Latest news with #Nashua
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
iCAD Announces Proxy Advisory Firms ISS and Glass Lewis Recommend Stockholders Vote 'FOR' Proposed Acquisition by RadNet, Inc.
NASHUA, N.H., July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD) ('iCAD' or the 'Company'), a global leader in clinically proven AI-powered cancer detection solutions, today announced that leading independent proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ('ISS') and Glass, Lewis & Co. ('Glass Lewis') have each recommended that stockholders vote 'FOR' the previously announced acquisition of the Company by RadNet, Inc. ('RadNet') at the Company's upcoming Special Meeting of Stockholders scheduled for July 14, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. ET to be held virtually at As previously announced, iCAD entered into a definitive merger agreement under which RadNet will acquire iCAD in an all-stock transaction. The acquisition is structured to accelerate the deployment of iCAD's ProFound AI® breast health solutions across RadNet's DeepHealth portfolio, expanding access to early breast cancer detection. ISS and Glass Lewis each reviewed the transaction and concluded that it is in the best interests of iCAD stockholders. Both firms cited the Board's reasonable review of alternatives, the implied premium and the opportunity for iCAD stockholders to participate in the potential upside of the combined entity in their 'FOR' recommendations1. iCAD's Board of Directors also unanimously recommends that stockholders vote 'FOR' the merger, and all related matters to be voted upon at the Special Meeting. Stockholders of record as of May 16, 2025, are eligible to vote and may do as at any time prior to the Special Meeting. Voting instructions, including how to submit a proxy online, by phone, or mail, are included in the Proxy Statement. If you have any questions about the Special Meeting or require assistance voting your shares, please contact iCAD's proxy solicitor, Campaign Management, at 844-394-4517 or via email at info@ 1Permission to cite ISS and Glass Lewis was neither sought nor obtained. ABOUT iCAD, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICAD) is a global leader on a mission to create a world where cancer can't hide by providing clinically proven AI-powered solutions that enable medical providers to accurately and reliably detect cancer earlier and improve patient outcomes. Headquartered in Nashua, N.H., iCAD's industry-leading ProFound Breast Health Suite provides AI-powered mammography analysis for breast cancer detection and density assessment. Used by thousands of providers serving millions of patients, ProFound is available in over 50 countries. In the last five years alone, iCAD estimates reading more than 40 million mammograms worldwide, with nearly 30% being tomosynthesis. For more information, including the latest in regulatory clearances, please visit No Offer or Solicitation This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. It does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent document. No offering or sale of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act'), and otherwise in accordance with applicable law. Important Information about the Proposed Transaction and Where to Find It In connection with the proposed transaction between RadNet and iCAD, on May 6, 2025, RadNet filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ('SEC') a registration statement on Form S-4, as amended on May 19, 2025, that constitutes a prospectus of RadNet and also includes a definitive proxy statement of iCAD. The registration statement was declared effective by the SEC on May 21, 2025, and iCAD commenced mailing the proxy statement/prospectus to its stockholders on or about May 21, 2025. The proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC related to the proposed merger contains important information about RadNet, iCAD, and the proposed transaction, and related matters. RadNet and iCAD may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus or any other document which RadNet or iCAD may file with the SEC. Investors are urged to carefully read the proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC (or incorporated by reference into the proxy statement/prospectus), as well as any amendments or supplements to these documents, in connection with the proposed transaction, when available, because they contain, or will contain, as applicable, important information about the proposed transaction and related matters. Investors are able to obtain free copies of the registration statement on Form S-4 and the proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed by RadNet or iCAD with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by RadNet can be obtained by contacting RadNet's Investor Relations by telephone at (310) 445-2800 or by mail at 1510 Cotner Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90025. In addition, investors are able to obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC on RadNet's website at (which website is not incorporated herein by reference). Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by iCAD can be obtained by contacting iCAD's proxy solicitor, Campaign Management, at 844-394-4517 or via email at info@ or Investor Relations by telephone at (603) 882-5200 or by mail at 2 Townsend West, Suite 6, Nashua, New Hampshire 03063. In addition, investors are able to obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC on iCAD's website at (which website is not incorporated herein by reference). Participants in the Solicitation RadNet, iCAD and their respective directors and executive officers may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies from iCAD's stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of RadNet is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2025 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 28, 2025. Information about the directors and executive officers of iCAD is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2025, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 30, 2025. To the extent holdings of RadNet's or iCAD's securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in such filings, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, and other information regarding the potential participants in the proxy solicitations, which may be different than those of RadNet's stockholders and iCAD's stockholders generally, is, or will be, contained, as applicable, in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction. You may obtain these documents (when they become available) free of charge through the website maintained by the SEC at and from the investor relations departments at RadNet or iCAD or from RadNet's website or iCAD's website, in each case, as described above. Forward-Looking Statements This communication contains certain 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'could,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'forecast,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'outlook,' 'plan,' 'potential,' 'possible,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'seek,' 'should,' 'target,' 'will' or 'would,' the negative of these words, and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, the impact of the proposed transaction on RadNet's and iCAD's business and future financial and operating results and prospects, the amount and timing of synergies from the proposed transaction and the closing date for the proposed transaction are based on the current estimates, assumptions and projections of RadNet and iCAD, and are qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, all of which are subject to change. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond RadNet's and iCAD's control. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on management's current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of RadNet's and iCAD's business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of RadNet's and iCAD's control. RadNet's, iCAD's and RadNet's actual results and financial condition following the proposed transaction may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. None of RadNet, iCAD or any of their respective directors, executive officers, or advisors, provide any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements will actually occur, or if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on the business, results of operations or financial condition of RadNet or iCAD. Should any risks and uncertainties develop into actual events, these developments could have a material adverse effect on RadNet's and iCAD's businesses, the proposed transaction and the ability to successfully complete the proposed transaction and realize its expected benefits. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ from expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) the termination of or occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement or the inability to complete the proposed transaction on the anticipated terms and timetable, (2) the inability to complete the proposed transaction due to the failure to obtain approval of the stockholders of iCAD or to satisfy any other condition to closing in a timely manner or at all, or the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is delayed, is not obtained or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated, (3) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, which may be affected by, among other things, the ability of RadNet or iCAD to maintain relationships with its customers, patients, payers, physicians, and providers and retain its management and key employees, (4) the ability of RadNet following the proposed transaction to achieve the synergies contemplated by the proposed transaction or such synergies taking longer to realize than expected, (5) costs related to the proposed transaction, (6) the ability of RadNet following the proposed transaction to execute successfully its strategic plans, (7) the ability of RadNet following the proposed transaction to promptly and effectively integrate iCAD into its business, (8) the risk of litigation related to the proposed transaction, (9) the diversion of management's time and attention from ordinary course business operations to completion of the proposed transaction and integration matters, (10) the risk of legislative, regulatory, economic, competitive, and technological changes, (11) risks relating to the value of RadNet's securities to be issued in the proposed merger, (12) the effect of the announcement, pendency or completion of the proposed transactions on the market price of the common stock of each of RadNet and iCAD, and (13) risks specific to the Company, including: the willingness of patients to undergo mammography screening, whether mammography screening will be treated as an essential procedure, whether ProFound AI will improve reading efficiency, improve specificity and sensitivity, reduce false positives and otherwise prove to be more beneficial for patients and clinicians, the impact of supply and manufacturing constraints or difficulties on our ability to fulfill our orders, uncertainty of future sales levels, to defend itself in litigation matters, protection of patents and other proprietary rights, product market acceptance, possible technological obsolescence of products, increased competition, government regulation, changes in Medicare or other reimbursement policies, risks relating to our existing and future debt obligations, competitive factors, the effects