Latest news with #Rector
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Friends of the James River Valley Library System raising funds for computers, audio-enabled books
Jun. 11—JAMESTOWN — The Friends of the James River Valley Library System is working to complete a fundraising campaign that will be used to update patron computers and purchase audio-enabled children's books. The Friends of the James River Valley Library System has a $25,000 fundraising goal. The nonprofit organization has raised about $15,000 of that $25,000 goal, said Katie Webster, treasurer of the Friends of the James River Valley Library System. The Friends of the James River Valley Library System is an independent, nonprofit volunteer organization that works to further the educational and informational needs of the community through support of the library system, according to its website. Joe Rector, library system director, said the current computers are becoming obsolete. The current computers don't meet the requirements for Windows 11. Windows 10 will reach the end of support on Oct. 14, according to Microsoft's website. "There are a lot of people that come in for the computers, so it was important to have updated computers for the patrons," Webster said. Last year, Rector said Alfred Dickey Public and Stutsman County libraries had 10,836 and 2,825 computer sessions, respectively. He said each computer session is 45 minutes and sessions in the children's library may be a little less. He said the library system has replaced six computers and another six are set to be replaced. He said 12 other computers could also be replaced. The computers being replaced are located at Alfred Dickey and Stutsman County libraries. "It's a big expense for the library, but it's something important that we need to do," Rector said. "We've been able through careful maintenance to get a lot of mileage out of the computers that we have and every year we have replaced two or three computers." Rector said the library system will order as many audio-enabled books as it can. He said children will be able to plug their headphones into the audio-enabled books to listen to the contents. "The benefit is that there are early readers and that children can listen and turn the pages," Webster said. "It's the new version of an audio book, essentially, for children." Rector said the Friends of the James River Valley Library System help the library system in many ways. "The Friends group is so much appreciated at JRVLS," he said. "They work hand in hand with us. Whenever we need something, the Friends have been so eager to help. They do a great job of promoting the library events, helping with library events and expressing appreciation to the library staff." Webster said volunteers of the Friends organization do whatever they can to support the library. "We all have a passion for the library," she said. " ... We realize how valuable it is in our community, and we want the library to operate at its full capacity." The Friends organization has paid for a microfilm reader, reference desk, upgrades to the meeting room and replacement of bookshelves among other items. Rector said the Friends organization has also received two Bayer Fund grants of $5,000 each. "If a library doesn't have a 501(c)(3) organization, which is what the Friends are, then that library wouldn't qualify for quite a number of grants and opportunities just because of the lack of 501(c)(3)," he said. To donate to the Friends of the James River Valley Library System, visit and click on "Make a Donation." Webster said donations can be any amount and individuals can also become members of the nonprofit organization at its website. "People can just go online and make those payments electronically in just a couple minutes," Rector said. For more information about the James River Valley Library System and its events, visit .
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida attorney general steps into Scientology land debate
Residents, city council members and the Church of Scientology have been locked in a tug-of-war over a portion of roadway in downtown Clearwater ever since city leaders voted in March to tentatively approve selling the land to the church. The church withdrew its request to purchase the city-owned street in May after a group offered a counter proposal that would memorialize African American history. What seemed like a hyper-local debate over the future of Scientology's downtown footprint has now caught the attention of Florida's attorney general. James Uthmeier sent a letter to Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector last month about the sale of a portion of South Garden Avenue. Despite never using the word 'Scientology' in his letter, he wrote that comments Rector made during a recent city council work session suggest an 'unconstitutional' position against the church. 'My role as the state's chief legal officer compels me to caution you in this instance because it appears discriminatory motives could taint the Council's decision making,' Uthmeier's letter stated. 