Latest news with #JerryDemings
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sonoco to expand adhesives and sealants production with $30m investment
Sonoco Products Company has announced a capital investment of $30m in its Orlando, US, facility aimed at increasing its production capacity in the adhesives and sealants sector. The move is expected to add 100 million units to the company's annual output, addressing the rising demand for these products. Sonoco noted that the investment will focus on both upgrading current production lines and establishing new ones, which is intended to enhance operational efficiency. In addition to the company's Orlando site, the expanded capacity will be distributed across Sonoco's other two facilities in the US, a move designed to improve supply chain reliability and ensure consistent access to materials for customers. Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said: 'We are excited to see companies like Sonoco continue to invest and expand in Orange County. 'Their decision to grow here underscores the strength of our regional economy and reinforces the importance of supporting businesses that help diversify our economy. 'This investment not only benefits our community today but helps position Orange County for a more prosperous future, attracting companies that support our region and our people.' This development reflects Sonoco's ongoing efforts to adapt to market needs. Sonoco North America Rigid Paper Containers vice-president and general manager Elizabeth Rhue said: 'At Sonoco, we are committed to investing in the latest technology and production efficiencies to support the evolving needs of our customers. 'This investment strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality products while reinforcing our position as a trusted partner in the adhesives and sealants market.' In May this year, Sonoco published its corporate sustainability report for 2024, highlighting its shift towards more environmentally friendly practices. "Sonoco to expand adhesives and sealants production with $30m investment" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stephanie Murphy announces run for Orange County mayor
The Brief Former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy has announced she will be running for Orange County mayor. Current Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings will be out in 2026 due to term limits. Three others have announced their candidacy in addition to Murphy. ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - Former U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy has announced she will be running for Orange County mayor. Current Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings will be out in 2026 due to term limits, which leaves the race wide open for new candidates. So far, three others have announced their candidacy in addition to Murphy. What we know Murphy, 46, joined FOX 35's Amy Kaufeldt for an interview Wednesday morning on Good Day Orlando, where she shared the news that she would be entering the mayoral race in Orange County. Murphy said her vision for making Orange County and Orlando the best place to live includes increasing the number of housing units, addressing well-paying jobs for affordable living, and investing in infrastructure such as transportation. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP Murphy shared that the 9/11 attacks and the Pulse shooting were two major events that spurred her interest in politics. The mayoral election will be held on Nov. 3, 2026. What they're saying "I'm raising my family in this community, and I want to make it the most livable, safe, affordable community that's out there," Murphy said. "Right now, Orlando is experiencing significant growth, and we have to be able to manage that growth to make it work for everybody here." "I had an opportunity to live the American dream, and I feel like that's getting further and further out of reach for people," she said. 'We have to make investments into the things that allow people to achieve the American dream, so that their kids have a better future than they had." Local perspective Candidates still have time to enter the race and must file their intent for the ballot by June 12, 2026. Currently, Murphy faces opponents including Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe and tech entrepreneur Chris Messina. Former Congresswoman Val Deming, wife of Jerry Demings, was a rumored candidate to succeed her husband, but announced she would not run last month. SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS Dig deeper Murphy was born in Vietnam, but left the country with her family in 1979. She grew up in Northern Virginia and completed her undergraduate studies at the College of William & Mary before then enrolling in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University. She worked as a national security specialist at the United States Department of Defense, an executive at Sungate Capital and a professor of business at Rollins College. Murphy, a Democrat, made history when she was the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress in 2016. She served as the U.S. representative for Florida's seventh congressional district from 2017 to 2023. During that time, Murphy served on the Ways and Means Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, Small Business Committee, and the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan 6th Attack on the Capitol. She left her House seat by choice. Murphy is a mother of two children, ages 14 and 11. The Source This story was written based on information shared by Stephanie Murphy in an interview with FOX 35's Amy Kaufeldt on July 9, 2025.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No longer ‘disappeared', Orange County ICE detainees are now public
Orange County has begun identifying — in prominent fashion — the jail inmates it holds on immigration detainers, reversing its practice of hiding their names that drew angry protests. Now, beneath a detainee's mugshot on the jail's website, a yellow banner displays 'Immigration Hold.' The county previously had insisted its agreement with federal authorities required it to withhold the names of detainees, though other jails have shown such immigration detainers. But families complained their loved ones were being 'disappeared' into the immigration detention system. Mayor Jerry Demings directed corrections staff to reverse course in late June. 'Moving forward, this database will include ICE immigrant detainees,' Demings said in a statement. 'I believe this will assist family members of detainees in locating their loved ones. Relevant information for the public is now available on the jail's website.' Such information is valuable to attorneys and family members who are trying to find inmates though the value can be fleeting. Federal immigration detainees are often transferred swiftly to facilities in Miami, the new 'Alligator Alcatraz' in the Everglades, or other facilities in Texas and New Mexico. Once they're transferred to an ICE facility, finding them can be challenging. 'It's an incredibly good first step and we're deeply grateful to the elected officials who are finally listening to us,' said Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, the executive director of the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka. 'It's completely unacceptable to live in a community where people disappear.' Under Orange County's Intergovernmental Service Agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the county jail serves as one of a handful of facilities across the state that houses federal inmates. County commissioners are expected to further discuss the agreement at a meeting next week. That means people arrested on immigration charges beyond the county's borders – in some cases 100 miles from Orange County – are booked and housed into the jail until they can be transferred to an ICE facility. That agreement has come under fire as well, in part because the county is only reimbursed $88 per day an inmate is held, while it costs about $145 to detain someone. Sousa Lazaballet said he believes the county should terminate the IGSA agreement all together. Previously, when inmates were booked in the jail with an immigration detainer but no local charges, their name never appeared on the jail's roster. But when a person was booked on a criminal charge or even a traffic ticket with such a detainer, they'd appear on the jail's website until the local charge was settled. After that, they'd become a federal inmate and be removed from the roster – despite often still being in the same jail. 'I'm grateful that there's more transparency now in the data for families to be able to find their people in the Orange County Jail,' said Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad, who had been calling for the change. Even still, she said, some people are being lost in the system when they're transferred from the Orange County Jail to another facility and then brought back to the local jail, she said. 'That's where we're still losing people,' she said. 'Families feel as though their loved ones are being lost.' rygillespie@ shudak@
