Latest news with #Pont
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Man gets 13 months in prison for fatal head-on crash in North Stonington that killed father of 3
A man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after being convicted of causing a fatal head-on crash in North Stonington in 2021. James Pont, 63, of Ashaway, Rhode Island faced sentencing on Wednesday in New London Superior Court where a judge handed down three years in prison, suspended after service of 13 months, and three years of probation, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. The sentencing came after a jury on Feb 26 found him guilty on one count of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle. According to DCJ officials, evidence at trial showed that Pont was driving on Pendleton Hill Road on Jan. 18, 2021, at 3:26 p.m. when he crossed the yellow center lines and collided head-on with a vehicle driven by 39-year-old Ryan Poland of North Providence, Rhode Island. Poland's 2006 Honda Civic was headed north, and a 1995 GMC Safari driven by Pont was traveling south when the two vehicles collided, according to Courant reporting. The collision occurred near the on-ramp to I-95 at Exit 92. Poland was taken to Westerly Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Pont was seriously injured and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital. Pont was arrested after an investigation by the Connecticut State Police Collision, Analysis and Reconstruction Squad and the Troop E barracks. 'The New London State's Attorney's Office would like to thank C.A.R.S. and Connecticut State Police Troop E for their work in this case,' the DCJ wrote in a statement. 'The New London State's Attorney's Office hopes that this disposition brings some comfort to the family of Mr. Poland.' The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Alexandra N. Aksterowicz, with assistance from Inspector Matthew T. Suplee. According to an obituary, Poland left behind three children. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island and had a deep love for fishing and a passion for cooking, music and gardening. He was also a songwriter and a musician, the obituary said. Poland was employed by Jesmac Builders for 18 years, according to the obituary.
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Lonely hilltop hospital run by 300 medieval monks to get anti-vandal protection
Vandals targeted the hilltop site where monks dispensed herbal and plant medicine from the 12th Century. Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is a lonely hilltop site that provided refuge and medical care for wayfarers and the needy for hundreds of years. Now, protection of Soutra Aisle in Midlothian, where a vast medieval hospital and friary once stood, is to be 'maximised' after vandals damaged stonework and signage at the isolated site. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Soutra Aisle in Midlothian, the site of a medieval hospital and friary. | National World The House of the Holy Trinity at Soutra, around 17 miles south of Edinburgh, served travellers on the main Anglo-Scottish highway from the 12th to the 17th century. Today only a family tomb - Soutra Aisle - remains at the spot where it is estimated 300 monks dispensed care to those who needed it. Seeds and plants - some of them exotic for the time - teeth, human bones and traces of disease have all been discovered at the site. The hospital became a huge draw in the landscape during the medieval period, and served as the main infirmary for Edinburgh. But today the building's remoteness has attracted a different kind of caller - the vandal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Richard Pont, of Fala, Soutra & Distric History and Heritage Society, said the organisation had raised £4,500 to fix damage caused to Soutra Aisle and the associated signage. An application to Historic Environment Scotland for scheduled monument consent said the work would 'maximise protection' of the site by reducing signage and using vandal-proof materials. Mr Pont said: 'The aisle itself has suffered a bit of damage and stones were taken off the roof. Whoever did this just took them off the roof and threw them to the ground. The display area was seriously damaged.' Stones taken from Soutra Aisle, part of the original hospital chapel, will be returned to the building, which later served as a burial vault for the Pringles of Soutra. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Signage will be reduced, with visitors directed to the full history of the site via a QR code, which links to the Sutra Aisle website. The new display will be manufactured in vandal-resistant material with security screws to fix it to concrete slabs. The hospital was founded by an order of Augustinian monks at the request of King Malcolm IV around 1160. Following its heyday from the middle of the 12th century to the mid-15th century, the hospital and firary was shut down completely in 1640. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Soutra Aisle has attracted rising numbers of visitors in recent years. Research by archaeologist Dr Brian Moffat has done much to illuminate life at the site, where the clay ground has been particularly effective at preserving waste from the hospital. Stone ditches, which served as the infirmary's plumbing network, also holding clues to the medicines and treatments used. Many plants at the site have come originally from across three continents, with a number still growing there, including highly-toxic hemlock. The plant was earlier discovered at the site along with the seeds of opium poppies and black henbane, with the trio offering a remarkable insight into surgical practices at the hospital. Dr Moffat earlier concluded there was only one recipe where the three toxic plants were mixed together - with it administered before the amputation of limbs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Analysis of plants and seeds found at the site suggest that a range of conditions were treated and managed - from famine to childbirth, dentistry and psychiatric illness.
CBC
17-04-2025
- CBC
West Kelowna golf course operators want restitution after on-course fight
Social Sharing The owners of a golf course in West Kelowna say they are demanding restitution from those involved in a physical altercation on their course earlier this week — an incident they describe as a desecration of the property and a breach of community values. The confrontation at Two Eagles Golf Course and Academy was caught on video Monday and has since circulated online. It shows a heated dispute between two groups of golfers, escalating into shouting, shoving and punches, as others attempt to intervene. The course is located on Westbank First Nation land and is under Indigenous ownership. In a statement Wednesday, the operators said those involved in the altercation will face consequences. WATCH | Golf course brawl under RCMP investigation: Police investigating West Kelowna golf course brawl 18 minutes ago Duration 2:00 "Anyone who fails to adhere to the ... rules will be banned," they said. "We will be actively engaging in a restitution process." They said restitution could include a donation to inclusive sport programs, such as B.C. Golf's junior program or Canadian Tire's Jumpstart initiative, or taking the Respect in Sport course. West Kelowna RCMP confirmed they responded to the scene on Monday evening and say all individuals involved have been identified. "We've viewed the cell phone video of the incident and it's nothing short of unacceptable behaviour," said Staff Sgt. Brendan Dolan in a statement, adding that the matter remains under investigation. Witness Jennifer Pont, who was golfing behind the two groups and later shared the video with CBC News, said the fight appeared to stem from frustration over delays on the course. "There was definitely a bunch of aggression and tons of yelling and screaming," Pont said during an interview with CBC's Radio West. "There was a group of men on the tee box on the 18th hole and they were frustrated at the group ahead of them because they were being slow all day." She says an earlier tournament had pushed tee times back by about 30 minutes, and that the groups had been clashing over pace of play. Slow play is a persistent issue at golf courses in B.C. and across Canada, often sparking frustration among players. Golf organizations have made efforts to address the problem, but Pont says disputes over pace of play shouldn't end with a fist fight. "We golf a lot and we haven't seen anything remotely close to that," she said. "It was embarrassing and shameful and ridiculous." The operators of Two Eagles say this is the first incident of its kind at their course in 20 years and will be dealt with with the "utmost severity." They are requesting a full report from RCMP and say they hope the incident won't leave a lasting negative impression on the community — especially young players.
