Latest news with #Skaggs
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
SOAR Academy to a new location expanding programs for their students
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – A school for some special kids is moving to a new location. Plans call for SOAR Academy to move into a former convent in Augusta's Green Meadows neighborhood. Hurricane Helene destroyed most of SOAR Academy's building. They're currently in a temporary space at Pineview church. And next month, they will close on their new campus, located at this former convent on Eagle Drive. The Augusta Planning Commission is clearing the way for the move at this week's meeting. A move that's been in the works since Helene caused significant damage to the old building in Martinez. 'Since then, we've been thinking about permanent roots and really stepping up our efforts with finding permanent roots,' said Kenisha Skaggs, Founder of Soar Academy Augusta. 'And so we're excited that we are finally approaching the finish line.' Neighbors near the former convent are welcoming SOAR with open arms. 'We are excited and optimistic. Soar Academy would be a positive addition to the community based on their mission statement,' said Clarence Kendrick, a resident. Since 2011, SOAR Academy has been open to neurodivergent and underserved students. The school gives students a chance to be hands-on in the classroom. Instructors create customized learning plans for each student based on their individual needs. 'We do service again the huge population of students with autism. Having that sensory support built into the school all day. You're not waiting for an IEP. You're not waiting for the diagnosis. The students can access learning the way they need to,' said Skaggs/ The new campus will enable them to revive the activities they had at their old school and expand their programs. 'Our goal is to build an outdoor learning center, and so we're going to have different portables that are ecosystems. One will be a STEM focus. One will be an animal focus. One will be a water therapy focus. And the idea is that students reconnect with nature when they're learning and not on their devices as much and just getting back to the basics,' said Skaggs. They also want to open a charter school on the nearly 21 acres at the new site, providing a tuition-free option for students who can't afford to attend SOAR. 'We looking for our charter petition to be approved over the next 60 to 90 days. So if anyone's interested in their child potentially enrolling, we would love for you to go to Soar Discovery Charter Academy to sign our petition to support this approval of the school in Augusta,' Skaggs. They plan to open the new campus in January of 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fort Lauderdale police officer arrested, accused of attacking pregnant girlfriend
A Fort Lauderdale police officer was arrested Saturday on charges of attacking his pregnant girlfriend, then asking her to 'negate everything' when he received a suspension over the assault, according to a probable cause affidavit. Fort Lauderdale Police arrested Officer Timothy Skaggs, 39, on the following charges: one count of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, one count of false imprisonment, two counts of battery, two counts of tampering with a witness, and two counts of robbery by sudden snatching. He is on administrative leave with pay 'pending formal charges filed by the State Attorney's Office,' according to Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bill Schultz. Skaggs had arrived at the Fort Lauderdale apartment he shared with his girlfriend of two years on Friday, the night before his arrest, where she confronted him about him continuing to have a relationship with his wife and told him she wanted to end things, according to the affidavit. When he told her he had signed divorce papers, she told him he was lying, then threatened to call his wife. He then grabbed the phone from her and pushed her down on the bed, according to the affidavit, refusing to give it back when she asked for it. At one point, he pinned her down and used her own fist to hit her face three times. When she screamed for him to get off, he put his hands over her mouth. Later, he grabbed her neck with both hands, enough to hurt her but not to block her airways, she told police. The woman's two young children were also home at the time. When she asked her daughter for the girl's phone, since Skaggs had taken hers, he also took her daughter's phone from her, according to the affidavit. At one point, when she tried to leave, he pulled her back inside by her shirt. Finally, she managed to ask her son to call the police. Skaggs had his Fort Lauderdale Police uniform on and 'was on duty,' his girlfriend said. He had left in his police cruiser by the time officers arrived at the home. That night, the girlfriend had also informed Skaggs that she was several weeks' pregnant, according to the affidavit. One killed, two hospitalized in wrong-way crash on Sawgrass Expressway Woman killed in early morning shooting near Airbnb rental in Fort Lauderdale Boca Raton High senior killed in I-95 crash hours after graduation ceremony Trump awards 'Medal of Sacrifice' to Palm Beach County deputies killed in crash DeSantis signs law that restricts when authorities can stop boaters The girlfriend did not have any visible injuries from the attack, though she told police that it was not the first time Skaggs had attacked her. She said that he had beat and strangled her in the recent past and that she had pictures of her bruises. She said she wanted to prosecute. Detectives interviewed the girlfriend's daughter, who said she heard her mother screaming for the phone and that it was not the first time 'this type of incident' had occurred, according to the affidavit. The next morning, Skaggs went into Fort Lauderdale Police headquarters to give a statement, in which he said he 'did not know why he was here' besides having been told to go in by his chain of command, according to the afifdavit. When informed about his girlfriend's allegations, he denied ever attacking her and said that she had hit him three times, rather than the other way around. He had no bruises or marks on his face, but said that 'he is 6'3 and he would not have any bruises to his face,' the affidavit states. Later, police returned to the apartment to help the woman collect her belongings, at which point she received several calls from a number with no caller ID. When she picked up and placed the call on speaker, the officer who was with her recognized Skaggs' voice. 'Call them now. I'm begging you, call them now,' Skaggs had said. 'I'm on a 180-day suspension. Negate everything. Negate everything. Say you were drinking. I don't know but call them now,' according to the affidavit. On Monday, two days after the arrest, Fort Lauderdale Police also filed a petition for a risk protection order against Skaggs. 'The alleged behavior will not be tolerated and is not representative of the men and women of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department,' Chief Schultz said in a statement. 'Despite this incident, we will continue to provide our community with a high level of service, which aligns with our values, policies and procedures.' This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Andrew Heaney dominates Angels while wearing No. 45 to honor former teammate Tyler Skaggs