of a decline in the economy or markets served by the Company. The foregoing review of important factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included elsewhere. Additional information concerning risks, uncertainties and assumptions can be found in RadNet's and iCAD's respective filings with the SEC, including the risk factors discussed in RadNet's and iCAD's most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as updated by their respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and future filings with the SEC, as well as the proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. Forward-looking statements included herein are made only as of the date hereof and, except as required by applicable law, neither RadNet nor iCAD undertakes any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, or any other information in this communication, as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, or to correct any inaccuracies or omissions in them which become apparent. All forward-looking statements in this communication are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. CONTACT:Media Inquiries:pr@ Investor Inquiries:John Nesbett/Rosalyn ChristianIMS Investor Relationsicad@ 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
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
New Hampshire teen, 19, fighting for life with a broken neck after freak accident on popular beach
A 19-year-old has been left fighting for his life after he broke his neck at a popular New Hampshire beach during what was supposed to be a fun day with his cousins. Aiden Sloan went to Hampton Beach with his family on Monday afternoon to cool off from the heat when a dive into the waves changed his life forever. When Sloan dove into the water he smashed into a sandbar 'head-on,' leaving his body motionless, his mother Melina Burton told NBC10 Boston. 'They were diving into the waves like kids do. And there was a sandbar that nobody could have known was there, so he dove through a wave and he hit the sandbar head-on,' Burton said. Her son was immediately left unable to move and stopped breathing, leaving his cousins to take action. 'We looked at his eyes. They were, like, bulging out of his face,' Michael Henry, one of Sloan's cousins recalled. Henry and Sloan's other cousin, Gabriel Ruiz, then rushed over and quickly dragged him to the beach. 'He was just, like, not moving at all. It was like we were carrying a dead body,' Ruiz said. Sloan, a chef at a restaurant in Nashua - about 40 minutes outside of Concord- was left with a bruised spine, a broken neck and a concussion. He is currently in intensive care. His worried mother has been left rocked by the freak accident, especially after he told her how he struggled to make it to the surface after banging his head. 'He said "When I came to, mom, I could see the top of the water, but my arms and legs wouldn't work, and I couldn't get myself to the top to get air",' Burton recalled. She said he can't move his right leg at all, can't lift his arms and cannot wiggle his fingers or clench his hands. Burton added: 'On his left foot, he can wiggle his toes minimally. 'It's really heartbreaking to know that your child is injured and he's in pain and there's nothing that you can do for him.' Despite his grave injuries, Sloan's mother is extremely grateful his cousins were there to rescue him from the water. 'They're actually really great kids, and they're handling it so well. I did check in with both of them. Michael, the one that actually pulled Aiden out of the water, was here yesterday. And I said, "Can I give you a hug?",' Burton told Fox News Digital. 'I said, "I am so, so grateful to you for rescuing my boy and pulling him out of the water," because he probably would not even be here today if you had not done that. So I will forever be grateful.' Michael McMahon, the Hampton Beach fire chief, said he's previously dove into the very same waves as Sloan. 'He was diving into the water into the waves, I've done it a thousand times, and I think it was more shallow than he expected,' McMahon told the outlet. He noted that this wasn't the first time he was called to a similar scene, but it's not an occurrence that happens often. 'Sometimes, we go to calls and people are doing dumb things and drugs and alcohol and this was not how we saw this. This was just a kid at the beach because it was hot, and he got hurt in a terribly unfortunate way.' A GoFundMe page was created to help Sloan and his single mother after he 'misguided the depth' of the water. In an update from Friday, Burton said he has been doing physical therapy 'on his own terms' and has suffered from nightmares where he feels like he 'was drowning again.' 'He's frustrated that all he can do is lay there,' she wrote, adding that he's been enjoying the little things in the hospital, including 'a metric ton of OJ, Italian ice and ice cream. Burton said he has also been prescribed medicine for the nightmare and anxiety he's been experiencing. Sloan is currently unable to work at his job as a cook for Noodle Bar - a restaurant located in Nash Casino. As of Sunday morning, more than $37,000 was raised to help Sloan and his mother. Sandbars often cause waves to break suddenly and are known to be extremely dangerous for both swimmers and surfers. They are also known as inshore holes that are created by waves and currents pushing sand into mounds, according to OC Lifeguards. The mountains of underwater sand are also known to disappear and shift around constantly. Beach-goers are urged to exercise extreme caution in the water to avoid sandbars, whether you are swimming, surfing, diving or boating.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Yahoo
He thought a decade-old misdemeanor was behind him. Then he took a vacation in Europe.
