Latest news with #Towne
TimesLIVE
14-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Campaign to strip husbands' control over funerals in GBV cases is launched
The difficulty in laying to rest murder victim Kim White Towne, formerly of Cape Town, has prompted a campaign to change the law to ensure people accused of domestic violence cannot control their victims' funeral services. The initiative is being led by Wanda Voight, who befriended Towne in Virginia in the US where she lived with her American husband Alexander. He is charged with strangling and beating her to death at their home in May. Voight, who has ties to Namibia and South Africa and runs a women's empowerment group called SA-Love, said she assisted Towne's family as their US point of contact. She was spurred into action by 'the heartbreaking ordeal her family faced'. The family had initially attempted to repatriate her body for burial in SA but costs and logistics prevented this and her remains were cremated in the US. To do this, they were legally required to obtain permission from her husband, despite his arrest for the death, Voight said. The family also needed to obtain his permission to enter their rental home and collect her personal belongings. 'In Virginia, a person who kills their partner retains legal rights over their victim's body and shared possessions, forcing grieving families to seek permission from the perpetrator to bury or cremate their loved one. 'This adds unimaginable pain to a devastating loss. No family should ever have to endure such a cruel and unjust barrier to laying their loved one to rest. 'I've contacted our two Virginia senators and launched a petition on calling for the passing of Kim's Law, which would revoke the legal rights of domestic violence perpetrators.' Kim's Law would: Strip alleged perpetrators of any rights over the victim's remains and burial decisions. Prevent them from inheriting or controlling shared property. Empower families to make decisions without interference from the accused. To date there are 718 signatures on the petition. Towne had relocated from Cape Town to teach in Bahrain where she met her husband, who was also working there. After a stint in the US, she returned to South Africa during an estrangement. They reconciled and she travelled back to the US to rejoin him. Family spokesperson Lauren Delcarme previously shared that her 'warmth, kindness, and gentle spirit touched everyone she met'.
Metro
16-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
Full list of 29 home goods chain store locations closing this fall
A beloved home goods retailer is set to close 26 stores in the US by this fall after filing for bankruptcy. At Home, a chain selling home décor and furniture, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday because of 'broader economic and retail-specific market pressures', according to court documents. More than two dozen 'underperforming' stores are marked for closure by September 30. At Home shuttered six locations over the past year, and its situation has only gotten worse. 'Given the expenses associated with brick-and-mortar operation and the issues affecting the retail industry, a number of the (At Home) remaining stores are operating at sub-optimal performance levels,' state the documents. The company, based in Coppell, Texas, cited concerns over custom costs from the Trump administration's tariffs, and 'persistent inflation', as reasons that led it to file for bankruptcy. Here are all the At Homes locations closing, according to the court documents. California: 750 Newhall Drive in San Jose 2505 El Camino Real in Tustin 2200 Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa 3795 E Foothills Boulevard 1982 E 20th Street in Chico 26532 Towne Center Drive Suites A-B in Foothill Ranch 8320 Delta Shores Circle South in Sacramento 2900 N Bellflower Boulevard in Long Beach Florida: 14585 Biscayne Boulevard in North Miami Illinois: 5203 W War Memorial Drive in Peoria 13180 S Cicero Ave in Crestwood Massachusetts 571 Boston Turnpike in Shrewsbury 300 Providence Highway in Dedham Minnesota: 2820 Highway 63 South in Rochester Montana: 905 S 24th Street West in Billings New Jersey: 1361 NJ-35 in Middletown Township 461 Route 10 East in Ledgewood 301 Nassau Park Boulevard in Princeton New York: 6135 Junction Boulevard in Rego Park 300 Baychester Avenue in Bronx Pennsylvania: 720 Clairton Boulevard in Pittsburgh Washington: 1001 E Sunset Drive in Bellingham 2530 Rudkin Road in Yakima Wisconsin: 3201 N Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa Virginia: 8300 Sudley Road in Manassas 19460 Compass Creek Parkway in Leesburg Under the bankruptcy process, At Home ownership will be transferred to hedge fund and investment firms in New York City and San Francisco. At Home CEO Brad Weston stated that the company plans to emerge and 'move forward with new owners and a meaningfully strengthened balance sheet'. 'We are grateful to be moving forward with significant support from our financial stakeholders, which demonstrates their confidence in our business and our future strategy,' stated Weston. More Trending 'As we work through this process, our stores and the teams that support them remain customer focused and committed to serving and inspiring customers, enabling them to Design Their Life AT HOME.' At Home is the latest American big box retailer to downsize recently. Its bankruptcy comes after the popular fabrics and crafts retail chain Joann announced it would close 255 stores in May, and the country's largest party supply retail chain Party City shuttered all of its stores in February after 40 years. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump launches his own mobile network with a $499 gold phone MORE: Full list of 55 NatWest branches that will close in another blow to high street MORE: Man arrested after 'assassination' of US politician and her husband
The Citizen
03-06-2025
- The Citizen
Dirco confirms death of SA citizen in West Virginia, US
