Latest news with #communityconcerns
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Man's outrage as multi-storey car park's lights left on despite closure
A man said it is 'outrageous' that lights at a seafront car park are left on despite its closure. Grafton car park on Worthing seafront was closed on May 16 after Worthing Borough Council reported 'falling concrete'. It said that it would be carrying out an 'urgent investigation' into the condition of the structure, which is more than 60 years old. John Hill, from Sompting, regularly drives past the car park and noticed the lights were still left switched on. The 74-year-old has raised concerns that it is wasting council money and says they should be switched off. Mr Hill said: 'It's like Blackpool illuminations. 'Every single light is burning. 'With all the cut backs the council is having to make at the minute, it's an absolute disgrace. 'They're on during the day and at night. 'It's outrageous. It must be costing thousands of pounds.' The council recently reassured the public that the connected shops and bowling alley are safe to stay open due to the structure of the building being unaffected. Worthing Borough Council has been approached for comment.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Abbeville addresses weekend noise and safety complaints on St. Peter Avenue
ABBEVILLE, La. () — Councilman Francis Plaisance of District B is hoping city police can come up with a solution to help an ongoing issue for residents living on St. Peter Avenue. He expressed that since getting into office he has had constant calls from residents about weekend noise complaints; crowds of young people concentrated in one area blocking traffic and raising safety concerns. 'I'm just really concerned about it,' said Plaisance. 'This is my district, and I feel like the people in this area right here, some of them are elderly. They have a right for it to be peaceful and quiet. These kids have no right to be on the street every Friday and Saturday nights, cutting up, their dancing, their smoking. They're drinking, they're barely dressed.' Plaisance said residents are telling him the people gathering are not from the area. He said he was told the police would come out and disperse the crowd but once the police are gone the crowd returns. He said residents have had enough. 'It's been going on far too long and it has to stop and that's the position I'm taking too. Now I'll work with the chief. Whatever I can do; the city council can do. I'm sure the rest of the council will agree with me. We'll do whatever we can to assist him if it's something that we can do and certainly we are in support of whatever he will do to get this cleared up, but I would hope that this Friday night, I don't have to get a phone call again, I don't know if it means putting an officer here. I don't know what the solution is, but it just needs to be resolved. I'm not in law enforcement, but it's my district and my people in my district. I want them to be able to rest and be at peace. These are retired people,' said the councilman. 'If there is anything that we can do to assist him in enforcing the law as far as these kids on the street like this and cutting up like that, then I want him to let us know. We will do the best that we can to help him.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Longtime elderly residents expressed fear of sitting on their porch and shootings breaking out. Sandra Shelvin, a concerned resident spoke with News 10 as she was checking on her mother's home. 'Right now, we are having problems with the young kids,' said Shelvin. 'They are going to everyone's home. They are burglarizing, they're also vandalizing and they're also gambling under areas where we don't even gamble and it's not allowed and it's all the time of the night and they are shooting. They put guns under your homes, under your car, if you have anything that's not locked down, they are picking it up and taking it.' The topic was placed on the city council agenda on May 20. In the meeting recording Chief Mike Hardy said data collected since January showed they have only two reported calls about the area. One was a recent call on April 16 about the concerns on St. Peter Ave. He expressed that residents should call him if they see a crowd and give the date and time. Then police will check the cameras in the area and handle the concern. Councilman Plaisance said residents expressed they have been calling law enforcement but feel it is falling on deaf ears. He hopes a solution can be met to resolve the residents' concerns. You can view the full meeting here starting at timestamp 35:51 until around 43:00. News 10 reached out to the chief for comments and have not received anything by news time. Miles Perret celebrates 25-years of service with Birthday Bash, Games of Acadiana 'Lemon' leaves family stranded and ignored Disney offering Disney+, Hulu subscribers new perks, discounts Cat who survived 400-foot Utah canyon fall adopted by rescuing pilot Abbeville addresses weekend noise and safety complaints on St. Peter Avenue Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Aurora landlord summoned to court for "chronic violator property," a common issue in the Colorado city
