For Samantha Barrass and her family, the loss of their golden labrador Pepper this week has been made even harder by the knowledge it may have stemmed from a deliberate, malicious act.
Key points:
Sunshine Coast Council has received reports of seven dogs poisoned at Buddina
The council, police and RSPCA investigators are working to determine the cause
Coast dog owners are in shock and taking extra precautions
“It’s unbelievable… it just makes you sick to the stomach… there’s no words,” Ms Barrass said.
“I don’t know how you could harm let alone kill an innocent, defenseless animal and a dog… that provides so much joy.”
Pepper was one of five dogs to die after visiting Buddina beach — a popular off-leash area on the Sunshine Coast.
Pepper exhibited poisoning symptoms several hours after her walk.
Ms Barass said her dog died at the vet clinic on Tuesday
Breaking the news to her five-year-old daughter was one of the hardest things she’d had to do.
“She just wants Pepper to be home and can’t kind of comprehend what’s happened,” Ms Barass said.
“She was the happiest dog…stupidly happy…she was the brightest of all of us.”
Pepper’s family are devastated after she succumbed to poisoning symptoms on Tuesday.(Supplied: Samantha Barrass)
Dog bowls removed
Sunshine Coast police and the RSPCA are investigating, with at least seven dogs affected, including the five that have died.
Sunshine Coast Council has removed a dog drinking bowl from beach access 210.(ABC Sunshine Coast: Jessica Ross)
Several of the owners told authorities their dogs had drunk from water bowls at Buddina, near beach access 210.
Sunshine Coast councilor Joe Natoli said portable drinking bowls had been removed while fixed bowls had been sealed to prevent further contamination.
“We’ll increase our surveillance of the area,” Mr Natoli said.
“Council is actually asking people that if they if they have their dogs, and they’re in off leash areas, to be very vigilant to make sure that they keep an eye on their dogs.”
Joe Natoli says water bowls have been removed or sealed.(ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew)
Kawana Waters police officer-in-charge Mark Cordwell encouraged pet owners to make an official report.
“We would like to try and pinpoint the location where all these dogs were may have frequented, as well as the times,” Senior Sergeant Cordwell said.
If found to be a deliberate act, those responsible could face up to seven years in jail.
“It is concerning enough for us to commence an investigation.”
Billy the beagle is one of five dogs that have died after a spate of suspected poisonings.(Supplied: Doggie Adventure Playhouse)
dog lovers in shock
The news has rocked the Sunshine Coast community, particularly dog park regulars.
Many took to social media to say they wouldn’t be visiting the area until the source of the poisoning had been found.
Buderim resident Gary, who didn’t want to give his full name, didn’t take his dog I went to the park on Wednesday but spent the morning warning other walkers.
“I thought I’d come down here and sit for half an hour and anyone with a dog coming along, I would mention to them just in case they hadn’t heard the news,” Gary said.
“So that they can be wary and maybe keep their dog on the leash and prevent them from eating something, if there’s something around.”
Gary, from Buderim, didn’t want to walk his dog I went after hearing of suspected poisonings.(ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew)
Meanwhile, Ms Barrass said she was determined to help with the investigation into the dog deaths to ensure there was justice for the animals lost.
“Pepper was only four… it would be different if she went from old age or she developed a health complaint,” she said.
“For someone… an individual or a group of people… to be part of the death… that’s just viciousness.”
Australia’s highest court has allowed a man found guilty of murdering his wife by pushing her wheelchair into a pond to appeal against his conviction.
Key points:
The High Court has allowed Peter Dansie a chance to overturn his murder conviction
Helen Dansie drowned in an Adelaide pond in 2017
The appeal will be heard in SA Supreme Court
Peter Rex Dansie, 73, was sentenced to life in prison for killing his wife, Helen Dansie, in Adelaide’s southern parklands.
Mrs Dansie drowned in a pond in Veale Gardens in April 2017.
Dansie lost a bid to appeal his conviction in South Australia’s Court of Criminal Appeal two years ago.
Today, two High Court judges dismissed Dansie’s application to appeal, but Justice Kevin Nicholson said he would have quashed the conviction as the evidence did not rule out the possibility that Mrs Dansie might have accidentally drowned.
“It would be dangerous in all the circumstances to allow the verdict of guilty of murder to stand,” Justice Nicholson said.
The High Court then granted Dansie’s application for special leave to appeal the majority decision of South Australia’s appeal court.
