Latest news with #WillMatthews
Los Angeles Times
06-08-2025
- Los Angeles Times
As inmate population declines, Norco prison will close. Will it be a luxury hotel again?
A Riverside County state correctional facility housing nearly 3,000 inmates is slated to close in fall 2026, continuing a wave of recent prison shutdowns, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Monday. A declining prison population and multimillion-dollar cost savings for the state were the motivating factors for the shuttering, according to the department. The Norco prison is a Level 2 medium-security correctional facility holding 2,766 inmates who committed felonies. Approximately 1,200 workers staff the prison, according to the department. No inmates are expected to be released early because of the closure and will instead be transferred to existing facilities, the CDCR said. The department noted it would attempt to transfer employees at the facility to other sites and to other jobs throughout the state. It did not say in its release, however, if there would be layoffs. A call to a corrections spokesperson was not immediately returned. The state is expected to save $150 million annually due to the closure. Will Matthews, a spokesperson for nonprofit crime victims advocacy group Californians for Safety and Justice, said he hoped the state would redirect some of that savings toward 'creating safety at the community level.' 'If you look at how crime has dropped in the last decade, it's been an effort to balance criminal justice with programs that reduce crime and help prevent harm,' Matthews said. 'That includes housing support programs, drug treatment and job training, which has worked.' Homicides in the city of Los Angeles are projected to hit their lowest levels in 60 years, according to a July report from the Los Angeles Police Department. Killings are also down in Los Angeles County. Statewide, crimes including arson (5.8%), burglary (13.9%), assaults (1.8%) and auto thefts (15.5%) all saw drops statewide from 2023 to 2024, according to the Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice. Falling crime rates have equated to smaller prison populations, the CDCR said. The department noted that the inmate population across its 30 prisons is roughly 91,000, which is nearly half of the 173,000 people incarcerated in 2006. Matthews said that drop had been partly facilitated by the passing of criminal justice reform measures, such as Proposition 57 in 2016, which allowed parole consideration for people convicted of nonviolent felonies. The CDCR noted other reforms, such as Assembly Bill 109, which shifted some prison populations from state to county facilities, also helped lower inmate populations. 'We commend both Gov. Gavin Newsom and CDCR for their historic and continued commitment to moving California away from overspending on a system that doesn't deliver on safety,' said Tinisch Hollins, executive director for Californians for Safety and Justice, in a statement. Norco's closure continues a recent trend of shuttering correctional institutions, with facilities closed in Tracy in 2021, Susanville in 2023 and in Blythe this year. In total, the CDCR said it had recently deactivated 11 facilities and portions of two others, along with 42 housing units across 11 prisons. What the future holds for Norco's facility — which at one time was a resort — remains a mystery. The CDCR said it would implement a 'warm shutdown' process that would maintain the property in a state of readiness to either be reused or sold. The Norco City Council did not issue a comment about the facility's closing and said it was unsure how the closure would affect the community. In its release, the CDCR said 'the state will provide support to the affected local community and workforce with an economic resiliency plan' but did not offer details. One of the City Council's adopted legislative platform priorities is to advocate for the adaptive reuse of the former Norconian Hotel and Resort property. 'The City of Norco remains hopeful that one day, this historic gem will be restored to its former glory as a resort and will become a regional economic driver,' the City Council wrote in a statement to The Times. The correctional facility first opened in 1928 as the Lake Norconian Club, a luxury hotel. It was repurposed during World War II into a Naval hospital before the federal government donated the medical building in 1962 for use as a narcotics center. It took its current form, as a correctional facility, during the 1980s.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Daredevil dressed as wizard somersaults down hill chasing 3kg wheel of cheese in wild competition
A fearless contestant performed a massive somersault before slamming into the ground during an annual cheese rolling event in the UK. The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake event is held every year in May at Brockworth near Gloucester, England. The mystery man, who was dressed as a wizard, was attempting to break the course record for fastest descent when he did the cartoon-style flip. (Watch in the video player above). Some audience members struggled to watch as the speedster landed flat on his back after the acrobatic fall. Incredibly, he managed to escape without breaking any bones during the event on Monday. He joined dozens of others in the unofficial competition to chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down the steep grassy slope. Gardener Will Matthews, 23, from Glosucester was in the same race and spoke to the man at the top. 'He was dressed as a wizard and he said his name was Tye,' he said. 'Apparently he was trying to break the record for the fastest descent. 'I understand he was in the pub afterwards. There were a few people who had to go to hospital with injuries but he wasn't one of them. 'I'm feeling very sore today so he must be really feeling it.' The annual cheese rolling festival, which has gone on for over 200 years, attracts people from all over the world determined to keep the strange tradition alive. Fellow entrant Will, who was taking part in the eccentric competition for the first time, said it was 'exhilarating'. 'It's definitely something ticked off my bucket list,' he said. 'I think my mum would kill me if I tried to do it again.' The second men's race was delayed briefly after a contestant was carried away from the first event on a stretcher. German YouTuber Tom Kopke won the event for the second year in a row. Speaking after the event, he said: 'All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title, but this is mine. 'I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese back to back. 'This year was different. I shut off my brain and went for it.'
