Latest news with #Pyles
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tariff dispute may fizzle future July 4 fireworks
A trade fight between the U.S. and China could lead to uncertainty for fireworks sales in 2026, according to The Associated Press reported. Kim Pyles with Red Rocket Fireworks in Fort Mill told Channel 9 tariffs will not impact fireworks pricing or supply for Summer 2025. Pyles said supplies were ordered before tariffs went into effect. 'We have a typical supply inventory, so we don't have any concern about not being able to provide people with quality product,' said Pyles. READ MORE: Japanese manufacturers are slightly more optimistic despite Trump tariff worries Nearly all of the aerial shells, paper rockets and sparkly fountains that fuel America's Fourth of July celebrations being imported from China. There were similar concerns in 2019 as trade talks between the U.S. and China dragged on. Industry groups had called on officials then to exempt fireworks from escalating tariffs. The American Pyrotechnics Association and the National Fireworks Association reignited the lobbying effort this spring, noting in letters to President Donald Trump that fireworks play a crucial role in American celebrations. The groups say the industry is made up mostly of family-owned companies that are often locked into long-term contracts that leave them unable to raise prices to offset cost surges brought on by higher tariffs. And there are few options for sourcing the more than 300 million pounds of fireworks needed to feed demands. China produces 99% of consumer fireworks and 90% of professional display fireworks used in the U.S., according to the APA. 'I think overall it's the uncertainty,' said Julie Heckman, the APA's executive director. 'Yeah, we have a 90-day pause, but are the negotiations with China going to go well? Or is it going to go sky-high again? You know, triple digits. It's very hard for a small business to plan.' Fireworks have their roots in China. To ward off evil spirits, people would throw bamboo stalks into a fire, causing them to pop as the air inside the hollow pockets heated up. These early firecrackers evolved into more sophisticated fireworks after the Chinese developed gunpowder in the 9th century. By the 15th century, Europe was using fireworks for religious festivals and entertainment. In 1777, they were used in Philadelphia and Boston for what were the first organized Independence Day celebrations. Now, fireworks are synonymous with the summer holiday and with ringing in the new year. Shows have become elaborately choreographed displays that are often synced to live music. In Nashville, the Music City's award-winning symphony orchestra puts its own spin on the festivities. With some orders on hold, industry experts say Chinese manufacturers throttled back production as warehouses filled up. The backup in the supply chain also has resulted in competition for shipping space aboard ocean vessels, and Heckman, the APA's director, said it will take much more than flipping a light switch to ease either situation. If the trade war drags on, she said, there are ways that show organizers can adjust and spectators might not notice. A minute or two could be shaved from a show or certain types of fireworks could be substituted with less expensive options. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
First Historic Veterans Walk set for Saturday
Apr. 25—The first Historic Veteran Walk will be held Saturday from 5-7 p.m. at Woodland Cemetery. It is free and open to the public. The event will tell the tales of several veterans who are in the cemetery. Lou Pyles said that the event is an outgrowth of the William C. Lambert Military Museum and Archive. "We just thought it would be interesting to have a military walk about some of the veterans of our county that have passed," she said. "It will be 10-20 veterans and there will information about them at each grave site that we go to." She thought it would be something different. "We, as far as I know, have never had something like this," Pyles said. "We would like to do it yearly, just to educate people about some of veterans that have served. They are all residents of Lawrence County. And we thought it would be a good event leading into our annual Memorial Day parade, to get things rolling." The graves are all close to each other so people don't have to walk all over the cemetery. Each site will have someone to talk about the veteran and their lives. "We didn't want it all spread out," Pyles explained. "And maybe, if this goes well and we do this next year, we can do 10 or 12 more. I think it will be great. We hope people will come out and enjoy it." Rich Donahue will also give a demonstration on how he cleans grave stones. The William C. Lambert Military Museum and Archive is currently working on a Vietnam war exhibit in their space in the Ironton City Center.
