Latest news with #ScottMacLean
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Networks 'coped well' with downpour
Dunedin and Otago regional councils say networks have withstood heavy rain, but advise people to stay safe amid more warnings of continued wet weather and snow. Snow-hit highways in South reopen DCC road closures Coastal Dunedin bore the brunt of the rain overnight - approximately 25-50mm, with other parts of Otago getting 20-50mm, the Otago Regional Council said in a statement early on Saturday afternoon. "Flood infrastructure is doing its job and performing as expected. There were no significant issues overnight." Rainfall has eased in North Otago but Dunedin could see a further 20-30mm and 30-40mm for Clutha until about 9pm on Saturday. A MetService orange rain warning remains in place for Dunedin and Clutha. The forecaster said streams and rivers could rise rapidly, and surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions were possible. Scott MacLean, the Dunedin City Council's general manager of climate and city growth, said this morning the network had "coped well" with heavy rain. 'Contractors responded to isolated incidents of ponding overnight. Our teams are inspecting the network for damage and flooding, and there are some temporary road closures in place. Up-to-date advice on road closures can be found on our website. 'With the exception of the Logan Park artificial turfs, all council grounds are closed to the public today. Staff and contractors will continue to monitor the network over the weekend.' Athletics Otago's Edmond Cup Cross Country event on Saturday has been cancelled. The city-bound lane of Shore St and a section of Portobello Rd, between Andersons Bay Rd and Portsmouth Dr, have been closed due to flooding. Old Brighton Rd and Aramoana Rd, near Deborah Bay, are also closed, the DCC's website showed. A low off the South Island east coast was expected to bring heavy rain to the lower South Island and snow to inland parts of Otago and Southland today, MetService advised this morning. A heavy snow watch was in place for Central Otago, Southland north of Lumsden, also inland Dunedin and Clutha from 9am until 7pm on Saturday. Periods of heavy snow were expected above 400 metres, where snowfall amounts may approach warning criteria. A heavy rain watch was in place for Southland about and east of Mossburn from 9am until 3pm on Saturday. Periods of heavy rain were expected and amounts may approach warning criteria. MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said a deep, complex low would move across the upper South Island from the west, directing a strong cold southwest flow across the southern regions. Once the low-pressure system had passed over to the east side of the country, easterly winds would then push it back towards the Otago coastline. "That rain coming across the country swirls around and makes landfall again near Dunedin and North Otago. It's kind of like a spinning top." DCC chief executive Sandy Graham said yesterday while the city's network was expected to cope with the downpour, staff and contractors were in a state of readiness. "At this stage the Dunedin Civil Defence bunker is not activating, and we expect our network will cope with the forecast rain, but we'll continue to monitor the situation and make further announcements as needed." ORC keeping close eye The Otago Regional Council is closely monitoring the weather, streams and rivers 24/7 over the weekend. Flood duty officer Ann Conroy said on Saturday afternoon river levels were rising but had not yet peaked in North Otago, and the Dunedin and Clutha area. "Flood infrastructure is doing its job and performing as expected. There were no significant issues overnight and surface flooding and ponding are likely in lower-lying areas. "We are ready to respond to any issues that arise will continue to closely monitor river levels. "Rivers are rising and we'll be keeping a close eye on the low-lying areas which could potentially be affected, including parts of the Tokomairaro floodplain such as Milton, the Lower Taieri floodplain including Henley, the Lower Clutha floodplain and Middlemarch." Staff and contractors would be in the field checking floodbank and drainage assets and pumping stations. The Water of Leith and Lindsay Creek in Dunedin were not expected to overtop their banks, the ORC said. The Silver Stream near Mosgiel was expected to peak at about 90-100 cumecs on Saturday afternoon. The Taieri River at Outram was expected to peak on Saturday evening at about 400-600 cumecs. Flooding of the unprotected areas downstream of Outram was likely. The Clutha River at Balclutha was expected to peak at around 1900 cumecs on Sunday morning. Flooding was likely in low-lying areas adjacent to the river upstream of Balclutha, and unprotected areas downstream of the township on the Clutha delta. 