Helen Dansie drowned in a pond at Veale Gardens in Adelaide in 2017.(Supplied: SA Police)
The High Court unanimously found South Australia’s Court of Criminal Appeal misapplied the law and has allowed Dansie to appeal against his conviction.
The matter will be remitted to the South Australian Supreme Court for rehearing.
In allowing the appeal, the High Court said the Supreme Court needed “more than mere satisfaction” to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
“The appellant argues that the majority (of the Court of Criminal Appeal) misinterpreted and misapplied the approach required to be taken,” the judgment said.
“The appellant’s argument is well founded.
“The appeal must be allowed.
“What each member of the Court of Criminal Appeal needed to do in order to apply the test … was to ask whether he was independently satisfied as a result of his own assessment of the whole of the evidence added at the trial that the only rational inference available on that evidence was that the appellant deliberately pushed the wheelchair into the pond with intent to drown his wife.”
Police divers searching evidence in the pond at Veale Gardens in 2017.(Supplied: ABC News)
Mrs Dansie’s son Grant said he was “massively disappointed” the appeal had been granted.
“It’s like a never-ending story,” he said.
Dansie previously lost appeal
When Dansie was sentenced to a non-parole period of 25 years two years ago, Justice David Lovell said Mrs Dansie’s murder was the “ultimate act of domestic violence” and described it as an “evil and despicable act”.
“This was a chilling, planned murder of a person whose only mistake was to trust you,” he said.
During the trial, prosecutors alleged Dansie murdered his wife because he regarded her as a cost burden.
Mrs Dansie, a former microbiologist, suffered a stroke in the 1990s that left her with long-term disabilities.
The court at the time heard she was on an indexed pension for life, a large portion of which Mr Dansie was entitled to as her full-time carer.
Justice Lovell established a “dual motive” for the murder—a deterioration in Dansie’s feelings for his wife and an interest in pursuing a sexual relationship with another woman overseas.
The Goldfield’s largest newspaper says reform in the mining industry is needed after a 23-year-old journalist was allegedly groped after this year’s Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum.
Key points:
The Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum was held in Kalgoorlie-Boulder last week
Amber Lilley says the mining industry must do more to stop sexual harassment
John Bowler says the Diggers and Dealers forum has been unfairly targeted
Kalgoorlie Miner deputy editor Amber Lilley made the allegations on the front page of Tuesday’s newspaper in the wake of last week’s showcase mining event.
Ms Lilley alleges she was groped and sexually propositioned in a crowded bar after a conference event which left her “shocked and disgusted” and “feeling vulnerable”.
“A man in mining told me he had a ‘rager’ over me,” she said.
“He then proceeded to tell me to ‘call him daddy’ before groping me as I walked away through the crowd, and he followed.”
The Kalgoorlie Miner, owned by the West Australian, which also ran an editorial titled ‘Diggers is done unless it cleans up its act’, has lodged a complaint with the man’s company and West Australian Police.
Not an isolated incident
The incident came after the June release of a scathing report into sexual assault and harassment within WA’s fly-in, fly-out mining industry, which found women had been subjected to “an appalling range of behaviours”.
Ms Lilley said the groping was not the only instance of inappropriate behavior she experienced while covering the event, with comments on her appearance and gender also made by event goers while at a bar.
“Those comments included how great I looked in my outfit, how maybe I could do skimpy bar work, how grateful women should be for their current standing in the industry, and how there aren’t many female industry leaders,” she said.
John Bowler says the Diggers and Dealers Forum has been unfairly targeted.(ABC Goldfields-Esperance: Nathan Morris)
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Major John Bowler called the article an unjust criticism of the conference.
“Diggers is getting an unwarranted bad rap because of one poor joke by one poor comedian and one sexist comment by one stupid delegate,” he said.
Mr Bowler said he applauded Ms Lilley for calling out the man who made the sexist remarks at a bar but, said the connection to Diggers and Dealers was “ridiculous”.
“The organizers cannot do any more to distance the event from the skimpy barmaid image and they cannot be made responsible for any drunken behavior late at night,” he said.
“What about the other 2,599 delegates and more importantly, what about the women who own and run the forum, who were justifiably proud after last week, but must now feel devastated at what seems like a smear campaign that will only end when Diggers moves out of Kalgoorlie.”
