Latest news with #Pettus
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Rhody the robot helps Lake Ontario expedition to make a splash
May 30—OSWEGO — The National The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Deepwater Shipwreck Expedition at Lake Ontario wraps up today, and the two-week mission has created stunning results with the help of a remotely operated vehicle making its inaugural dives. "This has been a first of its kind expedition in a sanctuary," said Holly D. Pettus, deputy expedition leader. "We've used the University of Rhode Island's brand new ROV, Rhody, to document shipwrecks in order to construct awesome 3-D models." The ROV was developed by the URI Graduate School of Oceanography. The expedition set out on May 18 from Oswego aboard the 180-foot research vessel Lake Guardian, owned by the EPA. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the University of Rhode Island's Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute collaborated on the project. "It's been so cool to take Rhody on its maiden voyage and to see it in action for the first time," said expedition photographer and videographer Marley Parker. "I've been impressed by how reliable Rhody has been in this expedition and it's been amazing seeing it get in the water and doing its thing all day, every day." A U.S. National Marine Sanctuary, managed by NOAA, is a zone where the marine environment enjoys special protection. The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary, designated last year, acts as an educational and cultural gateway between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean and protects culturally significant places, resources and artifacts integral to American history and the heritage of indigenous peoples. The sanctuary features a collection of 63 known shipwrecks and one known submerged aircraft, among the best preserved in the world, discovered over decades by local recreational scuba divers and shipwreck explorers. It ends just past Tibbetts Point Lighthouse in Cape Vincent, where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River. Pettus and Parker, both from OCEI, spoke Wednesday during a live-streamed video of expedition highlights. They said 12 shipwrecks had been documented in the expedition, with a goal of 14. They were confident they would reach the goal by the end of the expedition today. "I've been so amazed by this team," Parker said. "When I first looked at the expedition plan and saw that it had 14 shipwrecks in two weeks, I thought there was no way we could do that. I've worked on a lot of ships and rarely worked on a team as tenacious as this one — getting after it every day." The expedition is a 24-hour operation, Parker added. "During the day, our ROV team is up early and getting the ROV in the water, first thing. We often do multiple dives in one day. They close up shop in the evening and then our mapping team comes online. The team has been imperative to making this expedition as successful as it's been. They have identified many new, previously undiscovered wrecks within this sanctuary and we've been able to pinpoint their locations with survey maps." Pettus said that with a team of skilled divers, it could take more than five days to explore and document a shipwreck. "Yesterday, we completed four dives," she said. "We are all systematic and have gotten into a great rhythm, and that's allowed us to move pretty quickly." The expedition targeted shipwrecks not accessible to most SCUBA divers. "The typical recreational SCUBA diver can only go to about 120 feet," Pettus said. "A lot of the wrecks we've been going to are over 200 or 300 feet and sometimes much deeper." "Not to mention how much more efficient and quickly Rhody can make these maps and imagery happen, compared to humans," Parker said. Expedition technology, Pettus said, has rapidly advanced in the past two decades. Software developments have allowed the creation of 3-D models of shipwrecks with stunning accuracy. Another promising element is the ability to have Rhody remotely operated. For example, during it's Lake Ontario mission, it was controlled at one point by Jake Bonney at the University of Rhode Island. "In the future, it's going to look a lot different in another 10 or 20 years from now," Pettus said. "We're going to see a massive increase in remote piloting. That opens up all kinds of opportunities." Pettus said Rhody could be used for emergency response or to simply check out underwater architecture. "It's an instrument that can easily mobilize," Parker said. "I'm excited to look back years from now after Rhody has done multiple projects and maybe even some emergency response work and to look back and think, 'I remember when Rhody was brand new and on its first expedition.'" The Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute team will return home to Rhode Island after today. "Meanwhile, the marine archaeologists will spend hundreds and hundreds of hours reviewing and closely examining all of the data we've captured, because they are basically hunting for clues in the footage of what and where to find artifacts within these vessels that could help them to glean information about the exact identifications of some of these wrecks," Parker said. "This baseline information will help protect and preserve these artifacts on the bottom of the (lake) floor," Pettus said. "The small but mighty team at NOAA's office of Marine Sanctuaries are working hard to make sure all of these wrecks are protected, preserved and the ones that can be accessed will be properly buoyed, so the public can come out and enjoy these things as well."
