Author: mangakiko

SA support service combatting workplace sexual harassment gets $2 million funding boost

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on SA support service combatting workplace sexual harassment gets $2 million funding boost

Sexual harassment victim Tessa Milford-Behn looks out a window.

Tessa Jones* was forced to give up a job she loved after a prolonged and traumatizing experience of sexual harassment.

The 28-year-old said her complaints went nowhere because her alleged harasser was a senior staff member who laughed when she asked him to respect boundaries.

“I just kept saying, ‘stop’ and kept saying, ‘I can’t take this anymore’ and there was no change in behaviour,” she told ABC News.

“Dealing with it was really, really difficult because I was so young, I had no tools to deal with it and I didn’t understand what was going on and why.

“I trusted this person completely — it was a bit of a nightmare.”

Ms Jones — who is now a self-employed creative director — turned to the Working Women’s Center in Adelaide for support after deciding to leave the toxic working environment.

“For me, I had to go through this, I couldn’t go around it, I couldn’t ignore it. I had to go straight through it and the center helped me do that,” she said.

The South Australian Government will give the center $2 million over the next three years so it can employ more lawyers as its caseload continues to increase.

SA Attorney-General Kyam Maher said the funding was “really important” and aligned with recommendations made by federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins during her 2021 review.

“Many women don’t just suffer sexual harassment at work, there’s often underpayment of wages so it’s critically important that women have a resource like the Working Women’s Centre,” he said.

Abbey Kendall stands in front of a park bench and a tree. — Working Women’s Center director Abbey Kendall says the funding will help employ more lawyers for the service.(Supplied)

Center director Abbey Kendall said demand for the service was “huge”.

“As a community, we’ve really only been looking at and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace for the last two to three years,” she said.

She said in the last financial year 14 per cent of inquiries to the center were about sexual harassment and a further 38 per cent were about sexual harassment and discrimination.

“But that’s not an accurate reflection of what is going on in the workplace because we know one in three women experience it across Australia,” she said.

“This additional funding will allow us to reach more women and allow them to come forward in a safe way, which hasn’t been the case before.”

The conversation needs to change

Ms Kendall said a lot of the conversations about workplace sexual harassment centered on “what women should do when it happens to them”.

But she said it needed to shift to a conversation about how to stop perpetrators from preying on people both in the workplace and outside of it.

“From the Working Women’s Center perspective, we need to have more of a focus on primary prevention and instilling gender equality and respect for girls and women right from primary school so that filters up into our workplaces,” she said.

She said penalties for perpetrators and employers that allowed their behavior to flourish needed to be stronger and there needed to be restrictions on the use of non-disclosure agreements.

“Non-disclosure agreements are often misused and it really gags the issues of sexual harassment in the workplace because you can’t name and shame who the perpetrators are and it allows them to continue on with their employment,” she said.

She said the Fair Work Act was last year amended to describe sexual harassment as “serious misconduct” — a step in the right direction.

*Not her real last name

Tags abby kendall, attorney-general, discrimination, kate jenkins, Kyam Maher, sexual harassment, tessa milford-behn, working womens center

AP FACT CHECK: GOP skews budget bill’s impact on IRS, taxes

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on AP FACT CHECK: GOP skews budget bill’s impact on IRS, taxes

Republican politicians and candidates are distorting how a major economic bill passed over the weekend by the Senate would reform the IRS and affect taxes for the middle class.

The “Inflation Reduction Act,” which awaits a House vote after passing in the Senate on Sunday, it would increase the ranks of the IRS, but it would not create a mob of armed auditors looking to harass middle-class taxpayers, as some Republicans are claiming.

While experts say corporate tax increases could indirectly burden people in the middle class, claims that they will face higher taxes are not supported by what is in the legislation.

A look at some of the claims about the package that emerged from a deal negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va.:

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY, R-CALIF.: “Do you make $75,000 or less? Democrats’ new army of 87,000 IRS agents will be coming for you — with 710,000 new audits for Americans who earn less than $75k.” – Tuesday tweet.

SEN. TED CRUZ, R-TEXAS: “The Manchin-Schumer bill will create 87,000 new IRS agents to target regular, everyday Americans.” —Friday tweet.