Al Jazeera
11-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
Pulse massacre survivors in Florida to revisit nightclub before it is razed
Survivors and family members of the 49 victims killed at an LGBTQ+ friendly nightclub in the United States have gotten their first chance to walk through it before it is demolished and replaced with a permanent memorial to what at the time was considered the worst mass shooting in modern US history. In small groups over four days starting Wednesday, survivors and family members of those killed plan to spend half an hour at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded. Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS), was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2m and plans to build a $12m permanent memorial that will open in 2027. These efforts follow a fumbled attempt to create a memorial over many years by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. The existing structure will be razed later this year. 'None of us thought that it would take nine years to get to this point, and we can't go back and relitigate all of the failures along the way that have happened. But what we can do is control how we move forward together,' Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said two weeks ago, when county commissioners pledged $5m to support the city of Orlando's plan. The opportunity to visit the nightclub comes on the ninth anniversary of the mass shooting. About 250 survivors and family members of those killed have responded to the city's invitation to walk through the nightclub this week. Families of the 49 people who were killed can visit the site with up to six people in their group, and survivors can bring one person with them. The club has been cleaned, and lighting has been installed ahead of the walk-throughs. The people invited to visit are being given the chance to ask FBI agents who investigated the massacre about what happened. Mental health counsellors will be available to talk to those who walk through the building in what could be both a healing and traumatic moment for them. 'The building may come down, and we may finally get a permanent memorial, but that doesn't change the fact that this community has been scarred for life,' said Brandon Wolf, who survived the massacre by hiding in a bathroom as the gunman opened fire. He does not plan to visit the site. 'There are people inside the community who still need and will continue to need support and resources.'
The Independent
11-06-2025
- The Independent
Pulse massacre survivors are set to revisit the nightclub before it's razed
Survivors and family members of the 49 victims killed in the Pulse nightclub massacre nine years ago are getting their first chance Wednesday to walk through the long-shuttered, LGBTQ+-friendly Florida venue before it's razed and replaced with a permanent memorial to what was once the worst U.S. mass shooting in modern times. In small groups over four days, survivors and family members of those killed planned to spend a half hour inside the space where Omar Mateen opened fire during a Latin night celebration on June 12, 2016, leaving 49 dead and 53 wounded. Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed after a three-hour standoff with police. At the time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The Pulse shooting's death toll was surpassed the following year when 58 people were killed and more than 850 injured among a crowd of 22,000 at a country music festival in Las Vegas. The city of Orlando purchased the Pulse property in 2023 for $2 million and plans to build a $12 million permanent memorial which will open in 2027. Those efforts follow a multiyear, botched attempt by a private foundation run by the club's former owner. The existing structure will be razed later this year. 'None of us thought that it would take nine years to get to this point and we can't go back and relitigate all of the failures along the way that have happened, but what we can do is control how we move forward together," Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said two weeks ago when county commissioners pledged $5 million to support the city of Orlando's plan. Visits coincide with the shooting's ninth anniversary The opportunity to go inside the nightclub comes on the ninth anniversary of the mass shooting. Outside, over-sized photos of the victims, rainbow-colored flags and flowers have hung on fences in a makeshift memorial, and the site has attracted visitors from around the globe. But very few people other than investigators have been inside the structure. Around 250 survivors and family members of those killed have responded to the city's invitation to walk through the nightclub this week. Families of the 49 people who were killed can visit the site with up to six people in their group, and survivors can bring one person with them. The people invited to visit are being given the chance to ask FBI agents who investigated the massacre about what happened. They won't be allowed to take photos or video inside. Brandon Wolf, who hid in a bathroom as the gunman opened fire, said he wasn't going to visit, primarily because he now lives in Washington. He said he wanted to remember Pulse as it was before. 'I will say that the site of the tragedy is where I feel closest to the people who were stolen from me,' said Wolf, who now is national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group. 'For survivors, the last time they were in that space was the worst night possible. It will be really hard to be in that space again.' Mental health counselors planned to be on hand to talk to those who walk through the building. Original memorial plans for Pulse fell short Survivors and family members had hoped to have a permanent memorial in place by now. But an earlier effort by a private foundation to build one floundered, and the organization disbanded in 2023. Barbara and Rosario Poma and businessman Michael Panaggio previously owned the property, and Barbara Poma was the executive director of the onePulse Foundation — the nonprofit that had been leading efforts to build a memorial and museum. She stepped down as executive director in 2022 and then left the organization entirely in 2023 amid criticism that she wanted to sell instead of donate the property. There were also complaints about the lack of progress despite millions of dollars being raised. The original project, unveiled in 2019 by the onePulse Foundation, called for a museum and permanent memorial costing $45 million. That estimate eventually soared to $100 million. The city of Orlando has since outlined a more modest proposal and scrapped plans for a museum. 'The building may come down, and we may finally get, a permanent memorial, but that doesn't change the fact that this community has been scarred for life,' Wolf said. 'There are people inside the community who still need and will continue to need support and resources.' ___
