Latest news with #Somers
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
National award win for Churchstoke business Language Magnet
A Churchstoke-based foreign language business has won a national education award. Language Magnet was recognised at the Birmingham-hosted Education Resources Awards 2025 on Thursday, May 15. The business, launched by Diana Somers in January 2022, helps teachers across the UK to deliver foreign language lessons to primary school children. Ms Somers said: "I'm delighted that Language Magnet has been awarded winner of the Classroom Teaching Aids category and received Highly Commended for the Primary ICT Resource category. "The competition was exceptionally tough, so I'm honoured that our platform has been recognised by educational experts for its innovation and effectiveness in primary languages." The judges said: "The subscription to Language Magnet creates opportunities for schools with limited budgets to use a fantastic resource to engage, enable, and extend learning for children, and the impact on some of the most vulnerable students is extremely pleasing to see."
Global News
3 days ago
- Global News
Arrest warrants out for 2 men who fled Alberta Hospital psychiatric facility
The Edmonton Police Service is searching for two men who escaped the Edmonton psychiatric facility where they were being held. Arrest warrants have been issued for Justin Somers, 39, and Coletan Bearhead, 29, who were both last seen Tuesday night fleeing from Alberta Hospital, near Fort Road in northeast Edmonton. Police said the duo were reportedly seen running towards 18 Street around 7 p.m. Somers and Bearhead are now unlawfully at large, considered dangerous and should not be approached, EPS said. Somers is five feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes, and a teardrop tattoo under his left eye. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and camouflage pants. View full screen View full screen Previous Image Next Image Close Modal Gallery This isn't the first time Somers has escaped: in 2015, while on an outing to the Kinsmen Recreation Centre, he disappeared after using the bathroom. Story continues below advertisement A Canada-wide warrant was issued and Somers was found two days later in west Edmonton. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The man with schizophrenia was being held at Alberta Hospital after being charged with second-degree murder for the 2011 stomping death of a fellow inmate at the Edmonton Remand Centre, but found not criminally responsible in 2013. Court heard that Somers was in a cell in May 2011 for breaching bail conditions when he attacked Barry Stewart. The 60-year-old man had been arrested after failing to pay a fine for riding on public transit without paying the fare. Both Somers and Stewart were assessed as having mental health issues and the recommendation was for a special unit to accommodate that but there was no room, so they were placed together after consultation with a psychologist. Stewart was asleep on the floor when Somers climbed onto a concrete bench and jumped with both feet onto Stewart's head. Somers' trial was told the accused stomped on Stewart's head 26 times before he was stopped by guards. He was deemed in a psychiatric assessment as a possible risk to other people. View full screen View full screen Previous Image Next Image Close Modal Gallery Bearhead is six feet tall and weighs approximately 220 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, a moustache and pierced ears. He was last seen wearing a red hat, a red shirt, a black hoodie and black pants. Story continues below advertisement He also has a history of mental health conditions and is known to be very violent, according to a most wanted alert from the Edmonton Police Service in 2024. Alberta Hospital has inpatient and outpatient programs and treats both patients who are there voluntarily and people under court orders. — with files from The Canadian Press
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Former mill manager's house next door to Bono's new state of the art distillery for sale in Kildare
Asking price: €375,000 Agent: Matt Dunne & Associates (057) 8623349 The new buyers of a detached family home in Monasterevin, Co Kildare, could find themselves sipping whiskey with Bono. The U2 frontman is reported to have invested in a new €50m distillery right next door at Monsterevin, Co Kildare. It's fronted by a company called Jewelfield Ltd, owned by the businessman Paddy McKillen. Church of Oak Distillery will not only produce a new multigrain Irish whiskey, but operate a visitor's centre, with an exhibition space and a roof garden. The modern complex was designed by ODOS Architects. There has been a mill, in various guises, on the site since 1801. 'Ballykelly Mill was owned by a company called Minch Norton. It used to be a flour mill and then for a number of years it made grain into malting barley for the brewing industry,' explains Brian Somers, an electrical engineer whose company provides back-up power solutions. 