Latest news with #Negron
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shelter beds at risk in R.I. if state doesn't fill housing budget gap, advocates warn
Mia Negron, 2, sits atop her father Luis' shoulders at a State House rally on May 27, 2025. The family became unhoused when Mia was an infant in 2023. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Luis Negron stood in the State House rotunda Tuesday afternoon among a crowd of 250 with his 2-year-old daughter Mia atop his shoulders holding a sign that said 'shelter was my lifeline.' Negron said that two years ago he, his partner, and then 3-month old daughter were evicted from their apartment and had to sleep in their car. 'We didn't know what to do,' he said in an interview inside the State House. They eventually connected with the Providence-based social service organization Amos House which got them into a shelter. Now his family lives in permanent supportive housing. Advocates fear Rhode Island's unhoused community could lose such critical lifelines if lawmakers fail to address a $17.8 million budget shortfall for homelessness services as they finalize the fiscal 2026 budget. Which is why Negron and his family were at the State House Tuesday afternoon, joining others in urging state leaders to fill that gap. 'Unfortunately, there's not enough money for everything that has to happen in our state,' Eileen Hayes, CEO of the Providence social service organization Amos House, told the crowd. 'But people whose lives are at risk should not be the ones that have to forfeit their needs.' Federal pandemic money has allowed Rhode Island to more than double its number of shelter beds since 2020, but with that funding now gone, advocates fear as many as 926 beds could be lost statewide. 'We need shelter beds to stay open while we build affordable housing for all,' Hayes said. According to the state, advocates' projections rely on outdated numbers. Rhode Island Department of Housing spokesperson Emily Marshall pointed to a request for proposals for homeless service providers issued by the state on May 7 which 'anticipates provider savings' which would reduce the number of beds that may have to come offline should the state not plug the department's budget. Marshall did not immediately provide an estimate on how many shelter beds the state would have to reduce. 'We remain committed to maintaining emergency shelter access within available funding while strategically investing in long-term solutions like affordable and permanent supportive housing,' Marshall said in an email Tuesday. The state's shelter dashboard notes a total of 1,514 beds available across the entire state, with 181 unused as of May 23. Advocates are urging state lawmakers to consider new taxes to help cover provider costs, including a tax on second homes, a higher real estate conveyance tax on property sales over $800,000, and increased income contributions from the state's highest earners. They are also calling on the General Assembly to approve Gov. Dan McKee's budget proposal to fund shelter beds by extending the state's 5% hotel tax to include short-term rental homes. McKee's recommended fiscal year 2026 budget calls on the state to eliminate the exemption whole-home short-term rentals have from the state's 5% hotel tax starting Jan. 1, 2026. The governor projects an annual revenue of roughly $5 million. Advocates supported a similar proposal McKee introduced as a budget amendment in 2024, but the General Assembly ultimately replaced it with its own $46 million plan which relied on remaining pandemic relief aid. The governor's plan also faced competition from municipalities that have historically received a quarter of the revenue from the state's hotel tax. Municipal interests are again vying for that expanded share of the fiscal pie. Legislation introduced by Sen. Matthew LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, would maintain that existing split to towns, if McKee's proposal is approved. Rep. Lauren Carson, a Newport Democrat who chairs a legislative panel studying short-term rentals, has again proposed returning all of the revenue generated by a hotel tax on short-term rental houses exclusively for municipal infrastructure. 'If we don't have infrastructure and the stormwater not running and toilets not working, then the tourists ain't coming,' she said in an interview. And the potential tax revenue could always go toward funding homeless services, Carson said, it would just be up to the municipalities rather than the state. 'Newport is perfectly qualified to make decisions on homeless shelters and how to assist homeless people,' she said. Keeping housing decisions local is a preference of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, whose executive director said a cookie-cutter approach will not work with each municipality. 'Not one of my 39 communities are all the same, they're all unique,' Randy Rossi, executive director of the league, said in an interview. 'What Burrillville might need, Westerly may need something completely different.' Kimberly Simmons, executive director for the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, said she would prefer any potential revenue from the tax expansion end up in state coffers. 