Latest news with #Stimson
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Julie Stimson wins Excellence in Public Service Award
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Julie Stimson, the director of Sedgwick County Emergency Management, was recognized Tuesday with a 2025 Excellence in Public Service Award, honoring her leadership, dedication, and commitment to community preparedness. The award, now in its 37th year, is presented by the DeVore Foundation and highlights top-performing public employees from the city, county, and public schools in Wichita. Honorees are selected for their strong work ethic, high performance, and service both on the job and through volunteer efforts. Each recipient receives a $3,000 award. East High teacher surprised with Excellence in Public Service Award Stimson said she was 'completely humbled and surprised' by the recognition. 'This job isn't something that one person can do—it takes a team, it takes a whole community really to come together,' she said. Stimson leads a department of just five employees responsible for coordinating emergency response efforts across 20 cities and a population of over half a million people in Sedgwick County. She emphasized the importance of community awareness and personal preparedness for both natural and man-made disasters. 'We're trying to get out into the community to help people think about how to prepare for things we hope never happen—power outages, tornadoes, and other emergencies,' she said. 'It's about knowing how to receive information and making a plan before disaster strikes.' The formal award reception will take place on May 14 at Botanica Wichita. Additional honorees from the city, county, and public school district will be announced on April 24, following the final round of surprise presentations. The annual award is also sponsored by KSN. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
7NEWS
22-04-2025
- 7NEWS
Jadyn Stimson found mentally incompetent over shooting of beloved Lucindale police officer Jason Doig
The 26-year-old charged over the shooting death of Lucindale police officer Jason Doig has been found not guilty due to mental incompetence in the Adelaide Supreme Court on Tuesday. Jadyn Stimson was facing murder charges over the death of Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig, and the attempted murder of Sergeant Michael Hutchins at a rural property in Senior, about 15km north of Bordertown in November 2023. Sergeant Hutchins suffered serious injuries during the incident, in which Stimson was shot by police. A third police officer, Constable Rebekah Cass, was also present and helped the injured men. Stimson suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment. He has since recovered. Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig is the 62nd South Australian police officer to pay the ultimate price for keeping the community safe. The last SAPOL officer to be killed while on duty was in 2002, while the last time one was killed by a firearm was in 1985. A lawyer for Stimson previously told the court his client admitted the objective elements, such as shooting Brevet Sergeant Doig on the day of the shooting. Justice Sandi McDonald today ruled Mr Stimson was mentally incompetent at the time. 'I find on the balance of probabilities that Mr Stimson was mentally incompetent to commit the offences of murder and attempted murder,' she said. 'I find him mentally incompetent on the basis his thinking and judgement were profoundly affected by psychosis such that he was unable to reason with his conduct as perceived by reasonable people.' The court previously heard Stimson had been diagnosed with a psychotic mental illness, which was 'likely to be schizophrenia' according to Stimson's lawyer. Justice McDonald said she had read the evidence, and even if the lawyers had not agreed she would have made the same finding. She said she was also satisfied the objective elements of the incident had been proved beyond reasonable doubt, including that Stimson shot both men. In a statement released to the public on Tuesday, SAPOL expressed their sorrow for losing an outstanding officer in the state's South East. 'The death of Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig has had a profound impact on his family, the community and every member of South Australia Police,' they said. 'This is particularly so amongst his colleagues in the South-East of the state where his loss is still deeply felt. Jason was a valued friend and colleague to many. He was also a respected member of the local community. 'Jason's death has also tragically highlighted the dangers frontline police face serving the community each day.' In the statement, SAPOL said Doig's family was aware that Stimson was going to be found not guilty over his murder due to mental incompetence at the time of the shooting. 'Jason's family has been kept apprised of the discussions between the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Martin Hinton KC and counsel for the man charged with Jason's murder and the attempted murder of Sergeant Michael Hutchinson,' they said. They were advised last month of the decision taken by the DPP and his reasons that the accused's mental state was such that he was mentally incompetent at the time of the incident.' SAPOL also acknowledged that Stimson had taken responsibility for the shooting. 'While the Supreme Court will now decide his custodial future, it is important to note the offender has taken responsibility for his actions and admitted he committed the violent acts he was charged with,' they said. 'South Australia Police appreciate the significant consideration this matter has been subject to. 'Regardless of the outcome of this tragedy, it will be of little solace to Jason's family, friends and colleagues who still mourn his senseless loss.' The matter will return to court in July, when victim impact statements are expected to be presented to the court.