'If discrimination forms a basis for any decision to reject or place restrictions on approval, such a decision would run afoul of Florida law.' He wrote that his office had learned the city may agree to vacate the land on the condition that the Church develops its other downtown properties, a condition that he claimed violates a 1978 attorney general opinion. Companies tied to the Church of Scientology have purchased at least 200 properties within Clearwater's downtown since 2017. Residents and city council members opposed to the church purchasing more land say Scientology's properties are empty storefronts that have stunted downtown's growth. Rector, Clearwater's mayor, said the facts in the attorney general's letter were incorrect. He learned from Uthmeier's office that a letter was coming, he said, but didn't know exactly what it would say. This week, Rector said he spoke with Uthmeier's office to explain the situation and correct assumptions. 'We're not adversaries in this,' Rector said. 'It's a local issue. They're not going to get involved in a local issue, but they did receive a complaint.' Rector doesn't know who sent the complaint, although he has an idea, he said. The attorney general's office didn't respond immediately to requests for comment. Danaya Wright, a constitutional law professor at the University of Florida, said the city council has to make decisions that are in the best interest of its community — selling publicly owned land to a private entity is hard to get back, so doing so needs to be done carefully. 'I don't think the (city) has an obligation to bend over backwards to give them publicly owned land,' Wright said, 'as long as they're not privileging one religion over another, or discriminating against one religion over another, which is not the case.' The city council has to assess how this entity has used the other property it owns and what the taxpayer benefits are, she said. 'If it has made promises about development and then not done so, then that's relevant information,' Wright said. Brooks Gibbs, a part of the Save the Garden Coalition, which is proposing a plan that will memorialize African-American history in Clearwater, published a statement in response to the attorney general's letter. 'We intend to meet with city officials to discuss the next steps in bringing The Garden Memorial to life through a public-private partnership, while keeping the street in full use for Clearwater's citizens,' Gibbs wrote. 'We are continuing to move forward with determination.' Rector said Uthmeier's office is not taking any action. And right now, the city isn't looking to do so either. 'It's an active street,' Rector said. 'I don't think there's any appetite from the city council right now to vacate the street for anyone.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hutto listed in top 15 of fastest growing cities in U.S.: report
The Brief Hutto is the 13th fastest-growing city in the country, according to a report Between 2023 and 2024, it grew by more than 9 percent Along with several resident houses, businesses are also popping up in Hutto HUTTO, Texas - A new U.S. Census report put seven Texas cities in the top 15 fastest-growing places in the country. Hutto was the only Central Texas city on the list. What they're saying The houses popping up left and right are a testament to that. It's a far cry from what Jena Dubon remembers as a kid. "They were excited about a Wendy's coming like twenty years ago, and we finally got it a few years ago, and now we have big places coming," said Dubon. She's now a realtor in Hutto with On Air Realty. She points to the city's location and affordability as its attractions. "We have a toll road really close by, 79. We're in the corridor of when it comes to tech, like big tech companies, so really great place to put some roots down and grow," said Dubon. According to the U.S. Census, Hutto is the 13th fastest-growing city in the country. Between 2023 and 2024, it grew by more than 9 percent. "I knew that we were growing fast because I'm exhausted," said Matthew Rector, Hutto's city engineer. "My team is exhausted, but I didn't realize we were going to rank 13th in the nation. That to me was a shock." Rector is helping guide that growth with plans to expand water capacity, treatment plants, and roads. "We have Samsung just to our east, and so they're going to be generating a lot more traffic, so we're working with the county and TxDOT to figure out how we can facilitate that without creating too much of an adverse impact for our residents, so we are busy busy busy," said Rector. It's not just people moving to Hutto. Companies are building new offices, too, like one across from the city hall, which city officials believe is a Swedish company working with Samsung. "We're seeing a lot of growth in areas where other metro areas are seeing declines," said Cheney Gamboa, Hutto's director of economic development. "For example, office space. That's something we're building here at the Co-Op." For Gamboa, keeping Hutto's small-town charm with its shiny new big city amenities is all a delicate balancing act. "Your residents want quality of life, but they need infrastructure," said Gamboa. "Your business needs infrastructure, but their employees want quality of life, so it's just kind of striking that balance about what you're prioritizing and what you're trying to achieve for the community at any given time." Georgetown has long boasted of being one of the fastest-growing places in the U.S. It didn't make the list this year, but it was one of seven U.S. cities to pass the population threshold of 100,000 in 2024. The Source Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tennessee's new death penalty drug sparks concerns ahead of first scheduled execution in years