Fabian Schmidt and his fiancée, Bhavani Hodgkins, stroll along the Nashua River near their apartment in downtown Nashua, N.H., with their black Lab named Django. (Photo by Allegra Boverman/New Hampshire Bulletin) Fabian Schmidt had no control over the light. It stayed on overhead from 6:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night. Which was a surprise for the 34-year-old New Hampshire resident because he always thought of prison as a dark place, like in the 1999 movie 'The Green Mile.' His cell wasn't fully dark at night either. Guards with flashlights regularly checked on everyone held at the Wyatt Detention Facility. Schmidt was housed among other Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees apart from the larger inmate population held by the U.S. Marshals Service awaiting federal court proceedings. Yet he learned other ICE detainees faced serious charges, including murder, sexual assault, and drug-dealing. The mission of the Wyatt — a quasi-public maximum security facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island's smallest city — is to 'protect the public from people who pose a threat to society.' Schmidt never committed any violent crime. Instead, he got off a plane at Boston's Logan International Airport on March 7 on his return from a 10-day trip to visit family and friends in his native Germany. Schmidt obtained his green card as a teenager and became a U.S. permanent resident. But for some reason, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents pulled him aside. They aggressively asked him about past misdemeanors from 10 years ago when he lived in California — including a charge of drug possession that had been adjudicated. They asked about his annual income, where his parents lived, and what they did for a living. He was held for hours, which turned into days during which he was denied the chance to speak with a lawyer, his family, or the German Consulate. At one point, Schmidt said he was strip-searched and thrown into a cold shower. He was given only a thin mat to sleep on and fed a cold cup of noodles. He collapsed after developing flu-like symptoms and was transported to Mass General Hospital, where he was handcuffed to the bed. After being discharged from the hospital, Schmidt was taken back to the airport. On March 11, four days after his return from Europe, CBP agents came to get him. 'That's the first time I went to Rhode Island,' he recalled in a recent interview at a coffee shop near his home in Nashua. 'In hand shackles, feet shackles, in the back of an SUV going like 80 miles an hour.' He speaks softly, with a faint accent, sometimes pausing to note the surreal facts of the 58 days he spent inside the Wyatt. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Rhode Island Current, 'When an individual is found with drug related charges and tries to re-enter the country, officers will take proper action. In this case, the conviction was dismissed, and the individual was released.' In several posts on the platform X , McLaughlin has called clips from news reports on Schmidt's treatment by CBP at Logan 'blatantly false,' 'straight-up false,' and 'flat-out FALSE.' Schmidt is readjusting to life back home. He said the ordeal cost him tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, lost wages from his job as a master electrician, and expenses for food, clothing, and phone calls home to his worried girlfriend. He is considering filing a lawsuit, though he doesn't have details to share about that yet. 'This whole experience feels like a movie,' he said. Schmidt's story is one of dozens of accounts of hyper-aggressive immigration enforcement since the start of Donald Trump's second term. There's the Canadian woman with a U.S. work visa detained by ICE for two weeks who wrote she felt like she had been 'kidnapped;' the visiting scholar at Georgetown University with an academic visa held without charges at an ICE detention facility in Texas; the pair of Georgia newlyweds separated after the bride, an asylum seeker from Colombia, was detained by ICE. According to the Syracuse University-based public records database, Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), 19,125 people were booked into ICE detention in March, when Schmidt was first detained. His case drew headlines because it initially made no sense. New Hampshire's Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan described the case as 'very concerning,' while Massachusetts Democratic State Rep. Mike Connolly called Schmidt's detention 'outrageous' and 'unlawful.' On X, a Canadian law professor's post about Schmidt was shared more than 2,000 times. His case also highlighted the Wyatt's role at the center of a yearslong political firestorm. Several public officials, including Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa, previously the mayor of Central Falls, have called for its closure. State lawmakers have introduced bills to close it down or, in the case of active bills in the House and Senate sessions, to stop ICE's ability to do business with Wyatt for civil immigration violations. Community members regularly hold protests outside the Wyatt's walls to draw attention to people detained inside. Since Trump's inauguration, there have been at least six such rallies. One, on March 18, was for Schmidt. Outside the Wyatt, people chanted his name and held signs that read 'FREE FABIAN' and 'DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION.' Schmidt heard them from inside. It gave him a surge of adrenaline. And a realization. 