lotz, the security concept in Cologne has been checked over and tightened in the wake of the recent terror attacks, and police officers have been given updated briefs. Though the situation remains "tense", Lotz emphasised that 1,500 officers would be on the streets throughout the six-day festival. Previously, Cologne police spokesperson Sascha Wallmeroth had pledged that police would have a "massive presence" at the carnival and would intervene for even minor incidents. Since the 11th of November, when carnival officially kicked off last year, a large section of the city has been subject to a weapons ban, including knives. Police will be permitted to stop and search people at random in these zones, without needing a reason for suspicion. In addition, from the start of Weibernacht on Thursday, February 27th, many parts of the city centre will be turned into a "high security area". This will primarily affect the many party area in Zülpicher Viertel. A further focus will be on protecting Cologne Synagogue, following a spike in anti-Semitic crimes. Speaking to WDR, carnival organisers also revealed that they were spending huge sums of money of security staff and paramedics this year. The festival committee has apparently spent €3.5 million on the Rosenmontag parade alone and has estimated €80,000 in additional costs if it runs over by even an hour. Once again, a ban on carrying or selling glass bottles will apply to the main carnival areas in the Old Town, in the Kwartier Latäng between Aachener Straße and Luxemburger Straße and around the Severinstorburg. Düsseldorf In the North Rhine-Westphalian capital of Düsseldorf, where around one million carnival revellers are expected, authorities have announced that the security concept has also been revised and tightened up. Extra mobile barriers will be erected in the main public areas and along the parade route, and the police are set to deploy drones and other video surveillance tools. In addition, thousands of police officers will be on patrol in the city centre and the Altstadt from Altweiber on February 27th to Rosenmontag on March 3rd, with Düsseldorf police supported by officers from Essen, Duisburg und Münster. As in Cologne, an extensive weapon and glass ban will be in place in the city centre, with checkpoints at all 16 of the entryways to the Altstadt. Police will also be supported in their work by more than 200 officials from the Ordnungsamt, who will check compliance with the safety rules. Speaking to T-Online, Police Director Thorsten Fleiß appealed directly to people not to bring knives, weapons and weapon-like items to the carnival in the first place, "so that we don't have to deal with them in these difficult times". This year, additional protection will also be provided for residents in the Carlstadt neighbourhood. The Am Horionplatz/Neusser Straße thoroughfare will only be accessible with a special transit permit, which should have already been received by residents. Other carnival cities At smaller carnival celebrations around Germany, police and festival organisers have also been adjusting their security concepts. In many cases, glass bans are in place, extra security personnel and police are on duty, and key access points to parades and other party areas are being cordoned off. "As in previous years, there are already good and established security concepts in place, which are reviewed selectively based on the current security and local situation," a spokesperson for the city of Bonn told WDR. However, police and other authorities are in close contact "so that any necessary adjustments can be made at short notice". According to Frank Prömpeler, President of the Aachen Carnival Festival Committee, new security measures are under review but a decision has already been made to block off more side streets leading to the Rose Monday parade route. Eighteen of these blockades are currently in place. In Münster, carnival organisers responded to the Christmas market attack in Magdeburg by increasing the number of access barriers planned at the event. Instead of the 40 so-called anti-terror barriers that were set up in 2024, there will be 63 this year. In some cases, tour buses will be used as anti-terror blockades. Should people be worried about terror attacks this year? Despite the understandable anxieties, the Cologne Carnival Committee has stressed that there is little reason to worry when attending the celebrations. "We are monitoring the situation very closely together with the security authorities, but do not currently see any drastic change in the security situation for the Cologne Rose Monday parade," the organisers said in a statement. On Tuesday, German tabloid Bild published a screenshot taken from an IS propaganda site, which listed Cologne Weibernacht as one of a list of potential attack targets. Al-Saif Media (Unofficial #IslamicState) releases threatening poster: "Choose Your Next Target!". Upcoming #European events are named as potential #attack sites — from #Cologne Carnival to #Rotterdam 's Festival der Liebe. #ISIS #Jihadist #Propaganda Read