THE FACTS: That’s misleading. Last year, before the bill emerged, the Treasury Department had proposed a plan to hire roughly that many IRS employees over the next decade if it got the money. The IRS will be releasing final numbers for its hiring plans in the coming months, according to a Treasury official. But those employees will not all be hired at the same time, they will not all be auditors and many will be replacing employees who are expected to quit or retire, experts and officials say.

The IRS currently has about 80,000 employees, including clerical workers, customer service representatives, enforcement officials, and others. The agency has lost roughly 50,000 employees over the past five years due to attrition, according to the IRS. More than half of IRS employees who work in enforcement are currently eligible for retirement, said Natasha Sarin, the Treasury Department’s counselor for tax policy and implementation.

Budget cuts, mostly demanded by Republicans, have also diminished the ranks of enforcement staff, which fell roughly 30% since 2010 despite the fact that the filing population has increased. The IRS-related money in the Inflation Reduction Act is intended to boost efforts against high-end tax evasion, Sarin said.

The nearly $80 billion for the IRS in the bill will also pay for other improvements, such as revamping the agency’s technology, said Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center and former Treasury official.

The Treasury says it will hire experienced auditors and workers who will improve taxpayer services, and that audit rates for those earning less than $400,000 are not expected to rise in relation to historical norms.

So that’s a long way from hiring 87,000 “agents” to go after average people in the United States, as the GOP claims have it. In any case, the bill has not mandated to hire that many people.

___

REP. TROY NEHLS, R-TEXAS: “Americans asked for lower inflation and the Democrats gave us an armed IRS shadow army to spy on your bank accounts.” —Sunday tweet.

REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE. R-Ga.: “It’s going to hire 87,000 new IRS agents and it’s going to arm — as in guns, you know, Democrats are always upset about guns — 70,000 of these IRS agents.” — at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in an interview with the conservative Canadian news magazine The Post Millennial.

THE FACTS: That’s false. The bill will not create any such army, officials and experts say. Only some IRS employees who work on criminal investigations carry firearms as part of their work.

A division of the IRS called criminal investigation serves as the agency’s law enforcement branch. Its agents, who work on issues such as seizing illicit crypto currency and Russian oligarchs’ assets, carry weapons, Sarin said.

There were just more than 2,000 such special agents working at the IRS in 2021, according to agency documents. The branch will get money from the Inflation Reduction Act, but the bulk of the dollars will go toward other areas, according to Sarin.

The bill does not designate money specifically for a large number of armed IRS employees.

___

NEVADA SENATE CANDIDATE ADAM LAXALT, criticizing his opponent, Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto: “.@CortezMasto just voted to raise taxes for Nevadans making as low as $30k/year.” —Sunday tweet.

THE FACTS: Nothing in the bill raises taxes on people earning less than $400,000, contrary to Laxalt’s claims. There are no individual tax rate increases for anyone in the bill, experts say.

It’s possible, though, that the bill’s new corporate taxes, including a minimum 15% tax for large corporations, could cause indirect economic impacts. A report from the Joint Committee on Taxation said some people who make less than $400,000 might see such impacts.

“Economists are generally in agreement that the corporate income tax is borne not just by the businesses, but also by shareholders and by workers,” Holtzblatt said. “So that tax that gets imposed on the corporation, some of that might end up getting shifted to workers in the form of lower wages.”

Added Garrett Watson, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation: “Distinguishing between whether lower after-tax incomes happen because of a direct tax hike or indirect incidence may be a distinction without a difference for many households.”

However, supporters of the bill did not vote for tax increases on people earning $30,000, as Laxalt claimed.

___

Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.

___

Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck

Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck

Tags AP Fact Check, AP Top News, Business, Congress, Government and politics, inflation, politics

Business

Report pinpoints Australian capital city neighborhoods worst hit by mortgage stress

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Report pinpoints Australian capital city neighborhoods worst hit by mortgage stress

In what will be grim reading for some, a property report has zeroed in on the specific Aussie postcodes set to face the worst mortgage stress over the coming months.

More than 1.8 million households are currently in mortgage stress, the report claimed, and that number will spiral with more Reserve Bank rate hikes likely on the way.

A general view of housing construction in the outer Melbourne suburb of Sunbury — Many homeowners are being forced to tighten their belts following the Reserve Bank of Australia hiking interest rates four times in as many months. (Paul Rovere)

Both low-income suburbs and affluent neighborhoods were flagged in the report.