'Whoa,' he recalled thinking at the time. 'This is bigger than myself.' Schmidt spent his childhood traveling with his mother and stepfather, who worked as a tech consultant. He has lived in Denmark, South Africa, and England; he can read and write in four languages. When he was 16, his stepfather's work brought the family to Palo Alto, California. His stepfather's visa was for people with extraordinary abilities in their field — often called a 'genius visa' — and granted Schmidt legal entry as a dependent. Schmidt rode horses, played football, and embraced his new home. In 2022, he moved to Nashua to be closer to his mother, who had moved there. After a stint as a bartender, he found work as an electrical project lead at two affiliated companies: Greenerd Press & Machine Co., in Nashua, and Diamond Casting, in Hollis. Ian Wilson, a process engineer at Diamond Casting, called Schmidt a crucial member of the company. 'He's upstanding, friendly, gregarious, and very energetic,' he said. While bartending, Schmidt met and fell in love with Bhavani Hodgkins, who is now his fiancée. (Schmidt has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous relationship who lives with her mother in California.) He and Hodgkins have a black Lab named Django. 'This is where I'm from,' he said. 'I love this country.' The Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility opened in 1993 on the site of a former textile factory. At the time, it helped address a shortage in pre-trial federal jail space in New England. During the search for a suitable Rhode Island site, a few cities and towns opposed the facility. But long-struggling Central Falls saw an economic opportunity. Shortly after the facility opened, then-Mayor Thomas Lazieh called the Wyatt 'a win now and a much bigger win down the road.' The ensuing years brought some payments from the detention center to the city; Central Falls received a total of $5.3 million in impact fees from Wyatt from 1994 through 2008, according to a 2012 joint legislative commission. But Wyatt also brought escapes, lawsuits over detainee mistreatment, criminal charges against staff members and wardens, a receivership, and — most notably — the 2008 death of an ICE detainee involving medical neglect and mistreatment. The death of that detainee, Hiu Lui 'Jason' Ng, prompted ICE to withdraw from the Wyatt for a decade. In 2019, the agency returned, amid an outcry from community groups, the Rhode Island ACLU, and elected officials. Today, the facility boasts a capacity of up to 730 adult male and 40 adult female detainees. According to a report in late March, the facility held 617 detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service (590 male, 27 female), and 116 detainees for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (112 male, 4 female). One of those male ICE detainees was Schmidt. He was housed in 10-by-7-foot cells with thick, pneumatically locking steel doors. One cell looked out over Macomber Stadium, where Central Falls High School plays athletics. The food was so bad, he said, he wouldn't feed it to his dog. Breakfast was some kind of 'oversalted…flour soup,' Schmidt said, along with a pinkish sausage of unknown origin, a dry piece of cornbread, and a serving of lukewarm milk. Lunch and dinner consisted of food that came from a can — chicken, green beans — and powdered potatoes that tasted like cardboard. Schmidt's account of the food provided at the Wyatt echoes a March report by the community organization Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance (AMOR), which states, 'In the first two weeks of March, AMOR received messages from 16 people detained by ICE who specified that they would not have enough to eat without help purchasing food from the Commissary.' Schmidt was scared, sad, and depressed during his weeks at the Wyatt. He missed his daughter, his partner, his dog. 'Mentally, you have to learn how to block that out in prison or else you'll ruin yourself,' he said. 'You have to be able to be like, 'OK, I'm not gonna miss my dog today.'' In April, Hodgkins shared a note Schmidt wrote in a Facebook post: 'Time moves differently in here. It drags, heavy and cruel…I haven't seen the sky in weeks.' After Schmidt was moved to the Wyatt, Hodgkins spent hours on the phone — with him, his family members, attorneys and others — trying to strategize how to secure his release and ensure his safety and comfort until then. She was forced to navigate the substantial financial burden of having a loved one detained at Wyatt. To supplement the Wyatt's food options, Schmidt needed to purchase food items from the commissary. He needed money to buy more toothpaste and soap because supplies issued to detainees didn't last very long. Hodgkins created accounts so Schmidt could receive packages and communicate with her, via phone or video-chat. 'Every single thing that you do at the Wyatt Detention Facility requires (a) form of payment,' she said. A receipt Hodgkins shared on Facebook shows, between March 12 and May 6, she spent more than $2,600 in deposits into the facility's TouchPay system — deposits requiring fees ranging from around 6% of a deposit to more than 40%. In one instance, she was charged a $4.30 fee for a $10 deposit. The total fees, across 25 deposits, add up to more than $220. Here, again, Hodgkins' experiences aligned with conditions described in AMOR's report, which says Wyatt contractors charge 'exorbitant' rates for basic services, including phone calls, text messages, and food to supplement insufficient nutrition. 