UPDATE: Youths arrested after alleged assault in Hobart CBD
Thursday, 17 July 2025 – 1:25 pm.
UPDATE @ 1.30pm July 17: Youths arrested after alleged assault in Hobart CBD Police have laid charges against two boys over the alleged assault of a teenage boy in Hobart’s CBD on Wednesday. A 14-year-old boy has been charged with aggravated robbery, stealing, destroy property, unlawfully tamper or interfere with a motor vehicle, and bail offences. He has been held for court. A 12-year-old boy has been charged with aggravated robbery, common assault, stealing and unlawfully tamper or interfere with a motor vehicle. He has been bailed to appear in the Hobart Youth Justice Division in August. The charges stem from an altercation at the grassed area of Mather’s Lane, in Hobart’s central business district, about 2.05pm in which police allege a 14-year-old boy was assaulted and had his iPhone stolen. Police have appealed to members of the public who may have witnessed the incident, or the events leading up to it, to come forward. A group of up to eight youths was seen leaving the area via Criterion Lane immediately following the alleged assault. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au (quote Offence Report 780149).
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.
Released 17/07/2025
The ACT Government is today celebrating the grand opening of the new state-of-the-art Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) Woden campus.
CIT Woden is part of the ACT Government’s $14 billion Infrastructure Plan, ensuring Canberra remains one of the world’s most liveable cities as our community grows.
Up to 6,500 students each year are expected to attend CIT Woden, which welcomes students from next Monday, 21 July for the start of Semester 2. Spanning 22,500 square metres across five levels, CIT Woden contains 66 learning spaces that will support 24 different industry areas.
CIT Woden is designed to support the skills Canberra needs now and into the future, with a diverse range of courses in areas such as information technology, cyber security, photography, business, hospitality, hairdressing, creative industries and more. Students and the community can also enjoy amenities like a student-operated restaurant, hair and beauty salon, as well as the vibrant public spaces.
Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations, Michael Pettersson, said the new campus was a game-changer in delivering quality vocational education in the ACT, and has transformed the Woden Town Centre into a vibrant learning hub.
“We promised to deliver a world-class education precinct in Woden, and we’ve delivered. The training facilities and learning spaces at the new CIT Woden are second to none,” Minister Pettersson said.
“Students of all ages are going to love this modern and sustainable facility, and we’ve already had a lot of positive feedback from CIT staff who are starting to feel right at home in their new surroundings. This is another example of the ACT Government building Canberra’s future and providing the next generation with the opportunity to gain the skills needed for their chosen careers.”
CIT Woden is a sustainable, environmentally friendly campus. All electric commercial kitchens and training restaurants, as well as an array of solar panels, will help contribute to the ACT Government’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. The main building’s structure, floors and architectural finish are crafted from cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber sustainably sourced and manufactured in Australia.
Designing with Country has been a guiding principle for the CIT Woden Campus project, from the Brindabellas inspired ‘Walking the Ridgeline’ façade, to reflecting a silhouette of a ‘Mulleun’, or wedge-tailed eagle through the ‘Oculus’ sky light, at the top of level five.
More than 520 local jobs and apprenticeships were created during construction of CIT Woden, while construction partner, Lendlease, provided nearly 8,000 hours of training during construction.
This week, the Federal Court found the Australian government has no legal duty to protect Torres Strait Islanders from climate change. The ruling was disappointing, but it’s not the end of the matter.
The plaintiffs, Uncle Paul Kabai and Uncle Pabai Pabai, hail from the low-lying islands of Saibai and Boigu, near Papua New Guinea. They argued the Commonwealth was negligent for failing to take strong action on climate change.
While the judge accepted the devastating effects climate change has wrought on the Torres Strait Islands, he found the Uncles did not prove their case of negligence.
However, the judge found previous Australian governments had not taken the best available science into account when setting emissions reduction targets. The finding tightens the screws on the Albanese government, which is due to announce Australia’s long-awaited targets to cut emissions out to 2035.
To protect communities in the Torres Strait, and across Australia, the government must set a 2035 target that is in line with the science.
And the court finding is unlikely to stem the tide of litigation seeking greater government accountability for climate change – especially for those most vulnerable to its harms.
Limitations of Australian law
The Uncles’ case did not fail because there was no merit in their allegations. It failed because Justice Michael Wigney ruled negligence law was not the appropriate vehicle to deal with climate change policy.
Justice Wigney found the Torres Strait Islanders proved much of their case, including that Australia’s emissions targets set in 2015, 2020 and 2021 were not consistent with the best available science. That science dictates national governments should set emissions reduction targets in line with international efforts to hold global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
The Coalition was in power during the period in question. Justice Wigney found the government of the day “did not engage with or give real or genuine consideration to the best available science” when setting its targets.
But evidence suggests this may not be in line with the best available science.
For example, according to some scientists, emissions reduction of 90% by 2035, based on 2005 levels, would be required to stay in line with the 1.5°C goal.
Australia is bidding to host the UN climate talks next year in partnership with Pacific island countries. Our climate policy for the decade ahead will be a powerful signal to our Pacific neighbours about our commitment to the region, and to climate justice.
A shifting legal landscape
Tuesday’s court finding left open the possibility an appeal court may revisit the state of the law, and recognise the duty of care claimed by the Uncles.
This would require an appeal to the full court of the Federal Court. Wigney was a single judge and considered himself bound by past precedent set by the full court.
Around the world, courts and human rights bodies are holding governments accountable for climate inaction. It is possible for Australian law to do the same.
International courts and human rights bodies are holding governments accountable for climate inaction. Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty Images
Courts in the Netherlands and Belgium, for example, have recognised government duties to heed the science to address foreseeable harms of climate change.
Next week, the International Court of Justice – the world’s highest court – will issue an historic legal opinion on the obligations of nations to tackle climate change.
This opinion will clarify the obligations of countries to prevent human rights harms caused by climate change, and to limit pollution of the Earth’s oceans and climate system. The opinion will be non-binding, but could influence future climate litigation.
What’s more, attribution science is improving all the time. This field of science examines how greenhouse gas emissions affect a particular weather event or climate pattern.
Clearer attribution science will provide courts an ever-stronger basis to consider how government policy decisions on emissions cause climate impacts – and resulting harms to people.
As the legal responsibilities of governments are clarified, further strategic litigation in Australia is likely.
Change is coming
In his judgement, Justice Michael Wigney said the law currently “provides no real or effective legal avenue” for people or communities to seek legal recourse for government inaction on climate change. That will remain the case until the law changes, he said.
To remain legitimate, legal norms must reflect changing social expectations. History shows laws can adapt when they are challenged repeatedly by those who are harmed by the status quo. Eventually, the dam wall breaks, and law is reinterpreted.
A clear example is the Mabo case of 1992. The High Court of Australia acknowledged the obvious fact that Indigenous peoples have lived on this continent for tens of thousands of years, and that the “terra nullius” (land belonging to no-one) concept was a legal myth.
The Mabo decision allowed common law to recognise native title. It was a departure from previous rulings which relied on the terra nullius concept to reject native title claims.
Australia’s legal norms largely pre-date the scientific consensus on climate change. They must evolve to better recognise climate impacts that are harming Australians. While this week might not have been the time, change is inevitable.
As Justice Wigney said, until the law adapts, the key avenue for change is public advocacy, protest and voter action at the ballot box.
Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council.
