Latest news with #McVicker
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Organic farmer says illegal guns 'to protect his veggies'
A South Otago organic farmer had cannabis growing on his rural property and a safe full of guns under his bed, a court has heard. Wairuna Organics owner Shaun James McVicker, 61, was before the Gore District Court yesterday for possessing the guns and ammunition without a licence, and growing and possessing cannabis on his 10-acre Clinton farm. The police summary said a police search warrant was executed on the semi-rural property on March 4, discovering a Winchester shotgun, a .22 calibre Norinco bolt-action rifle, a .303 Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle, a .22 cali bolt-action rifle and ammunition locked in a safe in his bedroom. The ammunition in the safe consisted of 342 .22 calibre live rounds, 72 live shotgun rounds and 20 .303 calibre live rounds. McVicker said he used the firearms to protect his certified organic produce, the summary said. Also found were five mature cannabis plants growing in soil and a glass jar containing 43.32gm of cannabis head. In court, Judge Duncan Harvey said he was unsure at first which crops the defendant said he was protecting — his vegetables or his cannabis. "After I found out a bit more about you, I now understand what you meant by that," the judge said. "You are an organic farmer, you've been growing vegetables for many, many years, and I accept that that is what you were referring to." Judge Harvey said the man's response was essentially "so what" to the cannabis. The judge also said the case was unusual as the firearms were locked in a safe, as opposed to being left strewn about the place. "He behaves as if he has a firearms licence, but unfortunately he has not." Defence counsel John Fraser said his client led a relatively reclusive life on his organic farm. McVicker said he no longer held firearms and now had other community members come to shoot the rabbits on his property. The court heard the man had health issues and was self-medicating with the cannabis, but had since got a legal prescription for the drug. "I am satisfied that your use of cannabis has been solely for your own purposes," the judge said. "There is no suggestion that you have been selling that cannabis or supplying that cannabis to anybody else." It was "quite clear" the vegetable-grower had a history of cannabis use due to his prior convictions, the judge said, but he had no previous firearms convictions. The man had letters from the the community speaking highly of his character, the judge said. "It is clear that you have done an enormous amount of good in your community, and I suspect you continue to do so," Judge Harvey said. For the possession of firearms, ammunition, cultivating and possessing the cannabis, the judge sentenced McVicker to 150 hours' community service. The judge said that so Corrections could "keep an eye on his health", the defendant was sentenced to 12 months' supervision.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Cannabis-growing organic farmer says illegal guns 'to protect his veggies'
A South Otago organic farmer had cannabis growing on his rural property and a safe full of guns under his bed, a court has heard. Wairuna Organics owner Shaun James McVicker, 61, was before the Gore District Court yesterday for possessing the guns and ammunition without a licence, and growing and possessing cannabis on his 10-acre Clinton farm. The police summary said a police search warrant was executed on the semi-rural property on March 4, discovering a Winchester shotgun, a .22 calibre Norinco bolt-action rifle, a .303 Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle, a .22 cali bolt-action rifle and ammunition locked in a safe in his bedroom. The ammunition in the safe consisted of 342 .22 calibre live rounds, 72 live shotgun rounds and 20 .303 calibre live rounds. McVicker said he used the firearms to protect his certified organic produce, the summary said. Also found were five mature cannabis plants growing in soil and a glass jar containing 43.32gm of cannabis head. In court, Judge Duncan Harvey said he was unsure at first which crops the defendant said he was protecting — his vegetables or his cannabis. "After I found out a bit more about you, I now understand what you meant by that," the judge said. "You are an organic farmer, you've been growing vegetables for many, many years, and I accept that that is what you were referring to." Judge Harvey said the man's response was essentially "so what" to the cannabis. The judge also said the case was unusual as the firearms were locked in a safe, as opposed to being left strewn about the place. "He behaves as if he has a firearms licence, but unfortunately he has not." Defence counsel John Fraser said his client led a relatively reclusive life on his organic farm. McVicker said he no longer held firearms and now had other community members come to shoot the rabbits on his property. The court heard the man had health issues and was self-medicating with the cannabis, but had since got a legal prescription for the drug. "I am satisfied that your use of cannabis has been solely for your own purposes," the judge said. "There is no suggestion that you have been selling that cannabis or supplying that cannabis to anybody else." It was "quite clear" the vegetable-grower had a history of cannabis use due to his prior convictions, the judge said, but he had no previous firearms convictions. The man had letters from the the community speaking highly of his character, the judge said. "It is clear that you have done an enormous amount of good in your community, and I suspect you continue to do so," Judge Harvey said. For the possession of firearms, ammunition, cultivating and possessing the cannabis, the judge sentenced McVicker to 150 hours' community service. The judge said that so Corrections could "keep an eye on his health", the defendant was sentenced to 12 months' supervision.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Growing more than veggies
A South Otago organic farmer had cannabis growing on his rural property and a safe full of guns under his bed, a court has heard. Wairuna Organics owner Shaun James McVicker, 61, was before the Gore District Court yesterday for possessing the guns and ammunition without a licence, and growing and possessing cannabis on his 10-acre Clinton farm. The police summary said a police search warrant was executed on the semi-rural property on March 4, discovering a Winchester shotgun, a .22 calibre Norinco bolt-action rifle, a .303 Lee Enfield bolt-action rifle, a .22 cali bolt-action rifle and ammunition locked in a safe in his bedroom. The ammunition in the safe consisted of 342 .22 calibre live rounds, 72 live shotgun rounds and 20 .303 calibre live rounds. McVicker said he used the firearms to protect his certified organic produce, the summary said. Also found were five mature cannabis plants growing in soil and a glass jar containing 43.32gm of cannabis head. In court, Judge Duncan Harvey said he was unsure at first which crops the defendant said he was protecting — his vegetables or his cannabis. "After I found out a bit more about you, I now understand what you meant by that," the judge said. "You are an organic farmer, you've been growing vegetables for many, many years, and I accept that that is what you were referring to." Judge Harvey said the man's response was essentially "so what" to the cannabis. The judge also said the case was unusual as the firearms were locked in a safe, as opposed to being left strewn about the place. "He behaves as if he has a firearms licence, but unfortunately he has not." Defence counsel John Fraser said his client led a relatively reclusive life on his organic farm. McVicker said he no longer held firearms and now had other community members come to shoot the rabbits on his property. The court heard the man had health issues and was self-medicating with the cannabis, but had since got a legal prescription for the drug. "I am satisfied that your use of cannabis has been solely for your own purposes," the judge said. "There is no suggestion that you have been selling that cannabis or supplying that cannabis to anybody else." It was "quite clear" the vegetable-grower had a history of cannabis use due to his prior convictions, the judge said, but he had no previous firearms convictions. The man had letters from the the community speaking highly of his character, the judge said. "It is clear that you have done an enormous amount of good in your community, and I suspect you continue to do so," Judge Harvey said. For the possession of firearms, ammunition, cultivating and possessing the cannabis, the judge sentenced McVicker to 150 hours' community service. The judge said that so Corrections could "keep an eye on his health", the defendant was sentenced to 12 months' supervision.
