Latest news with #Mayes
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mayes tries to address ‘battle' over homeless outreach turf
Coun. Brian Mayes says the city should 'encourage' St. Boniface Street Links and Main Street Project to start a dialogue with the city on how best to co-ordinate their work on the homeless problem. 'It's just so unfortunate that we've got some money (to tackle this), we want to reduce encampments and here we are with this battle over who should be doing the work,' said Mayes. The St. Vital councillor raised a motion at Thursday's city council meeting that calls for talks between the municipal government and two key homeless outreach providers, to ensure they help as many vulnerable people as possible and avoid overlapping their services. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Coun. Brian Mayes would like to see St. Boniface Street Links and Main Street Project work with the city on how best to co-ordinate their work on the homeless problem. In June, the City of Winnipeg awarded Main Street Project a $275,000 contract for mobile outreach services, with a focus on moving people out of encampments and into housing, as part of the provincial Your Way Home strategy. That made MSP the city's main outreach provider, about six weeks after the agency was accused of re-establishing a homeless encampment near the riverbank in Point Douglas. End Homelessness Winnipeg later told the Free Press that action was taken to move someone out of one encampment due to a safety concern, when other housing wasn't available. Mayes said MSP and Street Links have different approaches but both services are needed. He said co-ordination is key to ensure Main Street isn't sent by the city to support the same encampments the public reports to Street Links. 'How do we deal (with that)? Are we going to have two separate groups showing up and arguing?' he asked. Street Links recently said it will continue operating through donations in its initial zone east of the Red River, regardless of not getting the latest city grant, Mayes noted. 'If that's really the case, we can probably get a lot more bang for our buck through Main Street Project. If they (don't) have to cover as big of an area, if they (would just cover) west of the Red,' he said. Marion Willis, the executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, said her organization has a great success rate, housing 22 people in July alone. Rather than start new discussions, Willis would prefer the city give Street Links jurisdiction to keep handling outreach in its current area. 'The motion that I would look for … (would be one) that protects, by city council resolution, our ability to be the service provider for all of eastern Winnipeg,' she said. Willis said overlap has already occurred between the two organizations, as both tried to help one individual in a south Winnipeg encampment within the past week. 'There's a clash all along the Red on our side where people are being told they can stay where they are. Our approach is not going to be to support people to live in encampments. That's never going to be the case for us,' she said. Mayor Scott Gillingham said he believes outreach providers are already in dialogue, so calling for further talks would be redundant. 'All of those front-line agencies (have been) at the table and they are at the table on a regular basis,' said Gillingham. The mayor noted the city still provides some funding to Street Links, stressing he sees the need for both groups. 'There is, unfortunately, so much work to do when it comes to addressing homelessness right now and meeting the needs of unsheltered individuals,' he said. This year's city budget included $250,000 for Street Links 24/7 safe space and $59,375 for its mobile outreach service up to the end of June. The budget also included three funding pockets for Main Street Project, including: $86,400 for its Main Stay program; $178,126 for its mobile outreach (up to the end of June) and $275,000 for mobile outreach during the last six months of the year. Main Street Project did not grant an interview request on Thursday. In an email, the organization said it is working with all groups that provide outreach service to homeless people. 'We host a bi-weekly outreach meeting, and all outreach teams are invited to participate in those co-ordination meetings and use the Signal app for real-time communication between outreach providers. That will always remain open to all groups doing outreach,' wrote Jamil Mahmood, MSP's executive director, in the statement. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Mahmood added his organization encourages more unity among groups and governments to address homelessness. 'We are always willing to work with and co-ordinate with all the amazing teams doing such important work for our city,' he wrote. Council's executive policy committee will consider the matter in September. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. 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Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Man buys lottery ticket while taking mom out to eat — then she scratches big win
A Virginia man and his brother stopped to buy some lottery tickets while taking their mom out to eat, then she scratched one of his tickets and won a top prize, officials said. 'We were all so happy!' David Mayes, of Culpeper, told the Virginia Lottery, according to a June 26 news release. Mayes and his family won a prize worth $100,000 in the 10X the Money game, lottery officials said. He bought the winning ticket for $5 at a grocery store in Warrenton, about a 50-mile drive southwest from Washington, D.C., the lottery said. The 10X the Money game — which began in September 2022 — is now closed as that was the 12th and final top prize to be claimed, according to lottery officials. The odds of winning the top prize in the game were 1 in 1,713,600, lottery officials said.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Forward Air Chairman Ousted, Potential Sale Appears in View