Riona Moodley does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said today they are joining colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would protect consumers in Oregon and nationwide from online free trial scams and hard-to-cancel recurring-payment programs.
The Consumer Online Payment Transparency and Integrity (OPT-IN) Act puts the responsibility on companies rather than consumers when it comes to subscriptions and memberships, including a shift from “opt-out” default conditions to “opt-in.” This reintroduction comes after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit last week vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s 2023 “click to cancel” rule, which would have made it easier to get out of unwanted subscriptions.
“Unexpected charges and confusing websites can make unsubscribing from a service a headache,” Wyden said. “Relief was in sight, but Donald Trump’s administration killed new protections for consumers and handed a huge gift to his corporate pals. I’m proud to work with Sen. Van Hollen and my colleagues on the OPT-IN Act to ensure it’s just as easy for Americans to unsubscribe from services as it is to sign up.”
“Consumers shouldn’t have to jump over roadblocks from greedy corporations to cancel a subscription,” Merkley said. “Our bill will make it as simple to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up – no tricks, no gimmicks, no waiting on hold. Let’s pass this common-sense solution that makes sure Americans know what they’re signing up for.”
Companies increasingly use free trial offers and unclear terms and conditions to trap consumers into subscriptions. Additionally, companies often use software and interfaces that subtly trick users, making it harder for consumers to end these subscriptions and stop unwanted charges. While the FTC has dedicated significant resources to combating the worst of these business practices, more action is needed to effectively deter companies from employing these practices and better protect consumers.
Specifically, the Consumer OPT-IN Act would:
Require companies to get express informed consent from consumers before converting free trials into automatically renewing contracts and charging consumers.
Require companies to notify consumers of the first automatic renewal and obtain express informed consent from consumers before automatically renewing long-term contracts.
Require that companies offering contracts that automatically renew on a short-term basis get express informed consent from consumers annually.
Require companies that have knowledge that a consumer isn’t using their product or service for 6 months to get the consumer’s express informed consent to continue billing, and allow consumers to request a refund for the remaining portion of the contract.
Provide consumers with refunds when violations occur.
Give the FTC rulemaking authority over negative option contracts, automatic renewals, and dark patterns.
The legislation is led by Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Representative Yvette D. Clarke, D-N.Y. Along with Wyden and Merkley, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Representatives Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Doris Matsui, D-Calif.
This legislation is endorsed by Public Citizen, National Consumer Law Center, Consumer Action, Americans for Financial Reform, and American Economic Liberties Project.
The owners of the former Kakanui Church, Michael Simpson and Anna Miles, are thrilled to see their restoration project entered on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero as a Category 1 place.
ThePresbyterian church at Kakanuiwas designed by Robert Arthur Lawson, an important Scottish Dunedin-based architect, who designed many ecclesiastical buildings over his career. The wooden, gothic-style church at Kakanui was built in three months to accommodate 100 people. It was built at a time when Kakanui had just built a port in the hopes of becoming a major export port. This growth never eventuated but the Presbyterian church remained a key community hub.
The church’s architecture was part of what attracted Michael and Anna to the property when they first saw it was for sale. “We like that it’s Robert Lawson’s smallest, most modest surviving building” says Michael. “It was pretty exciting when we looked at it and saw that it was one of his before we bought it.”
For Michael and Anna, the purchase and restoration of the church has been a pleasure – they describe the restoration as their “hobby”. When they bought the church, it needed significant work but that didn’t scare the couple. Michael is an experienced carpenter with heritage expertise, and Anna is also hands-on. Gradually they have put new subfloor bearing joists in, replaced corner studs and weatherboards, restored windows, painted, and improved the drainage. “We never had a particular plan except to restore it,” says Michael. “There was no timeframe, no budget and that’s why it’s been such a pleasure. It is going really well at this stage.”
Part of the journey of restoration has been discovering the emotional ties so many people have to the church. In addition to regular services, the church ran Sunday School classes, which were so popular that in 1933 a dedicated Bible Class Hall was added to the main church. In 1955, two further small buildings were purchased to accommodate the growing Sunday school numbers. The local branch of Brownies used one of these huts as their den.
When Michael and Anna work on their church they have an open-door policy, they’ve found that people come to visit and chat. “The more we’ve got to know the building, the more we’ve realised it’s a special space that means a lot to a lot of other people”, says Anna. “For us, we’re looking after it at the moment and fixing it up. We see ourselves as stewards of the building.” Now that the church is weathertight and stable, Anna and Michael have opened it up to community use.
Michael says, “we’ve had weddings in it, gigs, art exhibitions, and carol services. It doesn’t need to be a commercial space, but we’ve realised it should have a life of its own and a reason to exist. We get quite emotional seeing all the life in the building. We never expected that side of what is our hobby. It’s not what we went looking for but it’s rewarding to see.”
The listing process has highlighted the social and historical value to the Kakanui community. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Heritage Assessment Advisor, Alison Breese, has loved working on the project. “This place is highly significant to the Kakanui community and has outstanding aesthetic, architectural and historic significance. As one of only two surviving Presbyterian timber churches in New Zealand designed by Lawson it’s been a pleasure seeing the love and hard mahi the owners have put into it.”
For Michael and Anna, the church entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/ Rārangi Kōrero is an important recognition of the significance of the church and will support its ongoing protection and recognition.
ABOUT HERITAGE NEW ZEALAND POUHERE TAONGA
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga is the leading national historic heritage agency for Aotearoa New Zealand, operating as an autonomous Crown Entity. Our mission is to identify, protect, and promote heritage – Kia mōhiotia atu, kia tiakina, kia hāpaingia ā tātau taonga tuku iho.
We actively engage with communities, foster partnerships, and provide valuable resources to support those who are passionate about exploring, learning, and connecting with our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit our website atwww.heritage.org.nz
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
Washington, D.C. – Today the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation that U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen helped introduce and was supported by Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), was signed into law. This law permanently schedules all fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure law enforcement can keep them off the streets and hold drug traffickers accountable.
“The vast majority of drug-related deaths in New Hampshire have been caused by the trafficking of illicit fentanyl. That’s why I have consistently engaged with law enforcement, public health experts, and colleagues across the aisle to ensure that the scheduling of fentanyl analogues did not lapse and is finally made permanent,” said Congressman Pappas. “The enactment of this legislation represents an important step forward and will ensure law enforcement retains the full suite of tools they need to take on the opioid crisis and crack down on drug traffickers, but we cannot rest here. I remain committed to delivering the resources our communities need to stop traffickers, bring down drug-related deaths, and support people in recovery.”
“In the Granite State we’ve lost far too many lives due to fentanyl overdoses, and we must do everything we can to prevent more deaths,” said Senator Shaheen. “I was proud to help introduce this bipartisan legislation in the Senate and I’m glad the President has signed it into law so that we can stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities, hold traffickers accountable and save lives.”
“Too many families across New Hampshire have experienced the devastating effects of the fentanyl crisis,” said Senator Hassan. “The HALT Fentanyl Act will permanently classify fentanyl analogues at the strongest level allowed under the law, boosting penalties and giving law enforcement more tools to get these deadly illicit drugs off our streets. This bill marks a step forward in combatting fentanyl and I am glad the President has signed it into law.”
“Illicit fentanyl is the leading driver of overdose deaths in New Hampshire, taking the lives of hundreds of loved ones every year. We can and must do more to combat this epidemic and help save lives,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “The HALT Fentanyl Act will help stop the flow of these dangerous drugs into our communities and hold illicit distributors accountable. I will continue working to ensure our law enforcement partners have the tools they need to keep New Hampshire communities safe.”