'The state has the ability to get it out evenly,' Simmons said in an interview. Carson's bill was heard before the House Committee on Finance on May 13 where it was held for further study, as is standard procedure for an initial vetting by a legislative panel. Companion legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, was held by the Senate Committee on Finance on March 4. House Speaker K. Joseph Sheakrchi has not taken any official stance, but said he will continue to prioritize addressing homelessness in the final budget. 'In recent years, the General Assembly has gone above and beyond the Governor's budget requests for homeless assistance,' he said in a statement. 'Despite an extremely challenging budget year, homelessness will remain a priority of the legislature.' At least 2,442 unhoused people across Rhode Island were counted when volunteers conducted an annual survey in late January 2024 — up 35% from the 2023 count. The coalition conducted the annual Point-In-Time count for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this year on Jan. 28, but results aren't expected to be released until some time in the summer. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shelter beds at risk in R.I. if state doesn't fill housing budget gap, advocates warn
Mia Negron, 2, sits atop her father Luis' shoulders at a State House rally on May 27, 2025. The family became unhoused when Mia was an infant in 2023. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Luis Negron stood in the State House rotunda Tuesday afternoon among a crowd of 250 with his 2-year-old daughter Mia atop his shoulders holding a sign that said 'shelter was my lifeline.' Negron said that two years ago he, his partner, and then 3-month old daughter were evicted from their apartment and had to sleep in their car. 'We didn't know what to do,' he said in an interview inside the State House. They eventually connected with the Providence-based social service organization Amos House which got them into a shelter. Now his family lives in permanent supportive housing. Advocates fear Rhode Island's unhoused community could lose such critical lifelines if lawmakers fail to address a $17.8 million budget shortfall for homelessness services as they finalize the fiscal 2026 budget. Which is why Negron and his family were at the State House Tuesday afternoon, joining others in urging state leaders to fill that gap. 'Unfortunately, there's not enough money for everything that has to happen in our state,' Eileen Hayes, CEO of the Providence social service organization Amos House, told the crowd. 'But people whose lives are at risk should not be the ones that have to forfeit their needs.' Federal pandemic money has allowed Rhode Island to more than double its number of shelter beds since 2020, but with that funding now gone, advocates fear as many as 926 beds could be lost statewide. 'We need shelter beds to stay open while we build affordable housing for all,' Hayes said. According to the state, advocates' projections rely on outdated numbers. Rhode Island Department of Housing spokesperson Emily Marshall pointed to a request for proposals for homeless service providers issued by the state on May 7 which 'anticipates provider savings' which would reduce the number of beds that may have to come offline should the state not plug the department's budget. Marshall did not immediately provide an estimate on how many shelter beds the state would have to reduce. 'We remain committed to maintaining emergency shelter access within available funding while strategically investing in long-term solutions like affordable and permanent supportive housing,' Marshall said in an email Tuesday. The state's shelter dashboard notes a total of 1,514 beds available across the entire state, with 181 unused as of May 23. Advocates are urging state lawmakers to consider new taxes to help cover provider costs, including a tax on second homes, a higher real estate conveyance tax on property sales over $800,000, and increased income contributions from the state's highest earners. They are also calling on the General Assembly to approve Gov. Dan McKee's budget proposal to fund shelter beds by extending the state's 5% hotel tax to include short-term rental homes. McKee's recommended fiscal year 2026 budget calls on the state to eliminate the exemption whole-home short-term rentals have from the state's 5% hotel tax starting Jan. 1, 2026. The governor projects an annual revenue of roughly $5 million. Advocates supported a similar proposal McKee introduced as a budget amendment in 2024, but the General Assembly ultimately replaced it with its own $46 million plan which relied on remaining pandemic relief aid. The governor's plan also faced competition from municipalities that have historically received a quarter of the revenue from the state's hotel tax. Municipal interests are again vying for that expanded share of the fiscal pie. Legislation introduced by Sen. Matthew LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, would maintain that existing split to towns, if McKee's proposal is approved. Rep. Lauren Carson, a Newport Democrat who chairs a legislative panel studying short-term rentals, has again proposed returning all of the revenue generated by a hotel tax on short-term rental houses exclusively for municipal infrastructure. 