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Will County judge dismisses GOP lawsuit; veto of attempt to stop 143rd widening to stand
A Will County judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed last year by 10 Will County Board Republicans against County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant over a road widening project in Homer Glen, ending the litigation. The 10 County Board members sued Bertino-Tarrant after she initially signed a resolution that stopped an expansion of 143rd Street to five lanes as planned. Bertino-Tarrant later said she realized her mistake and vetoed the resolution, prompting the lawsuit filed April 18, 2024. Judge Brian Barrett's decision Thursday to dismiss the case allows the veto to stand, said Will County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Pyles, who is representing Bertino-Tarrant. The County Board initially passed a resolution in February 2024 calling for stopping the widening of 143rd Street and asked the county's transportation division to explore a less intrusive option. Bertino-Tarrant said in her veto message the project has been studied for decades, received federal grants and was needed to improve safety and traffic flow. Pyles said the County Board members were not able to bring a lawsuit in their official capacity and did not have standing to sue as private individuals. The County Board never voted in favor of allowing the 10 members to move forward in filing a lawsuit, Pyles said. 'At the last hearing, the court made the finding that the plaintiffs do not have the capacity to sue as County Board members individually and there was no resolution passed by the County Board to allow for the minority group of County Board members to sue on behalf of the County Board,' Pyles said. 'If individuals could sue over a law they disagreed with, there would be a line outside the courtroom,' he said. Anything to change the road project would have to be done via legislation by the County Board, Pyles said. 'Today's ruling confirms that this unfounded lawsuit was not based in the law and served as a frivolous distraction from the County Board's repeated approval of this project, including by the members who signed onto this litigation,' Mike Theodore, spokesman for the county executive's office, said in a statement. 'Based on the direction of the County Board, the county has already expended millions of dollars into this project aimed at access and safety of residents,' the state read. 'While it was clear from the start that there were no grounds for County Board members to file this lawsuit, this year-long legal fight raises serious questions about the spending of local taxpayer dollars on a political distraction.' Barrett initially granted the plaintiffs the right to use a special prosecutor since the Will County Board is normally represented by the Will County state's attorney's office, but reversed the decision in January after reviewing case law. Steven Laduzinsky, an attorney for the 10 County Board members, told Barrett via Zoom Thursday the plaintiffs would not file an amended complaint. He said if the judge ruled on Bertino-Tarrant's motion to dismiss the case, they would rest on the court's decision. Judy Ogalla, the past Republican chair of the County Board and a plaintiff on the case, said their attorney told them the case wasn't moving in their favor. She said a special prosecutor should have been appointed and it is a conflict of interest to have the Will County state's attorney's office represent the executive and County Board. Ogalla said the resolution to stop the widening should have gone into effect once it was signed by the executive. Homer Glen residents have protested the widening for more than a year. Residents opposed to it said it will seize their property, increase traffic, destroy mature trees and invite semi trucks down their rural street. Residents said the street is lined with farms, schools and homes and does not need to be a bustling five-lane road. Stopping the road project was a major theme that emerged during the past campaign season. All three candidates projected to win a trustee seat on the Homer Glen Village Board said they want to fight the widening. Homer Glen Village Manager Joe Baber said officials has monitored the lawsuit and will consider other options in light of Thursday's court decision. Steve Balich, the Will County Board member representing Homer Glen and one of the plaintiffs, said he would like to introduce legislation at the County Board level to stop the widening as planned. He said he might be able to get the votes to alter the project, but doubts he would have enough votes to override any potential veto. Balich said he will ask to get a resolution on the agenda so the board could discuss the project, noting there are a few new board members who took office in December. Balich, also the outgoing Homer Township supervisor, said the township financially contributed to the County Board's lawsuit, but he will leave any decisions about fighting the expansion to incoming Supervisor Susanna Steilen and the new township board, which assumes office in May. Homer Glen resident Bernard Czerwinski, whose home backs up to 143rd Street, said he was disappointed in the judge's decision. His deck is roughly 20 feet from a proposed sound barrier, and the county wants some of his land to expand the road. Czerwinski said 20 years ago, the town's population was expected to balloon by more than 20,000 residents, but that hasn't occurred. The population has been stable. The area is still a farm community, and trees will have to be torn down for the widening project, he said. Czerwinski said he's attended meetings and talked with residents and elected officials for more than a year. Homer Glen doesn't support the county's plans, and residents are frustrated, he said. 'Absolutely nobody,' is in favor of the expansion, Czerwinski said. 'They don't have the will of the people behind them.'