Geek Culture
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
'Half-Life 3' Leaks Suggest Unannounced Sequel Is Already In A Completely Playable State
Valve, a studio well-known for its aversion to making part three of its games, might finally be breaking the pattern, according to recent leaks suggesting that Half-Life 3 , the eagerly anticipated sequel to its classic shooter franchise, is not only in development but also in a completely playable state. These leaks come from Valve insider Tyler McVicker, who hosted a live-stream Ask Me Anything (AMA) session regarding the unannounced Half-Life sequel, codenamed HLX , which he previously uncovered via datamining and further evidence from the resume of Natasha Chandel, a voice actor who was supposedly working on the project. Half-Life 2 (2004) In his AMA session, McVicker claims that the upcoming game will not be a VR title like 2020's Half-Life: Alyx , but a full-fledged sequel. 'This is the furthest ( HLX ) has ever been. Period,' he said, 'The game is playable – end to end. Period. [Other Half-Life 3 projects have] never been that far. And they're optimising, polishing, and they're probably content-locked, and if they're not, then they're mechanic locked.' As for specific details of the game, McVicker avoided potentially spoiling the game, but did give some information regarding previous rumours that the game would use a procedural generation system. 'The way that Valve is going about doing that is akin to the [AI Director] in Left 4 Dead 2 and making it significantly more powerful. It's not changing geometry. It's instead changing entity placement [like] doors, physics props, enemies, items or NPCs of any kind.' He also added that he doesn't think this procedural generation technology will extend to the game's story. Finally, McVicker guessed that Half-Life 3 would be announced in the Summer of this year, followed by a Winter release, but as with all game leaks, especially for ones regarding major franchises like Half-Life, these rumours should be taken with a grain of salt, and fans should refrain from getting their hopes up until official confirmation comes from Valve itself. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Half-Life Half-Life 3 Valve
Metro
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Half-Life 3 could finally be released after 18 year wait says insider
Valve might be in the closing stages of development on Half-Life 3, as speculation continues to snowball around its existence. Half-Life 3 rumours have been a constant part of everyday life since 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode Two, but they've definitely increased over the last 12 months. In 2024, dataminers discovered several files in other Valve games, like Deadlock and Dota 2, for a project codenamed HLX. Several insiders have claimed this is actually Half-Life 3, although Valve has not officially announced any new project. One of these insiders, YouTuber Tyler McVicker, now claims the rumoured Half-Life 3 is 'playable end-to-end' and is in the 'polishing' phase at Valve. McVicker, who has been leaking news about Valve titles for years now, answered various questions about HLX in a livestreamed Q&A, where he reiterated his claims that, unlike 2020'S Half-Life: Alyx, Half Life 3 'is not a VR title'. 'HLX is being playtested so religiously and so widely that there are individuals that will just talk,' McVicker said. 'I personally have a policy of avoiding any story-related questions or information where possible, so I currently have avoided all of them. But I've been offered it by people whom are trustworthy and I know some of my contemporaries have been given it, so there is information out there about the plot.' He added: 'This is the furthest [HLX] has ever been. Period. The game is playable end-to-end. Period. [Other Half-Life 3 projects have] never been that far. And they're optimising, polishing, and they're probably content-locked, or if they're not then they're mechanic locked.' McVicker went on to suggest Half-Life 3 could be announced during the summer and released later this year, but stresses this is entirely speculation on his part. More Trending Valve has cancelled multiple iterations of Half-Life 3 over the past 18 years, and while these more recent rumours suggest a new Half-Life project does exist, there's nothing to guarantee it won't be canned before release as well. Last year, McVicker claimed two Half-Life projects were in development at Valve, with one being the aforementioned HLX. The other is said to be a VR title designed to showcase the company's rumoured new Deckard VR headset, which is tipped to launch this year. Back in 2020, Valve stated Half-Life: Alyx was a 'return to this world, not the end of it', so it's certainly possible we could see another Half-Life entry soon – even if it's unclear exactly what form it will take. Like Nintendo and Rockstar Games, Valve is difficult to predict but, if we're feeling optimistic, it's possible we could see some sort of announcement during Summer Game Fest on June 6. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Call Of Duty 2025 will lock game modes behind battle pass claims insider MORE: How to get Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga for free – but you have to be quick MORE: Best new mobile games on iOS and Android – May 2025 round-up