Pappas has led efforts to permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances in the House, securing several extensions of the temporary scheduling order while working to ensure the passage of permanent legislation. The HALT Fentanyl Act contains identical key provisions from Pappas’s bipartisan SAFE Act, which he first introduced in the 117th Congress.
Shaheen has spearheaded crucial legislation and funding to fight the substance use disorder epidemic, including through her leadership on the pivotal U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which funds the U.S. Department of Justice. Shaheen recently introduced her bipartisan Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act to help prevent youth opioid use and overdoses by establishing a new grant program that allows current or former Drug-Free Communities (DFC) coalitions to partner with schools to provide resources educating students about the dangers of synthetic opioids. Shaheen has also led the bipartisan Cooper Davis Act which would crack down on online drug sales through social media and helped enact the FENTANYL Results Act to increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking.
Senator Hassan has worked to stop drug trafficking and support communities devastated by the fentanyl crisis. She helped advance the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act, which was signed into law last year and is supporting law enforcement with enhanced tools to find and eliminate illegal substances such as fentanyl and xylazine. Senators Hassan, Shaheen, and their colleagues also passed into law the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain and imposes sanctions on traffickers. Senator Hassan also developed the END FENTANYL Act, signed into law last year, which helps Customs and Border Protection crack down on fentanyl trafficking at the border.
Man charged with stolen property and firearms offences
Thursday, 17 July 2025 – 12:46 pm.
A man has been charged as investigations continue into the stealing of five vehicles from a North Hobart car yard in May. Last month, police from the South East, Glenorchy and Bridgewater Criminal Investigation Branches executed several searches in the Montrose and Derwent Valley areas, alongside the Southern Drugs and Firearms Unit. A Toyota Rav 4 stolen from a North Hobart car yard was located at an address in Magra, as well as close to $150,000 of other property also believed to be stolen. The property included a firearm, several motor vehicles, a trailer, a generator, and about one tonne of fuel. A quantity of illicit drugs was also located. A 36-year-old Magra man has since been charged with various stolen property and firearms offences and will reappear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on 12 September 2025. Four of the five vehicles stolen from the North Hobart car yard have been recovered.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force are continuing to investigate the fatal crash in Delamere yesterday.
One vehicle, a silver Mitsubishi Pajero, was carrying four occupants, aged 63, 63, 70 and 76, while the second vehicle, a Toyota 76 series troop carrier, was carrying a 25-year-old man.
The 76-year-old man was declared deceased at the scene.
Investigations have now confirmed that the Toyota was stolen from a residence on Heron Crescent, Katherine.
Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 17, 2025.
Do women really need more sleep than men? A sleep psychologist explains Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amelia Scott, Honorary Affiliate and Clinical Psychologist at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, and Macquarie University Research Fellow, Macquarie University klebercordeiro/Getty If you spend any time in the wellness corners of TikTok or Instagram, you’ll see claims women need one to two hours more sleep than
Is it okay to boil water more than once, or should you empty the kettle every time? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Faisal Hai, Professor and Head of School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Wollongong Avocado_studio/Shutterstock The kettle is a household staple practically everywhere – how else would we make our hot drinks? But is it okay to re-boil water that’s already in the kettle
What does Australian law have to say about sovereign citizens and ‘pseudolaw’? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeleine Perrett, PhD Candidate in Law, University of Adelaide Armed with obscure legal jargon and fringe interpretations of the law, “sovereign citizens” are continuing to test the limits of the Australian justice system’s patience and power. A few weeks ago, two Western Australians were jailed for 30
Is childbirth really safer for women and babies in private hospitals? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University A study published this week in the international obstetrics and gynaecology journal BJOG has raised concerns among women due to give birth in Australia’s public hospitals. The study compared the outcomes
We were part of the world heritage listing of Murujuga. Here’s why all Australians should be proud Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jo McDonald, Professor, Director of Centre for Rock Art Research + Management, The University of Western Australia Senior Ranger, Mardudunhera man Peter Cooper, oversees the Murujuga landscape Jo McDonald, CC BY-SA On Friday, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in northwest Western Australia was inscribed on the UNESCO World
Is our mental health determined by where we live – or is it the other way round? New research sheds more light Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Hobbs, Associate Professor and Transforming Lives Fellow, Spatial Data Science and Planetary Health, Sheffield Hallam University Photon-Photos/Getty Images Ever felt like where you live is having an impact on your mental health? Turns out, you’re not imagining things. Our new analysis of eight years of data
Tasmania is limping towards an election nobody wants. Here’s the state of play Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Hortle, Deputy Director, Tasmanian Policy Exchange, University of Tasmania In the darkest and coldest months of the year, Tasmanians have been slogging through an election campaign no one wanted. It’s been a curious mix of humdrum plodding laced with cyanide levels of bitterness, with the most
What is astigmatism? Why does it make my vision blurry? And how did I get it? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Flora Hui, Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia and Honorary Fellow, Department of Surgery (Ophthalmology), The University of Melbourne Ground Picture/Shutterstock Have you ever gone to the optometrist for an eye test and were told your eye was shaped like a football? Or perhaps you’ve noticed
From Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama: how electric guitarists challenge expectations of gender Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janelle K Johnstone, Associate Lecturer Crime, Justice and Legal Studies, PhD Candidate School of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University American gospel singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe playing a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar on stage in 1957. Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images I’ve been playing a
Ken Henry urges nature law reform after decades of ‘intergenerational bastardry’ Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillipa C. McCormack, Future Making Fellow, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide Former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry has warned Australia’s global environmental reputation is at risk if the Albanese government fails to reform nature laws this term. In his speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Henry
First-hand view of peacemaking challenge in the ‘Holy Land’ Occupied West Bank-based New Zealand journalist Cole Martin asks who are the peacemakers? BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin As a Kiwi journalist living in the occupied West Bank, I can list endless reasons why there is no peace in the “Holy Land”. I live in a refugee camp, alongside families who were expelled from their
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Malcolm Turnbull on Australia’s ‘dumb’ defence debate Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government remains in complicated territory on the international stage. It has to tread carefully with China, despite the marked warming of the bilateral relationship. It is yet to find its line and length with the unpredictable Trump administration.
Why is Israel bombing Syria? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ali Mamouri, Research Fellow, Middle East Studies, Deakin University Conflict in Syria has escalated with Israel launching bombing raids against its northern neighbour. It follows months of fluctuating tensions in southern Syria between the Druze minority and forces aligned with the new government in Damascus. Clashes erupted
Bougainville election: More than 400 candidates vie for parliament By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist More than 400 candidates have put their hands up to contest the Bougainville general election in September, hoping to enter Parliament. Incumbent President Ishmael Toroama is among the 404 people lining up to win a seat. Bougainville is involved in the process of achieving independence from Papua New
Scientists could be accidentally damaging fossils with a method we thought was safe Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mathieu Duval, Adjunct Senior Researcher at Griffith University and La Trobe University, and Ramón y Cajal (Senior) Research Fellow, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) 185,000-year-old human fossil jawbone from Misliya Cave, Israel. Gerhard Weber, University of Vienna, CC BY-ND Fossils are invaluable archives
Right-wing political group Advance is in the headlines. What is it and what does it stand for? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Riboldi, Lecturer in Social Impact and Social Change, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney Advance/Facebook Political lobby group Advance has been back in the headlines this week. It was revealed an organisation headed by the husband of the Special Envoy for Combatting Antisemitism, Jillian Segal,
We travelled to Antarctica to see if a Māori lunar calendar might help track environmental change Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Holly Winton, Senior Research Fellow in Climatology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Holly Winton, CC BY-SA Antarctica’s patterns of stark seasonal changes, with months of darkness followed by a summer of 24-hour daylight, prompted us to explore how a Māori lunar and environmental calendar
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and eight of her Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), advocating for the release of paused education formula funding, which states had anticipated receiving on July 1. The pause could result in a loss of nearly $28,000,000 for Maine’s public schools.
