logo
Fundraisers for Bentley Beard, 11-year-old son of Rome police officer

Fundraisers for Bentley Beard, 11-year-old son of Rome police officer

Yahoo23-04-2025
The Brief
The Floyd County community is coming together to support a Rome Police officer and his family who lost their 11-year-old son in a traffic accident last Thursday.
Police say Bentley Beard was riding his bike on Thursday when he was tragically hit and killed.
The principal of Bentley's middle school is organizing a T-shirt fundraiser to support his family.
ROME, Ga. - Police say 11-year-old Bentley Beard was riding his bike in his Silver Creek neighborhood of Floyd County last Thursday when he went behind a school bus passing through.
That's when they say a truck coming the opposite way hit him.
Medics rushed him to the hospital where he died of his injuries.
PREVIOUS STORIES:
Celebration of Life announced for Rome police officer's child
Solemn procession honors Bentley Beard, 11-year-old son of Rome police officer
What they're saying
"It's been one of the most devastating times that we've seen in our department's history," Kelly Madden, public information officer with the Rome Police Department, said.
"Bentley was always the one with a smile. He loved to game, he loved to play Minecraft, but he also loved people. He loved people. He was the best big brother to his three-year-old brothers, who are twins. Loved his mama, loved his daddy, loved his family," she added.
Bentley was in the sixth grade at Pepperell Middle School. To honor his life, the school principal organized a T-shirt fundraiser with all proceeds going directly to Bentley's family.
"He loved Minecraft, so we took our mascot, the griffin, and created a special design just for Bentley," Hampton said.
"We will wear our shirts proudly as we remember a very smart and loved student and classmate," she added.
What you can do
Hampton is accepting T-shirt orders through Friday, April 25. You can find out more on how to order one here.
A former Rome Police Officer has also organized a fundraiser to support Bentley's family.
The Source
FOx 5's Kim Leoffler spoke with Kelly Madden, public information officer with the Rome Police Department, and the principal at Pepperell Middle School.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Haldimand mayor skips heated meeting over CAO firing
Haldimand mayor skips heated meeting over CAO firing