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man with machete cuts victim, takes off with car, Davenport Police say
A 39-year-old Davenport man was in custody Saturday after police say he cut a victim with a machete and took off with a car, according to court records. Justin Pyles faces felony charges of first-degree robbery, second-degree theft, and going armed with intent; and an aggravated misdemeanor charge of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, court records show. About 2:45 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, Davenport Police responded to the 2700 block of West 49th Street in response to a robbery in the area of North Division Street and West Kimberly Road, according to arrest affidavits. In affidavits, police say Pyles robbed a victim, 'with the intent to commit a theft,' while brandishing a machete/knife at the victim's face, resulting in the victim suffering a cut near her right eye. Pyles and the victim were in a 2005 silver Grand Prix that the victim was driving 'when a verbal argument began' between the two, affidavits say. Affidavits show the victim said she was in fear that she would have been harmed further, and slowed down the car, got out, and ran into the Kwik Star, 1650 W. Kimberly Road, where she was provided aid for her cut. Pyles got into the driver's seat of the car and took off, affidavits say. He was seen on surveillance footage parking the Grand Prix in a parking lot on the 1700 block of West 10th Street about 2:26 a.m. On the video, he leaves the car in the lot and gets out of the car with a backpack at 3:09 a.m. Davenport Police recovered the car, affidavits show. Pyles, who was being held Saturday on a cash-only $10,000 bond in Scott County Jail, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 28 in Scott County Court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Judge reverses special prosecutor decision in Will County veto case
A Will County judge Thursday reversed his December ruling that would have appointed a special prosecutor to represent 10 Will County Board Republicans in a road widening dispute with County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. Ten board Republicans filed a lawsuit last year against Bertino-Tarrant after she vetoed a resolution that would have stopped the planned widening of 143rd Street to five lanes through Homer Glen. Bertino-Tarrant originally signed the resolution that asked the county's division of transportation to explore a three-lane alternative, but later said that was in error and issued the veto. Steven Laduzinsky, an attorney for the County Board members, said it was a conflict of interest for the Will County state's attorney's office to represent both the board and the executive and asked for a special prosecutor for the board. Judge Brian Barrett granted the request in December, and the court planned to seek out the services of a public prosecutor from another county to save taxpayer money. A public agency, such as another county's state's attorney's office or the office of the attorney general, is already taxpayer funded. Assistant State's Attorney Scott Pyles, who represents Bertino-Tarrant in the case, asked Barrett to reconsider, writing the 'consequences of allowing a special prosecutor by a minority of the County Board members who disagree with an opinion of the State's Attorney are vast.' Pyles wrote in his motion there would be lines of County Board members outside the courthouse who were aggrieved by a state's attorney's opinion without determining if they had a claim. Barrett said Thursday that after reviewing several past cases, he originally misinterpreted the law, and said he now declines the appointment of a special prosecutor. Pyles said the board members are not acting in their government roles, but are suing the county executive as individual, private residents of Will County. The Will County Board can only act as a collective body. There is no approved authorizing the 10 board Republicans to act in their official capacity and represent the County Board as a whole, Pyles said. The County Board did vote to direct the Will County state's attorney to file litigation against Bertino-Tarrant, saying the document she signed in error should be enforced, but she vetoed those resolutions. If the board members sue as private individuals, then no taxpayer money would be used on their lawyers, Pyles said. The lawsuit itself, which questions whether a signed resolution can later be vetoed, is not dismissed. Laduzinsky said he would file an amended complaint within a month and possibly add residents as plaintiffs. Homer Glen residents and elected officials have protested Will County's plan to widen 143rd Street from State Street/Lemont Road to Bell Road to five lanes. Those against the expansion say it will increase truck traffic and speeding, disrupt the area's rural feel and take residents' property. County transportation officials say the widened road will improve safety and traffic flow.
