Latest news with #MattWilliams
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Veteran creates wall at New Smyrna Beach Walmart to honor other veterans
A man in Volusia County has made it his mission to never forget the service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Now he's telling others about the lessons of such sacrifice one picture at a time. Two years ago, Army veteran Matt Williams created a wall of honor for these fallen men and women at the New Smyrna Beach Walmart, where he works as a loss prevention manager. The wall is dedicated to those who are serving, have served, and those who never came home. There are dozens of faces on that wall from all branches of the military - each with a story to tell. 'All of them up there are my brothers and sisters,' Williams said. Williams said he and his store manager got together and decided they needed to do something more for these service members. 'I just want to honor everybody that's been in the military. Anybody that's served, I just want to honor them because I'm a veteran and I know what it was like,' he said. Sixteen veterans work at the Walmart on State Road 44, so it is personal for them. Some helped make the wall, painted it and built its flag. The wall has grown over its two years so far. It was a labor of love to remember and keep the lessons of sacrifice and commitment to this country alive. Williams said he wants those who see the wall to understand their sacrifice, as well as the sacrifices made by their families. Williams' goal is to fill the wall of honor, then to create another one. If you are a member of the military or have a loved one in the military, you can contact the store. They will proudly display the picture. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wildfires in northern Minnesota are being fueled by a forest pest
The devastating wildfires that are consuming thousands of acres of forest in northern Minnesota have been exacerbated by the actions of a wood pest. Commanders responding to the trio of wildfires ongoing in St. Louis County say they have been fueled by the eastern spruce budworm. The pest has been reported every year in Minnesota since 1954, enough to class its infestation as endemic, and it feasts upon the balsam firs and spruces that are abundant in Superior National Forest. There had been fears expressed earlier this year that the proliferation of the budworm could create tinderbox conditions this spring, with a tree farm operator telling the Duluth News Tribune that his firs 'have been shedding needles and dying at an alarming rate.' Speaking on Tuesday, Camp House Fire Incident Commander Matt Williams said that budworm has left a lot of "receptive dead and downed fuel" that has helped the fire spread quickly. The Camp House Fire was recorded at 1,250 acres on Monday evening. By Tuesday morning, it had grown to almost 12,000. The University of Minnesota says the budworm is responsible for defoliating or killing 'vast acreages of balsam fire and spruce' every year in Minnesota, with the Star Tribune reporting that one year saw 200,000 acres of the trees destroyed. The U of M says that budworm damage is first noticed on outer branch shoots in the upper crowns of spruce and fir trees. Long-term damage from defoliation can kill a balsam fire in 2-3 years and a white spruce in 3-5 years.
Irish Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
There is no Leinster secret - winning simply attracts winners
How much sympathy has Matt Williams for those in the Munster, Ulster and Connacht camps complaining that Leinster's signing of Rieko Ioane is yet more proof that they have an 'unfair advantage in the overseas player market'? Zilch. 'Winning attracts winners,' he writes . What's more, he worries that the IRFU's efforts to address the other three provinces' problems will 'drag Leinster down'. Thoughts and prayers to our letters editor whose inbox is about to be inundated. Munster's sole focus for now, though, is on dragging Cardiff down in their URC meeting this evening, John O'Sullivan previewing the game. He also talks to James Culhane on the eve of Leinster taking on Scarlets , and looks ahead to Ireland's final game of their Six Nations campaign away to Scotland. Gerry Thornley, meanwhile, hears from Cork Con's Jack Kelleher in the build-up to Sunday's All-Ireland League final against Clontarf. In Gaelic games, Joe Canning gives his thoughts on how the hurling championship contenders are shaping up , while Owen Ryan looks at the challenges facing Clare in light of the county's changing population that has seen several clubs struggle to field teams. In soccer, Martin Clancy committed himself to Leeds United back when he was seven. Since then? Significantly more agony than ecstasy . At least his devotion has seen him develop 'a high pain threshold' that has helped him 'cope stoically with life's broader disappointments'. This week, though, Elland Road (and Martin) was bouncing again, promotion to the Premier League secured. Yes, they'll be relegated this time next year, but for now, Martin is marching towards cloud nine. READ MORE In his League of Ireland column, Gavin Cummiskey looks at the strikers in form this weather , among them Shelbourne's Mipo Odubeko and Galway United's Moses Dyer. Our relay runners have been in good shape too , although as Sonia O'Sullivan notes 'our marathon running standards are going in the opposition direction'. Tennis is, Johnny Watterson believes, struggling too with its lack of 'personalities and X factor'. With the French Open starting in a few weeks, he wonders how many of its top seeds could be 'picked out of a line-up' by anyone other than the most devoted of fans. You'd have no trouble picking Willie Mullins out in a winner's enclosure, so often has he appeared in one this season. He is all but certain to retain the British trainers' championship on Saturday. His achievements are, writes Brian O'Connor, 'watershed stuff'. The same could be said about Rory McIlroy's recent Masters' exploits. That final round? ' It is hard for me to even watch it back ..... just the feelings … aargh." We know what you mean Rory, we know what you mean. TV Watch: Sky Sports Golf has round two of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans (1.45pm-4pm) and The Chevron Championship (4pm-8pm, 11pm-1am) today, and at 7.35 Munster are away to Cardiff in the URC (TG4 and Premier Sports 1). Ten minutes later, there's a tasty Dublin derby in the Premier Division - Shamrock Rovers host Shelbourne in Tallaght (Virgin Media Two).