South Africa's embassy in Washington is providing full consular assistance to the family Government has confirmed that a South African citizen has died in the United States (US). International Relations Department (Dirco) spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the individual passed away in West Virginia. 'The government of the Republic of South Africa confirms with deep sadness the tragic passing of a South African citizen in West Virginia, United States of America. 'The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ronald Lamola, has extended condolences to the bereaved family during this profoundly difficult time,' Phiri said. Consular assistance Phiri added that South Africa's embassy in Washington, D.C., is providing full consular assistance to the family. 'The circumstances surrounding this tragic death remain under active investigation by the relevant United States authorities. 'Out of respect for the ongoing investigative process, the sensitivity of the matter, and the privacy of the grieving family, the South African Government will not be providing further detailed commentary at this time,' Phiri said. ALSO READ: KZN man working in US arrested for allegedly distributing child porn Murder According to Women for Change, the person has been identified as 32-year-old Kim White Towne. Towne was allegedly murdered by her husband, Alexander Towne, in their home in Chantilly, Virginia, United States, on 24 May 2025. In 2023, Towne, originally from Cape Town, moved to the United States with Alexander, a US citizen and military veteran. Argument On 24 May 2025, just two hours before her death, Towne reportedly called a family member, expressing fear and distress over her violent marriage. The family member urged her to contact the police. It is alleged that the argument between Kim and Alexander escalated, and he fatally strangled her. After the alleged brutal murder, the husband reportedly called the police and confessed to assaulting and killing his wife. When officers arrived at the scene, they found Towne's lifeless body. Arrest Alexander was arrested, charged with second-degree murder, and is currently being held without bail. It is reported that their three-year-old child was inside the home when the incident occurred. In 2024, Towne had reportedly obtained a protection order against her husband, which led to his removal from their home. She stayed with a family member for some time, but a few months later, the couple reconciled. ALSO READ: Afrikaners who accepted Trump's refugee offer 'know there's no persecution in SA' – expert
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canton Central superintendent candidates make pitches
Mar. 20—CANTON — Nearly 100 people attended presentations from two candidates for Canton Central School Superintendent Thursday evening in the Hugh C. Williams High School Auditorium. BOCES Superintendent Thomas Burns, who has been helping the school board search for a new superintendent, hosted the event. The two candidates, Potsdam High School Principal Kristin Towne and Canton Middle School Principal Joseph McDonough, gave short presentations on their backgrounds and visions. Then, they faced questions from an audience of district residents, faculty and staff. Towne was first on stage. "This is a great turnout," the Star Lake native said as she picked up the microphone and started her slide show presentation. Towne graduated from Clifton-Fine and earned her bachelor's degree in art education at SUNY Potsdam. She holds leadership certificates from St. Lawrence University and a Master of Science Education in instructional technology. Towne has 28 years of experience in education, with the past eight years in leadership roles. Her experience includes 16 years of teaching art at Brasher Falls and serving as high school assistant principal at Salmon River Central School District and PK-12 building principal at Hammond Central School District. She has been at Potsdam for the last four years. She said that Canton Central has a tradition of excellence, a strong reputation and community values that she admires. If she gets the job, she will begin by listening to the school community and the community at large. "It is all about building relationships," she said. Towne was asked about a poor report the school received in 2022 that indicated that hate speech was routine and consequences were inconsistent. "You have to face that head-on," she said. Students must follow a code of conduct, but they should also be educated about the impact of their behavior. "They are kids," she said. "They make mistakes." The community needs to be educated as well, she said. "All students should feel welcome," she said. When Towne was asked what qualities she needed to make and deliver hard decisions, she mentioned being let go after 16 years at Brasher Falls due to a staffing cut. She said a superintendent needs to do what needs to be done, with compassion. After a short break, McDonough made his presentation. McDonough is from Maine but has lived in the Canton community for 20 years, 17 of which were spent at Canton Central. He is the middle school principal at J.M. McKenney Middle School in the Canton Central School District. He has 25 years of experience as an educator and 15 years in leadership positions. He has served as dean of students at Potsdam Central School, dean of students at Canton Central School,St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES regional summer school principal and elementary principal at Canton's F.S. Banford Elementary School He holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of New England, a Certificate of Advanced Study and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from St. Lawrence University, and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and classics from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. McDonough used two symbols in his presentation. The first was an aerial photo of the entire middle school faculty, staff, and students spelling out the word "BEARS" on the school's athletics field. He said everyone is separate on the field but coming together to achieve a goal. He also described the school with a three-legged stool analogy. The stool is only firm when each leg is strong. The three legs, he said, are relationships, systems and leadership. Relationships build trust and morale and give people a voice. Systems provide predictability and consistency; leadership needs to be steady, decisive and transparent. Between faculty, staff and students, "It's a human-heavy industry," he said. McDonough faced many of the same questions as Towne. He answered each by reaching back to his three-legged stool analogy. He said hate language is a problem that has not been solved at Canton, but it is a problem that exists beyond the school's walls. By building trust and giving people voices, they can make some changes. Hard decisions are not hard if you are predictable and have systems people know and understand. he said. "If you don't remember everything I said," McDonough said, harkening back to the aerial photo of the middle school spelling out Bears on the soccer field, "remember I said, 'together.'"