Specifically, the letter requests that the Administration faithfully implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Resolution Act, which President Trump signed into law earlier this year. This legislation contains critical funding that states and local school districts rely on to help students, families, and local economies.
“The Continuing Resolution contained funding for Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants; 21st Century Community Learning Centers; Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants; English Language Acquisition; Migrant Education; Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants). Withholding these funds will harm students, families, and local economies,”the Senators wrote.
“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states. This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families. Withholding this funding denies states and communities the opportunity to pursue localized initiatives to support students and their families,”they continued.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with you and Secretary McMahon to ensure that all federal education funding goes towards programs that help states and school districts provide students an excellent education. We want to see students in our states and across the country thrive, whether they are adult learners, students who speak English as a second language, or students who need after-school care so that their parents can work. We believe you share the same goal. We encourage you to reverse your decision and release this Congressionally-approved funding to states,”the Senators concluded.
In addition to Senators Collins and Capito, the letter was signed by Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Justice (R-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mike Rounds (R-SD).
San Juan, PR – The U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, working a collateral lead from the USMS Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force, today arrested in Jamestown, New York, one of Puerto Rico’s 10 most wanted fugitives.
Bryan José Rivera-Montañez, 26, of Guayama, is wanted by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau on a state arrest warrant issued by the Ponce Court for first-degree murder and multiple violations of weapons law after he allegedly killed with a firearm an individual in Santa Isabel March 7, 2024. His bail had been set at $2,500,000.
In late June the USMS Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force sent a collateral lead to the USMS New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force requesting assistance in locating and apprehending Rivera-Montañez, who was arrested without incident at an apartment in the 60 block of Water Street in Jamestown.
“This arrest exemplifies our agency’s fight against violent crime and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the safety of our communities,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “I want to express my sincere appreciation for and recognize the great contribution of the members of the NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force and their coordination with the Puerto Rico Violent Offender Task Force in capturing this violent fugitive.”
The New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force began operations in April 2002 and was the first regional fugitive task force to become fully operational following the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. The NY/NJRFTF was the flagship that allowed seven other regional fugitive task forces to be created across the country. With partnership agreements with over 90 federal, state, or local agencies and 13 fully operational offices, the NY/NJRFTF has successfully apprehended more than 100,000 fugitives since inception.
The USMS District of Puerto Rico encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6297, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – In response to questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) at a hearing today, witnesses urged congressional action to address the nationwide scourge of organized retail crime and endorsed the Grassley-led, bipartisan Combating Organized Retail Crime Act.
The witnesses discussed the dangers of organized retail crime, including its ties to international criminal and terrorist syndicates. Grassley’s Combating Organized Retail Crime Act was cited as a “game changer,” given the legislation’s proposal to zero-in on criminal enterprises through commonsense penalties and multi-agency coordination.
The witnesses included:
The Honorable Summer Stephan, President of the National District Attorneys Association and District Attorney for San Diego County;
The Honorable David J. Glawe, President and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau;
Scott McBride, Chief Global Asset Protection Officer for American Eagle Outfitters Inc.; and
Donna Lemm, Chief Strategy Officer for IMC Logistics, testifying on behalf of the American Trucking Associations.
Grassley’s opening statement is available HERE.
Video and excerpts of Grassley’s exchanges with the witnesses follow.
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VIDEO
On the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act:
Grassley: “Ms. Stephan, you’re a strong supporter of my bill, [the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act] … How would this legislation improve the ability of both law enforcement and prosecutors like you to tackle organized retail crime?”
Stephan: “I believe that the [Combating Organized Retail Crime Act] would be a game-changer. [Despite] the 218 organized crime cases that our office has [prosecuted] in San Diego, we have not been able to break through to what is going on nationally. We know these groups are operating nationally and internationally … but the investigations stop at the local level.
“[Organized retail crime] is a national problem that’s draining economic resources from hardworking Americans. But, it’s also draining the heart and soul, and security of human beings. We have to be able to bring national solutions.”
On Transnational Criminal Organizations and Organized Retail Crime:
Grassley: “We know from Department of Homeland Security reports that cartels, terrorists and human traffickers either facilitate organized retail and supply chain crime or use its proceeds to finance other crimes. How are transnational criminal organizations using organized retail and supply chain crime to further their criminal activities?”
Glawe: “We have seen goods moving overseas. In Mexico, we [found] over 2,000 vehicles that ended up south of the border. We know that these stolen goods are going to West Africa and the Middle East … We know that the supply chains are interdicted with Lebanese Hezbollah. We’ve seen that with Hamas, and we know the Mexican drug cartels are involved with the goods going south of the border.
“A coordination center … to coordinate intelligence … and coordinate operations is critical. This committee is well aware of … the Counter Terrorism Center and Counter Proliferation Center. These centers provide a hub for informational and operational sharing and sharing and coordinating resources, as well as tactical level response. We know the successful model, and this bill would get us there.”
On Combating Organized Retail Crime through Aggregation:
Grassley: “Ms. Stephan, title 18 makes it a federal crime to transport stolen property with a value of $5,000 or more in interstate or foreign commerce. Supreme Court case law allows prosecutors to aggregate the value of stolen goods in a common scheme to reach that threshold. Why is aggregation of theft amounts important?”
Stephan: “Aggregation is critical because it distinguishes between somebody who is drug addicted who goes in to steal something like food … [and] separates them from the habitual organized criminals. It allows [prosecutors] to see the activity in totality and to be able to see the repeat offenses that form the structure of organized, habitual criminals. In California, we recently … made a change in Proposition 36 that allowed us to aggregate, and it’s already making a difference. [California] used to have criminals come in with a calculator to [steal] right under $950, thus leaving them at a citation misdemeanor level. That’s what caused all our products to become locked up, except the criminals that were committing the crimes.”
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON – Citing Senate Judiciary Committee precedent, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today announced the Committee will not hold a second hearing on Emil Bove’s nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The Committee will vote on Bove’s nomination on Thursday, July 17.
During the last administration, then-Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) denied Republicans’ requests for additional hearings on at least four nominees.
“Many times during the last Administration, then-Chairman Durbin said ‘there cannot be one set of rules for Republicans on this Committee and another set of rules for Democrats.’ I agree with this statement and intend to adhere to the precedent of then-Chairman Durbin. The Committee will vote on the nomination of Mr. Bove on Thursday,” Grassley concluded in a letter to Senate Judiciary Democrats.
Bove participated in a lengthy nominations hearing on June 25 and provided members of the Committee with 165 pages of written responses to their questions.