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee hasn't executed an inmate on death row since early 2020, but now the new drug meant to restart the death penalty is raising new red flags among critics. Gov. Bill Lee paused all executions in April 2022 after discovering issues with the state's death penalty protocol and the drugs it used in executions. He ordered the Tennessee Department of Correction to create a new death penalty protocol, which was completed in December 2024. However, critics like Stacy Rector, executive director of Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty have argued the new protocol is even worse than before. RELATED | Death row inmates sue state over new lethal injection protocol 'Tennessee struggled with the drugs that were previously being used and has now switched to one that is also problematic,' Rector said. Tennessee chose pentobarbital, a single drug commonly used to treat insomnia in humans, as its new lethal injection drug. In higher doses, it can be fatal. Several states, and formerly the federal government, have used it to execute inmates since around 2010. However, the drug is controversial. This past January, the U.S. Department of Justice ditched the drug after a years-long investigation rose concerns pentobarbital could cause 'unnecessary pain and suffering.' According to Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, some people put to death with pentobarbital experienced pulmonary edema, which causes the sensation of drowning and pain. SEE ALSO | Tennessee's new death penalty protocol: What's different 'The pentobarbital did not adequately anesthetize these individuals, so they were experiencing this sensation of being water boarded, and that, according to the DOJ, is a violation of the 8th Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment,' Rector said. Several Tennessee death row inmates are now suing the state over its new death penalty protocol. In the lawsuit, they argued pentobarbital has been shown to 'pose a high risk of a torturous death.' 'It's riskier now, and this risk is not simply theoretical, folks,' Kelley J. Henry, a supervisory assistant federal public defender, said. 'They make it seem as if a lethal injection is a medical procedure. It's not. It's poison.' In addition, some expressed concerns if something were to go wrong during an execution under the new protocol, the public likely wouldn't find out because the new protocol is more secretive than the last. 'I think all citizens, regardless of your opinions of the death penalty, should have deep concern about the government shielding itself from accountability from the public this way,' Rector said. Death row inmate Oscar Smith will be the first prisoner executed under the state's new protocol on Thursday, May 22. Smith brutally murdered his estranged wife, Judy Robird Smith, and her sons Chad Burnett and Jason Burnett in Nashville on Oct. 1, 1989. Inmates whose crimes were committed before Jan. 1, 1999, can choose between the lethal injection and the electric chair under Tennessee law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Construction company displays the Oklahoma Standard by donating free roof
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A woman is getting a whole new roof for free, while a company is showing what it means to be an Oklahoman. The homeowner's original plan was to fix it one leak at a time. 'The house is old!' said Statia Rector. LOCAL NEWS: Oklahoma Company helps OKCPS Foundation support local students Rector said her home, in northeast Oklahoma City, was built in the 1920's. First, it was her mother's home in the 1950's. Then Rector made it hers in the late 1980's. Rector, 95, said that's the last time they put on a new roof. 'If god has given you the years, then thank him for them,' she said. Last year, she got a leak in her ceiling above her bathtub. Then, a few months ago, another appeared in the dining room. 'That's the ceiling itself that you're seeing and the split there,' she said while pointing out the spot in the ceiling. 'I just went and got a bucket.' Rector called her insurance, who found Joe Knapp with Excel Construction Group. 'When you have a leak, it's probably going to lead to a bigger problem' said Knapp. After inspecting the roof, Knapp said he'd find one issue after another. 'This roof was absolutely not up to code, multiple layers of shingles on top of rotted decking,' said Knapp. 'The water was penetrating through the shingles.' The fix is an expensive new roof. 'I had already decided I was not going to put a roof on this old house,' said Rector. 'Just fix the leaks when they happen.' Knapp talked to the company owners. They decided on a new $10,000 roof on the house, so to speak. 'I put it in the hands of the Lord,' said Rector. LOCAL NEWS: BBB warns Oklahomans of REAL ID scams as deadline approaches 'And I said, 'I guess God put me in a position to help you, so that's what we're doing,'' said Rector. Monday, Knapp's crews set to work adding new decking, new shingles, and proper ventilation. 'We're going to give her a very permanent solution,' said Knapp. The project wrapped up Monday afternoon. It was a real display of Red Dirt Readiness to help out an Oklahoman in need. 'Getting it done freely never crossed my mind,' said Rector. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