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rural ambulance service to build new facility with $300,000 federal grant
GOWRIE, Iowa — Federal funding will help expand emergency medical services in a rural community in Webster County. The Southwest Webster Ambulance Service in Gowrie is in desperate need of an upgrade. EMT Terry Towne said they outgrew the building 15 years ago. 'When I started 30 years ago, all of our supplies were in the bay with the ambulance, but now very little of them are because there's no room,' Towne said. To save space, they started storing equipment inside their meeting room instead. The bay now only stores their two ambulances. One is nine-years-old and the other is 16-years-old. There's a cabinet inside the bay that opens directly onto one of the vehicles. According to Towne, newer ambulances are getting larger and wider, so while they're tight for space now, it may be worse in the future. However, federal funding will now help them create a new building. Senator Chuck Grassley announced $2.3 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Grant Program. The money was awarded to five communities, and Gowrie was one of them. 'Many Iowans call rural communities home, and they deserve our support and investment. These federal dollars will upgrade critical infrastructure, promote economic development, and boost health and safety initiatives throughout rural Iowa,' said Grassley. None of this would've been possible without the help of one local Gowrie business. Marcie Boerner is the CEO and General Manager for the Webster-Calhoun Cooperative Telephone Association. She applied for the grant on behalf of the Southwest Webster Ambulance Service. Webster-Calhoun has a revolving loan fund, which means they're able to make 0% loans to businesses and organizations within their community to support economic growth. Scholastic Spotlight: National excellence for Iowa teachers in math and science She found out earlier this year they were awarded $300,000 for the project. The ambulance service will provide a 20% match. 'It's actually a program that's a win-win for the both of us. So, its adding $360,000 to our revolving loan fund but as they pay it back to us, we're able to continue to reloan it to other businesses and organizations throughout our service area,' said Boerner. The partnership with the medical services crew was an easy decision for Boerner. 'There's three [hospitals] but they're 30 minutes away, and so it's really important and really fortunate as a citizen and resident in Gowrie that we have the Southwest Webster Ambulance crew here in town,' she said. Towne describes this loan as a dream come true. 'It's still very emotional when I think about it, because we've been trying to work on an ambulance but fundraisers only go so far and the cost of the buildings keep going up, even more than our fundraising has been going up. So, this is not anything we could've reached without this loan that we're getting from them,' she said. The new building will be constructed in between the current facility and the town's fire department. The City of Gowrie already voted to buy the current facility to use it as a police station. The new facility is projected to be completed by the fall. Towne also said they will use part of the grant to employ a paramedic. The Southwest Webster Ambulance is ran by volunteers. Employing a paramedic will ensure the station has someone available to better assist residents around the clock. Currently, the police and fire departments are funded by property tax, but EMT is not. As a result, Webster County is also holding a special election on March 4th to change this. If approved, the county will dedicate a tax of 75-cents per $1,000 of taxable property. They expect this to raise around $200,000 annually for the ambulance service. Iowa News: Marshalltown skimming suspect charged in Newton case Rural ambulance service to build new facility with $300,000 federal grant Families explore thousands of reptiles at Iowa Reptile Show Armed barricaded individual in Storm Lake, police on scene IDP Chair talks 2026 plan, state and federal economic policy Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