Minority members of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday requested the Committee call whistleblower Erez Reuveni, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) official, to testify in a second hearing regarding Bove’s nomination. Reuveni has alleged Bove advised DOJ officials to defy court orders regarding the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration laws. In response to these whistleblower allegations, Bove told the Committee under oath, “I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order.” The Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General have affirmed Bove’s sworn testimony.
Grassley has completed an analysis of the Minority’s summary of the whistleblower’s document disclosures, which is available HERE.
“Following a comprehensive review of the additional documents that you published following the hearing and discussed in the media, I do not believe that they substantiate any misconduct by Mr. Bove,” Grassley wrote to the Minority. “Almost none of the additional documents you published include, reference, or even cite Mr. Bove. Most of the communications merely reflect Administration attorneys internally debating or discussing litigation strategy and the scope of court orders. Debate about the scope of court orders is fundamentally inconsistent with an intention to ignore them. Moreover, many of the legal positions discussed in the documents were ultimately advanced in federal court as the formal position of the United States, and the Administration has received at least some appellate relief in each of the cases described.”
“I respect whistleblowers and the whistleblowing process and have taken this matter seriously. I note that the available documents and the public record are inconsistent with some of the whistleblower’s assertions, which have been reviewed in good faith. The gravamen of the allegations is that Mr. Bove directed Justice Department attorneys to ignore court orders, but (1) the meeting with Mr. Bove occurred before there was any litigation or court order to follow; and (2) Mr. Reuveni himself clarified that he departed the meeting with Mr. Bove with the express understanding that ‘DOJ would tell DHS to follow all court orders,’” Grassley continued.
After a one‑day trial, a jury found Kyle Travis Colton, 37, of Citrus Heights, guilty Tuesday of one count of receiving child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Sanchez announced.
According to evidence presented at trial and in court documents, during a search of Colton’s home law enforcement recovered his laptop, which contained copious images and videos depicting the graphic sexual abuse of young children. The jury heard evidence that between July 2022 and December 2023, Colton downloaded these depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The material was saved on Colton’s computer desktop and in his downloads folder, and he had user-created bookmarks linking to known child pornography websites.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Whitnee Goins and Shea J. Kenny are prosecuting the case.
Colton is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on Oct. 27, 2025. Colton faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.
GREAT FALLS – A Mexican man who entered the United States illegally four times since 2019 was sentenced today to a sentence of time served and remanded to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol upon release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Odilon Valdes-De Jesus, 55, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of illegal reentry.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Valdes first entered the country without authorization in 2019. On October 3, 2019, he was encountered by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents, processed for expeditated removal, and removed from the United States on October 4, 2019, through the Calexico, California Port of Entry. He crossed the border illegally again on October 5, 2019, and was removed from the United States a second time on October 6, 2019. He illegally entered again two days later, on October 8, 2019, and was removed for the third time on October 9.
When law enforcement encountered Valdes in Havre, Montana on May 13, 2025, he admitted he had no immigration documents to be in the United States legally, and later admitted he entered without authorization a fourth time around July 15, 2020, near Eagle Pass, Texas.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Myers prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
MIAMI – On July 11, 2025, a federal jury sitting in Ft. Lauderdale found Anthony Brillante II, age 36, guilty of attempted murder of an employee of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from a plot engaged in by the defendant to murder the federal prosecutor and FBI Special Agent who investigated and prosecuted him for cyber harassment, by hiring a hitman to kill them. He was also found guilty of attempting to kill the witnesses and victims of his cyber harassment case before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial on October 30, 2023.
In August of 2022, the FBI arrested Brillante for cyber harassing his family in New York. Brillante, a student at FIU during most of the time of the crimes, spoofed hundreds of different phone numbers to send three victims—his cousin, her husband, and their 12-year-old daughter—tens of thousands of phone calls and text messages over a 15-month period between 2021 and 2022, including countless explicit threats to kill them. The messages included threatening to shoot them in the in the face and running them over with a car. The federal cyber harassment investigation established that Brillante was also sending similar threatening messages to another cousin and her husband, who both resided in Texas.
In October 2023, just before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial, Brillante directed and paid a total of $40,000 in furtherance of the murder plot. On October 29, 2023, the day before his cyber harassment trial was scheduled to begin, Brillante met with an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a hitman, and enlisted him to commit the murders of the prosecuting Assistant United States Attorney, the investigating FBI special agent, and the victims of his cyber harassment case in order to obstruct his federal trial. Despite his efforts, Brillante was convicted in his first trial of cyber harassment and ultimately sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.
Sentencing in the murder-for-hire case is scheduled for October 1, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio and Deric Zacca from the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. AUSA Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60204.
MIAMI – On July 11, 2025, a federal jury sitting in Ft. Lauderdale found Anthony Brillante II, age 36, guilty of attempted murder of an employee of the United States, solicitation to commit a crime of violence, use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice. The charges stemmed from a plot engaged in by the defendant to murder the federal prosecutor and FBI Special Agent who investigated and prosecuted him for cyber harassment, by hiring a hitman to kill them. He was also found guilty of attempting to kill the witnesses and victims of his cyber harassment case before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial on October 30, 2023.
In August of 2022, the FBI arrested Brillante for cyber harassing his family in New York. Brillante, a student at FIU during most of the time of the crimes, spoofed hundreds of different phone numbers to send three victims—his cousin, her husband, and their 12-year-old daughter—tens of thousands of phone calls and text messages over a 15-month period between 2021 and 2022, including countless explicit threats to kill them. The messages included threatening to shoot them in the in the face and running them over with a car. The federal cyber harassment investigation established that Brillante was also sending similar threatening messages to another cousin and her husband, who both resided in Texas.
In October 2023, just before the start of his federal cyber harassment trial, Brillante directed and paid a total of $40,000 in furtherance of the murder plot. On October 29, 2023, the day before his cyber harassment trial was scheduled to begin, Brillante met with an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a hitman, and enlisted him to commit the murders of the prosecuting Assistant United States Attorney, the investigating FBI special agent, and the victims of his cyber harassment case in order to obstruct his federal trial. Despite his efforts, Brillante was convicted in his first trial of cyber harassment and ultimately sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.
Sentencing in the murder-for-hire case is scheduled for October 1, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence D. LaVecchio and Deric Zacca from the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. AUSA Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 24-cr-60204.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Two 35-year-old Brownsville residents have been sentenced for smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa pleaded guilty April 1.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has imposed a 40-month term of imprisonment for Monares while Rosa received 25 months. Both must also serve one year of supervised release following their sentences.
Both received upward adjustments or increases in their calculated sentencing guideline range for placing the life of the aliens in jeopardy. Monares also received a sentencing enhancement for being a supervisor of the criminal activity.
At the time of their pleas, both Monares and Rosa admitted to knowingly smuggling three illegal aliens in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra.
On Feb. 24, law enforcement observed several suspected illegal aliens walking along a dirt road near the Rio Grande River. The group climbed into the trunk of a Nissan Sentra which then fled at a high rate of speed. Authorities stopped the vehicle at the Highway 4 checkpoint and found three Vietnamese nationals in the trunk. All appeared dehydrated and were sweating profusely.
Rosa was the driver. He said Victor Hugo Medrano-Medrano and Monares had recruited him, and that Medrano and Monares picked him up in a white Nissan Titan and drove him to the Sentra. Rosa said they were to pay him $10,000 to transport the aliens to a local convenience store in Brownsville.
Video surveillance revealed the Titan crossing the checkpoint shortly after Rosa’s arrest. Authorities later located the Titan at the convenience store with Monares driving and Medrano in the passenger seat.
