Latest news with #O'Halloran
Perth Now
03-06-2025
- Perth Now
‘Gentle' man critical after e-scooter crash
A man beloved by his community, with a wife who recently had a suspected stroke and a child with high-needs autism, is now in critical condition after a tragic e-bike incident on Saturday evening. Thanh Phan, 51, took a trip into the Perth CBD for dinner, but was struck by an e-scooter at the interception of Murray and King street. The e-scooter rider is allegedly a woman who was under the influence of alcohol. Mr Phan remains in critical condition at the intensive care unit of the Royal Perth Hospital after undergoing surgery. Mr Phan remains in critical condition following a tragic e-bike incident in Perth on Saturday evening. ABC Credit: ABC The 51-year-old from Menora has built a loving community in his neighbourhood, with friends of the engineer expressing their condolences. 'When we visited, they said he had a very brief period of waking up again and being able to say his name and he knew where he was,' neighbour Siobhan O'Halloran told the ABC. 'But the swelling in the brain was such that they had to operate to save him.' Mr Phan's wife, Loan Phan, had recently had a suspected stroke, and his son has special needs, Ms O'Halloran said. 'He eventually helped her with rehabilitation and has been working from home ever since to support her. One of their boys has very high-needs autism and she spends a lot of her time caring for him,' Ms O'Halloran. Neighbours said Mr Phan's family has already been through hardship as his wife recently suffered a suspected stroke, and his son has high-needs autism. NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Phan is now struggling to accept her husband's condition, and the entire family is anxiously waiting for his recovery. 'She's just still in shock, she's just in denial,' Ms O'Halloran's husband Lee Carroll told the ABC. 'She speaks English as her second language [and] is now facing this heartbreaking crisis alone — caring for their sons, navigating a complex medical system, and trying to stay strong while her husband remains in a critical condition.' He also reported that Mr Phan was the only source of income for the family. The neighbours reflected on the Phan's families warmth and generosity. 'When we got Covid in our house, he and Loan brought over trays and trays of food, we didn't know them that well [at the time],' Mr Carrol told the ABC. 'He's always been very, very friendly, affectionate and kind and gentle. 'He's loved having our kids over at his house, he shows them the fish pond that he made and the budgies that they have, he's just very kind and very gentle man.' Neighbours said Mr Phan was a kind and generous man, and labelled e-scooter trials as dangerous. NewsWire/ Glenn Campbell Credit: News Corp Australia The couple called for e-scooter trials in urban hubs to end. 'Other states have already ended the trial of e-scooters in the city because there are so many deaths and serious injuries arising from them,' Ms O'Halloran said. 'For this to happen … as somebody tries to get to a restaurant in the city, I feel like everyone I talk to doesn't want to take their children or doesn't want to spend time in the city unless they have to.' Alicia Kemp, 24, is alleged by police to be riding the e-scooter under the influence of alcohol with a 26-year-old passenger, before she hit Mr Phan. The passenger was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Ms Kemp is set to reappear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm – under the influence of alcohol, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm – under the influence of alcohol.