more:… — TRACTerrorism (@TracTerrorism) February 24, 2025 However, security circles in North Rhine-Westphalia told the regional Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, that the posts were "deliberate scaremongering" and there had been no concrete evidence of a potential attack. This was echoed by Cologne police chief Lotz, who said IS were simply aiming to unsettle the population. Meanwhile, NRW interior minister Herbert Reul (CDU) urged people to go out and enjoy the carnival season without worrying. "Make sure you go out and celebrate in a relaxed manner," Reul said. "We mustn't let the people who threaten our society ruin our lives. That would be the greatest success they could have." With intensive preparations and security measures in place, authorities are convinced that this year's carnival season is set to be the joyful celebration it always is.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Yahoo
Police on alert as terrorists call for attacks also during Carnival
Islamists have used social networks to call for attacks, including during the Cologne carnival, Martin Lotz, head of the Cologne police's carnival operations, told dpa. He said that these kinds of statement also aimed at unsettling the population and that the police's operational concept will be adapted again as the region prepares for days of festivities. An Islamic State website shows a poster with four targets, two of which are in Cologne, one in Nuremberg and one in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. "We have no knowledge of any specific attack plans or any specific threat. This does not change our previous plans," said a spokeswoman for the Nuremberg police. Security sources said the calls for violence were known and taken seriously, but that there was no change in the current assessment of the threat level, which was already considered to be high. "We will once again sensitize the emergency services on the basis of the post and keep them informed," Lotz said, adding that the police were prepared for such developments given the tense security situation. Cologne police said last week they were preparing for carnival with a strict security plan following the Munich attack and other acts of violence in Germany. They were referring to a deadly car-ramming attack in Munich earlier this month. Carnival, or Karneval, also known as Fasching or Fastnacht, is an important part of German culture, particularly in southern Germany and the western Rhineland region. Traditional strongholds of carnival culture include Cologne and Dusseldorf, where revellers gather for a raucous days-long party ahead of Ash Wednesday and the start of the Christian season of Lent. Cologne police plan to deploy around 1,500 more officers than usual over the carnival period. The festivities begin on Thursday.
Miami Herald
19-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Panther cornered by dogs is largest found in Florida, state says. What was it eating?
An unusually big panther seen for years on trail cameras proved to be even more impressive when dogs cornered it in a tree, according to Florida state researchers. It was captured Jan. 29 at Babcock Ranch Preserve in southwest Florida and weighed 166 pounds, making it the heaviest recorded in the state. To put that in perspective, 160 pounds is ... or was ... considered the maximum for Florida panthers. It's a discovery that begs the question: What was it eating? The answer: An invasive species introduced by the Spanish in the mid-1500s. 'This panther's size is likely more related to a high proportion of hogs in his diet. This particular area has a high concentration of hogs,' according to panther biologist Mark Lotz, with the state's Division of Habitat and Species Conservation. 'Deer and hogs are the panthers' main prey items, but where hogs are prevalent they will preferentially take them because they are easier to catch. We have noted panthers being on the larger end of the scale in other areas where hogs make up the bulk of their diet.' Is the panther still growing? Closer inspection of the panther revealed it was male, about 10 years old, and had healed fractures on a couple of its toes, giving it a slight limp. Genetic samples collected will be processed later in the year, officials said. The cat has likely reached its maximum size, Lotz says. It's estimated Florida has approximately 120-230 adult panthers left in the wild, and the nearly 68,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve is among the sites where they can feast with ease. The state does not have specifics for how many panthers live at the preserve, but it is considered an important part of ongoing research. 'Babcock Ranch is where we documented the first (panther) reproduction 'north of the river,' meaning the Caloosahatchee (River), in 2017,' Lotz said. 'Since then, several other females have been documented north of the historical breeding range dating back to when research began.' The ranch is plagued with destructive wild hogs, so panthers do the state a favor by feasting on the invasive pests. Feral hogs reach up to 6 feet in length in Florida and can exceed 150 pounds, the state says. They are dangerously aggressive when cornered, causing 'serious injury with their tusks,' experts say. Catch and release The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission catches 'a representative sample' of panthers every year for research and puts monitoring collars on them. That's how the 166-pound cat was found. The process involves dogs led by a highly skilled houndsman and biologists go to great lengths not to harm the predators. 'We use specially trained hounds to chase panthers up a tree. The dogs trail the scent until they catch up to the panther. Once they are close, they begin chasing the panther. Panthers quickly retreat to the safety of a tree, typically within just a few minutes,' Lotz said. 'The dogs hold the panther in the tree by continually barking. Once we arrive and administer an anesthetic dart, the panther falls asleep within 10-15 minutes. Once stabilized on the ground, it takes about an hour for us to conduct a full workup. When finished, we administer a reversing agent that counteracts the drugs.' The panthers typically wake up and walk away within minutes. Size is not considered an important part of the panther data collected in Florida, Lotz said. Panthers exceeding 200 pounds have been found in other states, where they go by names such as mountain lion, cougar, puma and catamount. Mishaps involving cars remain the greatest threat to Florida panthers, experts say. 'Panthers have always gotten hit by cars for as long as we've studied them. As the panther population increased, we saw an increase in vehicle strikes,' Lotz said. 'The most likely explanation for this is that there were simply more panthers on the landscape to get hit. Also, as the population increased, panthers reoccupied areas where they'd been absent for many years, so we saw panthers getting hit in areas outside of their core range of the 1980's and 1990's. The human population continues to grow in South Florida.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Williamson Co. Lotz House gifted new artwork painted by former inhabitant: How to see it
Williamson County's Lotz House has added a new painting with an interesting backstory to its collection. The piece, titled "Barnyard Christmas," is an original artwork from Matilda Lotz and was donated by her great aunt, who now lives in New York City, officials said recently. The painting features a sheep in a barnyard with two chickens beside a holly tree. 'This particular piece has a Christmas feel to it because of the holly and the barnyard scene. We hope visitors will come see it and enjoy her work that began when she was a small child here growing up in this house,' Lotz House Executive Director Thomas Y. Cartwright said of the painting, noting that it will be displayed in the entry way. Matilda Lotz lived in Franklin during the 19th century. The house that bears her family name was built by her father, German immigrant Johann Lotz. She celebrated her sixth birthday one day before the Battle of Franklin, which began on Nov. 30, 1864. Historians report that Matilda had an aptitude for art since her birth. They say she scribbled line drawings of household animals in the dirt and, on rare occasions, she'd take cooled coal from the fireplace and draw on scraps of paper. Her family never recovered after the Civil War and ultimately left Franklin in the fall of 1869, history shows. After a brief stint in Memphis, they traveled via covered wagon to San Jose, California, where they settled in 1870. As Matilda grew in California, so did her artistic abilities. In 1874, she began a six-year course under Virgil Williams at the school of design in San Francisco. While she was there, she won several gold medals and graduated with highest honors, history shows. Lotz later moved to Paris and studied under Felix Barrias and the famous animal painter Van Marcke. She received an honorable mention for work she exhibited at the Paris Salon and was awarded two gold medals by the Paris Academy of Painting, history shows, noting that she was the first woman ever to be honored by the Academy. She traveled extensively in Europe and Egypt and was commissioned to paint several portraits of royal families, history shows. Upon her return to California, Lotz was commissioned to paint the portrait of George Hearst, the father of William Randolph Hearst. Her painting still hangs in The Hearst Castle. Today, Matilda Lotz is recognized as one of California's premiere early female artists and her work is highly prized and sought after both in the U.S. and Europe, officials said. In Franklin, her "Barnyard Christmas" painting is the 12th to be displayed at the Lotz House, the museum said. Those interested in viewing it and her other works in Franklin can visit the Lotz House at 1111 Columbia Avenue. For hours and admission information, call the museum at 615-790-7190 or visit This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lotz House to showcase Lotz painting gifted from New York relative