Monares said she was also to be paid – $500 – for every alien transported.
Medrano-Medrano, 38, Brownsville, has also pleaded guilty and is set for sentencing in September. He remains in custody.
Both Monares and Rosa have also have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined at a later date.
Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man was sentenced in federal court today for illegally possessing a firearm after officers found a firearm when they investigated him for driving while intoxicated.
Bryan A. Bay, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 12 years in federal prison without parole. Bay’s sentence was ordered to run consecutive to a state sentence for endangering the welfare of a child.
On Feb. 27, 2025, Bay pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
On July 7, 2023, Independence, Mo. Police Department officers were dispatched to investigate a report that the occupants of a Chevrolet Silverado were passed out. The officers contacted the occupants and identified Bay as the driver of the vehicle. Bay appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. A computer check of Bay showed that he is a registered sex offender and on supervision through Missouri Probation and Parole for endangering the welfare of a child in the first degree and domestic assault in the second degree. Officers located a Smith and Wesson, Model SD9, semi-automatic pistol. The firearm was loaded with a 12-round magazine with one round in the chamber.
On Oct. 4, 2023, Independence, Mo. Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence for an aggravated assault. The victim reported that Bay, her ex-boyfriend, refused to leave her residence and threatened her. She ran into the street to get away from Bay. Her cousin saw her and got into his vehicle to get away from Bay, and Bay’s ex-girlfriend got into the passenger seat. The victim reported that Bay opened the door where she was seated and pointed his 300 blackout AR-15 in the middle of her forehead. Investigators did not locate Bay and issued a pickup order for Bay.
On Nov. 10, 2023, Kansas City, Mo. Police Department officers conducted a car check on a Kia, which was bearing a license plate that belonged to a Saturn. Officers contacted Bay, who was standing between the Kia and his Chevrolet Silverado. Officers arrested Bay on a parole violation warrant and the stop order previously issued by the Independence, Mo. Police Department.
Officers searched Bay’s Chevrolet Silverado and found approximately 5.49 grams of a crystal substance and 7.67 grams of a powder substance. Both substances tested positive for methamphetamine. Officers also found an Anderson Manufacturing, Model AM-15, multi-caliber pistol.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Bay has two prior felony convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle and possession of a controlled substance and prior felony convictions for domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. Bay’s conviction for endangering the welfare of a child requires him to register as a sex offender.
This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings. It was investigated by the Independence, Missouri Police Department and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.
Operation Take Back America
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a Northeastern Utah man with first degree murder after he allegedly killed another man with a bow and arrow last month.
Leroy Casper Poowegup Reed, 42, of Whiterocks, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 27, 2025, and ordered detained by a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
According to court documents, on June 26, 2025, officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from an individual who reported a possible vehicle accident in the Whiterocks community. It was reported that an individual was inside the vehicle unconscious and not breathing, with an arrow sticking out of him. Officers at the scene observed a black GMC pickup with the sole occupant/victim inside. The victim had an arrow pierced into his neck just above the collar bone. Officers concluded he was deceased.
As alleged in court documents, officers located a male individual on a porch of a residence, who was yelling at law enforcement. Officers also found blood on the road in front of the residence. The resident on the porch was identified as Reed and was taken into custody. Officers also located and seized a bow and arrows, and other items. Law enforcement obtained surveillance video of the incident, which showed a black GMC truck pull up and park. The victim exited the truck and walked towards Reed’s residence. Reed was then observed walking across the driveway with a bow and arrow drawn. The victim put his hands up and the video showed Reed move closer to the victim and then release an arrow, which hit the victim in the neck above the collar bone. The victim turned and walked back to his truck and Reed turned and walked towards his residence. The arrows seized from Reed’s residence match the arrow found in the victim.
Reed is charged with murder in the first degree while within Indian Country. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for July 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated jointly by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency.
Assistant United States Attorneys Sam Pead and Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Yesterday, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other law enforcement agencies executed federal search warrants at five Colt Grill restaurants and 12 residences in two states after a three-year labor exploitation investigation and a five-count federal indictment against four individuals in Arizona.
On May 27, 2025, a grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Robert and Brenda Clouston, both 61, of northern Arizona, and Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes, age 33, and Iris Romero-Molina, age 29, both Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States and residing in Cottonwood, Arizona, for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens, Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States, and Pattern and Practice of Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens.
The indictment alleges that Robert and Brenda Clouston operated four Colt Grill restaurants in the northern Arizona cities of Cottonwood, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Sedona, and one Colt Grill in Foley, Alabama. In September of 2022, the Cloustons, along with Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina, made a plan that Romero-Molina would create a cleaning company, R&R AZ Cleaning, that would operate as a staffing company for the Colt Grill restaurants. Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina would then find undocumented workers to work at the restaurants, paying them through R&R AZ Cleaning with funds from Colt Grill. The undocumented workers were paid below minimum wage and were not compensated for overtime. The Cloustons, Rogel-Jaimes, and Romero-Molina benefited financially from the plan and did not pay proper employment taxes for the workers.
All four indicted individuals were arrested on July 15 without incident. While executing the warrants, law enforcement also arrested several undocumented illegal aliens for criminal or administrative immigration violations.
“Cooperation is the cornerstone for law enforcement in Arizona and this case demonstrates the great outcome that comes from federal and local law enforcement working together,” said United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “The United States Attorney’s Office is grateful to HSI for their hard work on this investigation and extremely appreciative to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for their support and willingness to keep their community safe from bad actors.”
“The success of this investigation is in large part due to the coordinated efforts of many law enforcement agencies working alongside HSI through the Homeland Security Task Forces,” said Ray Rede, acting special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “This multiyear case involving several federal charges is a testament of our commitment to combatting crime that has true impact to communities. I thank everyone involved – this case was true team effort.”
“On behalf of the citizens of Yavapai County, I want to thank our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and all our local agencies for their collaboration with the men and women of Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in dismantling this criminal enterprise,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. “Coordinated, multi-agency enforcement actions like this one are essential to protecting our communities from the destabilizing impacts of organized crime. By working together, we will continue to leverage every available resource to safeguard the people of Yavapai County from those who seek to do harm.”
A conviction for Conspiracy to Bring Illegal Aliens to the United States Unlawfully, Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, Conspiracy to Harbor Illegal Aliens, and Conspiracy to Encourage and Induce an Alien to Unlawfully Enter the United States each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. A conviction for Pattern and Practice of Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and up to a $3,000 fine per unauthorized employee.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
HSI is conducting the federal investigation in this case. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office assisted with execution of the search warrants. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
An indictment is a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-08086-PCT-SPL (ASB) RELEASE NUMBER: 2025-119_Clouston, et al.
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/ Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZfor the latest news.
GREAT FALLS – A Spokane, Washington man accused of possessing controlled substances admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
The defendant, Nicholas Benton Severns, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Severns faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years of supervised release.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing has been set for November 12, 2025. Severns was released on conditions pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents that in 2023, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services saw a white Chevy Malibu leave a known drug house in Browning and stopped it for speeding. The officer ran the driver through dispatch and determined he had no driver’s license, no insurance, and had a warrant for his arrest from Washington. Nicholas Severns, the passenger in the vehicle, and had an expired license.
