Latest news with #Weidner
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flooding concerns across Middle Tennessee ahead of more storms in the forecast
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Communities across Middle Tennessee are bracing for potential flooding with storms in the forecast. A flood watch is in effect for numerous Middle Tennessee communities — including Gallatin, Portland and Westmoreland — from Wednesday until Sunday morning. According to the National Weather Service, areas like Clarksville and Waverly could see up to eight inches of rainfall by the end of the week. Want the forecast delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the News 2 Forecast Newsletter The Sumner County Emergency Management director Ken Weidner said areas of particular concern include Stop 30 Road, Upper and Lower Station Camp Creek Road, Old Gallatin and some places on Old Highway 31 E. Weidner added that flooding can be especially concerning because people underestimate the power of moving water. 'We would like for people to stay home if they could,' Weidner said. 'We know people have to work, but if you know a road floods [or] it's prone to flood, be careful. Obviously, as we've always said, 'Turn around, don't drown.'' Weidner said Swiftwater personnel will surround areas of concern ahead of Wednesday's storm. Don't forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Punch to the gut': St. Pete leaders vote on potential solutions for skyrocketing water bills
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — St. Petersburg city leaders are set to vote on potential solutions to unusually high water bills, on Thursday. Residents have voiced their frustrations over the bills for months, saying they have been dealing with this for half a year. St. Petersburg residents are hoping the meeting will bring them some answers and relief to the bills they said keep piling up. Attorney, and resident, Matthew Weidner said for many, the city is not refunding the money but crediting it to accounts instead. Palm Harbor woman saved by neighbor after falling asleep with cigarette, catching bed on fire 'Punch to the gut': St. Pete leaders vote on potential solutions for skyrocketing water bills 'Being held hostage': Hurricane Helene survivors share impact 6 months later 'People are not well and this is a punch to the gut. This is a sucker punch that the city is delivering to the residents that can't take it,' Matthew Weidner said. The council will vote on resolutions related to bill collection policies, utility bill relief, and an ordinance that would amend water charges for leaks. Some residents feel like the resolutions are not enough and they want to know why this happened, and how it will be fixed. 'In the resolutions here, you see no admission that there is a problem internally with the city, whether it's staff or computers, or the meters themselves,' Weidner said. According to the city, right now, around 51% of people who applied for utility relief have received adjustments to their bills. Weidner said that the credits to their accounts are leaving many without the cash they need for other critical expenses. 'I'm having people, friends, colleagues, coming up to me and sharing disturbing stories about these outrageously high bills that are preventing them from putting food on the table for children, their own children because some of these bills are being taken out automatically,' Weidner said. Weidner said he will go to city council meetings every single time until there are answers. 'I'm demanding that city council, for once, fully embrace their oversight role and ask hard questions. They all took an oath to represent citizens, to sit up on that dais, and protect citizens. They're not doing that right now,' Weidner said. 8 On Your Side reached out to the city on Wednesday to try and get answers ahead of the meeting. As of Thursday morning, we have not gotten a response to our request. The meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Buffalo man admits to possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minor
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man pleaded guilty after thousands of images of child pornography were recovered, some including depictions of prepubescent minors, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday. Alexander Weidner, 35, allegedly uploaded child pornography on Snapchat and Instagram accounts, officials said. On Feb. 28, 2023, investigators seized two cellphones during a search warrant executed at his residence. According to officials, around 4,843 images and 371 videos of child pornography were recovered. Some of the images included depictions of children under 12 engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Weidner also allegedly used a private messenger app to share child pornography with another user. Weidner pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. He is expected to be sentenced in July. Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
2 lawsuits filed over St. Petersburg's high water bills, city provides relief to homeowners