Paul Feeney, chief executive of Otivo, told 9news.com.au he expects another 300,000 households will fall into mortgage stress over the next 12 months if interest rates rise by another one per cent, which is widely anticipated.

“That’s when I think the pressure will really hit,” he said.

“Particularly if inflation keeps going up and wages don’t increase.”

Should Feeney’s prediction materialize, more than half of all Australian households with a mortgage would be in mortgage stress, up to 54 per cent from the current 45 per cent.

Even if households scramble to cope with the steep repayments, Feeney said the level of stress and anxiety inside countless Aussie homes will be significant.

“It is worrying,” he said.

The most vulnerable postcodes fell into “two distinct groups,” Feeney said, lower income households and higher-earning suburbs.

Feeney said he was “very surprised” to see some of Australia’s “more well-off suburbs” now under pressure, including parts of the eastern suburbs in Sydney, inner Melbourne and upscale areas of Perth.

Four-straight RBA hikes was “eating” into people’s surplus savings, he said.

For many, wages have remained static or gone backwards because of rising inflation.

“That’s why we’re seeing… the number of those in mortgage stress increasing.”

For a borrower with a $500,000 loan, the latest RBA decision meant a monthly repayment increase of $140, or an additional $472 every month since the RBA began lifting rates in May.

After August’s announcement, a person with a $750,000 loan is paying an extra $211 each month, up $708 since May.

Those with a $1 million mortgage are paying $281 more each month, which equates to an eye-watering $944 increase.

For its report, which surveyed the cashflows of 52,000 households nationally, Otivo highlighted three postcodes in each capital city set to feel the biggest impact from the most recent RBA announcement.

Otivo defines a household being in mortgage stress when its monthly surplus is reduced to zero or runs into negative because of increased mortgage repayments.

The top three postcodes are highlighted below.

Map of affected Sydney suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — In Sydney, some suburbs in the Eastern Suburbs will be among those to feel the heat of the interest rate rises. (9News / Otivo)

In Sydney, some parts of the city’s eastern suburbs who have traditionally had very few households with mortgage stress will now begin to feel the heat of interest rate rises.

Suburbs like Chifley, Eastgardens, Hillsdale, La Perouse, Little Bay, Malabar, Matraville, Phillip Bay, Port Botany have gone from 0 per cent mortgage stress to 43 per cent in mortgage stress, the report said.

Map of affected Melbourne suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — The three Melbourne post codes flagged in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. (9News / Otivo)

In Melbourne, the report projected suburbs in the inner-south will be hit hardest.

Many of those suburbs have never suffered mortgage stress, but they will now begin to feel financial pressure over the next 12 months, the report concluded.

Map of affected Brisbane suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — The top-three hardest hit Brisbane suburbs highlighted in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. (9News / Otivo)

In Brisbane, suburbs in Ipswich including Brookfield, Chapel Hill, Fig Tree Pocket, Kenmore, Kenmore Hills, Pinjarra Hills, Pullenvale, Upper Brookfield face mortgage challenges.

The latest RBA hike has led to almost 52 per cent of households in these suburbs falling into mortgage stress, according to the Otivo report

Map of affected Perth suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — The parts of Perth affected most by RBA interest rate hikes, according to the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. (9News / Otivo)

Some of Perth’s most affluent suburbs in the prestigious south-west will soon be hit with mortgage stress, the report warned.

Almost 59 per cent of households in postcode 6153 (Applecross, Ardross, Brentwood, Mount Pleasant) will be buffeted by the most recent RBA interest rate announcement.

Map of affected Adelaide suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — These Adelaide neighborhoods are set to feel the pinch of RBA hikes the most, according to the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. (9News / Otivo)

In Adelaide, postcodes in the west are set to suffer with rising monthly repayments, because of recent RBA decisions.

Map of affected Hobart suburbs in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. — Areas in Hobart predicted to be among the worst affected by mortgage stress in the Otivo Mortgage Stress Report. (9News / Otivo)

The three post codes worst affected in Hobart lie in the city’s north and central neighbourhoods.

Technology

Only A Computer Could Do This Super Mario Bros. Trick — Until Now

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Only A Computer Could Do This Super Mario Bros. Trick — Until Now

the Super Mario Bros. speedrunning community is constantly looking for new ways to push the state of the art, and one player just achieved what was previously thought of as an impossible feat…at least for a human.