Professionalism needed beyond conference
Speaking on ABC radio, Ms Lilley said her experience did not apply to the conference itself, but was instead a reflection of the behavior she witnessed while covering all aspects of the forum.
“My observations and experience do not apply to the conference itself,” she said.
“Diggers and Dealers in the daytime was an outstanding display of professionalism.
“Outside of the conference and away from the main event, when conference-goers let their guards down, things were often very different.”
Rob Carruthers says more needs to be done to stamp out sexual harassment.(ABC Goldfields-Esperance)
West Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy chief executive Rob Carruthers said more needed to be done to eliminate sexual assault in the industry.
“This type of behavior has no place in any part of society, including extensions of the work environment,” Mr Carruthers said.
He said the chamber and its member companies condemned the behavior in the strongest terms.
“We again reiterate our commitment to ensuring it is not only eliminated from the workplace, but from all work-related environments,” he said.
“As an industry, we must do better, by continuing to educate our people about what is and isn’t appropriate and by clearly calling out behavior when it doesn’t meet the required standards.”
Ms Lilley said industry leaders had the “right attitude” and a “willingness” to stamp out sexual assault in the mining industry, but said “it would never be enough until zero women were sexually harassed.”
The organizers of Diggers and Dealers have been contacted for comment.
Donna Adams has been appointed Tasmania’s first female Commissioner of Police, after 35 years in the force.
Key points:
Commissioner Adams will take over the role of Darren Hine, who will retire on October 11 after more than 40 years in Tasmania Police
She has previously spoken about being greatly outnumbered by men when she first started in the force
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the significance of her appointment could be “understated”
The highest-ranked woman in the 125-year history of Tasmania Police began her career as a constable when she was 19 years old.
Commissioner Adams said she felt “privileged” and “honoured” to be the 15th person to take on the role of commissioner.
“This is an extremely proud moment for me, and I’m really looking forward to making positive change,” she said.
“It’s not a position I thought I’d be awarded when I first joined Tasmania Police back in 1987, straight out of school.
“In fact, I only had a very simple ambition to join the drug squad, and as it turns out, it was an ambition I did not fulfill.”
Commissioner Adams has previously spoken about being greatly outnumbered by men when she first started in the force.
“When I first went to Bellerive CIB (Criminal Investigation Branch) in 1990, I had to share a toilet with the men and had my name on the first cubicle,” she said.
In 2009, she became the first woman promoted to the rank of commander, before last year becoming the state’s first female deputy commissioner.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff (R) described Commissioner Adams as “a highly capable professional”.(ABC News: Maren Preuss)
Focus on ‘back-to-basics policing’
Throughout her career, Commissioner Adams has received several awards, including the Commissioner’s Commendation for her work after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, as well as an Australian Police Medal for Distinguished Service.
She will take over the role of Darren Hine, who will retire on October 11 after more than 40 years in Tasmania Police and 14 as Commissioner of Police and Secretary of the Department.
Commissioner Adams said she had a “big pair of shoes to fill.”
“Darren [Hine] you have provided outstanding leadership, and support to me over the past 14 years,” she said.
“He has transformed Tasmania Police through his inclusive leadership.”
The 54-year-old said she would focus on “back-to-basics policing” in the wake of the pandemic and that “prevention and disruption” would also be a key issue.
“Now’s the time to re-focus on high visibility policing, and ensuring we have a strong focus on local policing issues in local communities,” she said.
“We need to do everything we can to prevent harm before it occurs, we need to do everything we can to prevent victims, from being a repeat victim of crime.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the significance of his appointment could be “understated.”
“Donna is a highly capable professional, and well placed to provide exceptional leadership to Tasmania Police, and the community,” he said.
GALVESTON – Galveston police have released the identities of the four victims, including two children who were killed after a suspected drunk driver slammed into a golf cart they were riding in late Saturday night.
Police said Felipe Bentacur, 49, and Destiny Uvalle, 25, were two of the adult victims identified in the crash. The minor victims were identified as 14-year-old Brailyn Cantu, and the youngest, 4-year-old Kaisyn Bentacur.
Two additional victims from the golf cart remain in the hospital in critical condition, according to police.
WHAT HAPPENED?
A suspected drunk driver is in custody after four people, including two children and several were injured after a major crash involving multiple vehicles and a golf cart at a Galveston intersection on Saturday night, Galveston police said.
Forty-five-year-old Miguel Espinoza, the man who police say caused the crash, has been charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter. He is currently under police custody. Espinoza appeared before a judge Monday where he learned of the charges against him and was appointed an attorney.
