Latest news with #ThePhoenix
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 firefighters injured after truck overturns on Hamburg Mill Road in Summerfield, EMS says
SUMMERFIELD, N.C. (WGHP) — Three firefighters suffered minor injuries after a firetruck overturned into a ditch Saturday afternoon, according to Guilford EMS. Around 3 p.m., while returning from a live burn training in the 4200 block of Hamburg Mill Road, the firetruck toppled over between Battleground Avenue and the marina on Lake Higgins. The truck was already on its side when it slid into a boulder, causing most of the damage to the front side of the vehicle. One firefighter was taken to a local medical facility for treatment. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. The truck, a 2002 model known as The Phoenix, has a remarkable history, according to Summerfield Fire. It was severely damaged in a 2023 electrical bay fire before entering service. During that incident, a garage door fell onto the truck as crews were making entry. After extensive restoration, the truck was officially commissioned in 2025. A push-in ceremony and dedication took place on March 31 of this year. It had been back in service for only about two months before this accident occurred. The truck is valued at approximately $1.1 million and has a capacity of 3,500 gallons of water. On Friday, it was just driven by the fire chief. Officials say they firmly believe the truck played a crucial role in saving lives, both in Friday's accident and during the 2023 bay fire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Corrections bill passed along party lines advances to House
(Photo by) Legislation authorizing the Department of Corrections to find alternative means of imposing the death sentence and limiting inmates' ability to sue over conditions has cleared its second and final committee hearing Wednesday and is headed for the House floor. The bill by Pinellas County Republican Berny Jacques (HB 903) addresses a variety of issues involving inmates in Florida's corrections system, including what happens if acquisition of the drugs needed to put inmates to death becomes 'impossible or impractical.' (Some manufacturers have stopped supplying these drugs for executions.) The state would use by any method not considered unconstitutional. The bill would require inmates to exhaust all internal administrative remedies before they could sue over conditions. They'd have to show they'd suffered a physical injury or sexual act to bring claims alleging mental or emotional injuries. Additionally, the bill extends the period for which a court may authorize an inmate to be involuntarily treated from 90 days to six months. And it exempts from criminal prosecution a prison or jail employee who installs a tracking device on an inmate. The Phoenix reported last year that inmates in at least one correctional institution were required to wear electronic bracelets to monitor their movements. During a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, the measure drew criticism from Broward County Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb, who objected to language requiring adjudication of indigent inmates' claims for damages over a negligent or wrongful act or omission to be completed in just one year. Gottlieb questioned what would happen if the administrative process took longer than a year. 'How does that person not lose their ability to sue under this statute?' he asked. Jacques responded that it was 'highly unlikely' the process would take as long as a year. The committee rejected Gottlieb's subsequent amendment that would have 'tolled' or suspended that one-year time limit. Gottlieb later said he had to vote no on the measure, saying he couldn't support provisions like placing liens on prisoners who initiate challenges to prison disciplinary reports and the different methods of execution provision. Orange County Democratic Rep. Johanna López also objected to the execution language. Jacques replied that the provision would simply allow the state to continue to carry out other constitutionally allowed forms of execution if for whatever reason lethal injection could not be applied. The measure passed 16-5, along party lines. A companion bill (SB 1604) sponsored by Lee County Republican Jonathan Martin has two more committees to move through before reaching the floor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rise like the phoenix — New transition house opens in Erie
One Erie resident is on a mission to help those struggling with homelessness begin a new life. It's the largest project he has ever taken on, but he hopes his new 'Phoenix House' concept will help many in need. At first, when Matt Bennett walked into the building, it wasn't exactly what he was searching for — but after one look around, he knew what his heart was calling him to do. 'I was here for a different purpose. I was looking around and saw that it was on the market,' said Bennett. 'We just got to it and started making it happen.' Our Neighbor's Place season ending this week At the corner of East 21st and Ash Streets is a property of over 6,000 square feet. It was previously used as a funeral home and was recently sold to Matt Bennett, the founder and director of Erie Housing. Their mission is to help people with low income, veterans, parolees and others transition and rebuild their lives by providing clean, safe, affordable housing. 'I worked with MCRC, the Muticultural Community Resource Center, on housing immigrants and the feed back that I got from the help that I was giving the community, the immigrants just made me ask 'What else can I do to take this further to help people who are already here and struggling?'' said Bennett. 'People do have to pay $600 a month. It's okay if they're paying it themselves or they're funded in some way.' He's calling it 'The Phoenix,' which he said the death and rebirth concept matches the house itself Bennett and his crew have transformed the building into a 19-bed residence with a common area, bathrooms, laundry and more. Both men and women can be housed here, and the sleeping areas will be separated by gender for safety purposes. 'We put a lot of thought into it with security locks,' said Bennett. 'They have their own separate apartment for five women upstairs with laundry, kitchen and they have a separate exit out to the parking lot.' Erie Habitat for Humanity, Erie Insurance partner up to build two new homes Bennett said he has received a lot of community support from volunteers to furniture donations. He believes there should be more options for those who may be struggling. Once he has the Phoenix House open for a while, he hopes to open another transition home in the future. 'Just in the applications that I've been getting realize that I can't take all of these people, but there are heartbreaking stories,' said Bennett. 'So many people in Erie need help.' Applications are now open, you can find the link to apply here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nonprofit organizes first black-owned business crawl
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A nonprofit in Wichita created an event to support black-owned businesses. The Phoenix is a sober gym in Wichita. The staff said this was the first time hosting the crawl. They talked to other community partners and wanted to do this to celebrate Black History Month. With every step downtown in Wichita, there's a shop to explore. Cody Palmer, a staff member at The Phoenix, helped assemble the black-owned business crawl to introduce people to new places. 'I think we're centrally located downtown. And so we were really surprised to learn about a lot of these local businesses,' said Palmer. One of those businesses is the Blackprint ICT. Her business collaborates with other black-owned brands. 'We've also worked really hard this last couple weeks to seek those brands that are receiving canceled contracts from big box stores such as Target due to their elimination of their DEI initiatives,' said Tasha Hayes, owner at The Blackprint ICT. The Blackprint ICT wants to be an open door when one door closes. 'Pink Lips, which is a cosmetic company out of Kansas City. They've been around for seven years and had a brick and mortar there in Kansas City and were welcomed into Target for some time as they were enhancing their DEI initiatives, but recently received the news that their contract will be canceled,' said Hayes. Now, Pink Lips is on store shelves in Wichita. The Phoenix wants to celebrate local business owners and inspire the next generation. 'My daughter, I found something really good in a book that might speak to her at Left On Read,' said Palmer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