Hamilton Spectator

time17-07-2025

  • Hamilton Spectator

Haldimand mayor skips heated meeting over CAO firing

Haldimand County councillors called a special meeting Monday to discuss Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley using strong-mayor powers to fire former chief administrator officer Cathy Case late last month. Residents packed council chambers to give the mayor a piece of their mind. But the mayor didn't show. 'Mayor Bentley had a special holiday booked, and she's away. We were aware of that,' said deputy mayor Rob Shirton. Some councillors suspect Bentley fired Case — a lifelong county employee with more than 30 years in the civil service — on June 27 as retribution for the former CAO launching an investigation into a leak of confidential documents during February's provincial election campaign. Longtime civil servant Cathy Case was ousted as Haldimand County's chief administrative officer on June 27. That investigation traced the leak to the mayor's office, with Bentley found to have ordered the documents printed. It remains unknown how they ended up on a Facebook page in what the investigator determined was an attempt to damage the campaign of a rival of Bentley's political ally, MPP Bobbi Ann Brady. Bentley has denied involvement in the leak and told The Spectator she did not fire Case as payback for starting the investigation, which has since been transferred to Haldimand's integrity commissioner. But resident Lesley Powell called Case's firing 'a blatant misuse of authority that has left the residents across this municipality stunned and outraged.' 'Especially considering the circumstances of the mayor currently being under investigation,' Powell said. 'Public trust has been shaken. Organizational morale has plummeted because of the misuse of these powers. And Haldimand County's reputation, once admired provincewide, is now clouded by a troubling lack of leadership integrity.' Powell noted there is a community petition demanding Bentley's resignation that, as of Thursday afternoon, had close to 400 signatories. Marianne Kidd, president of Dunnville's chamber of commerce, spoke of what she called a 'growing disconnect between how decisions are being made and what residents expect of their local government.' She asked council to pass a resolution requesting the province rescind Haldimand's strong-mayor powers, which Kidd said have caused 'organizational instability.' Such a resolution would have little effect, said lawyer John Mascarin from Aird and Berlis LLP , an expert on strong-mayor powers. Mascarin told councillors how Premier Doug Ford has modelled Ontario's municipalities after American cities, whose mayors have more power than their fellow council members. Mascarin called strong-mayor powers 'atrociously dangerous' and an affront to democracy, but said Haldimand is stuck with them until Ford changes the law or voters elect a different provincial government. 'Unless there's provincial legislation, you won't be able to do anything about these powers,' he said. Bentley had initially signalled she would not appoint an interim replacement for Case, saying in her June 27 'mayoral decision' the CAO position would be filled by various senior staffers on a weekly rotating basis. But the mayor changed tack two weeks later, appointing treasurer Mark Merritt as interim CAO July 10. Haldimand spokesperson Kyra Hayes confirmed to The Spectator that Merritt will be in the role 'indefinitely' as the search continues for Case's successor. Mayors are not legally required to provide a written explanation when using strong-mayor powers to make personnel changes such as firing the CAO, Mascarin explained. Using the powers to veto a bylaw or table legislation to support provincial priorities like housing would have to come with a written rationale. But Mascarin said there is no law compelling the mayor to explain why she ousted Case. Coun. Patrick O'Neill, who requested Monday's special meeting with the support of a majority of councillors, said Bentley could have found a way to attend virtually while on vacation. 'It is a choice to get here,' he said. Coun. Brad Adams pointed out Bentley had suggested two dates to have the meeting after she returned from her vacation later this month, which Hayes confirmed with The Spectator. 'However, a majority of the members of council decided to have the meeting on July 14,' Hayes said. Monday's special meeting about strong-mayor powers was immediately followed by a second meeting about recruiting Haldimand's next CAO. Bentley called that meeting herself despite knowing she would not be there, as she had already met last week with Jon Stungevicius, a senior partner with Waterhouse Executive Search. Stungevicius said a committee consisting of Bentley and two councillors will lead the nine-week search for Haldimand's next CAO, with input from his firm and the county's human resources department. Candidates who make the final round of interviews would appear before all members of council. 'It's the mayor's process, but she does want to engage council and staff,' Stungevicius told councillors. That left O'Neill exasperated. 'I'm about to lose it over here,' he said, noting the mayor called the meeting the day before and then did not appear herself. Noting council 'had no input into what happened' to the last CAO, O'Neill was skeptical of Bentley's promise to get council's input before choosing Case's successor. 'This just feels like a slap in the face,' O'Neill said. Megan Jamieson, Haldimand's head of human resources, told councillors the cost to hire a professional recruiter to fill a senior position is typically 10 to 25 per cent of the new hire's annual salary. In Ontario, chief administrators make roughly $250,000 per year. Add in the severance payment to Case and the result of any lawsuit she may launch, and councillors are worried about the potential cost of Bentley flexing her strong-mayor powers. 'The county's looking at a very big bill,' Coun. Dan Lawrence said. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Man stabs 17-year-old to death and dumps body in trash can, Iowa officials say
Man stabs 17-year-old to death and dumps body in trash can, Iowa officials say

Miami Herald

time10-07-2025

  • Miami Herald

Man stabs 17-year-old to death and dumps body in trash can, Iowa officials say

Michele 'Luna' Jackson had a routine. The 17-year-old would borrow her mother's green electric scooter and go to a nearby park where she would sit on the swings and listen to music. On the night of Sept. 22, however, her mother grew worried when Jackson didn't return home, Iowa court documents said. Jackson's sister went searching, by herself and then with her mom, but they didn't find Jackson. Instead, they saw Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney riding the electric scooter, court documents said. Her mom called 911, and her sister called her boyfriend, according to court documents. Once he arrived, the sister and her boyfriend confronted Bevers-McGivney, and he gave 'conflicting explanations' for why he had the scooter, according to court documents. Then, the mom noticed Jackson's bloody shoe in the scooter's basket. The boyfriend then held the man at gunpoint until police arrived, court documents said. The next morning, a worker found Jackson's body in a rolling trash bin near the Farnhamville park, officials said. Blood pooled in the garbage can, according to officials, and the teen had stab wounds and lacerations all over her body. On July 9, Bevers-McGivney was convicted of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, according to the verdict. Bevers-McGivney's attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment on July 10. '(Jackson) brought joy to those around her with her love for Minecraft, virtual conversations with friends, and her love for swinging in the park and passion for music,' her obituary said. The man slit the girl's throat with a knife while she was at the park and stabbed her at least 22 times in the chest and back until the blade got detached and got stuck in her back, according to court documents. Bevers-McGivney took the knife handle back to his apartment and threw it in his own garbage, according to officials. Jackson's blood was found on the floors of the residence, in the bathtub, on a white towel and on the man's clothes. He left his apartment and put Jackson's body in a trash can, then rolled it away from the park to a cornfield, officials said. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 15. Farnhamville is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Des Moines.