'In the first two weeks of March, 20 people detained reported to AMOR that calls were too expensive,' the report's authors write. 'During the same period, 43 individuals made new requests for Commissary help.' As she navigated these new challenges, Hodgkins said she was dealing with waves of her own anger, anguish, and sadness. She was fearful for Fabian's health and safety, that he would be deported, that they would lose the life they had built together. Hodgkins rearranged her work schedule so she could make the 80-mile drive from Nashua to Central Falls in time to meet the facility's strict rules that visitors arrive at least 30 minutes before visiting hours. During one visit, she saw an elderly woman with a walker turned away for arriving too late. Hodgkins found the facility intimidating: a massive concrete building with small windows surrounded by tall razor wire fences. The 'visits' were, in fact, a phone conversation with Schmidt while the two were separated by glass in a room lit by fluorescent lights. Once, when she washed her hands inside the facility, she noticed the water had a yellowish tinge. 'I really hope that no one has to go there to see their loved ones, because it's truly horrible,' she said. ICE did not respond to multiple requests for comment. When Rhode Island Current reached out to the Wyatt with detailed questions about the conditions both Hodgkins and Schmidt described, a spokesperson responded: 'The Wyatt has no comment at this time.' When protesters assembled outside the Wyatt on March 18 to call for Schmidt's release, his lawyer, David Keller, said Schmidt's past issues in California had been resolved and there hadn't been any new official charges pressed against his client. 'Imagine yourself being charged with a crime, held, and not even knowing what the crime is,' he told reporters. 'That's essentially his situation.' (Keller was unavailable to comment for this story.) About a week later, Schmidt finally learned the reason for his detention: a misdemeanor charge for drug possession from California that had already been resolved. Schmidt had pleaded no contest to the charge in 2015, despite disputing that the drugs were his; he was unaware that the controlled-substance conviction marked him in the immigration system as inadmissible. He said he was never notified of these implications of a no-contest plea, nor had he been stopped by CBP after an earlier international trip in 2017. Once the immigration charges against Schmidt became clear, lawyers for Schmidt on both coasts swung into action. In California, a criminal attorney re-opened the drug case and was able to get it dismissed from the system. (Grounds for that dismissal: the substance Schmidt was charged with possessing had never been tested to confirm what it was.) In Boston, his immigration attorney worked to secure a hearing with an immigration judge. The hearing finally happened on May 8. The judge dismissed Schmidt's immigration case in minutes. Time moves differently in here. It drags, heavy and cruel…I haven't seen the sky in weeks. – Note from Schmidt posted by Bhavani Hodgkins on Facebook Schmidt and Hodgkins finally reunited outside of ICE's Boston field office in Burlington, Massachusetts. The days since then have been joyful. Shortly after his release, Schmidt proposed to Hodgkins. He has enjoyed regular walks with his dog, cooking dinner with Hodgkins and reconnecting with friends. But the couple's life together is much different from the way it used to be. Schmidt estimates his time in custody cost him at least $65,000, between legal fees, lost wages, and the many costs of his Wyatt detention. An online fundraiser by his mother raised over $34,000. A second fundraiser launched by Hodgkins 'to help aid other legal immigrants with injustice' is ongoing. The emotional toll has also been steep. In the early days after his release, he couldn't take a nap while home alone, afraid people might come for him while he was sleeping. Routine activities like a trip to the grocery store can now trigger waves of panic. He is wary about driving, fearful of being pulled over and detained again over a minor infraction. 'I have to be strong when he's not, and I can't show my fear as much because I don't want him to get fearful,' Hodgkins said. 'We're going to spend the rest of our life healing from this trauma.' The couple have embraced new roles as advocates for immigrants navigating an unforgiving system. They are calling for more transparency in the detention process, to spare others from the weeks of confusion they experienced. And they are speaking out against the heavy-handed response Schmidt faced for what was essentially a paperwork issue. As dark as his experience was, Schmidt said he benefited from privileges many other ICE detainees lack. He's a white man who speaks fluent English, with access to a top-notch legal team. 'I don't even want to know what's happening to other people,' he said. Although the Wyatt holds immigration-related detainees, Hodgkins wants people to understand it is designed to hold criminals. She said the staff there had no interest in helping her with the logistics of visitation or keeping her partner comfortable and connected while inside. 'They're not going to be nice to you,' she said. 'They're not going to be helpful to you.' Schmidt went back to work in early June. When he was away, his projects were either put on hold, or his work had to be delegated to other people, Wilson, his coworker, said. 'I'm very relieved that he's been released,' he said, 'and very concerned for our judicial system.' In a June 2 Facebook post, Hodgkins wrote about feeling anxious, even as Schmidt was excited about his first day back to work. 'No one prepares you for the fear and uncertainty that comes with being separated from a loved one under such traumatic circumstances,' she wrote. 'But today, we're beginning to find our rhythm again.' This story was originally published by Rhode Island Current. Like Maine Morning Star, Rhode Island Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: info@
