Latest news with #JosephWilliams
Geek Wire
01-07-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Tech Moves: AWS leader goes to Siemens; Wash. names broadband lead; NuScale adds to C-suite
Joseph Williams onstage at the 2025 GeekWire Awards with his Public Policy Champion award. (GeekWire Photo / Dan DeLong) — Joseph Williams is temporarily taking the helm of the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) as it's scrambling to respond to Trump administration changes to a program issuing $42.45 billion of funding to expand high-speed broadband access nationally. Williams previously served as the Information and Communications Technology sector lead for the Washington Department of Commerce, and has worked for Microsoft and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In April he was honored with the Public Policy Champion for Innovation Award at the 2025 GeekWire Awards in Seattle. The broadband office has been working with local partners since 2021 to develop a plan for deploying Washington's $1.2 billion share of the federal funding. In June, the Trump administration redefined the criteria for selecting grant recipients and provided states with a September deadline to submit their spending plans. 'It's a critical time for the WSBO, and I am excited to join and support this important team and their vital mission of bringing internet to all in Washington,' Williams said in a statement. 'My plan is to ensure we can meet the upcoming federal deadlines and award funding to broadband providers across the state as quickly as possible.' Aaron Wheeler, the office's former lead, left the role last month. Commerce is seeking a permanent replacement for the job. Vasi Philomin. (LinkedIn Photo) — Vasi Philomin's new gig has been revealed: executive vice president of data and AI for Siemens. Last week, Philomin told Reuters he was leaving Amazon and his role as vice president in generative AI and machine learning initiatives, but was mum on his future. 'As industries evolve, the real breakthroughs will come from systems that don't just analyze data but interact with the world — systems that sense, reason, and act,' Philomin said on LinkedIn. 'This is Physical AI, and Siemens is uniquely positioned to lead it.' Philomin was at Amazon for more than eight years and led Amazon Bedrock, a tool for building gen AI applications on Amazon Web Services (AWS). It appears he will remain in the Seattle area. — Donald Thompson is now a distinguished engineer at Microsoft. He's taking the role after serving for three years as a distinguished engineer at LinkedIn, which Microsoft acquired almost a decade ago. Thompson's move marks an official return to the mothership as he previously worked at the Redmond, Wash., tech giant for more than 15 years, departing in 2013. His past positions at the company include multiple initiatives in Microsoft Research leading the knowledge and reasoning team in Bing, co-founding a semantic computing effort directly funded by Bill Gates and other projects. Thompson left Microsoft to launch and lead Maana, a tech company that was acquired by SparkCognition in 2021. He was a distinguished engineer at Splunk before going to LinkedIn. Shahram Ghasemian. (LinkedIn Photo) — NuScale Power announced Shahram Ghasemian as its chief legal officer and corporate secretary. The Oregon-based company is developing small modular nuclear reactors and was the first to have its SMR plans certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ghasemian comes to the role from Centrus Energy, which is producing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) — the fuel needed by most advanced reactor designs, including those from NuScale. Centrus last week shared that it has produced nearly one metric ton of HALEU, a first-of-its-kind achievement in the U.S. and a key milestone in the Department of Energy's HALEU Demonstration project. Ghasemian was previously director of the DOE's Alternative Dispute Resolution Office, and served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nearly a decade. Sharan Jhangiani. (LinkedIn Photo) — Sharan Jhangiani has left his role at Seattle's Yoodli, a startup using generative AI to analyze speech and offer tips for improving communication skills. Jhangiani was also a co-founder of DubHacks Next, a startup incubator run by students at the University of Washington, and has launched multiple tech ventures. Jhangiani is now CEO of OnePager, a New York City startup helping founders and incubator programs raise venture capital funding. '[T]he founder itch wouldn't go away,' Jhangiani said on LinkedIn. He added to his Yoodli colleagues, 'Miss the team!' Last month Yoodli announced $13.7 million from investors. — Ryan Kiskis is joining the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) as the director of strategic partnerships. Ryan Kiskis. (LinkedIn Photo) '[I]n this new role, I'll be building partnerships with leading public, corporate and startup orgs to accelerate the deployment of AI — AI that is truly open, transparent, grounded in science, and aspirational enough to change the world,' Kiskis said on LinkedIn. Kiskis, who is based in San Francisco, previously worked for Google Cloud as director of startups, engaging with investors and the founder community. Prior to that, he held a similar role for Amazon Web Services. — Boeing appointed former Lockheed Martin executive Jesus 'Jay' Malave as its chief financial officer, effective Aug. 15. The aerospace giant's current CFO, Brian West, will remain in an advisory role. Malave has held CFO and vice president roles at Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Carrier and United Technologies Corporation's Aerospace Systems. The company is under renewed scrutiny following last month's crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India that killed at least 270 people. — The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center shared news that Peter Gilbert has received the 2025 Marvin Zelen Leadership Award in Statistical Science. The Fred Hutch biostatistician does research focused on clinical trials of candidate vaccines for HIV and other infectious diseases.