'If we don't have infrastructure and the stormwater not running and toilets not working, then the tourists ain't coming,' she said in an interview. And the potential tax revenue could always go toward funding homeless services, Carson said, it would just be up to the municipalities rather than the state. 'Newport is perfectly qualified to make decisions on homeless shelters and how to assist homeless people,' she said. Keeping housing decisions local is a preference of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, whose executive director said a cookie-cutter approach will not work with each municipality. 'Not one of my 39 communities are all the same, they're all unique,' Randy Rossi, executive director of the league, said in an interview. 'What Burrillville might need, Westerly may need something completely different.' Kimberly Simmons, executive director for the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, said she would prefer any potential revenue from the tax expansion end up in state coffers. 'The state has the ability to get it out evenly,' Simmons said in an interview. Carson's bill was heard before the House Committee on Finance on May 13 where it was held for further study, as is standard procedure for an initial vetting by a legislative panel. Companion legislation sponsored by Sen. Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, was held by the Senate Committee on Finance on March 4. House Speaker K. Joseph Sheakrchi has not taken any official stance, but said he will continue to prioritize addressing homelessness in the final budget. 'In recent years, the General Assembly has gone above and beyond the Governor's budget requests for homeless assistance,' he said in a statement. 'Despite an extremely challenging budget year, homelessness will remain a priority of the legislature.' At least 2,442 unhoused people across Rhode Island were counted when volunteers conducted an annual survey in late January 2024 — up 35% from the 2023 count. The coalition conducted the annual Point-In-Time count for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development this year on Jan. 28, but results aren't expected to be released until some time in the summer. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Driver arrested after killing man in Pinellas Park, police say
A man arrested last month on charges of driving under the influence with a suspended license was arrested again Tuesday after he hit and killed a man with a box truck in Pinellas Park, police said. Eligabriel Caez Negron, 25, was backing the truck toward a loading bay of a building at 12210 66th St. N. about 6 a.m. when he struck a 41-year-old man standing in a parking stall, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department. The man was taken to a local hospital and died from his injuries. Police have not released his name. A police spokesperson said investigators were working to notify his family. Investigators arrested Negron on a charge of driving with a suspended license resulting in death. An arrest affidavit was not immediately available Tuesday. Negron, of Tampa, was also driving without a valid license on March 30 when a Hillsborough sheriff's deputy spotted a Toyota Camry that had crashed into a pole near the intersection of North Dale Mabry Highway and West Waters Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit. The deputy saw signs that Negron was impaired, and he provided a breath sample that showed his blood alcohol level was 0.174 and 0.164, the affidavit states. Both levels are more than twice Florida's legal limit of 0.08. Negron also admitted to having half of a Percocet pill in his pocket, according to the affidavit. Deputies arrested Negron on charges of DUI, knowingly driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. The Hillsborough State Attorney's Office dropped the drug charge, records show. The license and DUI charges are still pending. It was Negron's second DUI arrest in less than a year. In June, a deputy stopped Negron near the intersection of West Waters and North Habana avenues in Tampa for violating the state's move-over law, according to an arrest affidavit. Negron showed signs of impairment during field sobriety exercises and refused to provide a breath sample, the affidavit states. A deputy who searched Negron found in his pocket a baggie with a powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine. Negron was arrested on charges of DUI with property damage and cocaine possession. Negron pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of reckless driving with alcohol being a factor, records show. Prosecutors dropped the cocaine charge because the amount of the drug in the baggie was 'residual in nature,' a court document states.
Los Angeles Times
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ridley Scott's ‘Modville' graphic novel debuts during a tough time for comics. Can it survive?
