Latest news with #Ridgway
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Cantabrians urged to take on big swim
Coastguard Tautiaki Moana is calling on Cantabrians to dive into action this June for a cause that saves thousands of lives across New Zealand. The Big Swim, a nationwide challenge to raise money for the Coastguard, will return for its second year from June 1. Participants set their own swimming goals, whether that's a few lengths or a more ambitious distance. They are encouraged to ask friends, whānau, and colleagues to sponsor their efforts and raise funds for Coastguard. Along the way, swimmers can unlock rewards as they hit fundraising milestones. Aidanfield swimmer Sarah Ridgway is pledging to swim 40km in The Big Swim, which is no mean feat for someone balancing full-time work with motherhood and family life. Ridgway said she sees it as an opportunity to return to swimming while raising money for a good cause. She grew up in the water – swimming, fishing and boating in Northland. But after moving to Canterbury, she and her husband, Kerry, bought a boat to explore and create new memories as a family around Lyttleton Harbour, Akaroa and Kaikōura. Although her husband was new to boating, he joined Coastguard Canterbury as a volunteer in 2021 to improve his boating education but also to give back - now volunteering weekly and loving it. His involvement has given Sarah renewed confidence and a sense of safety when out on the water with their kids. Ridgway plans to swim 10km a week at her local partner pool. Once a participant raises $100 they can enter a nearby Partner Pool for free throughout June. In its inaugural event held in July last year, 1266 swimmers logged more than 8000 swims, racking up over 14,000km and raising $350,000 for Coastguard. The Big Swim also boosts people's well-being. After the 2024 event, 79% of participants said they signed up to improve their overall health. More than half reported better mental wellbeing with others noticing improved sleep and better focus. Among those diving in this year is Cook Islands Olympic swimmer Kirsten Fisher-Marsters who is back in the pool for the first time since retiring in 2023. 'Once I heard about The Big Swim, it just felt like the perfect motivation to get back in the water, without the pressure,' she says. The Big Swim offers people of all swimming abilities the chance to challenge themselves for a good cause. She encourages anyone thinking about doing it to just start off small. 'Find a friend or go solo. Start with three lengths, then next time five, and so on. Set little goals and see how far you go,' she says. Coastguard acting chief executive Philip Harkness says hundreds of swimmers have already signed up. "This past summer, our volunteers responded to 1,232 incidents, bringing 3,210 people home to safety. Each participant's fundraising efforts helps keep our rescue vessels fueled and maintained, supports vital rescue equipment and volunteer training," Harkness said. Harkness said with 60% of Coastguard's funding coming from the generosity of the public, every dollar raised during The Big Swim makes a difference. Register for The Big Swim at
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Gary Ridgway mystery solved: Here's why the Green River Killer was briefly moved to King County Jail
This story was originally published on written by Charlie Harger, Host of Seattle's Morning News. For months, a mystery surrounded Gary Ridgway, one of the worst serial killers in American history. Why was he moved from his prison cell in Walla Walla to the King County Jail from September 9-13, 2024? With 49 confirmed murders, Ridgway became the most prolific serial killer in American history. But many believe the actual number is much higher. In a 2014 interview with me, Ridgway claimed he killed as many as 85 women. Authorities remained silent on why Ridgway was moved, fueling speculation and unease. Some wondered if he had finally led detectives to more victims, while others suspected he was simply playing another manipulative game. Now, newly uncovered court documents reveal the truth. Click to read: Motion and Certification for Sealing Documents According to a motion filed by King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mary H. Barbosa, Ridgway had agreed to take detectives to locations where he claimed he had left remains that had not yet been recovered. The motion stated, 'Previous efforts to find these locations based on the verbal descriptions given by the defendant have not been successful. The defendant has indicated that he believes he can find those locations in person.' Detectives took Ridgway back to sites where he claimed to have left victims' remains. They hoped this would be their last chance to get real answers from him. But once again, he misled them. Click to read: Court order to transport Gary Ridgway to King County More from MyNorthwest: 'Tragic loss': School responds after sixth grader killed by runaway car in Seattle Ridgway, now 76 years old and in failing health, has long insisted that detectives never brought him to every location where he dumped bodies. Investigators were skeptical, but with time running out, they took the risk. If there was even the slightest possibility of bringing closure to families, it was worth pursuing. Out of concern for his safety, officials kept Ridgway's transfer a secret. Barbosa's motion highlighted the risks of making the plan public, stating, 'If the media were to obtain this order, the public would learn of the specific dates that the defendant will be housed with DAJD and that he will be leaving DAJD with KCSO detectives during his time in King County.' She further warned that public awareness could endanger detectives, interfere with investigations, and create security risks. The last thing they wanted was public outrage or someone attempting vigilante justice. Click to read: Motion and Certification for Sealing Documents Over several days, detectives brought Ridgway to locations he claimed held victims' remains, following the process outlined in Barbosa's motion. 