Latest news with #residentialareas


BBC News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Views sought on 20mph speed limit plan across Isle of Man's north
Residents living in the north of the Isle of Man are being asked for their views about plans to bring in 20mph (32mk/h) speed limits in some built-up is part of a wider consultation exercise being carried out by the Department of Infrastructure across the island which could see the lower speed limit being introduced in some residential living in Maughold and Ramsey, as well as Andreas and Kirk Michael and surrounding areas, can have their say until 1 maps are available to view online, and feedback is being sought on which roads should have a 20mph limit. In May, Tynwald approved the DoI's implementation plan for the scheme, which outlined that it would undertake increased public involvement, and how the project would be installed over the next 18 near schools, hospitals and care homes, along with places with an increased probability of vulnerable people, would be prioritised under the scheme, Infrastructure Minister Michelle Haywood has previously can leave feedback by selecting the road they wish to comment on through am online portal detailing the can also be sent by email to the traffic regulation order consideration of feedback, new speed limits are set to be installed in the with Douglas and Onchan residents closed on Friday, and implementation of new speed limits will get under way shortly. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.

RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Auckland councillor determined to ban residential helipads
An Auckland councillor is on a mission to ground helicopters taking off and landing in residential areas for good. It follows multi millionaire Auckland couple, entrepreneur Anna Mowbray and former All Black Ali Williams recently getting approval for a helipad at their waterfront Westmere home. Three independent commissioners approved the resource consent application with some concessions, including a maximum of two flights day and 10 flights per month between the hours of 7am and 10pm. They concluded as per previous decisions; the use of helicopters in residential areas is a permitted activity under Auckland Unitary Plan. But one councillor wants these rules amended. Councillor Mike Lee spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Surprising Truth About the Scorpions Creeping Into Your Home
As temperatures soar across much of the U.S., one creature is crawling into the spotlight, and sometimes, into homes. Scorpions, the desert-dwelling arachnids armed with pincers and venomous tails, are showing up more frequently in residential areas. But experts say the fear might be overblown. While they look like something straight out of a horror movie, most scorpions in the U.S. aren't dangerous to humans. According to Jacob Gorneau, a researcher at the California Academy of Sciences, these creatures are shy predators that typically sting only when threatened, usually by accident, USA Today reported. 'They're very unwilling to strike unless they feel like their life is in danger,' Gorneau said. Scorpions are most often associated with the desert Southwest—Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas—but they've also been spotted as far north as Virginia on the East Coast and southern Canada on the West. And while some scorpions can handle hot, tropical environments, Gorneau explained that many are surprisingly adaptable. 'Even in places where it snows, they'll burrow deep enough to create a microenvironment that suits them,' he said. What's driving them into homes? Heat. Extreme temperatures push scorpions to seek cooler, shaded spaces, like basements, bathrooms, or anywhere they can sneak in through pipes, cracks, or under doors. They're also on the hunt for food and moisture, which makes homes an accidental oasis. Though there are nearly 3,000 known species of scorpions, only one in the U.S., the Arizona bark scorpion, is considered truly dangerous. The rest? Their stings usually hurt about as much as a bee sting, if that. Still, it's not exactly comforting to find one in your shoe. Prevention tips include sealing entry points, clearing clutter, and keeping your yard trimmed. And if you do come face to face with a scorpion, know that it's probably more afraid of you. 'They've been around for hundreds of millions of years,' Gorneau said. 'They haven't changed much because they haven't had to. Their bodies and habits just work.' So before you reach for the nearest shoe, remember: the surprising truth is that these creepy crawlers are more Goldilocks than Truth About the Scorpions Creeping Into Your Home first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025

