Latest news with #ScottJohnson
The Hill
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
A federal judge reminds government inspectors: Get a warrant
Get a warrant, government inspectors. After years of litigation — including a trip to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and a trial — that's the commonsense opinion from U.S. District Judge Kathyrn Vratil. Score a big win for property and privacy rights. Your home is supposed to be your castle, of course. But for decades, the government treated it like anything but one. Enter Scott Johnson, who trains hunting dogs on the rural Kansas homestead he shares with his wife Harlene. He is a second-generation trainer, nationally recognized, has won countless awards, and plays by the rules. But that didn't stop the government from searching their property anyway and forcing him to waive his constitutional rights in exchange for a kennel license. Under Kansas law, if Scott wanted to keep his livelihood, he was forced to accept warrantless searches at any time with no notice and no right to refuse. If he or his wife wasn't on-site within 30 minutes of a surprise inspection, he would face automatic fines and more searches. Even asking the inspector to return later or to get a warrant was punishable. That's not just unreasonable but unconstitutional, as Judge Vratil has now ruled. The government's surprise warrantless search violated the Fourth Amendment. Remarkably, Kansas — through two different Attorneys General administrations — defended its actions by invoking the 'pervasively regulated industry' exception to the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on warrantless searches. The U.S. Supreme Court created the exception decades ago for federally licensed liquor and firearms dealers. Since then, state and lower courts expanded it and unsurprisingly, governments took a maximalist view of it. It was a bureaucratic windfall. In 2015, the Supreme Court explained the exception was supposed to be narrow and only applicable to inherently dangerous businesses — think underground mining and nuclear power plants — but governments didn't take the hint. Thankfully, the judge didn't buy the idea that training a dog how to sit or point on command could be counted alongside such dangerous operations. Indeed, she warned that Kansas's logic 'could essentially turn any industry into a closely regulated one,' allowing the exception to 'swallow the rule' that protects us all: The government needs a warrant before searching. The Founders wrote the Fourth Amendment to stop precisely this kind of regulatory overreach. The point was to forever stamp out searches where there was no reason for suspicion. Back then, colonists reviled those searches by British customs agents. In 1761, during a fiery, five-hour speech, lawyer James Otis railed against them in the famous Paxton's Case. He rightly declared it the 'worst instrument of arbitrary power, the most destructive of English liberty and the fundamental principles of law, that ever was found in an English law book.' He went on. 'Now one of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house. A man's house is his castle.' Today, suspicion-less searches have become far too accepted, both by the public and the courts. But Scott and Harlene didn't accept it. They just wanted their home to be treated like their castle. Forcing law-abiding citizens to helplessly watch while a government agent looks through their workshop or their backyard — not because of any suspicion of wrongdoing, but because of their livelihood — is an indignity nobody should have to suffer. Last week, Americans celebrated Independence Day — a time to reflect on the freedoms that define our nation. But freedom doesn't endure on its own. It must be defended. Sometimes in court, and sometimes by a dog trainer and his wife just trying to make a living on their own land. This case is about protecting private property from intrusive government regulation. It was about reminding those in power that no license, no regulation, and no bureaucratic theory justifies treating a private homestead like it is government property. Kansas isn't the only state with overreaching rules and abusive inspections. The temptation to regulate first and ask constitutional questions later isn't unique to it. This case serves as a reminder: What happened in rural Kansas happens elsewhere, and it can't be tolerated. Thanks to Scott and Harlene, Kansans are a little more secure today. And thanks to the Constitution, the rest of us can be too — if we're willing to fight for it. Samuel G. MacRoberts is the litigation director for the Kansas Justice Institute, and represented Scott Johnson and Harlene Hoyt in their Fourth Amendment lawsuit against the State of Kansas.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mobile food drops set for June 17 in Blackduck, Kelliher
Jun. 11—BLACKDUCK — North Country Food Bank is is partnering with the United Way of Bemidji Area to offer two mobile food distributions in Blackduck and Kelliher on Tuesday, June 17. The Blackduck drive will run from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Evangelical Free Church, 241 Oscar Ave. The drive in Kelliher will run from 11 a.m. to noon at the Kelliher Community Center, 220 Main St. East. At the events, people can drive up and receive food. Those receiving food will be asked to identify themselves and answer a few simple household questions by North Country Food Bank staff. The Food Bank is collecting this information to allow access to more food items for these mobiles, the release said. To find out about weather cancellations, visit North Country Food Bank on Facebook. For more information about the mobile food distributions, contact Scott Johnson at (218) 399-7367.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Motivosity Launches Lifestyle Spending Accounts to Help Companies Offer Flexible, Hassle-Free Employee Perks
LSAs are now seamlessly integrated into Motivosity's Recognition & Rewards platform, eliminating admin overhead and offering flexible, people-first benefits LEHI, Utah, May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Motivosity, the leading people-first employee recognition and rewards platform built for today's workforce, is proud to announce the launch of its new Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSAs) program. With this release, HR leaders can now offer personalized, competitive employee perks without the burden of spreadsheets, reimbursements, or disconnected systems—right inside the employee recognition and rewards platform their teams already know and love. Designed to meet the growing demand for flexible benefits, Motivosity's LSA solution enables companies to easily fund and manage perks like wellness stipends, learning budgets, WFH allowances, and commuter benefits—all while maintaining control, visibility, and automation. 'Most companies want to offer meaningful perks, but they get stuck in the admin,' said Scott Johnson, CEO of Motivosity. 'Motivosity lifestyle spending accounts are the most flexible way to offer tailored rewards and incentives to employees. Because employees engage heavily with our platform, the impact of doing LSA's within Motivosity is unmatched. This gives HR leaders comfort and confidence of knowing programs they put together will have maximum value.' Motivosity's LSAs are fully integrated with the company's ThanksMatters Visa® card, allowing employees to spend their benefits in the Motivosity store, through custom reward catalogs, or out in the world in pre-defined categories set by their company. Administrators can launch multiple LSA programs in minutes, configure detailed spending rules, and automate top-ups—all while tracking usage and ROI from a single dashboard. 'Our goal was to make LSAs just as engaging as the rest of our platform,' Johnson added. 'When perks are easy to use and visibly celebrated, they don't just make employees happy—they reinforce your culture.' Key benefits of Motivosity's new LSA offering include: Fully controllable spending: Employers define categories and limits, ensuring every dollar is used as intended. Pre-funded accounts: Eliminate unfunded liabilities with proactive wallet funding. Automated workflows: No more manual receipt reviews or ad hoc reimbursements. Centralized platform: Run LSAs alongside recognition, rewards, and people programs to boost participation and connection. Motivosity's approach to employee experience has already earned the trust of leading brands like Toyota, Bosch, Western Governors University, and KPMG. With the addition of LSAs, the platform now supports even more ways for companies to build culture, increase retention, and simplify HR operations—all without adding another tool to the tech stack. To learn more or request a custom demo, visit About MotivosityMotivosity is the people-first Recognition and Rewards solution built for today's workforce. By combining peer-to-peer recognition, meaningful rewards, and community-building tools, Motivosity helps organizations create connected cultures where employees feel valued, motivated, and inspired to do their best work. Contact Details:Name: Erik YorgasonTitle: Director of Creative & BrandEmail: 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
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Blis Technologies posts after-tax profit increase
Unexpected patent issues have taken up considerable time for Blis Technologies which has welcomed positive full-year financial results. The Dunedin-founded probiotics company posted improved after-tax net profit of $800,000 — up on the previous year's $600,000 result — for the year to March 31. Revenue of $12.6million was 10% higher on the previous year while ebitda of $1 million was a 26% improvement on FY24. Chairman Geoff Plunket and chief executive Scott Johnson said in the review that patents filed by the company's largest customer in Europe and a party associated with that customer became public in September last year. Blis maintained the patent applications contained confidential information provided under earlier agreements. Since the public release of the patent filings, Blis had been in negotiation with its customer "to reach an acceptable outcome for Blis". Both parties were working to conclude an agreement within the immediate future. An agreement would enable the parties to refocus on growing sales of Blis products in the market, they said. The increased revenue was underpinned by solid growth across the company's finished product sales and modest growth in its business-to-business revenue. Higher royalty revenue was partially offset by some softness in ingredient revenue from European customers. Growth was achieved in other ingredient markets. The company sold both probiotic ingredients and finished product into the United States. The US tariff regulations provided an exemption for bulk probiotic ingredient imports but the Blis-finished products for sale on Amazon US and US web store sales were subject to a general 10% tariff. The tariff impacts, although not material to the overall company result, had resulted in an Amazon US and US web store price increase being implemented through April this year. The company entered FY26 "with cautious optimism". While macroeconomic conditions remained mixed, demand for science-backed probiotics continued to grow, they said.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Men's group aims to 'break mental health stigma'
A growing support group in London that aims to break the stigma attached to men talking openly about mental health is expanding to the South Wallis, who lives in Pevensey Bay in East Sussex but is originally from London, joined The Proper Blokes Club (TPBC) in 2022 and has since become a lead Wallis said: "Before I joined TPBC, I was undergoing problems at work and other things in my life. I had also contemplated taking my own wife suggested he attend one of TPBC's support groups in Sutton after seeing the group's social media post. "Initially I was unsure, but I went along anyway. I realised there were other people similar to myself and no one judged me," he retiring from his job, the couple sold their London home and relocated to East Sussex. Mr Wallis worked with Scott Johnson, founder of TPBC, and started an Eastbourne weekly walk group in April. Mr Johnson, from south London, said so far 15 people have signed up to be regular members. Since TPBC's launch in 2020, more than 500 men take part in its weekly walks and drop-in sessions across said: "The groups have grown so much and it's only getting busier. We've had people across the country asking if there's a group near them."Mr Johnson started TPBC after undergoing family issues and, due to the stress, he turned to gambling and alcohol. When Mr Johnson researched mental health groups, he said he could not find one that suited him. "There were many groups where people sit in a circle and talk about their problems," he said. "I felt intimidated by that so I started up TPBC. Men talk more freely in more casual settings and they can form strong bonds."To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday, Mr Johnson and co-founder Ed Gibson are undertaking an 85-mile (136km) walk from Deal Pier to Eastbourne Pier on Thursday."We are walking to raise funds so TPBC can create more safe spaces for men to share their mental health experiences and find support," Mr Johnson said. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.