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The crash occurred at the intersection of Avenue R and 33rd Street at around 11:30 pm
According to Galveston PD in a release, a black-colored Hyundai SUV was on the eastbound side of Avenue R when Espinoza was driving eastbound in a Hyundai SUV on R Avenue. Investigators said he failed to stop at the intersection, striking a golf cart and a pickup truck that was traveling northbound and a Dodge pickup truck traveling southbound.
Six people, including three children, were in the golf cart at the time of the crash. One adult passenger died at the scene, while the rest were taken to an area hospital where a second adult passenger and two children later died. A third passenger and a child remain in critical condition.
The driver of a black Dodge pickup truck and a child passenger were treated with minor injuries and were later released, according to police.
Police say Espinoza had a passenger in the car who was treated and released.
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“We knew that these golf carts were becoming more and more frequent on our roads,” said Galveston Mayor Craig Brown. “We have had other reports of accidents and so forth with golf carts but nothing to this extent.”
Galveston Mayor Craig Brown said while the golf cart involved in Saturday’s crash was being used in accordance to the city’s ordinance, the city council is considering possible changes to the ordinance. He said the council members may discuss ways of making the roads safer for golf carts, which are legal on certain roads and have become more popular with visitors renting them.
“City council is going to be looking this coming Thursday to possibly be making changes to our ordinance that may give more constraints and better safety for our visitors here. It’s possible that we would be looking at possibly not having golf carts during the evening hours or at night time being able to operate. So we’re just going to look at all aspects of this,” Mayor Brown said.
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To read the current colt cart ordinance click here: https://www.galvestontx.gov/Faq.aspx?QID=172
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Queensland police have charged four people as part of a lengthy money laundering investigation in which more than $1.5 million was allegedly transferred to an offshore location.
The charges come after police intercepted a plane at Redcliffe Airport in 2020 and seized cocaine, large quantities of cannabis and $9 million in cash and weapons.
The incident led to Operation Romeo Mugwort and further evidence of the alleged laundering.
Police identified people linked to a gym franchise operating in Brisbane allegedly transferring structured monetary deposits via a money remittance service to an overseas location.
Detectives questioned a man at a Brisbane gym allegedly connected to the transfer of money to offshore accounts. (Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
A 33-year-old Morningside man has been charged with nine counts of money laundering knowingly, and a 51-year-old West End woman has been charged with 34 counts of the same offense.
A 37-year-old man from Lawnton and a 44-year-old West End man have each been charged with one count of money laundering knowingly with circumstances of aggravation being part of a criminal organization.
All four have been released on bail and will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on August 24.
Detectives are expected to make further arrests and have urged anyone with information to contact police.
Betty Taylor has been fighting the scourge of domestic violence in Queensland for more than three decades and even she was shocked by the explosive testimonies she heard at an inquiry into police culture.
Key points:
Leading advocate Betty Taylor is calling for a domestic violence and sexual assault commissioner
Current officers told the inquiry unconscious bias was a major issue and misogyny “ran wild” in the force
Tuesday marks the final day of public hearings, with a report to be handed down in October
WARNING: This story contains strong language that some readers may find offensive.
The chief executive of the Red Rose Foundation has been closely following the inquiry into the Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) response to domestic and family violence, which has spanned five weeks and heard from dozens of witnesses, including current and retired police officers.
With Tuesday marking its final day of public hearings, the inquiry has painted a damning picture of police culture and problematic attitudes in the ranks towards domestic violence survivors.
Misogynistic attitudes towards women, policy and procedural failures as well as serious allegations of police inaction to protect domestic violence survivors have all been laid bare.
Ms Taylor said officers’ response to domestic and family violence in Queensland was the worst she’s ever witnessed in her 34 years of advocacy.
“This inquiry is incredibly important. I’ve worked across the domestic violence field for 34 years and … the response by police is the worst it’s ever been,” Ms Taylor said.
“Not even just by police — I think women are getting a rough deal in the community and through the courts.
“Victims have to have confidence in the police. They’ve got to know they can call and… be taken seriously.”
‘Time for really significant reforms’
Ms Taylor said she hoped the inquiry would provide momentum for meaningful change and reform.
“We’ve got women potentially being murdered and police aren’t taking the time to do thorough investigations. It really concerns me,” she said.