Forward Air Corp. chairman George Mayes, Jr. resigned from his post in a win for activist investors looking to take the logistics and trucking company in a different direction—and potentially court new ownership. Chairman Mayes left the position following an election at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday, alongside two other resigning board members, Javier Polit and Laurie Tucker. More from Sourcing Journal How Israeli Footwear Firms Are Being Impacted During Iran Conflict Byte-Sized AI: Perfect Corp. and Nvidia Team Up; LuminX Gets Seed Round Chain Reaction: Dispatch Science CEO Arthur Axelrad on Turning Logistics into a 'Customer Experience Engine' Activist investor Ancora Holdings Group had urged shareholders to vote against the three candidates in the leadup to the vote, with the hedge fund getting support from proxy advisors Glass, Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). Mayes failed to secure the 50.1 percent of votes required in the shareholder election to stay in his position, effectively forcing him to leave the position. Polit and Laurie Tucker surpassed the threshold and voluntarily resigned as board members. 'This vote is a clear mandate that shareholders expect Forward Air to expeditiously complete a credible strategic review that leads to a sale at a meaningful premium,' said Ancora in a statement. 'Absent the more than 30 percent of shares that were legally committed to vote for the incumbent board, chairman George Mayes, Jr., Javier Polit and Laurie Tucker lost in a landslide, highlighting the substantial level of concern regarding the legitimacy of the board's strategic review. We believe the resignations of these legacy directors will empower the board to carry out a thorough assessment of value-maximizing opportunities.' The Forward Air board first initiated a strategic review of its business in January, after multiple activist investors including Ancora had called for the company to consider a possible sale. 'Looking ahead, we are committed to advancing the company's strategic alternatives review—which is well underway—and continued global transformation in order to improve operating results and maximize shareholder value,' the Forward Air board said in a statement. 'We will continue to work closely with the management team to realize the company's full intrinsic value.' With new board members in charge, it appears prospective buyers are coming out of the woodwork. Four private equity firms—Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, Platin Equity and Clearlake Capital—have expressed interest in acquiring Forward Air, according to a Friday report from Reuters. Clearlake Capital is the largest shareholder of Forward Air, holding a 12.6 percent stake as of March 31. Both Blackstone and Apollo have signed confidentiality agreements with the logistics firm, allowing them to review documents and receive other information to shape a potential bid. Initial takeover bids are due for submission during the first week of July, the report says, but there is no guarantee the PE firms will submit offers. There is also a possibility other suitors may emerge. Forward Air's trajectory took a turn for the worse when it first moved to acquire air, ocean and ground logistics services provider Omni Logistics in August 2023. That decision was panned by both analysts and shareholders alike on multiple grounds. Shareholders were upset that the deal didn't get put to a vote, and saddled Forward Air with $1.85 billion in debt. Analysts were critical of the deal for being convoluted, with freight forwarder customers sharing concerns that Forward was essentially acquiring a competitor. Omni Logistics and Forward Air both sued each other in the months after as the latter sought an out from the deal. Although the merger ended up materializing to kick off 2024, it resulted in the exits of both Forward Air CEO Tom Schmitt and Omni Logistics CEO J.J. Schickel. Upon Schmitt's departure last February, Mayes, a Forward board member since 2021, was installed as independent chairman. Now, the company again seeks to figure out a turnaround plan with a new chair. The Forward Air board appointed independent director Jerome Lorrain as executive chairman to replace Mayes. Lorrain previously served as chief operating officer of third-party logistics provider Ceva Logistics from July 2014 to June 2020 and currently serves as director of Log-Hub, a private supply chain solution and optimization company. Additionally, the board is bringing on Paul Svindland as lead independent director. Svindland was formerly the CEO of STG Logistics since February 2020, before moving into the chairman role this past April. With the changes, the board reduced its size to comprise eight directors, six of whom are independent. All directors have been appointed since January 2024, the same month Forward Air and Omni Logistics settled their respective litigation against one another and officially merged under one roof. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Seniors told to stop paying water bills, now told to pay hundreds after complex began having leaks
Seniors living in a Henry County senior complex say they were instructed to stop paying on their water bills after the property began having water leaks. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Carmen Dismuke and Lyndell Mayes, renters at The Villa at Mount Zion, are among a growing number of seniors struggling with unexpectedly high water bills. 'This one is $321,' says Dismuke, holding up her latest water bill. Mayes adds, 'We're seniors, we can only afford so much.' They told Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln bills that once hovered around $20 earlier this year have climbed sharply. Mayes recalls, 'At the start of 2024, I was paying around $20. By the end of the year, it grew to more than $100.' Dismuke shares her frustration: 'I don't understand the bill being so high.' Dismuke said she believes the spike was due to constant water leaks in her unit, which have since been repaired. However, 'The bill never went down; every bill was the same.' TRENDING STORIES: Teen thrown from home by tornado in Henry County moving to rehab facility Raids uncover largest fentanyl pill operation in state history in Atlanta, Douglasville 2 young children left in hot vehicle at Cumberland Mall, sheriff's office says; father arrested Both renters say management instructed them to stop paying their bills temporarily while the issue was being addressed with the utility company. 'She told us, everything we got a bill, bring it to her. Therefore, we're not paying a bill and we're taking it to the rent lady,' Mayes said. Now, however, management is urging tenants to pay what they can. 'Just pay whatever you can,' Dismuke says. Attempts to contact the leasing office have been unsuccessful, as no one was available during visits. An email sent to the property's corporate office received a statement that says in part: 'They are currently investigating the issue and expect to respond by Tuesday.' Follow-up attempts have so far yielded no further updates. 'We don't want our water to be turned off,' Dismuke says. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Strong support for Milwaukee police chief's reappointment signaled from hiring body