West Australian
03-06-2025
- Health
- West Australian
‘Kind and gentle': Man critical over alleged drunken e-scooter incident
A man beloved by his community, with a wife who recently had a suspected stroke and a child with high-needs autism, is now in critical condition after a tragic e-bike incident on Saturday evening. Thanh Phan, 51, took a trip into the Perth CBD for dinner, but was struck by an e-scooter at the interception of Murray and King street. The e-scooter rider is allegedly a woman who was under the influence of alcohol. Mr Phan remains in critical condition at the intensive care unit of the Royal Perth Hospital after undergoing surgery. The 51-year-old from Menora has built a loving community in his neighbourhood, with friends of the engineer expressing their condolences. 'When we visited, they said he had a very brief period of waking up again and being able to say his name and he knew where he was,' neighbour Siobhan O'Halloran told the ABC. 'But the swelling in the brain was such that they had to operate to save him.' Mr Phan's wife, Loan Phan, had recently had a suspected stroke, and his son has special needs, Ms O'Halloran said. 'He eventually helped her with rehabilitation and has been working from home ever since to support her. One of their boys has very high-needs autism and she spends a lot of her time caring for him,' Ms O'Halloran. Ms Phan is now struggling to accept her husband's condition, and the entire family is anxiously waiting for his recovery. 'She's just still in shock, she's just in denial,' Ms O'Halloran's husband Lee Carroll told the ABC. 'She speaks English as her second language [and] is now facing this heartbreaking crisis alone — caring for their sons, navigating a complex medical system, and trying to stay strong while her husband remains in a critical condition.' He also reported that Mr Phan was the only source of income for the family. The neighbours reflected on the Phan's families warmth and generosity. 'When we got Covid in our house, he and Loan brought over trays and trays of food, we didn't know them that well [at the time],' Mr Carrol told the ABC. 'He's always been very, very friendly, affectionate and kind and gentle. 'He's loved having our kids over at his house, he shows them the fish pond that he made and the budgies that they have, he's just very kind and very gentle man.' The couple called for e-scooter trials in urban hubs to end. 'Other states have already ended the trial of e-scooters in the city because there are so many deaths and serious injuries arising from them,' Ms O'Halloran said. 'For this to happen … as somebody tries to get to a restaurant in the city, I feel like everyone I talk to doesn't want to take their children or doesn't want to spend time in the city unless they have to.' Alicia Kemp, 24, is alleged by police to be riding the e-scooter under the influence of alcohol with a 26-year-old passenger, before she hit Mr Phan. The passenger was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Ms Kemp is set to reappear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm – under the influence of alcohol, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm – under the influence of alcohol.
Global News
22-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Could the massive Site C work camp be repurposed as supportive housing in Surrey?
Jack O'Halloran has an idea to keep the Site C dam's massive worker camp out of the landfill: bring them to Surrey. 'It's absolutely gorgeous. Ten years ago, it was state of the art for a worker,' O'Halloran, the CEO of the Surrey Urban Mission, told Global News. When O'Halloran learned that the camp, which housed nearly 2,000 workers building the $16 billion hydroelectric dam, would be vacated by end of summer and could end up in the scrap heap, a lightbulb went on over his head. 'If we were to get half of that, we would absolutely wipe out homelessness in Surrey,' he said. 'In 2023, our count was about 1,100 homeless.' BC Hydro is currently looking for a home for the facility, which includes dorms, kitchens and dining buildings, along with a fitness centre, gym and theatre, accounts for nearly 62,000 square metres of buildings — about 1.5 times the size of the Vancouver Convention Centre. Story continues below advertisement Earlier this spring, the Crown corporation alarmed directors with the Peace River Regional District when it began inquiring about sorting requirements and capacity at the North Peace Regional Landfill. 2:03 Global exclusive: Behind-the-scenes at the Site C workers camp A spokesperson told Global News earlier this week that the priority is to find an organization or a company to take ownership and reuse the structures. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But they warned they weren't well suited for housing because they lack individual kitchens, and the rooms have windows that don't open. That's no problem for a supportive housing facility, O'Halloran said. The organization already operates one 60-room project called Safe Sleep which uses a commercial kitchen to serve three meals a day to residents in a common dining area — much like the worker setup at Site C. Story continues below advertisement 'We have 60 rooms here, nobody has a kitchen. They have their own washroom, they have a bed, and they have a desk, but it's their own space,' he said. 'They've got one window that doesn't open … That's not a big deal.' Surrey City Councillor Linda Annis said there are big questions about the idea, but that it's certainly one worth exploring. 