Latest news with #Morrill
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First high school graduating class in Timnath in 65 years sets the tone
They were sophomores, coming from a handful of other high schools in the area, when they first set foot in the new Timnath Middle-High School. It was the fall of 2022, and there were no older students to look up to, only younger ones for them to lead. And they did, figuring things out along the way, Principal Jesse Morrill said, as they established traditions and built a strong sense of belonging that he hopes will never waver. 'Together we built this place with sweat, spirit and with a deep belief that Timnath High School could be something great,' Vince Hochholter said after being recognized as the school's first Class Guide, for his character, leadership and school spirit, classmate MacKenzie Dahmer explained. May 23, Timnath High School celebrated its graduating class of 2025, the first ever for the combined new middle-high school and the first from any Timnath high school in 65 years, during a commencement ceremony at Colorado State University's Moby Arena. More: Wellington turns out in force to celebrate new high school's first graduating class 'I think like we just fully opened the school with this ceremony,' Morrill said. 'It's been kind of a three-year process, adding a grade level each year, continuing to add staff and students to the school. 'But this first class was the group that took the plunge and left their high school where they'd started at and wanted something new. And they've been a part of creating all our traditions and setting the tone for the type of school that we're trying to be.' The 129 new graduates easily dwarfed the previous high of 21 from the final graduating class of the old Timnath High School in 1960, two of those 1960 graduates – Jeanette Rutz and Larry Siegfried – told the Coloradoan. The old high school was closed when the Timnath Consolidated School District merged with several others to form the Poudre School District, and its students were bused to Fort Collins High School. Rutz, a cheerleader and homecoming queen her senior year, and Siegfried, the starting quarterback for the football team, were invited to the 2025 commencement ceremony as special guests and seated on the floor, near the graduates, with two other classmates and Siegfried's wife, Linda. 'We were the last class to graduate, and now we're the first alumni to come back for a graduation from the new school,' Larry Siegfried said. Added Rutz, 'It's nice to be around to still do this.' Creating traditions and setting a standard for the classes that will follow was a common theme from each of the three graduating Cub Leadership Mentors who spoke – Mia Robinson, Kyle Nelson and Dahmer – as well as Morrill, Poudre School District Superintendent Brian Kingsley and Hochhalter. The school's band and orchestra performed, as did the choir. There were also a couple of solo performances by graduating seniors, with Matti Pletcher singing Miley Cyrus' song, 'The Climb," and Ella Petersen singing Stephen Schwartz's, 'For Good.' Then, one row at a time, students walked across the stage as their names were called to receive their diplomas. After the last name was read, Cub Leadership Mentor Kylie Scheidt led the class in the traditional flipping of the tassels on their mortarboards from right to left. Then those caps flew high into the air as the oldest class at Timnath Middle-High School since its opening in August 2022 bid farewell. 'It was definitely a unique experience,' graduating senior Tate Bledsoe said afterward. 'And it was a lot of ups and downs, because you're there trying to look for people to look up to, but they're not there. But it's also good, because you have a lot of younger kids looking up to you. so you can set traditions and values. 'It went by fast, that's for sure. Senior year felt like it just started. We painted our senior (parking) spots, and we're already done. Senior sunset.' Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Timnath graduates first class since 1960
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
AFFIDAVIT: Tyler man arrested after having sexual relationship with minor in exchange for vapes
TYLER, Texas (KETK) – A Tyler man has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a minor in exchange for nicotine devices, according to an arrest affidavit. The Smith County Sheriff's Office became aware of the case after being contacted by a girl's guardians on March 4. One of her guardians revealed to a sheriff's office deputy that they discovered she had been having an improper relationship with a grown man while going through the girl's phone. AFFIDAVIT: Parent arrested for giving vodka-laced Jell-O shots to kids at Tyler elementary Christmas part According to officials, one of the victim's guardians said text messages from the victim's phone revealed she was having explicit conversations and spoke about having sexual relationships with a man whose contact name was 'J'. Further text messages revealed the victim was offering to give the man sexual favors in exchange for vapes and other nicotine devices. Text messages also revealed the two parties making arrangements to meet at a nearby oil field in regard to their deal. The suspect was later identified as John Walter Morrill, who used to be married to the victim's sister and had previously lived on the same property as the victim before moving out in September 2023. According to officials, Morill began having improper relationships in exchange for vapes while he lived on the property and has continued until their most recent sexual interaction, which took place on March 2. During an interview with the deputy, the victim revealed Morrill initiated the relationship between the two, and he would provide her vapes of any flavor in exchange for sexual favors. Free child vaccines at Children's Fest 2025 in Tyler On March 25, a forensic interview was held at the Smith County Child Advocacy Center. During the interview, the victim confirmed that she had intercourse with Morrill several times over a year and a half, including oral sex. She also stated that she would sneak out of her house and meet Morrill, who would drive her to a secluded location. Officials were later able to obtain text messages between Morill and the victim from Feb. 28 which revealed the sexual relationship between the two. While going through the messages, texts were discovered with Morrill stating that he was planning to move closer to the victim and that he intended to keep the relationship between the two active. Following the investigation, Morill was arrested on April 17 by Smith County deputies and booked into the Smith County Jail for the charge of sexual assault of a child. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Could the next pope be from Africa or Asia? Experts weigh in