How Scattered Spider hackers are wrecking havoc on corporate America
How Scattered Spider hackers are wrecking havoc on corporate America

Axios

time08-07-2025

  • Axios

How Scattered Spider hackers are wrecking havoc on corporate America

A persistent hacking crew of young men and teenagers is back with a vengeance, wielding a two-year-old playbook to knock U.S. corporate systems offline. Why it matters: Scattered Spider hasn't had to evolve much to remain effective — a sign of how little corporate cybersecurity defenses have improved. The group's tactics, including help desk impersonation and SIM swapping, continue to wreak havoc across critical industries. Driving the news: Over the past month, Scattered Spider has been on a hacking spree that's disrupted operations at retailers, grocery chains, insurance providers, and airlines across the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Their reach may also now extend into Australia, where Qantas is investigating a cyberattack on one of its call centers — a hallmark tactic of Scattered Spider. The big picture: Unlike most ransomware gangs, Scattered Spider isn't a monolithic, state-sponsored machine. It's a loose collective, largely made up of teenagers and young men who emerged from online gaming communities like Roblox and Minecraft. "Scattered Spider includes more people in Western countries than other ransomware groups," Cynthia Kaiser, senior vice president of Halcyon's Ransomware Research Center and a former top FBI cyber official, told Axios. But while originally rooted in English-speaking countries, it's evolved into a more global operation, she said. Breaking it down: The group operates like a business, with a leadership structure, junior associates and temporary roles. Some members' sole job is to call help desks and reset employee passwords. Adam Meyers, SVP of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, told Axios the group's origin lies in a toxic subset of gaming culture, where online harassment evolved into SIM swapping and eventually ransomware. Scattered Spider's core includes about four leaders, but its operations are interwoven with members of the broader online community " The Com," which has ties to cybercrime and real-world violence, experts said. How it works: The group's primary tactic remains voice-based phishing where they call a company's overseas help desk, impersonate an employee, and reset their single sign-on passwords. They then use SIM swapping to intercept multifactor-authentication codes. In recent incidents, the group has escalated attacks by targeting ESXi hypervisors — systems that power a company's servers and digital operations but often fly under the radar of traditional security tools. Once inside, they deploy ransomware and cripple the server environment. "They're ninjas with identity," Meyers said. "They know how to avoid modern security tools ... and they're incredibly fast — in some cases, there's less than 24 hours between gaining access to deploying ransomware." Meyers added that his team has identified seven unique voices calling help desks in recent months. Flashback: Scattered Spider first made headlines in 2023 with attacks on Las Vegas casinos, including MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment. Two years later, their methods remain largely unchanged. "It's largely the same, frankly," Meyers said. "Once they figure out one organization that they can successfully get into, then they go, 'We're here, who are their peers, who are their competitors, who else is there that we can perhaps go after?'" Threat level: Scattered Spider is now collaborating with Russian ransomware gangs, including those behind Play, Akira and DragonForce, Kaiser said. Between the lines: Despite the group's Western presence, law enforcement faces obstacles in tracking them down. Many members are minors, which gives them different legal protections, Meyers said. And if they have any mental health conditions, officials in some countries where the group operates are limited in how long they can hold them and what charges they can pursue. For instance, when authorities arrested members of the Lapsus$ hacking gang — another group involving juvenile offenders — prosecutors struggled to proceed against a 17-year-old despite clear evidence of major corporate breaches. Kaiser noted that identifying every member of Scattered Spider is difficult due to the group's sprawling, decentralized nature. The intrigue: Still, U.S. officials have made more arrests tied to Scattered Spider than to Russian ransomware crews. In November, five men were charged in connection with the group. The bottom line: outdated MFA methods like SMS and voice codes.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store