In 2018, speedrunner HappyLee used a computer assist to demonstrate a new method to shave a few frames off of Super Mario Bros. world 4-2. It involved using precise inputs to make Mario glitch (clip) through a row of blocks — the top row — near the start of the level, which pushed him rightward faster than ever before. Then it required a super-precise jump onto a warp pipe. The speedrunning community had assumed a full, perfect run of 4-2 using this “top clip” trick could never be performed by human means due to the sheer precision required, and luckily, it has since discovered alternate, easier methods for min-maxing 4-2. But on Monday, a speedrunner named Tole managed to perform the “top clip” 4-2 trick without computer assistance.

Here’s what’s happening: Through precise inputs, Tole made Luigi clip through the corner of the top block, touching the ground inside of the wall for one frame, and then jump out from inside of the wall. According to HappyLee’s original discovery, this maneuver should shave three frames from the run. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s particularly important in world 4-2 because of a Super Mario Bros. concept called frame rules.

Frame rules are a somewhat esoteric concept. In Super Mario Bros., the program only checks for level completion every 21 frames. Therefore, if you enter an end-of-level castle just after the most recent check, you’ll have to wait up to 20 frames for the next level to begin.

One speedrunner helpfully explains the frame rule using a bus analogy. Imagine that the castle at the end of each Super Mario Bros. level is a bus stop. The bus only arrives (the game records the player beating the level) once every 21 frames (about 0.35 seconds). So to set world records in some levels, you can’t just be faster by a tiny amount of time; you have to be fast enough to catch the previous “bus” that’s departing for the next world.

Catching the first possible bus in level 4-2, as was first demonstrated by computer-assisted runs, is sometimes called “Lightning 4-2.” That’s why HappyLee’s computer-aided trick, in which Mario saves a few frames by clipping through the top block in level 4-2, made waves: It was another way for runners to beat the frame rule and theoretically catch that first bus. Current Super Mario Bros. speedrunning champion Niftski used a similar trick in his new world-record run this past week. The difference was that he jumped underneath the block and ran inside the wall — a different method entirely, and much more practical for humans to use in real runs.

Kotaku reached out to Tole, but did not receive a comment by the time of publication.

Since there exist easier Lightning 4-2 methods, the “top clip” Lightning 4-2 Tole pulled off will probably just be for bragging rights. But speedrunners who understood the incredible difficulty at play here were suitably impressed by Tole’s feat. “Holy cow, I doubted this method’s viability for years and you pulled it off,” said one commenter. “THIS IS FUCKING INSANE,” wrote another, the emphasis theirs.

Sports

Robertson’s intentions exposed in new All Blacks coaching revelation

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Robertson’s intentions exposed in new All Blacks coaching revelation

New Zealand rugby reporter Robert van Royen has claimed Crusaders coach Scott Robertson is “definitely” not keen to take over the All Blacks right now.

Many believe the six-time Super Rugby title winner would be perfect for the role, having only achieved success since taking over at the franchise in 2017.

In comparison, current head coach Ian Foster has struggled with the All Blacks, with their most recent series loss to Ireland prompting many to believe Robertson’s injection would be the best way forward.

However, van Royen understands the coach is “set” on sticking with the Crusaders for the time being.

“From what I understand, yes, he definitely wasn’t keen to take the job,” van Royen said on SENZ Mornings.

“I believe before they even went and everyone was demanding a change before then that he definitely wasn’t keen at that stage.

“I also believe… even if it was offered to him a year out from the World Cup, there would have been some real thinking required to take it.

“When he signed that last contract … he basically set his sights on, ‘Look, I’m going to go for it in 2023’.”

Van Royen reiterated that should NZR look for a replacement for Foster at the close of the South African tour, Robertson would be unlikely to be in the mix.

“His mindset is set on the Crusaders until the end of next year and then if it comes up at the World Cup he gets it, if he doesn’t he goes elsewhere,” van Royen continued.

“He’s got that out clause even though he’s signed till 2024 with New Zealand Rugby, so yeah, he was really set on that.

“I haven’t been as in the loop talking to various people behind the scenes since I’ve been over here (in South Africa), but last I heard that’s definitely the case.”

Robertson is currently contracted with the Crusaders through to 2024 and has also been appointed head coach of the Barbarians FC who will take on the All Blacks XV in November.