Pope Francis marked multiple firsts for the papacy, becoming the first Latin American pope and the first from the Southern Hemisphere when elected in 2013. He was also the first head of the Roman Catholic Church born outside of Europe in over a millennium. Following his death on Monday at the age of 88, the selection process to elect the 267th pontiff will soon of the secretive gathering of eligible cardinals for the vote, questions swirl over whether the next pope will similarly come from outside Europe, such as Asia or Africa, and potentially be another history-making leader. "I do think it's fair to say that election of an archbishop from Asia or Africa is certainly a real probability now. That is not unthinkable at all," Bruce Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy chair in Roman Catholic studies and distinguished professor of theology at Vanderbilt University, told ABC News. "That's very different from when, let's say, someone like John Paul II was elected. It was a big deal back in 1978 because he wasn't Italian." "To move a couple papacies later to a man from Argentina -- clearly, it's reflecting more than ever a global church," he added. The election of someone from the Global South would be a "move in that direction of how to be a global church," Jaisy A. Joseph, an assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, told ABC News. "That move from a Eurocentric church to a truly global church -- I think that's what Francis really inaugurated," she said. MORE: Who are the top contenders to be the next pope? Experts weigh in Pope Francis' successor could be someone who continues his progressive legacy and mirrors his pastoral approach, or someone who counters it with a more conservative approach, experts say. "Is he going to be someone who really strongly continues the primary emphases of the Francis papacy, or do they want to go with someone that they would see as bringing a balance or a certain pendulum swing, to use that language, in counter or contrast of priorities from the Francis papacy?" Morrill said. Such a swing occurred when Pope Francis was elected, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI, Morrill noted. For Morrill and Joseph, one man who is a natural successor to Pope Francis is a man known as the "Asian Francis" -- Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, 67, of the Philippines. "Really being with people, listening to people, encountering people where they are and not being afraid of difference -- I think those are traits that Tagle really exemplifies," Joseph said. "That could possibly be a point of continuity if he were to be elected pope." Morrill said Tagle is a "strongly viable candidate" and someone who would continue the priorities of Pope Francis, who appointed Tagle to an office in the Vatican that focuses on evangelization. "If the electors are going to turn to someone and discern the way to go is to continue, strongly, the priorities of the late Pope Francis, Tagle fits the bill," Morrill said. "He's likewise someone who smiles readily and has this warm pastoral way," he added. "That's what makes him the figure that we would think of as providing the most continuity." If elected, Tagle would be the first Asian pope. MORE: Pope Francis live updates Should the voting cardinals move in a more conservative direction, a potential pope could be found in Sub-Saharan Africa, Morrill said. Such a move would make for the first Black pope in modern history. "There would be archbishops, cardinal archbishops in Sub-Saharan Africa that are much more focused on preservation or guarding of the strict traditional practices and teachings of the church," Morrill said. One name that comes to mind for Morrill is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, 65, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Other conservative candidates from Africa that could gain recognition include Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, 76, and Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, 79, according to Miles Pattenden, historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University. Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the secret conclave inside the Sistine Chapel to choose the next pontiff, a gathering that typically commences between 15 to 20 days after the pope's death. A two-thirds majority is required to elect a pontiff. MORE: Electing a new pope: What happens next and what is a papal conclave? Francis appointed roughly 80% of the cardinals who are eligible to vote for his successor, which could impact the selection of the next pope, Morrill said. "He was advancing and choosing more and more people from Asia and Africa, and so that does all feed these distinct probabilities or possibilities," Morrill said. "But there really is no way to make any solid prediction." The Pew Research Center found that under Francis, voting-age cardinals from the Asia-Pacific region increased 10%, and those from Sub-Saharan Africa went up 8%, while those from Europe decreased 51%. In all, there are 53 cardinal electors from Europe, 23 from Asia, 18 from Africa, 17 from South America, 16 from North America, four from Central America and four from Oceania, according to the Vatican. For Phyllis Zagano, the senior research associate-in-residence in Hofstra University's Department of Religion, it's unclear at the moment how that shift in makeup will impact the election of the next pope. "The College of Cardinals has expanded significantly under Pope Francis, who has included cardinals from the farthest reaches of the world," Zagano told ABC News. "Whether that will make any difference in the election of his successor remains to be seen." Could the next pope be from Africa or Asia? Experts weigh in originally appeared on