CBC
04-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Ottawa pays out over $100K to Quebec group that lost contract for Afghan war monument
Social Sharing Ottawa recently signed an out-of-court settlement with a team of Quebec architects that was denied a prestigious contract to design the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan. Sources told Radio-Canada the confidential deal is worth more than $100,000, or at least three times the initial offer made to the team led by Montreal-based architect Renée Daoust in 2023. At the time, the Daoust team learned it had won a national competition to design the $5-million monument, but that Ottawa would nonetheless give the contract to the group led by Indigenous artist Adrian Stimson. Bound by a confidentiality clause, the Daoust team refused to comment on the settlement. In a written statement, however, they thanked all those who supported them in their attempt to force Ottawa to change its decision. "We remain outraged by this process marred by irregularities and reiterate our commitment to the quality of architecture and public art in Canada, and to the integrity of the processes by which public funds are allocated," said the statement from Daoust, artist Luca Fortin and international law expert Louise Arbour. The federal government said it awarded the design contract to Stimson because his project was favoured by the families of Canadians who served in Afghanistan, as expressed in an online survey. The Daoust team had been selected by the jury tasked with reviewing submissions. Jean-Pierre Chupin, an architecture professor and expert in public competitions, said the government's decision was critically flawed. "They discredited a complex and fragile competition process that aims to be fair, transparent, representative and therefore democratic," said Chupin, who teaches at the Université de Montréal. He said the online survey can be "clearly disqualifiable after a few minutes of analysis," comparing it to a competition for "likes" on Facebook. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014, mostly military personnel but also government employees and humanitarian workers. Of these, 158 soldiers and seven civilians lost their lives. The monument project was initiated by former prime minister Stephen Harper and continued under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. The Daoust team's proposal aimed to symbolize the struggle for democracy, incorporating elements reminiscent of Afghanistan's mountains, the burqa worn by some women in the country and the Twin Towers that fell in New York on Sept. 11, 2001. The government-favoured Stimson design more directly references the military aspect of the Afghan mission, featuring four helmets and bulletproof vests mounted on crosses at the centre of the monument. After informing the Daoust team that they would not be awarded the contract, Ottawa offered them $34,000 in compensation in an attempt to settle the matter. Instead of accepting the offer, the Daoust team went public, garnering significant support and denouncing the federal government's decision in the media and in Parliament. Their main concern was that Ottawa would set a dangerous precedent by disregarding its own process for awarding major public contracts. However, the Daoust team failed to convince the government to reverse its decision. Settlement negotiations began after the blessing of the downtown Ottawa site of the future Stimson-designed monument last fall. The office of the minister of veterans affairs refused to provide details about the settlement, citing its confidentiality clause. Spokesperson Wyatt Westover said the Stimson team has "finalized the design contract" with the National Capital Commission, which manages the site where the monument will be built. Veterans Affairs Canada's latest budget for the monument is $4.7 million. The federal department says it is currently conducting "a cost analysis to ensure the monument is completed as planned while honouring the service and sacrifice of Canadian veterans, their families and all those who served in the mission." WATCH | Afghanistan memorial has been mired in controversy: Quebec architects threaten to sue over Afghanistan war monument 11 months ago Duration 1:59 The group of Quebec architects that was first selected and then rejected to build Canada's national monument to Afghan mission veterans is threatening to sue the government if they aren't given the full contract. Bloc Québécois MP Luc Desilets, who spent months pressing the federal government on the issue without success, hopes the settlement includes punitive damages for the Daoust team. He believes the federal government was "caught red-handed." According to Chupin, the entire project is tainted by this saga. He fears that Canadians who served overseas will ultimately pay the price.