Tags SEN

Australia

Victim of paedophile John Wayne Millwood alleges compensation being avoided through diving of assets

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Victim of paedophile John Wayne Millwood alleges compensation being avoided through diving of assets

Man escorts a bride, whose identity is obscured, at a wedding.

A victim-survivor of Tasmanian paedophile John Wayne Millwood says his abuser has divested many of his assets to family members and third parties and declared himself bankrupt to avoid paying court-ordered compensation.

Millwood, 76 — a former Launceston businessman and art collector — sexually abused the survivor, known as ZAB, over a period of six years in the 1980s.

In 2021, ZAB won a civil Supreme Court case against Millwood, however, the victim-survivor said the compensation amount was now about $6 million — the original order was for a record $5,313,500 — because of interest on the unpaid amount.

ZAB said he made an application to the court to recover the compensation but was now hopeful he could recover the payment through provisions in the Bankruptcy Act.

While ZAB’s lawyers applied to the Federal Court to have Millwood declared bankrupt, before the case was due to be heard in that court, Millwood declared himself bankrupt.

According to a creditor’s petition filed with the Federal Court on behalf of ZAB, Millwood “failed to comply on or before 26 July 2022 with the requirements of a bankruptcy notice served on him on 5 July 2022”.

The case is listed for hearing on September 8, however, according to the National Personal Insolvency Index, Millwood declared himself bankrupt on July 21.

ZAB said he only found that out on August 8.

“Unfortunately, [Millwood’s] self-declaration of bankruptcy will prolong the trauma involved,” ZAB said.

ZAB said he and his lawyers had documents they planned to use in court to argue Millwood had divested assets while the civil court case was underway.

“As the major creditor — now owed $6 million in damages, costs and interest — I will, however, use the significant powers afforded under the Bankruptcy Act to claw back assets from those family members and other third parties,” he said.

“I have no doubt we will succeed in recovering the $6 million I am owed in full, and it will cost Millwood and his family far more in the long run.”

ZAB said law reform was needed “to ensure convicted paedophiles cannot avoid paying compensation to victims in this way.”

“Superannuation laws are in desperate need of reform, as they prevent us from accessing Millwood’s multi-million-dollar self-managed super funds to recover damages,” he said.

Lawyer Angela Sdrinis — who specializes in personal injury claims related to child sexual abuse — said that in her experience, successful plaintiffs often had trouble getting compensation from individual perpetrators.

“One of the things that have been flagged, but unfortunately hasn’t been acted, on was a proposal that legislation be passed whereby a perpetrator’s superannuation would be made available or accessible to successful litigants in matters like these, in cases of child abuse, Ms Sdrinis said.

She said that approach would be “a pretty good start”, but said not all perpetrators had large amounts of superannuation.

John Millwood at reception. — John Millwood was barred by the Parole Board from ever returning to Launceston.(Supplied: Old Geelong Grammerians)

Another reform Ms Sdrinis suggested was to make so-called freezing orders easier to obtain.

“One of the things that can be done in criminal prosecutions is that assets can be restrained, restraining orders can be made so that the assets are held safely, pending the outcome of the criminal process,” she said.

“There’s not really an analogous process in the civil law. Claimants can make applications for what are called freezing orders, but those orders are very expensive to obtain before a court.

“The law relating to freezing orders is pretty much that you’re only likely to get a freezing order if you can prove that the disposal of assets is absolutely imminent — like a ‘for sale’ sign on a house — you really have [to have] that situation.”

Ms Sdrinis said transfers of land and other assets could be reversed by order of the court, “if the evidence is that the defendant disposed of the assets in order to avoid having to pay, but that’s a difficult, expensive and complicated process”.

Record-setting compensation in civil trial

Millwood initially pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court to multiple child sex offences. In the lead-up to his trial, he changed his plea to guilty.

He was sentenced to four years in prison and was given parole in 2019 after serving just over half of his jail time.

ZAB brought a civil action against Millwood in 2018. That case went to trial.

Millwood was unrepresented and did not make an appearance.

Chief Justice Alan Blow ordered Millwood to pay the abuse survivor a record-setting amount of $5,313,500.

In his decision, Justice Blow said the abuse “had devastating consequences for the plaintiff’s [ZAB’s] mental health”.

“His adult life has been affected by his complex post-traumatic stress disorder and his depression in practically every possible way. There are prospects for improvement, but certainly not full recovery.”