CBS News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
New Jersey can have a grand jury investigate clergy sex abuse allegations, state high court rules
New Jersey can have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course. The Diocese of Camden previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state's investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden Bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he'd met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church's opposition to the grand jury. The seven-member Supreme Court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed. "Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written," the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justices. "We find that the State has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury." "There was no basis to stop the state" The state attorney general's office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it's committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse. "We are grateful for the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision this morning confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the State from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy," First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in an emailed statement. The Camden Diocese is still committed to cooperating with the effort, it said in a statement. "To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always," the diocese said. An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an adcvocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese's change. A Pennsylvania grand jury report in 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey's inquiry never became public partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings. Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to preempt a grand jury and a lower court agreed with the diocese. The core disagreement was whether a court rule permits grand juries in New Jersey to issue findings in cases involving private individuals. Trial and appellate courts found that isn't allowed. Hearing arguments on April 28, members of the high court repeatedly questioned whether challenging the state was premature, since lower court proceedings prevented New Jersey from seating a grand jury that would investigate any allegations or issue findings, called a presentment. Lloyd Levenson, the church's attorney, answered that "you'd have to be Rip Van Winkle" not to know what the grand jury would say. "The goal here is obviously to condemn the Catholic Church and priests and bishops," he said. "Decades of crimes against children will finally be exposed" The court said Monday it wasn't ruling on any underlying issues and a trial court judge would still have the chance to review the grand jury's findings before they became public. Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said Monday in a text message he's "elated" by the court's decision. "Decades of crimes against children will finally be exposed," he said. In 2023, a trial court judge sided with the diocese, finding that a grand jury would lack authority because it would be focused on "private conduct," rather than a government agency's actions. An appeals court affirmed that judgment last year, and the attorney general's office appealed to the state Supreme Court. Documents the high court unsealed in March sketched out some of what the state's task force has found so far, without specific allegations. They show 550 phone calls alleging abuse from the 1940s to the "recent past" came into a state-established hotline. The diocese argued a grand jury isn't needed, largely because of a 2002 memorandum of understanding between New Jersey Catholic dioceses and prosecutors. requiring church officials to report abuse. But the Pennsylvania report led to reexamining the statute of limitations in New Jersey, where the time limits on childhood sex abuse claims were overhauled in 2019. The new law allows child victims to sue until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused them harm. The previous statute of limitations was age 20, or two years after realizing abuse caused harm. Also in 2019, New Jersey's five Catholic dioceses listed more than 180 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over several decades. Many listed were deceased and others removed from ministry. The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits — up to 55, according to court records — after the statute of limitations was relaxed. In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers, one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church in the U.S. The agreement, covering six southern New Jersey counties outside Philadelphia, exceeded the nearly $85 million settlement in 2003 in the clergy abuse scandal in Boston, but was less than settlements in California and Oregon.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
New Jersey supreme court allows grand jury to investigate clergy sexual abuse allegations
New Jersey can have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state's supreme court ruled on Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course. The Camden diocese previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state's investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he'd met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church's opposition to the grand jury. The seven-member supreme court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed. 'Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written,' the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justices. 'We find that the state has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.' The state attorney general's office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it's committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse. 'We are grateful for the New Jersey supreme court's decision … confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the state from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy,' first assistant attorney General Lyndsay V Ruotolo said in an emailed statement. The Camden diocese is still committed to cooperating with the effort, it said in a statement. 'To the victims and all those impacted by abuse, we reaffirm our sorrow, our support, and our unwavering resolve to do what is right, now and always,' the diocese said. An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an advocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese's change. A Pennsylvania grand jury report in 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey's inquiry never became public partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings. Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to pre-empt a grand jury – and a lower court agreed with the diocese. The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits – up to 55, according to court records – after the statute of limitations was relaxed. In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5m to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers.