CBS News
15-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Video shows spring breakers boxing in fighting ring on Fort Lauderdale Beach
Cell phone video showed people in boxing gloves fighting on the sand surrounded by a ring of students in Fort Lauderdale for spring break. "I heard a guy start taking bets with his phone," Joshua Pettus, who recorded the video, said. "[The guy taking bets] was asking about crypto, and this is how you do it with crypto. I was kind of intrigued a little bit but concerned. I automatically pulled out my phone." Pettus lives on a boat docked nearby. He walks the beach for fun. He also loves to see college students spending money on spring break in the city Pettus has called home for nine years. Though, Tuesday's fight on the beach raised eyebrows. Pettus' video showed a shirtless man stir up a crowd of dozens of people circled around two fighters. Two men in the middle of the circle put on boxing gloves, touched hands and then fought. One knocked the other man down and continued punching the fighter on the ground. Pettus saw worse. "You see all these feet kicking the guy that's on the ground," Pettus said. "It's insane. It's unsafe. If they had somebody there legally refereeing these things, it would be different. But you [have families] and kids out there. [The fighting] shouldn't be happening." Fort Lauderdale Police officers on ATV's rolled up and quickly ended the fight. However, if more violence on the beach follows, Pettus wonders if hosting Spring Break is worth it for the city. A spokesperson for the City of Fort Lauderdale responded with an emailed statement, saying in part. "Fort Lauderdale Police witnessed and broke up two incidents on the beach and the crowd complied both times without further issues," said Christine Portela, the media relations and public outreach manager for Fort Lauderdale. "There have been no reported or confirmed cases of betting. This type of behavior will not be tolerated. Our police department is out along the beach in full force to make this spring break season safe and enjoyable for visitors and residents alike. We encourage anyone who witnesses a disturbance to call 911."
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill eliminating youthful offender status for intentional murder
Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen speaks at the podium in the Alabama House of Representatives chamber, Feb. 25, 2025. Pettus sponsors a bill that would require courts to prosecute people younger than 21 as adults when they are charged with murder.(Photo/Stew Milne for the Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives Tuesday approved legislation that would require courts to prosecute people 16 or older as adults when charged with murder. HB 146, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, passed 67-33, with several Republicans joining all the chamber's Democrats in opposing the measure. Pettus' bill would prevent judges from granting youthful offender status to anyone 16 or older facing a murder charge. Currently judges may grant youthful offender status for anyone under the age of 19. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The sponsor cited a case where a man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend was granted youthful offender status. Under youthful offender status, people convicted of murder serve a maximum of three years in prison, regardless of severity. 'There was a case where the judge made a bad decision, and he finally went back on it. This is to keep that from happening,' Pettus said. Rep. Jim Hill, R-Odenville, a former judge, said the legislation would take away judicial discretion. 'I'm just opposed to removing judicial discretion,' Hill said. 'We don't want judges making the law from the bench.' Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, said the bill would create 'cookie cutter justice' and the legislation should have gone through the chamber's judiciary committees, instead of the Public Safety and Homeland Security committees. 'To strip, cold turkey, discretion away from judges, I just think we're going down a very, very dangerous road by doing this,' Chestnut said. 'We're going to get cookie cuter justice across this state and it's not going to be good for the defendants or the victims.' Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said minors should be given a second chance. 'I can't help but think about some juveniles I've worked with and counseled. In dealing with these kids, most of their actions are done with ego and at the moment,' Warren said. 'They have an opportunity to go back and rethink what they've done.' Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, offered an amendment that would limit the legislation to apply only to those charged with intentional murder. 'This would limit the number of folks that were involved in the initial confrontation or incident to the person that was actually killing the other person,' England said. The amendment was adopted 99-0. The bill moves to the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House panel passes bill to mandate that some teens are prosecuted as adults in murder cases
Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen, discusses a bill to cap property tax increases on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 9, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. He sponsored a bill that requires minors who commit murder or capital murder to be tried as adults. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that requires the court to prosecute people age 16 and older as adults when they are charged with murder. The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee approved HB 146 — sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pettus, R-Killen — which would prohibit a judge from granting youthful offender status to minors who are at least 16-years-old at the time of the offense if they are charged with murder. The current statute states that individuals who are younger than 19 may be tried as youthful offenders. 'If they are charged with murder, under this bill they would not be eligible to be a youthful offender,' Pettus told members of the committee during the meeting. 'This only has to do if they are charged. They have to be charged with murder for this to kick in.' Pettus said his legislation leaves the court process largely untouched. Defendants would still proceed through a trial if they choose. Democrats on the committee were united against the legislation and voted against it. Some raised concerns with separation of powers, because typically, the judge has the discretion to determine eligibility for youthful offender status. 'Now we are making it where we are taking it all out of the judge's hand about making the decision,' said Rep. Tashina Morris, D-Montgomery. Rep. Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville had the same concerns. 'You are really talking about the judicial branch, what they can and cannot do,' he said. 'You are legislating this.' The legislation shifts the decision away from the judge to prosecutors who determine charges. Some lawmakers asked how the bill would affect those who became entangled in the actions of another person. 'One person murdered someone, but there were four people in the car,' said Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika. 'Usually when that happens, they all get charged with murder, right? I have seen it plenty of times.'