“My hope is [that] we really step up and look at what domestic violence really is: one of the worst crimes in our community.
“It’s time to step back and reflect and put in place some really significant reforms.”
There are calls for ongoing face-to-face domestic violence training for police.(ABC News: Patrick Williams)
Headed by Judge Deborah Richards, the landmark inquiry’s goal is to determine whether cultural issues are negatively impacting how police handle domestic violence cases, as well as the experience of Indigenous domestic violence victims and the way corrupt conduct and complaints against police are dealt with.
A key recommendation of the Women’s Safety and Justice taskforce, the inquiry follows urgent calls for action after several high-profile domestic violence murders, including the deaths of Doreen Langham, Hannah Clarke and her three children.
Among the explosive evidence, one service officer — who cannot be identified for legal reasons — told the inquiry that misogyny “ran wild” within the force as he detailed hearing male colleagues frequently making derogatory remarks about female survivors and avoiding domestic violence incidents altogether.
“Domestic violence is just foreplay”, “she’s too ugly to be raped”, “rape is just surprise sex” and “I can see why he does it to her — if I was in his position, I’d do that,” the officer told the inquiry, recounting comments he had heard made by seasoned male officers.
The officer became emotional as he told the inquiry “the core business in his station was misogyny, dehumanization and negligence.”
‘She’s just blowing hot air’
Retired officer Audra Pollard — who was a coordinator officer in police call centers — told the inquiry she witnessed police deliberately driving away from a suburb to avoid responding to a domestic violence incident.
Ms Pollard said her colleagues would often make derogatory comments about “repeat” domestic violence complainants, saying things like: “Oh — that f**kwit has called again” “That spoon is on the line again”, “Don’t bother sending a crew to that job, she’s just blowing hot air, that sort of thing.”
Officers told the inquiry that misogyny and unconscious bias are major issues throughout the force.(ABC News: Luke Bowden)
The inquiry also heard from Sergeant Paul Trinder, a shift supervisor, who recalled a time where two officers, including a senior constable, downplayed a serious domestic violence incident, despite “clear photographic evidence” of assault and threats made against the victim.
“There was a statement from the aggrieved person that the respondent had threatened to decapitate the family dog in front of her and her children,” Sergeant Trinder told the inquiry.
“That victim had been failed by that officer. There was clear photographic evidence that she had been assaulted, like a punch-sized bruise around her rib cage and so on.
“That information was not provided to me at the time.”
The inquiry was told of another instance where a police officer did not investigate the suspicious death of a domestic violence victim because she and her husband were a “pair of scumbags who lived in a sh*t area in a sh*t house”.
Sergeant Trinder said “unconscious bias” was a major problem.
The inquiry was also told Indigenous domestic violence victims were turned away from police stations or misidentified as perpetrators.
‘DV fatigue’ blamed for police inaction
Several witnesses told the inquiry that officers were “DV fatigued” and fearful of scrutiny over their response to a large volume of cases, with police spending more than 40 per cent of their time responding to domestic violence matters.
As part of the inquiry, consultant and former detective Mark Ainsworth interviewed more than 50 police officers and found there was a culture of “taking shortcuts” to avoid doing DV orders because of their “convoluted nature”.
The inquiry heard there was a culture of doing the “bare minimum” when investigating DV complaints as a way of coping with burnout.(AAP: Dan Peled)
Mr Ainsworth was told the “culture of doing the bare minimum might be a coping mechanism to deal with being overworked and DV-fatigued”.
The inquiry also heard from the state’s most senior officer in charge of DV investigations, Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd, who said officers were overwhelmed, fatigued and reporting high levels of burnout and psychological distress.
He did concede that there were “significant issues of police culture at play.”
“We may have some members, albeit I hope very few, who do have some deeply misogynistic attitudes,” Assistant Commissioner Codd told the inquiry, although he did not say the issue was systemic.
Police unsurprised by officers perpetrating domestic violence
The inquiry also revealed 38 Queensland police officers were currently subject to domestic and family violence orders as of June 30.
Queensland Assistant Police Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon says police perpetrating domestic violence is concerning but expected given the size of the force.(Supplied: Queensland Police Service)
One officer, the inquiry was told, who was served wiith a Police Protection Notice (PPN), allegedly breached it just 33 minutes after being served a copy of it, while another allegedly used the QPS database to try to locate the crisis shelter of his ex-wife, who had lodged a DV complaint against him.