RNZ News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Auckland councillor Mike Lee plans further bid to block private helipads
Mike Lee wants to change city ordinances before the upcoming local body elections. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Auckland councillor Mike Lee is leading a new push to ban private helipads in residential areas of the city. The Waitematā and Gulf councillor intends raising two notices of motion at the policy and planning committee meeting on 24 July. "One is for the Hauraki Gulf Islands District Plan, which covers Waiheke and Great Barrier Island, essentially, where helipads have been a major problem with local people. "The other one covers the western bays of Auckland and so that's the Auckland Unitary Plan." "One notice of motion applies to the Auckland situation - the mainland situation - and the other applies to the Gulf Islands," he said. The announcement comes days after billionaire entrepreneur Anna Mowbray and former-All Black husband Ali Williams were given permission to build a helipad at their $24 million waterfront home in Westmere. The commissioners' decision released on Monday 30 June stated flights would be limited to no more than two per day and 10 per month. According to Auckland Council, of 1397 written submissions made on the application, most - 1227, or 87 percent - opposed the helipad on Rawene Avenue, 108 were supportive, and 12 were neutral. "This latest decision, according to the commissioner, Kit Littlejohn, says helipads are enabled in residential areas as a permitted activity and has gone so far, quite extraordinarily, to assert that helicopters are equivalent to cars and they're intrinsic to residential living, which is a pretty extreme argument," Lee said. "I don't think most people would agree with that, but nonetheless, the unitary plan is not as clear on this matter as everyone had assumed until now and, therefore, the need for clarity is quite urgent really. "Why should people be disturbed in their own homes and properties by people who are making an awful racket, and flying aircraft into the neighbourhood." He believed many Aucklanders agreed with him and that helipads in residential areas created a large volume of complaints. "It's not designed to be a ban on helicopters or helipads," Lee said. "It's private residential use that we're concerned about, because that's what causes all the complaints. "When you think about it, landing an aircraft in a built-up area as a routine means of transport is just crazy and it's unacceptable. "We have to tidy it up and give people certainty, that's even the Mowbrays - Ali Williams and Miss Mowbray - who spent three years and I guess a hell of a lot of money on this application. "People like that need some certainty as well, because the way things are now, it's quite a mess and needs to be tidied up." The Auckland councillor has previously attempted to ban private helipads in residential areas, but his motion in March last year lost 10-8. "I have tried in the past, of course, and narrowly failed to get the majority of councillors and the mayor to vote for making helipads in residential areas a prohibited activity," Lee said. "There's an election coming up and we don't have that much time in the current term of this council to do something about it, and I was determined to do something in this term of the council." The Auckland councillor said he'd like the city to follow some Australian cities that have prohibited private helipads in residential areas, unless they have a Fly Neighbourly Agreement with local residents. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.


Reuters
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Russia's attack on Kyiv region kills one, sparks fires, Ukraine says
KYIV, June 23 (Reuters) - An overnight Russian drone and missile attack in and around Kyiv killed one person, sparked fires in residential areas and damaged an entrance to a metro station that serves as a bomb shelter, Ukrainian authorities said on Monday. "The Russians' style is unchanged - to hit where there may be people," Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on the Telegram messaging app. "Residential buildings, exits from shelters - this is the Russian style." Russia has not commented on the strikes. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict - the vast majority of them Ukrainian. A 68-year-old woman was killed and at least two people were injured in the attack on the broader Kyiv region that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, its governor Mykola Kalashnik said on Telegram. In the capital itself, at least five people were injured, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Photos posted by Ukraine's State Emergency Service showed rescuers leading people to safety from several buildings and structures on fire in the dark. The Service said a pregnant woman was among those rescued. The attack caused damage in three of the city's 10 districts, including in several apartment buildings, Klitschko said. An exit to the metro station in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi districts was also damaged, as well as an adjacent bus stop, Kyiv's officials said. Kyiv's deep metro stations have been used throughout the war as some of the city's safest bomb shelters. Russia's deadliest attack on Kyiv last week with hundreds of drones killed 28 people and injured more than 150, with Ukrainian officials saying that nearly 30 sites were hit during the multi-wave attack.