'What we need to do is look at what the financial cost is of moving it down to Surrey to make sure it makes sense financially, but we have been struggling with housing for people who are homeless, and we need to get it fixed, and we need to get it fixed now, and I think we should certainly look at this,' she said. 'One of the things I do like about it is that it could be done quite quickly.' O'Halloran said he hasn't yet spoken to BC Hydro, but intends to make contact this week to 'throw our hat in the ring.' He acknowledged that bringing the project from idea to reality will require some serious work — including transporting the structures, funding the transformation, and finding property to reassemble it on. But he believes the project is transformational enough it could bring both the federal and provincial governments to the table, and has already been in contact with several Surrey MLAs to press the concept. Story continues below advertisement BC Hydro says about 90 organizations have asked about the buildings, and that there are several it is speaking with in more detail. The Crown corporation expects the facility to be occupied until the end of the summer, when the dam comes fully online.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers deadlock on bills prohibiting transgender athletes in girls sports
May 20—AUGUSTA — Lawmakers deadlocked in votes on bills seeking to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls sports during a committee meeting Tuesday night, setting up what is likely to be an intense debate as the bills now move to the full Legislature. The Judiciary Committee voted 6-6 on two bills that would cut state funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, with one Democrat, Rep. Dani O'Halloran of Brewer, joining Republicans in support of the bills. A third bill that would require sports teams to be either male, female or coed and that would prohibit transgender athletes in girls sports was defeated 5-7. Republicans were in support and Democrats opposed, though O'Halloran said she would support the bill with an amendment and registered an "ought to pass as amended" report on the bill. At the same time, the committee voted overwhelmingly against a bill that would remove consideration of gender identity from the Maine Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. State officials cite the law as the reason transgender athletes are allowed to compete in girls sports. And they voted against bills that would have eroded transgender rights for students more broadly by restricting which bathrooms they can use and requiring schools to identify students by the name and gender listed on their birth certificates. The bills were among the most contentious of the legislative session and come as the Trump administration is suing Maine because it allows transgender athletes to compete in girls sports. The administration has also threatened to pull federal funding, saying that Maine is violating the federal antidiscrimination law known as Title IX. State officials have countered that they would be violating the Maine Human Rights Act by not allowing transgender athletes to compete in a way that affirms their identity and that President Donald Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes from girls sports is not legal. Democrats who voted against the bills focused on transgender athletes said Tuesday that the legislation would be harmful to students, difficult to enforce and expressed concerns that the proposal for schools to have coed teams is not realistic. Republicans said the bills protect girls sports and private places. "I think (these bills) are very harmful for girls," said Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, co-chair of the committee. "I think they are harmful for students who are transgender and nonbinary, and I think they're harmful for the school community because when adults authorize targeting of kids, it makes it unsafe for everybody and erodes everyone's sense of belonging, especially during a time of development when kids are really vulnerable." Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, who also chairs the committee, recalled her daughters' experience signing up for middle school lacrosse and then finding out that their school didn't have enough money for a coach. "When there is no money, the school will not have a team, and that's my concern about the suggestion there could be coed teams," Carney said. Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, countered that some schools have worked around those kinds of concerns by partnering with surrounding districts, saying some schools in her area recently partnered to put together enough students to form a hockey team when they couldn't field teams individually. "There are some work-arounds schools can do to make these things happen," Poirier said. CONCERNS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, also raised concerns about how schools would enforce laws around transgender athletes, saying that girls are already subject to pressure about looking and acting a certain way. "I'm very concerned that for girls who do not present feminine attributes, whether they're cis or trans, will be targeted regardless because they don't fit into the model of what we're told a girl should look like," Sato said. Rep. Liz Caruso, R-Caratunk, sponsored LD 868, the bill requiring sports teams to be either male, female or coed and prohibiting transgender athletes in girls' sports. The bill also would require schools to designate restrooms and