The ABC has attempted to contact Millwood through his trustee.

Tags bankruptcy, court, millwood, pedophile, police, sexual assault, victim

Northfield, New Hampshire homicides: New evidence search underway

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Northfield, New Hampshire homicides: New evidence search underway

JEANNE, CREWS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING UP AND DOWN 93 ALL MORNING. TRAFFIC HAS NOT BEEN IMPACTED BY THE SEARCH AND CREWS ARE MOVING PRETTY QUICKLY. AND BEHIND US, YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE SOME STATE POLICE AND FISH AND GAME K-9 UNITS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW. ALL OF THIS, OF COURSE, IN CONNECTION WITH LAST WEEK’S TRIPLE HOMICIDE IN NORTHFIELD. CREWS ARE FOCUSING ON THE AREA BETWEEN EXITS 17 AND 20 IN CONCORD, CANTERBURY, IN TILTON. IT WAS ONE WEEK AGO TODAY THAT THE BODIES OF 25 YEAR OLD CASSANDRA, FOUR YEAR OLD BENJAMIN AND ONE YEAR OLD MASON SWEENEY WERE FOUND INSIDE THEIR HOME ON THE DRIVE. ALL THREE HAD BEEN SHOT. CREWS HAVE BEEN SEARCHING SEVERAL AREAS SINCE LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE. LAST WEEKEND THEY WERE SEARCHING NEAR THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THE BODIES WERE FOUND. AND NEWS 9 HAS LEARNED THAT A STATE POLICE HELICOPTER HAS ALSO BEEN INVOLVED. BUT INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT COMMENTED ON WHAT, IF ANYTHING, HAS BEEN RECOVERED. AND AS OF TODAY, THERE STILL HAVEN’T BEEN ANY ARRESTS IN THIS CASE. HOPEFULLY, TODAY’S SEARCH WILL BRING US SOME ANSWERS. FOR NOW, WE’

Investigators conducting new search for physical evidence in Northfield triple-homicide case

Mother, two young sons killed in home

A new search is being conducted Wednesday in connection with the killings of a mother and her two young children in Northfield. The search in the area of Interstate 93 between Exits 17 and 20 in Concord, Canterbury and Tilton is for physical evidence in connection with the investigation into the shooting deaths of Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her two sons, Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweeney, 1. Their bodies were discovered one week ago at their home on Wethersfield Drive in Northfield. Investigators said each died of a single gunshot wound.>> GoFundMe launched for funeral expenses Officials with the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said the search is not the result of new information in the case. Drivers are asked to follow all road signage in the area and give investigators the “appropriate space to complete their work.” A WMUR crew at the scene noticed that traffic was not being impacted by the search. New Hampshire State Police and New Hampshire Fish and Game K-9 units assisted in the search Wednesday. Another search was conducted over the weekend in the neighborhood near where the bodies were found. WMUR has also learned a state police helicopter has been involved in the ongoing evidence search. Investigators have not commented on what, if anything, has been recovered. In the wake of the killings, officials said there was no danger to the public, but they have not made an arrest in the case. They have only said that all parties involved have been accounted for. Previous coverage of this case: Father, husband of Northfield shooting victims speaks out on social media Authorities searching for evidence in connection to Northfield triple homicide investigation Officials say they believe they know everyone involved in Northfield homicides Crisis help offered to first responders called to scene of Northfield deaths Woman, 2 sons found shot, killed in Northfield home, attorney general says

CONCORD, NH—

A new search is being conducted Wednesday in connection with the killings of a mother and her two young children in Northfield.

The search in the area of Interstate 93 between Exits 17 and 20 in Concord, Canterbury and Tilton is for physical evidence in connection with the investigation into the shooting deaths of Kassandra Sweeney, 25, and her two sons, Benjamin Sweeney, 4, and Mason Sweney, 1.

Their bodies were discovered one week ago at their home on Wethersfield Drive in Northfield. Investigators said each died of a single gunshot wound.

>> GoFundMe launched for funeral expenses

Officials with the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said the search is not the result of new information in the case.

Drivers are asked to follow all road signage in the area and give investigators the “appropriate space to complete their work.” A WMUR crew at the scene noticed that traffic was not being impacted by the search.

New Hampshire State Police and New Hampshire Fish and Game K-9 units assisted in the search Wednesday.