Assistant Police Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon — who heads the internal affairs division within the ethical standards command — said police-perpetrated DV was not surprising, given the size of the force.
“We’re a large organization of 17,000 people … it is not something that you can expect we won’t see in our organization given the size of it,” Assistant Commissioner Scanlon told the inquiry.
“There will be officers who will find themselves in a relationship that breaks down or where there are allegations of domestic violence unfortunately.
“Could we pick up some of these things earlier? I dare say we should have and could have.”
Will the inquiry lead to meaningful change?
There have been some notable absences from the public hearings, including QPS Commissioner Katarina Carroll, Queensland Police Union chief executive Ian Leavers and Police Minister Mark Ryan, yet none was asked by the inquiry to give evidence in person.
A common theme throughout the public hearings was the need for thorough and ongoing face-to-face DV training for police.
Almost 100 per cent of interviewees told Mr Ainsworth the “whole system” needs to be reviewed and streamlined to address cultural issues across the force.
Ms Taylor said her organization was calling for a domestic violence and sexual assault commissioner to ensure survivors were protected.
“I really would like to see a domestic violence and sexual assault commissioner that has an external role in not just overseeing complaints, but [also] policy advice to government, overseeing … how support is given to victims by both police and external agencies,” she said.
“The recommendations [to be handed down at the end of the inquiry] need to reflect the seriousness of what’s been heard.”
The inquiry will hand its final report to the state government in October.
In a statement, the QPS said it was committed to working with the inquiry to ensure “organizational values, standards of practice and responsibilities are being maintained and, where the opportunity arises, enhanced”.
“We are committed to strengthening and improving our response to DFV matters to ensure the service is supporting all victims and holding perpetrators to account,” a spokesperson said.
The Republican matchup in the Wisconsin governor’s race on Tuesday features competing candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump and his estranged vice president, Mike Pence. Democrats are picking a candidate to face two-term GOP Sen. Ron Johnson for control of the closely divided chamber.
Meanwhile, voters in Vermont are choosing a replacement for US Sen. patrick leahy as the chamber’s longest-serving member retires. In Minnesota, US Rep. Ilhan Omar faces a Democratic primary challenger who helped defeat a voter referendum to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety.
What to watch in Tuesday’s primary elections in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Vermont and Connecticut:
WISCONSIN
Construction company co-owner Tim Michels has Trump’s endorsement in the governor’s race and has been spending millions of his own money, touting both the former president’s backing and his years working to build his family’s business into Wisconsin’s largest construction company. Michels casts himself as an outsider, although he previously lost a campaign to oust then-US Sen. Russ Feingold in 2004 and has long been a prominent GOP donor.
Establishment Republicans including Pence and former Gov. Scott Walker have endorsed former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefischwho along with Walker, survived a 2012 recall effort. She argues she has the experience and knowledge to pursue conservative priorities, including dismantling the bipartisan commission that runs elections.
With Senate control at stake, Democrats will also make their pick to take on Johnson. Democratic support coalesced around Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes beats in the race, when his three top rivals dropped out and threw their support to him. He would become the state’s first Black senator if elected.
Several lesser-known candidates remain in the primary, but Johnson and Republicans have treated Barnes as the nominee, casting him as too liberal for Wisconsin, a state Trump won in 2016 but lost in 2020.
Four Democrats are also running in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, a seat that opened up with the retirement of veteran Democratic US Rep. Ron Kind. The district has been trending Republican, and Derrick Van Orden — who narrowly lost to Kind in 2020 and has Trump’s endorsement — is running unopposed.
MINNESOTA
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz faces a little-known opponent as he seeks a second term. His likely challenger is Republican Scott Jensena physician and former state lawmaker who has made vaccine skepticism a centerpiece of his campaign and faces token opposition.
Both men have been waging a virtual campaign for months, with Jensen attacking Walz for his management of the pandemic and hammering the governor for rising crime around Minneapolis. Walz has highlighted his own support of abortion rights and suggested that Jensen would be a threat to chip away at the procedure’s legality in Minnesota.
Crime has emerged as the biggest issue in Rep. Omar’s Democratic primary. She faces a challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who opposes the movement to defund the police and last year helped defeat efforts to replace the city’s police department. Omar, who supported the referendum, has a substantial money advantage and is expected to benefit from a strong grassroots operation.