Sitting in the sun in her inviting backyard, Lindsay Wanek finds joy in calling Aurora home for the past eight years. "I moved out here because I like diverse communities," she said. Yet the last several months haven't been so joyful due to a troubling house next door. "People started coming and going and we couldn't figure out who was living there," said Wanek. Lindsay Wanek CBS That uncertainty put Wanek on edge. It became worse, she said, when she consistently heard loud music and saw strange behavior in her neighbor's backyard. "At one point, I poked my head over the fence to ask them to turn down the music and I saw all these cars back there and people working on them," she said. "I was like, 'This is weird.'" Wanek snapped several photos showing multiple cars lined up in the backyard, as well as several vehicles being worked on in the front yard. Knowing it was a rental property, she tried reaching out to the landlord in hopes of getting answers. "I called him twice and he was just like, 'There's not an issue there.'" But to Wanek, and many of her neighbors, she says, those vehicles weren't the only issue. From mounds of trash and debris in the yards and alley behind the home to a more than busted fence, problems kept piling up. A code enforcement photo of trash in the backyard of the home in question City of Aurora "There were car registrations all over the alley and so I was like, 'Something is not right.'" So, Wanek took action again by reaching out once more to the landlord, Aurora City Council, even Aurora police. "I tried everything I possibly could and then I saw your article," she said to CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann. She is referring to Werthmann's coverage in April about the City of Aurora's code enforcement team encouraging residents to reach out if they have concerns about problem rental homes in the city. Wanek did just that and within a couple days, code enforcement officers showed up and cited the landlord for numerous violations, including not removing trash, unlawful vehicles, and unlawful outdoor storage. Turns out, the house next door to Wanek has been labeled as a "chronic violator property" by the city of Aurora. CBS Colorado's open records request revealed dozens of citations in the past 10 yers and now a court summons issued to the landlord. Not only does he own the house next to Wanek's, but also eight other rental homes in the area. They, too, have a lengthy history of violating city code. "I tell you what, these people are crazy," said Andris Berzins, the landlord and homeowner. Much like he told Wanek by phone, Andris Berzins told Werthmann that he doesn't see an issue with his properties. "I don't see a problem," he said. "The problem is the code enforcement. They can come over here and see a piece of paper on there and they just give me trash [citation]." Berzins said his numerous citations for things like trash, building maintenance and unlawful vehicles over the years are because he has become an unfair target of Aurora's Code Enforcement. "They decided that I am not good," Berzins said. According to public property records, more than 50 different people have lived in the 3-bedroom, 800-square foot house next to Wanek since Andris Berzins purchased it in 2008. He claims the last person who lived there unexpectedly moved out in the past six months and allowed squatters to move in. Andris Berzins CBS "So you weren't keeping track of who was living in your home?" asked Werthmann. "I didn't, no," said Berzins. "Do you create leases for them to sign?" Werthmann asked. "No," he said. "Why not?" Werthmann replied. "I don't need to," he said. Upon learning her neighboring homeowner doesn't keep track of his tenants, Wanek decided to dig a little deeper into what's happening next door. "Oh, I found the property owner's spouse is running for city council, and on her website, she's advocating for safe neighborhoods and a safe community, which is really ironic," said Wanek. Marsha Berzins, Andris Berzins' wife, is a former Aurora City Council member and is running for election this November. While she is not listed as a co-owner of the home next door to Wanek, property records indicate Marsha Berzins is co-owner of at least three other homes in Aurora that have been repeatedly cited by code enforcement. CBS Colorado reached out to Mrs. Berzins for an interview, but she declined and said she has nothing to do with those rental properties. "What are the consequences for this? There doesn't seem like there's any," Wanek said. So, CBS Colorado went back to Aurora's code enforcement office to get answers. "A lot of times when we do see repeat offenders, we have the option of what's called a chronic violator property," explained Josh King, manager of Aurora's Housing and Community Services Department, "and we can put them on that and then issue a summons going forth for repeat violations." That is now what's happening to Andris Berzins. He is due in court in June. "It may look like we're not moving fast, but unfortunately zoning cases take time," explained King, adding some cases can take years to reach a summons. CBS Colorado's Kelly Werthmann interviews Josh King, the manager of Aurora's Housing and Community Services Department. CBS King said unfortunately situations like the Berzins' properties receiving multiple citations are not uncommon in Aurora. "Do you see the need for more enforcement or more regulation around rentals in Aurora?" Werthmann asked. "That's a tough question," King replied. "No one likes over-enforcement of things, but again, we're always looking at stuff to help our community members and maybe that does involve another code being written or how we address things. I'm not opposed to change by any means. The world is evolving, and we need to evolve with it." That change can't come soon enough for neighbors like Wanek. "I think the system is broken," she said. Aurora City Council is considering an amendment to its city code related to Neglected or Derelict Buildings or Property (page 400). According to the proposal, the provisions intent to gain compliance and eliminate the burden such properties place on neighborhoods and the community in general. It passed its first reading 8-0 in a council meeting earlier this month and is up for a second reading on June 9.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Many Islanders unsatisfied with how police deal with some crimes, report suggests