Another search was conducted over the weekend in the neighborhood near where the bodies were found. WMUR has also learned a state police helicopter has been involved in the ongoing evidence search.

Investigators have not commented on what, if anything, has been recovered.

In the wake of the killings, officials said there was no danger to the public, but they have not made an arrest in the case. They have only said that all parties involved have been accounted for.

Previous coverage of this case:

Tags kassandra sweeney, New Hampshire, Northfield, Sean Sweney, shooting

Business

Melbourne rental: Defective window leads to $1200 mold nightmare

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Melbourne rental: Defective window leads to $1200 mold nightmare

A Melbourne man has been locked in a draining battle after discovering a widespread mold issue in his rental property.

It wasn’t until Jason, his wife and son were forced to move out of their two bedroom, Melbourne apartment, that they realized their mold problem was much bigger than anticipated.

Although the issue was enough for the family to terminate their lease early, the father-of-one estimated he’s spent more than $1200 on rent.

This is despite the fact the property has been vacated while work was performed at the property to fix an issue with their window caulking.

“We had to continue to pay rent for something that wasn’t our fault. It was a structural issue. It’s a building defect,” Jason told news.com.au.

After six months of living in their Doncaster East residence, Jason’s wife began noticing mold growing on the balcony door frames in May this year.

However, they say that their property manager advised them to treat the mold with Domestos – a disinfectant which contains bleach.

“We were like OK, but this is a mold issue. We had photos and we asked them if they wanted to send someone out,” Jason said.

“They were like, ‘Use Domestos and if it doesn’t work, then get in touch and we’ll send someone out.’”

While the initial treatment using Domestos worked, the mold returned a few weeks later. Their frustration was compounded by the fact that prior to signing the lease, the family were informed that while the apartment had mold issues and showed signs of water damage, they were told the issue had “all been fixed”.

Around the same time, the family also began getting sick. Jason said both him, his wife and are experienced recurring breathing difficulties and an “itchy feeling inside their nostrils”.

Although the family did visit a doctor, they didn’t know their symptoms could have been connected to the mold that was unsuspectedly growing in their home. Instead they were diagnosed with allergies and prescribed antihistamines.

“If you woke up at seven o’clock in the morning, you’d be sneezing until midday,” he said.

“We just thought it was maybe a cold because it was winter but over the course of the next month or so, we decided we would try our best to move out as soon as possible.”

‘It covered a quarter of the wall’

By June, the family had made the decision to end their lease and purchased a property instead. However, while moving out, they made a ghastly discovery.

“The issue is that the mold we saw at the time was just around the door frames, so we didn’t think to remove all our furniture to check if there were further issues,” he said.

“The mold behind the bed head was so significant, it covered a quarter of the wall.

“When we moved the baby change, everything underneath it was filled with mold and it was damp and there was water. It was really bad.”

While Jason was organizing the final cleaning for the apartment, they were informed by the agency that a builder had identified an issue with the caulking in the windows, which had caused the water to leak on the carpet. They were also told that the mold was caused by condensation from a lack of ventilation in the room.

Emails seen by news.com.au, confirmed the correspondence between Jason and the agent.

“The way I read it is that if it’s a ventilation issue, then it’s either a building design issue, or the blame is being put on us for not opening the window,” Jason said.

Despite this, the family was told that they had to continue paying rent until the apartment was re-leased.

“We were like, ‘The builder might need to get out the window guy. The window guy has to then come out to fix the corking, and then they have to fix the carpets.’” Jason said. “That could have taken weeks, if not months.

“Then when we went back and gave them the keys, (the agency) had the tenacity to say, ‘The mold issues still needed to be cleaned, how about I give you the keys back and you go back and use more Domestos?’ ”

While news.com.au approached the agent for comment, a spokesman for the agency declined to comment as a claim has been lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

“We must respect the process and not prejudice the tribunal’s decision,” he said.

Changes to mold and rental laws

Their dealings with the real estate agency have left Jason and his wife “incredibly upset”.

“When we found the mould, we were shocked, disgusted and upset,” said Jason.

Under changes to rental law in March 2021, issues related to mold and damp when caused by a building’s structure are now treated as an urgent repair. This classification means rental providers must address these issues as soon as possible.

If the issue is not responded to urgently, tenants can go through VCAT, where the application must be heard within two business days.