As the traffic stop progressed, two other officers arrived and informed the driver and Severns they were going to run drug canine around the car. During a subsequent routine pat down for weapons, law enforcement saw a piece of foil used for smoking narcotics and arrested the driver and Severns. Both were searched incident and officers found a baggie of meth on the driver and burnt blue fentanyl on Severns. The car was sniffed, the canine indicated, and a state search warrant was obtained. During the search, law enforcement located 708 fentanyl pills in a fanny-pack belonging to Severns. During a subsequent interview, Severns admitted to dealing drugs, including dealing fentanyl in Browning.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The DEA and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
MADISON, WIS. – A Madison, Wisconsin, man has been convicted of repeatedly distributing cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl; possessing those same drugs for distribution; and maintaining a drug-involved premises. Gregory P. Robinson, 41, was convicted following a three-day trial in federal court in Madison. The jury reached a verdict today after just over two hours of deliberation. The guilty verdict is announced by Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.
The government presented evidence at trial that Robinson sold controlled substances to an undercover police officer in Madison on four occasions in June 2024. Robinson sold cocaine on June 3; cocaine and fentanyl on June 6; and cocaine, fentanyl and heroin on June 13 and June 20. On June 25, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the hotel room where Robinson was staying. In the room, officers located more than 500 grams of cocaine, heroin, and more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Officers also located drug packaging materials, ingredients to manufacture crack cocaine, a money counter, and U.S. currency.
A witness from the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory confirmed the chemical composition of the controlled substances. A witness from the Drug Enforcement Administration testified that the quantities of cocaine and fentanyl found in the hotel room were consistent with an intent to distribute the drugs rather than an intent to use the drugs personally.
Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson scheduled sentencing for October 2, 2025. Robinson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each drug distribution charge and the maintaining a drug involved premises charge. For each possession with intent charge, he faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
The case was investigated by the Madison Police Department, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force is comprised of ATF agents and Task Force Officers from local and state agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colleen Lennon and William M. Levins.
MEDFORD, Ore.—A Medford man was sentenced to federal prison today for using Snapchat and Kik Messenger, online social media and messaging platforms, to coerce and sexually exploit an Oregon child online.
Nicholas James Shaw, 38, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $66,000 in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents, in March 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received CyberTips from Snapchat and Kik Messenger regarding child sexual exploitation materials uploaded to their platforms between October 2021 and April 2022. Investigators traced the accounts to Shaw and learned that, for approximately eight months, Shaw had engaged in sexually explicit communications with a minor online and coerced the victim into producing and sending him sexually explicit photos and videos.
On June 28, 2022, HSI agents executed a federal search warrant on Shaw’s residence and seized several electronic devices which contained child sexual abuse material.
On June 29, 2022, Shaw was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with transportation, receipt, distribution, possession, and access with intent to view child pornography.
On January 21, 2025, Shaw pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. As part of the plea agreement, Shaw agreed to pay restitution in full to his victims and forfeit criminally derived property used to facilitate his crimes.
This case was investigated by HSI with assistance from the Medford Police Department. It was prosecuted by John C. Brassell, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip online at report.cybertip.org.
Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Armed with obscure legal jargon and fringe interpretations of the law, “sovereign citizens” are continuing to test the limits of the Australian justice system’s patience and power.
A few weeks ago, two Western Australians were jailed for 30 days after defying a Supreme Court order and refusing to acknowledge the court’s authority.
Weeks earlier, former AFL footballer Warren Tredrea told the Federal Court he could not pay his legal costs to his former employer, Channel 9, because he did not believe in Australian legal tender.
And former One Nation senator Rod Culleton is currently fighting the Australian Federal Police, arguing his court-declared bankruptcy is not legally binding and therefore should not affect his federal election nomination.
These are not isolated incidents. They are part of a growing trend known as “pseudolaw”.
What is ‘pseudolaw’?
Pseudolaw describes the practice of constructing legal arguments that sound convincing but are fundamentally wrong.
It often relies on real law or cases, twisting them through bizarre or inaccurate interpretations. It looks like law, but isn’t.
Common pseudolegal arguments include:
governments have no authority over “natural persons”
writing a legal name in all capital letters creates a separate legal entity (a “strawman”), which is not subject to state authority
money is not real and anything can be legal tender
tax laws only apply to federal entities, not individuals
“natural rights” override statutes and court-made rules.
Not one of these arguments has ever succeeded in an Australian court.
What are ‘sovereign citizens’?
Those who believe and engage in pseudolaw are sometimes termed “sovereign citizens” or “SovCits”, a label imported from the United States during the 1970s.
The sovereign citizen “movement” reached Australia in the late 1990s.
As the Australian Federal Police explain, sovereign citizens believe they are morally and legally correct, and are quite open about their beliefs and plans.
They reject government authority, refuse to comply with laws and rely on complex but false legal theories to justify their actions.
Because many social media platforms ban their content, sovereign citizens frequently communicate through encrypted messaging apps or gather in person at protests and “common law courts” – unofficial tribunals based on a distorted reading of historical legal principles. These “courts” claim to operate outside state authority and often “try” public officials, file false claims against property and carry out other pseudolegal actions with no real legal force.
They claim to be peaceful and say they are acting in “self-defence” against perceived government overreach. But a small number turn violent.
The rise of pseudolaw in Australia
In the 1970s, WA farmer Leonard Casley labelled his farm the “Hutt River Province”, then attempted to secede from the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Western Australia.
A curiosity back then, but a warning sign.
For years, fringe tax protesters and anti-government groups quietly pushed these ideas.
Then the COVID pandemic hit: lockdowns, mandates and rising distrust meant pseudolaw went more viral. Social media lit up with people claiming they weren’t subject to Australian law.
They spouted strawman theories, cited fake laws and filmed themselves refusing police orders.
It is not just noise. It is congesting the judicial system and putting people, including adherents, at risk.
A recent South Australian study highlights how pseudolaw is increasingly disrupting legal processes in that state.
The law, however, still stands, no matter what those on YouTube say.
What the ‘real’ law says
To be clear, pseudolaw looks real but isn’t; the real law is clear on many of the points raised by sovereign citizens.
For example, the federal government derives its authority to govern from the Commonwealth Constitution. This document clearly states the government has executive authority and can make laws that bind all Australians.
This includes tax laws and laws declaring Australian money as legal tender: in 2007, the Federal Court flatly rejected arguments that income tax and currency laws were invalid.
The “strawman theory” – which states someone has two personas, one of real flesh and blood and the other a separate legal personality, who is the “strawman” – has also been debunked by the courts countless times. The West Australian Supreme Court recently called it “fundamentally misguided”.
And does capitalising your name on official documents like your birth certificate or driver’s licence affect your rights? The courts have categorically said “no”.
Pseudolaw is, as one Victorian judge described it last year, nothing more than “nonsense”, “gibberish”, and “gobbledygook”.
Why sovereign citizens are a threat
While this might seem eccentric, or even harmless, pseudolaw poses real risks.
The Judicial Commission of New South Wales warns it’s not just a nuisance – it’s clogging up courts, wasting police resources and putting public officials at risk.
But the danger isn’t only to others – it is to the followers too.
It is crucial all Australians recognise that pseudolaw not only threatens your credibility but can land you in hot water under the real law.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested and charged a man with sexual offending against a child in Ludmilla last month.
On 14 June 2025, police received a report of a suspected sexual assault against a young child at a residence in Ludmilla.
Police and forensics attended and declared a crime scene.