When Ridley Scott, visionary director of 'Alien,' 'Blade Runner' and 'Gladiator,' connects with your story, it's probably a good idea to explore it in any medium possible. 'Modville,' a four-issue neo-noir graphic novel set in New Orleans in 2169 that unfolds in a world of crime and artificial humans (known as mods), was just that story. Created by Jesse Negron, co-written by Joe Matsumoto and with art by Hendry Prasetya and Eko Puteh, the comic touches on themes of father-daughter relationships, morality and humanity. The comic series bucks the current trend of reframing superhero narratives. Instead, it's an original idea that will go direct to consumers (versus being released by a big publisher like Diamond and Penguin Random House) and initially be printed in a prestige format (a 200-page hardcover instead of single issues). It'll also have an idiosyncratic schedule, free of month-to-month pressures. Negron, who had previously worked with the director and his late brother, Tony Scott, pitched the seemingly radical idea of doing a comic book to Tom Moran, senior vice president of Ridley Scott's film and TV company Scott Free Productions. 'Tony was a big fan of Jesse's. We met and talked about his ideas, and I said, 'Well, what do you want to do? Film or TV?' He said, 'I really want to do comics, but you guys don't do that.' I said, 'Why not?,'' said Moran. 'As an entertainment company, especially these days, you have to evolve. We have to reach out and expand to new forms of entertainment. Honestly, Ridley was probably like, 'We should have done this a long time ago.' He's such a good artist himself.' 'Collaborating with Jesse Negron and Mechanical Cake on graphic novels feels like a natural evolution for myself and Scott Free,' said Ridley Scott via email. Through his company Mechanical Cake, Negron will be introducing the graphic novel, as well as a 'Modville'-style booth, at WonderCon in Anaheim this weekend. Negron, Moran, publisher and editor Dave Elliott, and Anthony Francisco, a senior visual development artist for Marvel Studios, will discuss the ins and outs of the company in a panel Saturday. Negron has been working on the idea for 'Modville' for at least 5 years. Negron and Chief Financial Officer Tom Sanders launched Mechanical Cake in 2015 to not only create comics but to also cultivate new ideas in multimedia. 'Mechanical Cake is a world-building [intellectual property] creation team that is focused in the sci-fi-fantasy-action-adventure genre,' said Sanders. 'The goal of any creative is not only to tell the story but to get it to the world and get the fans involved.' The company's association with Scott already adds cachet to the title, but obtaining his blessing was only the first step. 'There's no doubt that for me to launch at the bar of Ridley Scott, it's a lot of pressure to be honest,' said Negron. 'It's sometimes very difficult to work at the level he works at because he'll just go, 'Meh, I don't know.' To work at his level where he goes, 'Whoa, you guys keep doing this. Whoa, you did that!?' That was really important to me.' Getting on the same page as your business partners is only one of the hurdles to overcome when launching an independent comic book. With the sale of Diamond Comic Distributors to Alliance Entertainment, the comics industry may breathe a sigh of relief, but market leaders still tend to dominate attention and shelf space, limiting sales for small presses and direct-to-market players. Diamond helped unknown titles get the word out through its Previews catalog, but with its bankruptcy and subsequent sale, it's unclear how the acquisition will affect the comics industry. Of the 40 most popular graphic novels in 2024 (based on units sold), only four titles weren't published by the leading comics companies — which include Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse Comics and BOOM! Studios. Those titles include 'Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder' by Graphix, 'Uzumaki' and 'Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1' — both by VIZ Media — and 'Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze' by Titan Comics. This trend is seen with periodical comic books too, with only four franchises outside of Marvel and DC able to crack the top 50 comics of 2024. Those all happened to be well-known '80s titles such as Image's G.I. Joe and Transformers, IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dynamite Entertainment's Thundercats. But it's an uncertain time for all entertainment sectors. Like the movie industry, comic book sales and consumer trends indicate that introducing an original story, without an established distribution network, like the one Diamond provided for decades, is a daunting and risky task. Film and comics have a lot in common, which is also why the union of Scott Free Productions and Mechanical Cake makes sense to the parties involved. 'They deliver like nobody else on the planet in this genre. Science fiction, action, the edge of fantasy. I can't think of a better partner to team up with than Scott Free,' said Sanders. 'Doing a comic book is like doing a film or TV show but with more details. Everything on the panel is intentionally put there, just like you do in a film or TV show. If you've done it right, you pretty much have laid out a storyboard that anyone should be able to follow. We want to build a world for others to create stories in as well.' Scott, known for his detailed storyboards, was also drawn to the comics because of his background as an artist. 'To watch Ridley draw is amazing. He's such a visionary, from mind to pen to hand to paper. You can flip through his storyboards and see the whole movie. It's truly an art form, and that's essentially what you're getting from comics,' said Moran. Bill Sienkiewicz is one of the prominent artists who will help create the visual language for 'Modville,' specifically in crafting covers for the series. Sienkiewicz said he enjoys the 'grunge' technology in the story, which harks back to something familiar. 