The Brief Attorney Matt Weidner is suing the City of St. Petersburg over abnormally high water bills. The city took steps on Thursday to help homeowners through the process. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This week, an attorney filed two lawsuits against the City of St. Petersburg for abnormally high water bills. This comes after thousands of customers received bills hundreds of dollars more and, in some cases, thousands of dollars more than typical bills. Big picture view FOX 13 first broke this story weeks ago. On Thursday, St. Petersburg City Council made moves to help homeowners who are dealing with extraordinarily high water bills. Among them: you will not have to hire a plumber or repair a leak in order to get a refund. RELATED: St. Pete families left with extremely high water bills after hurricanes may be getting relief While the city took steps to help homeowners through the process, there still was not a substantive explanation for how it happened. Now, at least two lawsuits have been filed against the city alleging breach of contract and deceptive trade practices. What they're saying "I'm just dumbfounded, even worse today than when we first started this process," said Attorney Matt Weidner. He is among those fighting high water bills. His Snell Isle home was gutted after Hurricane Helene and he still received a $1,000 bill. He filed a lawsuit Monday against the city alleging breach of contract and deceptive trade practices. He also filed suit on behalf of a 92-year-old woman who has a $10,000 dollar bill for a vacant home, since she resides in a nursing home. PREVIOUS:High water bills: St. Pete leaders vote to stop late fees, water shut offs after resident complaints "Nobody was in that house. Makes no sense whatsoever," he said. He says Thursday's meeting was frustrating. Though staff insisted it's not an issue with the city's meters, Weidner is not convinced of that. "The analysis was wholly unsatisfactory. I heard almost no discussion at all of what is the real issue, which is consumption," said Weidner. Staff presented several theories, but there has yet to be a definitive determination for the issue. "Whether it's a glitch in the matrix, it's a hardware issue, it's a software issue, there is something there that needs to be recognized, and I think we will figure it out as time goes on," said City Councilman Mike Harting. As our reporting highlighted, the current process put the burden on homeowners to prove a negative. MORE:Homeowner gets $6,000 water bill amid irregular bills in St. Pete "They hired a plumber. The plumber can't find a leak. Our response is, 'no leak, no repair, no refund.' I'm not comfortable with that. I looked at Sarasota. They have this abnormal circumstance language. I think that can help people," said City Administrator Rob Gerdes. The city can now help homeowners without jumping through as many hoops. "It gives us some flexibility to help homes outside of, you have to prove to us that you had a leak. Now there are some departmental procedures, you don't have to go to the (Utility Billing Review Committee) so there's a couple less steps to get relief, so it comes faster," said City Council Chair Copley Gerdes. Weidner is hoping his lawsuit will answer some of the accountability questions, and is encouraging those with high water bills to make noise. "Listen, my phone is ringing off the hook. I can't possibly help any fraction of the people that are calling in here. What people have to do is e-mail city council with their examples, because the only way this is going to get fixed is if city council can wrap their brain around this problem," said Weidner. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube What's next In the meantime, the city has paused late fees and disconnections for people with high bills. The city council will also be looking to make some ordinance changes to better help homeowners in the future. They will take that up in March. The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Middle Tennessee emergency crews prepare for severe weather, flooding
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Emergency management agencies across Middle Tennessee are gearing up for potential flooding and severe weather this weekend. Fifteen years ago, people were devastated by Mother Nature's impact when Middle Tennessee saw historic flooding in Middle Tennessee. The Harpeth River was one of the hardest hit areas, and it continues to be an area of concern during weather events. 'Flooding is the most common natural disaster, especially in our area, as anyone who was here during the flooding of 2010 recalls. Those typical areas around the Harpeth River are ones to watch,' Jill Burgin, external affairs officer with Williamson County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), said. Major heavy rain threat & severe storms expected Saturday Wilson County EMA Meteorologist Melissa Sizemore said another 2 to 3 inches are expected by Sunday, Feb. 16. 'That's going to be quite impactful because it's already on saturated grounds, so we are currently planning to be able to deal with some of our flooded creeks and streams, as well as to be able to handle any flash flooding issues across the Wilson County area,' Sizemore said. According to Sizemore, Wilson County EMA is keeping an eye on creeks, rivers, and other areas that are prone to flooding, like the Lebanon Square. 'Much like other emergency managers and police chiefs, fire chiefs, public safety [officials] across the area, we're all watching this,' Ken Weidner, director of Sumner County EMA, said. Army Corps of Engineers monitoring lake levels ahead of anticipated heavy rain Weidner said Sumner County EMA's equipment is ready to go ahead of potential flash flooding. 'Some situations, you may have to take action. Some situations, a swift water technician may need to come get you, and understand this, too: swift water rescue is highly technical, so there's a lot of training and specialized equipment that goes into affecting a swift water rescue,' Weidner said. As they continue to monitor this weekend's forecast, local emergency officials told News 2 they're coordinating with local law enforcement and encouraging the community to stay connected. 'They can sign up for text alerts at our website, which is only send out true emergency alerts, so they won't get inundated there,' Burgin said. FORECAST: Middle Tennessee & Southern Kentucky Weather Meanwhile, in Wilson County, people can download the Wilson County EMA app for alerts. 'Also remember that our tornado sirens, they're outdoor warning sirens, so you're only really supposed to hear them if you're outside, so don't rely on those tools as a first means and first stop of notification on severe weather like that,' Sizemore said. Don't forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
