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Australia

John Barilaro pulls out of parliamentary inquiry into US trade job

a profile shot of a man looking

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro has pulled out of today’s parliamentary inquiry, citing mental health reasons.

The upper house inquiry has been investigating Mr Barilaro’s appointment as senior trade and investment commissioner to the Americas.

He was scheduled to give his second day of evidence today, after first facing the inquiry on Monday.

“John Barilaro has informed the committee that due to mental health reasons he is unable to attend today’s hearing,” a statement from the inquiry said.

Mr Barilaro was due to face questions about what his girlfriend, Jennifer Lugsdin, knew about the lucrative US trade job he was awarded earlier this year.

Ms Lugsdin worked for Investment NSW — the body responsible for hiring people for overseas trade roles — when the Americas job was advertised.

Last December she was copied in on discussions about a media release calling for applications for the trade envoy position.

Before taking the role with Investment NSW, Ms Lugsdin was the senior media advisor for Mr Barilaro between 2019 and 2021.

A woman smiling
Jennifer Lugsdin was awarded a short-term role with Investment NSW in August 2021. (Supplied: Linkedin)

On Monday, Mr Barilaro expressed frustration about facing questions about his personal life.

Labor’s Penny Sharpe said she did not enjoy asking “uncomfortable” questions, but said it was necessary.

“Someone you were in a relationship with… was clearly aware of the various processes associated with the advertising and the nature of [the US trade] position,” she told the hearing on Monday.

Mr Barilaro withdrew from the New York-based trade role in June, saying intense media scrutiny made his appointment “untenable”.

The controversy surrounding his selection is now the subject of two inquiries and it led to the resignation of trade minister Stuart Ayres last week.

Although Mr Ayres is adamant he did nothing wrong, an inquiry by Graeme Head raised concerns he might have breached the ministerial code of conduct.

The upper house inquiry has heard Mr Ayres was not at “arm’s length” from the selection process.

Mr Barilaro resigned as deputy premier in October 2021, saying the pressure of public life had “taken a toll”.

He took a month off for his mental health in 2020 and said he thought he would never come back to politics.

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Categories
Australia

CBD commercial occupancy rates have fallen across the country — so what will it take to get workers back into city offices?

Sydney skyline at night.

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a mass exodus of workers from central business district (CBD) offices — but, from this, came a new, hybrid work model that accommodated for employees’ unique needs.

While remote work remains the preference for many, some offices have struggled to convince their staff to make the trek back into central business districts and, experts say, it has come at a cost to newcomers.

In almost every major Australian city, during the month of June, new data from the Property Council of Australia shows commercial occupancy rates fell.

That rate is the measure of the area of ​​rented space compared to area of ​​total space available.

Melbourne’s commercial occupancy rate dropped from 49 per cent to 38 per cent, while Sydney’s fell from 55 per cent to 52 per cent.

Brisbane’s fell from 64 per cent to 53 per cent, while Adelaide’s dropped from 71 per cent to 64 per cent.

The only markets to record an increase in commercial occupancy were Canberra and Perth, where the rate rose from 53 per cent to 61 per cent and 65 per cent to 71 per cent, respectively.

Is working from home to blame?

The main culprit, according to the Property Council’s chief executive, Ken Morrison, is illness.

Mr Morrison said the results were disappointing, but not surprising.

“Office occupancy numbers have gone backwards for the first time in six months as a wave of [COVID-19’s] Omicron and flu cases kept workers away from the office,” he said.

A man addresses an event in a ballroom at night standing at a glass podium
Ken Morrison says illness likely triggered the fall in occupancy rates.(Supplied: Property Council of Australia)

“We have been seeing a steady increase in the number of workers returning to offices, but this stalled in June and has now declined in most capitals.

With winter nearly over, he said, it was encouraging that the latest COVID-19 wave had nearly run its course and that “recovery momentum can resume.”

Remote work not a ‘zero-cost exercise’

When occupancy rates drop off, small businesses, such as cafes, can miss out on a vital revenue stream.

Mr Morrison said governments needed to be mindful that encouraging people to work from home was not a “zero-cost exercise”.

“The costs are real and we see them in the vibrancy of our CBDs,” he said.

“We know office occupancy has been slow to recover, unlike other indicators, which snap back quickly.”

Are falling occupancy rates here to stay?

Tom Broderick — who heads up CBRE’s capital markets research — doesn’t think so.

“I think this appears to be a bit of a blip, with these most recent figures,” he said.