'What I'm enjoying about 'Modville' is that, while it may not be a direct corollary to 'Blade Runner,' it has enough of the DNA to make it feel like it's at least adjacent. I love the idea of investigating on deeper levels what constitutes humanity and morality,' said Sienkiewicz. 'When you're doing a monthly book, you can afford to be a little more subtextual and be intriguing for it's own sake.' 'Modville' has also carved out its own route into a crowded marketplace. It'll launch with a prestige format (200-page books) and hardcovers then transition to soft covers and to a wider market. Unlike traditional comics and graphic novels, these editions won't be reprinted, making them one-of-a-kind commodities. Elliott said he wants Mechanical Cake to be accessible to the public but also to make sure the creative process isn't rushed to meet market demands. 'More books are being published by Kickstarter at the moment than almost anybody else. So that model of working directly with the people who are fans of what you're doing is something that is so important today,' said Elliott. 'But a lot of other publishers you look at, they're trapped into that, 'It's a new month. We have to have something out every month.' I'm like, 'No, we don't.' We put something out when it's ready but not before. I wanted us to treat the publishing the way the Europeans do with graphic novels and the way the publishing world used to treat novels.' It's a mind-set that goes against what retailers and consumers may be used to. Paul Grimshaw, owner of Burbank's House of Secrets comic book store, prefers serialized comic books and graphic novels that 'come out on a monthly basis and keep people interested,' but he says being unique is also key. One of his top-selling comics over the past year has been 'Saga,' an epic space opera/fantasy series written by Brian K. Vaughan from Image. 'Honestly, all you need to do is be good. If you've got well-written, well-illustrated books, they will find an audience. Gimmicks are gimmicks. Gimmicks only last for a short amount of time. My favorite books are the ones that have good artists and are telling a solid story,' Grimshaw said. Besides lending his name to the project, Scott also contributed to shaping the story and a critical eye to the art direction. It dawned on Elliott early on that Scott could see the relationship colors played to viewers onscreen and to readers on paper. 'In the beginning, the colors were a bit brighter and more vivid. And [Scott would say], 'Maybe you can mute it a bit, desaturate it a bit.' This was when I realized that he understood the difference between comics and film. We were talking about the fact that comics use color in a way [Scott] can't use in film. It is a more muted palette so you can trigger emotion [differently],' said Elliott. 'I started out as an artist, sketching every storyboard for each of my films, and it's remarkable how instinctively the visual language of storytelling in 'Modville' unfolds,' said Scott. Scott and Negron's sensibilities seem to align well. Negron's stylistic and storytelling influences are varied: from the retro technology and stylish imagery of 'The Rocketeer' to a Southern Gothic aesthetic born of a Baptist upbringing. When Negron sent Scott his first draft of 'Modville,' the director made him dial back some of the more controversial and gratuitous elements. Though he had been working on the story and art for years, Negron realized that Scott wasn't trying to change his vision, he was making sure that it would grab readers and keep them coming back. 'He goes, 'I've had a room of 6,000 people turn against me.' So we toned it down a little bit in the opening [for 'Modville'], and I think it was a good choice.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Bayshore man took ‘sexually compromising' photo of juvenile
FREEHOLD — A Keyport man has admitted that he took a sexually compromising photo of a juvenile while the child was asleep, said Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago on Monday. Ricardo Negron, 43, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to first-degree manufacture of child sexual abuse materials, along with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child through sexual conduct, according to the statement from the Prosecutor's Office. Negron faces up to 14 years in state prison when he is scheduled to be sentenced before state Superior Court Judge Henry Butehorn on June 27. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Negron will be expected to serve 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for parole and subject to parole supervision for the rest of his life after he completes his prison term. He will also be required to register as a sex offender under Megan's Law at that time. More Local News: Four children hid in bedroom during parents' deadly fight in South Toms River: police A criminal investigation into Negron's conduct was initiated in February 2024 by Detective Michelle Tucker of the Special Victims Bureau of the Prosecutor's Office and Keyport Police Detective Eric Devlin. The detectives determined that Negron took 'a sexually compromising photograph of a juvenile ... while the juvenile was asleep. Negron then shared the photograph over a social media platform,' according to the Prosecutor's Office. Assistant Prosecutors Keri-Leigh Schaefer and Joseph Competello of the Special Victims Bureau and High Tech Bureau, respectively, were in charge of the case. Negron is represented by criminal defense attorney Brian J. Neary, whose office is in Hackensack. Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@ This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Keyport NJ man took 'sexually compromising' pic of juvenile