Associated Press
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Sig Sauer, faced with lawsuits over a popular pistol, gets protection in New Hampshire
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Faced with mounting lawsuits over a popular pistol, New Hampshire-based Sig Sauer asked for — and got — protection in the form of a new state law that makes it harder to take the gunmaker to court. Supporters in the Republican-led Legislature said the law was needed to help a major employer. The lawsuits say Sig Sauer's P320 pistol can go off without the trigger being pulled, an allegation the company denies. The law covers all gun manufacturers and federal firearm licensees in product liability claims regarding the 'absence or presence' of four specific safety features. One of those features is an external mechanical safety that people suing Sig Sauer say should be standard on the P320, based on its design. Claims can still be filed over manufacturing defects. Those who have sued Sig Sauer in New Hampshire and elsewhere include police, federal law enforcement officers, and other experienced gun users from multiple states who say they were wounded by the gun. The manufacturer has prevailed in some cases. It is appealing two recent multimillion-dollar verdicts against it, in Pennsylvania and Georgia. George Abrahams a U.S. Army veteran and painting contractor in Philadelphia who won his case, said he had holstered his P320, put it in the pocket of his athletic pants and zipped it up before going downstairs. 'All I did was come down the stairway and there was a loud explosion, and then the excruciating pain and bleeding,' he told The Associated Press in 2022. He said the bullet tore through his right thigh. The company, which employs over 2,000 people in a state with permissive gun laws, says the P320 has internal safety mechanisms and 'has undergone the most rigorous testing and evaluation of any firearm, by military and law enforcement agencies around the world.' It says the problem is user error or incompatible holsters, not the design. 'Do you want people to be able to sue car manufacturers because they sell cars that don't have air conditioning?' state Rep. Terry Roy, a Republican from Deerfield, told the House during debate in May. Opponents criticized the bill as a special exemption in liability law that has never been granted to any other New Hampshire company. 'I think there is a difference between helping out a large employer and creating an exemption that actually hurts people and doesn't give them their day in court,' state Rep. David Meuse, a Democrat from Portsmouth, said in an interview. His district covers Newington, where Sig Sauer is headquartered. A 2005 federal law gives the gun industry broad legal immunity. New Hampshire was already among 32 states that have adopted gun immunity laws in some form, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Some states also have repealed gun industry immunity statutes or weakened them. Sig Sauer seeks help A Sig Sauer executive asked New Hampshire lawmakers for help in April, two weeks after a Pennsylvania-based law firm filed its most recent lawsuit in federal court in Concord on March 26 over the design of the P320. The firm represents over 100 people who have filed such lawsuits, including more than 70 in New Hampshire. 'We're fighting all these court cases out of town and every single court case we have to fight takes away money from Granite State residents and workers that we can employ and technology,' testified Bobby Cox, vice president of governmental affairs for the company. The measure took effect once Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed it on May 23. Legislators said it doesn't apply to the current lawsuits. However, lawyers for Sig Sauer mentioned it as part of their argument to dismiss the March case or break up and transfer the claims of 22 plaintiffs to court districts where they live. A hearing on the matter is set for July 21. Ayotte's office did not respond to an AP request seeking comment, but it told The Keene Sentinel that she's 'proud to protect New Hampshire companies that create thousands of good-paying jobs from frivolous lawsuits.' 'Out-of-state trial lawyers looking to make money will not find a venue in New Hampshire,' Ayotte's office said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. Robert Zimmerman, the plaintiffs' lead attorney in Pennsylvania, said the goal of the lawsuits is to get the weapon's design changed so that it's safe for the people who use it. New Hampshire was the chosen location because federal rules allow lawsuits against a company in its home state, Zimmerman said. Those lawsuits have been assigned to one federal judge in Concord. 