'It was then used for storage and sold fertilisers, animal feed and barley feed to farmers.' Somers, who's selling the house with his three siblings, lives in Portarlington, but grew up in the four-bedroom, 1,583 sq ft home, which was built in 1967. His father Richard ('Dick') Somers, from Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, was made manager of Ballykelly Mill in 1974, and the house came with the position. 'He worked for Minch Norton as a manager for his entire career and led a charmed life,' he says. 'We used to slag him that he never knew what a mortgage was,' he adds. 'In addition, he didn't have a daily commute to work, as the mill was right next door.' The whole family benefitted from living next door to the mill, as Brian and his siblings worked part-time jobs there in the summer. 'We'd be working on weighbridges, weighing things,' he explains. 'It was a kind of rite of passage for us and it was great.' Brian has happy memories of living in the house and playing in the enclosed garden surrounding the house, with his brother and two sisters as a child. 'We used to cycle to and from school in Monasterevin and spent hours playing outside in the summer,' he says. The mill closed in 2006 and lay derelict until work began to renovate the site in recent years. 'The company has also bought an old cottage and its outhouses across the road, and plans to reinstate the thatched roof and use it as part of the distillery,' says Somers. Although located next door to the new business, the house is still private given the high walls and the old oak and sycamore trees that border it. Accommodation includes a sitting room, a dining room and a utility room off the kitchen downstairs. Upstairs, there are four double bedrooms. Over the years, some changes have been made to the house. The kitchen was extended at the back in the 1980s and the kitchen units, which are cream with a wooden counter, have in recent years been updated. In 2000, a conservatory, with a tiled floor and room for a couch and a dining table and chairs, was added at the south-facing front of the building. 'It's a real sun spot and gets the sun for most of the day,' says Somers. Solar panels, which heat the water, were also installed in the roof in 2010, and in 2018 the bathroom, which is tiled in brown and beige, was modernised. To the side of the building is a garage, which has been used for storage, but which could be converted to make another room. After Brian's mother Margaret passed away in 2008, his father lived there alone. 'In that time, the interior was changed very little. Some of the rooms therefore look a little dated,' he says. 'But it's structurally sound and the plumbing and electrics are in working order, so the interior could be easily updated.' His father moved out of the house in 2022, and has since passed away. The building has been vacant for two-and-a-half years and would likely qualify for the vacant property grant. Located just a mile away from the town of Monasterevin, the house offers easy access to amenities. There's a train station with direct trains to Dublin in the town, making it easy for commuters. There's also a primary school within walking distance of the house, and Ballykelly GAA club is located just across the road. In addition, the 'Barrow Blue Way' – a 120km walking and cycling path, which follows the Grand Canal and leads from Robertstown, Co Kildare to St Mullens, Co Carlow – passes through Monastervevin. It can be found behind the house and passes behind Ballykelly Mill. 'It's a lovely, peaceful walk and a great amenity to have nearby.' After his father died in October 2023, Somers and his siblings put off selling the house given their emotional ties to it, but they've now come to terms with putting it on the market. 'First, it had to be cleared of a lifetime of memories,' he says. 'We found things like old copy books we had in primary school and even locks of hair from when we were babies that my mother had kept. 'But we're feeling better about selling now,' he adds. 'Once we put up the 'For Sale' sign and it started to attract interest, we realised how quickly the sale could happen.' He points out that the new distillery may well provide employment to the new owners of the house. 'It would be lovely to see a young family living there now,' he adds. 'I could see young kids running around the garden.' He'll be a little sad about saying goodbye to it, however. 'It's the end of an era, as it was always the manager of the mill's house, and it was a wonderful family home for us growing up,' he says. 'But it's time to let it go.' Matt Dunne is seeking offers in the region of €375,000.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CT restaurant group expands its reach. Goal is to serve good food while helping the community.
The Meraki Restaurant Group, founded by Connecticut husband and wife Ken Schanke and Audrey Poynton, is widening its portfolio with another restaurant opening this week. The Somers couple is set to open the doors at Teriyaki Madness, a fast-casual Asian restaurant concept, on Prospect Avenue in West Hartford on Friday. 'I love this location, and we first saw it about two-and a half years ago,' Schanke said. 'I started nosing around and I reached out to my broker. It's a great location.' The West Hartford restaurant will be the ninth business owned by Meraki Restaurant Group, which employs more than 150 people in the state. It all started with four Jersey Mike's franchises starting with Manchester in 2018, followed by Middletown (November 2020), Rocky Hill (October 2021) and Enfield (November 2021). 'We were one of the pioneers of Jersey Mike's in the state,' Schanke said. 'At the time we opened our first location, there was one in Meriden. It's a household name now but back then there was just one in Connecticut and the next one was in Boston. We rolled the dice on a great brand.' Meraki Restaurant Group also has a partnership with the Hartford Yard Goats and Southern Connecticut State University and are scheduled to meet with Quinnipiac University about a potential partnership. Poynton is originally from Naugatuck. Schanke was born in Iowa, grew up in New Jersey and ended up in Connecticut in 2000 after several stops around the country. The couple worked for The Real Yellow Pages and spent 25 years in the corporate world with AT&T Advertising Solutions before they pivoted to business ownership with the Meraki Restaurant Group. 'We try to run our business in a place where people can build a career like my wife and I did with the phone company,' Schanke said. 'We offer health benefits and a 401K with a company match up to 4%. We are about product, people and passion.' Meraki is a Greek word meaning to do something with heart and soul. 'Not only do we want to serve a good product, but we want to help the community as well,' Schanke said. 'We do community fundraising at Jersey Mike's for anyone that signs up.' Schanke said the restaurant group is proud to have partnered with Where Angels Play Foundation to raise funds in support of a playground being built in memory of the four Koropatkin children who lost their lives in a multi-family house fire in Somers in 2024. Where Angels Play Foundation had previously built 26 playgrounds honoring the Sandy Hook School shooting victims. Schanke and Poynton live about a half mile from the Koropatkin household where 11-year-old Lukas, 9-year-old Genevieve, 7-year-old Benjamin and 5-year-old Archer were killed in the blaze. 'We did a joint 'Month of Giving' with Jersey Mike's and Teriyaki Madness and we raised over $85,000 to help build a playground in Somers in the fall,' Schanke said. 'We want to give back to the community. That's the kind of culture we have at Meraki.' Schanke and Poynton opened their first Teriyaki Madness franchises in Hamden and Enfield in December 2023, followed by Manchester in June 2024, Avon in April 2025 and now West Hartford. In total, Teriyaki Madness has 160 locations across three countries. The restaurant's top seller is the spicy chicken teriyaki bowl. He said his personal favorite is the regular teriyaki chicken bowl. Orange chicken is also a popular selection. 'The portions are huge,' Schanke said. 'I can't eat a regular bowl at once. They come with white rice, brown rice, fried rice or yakisoba noodles. … The veggies are chopped fresh every day and are steamed at the time of the order. There is nothing sitting on a steam table for an hour. Everything is fresh to order, and it takes about 10 minutes to get each order together.' Schanke said its fresh healthy concept has spread throughout Connecticut. 'Teriyaki Madness has everything fresh to order with nothing pre-sliced or pre-made,' Schanke said. 'The company has great people and a great product, and they provide a lot of support as well, with support for training and a business coach who helps you through the weeds.' Teriyaki Madness, located at 259 Prospect Ave. in West Hartford, will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Book Review: Allison Larkin's latest is a heartfelt story of small-town America, set in her hometown
A heartfelt presentation of small-town American life and the joys and struggles that go with it, 'Home of the American Circus' centers on Freya who, at 30, must move back home and deal with the house her parents left her. As she addresses the neglected property, Freya faces memories of childhood neglect. Allison Larkin keeps her fourth novel close to home, set mostly in Somers, New York, where she was born. The title refers to the town, which boasts itself as the birthplace of the American circus. The novel is interspersed with snippets from a school paper on the history of Old Bet — the elephant whose statue marks the town center — and the more famous keeper of said elephant. These asides challenge the spottiness of the historical record, reflecting the way Freya relates to Bet as someone whom history is not concerned with, when her tormentors get to write their own version of what happened. Flashbacks reveal a cascade of abuses suffered at the hands of her family, and seemingly gone unnoticed by the community. The present tense helps differentiate current happenings — with the novel starting in 2007 — from trips down memory lane that crop up as the town's people and places are introduced, stirring up the past like mud in a pond. The silver lining: Somers has Ferya's beloved niece, Aubrey, whom she hasn't seen in a decade since she left town. The exceptionally written, touching connection between these two characters is, by itself, worth picking up the novel. Larsen abandons the typical story arc in favor of a more naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it's banter at the bar Freya's working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold. As the novel progresses and Freya starts to rebuild her life in Somers, we learn bit by bit the horrific events that led to her departure. Reconnecting with childhood friends, avoiding the demons of her past, and navigating an entirely new level of adulthood via being thrust into homeownership, 'Home of the American Circus' is Freya's journey of empowerment, to reclaim her life and the people and things she holds most dear; to recognize her own resilience and inherent self-worth. Larsen builds a robust picture of Freya's life, her family, and a small American town home to a circus elephant. ___ AP book reviews:
