Latest news with #RobertTracy
ABC News
12-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Gippsland farmers fight to keep Yanakie weather station operating
Farmer Matthew Marriott has spent a lifetime monitoring the weather on Victoria's picturesque Prom Coast. His family has run cattle at Yanakie since 1975 and Mr Marriott knows the area like the back of his hand. But he cannot predict the weather. "We're right on the coast, so conditions here are always changing," Mr Marriott said. Mr Marriott usually checks the forecast multiple times a day, but that has changed since the Yanakie automatic weather station shut down at the start of July. The station began operating in 2012 with a one-off federal government grant and is one of 650 stations dotted across Australia recording temperature, wind speed and rainfall data. About 200 of them are owned by local councils or privately, but the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) operates and maintains them. Robert Tracy, who also farms beef at Yanakie, said there was a big gap in weather observation data without the station. "That became especially clear after a severe storm hit our region in 2011," he said. "So the Yanakie station was set up the following year with enough funding to run for 10 years." But that money dried up and the station was closed. "Initially the South Gippsland Shire Council and the bureau discussed the future of the station with no input from the community," Mr Tracy said. "We didn't hear about the planned shutdown until April, so there was certainly no transparency." A spokesperson for the BOM said it could maintain and oversee weather stations only where a "formal funding agreement" was in place. The BOM has closed three automatic weather stations in the past five years, at Hay Point in Queensland, Kanagulk in Victoria and, most recently, Yanakie. The spokesperson said the closures were "due to the customer advising the bureau to cease operations". For another farming community at Nilma North, about 125 kilometres north-east of Yanakie, it's all too familiar. Their weather station was also set to close at the start of July, but retired dairy farmer Colin Gray led the charge to keep it going. "We got a letter from Baw Baw Shire Council to say the station would be closing down, and I thought to myself, 'We've got to do something,'" he said. "Within a month, we had everyone writing letters and contacting their councillors about it. "And it just snowballed from there." The council has agreed to fund the Nilma North weather station in conjunction with the BOM for another three years. "I think people started to realise whether you're a farmer, a tourist, or just an everyday person, we need local weather information," Mr Grey said. Back in Yanakie, the South Gippsland Shire is now advocating for continued funding for the local station there. "Council representatives, including the mayor and deputy mayor were recently in Canberra," the chief executive Allison Jones said. "They met with government representatives to advocate for the continuation of the Yanakie weather station service," she said. Mr Tracy is glad the council is listening to the community and he hopes it will make a difference. "We need to know what the weather is doing." Mr Marriott agrees, saying farmers, fishers and residents will continue their fight. "It provides critical data for us farmers, as well as local fire brigades, park rangers, professional fishermen, recreational boaters and tourists. "Even local painting contractors rely on it."
Miami Herald
12-05-2025
- Miami Herald
3 found shot to death in home when suspect is killed by officers, MO cops say
A standoff between a homicide suspect and authorities ended with the 61-year-old man killed and three others found dead on the property, Missouri police said. ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, alerted police to the St. Louis home in the early hours of May 9 to find a man shot to death on the front porch, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release. Officers surrounded the home around 4 a.m. as they waited hours to get a search warrant, police said. Around 7 a.m., the 61-year-old suspect came out of the home and spoke with officers, police said. He went back inside and returned with a rifle moments later, according to police. Gunfire between the man and two officers broke out and the man retreated back into the home, police said. A SWAT team entered the residence and found the man dead near the entryway with three firearms near him, authorities said. Police Chief Robert Tracy said one of the guns was found underneath the suspect's body, according to a news conference shared by KTVI. A woman believed to be in her 30s or 40s was found dead in the living room and another man was found shot to death in the basement, Tracy said. The man found shot on the front porch, believed to be between the ages of 45 to 55, was also pronounced dead at the scene. Tracy said officials are working to officially identify the suspect and the three victims before releasing their names. He said the police department believes the shooter is a 61-year-old man with a previous felony conviction.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
St. Louis police honored for bravery at Second District event
ST. LOUIS – On Wednesday, business owners honored the hard work and dedication of police officers in St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department's Second District. The officers were recognized with awards for the 30th year of the event. This year's event didn't start with a celebration but rather a sobering moment. 'Please join me in a moment of silence as we continue to pray for our injured officer and his family as he and embark on a long road to recovery,' St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said. Chief Tracy said hearts are heavy within the police department after the officer was struck by a car Monday. Police identified the injured officer as 31-year-old Nathan Spiess. The chief said Spiess is known for his bravery and dedication. Police identify officer struck by car on I-70 'I had the opportunity to speak with the officer on several occasions. Let me say, his resilience for the job should humble us all. His commitment makes me honored to wear this badge,' Tracy said. Honor was the theme of the event as officers were recognized for their bravery and commitment to serve. 'It is sometimes a difficult decision regarding who was most deserving,' Captain Tom Zipf Jr. said. 'In addition to the officers and detectives we're honoring today we had officers who received departmental awards such as awards of excellence, chief's letters, distinguished service citations, and we also had five of our officers in 2024 receive the Medal of Valor.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Officer hit by vehicle on I-70, rushed to hospital: Police
ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officer was injured in a crash Monday morning. According to police, an officer was struck by a vehicle in the express lanes on Interstate 70 near Shreve Avenue. It originally started with a carjacking investigation and led to a chase, SLMPD said in a press conference. The officer was rushed to the hospital in a police cruiser with a serious injury to his leg. Police says he is currently in surgery as of 10 a.m. and his family had a chance to speak to him. 'It shows the dangerous work our officers are out there doing each and every day, and if it wasn't for the quick action of the officers on the scene–putting him in one of our Tahoe's, clearing out down Kingshighway, getting him to Barnes Hospital–it could've been even worse than it is right now,' SLMPD Chief Robert Tracy said. 'Pretty much saved his life.' Traffic has been narrowed to one lane as emergency crews are at the scene. This is a developing story. More will be posted as it comes into the FOX 2 newsroom. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill on SLMPD control faces one last vote before heading to Kehoe's desk
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Senate gave its final approval to a public safety measure that would give control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to a governor-appointed board of police commissioners. The proposal now awaits likely approval from the Missouri House. After a string of amendments and changes to appeal to more legislators, House Bill 495 was truly passed out of the Senate late Monday afternoon. Procedural rules also forced the Senate to vote on the measure twice, once last Thursday and then again today after having to go through the fiscal oversight process. The final vote in the Senate was 27 to 5. Senators also voted on an emergency clause for the bill that will expedite its implementation as early as August. The vote for the emergency clause was 25 to 7. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Last week, Gov. Mike Kehoe said he was looking forward to signing the bill this week. The GOP governor, who is from north St. Louis, says the model in place before the 2013 swapping of power worked for the citizens and the police officers of St. Louis. 'We think it's a good model to have happen,' he said. 'We're taking politics out of that.' When asked about the future of St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy, Kehoe signaled support for the chief, saying Tracy is moving the department in the right direction. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones also issued a statement regarding the takeover bill. 'This effort to take away St. Louisans' control of their own police department is in line with the cowardly attempts at autocracy we are seeing at the national level,' Jones said. 'I cannot and will not sit down and allow this complete disregard for democracy to compromise the safety of our residents for political gain. This fight is far from over.' The Missouri House is currently in session and could vote on the measure at any time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