changing rooms for use by males or females only, based on sex assigned at birth. "The legislation does treat everyone the same and gives everyone the option of a biological sex or coed team," Caruso said. "I think it will provide opportunities for all students to have more options." Caruso said her bill does not aim to subject girls to greater scrutiny about their bodies and said that a student's birth sex would be determined by a physician who has to fill out a sports medical form. "No one's inspecting someone's body. ... We don't want students to go through that," she said. O'Halloran was the only Democrat on the committee who voted for LD 233 and LD 1134, two bills that would prohibit schools that receive state funding from allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls sports, and said she would have supported Caruso's bill if it were amended to strike language allowing for legal remedies against schools for violating the provisions of the bill. "I look at what's going on around how we have transgender girls on girls teams and girls on girls teams. ... I'm wondering, 'Where does that leave girls?'" O'Halloran said during committee discussion. "I feel terrible about all of this, as I'm sure all of us do, and my heart goes out to everybody." The committee also voted 11-2 to reject the change to the Maine Human Rights Act after the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike Soboleski, R-Phillips, told the committee that he sought to change the law's definition of sexual orientation to include gender identity, in keeping with previous iterations of the law, rather than keep the current separate provisions for gender identity, and lawmakers questioned what the purpose of the change would be. An attorney for the Maine Human Rights Commission told the committee that the change would likely result in confusion for individuals and businesses about what is and isn't protected under the law. "I don't think the amendment changes any coverage, it just rearranges language back to the way it was before we tried to clarify things in 2019," said Barbara Archer Hirsch. "I think that going back and forth would create a lot of confusion and you would be getting more and more calls from folks not knowing what's covered and what is not." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
NBC News
15-03-2025
- Business
- NBC News
From pandemic struggles to St. Patrick's Day crowds, Mary O's soda bread rises to viral fame
Nestled in a modest storefront in New York City's East Village, Mary O's Irish Soda Bread Shop blends into the other red-brick businesses on the block. But one thing sets it apart: Customers routinely line up, sometimes for hours, to get their hands on her freshly baked goods before they sell out. The shop's menu is simple, featuring Irish soda bread loaves and scones served with salty butter and fresh raspberry jam. The recipes, passed down through generations of Mary O'Halloran's family, are at the core of her operations. But the secret to her success is precision. Only O'Halloran herself handles the batter, a non-negotiable standard she insists maintains the quality of her baked goods. 'I've had people come and say, 'Why don't you have somebody come in and help you?' It's not going to work,' she said. 'The scone does not come out the same.' O'Halloran said the demand for her soda bread scones surges every March for St. Patrick's Day, but her journey to success hasn't been easy. Five years ago, O'Halloran was facing the closure of her East Village pub due to the financial strain of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her husband, a longshoreman working in Alaska, was unable to return home due to travel restrictions, leaving her to manage the business alone. It was her loyal pub customers who encouraged her to start selling her scones, a treat they had grown to love. What began as a small-scale venture soon caught the attention of Brandon Stanton, the creator of the viral 'Humans of New York' social media account with more than 12 million followers. After interviewing O'Halloran, Stanton offered to help spread the word about her scones. Reluctant at first, O'Halloran eventually agreed, leading to a spike in sales. 'So I wrote a story on this, and we ended up that night selling a million dollars' worth of scones,' Stanton told NBC News. 'It is one of the greatest stories in the world.' The overwhelming response turned O'Halloran's small baking operation into a community effort. Regular customers and neighbors pitched in by packing orders, printing labels and decorating boxes with handwritten notes and custom drawings from one of her daughters. Despite the surge in demand, O'Halloran remained committed to quality, handling every batch of batter herself. 'Mary is where she is because that scone tastes so dang good,' Stanton said. 'She would have got there without me.' It took more than a year to fulfill the backlog of orders, but the hard work paid off. The revenue not only saved her pub, but allowed her to open Mary O's Irish Soda Bread Shop in November 2024. Customers from around the world flock to her store to sample the viral scones and meet the woman behind the treats. 'I live in Los Angeles, but they told me, you know, next time you're in town, there's a place we have to go, and it's the best scone you've ever had. It's the best soda bread,' out-of-towner David Murphy said. For O'Halloran, the hard work has been worth it. 'I love it, so it's easy,' she said. 'Of course I'm tired, but I love what I get from it with people. So it's easy.'