As his contract comes up for renewal, Milwaukee's police chief received strong signals of support early in his rehiring process. Almost all of the city's Fire and Police Commission, the oversight body that handles hiring of the police chief, signaled they were in support of Police Chief Jeffrey Norman's rehiring. The commission is slated to make its final decision on Norman's reappointment June 26. "He's one of the best qualified chiefs I've ever known," said Miriam Horwitz, the commission's chair. With seven of the commission's nine members in attendance at the meeting, six said they were in support of rehiring Norman, who did not attend the commission meeting. Norman's current contract expires Nov. 15. Norman previously told the Journal Sentinel he would take an offer, if the commission extended it to him. "I believe our department has made great strides," Norman said at the time. "I desire to continue to build upon that." The commission's support follows Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson saying he was in support of rehiring the chief as well. At the June 5 meeting, activist Vaun Mayes and Levi Stein, president of the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, said they were in support of Norman's rehiring as well. Mayes, who leads the organization Community Task Force, said a past police chief indicated he would talk with community groups, regardless of their support, and that did not happen. Norman has done that consistently, he said. With the Fire and Police Commission no longer having policymaking power for the city's police department due to a 2023 state law, Mayes said it was important to maintain Norman's place in Milwaukee's department. After that law, called Act 12, was passed, Norman elected to move a new bodycam footage release policy forward, despite opposition from the city's police union. "I am very afraid of the wrong person coming in with that kind of power and what they could and couldn't do," Mayes said. Norman, who is in his 29th year in law enforcement, has spent his entire policing career with the city's department. He was hired as acting chief of the department in 2020 and named police chief the following year, following the retirement of another acting chief and the controversial removal of former chief Alfonso Morales in 2020. The Milwaukee native was first hired in 1996 and served as a lieutenant in the homicide unit and captain of District 3, which includes parts of the central city and west side. Norman was hired as chief, in part, due to his track record of community engagement. Since being named chief, Norman has led the department through the crime spikes amid the COVID-19 pandemic, heavy local and state policy change after George Floyd's murder prompted national outrage and policing during the Republican National Convention. Rocky periods have occurred during his tenure. During the Republican National Convention, he and the department came under scrutiny after Columbus, Ohio, police officers shot and killed Sam Sharpe Jr. The officers, who did not face charges in the shooting, shot him about a mile from the convention's perimeter after the officers saw Sharpe appear to move toward another man while wielding knives. The officers were not accompanied by local police, which top department officials previously indicated any out-of-state officers would be in the lead-up to the convention. After the shooting, Norman later acknowledged local officers should have been with the Ohio police officers. The department also came under scrutiny for its handling of events in the lead-up to the homicide of Bobbie Lou Schoeffling. Schoeffling, a 31-year-old mother of two, had been reporting abuse and threats from her ex-boyfriend. Schoeffling was found shot to death on July 26, 2022. Her ex-boyfriend, Nicholas Howell, was convicted of killing Schoeffling last year and sentenced to life in prison. Norman initially declined an interview with the Journal Sentinel into the department's handling of the case but after the new organization published an investigation into her death, he ordered a review of every contact the department had with Schoeffling. The review led to the suspension of four officers. 'We have recognized our shortcomings and we, I believe, have a proven track record of … being open to feedback and working with the communities,' Norman said at the time he opened the review. In 2024, Norman was a finalist for the police chief position in Austin, Texas, but was ultimately passed on for the role. At that time, a department spokesperson said Norman remained "steadfast" in his commitment to Milwaukee. The chief previously declined to tell the Journal Sentinel in May whether he has applied for other jobs as his term approaches its end in Milwaukee. He said he was focused on reappointment locally. Norman's pay appears to have been negotiated in the months leading up to his reappointment discussions. The Fire and Police Commission's executive committee has met in closed session four times regarding senior law enforcement pay. While the city of Milwaukee's Common Council sets the pay range for the chief of police position, the Fire and Police Commission ultimately selects what the salary is in that range. Leon Todd, the commission's executive director, said he could not address what was discussed in those meetings. Norman made a gross salary of $177,112.44 in 2024, according to the city's online pay databases. The Fire and Police Commission will hold two public comment sessions for Norman's rehiring before the June 26 vote. David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee commission has strong support for police chief's reappointment