'Given the defendant's age and health, it is anticipated that this process may take several days,' she wrote. The King County Sheriff's Office had arranged for the trip, ensuring coordination with the Department of Corrections and local law enforcement. They searched thoroughly, using cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and forensic experts. They held onto hope that this time would be different. But nothing was found. 'Many of the things he was telling detectives just didn't jibe,' said one person with direct knowledge of the searches. 'Some investigators believe he was making up new locations entirely as a sick boast.' Investigators found the experience deeply frustrating, but they knew they had to take the chance. Even if they did not trust Ridgway, they owed it to the victims' families to exhaust every last possibility. Click to read: Motion to Unseal For the families of Ridgway's victims, this latest disappointment was another painful reminder of the cruelty he inflicted, not just on the women he murdered, but on those left behind. 'You hear the word closure all the time, but there's something about having a place to go to,' said Dawn English, a foster mother who cared for one of Ridgway's suspected victims, told me in 2014 during our interview. 'We can't put flowers on her grave because there isn't a grave to put flowers on.' English, who fostered 15-year-old Patricia LeBlanc, still wonders what happened to the girl she once called her daughter. 'It just didn't make sense that she didn't call. And of course, the longer the time went by and she hadn't called, the more and more concerning it became,' she said. Though LeBlanc's case was never officially tied to Ridgway, English has little doubt. 'She fit the profile so much. The timing, what she was doing, it was right in the middle of it. My thought is—it probably was,' she said. Authorities recently confirmed that the last known remains linked to Ridgway belonged to 16-year-old Tammie Liles, a victim already identified decades ago. According to CBS News, King County Sheriff's spokesperson Eric White said, 'It's an immense feeling of satisfaction that in this case, that started in the early 80s, we are able to identify all of Gary Ridgway's victims. All 49 of them.' Despite this confirmation, many unsolved cases could still be connected to Ridgway. Former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert told KIRO-TV, 'Ridgway said that he killed 65 to 70 young women and little girls, and so far he's pled guilty to 49 and we've closed 51 cases. But it is also possible that 49 is the real number, and that every additional claim is just another way for him to inflate his own infamy.. So as I said, there are other unsolved cases out there that may or may not be connected to Ridgway, but there are parents still out there looking for answers about the death and murder of their daughter.' One of the people Ridgway manipulated over the years was Rob Fitzgerald, a volunteer searcher who dedicated years of his life to finding missing victims, spoke with me in 2014 about his efforts and frustrations. Fitzgerald communicated with Ridgway for years, believing that his cooperation might lead to more remains. Instead, Ridgway led him in circles, providing just enough information to keep the effort going, but never enough to truly help. During my 2014 interviews with Ridgway, he often spoke as though he wanted to help, though his words always carried an air of manipulation. 'This is all about the victims,' he told me. But in reality, he enjoyed the control. 'I think he wants to show the world that, 'Here I am, Gary Ridgway, the truck painter from Kenworth, the guy who everybody thought was slow since elementary school. But, here I am, and I'm the best at something,'' he recalled. Ridgway's history is one of prolonged terror. He targeted women along Pacific Highway South in King County during the early 1980s. Most were runaways or sex workers, vulnerable and often overlooked by society. 'I choked every one of them,' Ridgway told me in 2014, a chilling admission that underscored the methodical brutality of his crimes. For years, police struggled to identify the killer. 'For whatever reason, you were able to slip under their radar a long time,' I told him. He agreed, offering little remorse. 'The thing is, some of those cases, you just gotta pass it. I was just not nervous.' Ridgway was finally arrested in 2001 after DNA evidence linked him to multiple victims. Advances in forensic science had finally caught up with him, and his past crimes could no longer stay buried. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to 48 murders in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. 'I should have had enough balls to say, let me get out and show you where I put her,' he later told me, referring to crime scenes he had previously refused to disclose. Yet, even in the courtroom, he showed no remorse. The families of his victims sat just feet away, hoping for answers, closure, or even an apology. They got none of it. Instead, they listened as he recounted his murders with the same emotionless tone I had encountered in my interviews. 'You know, the amount that I told them and showed them doesn't match up to what they charged me with,' he told me. He regularly dangled the possibility of more victims while giving vague or misleading details, perhaps knowing full well there are no more to be found. 'I think they're not finding them because the remains don't last long. A lot of animals eat them, you know.' With 49 confirmed murders, Ridgway became the most prolific serial killer in American history. But many believe the actual number is much higher. Ridgway's health is failing. He is 76 years old, frail, and no longer the imposing figure he once was. His voice, once steady and controlled, now carries the slight tremor of old age. 'I'm not the same man I was,' he told me in 2014. 'I can't change what I did.' Despite his deteriorating condition, he continues to manipulate law enforcement, desperate to hold on to any semblance of control. For the families of his victims, justice will never truly be served. The pain does not end with a guilty verdict, nor does it fade with time. 'You find peace, not closure, because it's never gone,' English told me. 'But there isn't a place to go and say, you know, it's Patty's birthday. Let's take flowers. There's no place for that.' Dozens of families still wait for answers. But as long as those answers depend on Gary Ridgway, they will never come. He is a liar. He is evil. And even in his final days, he refuses to give the victims' families the closure they so desperately deserve. Listen to 'Seattle's Morning News' with Charlie Harger weekday mornings from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Beyond The Stands (Kate Ridgway: Freshman ace of the Aces)
Former Sullivan softball star Kate Ridgway stepped up to the plate on Beyond The Stands with WTWO's Rick Semmler! Now a true freshman pitcher at the University of Evansville, Ridgway is making an immediate impact. She made headlines last Friday by taking down No. 24 Kentucky, pitching a complete game to give the Aces their first win over an SEC opponent since 2007! With a 4-2 record, a 2.50 ERA, and 35 strikeouts, Ridgway leads UE in wins, complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Don't miss this inside look at her incredible start to college ball! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voters approve recreational marijuana, so why so many bans?
Feb. 19—Nearly 60% of Ohio voters in November 2023 legalized adult-use, recreational marijuana and businesses that cultivate, process and sell it. Yet, the majority of local communities have either banned or placed a moratorium on cannabis businesses. Also, Republican state lawmakers are proposing higher excise taxes and changes to the program. The question of whether these measures undermine voters isn't exactly cut and dried. Dexter Ridgway, research associate of the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center of the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University, said it's difficult to know what people were voting for when they approved Issue 2. "Are they voting for retailers or to legally consume and possess it?" he said. In the Dayton region there are more than a dozen dispensaries licensed to sell recreational cannabis. Under state law, customers 21 and older can buy up to 2.5 ounces of recreational cannabis at licensed dispensaries or home-grow up to six plants per person, with a maximum of 12 plants for a two-adult household for personal use. Any bans or moratoriums do not affect the ability of those of legal age to possess and use recreational cannabis, by smoking, vaping or edibles, or to grow the plants. Issue 2 also included language specifying that cities, villages and townships are allowed to pass laws prohibiting or restricting adult-use cannabis businesses, which Ridgway said could have been a factor for some voters. More and more communities in the Miami Valley are setting temporary and permanent bans, though this is bucking the trend in the rest of the state. Only 5% of Ohio's population is under an opt-out, Ridgway said. Comparatively, 73% of municipalities in Michigan have opted out and 50% in New York have opted out in some way, whether it be medical only or a ban on medical and recreational, he said. As of Feb. 4, 118 municipalities in Ohio have either permanently or temporarily banned the commercial cultivation, processing and dispensing of adult-use recreational cannabis, according to data from the Moritz College of Law. There had been 128 on the list, but 10 have since dropped a moratorium, Ridgway said. However, that doesn't necessarily mean those communities will be future sites of recreational-use marijuana businesses. "Some are allowing it but have a restrictive zoning code to the point where