The results of public survey about policing on P.E.I. have been released, and they highlight Islanders' concerns over public drug use and ways police forces can adapt to community needs. Some of the main takeaways from the report, Community Perceptions of P.E.I. Police Services, are that 62 per cent of those surveyed are mostly trusting of the police, while 61 per cent view them as professional. Some concerns were also evident, with 45 per cent saying they were dissatisfied with how police handle impaired and dangerous driving. About 41 per cent said they weren't satisfied with how authorities deal with drug trafficking, while theft and property crimes was next on the list, with 37 per cent of Islanders unsatisfied with how those offences are treated. WATCH | Survey says Islanders trust the police in P.E.I., but think crime is on the rise: P.E.I.'s Department of Justice and Public Safety posted the survey online for four weeks last summer. Fewer than 1,000 people responded. P.E.I. RCMP Insp. Shaun Coady told CBC News that the province's traffic services unit has been working to curb impaired and dangerous driving cases. "Their numbers have climbed significantly over the last few years with more than 21,000 interactions with motorists last year," he said. "We report on our impaired driving stats and they have been continuing to be quite high." A majority of Islanders surveyed, 87 per cent, said they were concerned about crime on P.E.I., and 72 per cent said they felt crime has gotten worse in the past year. Community engagement Other concerns from the survey centred on community engagement. Twenty-nine per cent said they don't feel as if police engage enough with youth, while about a quarter said people from diverse communities and seniors are underserved. Coady said the RCMP has been reaching out to those communities through a number of efforts. "We have a dedicated RCMP member working in Montague Regional High School engaging with the youth in that community," he said. "We have seen significant results from that engagement, so obviously we strive to engage with our population, and whether it's seniors or youth, we drive those activities at the local detachment level." WATCH | 'Grandparent scams' are rampant. Do you know how to protect your family?: Coady said the agency has recently been hosting awareness campaigns targeted at seniors to help spread awareness of scams. "We've done a number of outreach opportunities, fraud talks for example, cyber safety, communications, we've done social media activities to try to raise awareness about some of those types of incidents," he said. "Grandparent schemes, those sorts of things, we've really tried to cater to those and ensure that we're proactively addressing those needs." Brody Connolly, director of P.E.I. Public Safety, said this survey will help the province develop strategies for policing. "The big thing about it is it just puts us in a position to identify gaps," he said. "I think we have a good pulse on where we are policing-wise and [with] crime prevention, but without that... extra public input I think we need that to really do a fulsome job as far as identifying what the issues are."
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘I feel that we didn't have a voice': St. Andrews residents speak out against development project
A group of residents in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews is voicing opposition to a gated community of duplexes planned for a 20-acre swath of land. Jason Sandilands, a resident of the RM, said the land was zoned for 11 lots, but the proposed development would far exceed that. 'They want to push 76 lots onto it, which causes all types of questions and concerns,' he said. Sandilands was among dozens of residents who shared their concerns at a council meeting earlier this month. They argued 38 duplexes would put a strain on water supply, existing infrastructure, community services and would go against residential zoning requirements. Despite the concerns, Sandilands said those objections fell on deaf ears as council approved the subdivision. 'I feel that we didn't have a voice at the council meeting, and we feel that diplomacy should be taken quite seriously,' he said. Mayor Joy Sul voted in favour of the development to grow St. Andrews' population, keep taxes from increasing, and address the needs of aging residents. 'People are looking for smaller lots. You're getting older, you can't maintain your yard. This is perfect,' said Sul. She said many of the issues residents brought up will be addressed as the project moves forward. 'There was a long list of conditions placed on the developer who will have to go through Red River Planning (District), the province,' said Sul. 'He has to meet all the conditions before he can proceed.' Sandilands said he is not against developing the land into housing, but he's worried this plan could set a precedent. 'There is four parcels of land here and this is just the one parcel that we're talking about,' he said. Residents are now gathering signatures for a petition being sent to the province and Red River Planning District board.