Further investigation was able to confirm a sexual assault had occurred and on 15 July 2025, detectives from the Sex Crimes Unit, Fugitive Taskforce and general duties, arrested a 34-year-old man at a location in Yarrawonga.
The offender was not known to the victim.
He has now been charged with Sexual Intercourse with a Child under 10 and remanded to appear in Darwin Local Court today.
Detective Senior Sergeant Toby Wilson said “This has been a complex, confronting investigation that has involved a very young victim. The behaviour exhibited against this child is nothing short of horrendous.”
Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://crimestoppers.com.au/.
You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the ‘Report Abuse’ button at www.accce.gov.au/report.
Youths arrested over alleged assault in Hobart CBD
Thursday, 17 July 2025 – 9:55 am.
Police have arrested two 14-year-old boys in connection with the alleged assault of a teenage boy in Hobart’s central business district on Wednesday. The incident happened about 2:05pm, on the grassed area of Mather’s Lane. It is alleged a 14-year-old boy was assaulted and had his iPhone stolen during the altercation. He was subsequently transported to the Royal Hobart Hospital for treatment of facial injuries. One of the alleged offenders was arrested on Wednesday evening and will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act. The second youth remains in custody and is assisting police with ongoing inquiries. Police are appealing to members of the public who may have witnessed the incident, or the events leading up to it, to come forward. A group of up to eight youths was seen leaving the area via Criterion Lane immediately following the alleged assault. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au (quote Offence Report 780149).
Source: United States Small Business Administration
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Wyoming to offset economic losses caused by drought beginning May 1.
The declaration covers the Wyoming counties of Campbell, Converse, Crook, Fremont, Lincoln, Niobrara, Park, Sublette, Teton and Weston as well as the Idaho counties of Bonneville, Fremont and Teton, the Montana County of Gallatin, and South Dakota counties of Custer, Lawrence and Pennington.
Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs with financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.
EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills not paid due to the disaster.
“Through a declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, SBA provides critical financial assistance to help communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “We’re pleased to offer loans to small businesses and private nonprofits impacted by these disasters.”
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.625% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue and payments are not due until 12 months after the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.
To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Submit completed loan applications to SBA no later than March 9, 2026.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2
Press release
Great British Energy to cut energy bills for community facilities
Great British Energy to cut energy bills for local community libraries, fire stations, care homes and community centres.
Libraries, fire stations and care homes in local communities will benefit from cheaper energy bills through Great British Energy community funding as part of Plan for Change
Mayoral authorities to receive a share of £10 million for publicly-owned clean energy projects
Complements Great British Energy’s drive to cut bills for around 200 schools and 200 hospitals, which is already seeing savings
Libraries, fire stations and care homes in local communities will benefit from cheaper energy bills as Great British Energy delivers on the government’s clean energy superpower mission to make working people and their communities better off.
Great British Energy, the government’s publicly-owned clean energy company, has awarded mayoral authorities a share of £10 million in grant funding to roll out clean energy projects at the centre of communities – including rooftop solar on Merseyside care homes and on leisure centres and libraries in Yorkshire.
These grants will mean that the community services and institutions that working people use will be able to save on their electricity bills and spend more money on the frontline services that strengthen local communities and boost local economic growth.
It is estimated that these schemes could produce a total of around £35 million of lifetime savings on energy bills, while improving energy security and creating good jobs.
As well as solar panels on public buildings, the grants will pay to install batteries for community buildings in areas including Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, so they can store renewable energy and use it later. The grants will also fund EV chargers in Greater Manchester, to make it easier for drivers to benefit from cheaper to power electric vehicles.
Great British Energy is already cutting energy bills for public services, with solar panels already installed on 11 schools as part of plans to roll out the panels on around 200 schools and 200 hospitals in England.
The government’s clean energy superpower mission will protect billpayers, create jobs and bring greater energy security through delivering clean power by 2030. Great British Energy will accelerate this by developing, investing and building clean energy projects across the UK.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
Your local sports hall, library and community centre could have their energy bills cut by Great British Energy, the government’s publicly-owned clean energy company.
Our plans will mean more money can be spent on the services that make working people better off and help strengthen the ties that bind us in our communities.
This is what Great British Energy is all about – taking back control to deliver lower bills for good.
Great British Energy CEO Dan McGrail said:
Today’s support for new clean power projects in every region in England shows our mission in action – providing a lasting positive impact for the country by creating new jobs, lower bills, and a cleaner future.
It’s important that communities feel the benefits of the energy transition and that we demonstrate the very real rewards it can bring.
Earlier this year, all Mayoral Strategic Authorities were invited to submit expressions of interest for funding renewable energy projects that can be delivered in the 2025/2026 financial year.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will use the money to support a rooftop solar project to support care homes and leisure centres, cutting around £4.6 million on lifetime energy bills, while Greater Manchester will also roll out rooftop solar on libraries, fire stations, police stations and sports centres, leading to estimated savings of over £2.1million on lifetime bills. Projects in York and North Yorkshire are estimated to bring around £4 million in lifetime bill savings, they include solar panels to help power an Edwardian swimming pool in York and leisure centres in Whitby, Ripon and Thirsk.
The figures below were estimated by DESNZ in collaboration with MSAs, based on a combination of project-level data and DESNZ standard assumptions. It should be noted these are initial estimates that will be refined as projects become operational and actual data is collected.
MSA
Technology
Project Type
Grant Funding Requested (£)
Total expected project cost (£)
Estimated Net Yearly Average Energy Bill Savings (£ undiscounted, 2025 prices)
Estimated Net Lifetime Energy Bill Savings (£ undiscounted, 2025 prices)
Greater Lincolnshire
Solar
Leisure centres and fire stations
£607,845
£627,845
TBC
TBC
South Yorkshire
Solar
Schools, outdoor covered market and library
£572,025
£615,397
£51,938
£1,558,131
Greater London Authority
Solar
Schools
£607,838
£674,220
£30,376
£911,280
Hull and East Yorkshire
Solar
Service buildings and car parks
£700,000
£1,842,879
£89,822
£2,694,647
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Solar
Police headquarters, car park and border canopies
£700,000
£774,226
£51,630
£1,548,886
Greater Manchester
Solar, Battery and EV
Libraries, fire stations, police stations and sports centres
£695,900
£1,301,800
£71,846
£2,155,384
North-East
Solar
Schools
£700,000
£749,946
£46,060
£1,381,806
York and North Yorkshire
Solar
Leisure centres, libraries, schools, transport sites
£700,000
£1,219,948
£134,898
£4,046,936
West Yorkshire
Solar and Battery
Police stations, Arrium plant nursery, primary school, sports centres and Lotherton Hall Estate
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
On 15 July 2025, Detectives from the Sex Crimes Unit extradited a 70-year-old man from Sydney to Darwin.
The man failed to attend court in July 1984 in relation to sexualised offending against a young woman, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. The Northern Territory Police Force have been monitoring the alleged offender for some years whilst imprisoned for unrelated offending in NSW.
He was originally charged with:
• Sexual assault • Aggravated assault • Cause bodily harm
The man appeared in Darwin Local Court yesterday and was further remanded until 30 July 2025.
Detective Senior Constable Naomi Cox says, “This arrest demonstrates that no matter how much time passes, police remain committed to pursuing justice. We never forget.”
“We continue to urge victims to reach out on triple zero in emergencies and on 131 444. You can also visit your local police station.”