A man with short gray hair wearing a black and white suit and tie smiling
Tom Broderick says having fewer people in offices makes it harder to collaborate. (Supplied: Tom Broderick )

The July survey found the preference for greater flexibility, including working from home, was a better driver of occupancy levels, but this decreased from 63 per cent to 48 per cent.

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Categories
US

DEADLY SHOOTING DEPUTY: Suspect accused of killing former Marine wife and deputy

DEADLY SHOOTING DEPUTY: Suspect accused of killing former Marine wife and deputy

SECURITY-WIDEFIELD, Colo. (KDVR) – The family of a woman who was found dead in a front yard in unincorporated El Paso County has identified her as Alexandra Rachelle Mittig.

Mittig was one of three people killed after sheriff’s deputies were called to the home on Ponderosa Drive where shots were being fired.

The neighborhood is in an area south of Colorado Springs called Security-Widefield.

Investigators said John Paz is being investigated for killing Mittig and El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Andrew Peery. Paz reportedly died of a self-inflicted wound.

Mittig’s mother Rosetta Kelley said, “He shot and killed my baby. She was a wonderful, wonderful girl who loved animals. She was in the home stretch of becoming a vet tech. She went to Colorado State’s Vet Program. She was a Marine and she was an officer in the Marine Corps.”

Court records show Paz and Mittig were married and had filed for a divorce.

“She was a very happy, happy child. She liked camping, hiking and of course animals of any kind. Reptiles you name it,” Mittg’s mother added.

What led up to Mittig’s death and the shooting is not clear.

Her official name has not been released by the medical examiner.

The Colorado Springs Police Department is now leading the investigation into the shooting.

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Categories
US

Orange County shooting kills 2 men, injures another man

Orange County shooting kills 2 men, injures another man

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says three men were shot Saturday afternoon, and one of those men was shot by a deputy. There’s an ongoing investigation at Heritage Hotel on 7900 South Orange Blossom Trail near Sand Lake Road. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on the shooting. According to Mark Canty, Orange County Sheriff’s Office undersheriff, they responded to the area Saturday afternoon following calls about a shooting around 12:36 pm Once on the scene, deputies found one man who had been shot. Deputies then encountered a second person, a man who was holding a gun. When he was asked to drop the gun, the man did not comply, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. One of the deputies discharged their firearm, striking the man. Deputies then learned another man had been shot before they arrived on the scene. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, all three men who’d been shot were transported to the hospital. Canty said the relationship between those three men is still being investigated. Two of the three men who were shot have been pronounced dead. One of the two deceased men was the one who was shot by a deputy and the other man was the victim deputies initially found upon arrival at the scene. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is not searching for any additional suspects in the shooting at this time. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will take the lead in the investigation, Canty said at a news conference Saturday. FDLE’s findings will then be given to the State Attorney’s Office, and OCSO will conduct an internal investigation once that process is complete. The deputy who discharged his firearm is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Canty said the information and calls from residents helped deputies to respond to the scene quickly. us for help. We responded and we were there to help them and stop somebody from killing any more people,” Canty said at a news conference. The hotel where the shooting happened is located near a lot of stores on Orange Blossom Trail. Eliseo Duarte was calmly going about his work organizing carts in the parking lot of the store next door to the hotel, Daily Dealz OBT. All of a sudden he heard over five gunshots. “Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” Duarte said. He said he ducked behind a car for cover. “It was really scary. I never heard shots like that close,” Duarte said. Then, he ran inside to get his manager from him Sal Khreiwesh. “I come out here and I’m watching all these cops, like five or six cop cars just come here,” he said. Khreiwesh said he was worried because this shooting happened on a very busy day at the store. “It’s very concerning especially on $10 day. There’s a line, there’s a line at like 9:30, 9:40. People want those $10 deals. So imagine it happened then,” he said. Staff at the store said they are grateful for law enforcement’s quick response. “Police did their job I think and they closed the area. It happened really fast,” Duarte said. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office commended the public for quickly sounding the alarm. “What’s good about this case is a lot of people called us, and our deputies were able to respond and put themselves between innocent civilians and a bad guy,” Canty said.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says three men were shot Saturday afternoon, and one of those men was shot by a deputy.

There’s an ongoing investigation at Heritage Hotel on 7900 South Orange Blossom Trail near Sand Lake Road.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office gave an update on the shooting.

According to Mark Canty, Orange County Sheriff’s Office undersheriff, they responded to the area Saturday afternoon following calls about a shooting around 12:36 pm

Once on the scene, deputies found one man who had been shot.