'Sig is trying to strategically decentralize this case and make every client go to 100 different courthouses and slow down the process for both sides to get a just outcome, which is a trial that is decided on the merits,' Zimmerman said in an interview. Sig Sauer gets protection The lawsuits accuse Sig Sauer of defective product design and marketing and negligence. During the House debate, Roy said he owns a P320 and it's one of his favorite guns, 'but you can buy them with or without safeties.' The plaintiffs say 'the vast majority' of P320 models sold don't come with the safety, 'even as an option.' Sig Sauer says some users prefer the faster draw time granted by the absence of an external safety; others want the feature for added security. Sig Sauer offered a 'voluntary upgrade' in 2017 to include an alternate design that reduces the weight of the trigger, among other features. The plaintiffs' lawyers say the upgrade did not stop unintentional discharges. States, industries and immunity 'It's not a great look' when a manufacturer can carve out a statutory exemption for itself, but it's also not unusual, said Daniel Pi, an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill in 2023 following a deadly school shooting that gives gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers additional protections against lawsuits. This year, Tennessee lawmakers passed another bill to further limit liability for gun companies. In a different industry — pesticides — governors in North Dakota and Georgia signed laws this year providing legal protections to Bayer, the maker of Roundup, a popular weed killer. Bayer has been hit with 181,000 claims alleging that the key ingredient in Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Bayer disputes those claims. The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that would protect nursing homes from most lawsuits and cap damages. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry hasn't acted on it yet.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The $67,000,000 Chinese mystery in New Hampshire
(NewsNation) — When a billionaire Chinese businessman and his company quietly purchased a commercial building in Nashua, New Hampshire, to ostensibly set up a water plant, the deal went largely unnoticed. That changed when the purchase price was publicly revealed. The company, Nongfu Spring, is China's largest beverage company. The site is next to the Pennichuck water system and allows the company to use local water for a beverage plant. What's raising eyebrows is the mystery of why the company paid $67 million in cash for a property valued at $15 million. 'Being tied into our Pennichuck water system and taking millions of gallons a day of drinking water from the citizens of Nashua is very concerning,' local resident Bob Lozeau told NewsNation. He says most folks in Nashua didn't know about the sale before it happened. State Senator Kevin Avard, a Republican whose district includes part of Nashua, shared his concerns. 'You have the airport here. You have our water supply they are looking to capture,' he told NewsNation. Chinese-owned farmland in the US raises worries of drone attacks at military bases The building spans 337,000 square feet and is situated on 23 acres. It's close to the Nashua Airport, several defense centers and a Federal Aviation Administration control center. Lily Tang Williams fled communism in China and is now running for Congress in New Hampshire as a Republican. 'I did research in English and Mandarin, which is my first language, and I was just shocked,' Williams told NewsNation's Brian Entin. 'I have been trying to warn people,' she says. 'Xi Jinping has a China dream, and his China dream is to use a soft power invasion. Business. Education. Apps like TikTok and WeChat. Media. Entertainment. Everything they can, without firing one shot, to expand into western countries like the United States.' She says China doesn't want her to discuss what she calls the 'soft power invasion' and the national security concerns associated with projects like the Nongfu Spring plant. We asked her what would happen if she spoke out about it in China. 'I would disappear. I'm afraid if I go back, and I go in, they won't let me go out. I would disappear. They want me to shut up,' she told us. The Nongfu Spring expansion in Nashua isn't the only Chinese investment. A few miles away, a Chinese investor purchased the former campus of what was Daniel Webster College. The 50-acre site was sold for $14 million about seven years ago, but it is mostly abandoned today. The mayor of Nashua, Jim Donchess, says the investor paid double what the property was worth. Behind California's underground baby industry bringing Chinese women to the US We asked him why Nongfu Spring would pay more than four times the assessed value for the property by the water plant. 'It's very weird. Why they would do that, I have no idea,' he said. The mayor says he's not against the project, and he doesn't believe there are any national security concerns. The city owns the Pennichuck Corporation water system itself, and the mayor says the city would never consider selling the water company. But he, like everyone else in Nashua, is still wondering why Nongfu Spring paid so much for the property. 'It's very puzzling as to why that would happen,' he said. Nongfu Spring has not yet responded to NewsNation requests for comment. We will update this story if they do. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