The most confusing part of Tuesday’s ballot was for the 1st Congressional District seat that was held by US Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who died earlier this year from cancer. Republican former state Rep. Brad Finstad and Democrat Jeff Ettinger, a former Hormel CEO, are simultaneously competing in primaries to determine the November matchup for the next two-year term representing the southern Minnesota district, as well as a special election to finish the last few months of Hagedorn’s term.
CONNECTICUT
It’s been roughly three decades since Connecticut had a Republican in the US Senate, but the party isn’t giving up.
In the GOP primary to take on Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthalthe party has endorsed former state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides. She’s a social moderate who supports abortion rights and certain gun control measures and says she did not vote for Trump in 2020. Klarides contends her experience and positions can persuade voters to oppose Blumenthal, a two-term senator who in May registered a 45% job approval rating, his lowest in a Quinnipiac poll since taking office.
Klarides is being challenged by conservative attorney Peter Lumaj and Republican National Committee member Leora Levy, whom Trump endorsed last week. Both candidates oppose abortion rights and further gun restrictions, and they back Trump’s policies from him.
VERMONT
Leahy’s upcoming retirement has opened up two seats in Vermont’s tiny three-person congressional delegation — and the opportunity for the state to send a woman to represent it in Washington for the first time.
Democratic US Rep. Peter Welch, the state’s at-large congressman, quickly launched his Senate bid after Leahy revealed he was stepping down. Leahy, who is president pro tempore of the Senate, has been hospitalized a couple of times over the last two years, including after breaking his hip this summer.
Welch has been endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and is the odds-on favorite to win the seat in November. He faces two other Democrats in the primary: Isaac Evans-Frantz, an activist, and Dr. Niki Thran, an emergency physician.
On the Republican side, former US Attorney Christina Nolan, retired US Army officer Gerald Malloy and investment banker Myers Mermel are competing for the nomination.
The race to replace Welch has yielded Vermont’s first wide-open US House campaign since 2006.
Two women, including Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and state Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, are the top Democratic candidates in the race. Gray, elected in 2020 in her first political bid, is a lawyer and a former assistant state attorney general.
The winner of the Democratic primary will be the heavy favorite to win the general election in the liberal state. In 2018, Vermont became the last state without female representation in Congress when Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate.
___
Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Doug Glass in Minneapolis; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Conn.; and Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont, contributed to this report.
The gunman who allegedly murdered three members of the same family in a rural Queensland town last week was banned from owning a gun license by police more than a decade ago before he successfully overturned the decision.
Queensland Police refused to renew Darryl Valroy Young’s gun license in 2010 after it found he was “not a fit and proper person” to hold firearms.
It added an approval for a license to own four rifles and a shotgun “was not considered to be in the public interest”, The Courier Mail reported.
But the 59-year-old appealed to the Civil and Administrative Tribunal in the same year he needed the weapons to kill feral animals on his sprawling property in Bogie, south-west of Bowen, in northern Queensland’s Whitsundays region.
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Young argued he had not broken laws that would prevent the Queensland Police from renewing his firearms license – which was first acquired in 1998.
“I would like the Tribunal to over turn the rejection notice as I have not broken any laws to stop me having a gun license,” Young wrote.
“…There is no were (sic) in the laws of the gun laws that I have broken to stop me having a gun license… I need my gun license for my business.
“I hope the Court overturns the decision so I can have my license.”
He was charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Friday following the shooting incident that rocked the town one day earlier.
Police will allege in court three family members – couple Mervyn, 71, and Maree Schwarz, 59, and their son Graham Tighe, 35 – were fatally shot on Thursday by Young at the boundary of their huge properties after the parties agreed to meet the night before.
The other son, Ross Tighe, was left in a critical condition after a shotgun wound to the abdomen. He was able to escape about 40 kilometers in a ute and raise the alarm.
Young appeared at Proserpine Magistrates Court via video link on Monday morning. His legal team did not apply for bail.
He will remain behind bars at a Queensland correctional facility until the case is mentioned again in just under three months on November 1.
Neighbors of the Schwarz’s traveled more than an hour from their town to the courthouse to support the alleged victims and their families.
The Schwarz’s had moved next door to the Young’s in the town with a population of about 200 people after purchasing the 29,000 hectare farm in May 2021.
Police will allege the couple and one of their sons were murdered at the front of the Shannonvale Rd property over an ongoing dispute about boundaries of the homes.
Anyone in the area with information who has knowledge, information of any issues in the area, or spoke with either family, should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
