Latest news with #RayMorgan
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Dutch Elm Disease found in trees at Regina's Wascana Centre
The province says two trees in Wascana Centre have been removed after testing positive for Dutch Elm Disease. According to the province, the trees were removed July 14 near Goose Hill and the Saskatchewan Science Centre. Since 2015, there have been five confirmed cases of Dutch Elm Disease in Wascana Centre, the province said. One case in 2014, one in 2019, one in 2024 and two in 2025. The Provincial Capital Commission (PCC) is responsible for the maintenance and future of the urban forest in the Wascana Centre as well as around Government House. 'Elm trees are an important part of Regina's tree canopy cover,' PCC executive director Jenna Schroeder said in a news release. 'Wascana Centre is proud to be a place where friends and families can gather and enjoy the outdoors at one of our many picnic spots.' 'To ensure the continued health of our trees, we remind visitors that it is illegal to transport, store or buy elm firewood,' she added. Wascana Centre also released its master plan for growth moving forward earlier this month. The City of Regina said on July 3 that it was seeing a Dutch Elm Disease outbreak, with 16 trees testing positive for the disease so far. Ray Morgan, the acting director of parks and open space services at the City of Regina, said the numbers so far are concerning. 'If it's this early in the season, our projection is it's going to be a long season for Dutch Elm Disease,' he said on July 3. 'We are about two weeks earlier than normal.' More to come…
CBC
04-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Concerns around Dutch elm disease growing in Regina
Social Sharing The City of Regina has had seven confirmed cases of Dutch elm disease this week, which brings the total up to 17 this season, a notably high number according to experts. The disease is caused by a microfungi called ascomycota, which attaches to elm bark beetles. It infiltrates a tree's vascular system and cuts off circulation. This is why the main visible symptoms are localized wilted branches and dead extremities, which are likely caused by a poor flow of nutrients. Ray Morgan, the city's acting director of parks and open space services, spoke to the work that crews were putting in to prevent, discover and remove infected trees. "Our projection is that it's going to be a long season for Dutch elm disease," Morgan said. "We're about two weeks earlier than normal, which is concerning." Morgan said the city has strong monitoring programs and removes trees as Dutch elm disease is confirmed. "Besides that, diversification in our urban forest is a big factor." There are approximately 180,000 trees in Regina, 60,000 of which are American Elm. According to Morgan, the city's trees were almost entirely elms 80 years ago, but now it is host to more than 20 species. Once residents call in a suspected case, an initial inspection takes place, then samples are taken to a lab where testing takes just over a week. Then, if the disease is confirmed, city crews come and take down the trees and test their neighbours to prevent an outbreak. "It could be just the stress on the trees with a lack of moisture," Morgan said, noting that drought conditions can hinder a tree's resilience. "If people are ordering firewood or storing their own firewood, please get it confirmed from the City or a contractor, whoever is supplying it." The city urges residents to avoid storing or transporting elm wood, inspect trees on or near their property, and avoid pruning elm trees in spring or summer.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
PCB high rise catches fire Monday afternoon; fire chief shares details
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Many were surprised and posting alarming photos on Facebook after a PCB high-rise appeared to have caught fire Monday afternoon. Panama City Beach Fire Rescue Fire Chief Ray Morgan explained the event to reporters on Tuesday. Around 6 p.m. Monday the PCBFR was dispatched to the Gulf Crest Condominiums after receiving reports of a structure fire in progress. After arriving on scene, firefighters observed heavy fire and smoke conditions on the 15th floor. They began battling the blaze, noting it was a bit more arduous than typical due to the elevation. The fire started on the 15th floor then spread above to the 16th floor, also melting some outdoor furniture on the 17th floor. Heavy winds coming off of the Gulf spread the fire rapidly upwards. The source was found to be a kitchen remodel on a 15th-story unit. At some point during the renovation the condo's oven lit a towel on fire. A worried individual threw the flaming towel on the balcony, where because of the windy conditions it caught the outdoor furniture on fire. The unit was evacuated; however, on the way out they left the front door open. This pushed the breeze, and the fire, into the unit allowing the blaze to grow larger. The fire managed to break a bedroom window and then caused a "blowtorch" effect, which burned through the unit. While the blaze reached the 16th-floor unit above it, it didn't make it in. The fire chief credited this to their hurricane-strength glass. There was only one minor injury attributed to the scene. Those displaced found accommodations with friends, according to the fire chief. Bay County Fire Rescue and Naval Support Activity Panama City Fire & Emergency Services helped battle the blaze. Morgan assured reporters that fire safety systems functioned as normal, but noted that an issue with these structures is that sprinklers don't extend out to onto the balcony. The building was evacuated for three hours to give firefighters time to make sure the structure was safe and that power is secured as well as sprinkler and water restored. The fire chief advised residents to check their appliances and to keep stovetops clear. He further asked that those fleeing a fire close doors on their way out to prevent the fire from spreading. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Beachside building blazes in PCB; fire chief shares details
The Guardian
07-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Watchdog to investigate two former figures at bankrupt Woking council
Two former senior figures at bankrupt Woking council are to be investigated by the UK's accounting watchdog after it racked up more than £2bn in debt on a failed investment spree. The Surrey council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 after ploughing vast sums of borrowed money into skyscrapers, a luxury hotel and other risky commercial investments, in what was one of the biggest financial failures in local government history. Sources said an investigation into the individuals involved in the former Conservative-run council's investment activities was being prepared by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the independent regulator that oversees the UK accountancy profession. The watchdog is expected not to name the individuals, and will only refer to two former accountants. However, the Guardian understands the people are Woking's former chief executive Ray Morgan and ex-finance director Leigh Clarke. The FRC investigation into Woking's financial troubles, which is expected to be announced within weeks, will form the latest attempt to uncover what went wrong at the tiny Surrey council after the government sent in a team of independent commissioners two years ago. More English councils declared effective bankruptcy in the past three years than in the preceding three decades, amid a financial crisis triggered by austerity-driven cuts and local missteps, with Woking joined by Birmingham, Nottingham and smaller troubled authorities including Thurrock and Slough. The FRC last year launched an investigation into a former accountant at Thurrock, after a government review found the Essex council had recklessly gambled hundreds of millions of pounds on risky commercial investments. Last year a report by the accountancy firm Grant Thornton, commissioned by Woking's new Liberal Democrat administration, named Morgan as the 'driving force' behind Woking's investments among a 'close-knit group who were not exposed to challenge and new ideas'. As the most senior official at the council between 2006 and 2021, when he retired Morgan compared Woking to Singapore as the authority borrowed money to build a town-centre complex of shops and residential towers, which later turned out to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds less than the council paid for it. Morgan was also granted authority to control a £3m 'opportunity acquisition fund' to spend on regeneration projects without recourse to the authority's executive body or elected councillors, in an arrangement described as 'very unusual' by the government's commissioners. Clarke, who was finance director between 2014 and 2023, was also named in Grant Thornton's report alongside several other senior figures, including the council's former Tory leaders. It found that she 'did not ensure the effective financial management of the council'. Morgan said he could not comment about the imminent investigation because he was under 'strict confidentiality rules' with the FRC and the regulator had not told him what questions it would ask of him. 'Until I know what it is with the FRC – if they are going to proceed – I am not really in a position to comment to you.' Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion He also said he took issue with the Grant Thornton report: 'They did not take full account of the representations I and my colleagues made.' Clarke did not respond to a request for comment. The FRC declined to comment. Last month it emerged local leaders in Surrey had written to the government to request that ministers 'write off' about £1bn in debt held by Woking, to help smooth a merger between the county's 12 local authorities. Local leaders believe the step is required to play Surrey's role in Angela Rayner's plans for the reorganisation of local government in England as part of the biggest devolution drive this century. The deputy prime minister announced on Wednesday that the county would be among nine areas where elections would be delayed to enable council mergers. However, writing off Woking's debt would result in taxpayers from across the country being asked to shoulder the burden of a failed investment spree in the affluent home counties after years of austerity for many councils in poorer English regions.
