Latest news with #JohnJordan
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Court hears 13-year-old girl with history of drug use and sexual exploitation needs to switch care unit
A 13-year-old girl who has had more than 200 incidents involving gardaí along with a history of drug use, sexual exploitation and severe neglect is to be moved from her secure-care unit for her own safety. On Thursday, against the recommendations of her advocate, the High Court ordered the girl be moved due to 'very significant issues' with another child in her current unit. Mr Justice John Jordan, acknowledging concerns of her guardian ad litem – an independent person appointed by the court to act as the child's voice – said Tusla, the Child and Family Agency , was 'between a rock and hard place in terms of resolving a situation which has to be resolved'. The deteriorating situation of the girl, who was detained in secure care, also known as special care, earlier this year, has been reported to the court regularly since the admission of another child to the same unit. READ MORE The two children, who are from the same locality, have a 'fractious' relationship. The girl has said she 'should not have to live' with the other child. William O'Rourke, assistant national director of alternative care in Tusla, said on Thursday the issues between the children were 'becoming more toxic, more fractious', and 'a move should occur as soon as possible'. Margaret Fennell, the girl's guardian ad litem, described her as 'a very vulnerable... young girl who wants to be part of something. She is lost.' Until recently she had not engaged 'in any form of therapeutic service, nor wanted to'. 'She has over 200 incidents with An Garda Síochána ... [there was] quite a significant incident [that] has gone to the DPP [ Director of Public Prosecutions ] in relation to a serious assault.' Since coming into special care earlier this year she had built positive therapeutic relationships in her current placement. This was 'amazing' and 'should be nurtured', said Ms Fennell. 'I still do believe it should not be [the girl in her charge] that is moving.' Mr Justice Jordan noted that the girl came from 'an extraordinarily dysfunctional background'. When she first spent time in special care, at age 11, she had already experienced 'drug-taking problems, suicide attempts... serious sexual exploitation, despite her young age'. At the time, both her parents were in prison. '[The girl] has had very few breaks in life and it is the position she was making improvements in [her unit which] appear to have come to a halt or to have slowed.' . There was 'no doubt' it was necessary to separate the two children. Each of the three special care centres was 'too small', he noted, to effectively keep children who had a negative impact upon each other apart. The complexity of separating them lay in the fact that all 16 available special care beds are occupied, meaning a child currently staying in the unit to which the girl will move must also be moved to make space for her. Tusla told the court it had identified a child in the second unit who would benefit from swapping places with the girl, due to 'escalating tensions and difficulties' they were involved in. That child's parents agreed 'absolutely' with the move if the child was 'in danger'. Making orders to arrange both moves, the judge said there were 'no guarantees' they would be without problems. He listed the three children's cases for review in coming weeks.
CBC
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Nova Scotian lighthouse lamp found in B.C. thrift store ignites cross-country friendship
Julia Ghersini found a lighthouse lamp in a Maple Ridge, B.C., thrift store and realized it was a unique, hand-painted item by Nova Scotia's John and Sheila Jordan. When she posted about it on Facebook, her post went viral, and she ended up meeting Amanda Farnsworth-Thibodeau, a great-niece of the Jordans, who has her own version of the lighthouse.
Sky News AU
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Far left' LA protesters are showing ‘intensity and malevolence'
Republican strategist John Jordan discusses the protesters in Los Angeles amid the deployment of National Guard members to the city by US President Donald Trump. 'This particular group of protestors by the far left have demonstrated an inclination towards violence,' Mr Jordan told Sky News Australia. 'So, it isn't the size of the protest, but it is the intensity and malevolence of these actors.'
Irish Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Warring couple's estimated €500,000 ‘high-conflict' litigation costs is ‘cautionary tale', warns judge
A warring couple's 'high conflict' proceedings involving estimated legal costs of about €500,000 are 'a cautionary tale' about the price of family law litigation, a High Court judge has said. The €1.1 million value of the remaining assets of the marriage of less than five years puts the scale of the legal costs 'in context', Mr Justice John Jordan said. He made the comments when upholding the man's appeal against certain Circuit Court orders made in divorce proceedings. Orders requiring the man to pay the woman a €150,100 lump sum for spousal maintenance, €173,500 to achieve pension equalisation and €61,500 towards her legal fees were described as 'punitive' by Mr Justice Jordan. READ MORE It was a short marriage with few matrimonial assets generated during its existence, the judge said. Taking this into account, and that inheritances accounted for much of the husband's assets, the woman should have about 25 per cent of the available assets, meaning a total lump sum of €275,000, plus payment of her health insurance, the judge ruled. The man has valuable pensions, while the woman's are of nominal value, but that must be viewed in the context of the marriage's short duration, he said. The man has a reasonably good salary and, while the woman earns significantly less, her part-time earnings are reasonable and likely to increase, he said. The Circuit Court failed to properly take into account the man will separately pay €1,100 monthly maintenance, plus some other costs, for their child and had put €56,000 in a trust fund for the child, the judge noted. He set aside a safety order the Circuit Court granted to the woman against the man. He found she had not pressed that court for it and there was a lack of evidence of any violence, or threats of violence by the man. 'Simply to set necessary lines of demarcation,' the judge said he would make orders restraining the man from entering the woman's property. The dispute between the man and woman has been before the District Court, Circuit Court and High Court, he said. The woman initiated judicial separation proceedings and there were other proceedings related to access and custody. He was satisfied both sides contributed to the disagreements and the 'high conflict' nature of the litigation. To their mutual credit, against a 'difficult backdrop' and medical issues, their young child is doing well, the judge said. A summary of legal costs indicated the woman's costs were about €258,000, of which €44,000 was paid, while the man's were €212,000, most of which have been paid. He estimated accountants' fees at €20,000-€30,000. Both sides must negotiate their own fee payments, the judge said. Hers are likely to be much less than the 'aspirational' €258,000 referred to, he believed. It seemed the woman would probably have qualified for legal aid but she decided not to apply, apparently in the belief the service would have been inferior to that of private lawyers, the judge said. There was 'no reason' to doubt the quality of the legal aid service and nothing to suggest there would have been any greater delays if she was represented by the Legal Aid Board, he said. Her decision not to seek legal aid was 'somewhat irresponsible' when she clearly could not afford private representation and the total resources of the marriage 'were not great', he said. Considering this factor, alongside other reasons, the judge set aside an order requiring the man to pay €61,000 towards her legal fees.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Little lighthouse found in B.C. thrift store illuminates N.S. family connections
The search for an office lamp at a thrift store in Maple Ridge, B.C., has resulted in an outpouring of interest online and shed light on family ties thousands of kilometres away. Julia Ghersini, who works in the film industry, found the $14.99 wooden Nova Scotia lighthouse lamp at Value Village. She found it charming. When she turned it over to check the price she found an inscription that said "built & painted by John and Sheila Jordan, Brighton N.S." and a phone number in the 902 area code. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, look at this,'" Ghersini said. Fascinated by the find, she bought it. She thought a co-worker from Nova Scotia would enjoy having something in the office to remind him of home. After some research, she learned John and Sheila Jordan had died. Sheila died in 2015 and John eight years later. Knowing that East Coast family connections run deep, Ghersini posted photos of the lamp on the "I love Nova Scotia" Facebook group. She went to bed thinking somebody might respond. "Waking up the next morning, I think at that point I was close to 1,000 likes on the first day," she said. "And then it just kind of kept growing and growing and growing. The comments that have been posted are just so heartwarming." To date, the post has just under 7,000 likes, 274 comments and over 500 shares. The post quickly reached John and Sheila's family in Nova Scotia. "I took a second and I was like, 'Does that say Uncle Johnny and Auntie Sheila?" said Ocean O'Neill, their great-niece from Bridgetown, N.S., who saw it first on her feed. O'Neill said the couple are remembered fondly by their family. She vividly remembers her childhood visits to their home near Digby. She said the couple crafted lighthouses, birdhouses and replicas of Maud Lewis's home as a retirement hobby. "Uncle Johnny's wood shop was behind the house and he was colour blind and that's why she painted everything, " O'Neill said. They would give them to family and friends and sell them as souvenirs to passing tourists. Each one was signed and numbered, she said. The post helped O'Neill discover a cousin she never knew existed. Amanda Farnsworth-Thibodeau, a great-niece from Marshalltown, N.S., said John was her godfather. She says she still cherishes a birdhouse he made for her. Farnsworth-Thibodeau likens the outpouring of memories and family connections to an East Coast kitchen party happening online. She believes one of the reasons for the popularity of the post is because "people missed that connection of the simpler things in life, getting gifts from people that are simple but really mean big things." The little Nova Scotia lighthouse now sits in Ghersini's B.C. office. She said it's nice to know that she's brightened so many people's day by posting about it on Facebook. "It's the first thing I turn on in the morning ... and the last thing I turn off at night," Ghersini said. Ghersini plans to visit Nova Scotia soon and says she thinks she has to bring the lighthouse "back to where it came from." MORE TOP STORIES