it is in effect a ban," he said. Last month, the city of Kettering made its temporary freeze on adult-use recreational cannabis businesses permanent. "We did not feel that the best use of our very limited land and real estate in the city was a dispensary," said Mayor Peggy Lehner, who noted there are dispensaries an easy drive away in Beavercreek and Dayton. Riverside has two dispensaries operating in the city, but extended a moratorium through August. The moratorium affects 17 different types of businesses, such as self-storage facilities, gas stations and extended stay hotels. "The extension really is because we are going through a new zoning code update and that will be closer to third or fourth quarter in 2025," said Katie Lewallen, Riverside's communications manager and clerk of council. The city of Dayton has never had a moratorium on licensed cannabis businesses and has only restricted them based on appropriate zoning districts and building code regulations, the same as any other type of business, said Keith Klein, senior economic development specialist. "From a development perspective, licensed marijuana businesses have been an economic success story. They have invested millions of dollars in revitalizing underutilized buildings and created approximately 250 new jobs in Dayton alone," he said. The businesses also generate new tax revenue. Issue 2 included a 10% excise tax, which is in addition to local sales taxes. Of that excise tax, 36% goes to the municipalities and townships with an adult-use dispensary. Money collected also goes toward a social equity fund and substance abuse and addiction fund. "Generally speaking, these businesses are safe and responsible neighbors in the community, in part because they are so heavily regulated by the state of Ohio," Klein said. The city of Fairborn's moratorium expires March 31. City leaders invited residents to share their thoughts and ask questions during a Jan. 28 community forum at Fairborn High School. "The bottom line is, is this something we want in Fairborn?" Mayor Dan Kirkpatrick said to the crowd of a few dozen residents, business owners and other community stakeholders. City leaders said a dispensary could generate $400,000 in tax revenue. Many in the audience had questions, such as whether it is legal to smoke marijuana in public, or in a designated outdoor drinking area during the warmer weather. Fairborn Police Chief Ben Roman said neither is allowed and that laws commonly applied to those abusing alcohol in public would apply to violators. Roman also educated attendees on the state-imposed restrictions on where such businesses can be situated, which keeps them a certain distance from schools, child care centers, parks, public libraries and places of worship. Mike Uecker of Bath Twp., a retired Air Force veteran and former Fairborn school board member, said "a medical-use facility would be all right" but that he is opposed to a recreational marijuana retailer. Uecker said he has reservations about whether such an enterprise would be detrimental to existing businesses with military contracts requiring high-security clearances and the "opportunity cost" if cannabis retailers would make the city unattractive to military contract businesses that offer good, high-paying jobs. "What do we risk?" he said. Fairborn resident Beth Renken said she supports having an adult-use cannabis business with knowledgeable employees rather than people buying unregulated marijuana products. "I rather it be in a controlled environment," she said. The state is expected to start allocating additional licenses this summer, but it is not known how many will be released, Ridgway said. Other unknowns include changes proposed in the Ohio General Assembly — including one sponsored by state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City — that call for increasing the excise tax, possibly removing the share provided to local communities, capping the number of home-grow plants to six for each household and limiting the number of dispensaries. Opponents say the tax incentive was a large part of why municipalities and townships allowed cannabis businesses. Also, they say the higher cost that would be passed on to consumers could drive many adult-use customers to states like Michigan with lower tax rates or to the illicit market. Area communities have banned the sale of recreation marijuana City Complete Other decision Beavercreek No Ban on new businesses Bellbrook No Moratorium through 5/20/25 Carlisle No Moratorium through 5/21/26 Centerville No Moratorium through 5/9/25 Clayton No Moratorium through 9/5/25 Clearcreek Twp. Yes Dayton No Englewood No Limit of one dispensary Fairborn No Moratorium through 3/31/25 Fairfield No Limit of one dispensary Franklin Yes Hamilton Yes Huber Heights Yes Kettering Yes Miami Twp. Yes Miamisburg Yes Middletown No Limit of three dispensaries Monroe No Restrictions on where they can be located Moraine Yes Oakwood Yes Oxford Yes Riverside No Moratorium through 8/21/25 for new businesses Springboro Yes Springfield No Tipp City No Moratorium through 12/15/25 Trotwood No Moratorium through 12/31/25 Troy Yes Vandalia Yes Washington Twp. No Moratorium through 5/13/25 West Chester Twp. No Moratorium through 6/30/25 Xenia Yes Staff writers Sydney Dawes and Cornelius Frolik contributed to this report.