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Moment daredevil SOMERSAULTS down hill in pursuit of 7lb wheel of cheese in bonkers annual competition
A FEARLESS contestant performed a massive somersault before slamming into the ground during the annual cheese rolling event. The mystery man, who was dressed as a wizard, was attempting to break the course record for fastest descent when he did the cartoon-style flip. Advertisement 6 The man ended up backwards as he sprinted down the steep hill Credit: Alex West 6 Audience members watched on in awe as he ended up airborne Credit: Alex West 6 Some turned away as he took a heavy fall on his back Credit: Alex West Some audience members struggled to watch as the speedster landed flat on his back after the acrobatic fall. Incredibly he managed to escape without breaking any bones during the event at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire on Bank Holiday Monday. He joined dozens of others in the unofficial competition to chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down the steep grassy slope. Gardener Will Matthews, 23, from Thornbury, Glos, was in the same race and spoke to the man at the top. Advertisement Read more News He said: 'He was dressed as a wizard and he said his name was Tye. 'Apparently he was trying to break the record for the fastest descent. 'I understand he was in the pub afterwards. There were a few people who had to go to hospital with injuries but he wasn't one of them. 'I'm feeling very sore today so he must be really feeling it.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Exclusive The annual cheese rolling festival, which has gone on for over 200 years, attracts people from all over the world determined to keep the strange tradition alive. Fellow entrant Will, who was taking part in the eccentric competition for the first time, said: 'It was exhilarating. "It's definitely something ticked off my bucket list. 'I think my mum would kill me if I tried to do it again.' Advertisement The second men's race was delayed briefly after a contestant was carried away from the first event on a stretcher. German YouTuber Tom Kopke won the event for the second year in a row. Speaking after the event, he said: "All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title, but this is mine. "I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese back to back. Advertisement "This year was different. I shut off my brain and went for it." Do you know who the somersaulting man was? Call 020 7782 4103 or email 6 Kopke holds the cheese wheel aloft after winning the first race. Credit: Reuters 6 Contestants in the Mens Downhill Race chase the cheese down the hill Credit: Getty Advertisement 6 One contestant in the Mens Downhill race had to be supported by medical staff Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Moment daredevil SOMERSAULTS down hill in pursuit of 7lb wheel of cheese in bonkers annual competition
Watch shocking moment the competitor flies through the air THAT'S GOUDA HURT Moment daredevil SOMERSAULTS down hill in pursuit of 7lb wheel of cheese in bonkers annual competition A FEARLESS contestant performed a massive somersault before slamming into the ground during the annual cheese rolling event. The mystery man, who was dressed as a wizard, was attempting to break the course record for fastest descent when he did the cartoon-style flip. Advertisement 6 The man ended up backwards as he sprinted down the steep hill Credit: Alex West 6 Audience members watched on in awe as he ended up airborne Credit: Alex West 6 Some turned away as he took a heavy fall on his back Credit: Alex West Some audience members struggled to watch as the speedster landed flat on his back after the acrobatic fall. Incredibly he managed to escape without breaking any bones during the event at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire on Bank Holiday Monday. He joined dozens of others in the unofficial competition to chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down the steep grassy slope. Gardener Will Matthews, 23, from Thornbury, Glos, was in the same race and spoke to the man at the top. Advertisement He said: 'He was dressed as a wizard and he said his name was Tye. 'Apparently he was trying to break the record for the fastest descent. 'I understand he was in the pub afterwards. There were a few people who had to go to hospital with injuries but he wasn't one of them. 'I'm feeling very sore today so he must be really feeling it.' Advertisement The annual cheese rolling festival, which has gone on for over 200 years, attracts people from all over the world determined to keep the strange tradition alive. Fellow entrant Will, who was taking part in the eccentric competition for the first time, said: 'It was exhilarating. "It's definitely something ticked off my bucket list. 'I think my mum would kill me if I tried to do it again.' Advertisement The second men's race was delayed briefly after a contestant was carried away from the first event on a stretcher. German YouTuber Tom Kopke won the event for the second year in a row. Speaking after the event, he said: "All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title, but this is mine. "I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese back to back. Advertisement "This year was different. I shut off my brain and went for it." Do you know who the somersaulting man was? Call 020 7782 4103 or email exclusive@ 6 Kopke holds the cheese wheel aloft after winning the first race. Credit: Reuters 6 Contestants in the Mens Downhill Race chase the cheese down the hill Credit: Getty Advertisement
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Moment daredevil dressed as wizard SOMERSAULTS down hill in pursuit of 7lb wheel of cheese in bonkers annual competition
A FEARLESS contestant performed a massive somersault before slamming into the ground during the annual cheese rolling event. The mystery man, who was dressed as a wizard, was attempting to break the course record for fastest descent when he did the cartoon-style flip. 6 6 6 Some audience members struggled to watch as the speedster landed flat on his back after the acrobatic fall. Incredibly he managed to escape without breaking any bones during the event at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire on Bank Holiday Monday. He joined dozens of others in the unofficial competition to chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down the steep grassy slope. Gardener Will Matthews, 23, from Thornbury, Glos, was in the same race and spoke to the man at the top. He said: 'He was dressed as a wizard and he said his name was Tye. 'Apparently he was trying to break the record for the fastest descent. 'I understand he was in the pub afterwards. There were a few people who had to go to hospital with injuries but he wasn't one of them. 'I'm feeling very sore today so he must be really feeling it.' The annual cheese rolling festival, which has gone on for over 200 years, attracts people from all over the world determined to keep the strange tradition alive. Fellow entrant Will, who was taking part in the eccentric competition for the first time, said: 'It was exhilarating. "It's definitely something ticked off my bucket list. 'I think my mum would kill me if I tried to do it again.' The second men's race was delayed briefly after a contestant was carried away from the first event on a stretcher. German YouTuber Tom Kopke won the event for the second year in a row. Speaking after the event, he said: "All the people at the top said they were going to steal my title, but this is mine. "I worked for this. I risked my life for this. It's my cheese back to back. "This year was different. I shut off my brain and went for it." Do you know who the somersaulting man was? Call 020 7782 4103 or email exclusive@ 6 6 6