Al Arabiya
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
New Jersey Can Have a Grand Jury Investigate Clergy Sex Abuse Allegations, State High Court Rules
New Jersey can have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course. The Diocese of Camden previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state's investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden Bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he'd met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church's opposition to the grand jury. The seven-member Supreme Court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed. 'Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written,' the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justices. 'We find that the State has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.' The state attorney general's office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it's committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse. 'We are grateful for the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision this morning confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the State from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy,' First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in an emailed statement. An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an advocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese's change. A Pennsylvania grand jury report in 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey's inquiry never became public, partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings. Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to preempt a grand jury, and a lower court agreed with the diocese. The core disagreement was whether a court rule permits grand juries in New Jersey to issue findings in cases involving private individuals. Trial and appellate courts found that isn't allowed. Hearing arguments on April 28, members of the high court repeatedly questioned whether challenging the state was premature since lower court proceedings prevented New Jersey from seating a grand jury that would investigate any allegations or issue findings called a presentment. 'We don't know what a grand jury would say, am I right?' Justice Anne Patterson asked the attorney for the diocese. Lloyd Levenson, the church's attorney, answered that 'you'd have to be Rip Van Winkle not to know what the grand jury would say.' 'The goal here is obviously to condemn the Catholic Church and priests and bishops,' he said. He noted the state could still pursue criminal investigations and abuse victims could seek civil penalties. The court said Monday it wasn't ruling on any underlying issues, and a trial court judge would still have the chance to review the grand jury's findings before they became public. Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said Monday in a text message he's elated by the court's decision. 'Decades of crimes against children will finally be exposed,' he said. In 2023, a trial court judge sided with the diocese, finding that a grand jury would lack authority because it would be focused on private conduct rather than a government agency's actions. An appeals court affirmed that judgment last year, and the attorney general's office appealed to the state Supreme Court. Documents the high court unsealed in March sketched out some of what the state's task force has found so far without specific allegations. They show 550 phone calls alleging abuse from the 1940s to the recent past came into a state-established hotline. The diocese argued a grand jury isn't needed largely because of a 2002 memorandum of understanding between New Jersey Catholic dioceses and prosecutors. The memorandum required church officials to report abuse and said authorities would be provided with all relevant information about the allegations. But the Pennsylvania report led to reexamining the statute of limitations in New Jersey, where the time limits on childhood sex abuse claims were overhauled in 2019. The new law allows child victims to sue until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused them harm. The previous statute of limitations was age 20 or two years after realizing abuse caused harm. Also in 2019, New Jersey's five Catholic dioceses listed more than 180 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over several decades. Many listed were deceased and others removed from ministry. The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits–up to 55 according to court records–after the statute of limitations was relaxed. In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers, one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church in the US. The agreement covering six southern New Jersey counties outside Philadelphia exceeded the nearly $85 million settlement in 2003 in the clergy abuse scandal in Boston but was less than settlements in California and Oregon.