ANAHEIM, Calif. — There were moments, standing on the Angel Stadium mound Wednesday night, that Andrew Heaney thought of the best friend who was no longer with him. Tyler Skaggs, No. 45. Being honored by Heaney, who is wearing the number for the first time in his career this season. 'It is a number that has meaning to me,' said Heaney, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates, after a 3-0 win against the Los Angeles Angels. 'But at the same time, it's not my number. It's my number. But I'm wearing it because it was his number.' Advertisement Heaney spent seven years in Anaheim, where the two became very close. Skaggs died on July 1, 2019, after ingesting a lethal dose of fentanyl provided to him by Angels communications director Eric Kay. The Angels and the Skaggs family remain embroiled in a contentious wrongful death civil case, scheduled to go to trial in September. But for Heaney, who pitched one of his best-ever games at Angel Stadium on Wednesday, the emotions transcend all of the legal matters that have dominated the public discourse surrounding Skaggs and his life over the past six years. He threw six shutout innings, allowing one hit and zero walks, while striking out nine batters. 'It's kind of a cool thing,' he said. 'It always feels there's sort of a little bit of a presence here. 'I take wearing that (number) seriously. It's important to me. I've got it f—ing tattooed on my wrist.' Heaney said when he signed with Pittsburgh, he told the team that when numbers came open at the end of spring training, he wanted to switch from the No. 0 that he'd been originally assigned. And sure enough, No. 45 became available. When he pitched for the Rangers the past two seasons, the closest number open was No. 44. He joked that he was OK with it, referencing a poker term that pocket fours are fake aces. 'I thought it was funny to be a fake ace out there on the mound,' Heaney said. There was nothing fake about what he accomplished on Wednesday. Pitching on a team with arguably the game's most famous ace, Paul Skenes, Heaney has been Pittsburgh's best starting pitcher. And looked the part against the Angels. He struck out the first six batters he faced and retired the first 13 overall. Heaney was completely in command in a way that didn't manifest itself in Anaheim, a place where he posted a 4.51 ERA over 102 starts. Advertisement 'I never pitched well here,' Heaney said. 'I don't know, I don't ever feel comfortable here. So it's good to have a good one.' Heaney remains close to his late friend's family. Skaggs, the extrovert, was the one who helped bring Heaney out of his shell. That made him feel comfortable on the Angels, and as a big leaguer writ-large. In the years since, Heaney has gone on to win a World Series, collect 10 years of service time and start a family. All the things he wanted to celebrate with his friend. Instead, he had to testify at Kay's criminal trial in 2022. And he might well have to testify again at the civil trial. A process that brings back difficult memories. It has not been an easy process to mourn his friend, as everything has played out against the backdrop. Particularly as the Angels appear to be funding Kay's legal defense. 'In the most respectful way, I just try to stay out of it as much as I can,' Heaney said. 'Some of it, I can't stay out of, obviously.' What he did on Wednesday, however, was honor Skaggs. It might not be Heaney's number. In his mind, he's just the vessel for it. But on the mound that Skaggs and Heaney used to call him, he represented No. 45 admirably. (Top photo of Andrew Heaney: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
Tarboro Police charge driver for hit-and-run involving teenager on a bicycle
TARBORO, N.C. (WNCT) — On April 19, the Tarboro Police Department responded to a report of a hit-and-run involving a driver colliding with a teenager on a bicycle on Albemarle Avenue. The car fled the scene before police arrived at the scene. The teenager was evaluated by EMS on scene as a precaution and was found to have no injuries. Investigators have identified and located the driver as Benjamin Skaggs of Nashville, NC. Skaggs has been charged with: N.C.G.S. 20-166(c) – Hit and Run with Property Damage N.C.G.S. 14-160 – Injury to Personal Property N.C.G.S. 20-140(b) – Careless and Reckless Driving Skaggs will appear in front of Edgecombe County District Court on August, 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Champion holds meeting on police levy
CHAMPION, Ohio (WKBN) — Champion Township held an informational meeting for voters Thursday night, explaining why they need a 1.6 mill additional levy on the ballot. Champion police are in a difficult situation. Their expenses have exceeded tax revenue every year since 2021. 'Times are very tough right now and honestly, we've cut all the expenses we can,' said Police Chief Larry Skaggs. The department has put a levy on the May ballot, which is 1.6 mills for 5 years. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $56 per year and generate $413,000 a year for the department. 'Without this levy, it's bad. We've eliminated all clerical positions ahead of time. It's so bad now, we don't even, I'll be honest with you, I buy the toilet paper and cleaning supplies,' Chief Skaggs said. Last year's operating expenses were just over $1,044,000 and 82 percent of those costs are people. Champion had eight officers on staff in 2022 but over 6,400 service calls, which is more than surrounding departments, including Cortland, Bazetta and Weathersfield, who have just as many officers on staff — if not more. 'We've tried to have a unified vision and just explain to the township voters just how bad it has got. None of us like to pay any more taxes and that's why they're trying to be reasonable on this amount, is just to try to offset some of these problems that we're having,' Skaggs said. The department has continued to receive grants and donations for body-worn cameras, the department's K-9 and bulletproof vests, and has used ARPA funds on one-time purchases like police vehicles, but Chief Skaggs says they can't rely on grants and they're down to the wire. 'I can't reiterate enough — there is no fat on the bone. The next thing, unfortunately, is this is our biggest expense and that's officers. And that's counter to what we're trying to do is provide a service to our community, response times,' said Skaggs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