Deputies then encountered a second person, a man who was holding a gun.

When he was asked to drop the gun, the man did not comply, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

One of the deputies discharged their firearm, striking the man.

Deputies then learned another man had been shot before they arrived to the scene.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, all three men who’d been shot were transported to the hospital.

Canty said the relationship between those three men is still being investigated.

Two of the three men who were shot have been pronounced dead.

One of the two deceased men was the one who was shot by a deputy and the other man was the victim deputies initially found upon arrival at the scene.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is not searching for any additional suspects in the shooting at this time.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement will take the lead in the investigation, Canty said at a news conference Saturday.

FDLE’s findings will then be given to the State Attorney’s Office, and OCSO will conduct an internal investigation once that process is complete.

The deputy who discharged his firearm is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Canty said the information and calls from residents helped deputies to respond to the scene quickly.

He wants nearby residents to know this:

“They should know that they called us for help. We responded and we were there to help them and stop somebody from killing any more people,” Canty said at a news conference.

The hotel where the shooting happened is located near a lot of stores on Orange Blossom Trail.

Eliseo Duarte was calmly going about his work organizing carts in the parking lot of the store next door to the hotel, Daily Dealz OBT.

All of a sudden he heard over five gunshots.

“Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,” Duarte said.

He said he ducked behind a car for cover.

“It was really scary. I never heard shots like that close,” Duarte said.

Then, he ran inside to get his manager Sal Khreiwesh.

“I come out here and I’m watching all these cops, like five or six cop cars just come here,” he said.

Khreiwesh said he was worried because this shooting happened on a very busy day at the store.

“It’s very concerning especially on $10 day. There’s a line, there’s a line at like 9:30, 9:40. People want those $10 deals. So imagine it happened then,” he said.

Staff at the store said they are grateful for law enforcement’s quick response.

“Police did their job I think and they closed the area. It happened really fast,” Duarte said.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office commended the public for quickly sounding the alarm.

“What’s good about this case is a lot of people called us, and our deputies were able to respond and put themselves between innocent civilians and a bad guy,” Canty said.

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Categories
US

Man who shot 3 Wayne Co. deputies, critically injuring 1, found dead inside home after 9-hour standoff :: WRAL.com

Three Wayne County deputies shot while serving involuntary commitment papers at Dudley home :: WRAL.com

By WRAL staff

Dudley, NC — The man accused of shooting three Wayne County deputies on Monday morning was found dead nine hours later.

The deputies were shot while serving an involuntary commitment order, meaning someone thought the suspect was a danger to himself and needed help. at a home in the 2500 block of Arrington Bridge Road in Dudley.

Heavily armed officers from the State Highway Patrol, WCSO and surrounding agencies surrounded the home for over nine hours.

23-year-old Jourdan Hamilton was found inside the home with an apparent fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound after SWAT members entered the residence.

It’s not known at this time who filed the commitment order.

Joel Gillie, the spokesman for Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, said all 3 injured deputies are being treated at ECU Medical Center.

Gillie said late Monday that 38-year-old Sergeant Matthew Fishman is in critical condition.

Deputy Alexander Ramon Torres, 27, and Corporal Andrew Cox, 37, were said to be in stable condition.

“Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals with our department and their families and they deal with their injuries,” said Gillie.

Matthew Fishman is the son of Dave Fishman, pastor at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Goldsboro.

The church opened its doors Monday night for those who wanted to pray for his speedy recovery.

Chachi Torres said his son, Ramon Torres, was one of the deputies shot. He said he had a “bad feeling” when he received an alert on his phone Monday morning.

“Usually, I got my phone set up for any type of news, and I had a bad feeling… my phone went off. I look at it. Boom. Wayne County Sheriff’s Office [deputies] been shot. I call everybody, and I find out one of them is my son.”

Chachi Torres said it was some of the worst news he could receive as a parent.

“I call my wife, let my wife know, my daughter. We just got in the vehicle, and we came straight to the hospital,” he said.

Ramon Torres is in good spirits, his father said.

“He’s in a little pain right now but he’s strong… He told us, he doesn’t want to see nobody, so I understand. He’s good,” said Chachi Torres.

He found out his son was shot twice, with one bullet still in place Monday night.

“One of them is in his hip. Still there,” he said. “The other went through.”

With his son stable, Ramon Torres asked for prayers for the other families impacted.