San Francisco Chronicle
16-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
New Jersey can have a grand jury investigate clergy sex abuse allegations, state high court rules
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey can have a grand jury examine allegations of clergy sexually abusing children, the state's Supreme Court ruled Monday, after a Catholic diocese that had tried for years to block such proceedings recently reversed course. The Diocese of Camden previously had argued that a court rule prevents the state attorney general from impaneling a grand jury to issue findings in the state's investigation into decades of allegations against church officials. But the diocese notified the court in early May that it would no longer oppose that. Camden Bishop Joseph Williams, who took over the diocese in March, said he'd met with stakeholders in the diocese and there was unanimous consent to end the church's opposition to the grand jury. The seven-member Supreme Court concluded such a grand jury inquiry is allowed. 'Courts cannot presume the outcome of an investigation in advance or the contents of a presentment that has not yet been written," the court wrote in an opinion joined by all seven justieces. 'We find that the State has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.' The state attorney general's office praised the decision in an emailed statement and said it's committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse. 'We are grateful for the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision this morning confirming what we have maintained throughout this lengthy court battle: that there was no basis to stop the State from pursuing a grand jury presentment on statewide sexual abuse by clergy,' First Assistant Attorney General Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said in an emailed statement. An email seeking comment was sent Monday to the Catholic League, an adcvocacy and civil rights organization that still opposed the grand jury after the diocese's change. A Pennsylvania grand jury report in 2018 found more than 1,000 children had been abused in that state since the 1940s, prompting the New Jersey attorney general to announce a similar investigation. The results of New Jersey's inquiry never became public partly because the legal battle with the Camden diocese was unfolding amid sealed proceedings. Then this year, the Bergen Record obtained documents disclosing that the diocese had tried to preempt a grand jury and a lower court agreed with the diocese. The core disagreement was whether a court rule permits grand juries in New Jersey to issue findings in cases involving private individuals. Trial and appellate courts found that isn't allowed. Hearing arguments on April 28, members of the high court repeatedly questioned whether challenging the state was premature, since lower court proceedings prevented New Jersey from seating a grand jury that would investigate any allegations or issue findings, called a presentment. 'We don't know what a grand jury would say, am I right?' Justice Anne Patterson asked the attorney for the diocese. Lloyd Levenson, the church's attorney, answered that 'you'd have to be Rip Van Winkle' not to know what the grand jury would say. 'The goal here is obviously to condemn the Catholic Church and priests and bishops,' he said. He noted the state could still pursue criminal investigations and abuse victims could seek civil penalties. The court said Monday it wasn't ruling on any underlying issues and a trial court judge would still have the chance to review the grand jury's findings before they became public. Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, said Monday in a text message he's 'elated' by the court's decision. "Decades of crimes against children will finally be exposed," he said. How the diocese won early rulings In 2023, a trial court judge sided with the diocese, finding that a grand jury would lack authority because it would be focused on 'private conduct,' rather than a government agency's actions. An appeals court affirmed that judgment last year, and the attorney general's office appealed to the state Supreme Court. Documents the high court unsealed in March sketched out some of what the state's task force has found so far, without specific allegations. They show 550 phone calls alleging abuse from the 1940s to the 'recent past' came into a state-established hotline. The diocese argued a grand jury isn't needed, largely because of a 2002 memorandum of understanding between New Jersey Catholic dioceses and prosecutors. The memorandum required church officials to report abuse and said authorities would be provided with all relevant information about the allegations. But the Pennsylvania report led to reexamining the statute of limitations in New Jersey, where the time limits on childhood sex abuse claims were overhauled in 2019. The new law allows child victims to sue until they turn 55 or within seven years of their first realization that the abuse caused them harm. The previous statute of limitations was age 20, or two years after realizing abuse caused harm. Also in 2019, New Jersey's five Catholic dioceses listed more than 180 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over several decades. Many listed were deceased and others removed from ministry. The church has settled with accusers The Camden diocese, like others nationwide, filed for bankruptcy amid a torrent of lawsuits — up to 55, according to court records — after the statute of limitations was relaxed. In 2022, the diocese agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle allegations involving clergy sex abuse against some 300 accusers, one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic church in the U.S. The agreement, covering six southern New Jersey counties outside Philadelphia, exceeded the nearly $85 million settlement in 2003 in the clergy abuse scandal in Boston, but was less than settlements in California and Oregon.