The Guardian
06-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Green campaigners fear UK to renew subsidies to Drax power station
Green campaigners fear ministers are poised to award billions of pounds in fresh subsidies to Drax power station, despite strong concerns that burning trees to produce electricity is bad for the environment. Drax burns wood to generate about 8% of the UK's 'green' power, and 4% of overall electricity. This is classed as 'low-carbon' because the harvested trees are replaced by others that take up carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. But many studies have shown that wood burning harms the environment, by destroying forests, and because of the decades-long time lag between the immediate release of carbon dioxide from burning and the growth to maturity of replacement trees. Drax currently receives billions of pounds in subsidies from energy bill payers, at the rate of about £2m a day according to Greenpeace, but these are scheduled to run out in 2027. A government decision on whether to continue the support payments beyond the cut-off could come as soon as Monday. Campaigners fear that ministers could allow Drax unrestricted subsidies for continuing to burn biomass, which one said would be 'incredibly bad news'. A further option would be to impose strict time limits on the subsidies, or require Drax to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which could reduce the harm to the climate but still allow widespread destruction of trees. Awarding new subsidies to Drax would be highly controversial among Labour MPs. The Guardian has seen letters from parliamentarians sent to the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Reporting Council, querying Drax's claims to environmental sustainability. Several peers and at least one MP have asked the financial regulators to open an investigation into Drax, based partly on findings from the energy regulator Ofgem that the company had misreported data on the origins and sustainability of imported wood pellets. Research last month from the green thinktank E3G found the government could meet its target of decarbonising the UK's electricity sector by 2030 without Drax. Matt Williams, senior advocate for the Natural Resources Defence Council, called the Drax decision a crucial test of the government's green plans. 'If [ministers] award business-as-usual subsidies, that would be incredibly bad news for forests, and anyone who cares about them. Billions more for the UK's single largest polluter would make it clear the government was placing all its bets on high-carbon infrastructure,' he said. 'But if they put limits on the time or the quantity of subsidies, that would indicate the government was thinking twice about this, and could signal the beginning of the end [for biomass subsidies].' The row over Drax is the latest in a series of controversies that campaigners warned risked giving the impression that Labour was sacrificing its green credentials in the pursuit of economic growth. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has given the green light to a new runway at Heathrow, and some allies are thought to want her to give the go-ahead to the massive new Rosebank oilfield in the North Sea. A Whitehall source said the Treasury was not involved in decisions over Drax. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Doug Parr, policy director for Greenpeace UK, said: 'For burning wood to be genuinely green needs a lot of very specific requirements that Drax has not achieved. Continuing to subsidise huge biomass imports would not be a step towards a cleaner future, but a dirty compromise with past failures.' He added: 'This government stood on a manifesto to deliver clean power by 2030, and to tackle the climate emergency. Whether it's Heathrow's third runway or potential permitting of new oil and gas developments, the government's commitment to stopping climate change is starting to look a little frayed around the edges. More biomass at Drax would be yet another decision that is likely to make the climate and nature crises worse, not better.' The Committee on Climate Change, the government's statutory adviser on the climate, is likely to address the issue of burning biomass for power in its advice on the seventh carbon budget, which will be published on 26 February. Previous advice has strongly warned ministers to abandon biomass burning for power, unless equipped with CCS. The government refused to comment. A spokesperson for Drax refused to comment on future subsidies. He said the company had previously announced it could be using CCS from the early 2030s.
