Latest news with #Stilwell
Cision Canada
7 days ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
Paralympian Michelle Stilwell elected vice-president of Canadian Paralympic Committee Français
OTTAWA, ON, June 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Paralympic champion Michelle Stilwell has been elected vice-president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) following the first meeting of its recently elected Board of Directors. A decorated four-time Paralympian, public servant, and tireless advocate, Stilwell brings diverse expertise to the role and a unique perspective on the power of sport to drive social impact, national unity, and systemic change. On the field of play, Stilwell achieved the rare feat of winning gold medals in two different sports – wheelchair basketball and Para athletics. She ultimately captured seven Paralympic podiums, including six gold, in her impressive career. Off the field of play, Stilwell served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia and as Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation, bringing deep insight into public policy and advocacy. "I'm honoured and grateful for the trust placed in me by my colleagues to serve in the capacity of vice-president," said Stilwell. "Now, more than ever, we must position Paralympic sport not only as elite competition, but as a catalyst for inclusion, health, and national pride. Sport isn't a 'nice-to-have.' It's a nation-building force. "I've seen first-hand the passion and integrity that drives our movement forward. As vice-president, one of my priorities will be to help foster new allies – across government, the private sector, and community leaders – who understand that investing in Paralympic sport is investing in the future of this country. "While we have world-class athletes, staff, and partners, we also have work to do. I believe, together, we can elevate our voice, sharpen our strategy, and strengthen our impact." Stilwell has been a member of the CPC's Board of Directors since 2022 and has just commenced a new four-year term through 2029. She will lead the CPC alongside president Marc-André Fabien, who was re-elected in April. "Michelle brings a powerful and rare combination of experience – as a Paralympic champion, Cabinet Minister, and lifelong advocate for inclusion and accessibility. We are thrilled to welcome her as vice-president of the Board," said Fabien. "Her leadership at the highest levels of both sport and government will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen our impact, elevate athlete representation, and build a more inclusive and vibrant Paralympic sport system across the country."
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Michael Connelly's new Nightshade character is a compelling small-town detective with bigger fish to fry
Crime fiction Today at 09:30 Most Michael Connelly fans are very familiar with a specific set of characters. After all, the acclaimed crime writer has made a career out of the tales of Harry Bosch and company, but Nightshade introduces readers to the new kid on the block. After department politics drove Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell from the homicide desk to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, life was supposed to get a lot less grisly. But when a body is found wrapped in plastic and anchored to the bottom of the harbour, Stilwell's new job is soon anything but relaxed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Divers search Stilwell City Lake looking for evidence in cold cases
STILWELL, Okla. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two independent investigation organizations, Chaos Divers and Depths of History, spent Monday searching for evidence at Stilwell City Lake tied to any unsolved cases. During each search, the two groups take Chaos Divers' boat out onto the lake, drifting along every inch while running sonar in attempts to detect abnormalities under the surface. They are searching for cars that were dumped, weapons that were discarded and, in some instances, remains. 'We are hoping that during our process of searching with the sonar and the diving capabilities that we will be able to provide answers,' Lindsay Bussick with Chaos Divers said. 'Maybe not necessarily to a family of a missing person but maybe bring some closure to a case they have here.' Stacy Lee Drake will stand trial for murders in Oklahoma During their search, once sonar detects something out of the ordinary under the water, Britain Lockhart of Depths of History said they use a device to give them real-time imaging of what is below the surface. Then, if it's a submerged vehicle they detected, they can dive underwater and take down information, such as its year, make, model and license plate number before using a magnet that attach to the car. There were reports of criminal activity in Adair County, the groups said, marking their fourth stop in their region-wide series of searches. They searched bodies of water in Little Rock, Kaw City, Oklahoma, and Muskogee, Oklahoma, before going to Stilwell. The groups said they weren't attempting to solve any specific cold case, rather looking for anything in Stilwell City Lake that could help the Adair County Sheriff's Office in any unresolved cases. The groups were unable to find any suspicious material at the bottom of the lake as a result of their search. Bussick said some departments don't have the technology or time to focus on cold cases, adding that their organizations hope to be an outlet they can turn to for help. 'We want them to know that we're here for them,' Bussick said. 'That goes for any law enforcement agency across the country. If we can help in any way, we want to be able to do that.' Depths of History has been posting videos on YouTube for 11 years. Now, with more than 762,000 subscribers, Lockhart and Colston Gertz have since helped recover more than 300 guns in the Atlanta metro, a World War II-era mortar and the car and remains of Karen Moore, a Florida woman who had been missing for 22 years. 'I try to feel what the family's feeling,' Lockhart said. 'It is a positive that we're giving the family answers, but at the same time, you're giving them the worst news of their life. It's really hard.' Chaos Divers is made up of Bussick, Jacob Grubbs and their dog, Maverick. They've worked more than 110 missing persons cold cases, recovering 20 out of those, Bussick said. The two groups are now turning their attention to New Madrid, Missouri, which is along the Mississippi River. There, they'll be hoping to find evidence that can lead to the findings of two missing persons: Barbara Stoffer and Richard Caleb Powell. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
35-year veteran of SC National Guard picked to lead state's military