'At this stage, we do not expect widespread issues from the rain, but conditions can change and we will monitor closely. Communities in affected areas should stay up to date with conditions. Should the situation worsen, we are ready to act.' In South Otago, contractors for the district council have been monitoring river levels in Clutha since the early hours of Saturday morning. There were numerous areas of surface flooding affecting roads in the district. Karoro Creek Rd, Young Rd/Lake Rd (Berwick) and Allison Rd were closed, a council spokeswoman said. "The creeks and streams are full around West Otago which we will continue to monitor." Contractors were assessing the network on Saturday afternoon, visiting Milton, Kaka Point, Tuapeka Mouth and Lawrence. "At this stage we are placing signs on the worst areas of flooding but as conditions can change quite quickly over such a large network there will be locations that worsen before we get to them," she said. "As always, road users need to drive to the conditions and avoid driving through areas of flooding due to the risk of hidden hazards." - APL
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- Otago Daily Times
Dunedin network 'coped well' with downpour
Dunedin's network has withstood heavy rainfall overnight, but the city council is reminding residents to stay safe and avoid unnecessary travel. Heavy snow shuts highways in South DCC road closures A MetService orange rain warning remains in place for Dunedin and Clutha, with an additional 20mm to 30mm of rain forecast until 9pm on Saturday. It said streams and rivers could rise rapidly, and surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions were possible. Scott MacLean, the DCC's general manager of climate and city growth, said this morning the network had "coped well" with heavy rain overnight. 'Contractors responded to isolated incidents of ponding overnight. Our teams are inspecting the network for damage and flooding, and there are some temporary road closures in place. Up-to-date advice on road closures can be found on our website. 'With the exception of the Logan Park artificial turfs, all council grounds are closed to the public today. Staff and contractors will continue to monitor the network over the weekend.' Athletics Otago's Edmond Cup Cross Country event on Saturday has been cancelled. As at 10.30am on Saturday, Old Brighton Road and Gladstone Road South - Riccarton Road West to Cemetery Road were closed, the DCC website showed. A low off the South Island east coast was expected to bring heavy rain to the lower South Island and snow to inland parts of Otago and Southland today, MetService advised this morning. A heavy snow watch was in place for Central Otago, Southland north of Lumsden, also inland Dunedin and Clutha from 9am until 7pm on Saturday. Periods of heavy snow were expected above 400 metres, where snowfall amounts may approach warning criteria. A heavy rain watch was in place for Southland about and east of Mossburn from 9am until 3pmon Saturday. Periods of heavy rain were expected and amounts may approach warning criteria. MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said a deep, complex low would move across the upper South Island from the west, directing a strong cold southwest flow across the southern regions. Once the low-pressure system had passed over to the east side of the country, easterly winds would then push it back towards the Otago coastline. "That rain coming across the country swirls around and makes landfall again near Dunedin and North Otago. "It's kind of like a spinning top." Otago Regional Council natural hazards manager Jean-Luc Payan said people needed to consider forecast snow, rain and rising river conditions could change very quickly and with little warning. Low-lying areas which could potentially be affected included parts of the Tokomairaro flood plain including Milton, the Lower Taieri flood plain including Henley, the Lower Clutha flood plain and Middlemarch. The Water of Leith and Lindsay Creek in Dunedin were not expected to overtop their banks. The Silver Stream near Mosgiel was expected to peak at about 90 cumecs early on Saturday afternoon. and no overflowing was expected. The Taieri River at Outram was expected to peak in the evening at about 700 cumecs. Flooding of the unprotected areas downstream of Outram was likely. The Clutha River at Balclutha was expected to peak at about 1900 cumecs on Sunday morning. Flooding was likely in low-lying areas next to to the river upstream of Balclutha, and unprotected areas downstream of the township on the Clutha delta. The ORC said it would be monitoring streams and rivers 24/7 at the weekend. Staff and contractors would be in the field checking floodbank and drainage assets and pumping stations. Dunedin City Council chief executive Sandy Graham said yesterday while the city's network was expected to cope with the downpour, staff and contractors were in a state of readiness. "At this stage the Dunedin Civil Defence bunker is not activating, and we expect our network will cope with the forecast rain, but we'll continue to monitor the situation and make further announcements as needed." - APL