“I’m just praying for the other two. [Just] because my son is here, that doesn’t mean [I] just worry about Ramon. We worry about the other families.”

It is standard for three deputies to serve an involuntary commitment warrant, Gillie said, and deputies did not have a history with the suspect.

According to the Gun Violence Archives, there have been six incidents in NC this year where an officer was shot and injured or killed. Nationwide, the database shows there have been at least 201.

Between Jan. 1 2019 and today, North Carolina has had at least 73 incidents where an officer was shot and injured or killed. That puts our state as eighth in the nation for these types of incidents over that period of time.

During that same time period nationwide, there were more than 1180 incidents. They’ve gone up over time. From 297 in 2019, 330 in 2020 and 360 incidents reported to GVA for 2021. At this point last year, there were 190 incidents reported so we are outpacing it.

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Categories
Australia

Michael Gunner’s office broken into in ‘personal’ attack days after resignation

Michael Gunner's office broken into in 'personal' attack days after resignation

The Northern Territory’s former chief minister Michael Gunner’s electorate office has been broken into days after he quit politics, in what he has described as the latest in a series of “personal” attacks.

According to NT Police, a 47-year-old man was arrested over the alleged unlawful entry and criminal damage of Mr Gunner’s office in the Darwin suburb of Parap.

Police received reports just after 4am this morning that a man had broken in and caused “extensive damage”.

“It was a very personal break in targeting photos of me and items of personal importance to me,” Mr Gunner — who stood down from his role as Member for Fannie Bay last week — said in a social media post.

“We’ll take advice from the police on what our next steps may need to be to keep my family safe.”

A broken window pane with posters attached to it leans against a metal pole.
A 47-year-old man is expected to be charged over the break-in. (ABC News: Janus Gibson)

Mr Gunner said the break-in was the latest in a series of targeted incidents against him.

“This appears to be a continuation of behavior from a range of fixed individuals that has seen a number of incidents not limited to my family abused, filmed and our personal address revealed,” he said.

The alleged offender was arrested a short time after the break-in, with charges expected to be laid later today.

A man in a navy suit with blue tie speaking at a lecture, two seated people watching in background
Michael Gunner believes a break-in at his electorate office was a ‘personal’ attack. (ABC New: Che Chorley)

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles also described the incident as a personal attack.

“Michael put his hand up and served our community for 14 years, he deserves now to have the opportunity to spend time with his family and feel safe in doing so,” she said.

“Sadly it’s something [safety] that all of us as members of parliament do consider.”

By-choice race heats up

Mr Gunner announced his resignation from politics in a speech to parliament last week, sparking a by-election in the seat of Fannie Bay, which has been held by several former chief ministers.

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Categories
US

Three Wayne County deputies shot while serving involuntary commitment papers at Dudley home :: WRAL.com

Three Wayne County deputies shot while serving involuntary commitment papers at Dudley home :: WRAL.com

By WRAL staff

Dudley, NC — Three Wayne County deputies were shot while serving an involuntary commitment warrant in Dudley on Monday morning.

Joel Gillie, the spokesman for Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, said one deputy was at Wayne UNC Health Care while two were flown to ECU Health. The conditions of the deputies were not immediately known.

“Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the individuals with our department and their families and they deal with their injuries,” said Gillie.

The shooting happened around 10:30 am at a home in the 2500 block of Arrington Bridge Road. Heavily armed officers from the State Highway Patrol, WCSO and surrounding agencies continued to surround a home in the area at noon on Monday.

Gillie said the suspect was still barricaded inside the home on Monday afternoon. Information on who filed the commitment order and what weapons were used in the shooting was not released.

Three Wayne County deputies injured serving involuntary committment papers

The sheriff’s office did not release the name of the deputies shot or say how serious any injuries to the deputies are. It is not yet clear who fired the shot.

It is standard for three deputies to serve an involuntary commitment warrant, Gillie said, and deputies did not have a history with the suspect.

According to the Gun Violence Archives, there have been six incidents in NC this year where an officer was shot and injured or killed. Nationwide, the database shows there have been at least 201.

Between Jan. 1 2019 and today, North Carolina has had at least 73 incidents where an officer was shot and injured or killed. That puts our state as eighth in the nation for these types of incidents over that period of time.

During that same time period nationwide, there were more than 1180 incidents. They’ve gone up over time. From 297 in 2019, 330 in 2020 and 360 incidents reported to GVA for 2021. At this point last year, there were 190 incidents reported so we are outpacing it.

map

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