Brigadier General Robin Stilwell, the governor's choice for adjutant general, speaks in the governor's office on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — A longtime member of the state's National Guard is the governor's choice to lead the state's military force. Brig. Gen. Robin Stilwell will be the second adjutant general chosen by the governor instead of by popular election after a 2014 change approved by voters. The first was Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, who remain adjutant general until his replacement is confirmed by the state Senate. If that's Stilwell, as expected, he will oversee more than 9,300 Army National Guard and 1,300 Air National Guard members tasked with responding to natural disasters and fighting in wars. 'It is a pleasure to have the opportunity and the privilege for all South Carolinians to have a man like this, a leader like this, at the helm of this most important job in our state,' Gov. Henry McMaster said when announcing his choice Tuesday. Stilwell has been director of guard's Joint Staff since 2022, where he is in charge of supporting the state's domestic response and homeland defense operations. The 58-year-old has also been a Circuit Court judge in Greenville since 2009. A career infantry officer, Stilwell has been a member of the National Guard for nearly 35 years, he said. He has served in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Kuwait and commanded a battalion in Union and brigades in Eastover and Charleston, according to his online biography. The 58-year-old has won many awards during his military career, including the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and a Legion of Merit, according to the governor's office. With that amount of experience, 'I don't think there's any kind of problem that could knock Robin Stilwell over,' McMaster said. SC prisons official tapped for parole and probation agency: 'He's seen it from every direction' Stilwell sees the National Guard as an extended family after being part of it for so long, he said. That gives him an appreciation not just of the responsibilities of the office but of the people performing those duties, he said. 'I believe very strongly that the most important element or part of any organization — and this is particularly true of a military organization — is its people,' Stilwell said. Getting Senate approval shouldn't be a problem, said Sen. Tom Young, who chairs the Senate Family and Veterans' Services Committee that will vet Stilwell. 'I am confident that General Stilwell will lead the men and women of our state's Military Department with vision, passion and integrity,' the Aiken Republican said. McCarty decided to step down at age 65 to allow his successor to serve a full four-year term, McMaster said. After McMaster appointed McCarty in 2019, the major general oversaw the state through its COVID-19 response, including deploying National Guard members to run testing sites and administer vaccines. His troops also went to Washington, D.C., to help with two presidential inaugurations and to the country's southern border with Mexico at the request of Texas authorities and the Department of Defense. In 2023, troops left for a yearlong mission with U.S. Africa Command based in Djibouti, a small country on the continent's northeast coast opposite Yemen. National Guard members remain in Texas, as well as in Poland, Syria and Saudi Arabia, McCarty said. McCarty did 'a magnificent job,' McMaster said. 'We hate to see him go.' McCarty said when he first took office, McMaster told him, 'When our state and nation calls, we will answer.' 'We have done that,' McCarty said. 'So will your selection, Brig. Gen. Stilwell.' During his retirement, McCarty plans to spend some more time with his wife, their five children and their six granddaughters, he said.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Language in pornography ban bill concerns some
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A state lawmaker who is no stranger to controversy is now shifting his focus to pornography. State Sen. Dusty Deevers (R-Elgin) wants to make it illegal in Oklahoma and calls it 'pure cancer to the soul.' However, some people have an issue with the bill's wording. As it stands now, this bill would ban anything with a sex scene, sexual action, or depiction in it, meaning even romance novels or boudoir photos. Oklahoma revenue projected under $300 million due to tax breaks This is why some Oklahomans are asking for the bill's author for some clarity. 'He's trying to be clever,' Lauren Smith, Lawyer and Romance Author said. 'He's trying to use child pornography as the red herring. No one wants child pornography to be legal. It's not legal already.' Sen. Deevers filed SB593, which looks to 'create felony offenses and provide penalties' for obscenity and child sexual abuse material. Wording inside the bill, such as, 'unlawful pornography of any medium,' has many concerned. 'Any medium can then expand everything,' Smith said. 'If you possess the movie Titanic or season one of Game of Thrones, those have sexual depictions in them. According to his own definitions, the bill's depictions of what he even says is normal sex are considered pornography.' Smith has been writing romance novels for over a decade. She believes Deevers' bill would eliminate nearly every book, show, or movie created. The measure also worries some photographers. 'I'm a pastor's kid,' said Whitney Stilwell, Owner of Red Stiletto in Norman. 'What I want to do with my photography is I want to show women, that no matter what your body looks like, no matter what you've been through, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.' Stilwell has been doing photography for decades. She wasn't completely in on being a boudoir photographer until she realized the impact it can have on women. She believes if everyone understood that, it wouldn't be grouped in with porn. 'When I first was looking into boudoir, I said, I don't want to take those kind of pictures, because that was my initial thought, is this is porn,' Stilwell said. 'I think it's important for the people who are making these bills to do a little bit more research and see that we're not all the same. We are providing a service for women to feel empowered.' News 4 reached out to Senator Deevers' office multiple times, but he did not get back to us. However, he addressed SB593 in a press release last week. He mainly stuck to the point that banning porn would not violate free speech and the first amendment. He added that his bill outlines the definition of porn. Modern pornography appeals to the prurient interest and lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value… There is no excuse to continue exposing Oklahomans to obscene pornography. We must aspire to become a state free from this plague. Sen. Dusty Deevers If the bill passes without any changes, Smith and Stilwell worry that all of their work will be erased. 'I have attorneys, I have teachers, principals, I have pastors wives, I have pastors,' Stilwell said. 'I have women from who are Democrat, Republican. I have all kinds of women who come into my studio, and I hate for them to feel ashamed of doing a session like this.' 'My whole purpose of my career is to show young women growing up, that men need to treat you better,' Smith said. 'Men owe us better because we should not have to be second-class citizens in this country.' If the bill were to pass, those who are caught with anything under Sen. Deevers' definition of porn could spend up to 10 years in prison and face hefty fines. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