Hamilton Spectator
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
North Peace Minor Baseball eyes expansion after quick recovery from shed fire
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The president of North Peace Minor Baseball is feeling 'fantastic' despite a fire which burned its equipment shed to the ground at the start of the season. Scott MacLean said there were no delays in the season beginning, even though the club's shed went up in flames in April , one day before opening the season. At the time, the Fort St. John RCMP said it had received a report about the fire but did not give any more information. Several donors stepped up to give the club a hand, including NorthRiver Midstream, Rig Ratz Safety, Jiffy Lube and United Rentals. 'We were able to replace all the equipment that was inside and erect a small storage shed,' said MacLean. 'It was really quick.' MacLean has been involved with the organization for the past 11 years; he became president in 2024 after the former head, Forrest Liddicoat, retired. Last season, he oversaw the development of a youth umpire program, which he says has 'been fantastic' and for his second year, he wanted to see more player enrollment in the league. '[Player growth has] been continual over the last 10 years,' said MacLean. 'We took a chance on moving people from a waiting list and actually had about 300-plus participants. 'In my second year I concentrated a little bit more on growth. Based on our waiting lists that we currently have, I would like to expand even more next year. We had 40 kids on the waiting list, my goal is to have nobody on the waiting list.' As the season draws to a close, North Peace Minor Baseball will host the Montney League Baseball playoff tournament for competitive teams at the U-13, U-15 and U-18 levels and recreational league playoffs in town will begin on Monday, June 23rd. Headquartered in Beaverlodge, the Montney League Baseball will feature teams from Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Grande Prairie, High Prairie and Peace River starting on Friday, June 20th at Kin Park. 'We are fortunate Fort St. John has one of the nicer facilities at Kin Park to host large tournaments,' said MacLean. 'We do find that the other communities do like coming here.' More information about North Peace Minor Baseball is available on the club's Facebook page. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Boston Globe
14-02-2025
- Boston Globe
Providence police officers allege they suffered hearing loss because of ‘defective' headsets during 2022 shootout
The lawsuit alleges Safariland's 'Liberator' headsets lost power during a standoff with a heavily armed man, Scott MacLean, 61, who, authorities have said, fired Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up Police returned fire. Investigators later determined Related : Advertisement During the firefight, however, the Liberator headsets worn by officers malfunctioned, the lawsuit alleges. As result, officers Daniel Carignan, Matthew Greely, Frank Moody, Sean Comella, Andre P. Elie, Jr., and Eric Cuellar, lost communication with dispatchers and between themselves, and were left 'without sufficient sound protection from the compression impact and loud noises,' the lawsuit alleges. 'Each of the plaintiffs suffered hearing loss, other injuries to their ears, inner ears, and sustained other severe personal injuries from the impact of the noise from the firing of their own weapons, and from the firing of the weapons of their fellow officers,' the lawsuit states. Moody told 'It just failed, and we found out that we had severe, immediate hearing loss,' he said, adding that he now wears hearing aids. The first officer to shoot back at MacLean, Moody told David Caprio, an attorney for the six officers, did not immediately return a request for additional comment on Friday. Advertisement According to the complaint, Safariland supplied police with 33 headsets under a city contract and 'marketed, advertised and sold the Liberators as a product that was safe which had exceptional convergence of communication and hearing protection to be used in the field during many situations, including firefights.' Prior to the shooting, Providence police had already noticed 'battery drainage problems and power loss issues' with the Liberators and sent them back to the manufacturer for repair, the lawsuit alleges. The headsets were then sent back to police sometime during or around January 2022 and the company 'represented that the Liberators were repaired and fully functional,' the lawsuit states. After the alleged malfunction during the February firefight, the headsets were again sent back to Safariland for the same issue, according to the complaint. Christopher Gavin can be reached at