Speaking to news.com.au, practicing lawyer and the rental support services manager for Tenants Victoria, Georga Wootton said the renter advocacy group sees complaints about mold triple in winter. Ms Wootten estimates one-in-10 inquiries are currently about issues related to mold and damp.

Although tenants can apply for a rent reduction in issues related to mould, Ms Wootten said that rental providers often “aren’t willingly going to do that”.

“We advise all of our renters that because there’s been a breach of the residential tenancy act – which is to keep the premises in good repair – effectively the property is not in good repair if there’s mold there,” she said.

“So it does mean the renter could be entitled to compensation.”

However she admits this is not an immediate fix.

“There is a bit of a timeline until you might get that compensation,” she said.

“That can be disappointing for some renters because they are in that distressing situation of having to live in a moldy home.”

Still, Ms Wootten advises tenants to continue to pay the rent, so they don’t risk getting a notice to vacate.

“This can happen if you’re more than 14 days in rent arrears,” said Ms Wootten.

“We don’t want to see people to lose their homes.”

‘It’s painful’

After more than a month of back and fourth, the family were informed on Tuesday that the agent had re-leased the property. Since they vacated the property, Jason estimates the family have paid around $1200 in rent while the window caulking was being fixed, plus an additional $220 for the listing to be advertised.

Attempts at brokering an amicable resolution have also failed to the wayside, Jason said.

“I had a conversation with her two days ago. I said, ‘Can we come to something friendly here? Can we stop paying rent?’”

Jason said the drawn out issue has also been taxing on the family’s mental health and financial position.

“It’s really hard because with interest rates going up, it’s difficult continuing to pay rent for something we can’t even release off our books. It’s painful,” he said.

Read related topics:melbourne

Technology

Instagram Launches New Hands-Free Recording Support for Samsung Flip Phones

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Instagram Launches New Hands-Free Recording Support for Samsung Flip Phones

Flip phones are back, with the early 2000’s trend inspiring a new range of advanced mobile devices from Samsung that provide alternative functionality, and have already caught on with many new fans.

And with this, Instagram is looking to move in line with the trend, with the addition of new hands-free creation options on Samsung Flip phones.

Instagram recording on Samsung flip phones

As explained by Instagram:

“Alongside other Meta apps that are improved to work with these devices, Instagram will now adapt to and provide you with the best experience on these phones when you flip them. With FlexCam on Galaxy Z Flip4, you can fold the phone and place it on a freestanding surface to record hand-free videos. Now you can create Stories and Reels without a stand or tripod.”

As you can see from these images, the new flip phone functionality provides another way to capture IG content, with the flip display enabling easier set-up for still shots, by essentially including an in-built stand that can sit on flat surfaces.

Of course, users are able to utilize hands-free recording on IG already, with a ‘Hands Free’ mode built into the app’s camera tools. So functionally, it’s not a major advance, but it does provide another option for flip phone users, which could be of value for those that regularly record IG video, and want an easier way to create better, more stable shots at all times.

Instagram additionally notes that it’s working to further enhance its Android features, with improved load times and support for higher resolution videos. Those updates are still in development – but if you’re super cool and already have a new Samsung flip phone, you can start using this new hands-free functionality straight away.

Sports

Ben Simmons denounces reports of text chat snub as Durant reiterates desire to be traded by Brooklyn

Post author By mangakiko
Post date August 10, 2022
No Comments on Ben Simmons denounces reports of text chat snub as Durant reiterates desire to be traded by Brooklyn

Ben Simmons’ return to social media after a two month hiatus came amid rumors whirling about the Australian’s private life and recent reports regarding a text chat with his fellow Brooklyn Nets teammates.

Reports in the UK questioned the Aussie’s relationship status with British model Maja Jama, with claims the NBA player and his partner had called off their engagement.

On top of that, NBA insider Ric Bucher, said Simmons left a group chat without replying to his teammates who asked him to play in their must-win game four against the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, which Boston went on to win. .

READMORE: Raiders coach hit with unprecedented penalty

READMORE: Fresh contract farce spotlights dud NRL system

READMORE: Cripps learns fate for crunching hit on Lion

“They’re having a team chat before game four, thinking he’s going to play against the Boston Celtics,” Bucher said on Fox Sports in the US.

Ben Simmons during a Brooklyn pre-game (Nine)

Key points:

Key points:

The backstories and controversies that have ignited feuds involving athletes

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories