Latest news with #Conklin
West Australian
08-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
Eucla community servant receives award in King's Birthday Honours
Eucla's long-serving volunteer fire brigade captain is among those recognised in this year's King's Birthday Honours. Simone Conklin has been awarded an Australian Fire Service Medal for distinguished service as a member of an Australian fire service. The award citation said Mrs Conklin had been involved in emergency services since 1994 and been the captain of Eucla Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service since 2010. Located in one of the most remote areas of WA, on the border with South Australia, Eucla VFES covers 550km of the Eyre Highway, responding to a range of emergencies that include aircraft and road crashes, bushfires, hazardous material spills, and structural fires. Mrs Conklin has attended more than 98 per cent of incidents since 2014, with the isolation of the area meaning she often handled critical incidents with minimal support, frequently being the sole responder for hours until help arrives from distant brigades. 'She has shown outstanding leadership, decision-making and calmness under pressure in numerous emergency situations,' the citation said. 'One example (was) a truck fire at Border Village in 2021, which put the roadhouse at serious risk due to the proximity of the fire to the fuel bowsers, increasing the potential for explosion. 'Mrs Conklin's actions in isolating the area and ensuring that those present were kept at a safe distance, as well as leading her crew in extinguishing the blaze, saved the roadhouse and ensured everyone was unharmed.' The citation said she had also responded to serious road and aircraft crashes in both WA and South Australia which involved casualties with serious, life-threatening injuries who required airlifting. 'In addition to responding to incidents, Mrs Conklin was involved in securing funding for Eucla's airstrip upgrade, which plays a vital role for emergency services and the community,' the citation said. 'Mrs Conklin's dedication sees her constantly seeking ways to improve and increase public awareness. 'In 2023 she consulted with the Eucla community, Eucla police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services on a suitable evacuation plan for the town. 'This has now led to discussions with the SA Country Fire Service for them to develop evacuation plans for Border Village as well.' Several people who served part of their careers or community service in the Goldfields-Esperance were also recognised in the King's Birthday Honours. Those who received a Medal of the Order of Australia included Esperance Museum co-founder and Esperance Bay Historical Society co-founder and life member Marjorie Barker, Kalgoorlie Golf Club life member and Inner Wheel Club member Lorraine Winchcomb, and Roy Dowsett, who served with the Kalgoorlie Scouts in 1962-64. Senior Aboriginal Police Liaison Officer Ian Tullock, who served at Kalgoorlie police station from 2018-22, received an Australian Police Medal for a career of nearly 50 years, as did Det-Sen. Sgt Gregory McDonald, who served in the Goldfields during a career that spanned more than 40 years. Anthony Dodd, who served as a volunteer firefighter in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Kambalda during his career of more than 40 years, received an Australian Fire Service Medal.
Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman chokes dog until it's left wheezing in video 'too disturbing to watch'
A woman in Ohio, US, has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty and domestic violence after a disturbing video of her allegedly attacking her boyfriend and a dog circulated on social media A woman is facing criminal charges after a disturbing video allegedly showing her choking a dog circulated on social media. The Butler County Sheriff's Office in Ohio announced that 28-year-old Katelin Conklin has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty and domestic violence. Her arrest followed an investigation triggered by the release of the video last month. According to authorities, the video shows Conklin physically assaulting her boyfriend and violently attacking a dog. The footage allegedly captures Conklin punching her boyfriend and choking the dog, which can be heard struggling to breathe. She is also seen forcefully throwing the animal to the ground. Deputies responded to a residence on Buena Avenue after receiving the video. Following conversations with both Conklin and her boyfriend, she was taken into custody. 'This type of behaviour is unacceptable,' said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones. 'We take both domestic violence and animal cruelty very seriously and will always pursue charges when the evidence supports it.' It comes after a Brazilian beauty queen was stripped of her title and now faces jail after a video of her surfaced online allegedly attacking a cat with a firecracker. The incident is thought to have taken place around New Year in Araucaria, a city in the state of Parana, Brazil. Beauty queen Gabrielly Palacio, 19, was allegedly seen lighting a firecracker and throwing it towards a cat as she laughed with a friend. Following the video's release, Palacio was stripped of her 'Miss Araucaria 2024' title by the pageant organisers. Animal rights activists have also widely condemned the act and demanded legal action. Under Brazilian law, animal abuse is punishable by up to five years in prison. Local authorities say they are currently investigating the incident, while Palacio has not issued a public statement regarding the allegations. The clip, which the Mirror has chosen not to share, sparked outrage on social media, with several disgusted viewers slamming Palacio's actions and calling for accountability. One user wrote: "This is absolutely disgusting. She should face the full consequences of her actions." Another said: "It's sad to see someone in her position behaving like this. A crown comes with responsibility." One user argued: "I think she needs education on animal rights rather than punishment. People make mistakes." The case has renewed calls for stricter enforcement of animal protection laws in Brazil. It comes after the RSPCA claimed young people are at risk of being desensitised to animal cruelty as 'terrifyingly high' numbers are now exposed to vile images online. The charity found more than two-fifths of people aged 16 and 17 and almost a third of 18 to 24s have seen avoidable animal suffering online, compared with a fifth of all people. Reports to its emergency line about animal cruelty on social media were on course to hit a four-year high. Since the start of 2020, there have been 2,000 reports logged. he RSPCA claims there is a 'compassion gap' between generations, with those spending the most time online having the least favourable opinions about animal welfare. Chief executive Chris Sherwood said: 'There's a growing concern the proliferation of abuse content online risks normalising animal harm, pain and suffering. We're concerned by the high numbers of young people being exposed to such images.'
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfire prompts evacuation order for Winefred Lake near Conklin
A view of a smoke plume coming off of the Caribou Lake Wildfire, near Winefred Lake, on June 3, 2025 (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) A mandatory evacuation order was issued in Lac la Biche County on Wednesday due to an out-of-control wildfire. The order was issued at 3:18 p.m. for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake. Everyone in the area was told to leave immediately. Anyone needing more information can call 780-623-6767. Winefred Lake is 35 kilometres southeast of Conklin. The Caribou Lake wildfire, which prompted the evacuation, was burning alongside the west shore of the Lake and covered 62,768 hectares at the time of the order. That fire was caused by human activity, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard, and started on May 26 in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. Wildfire danger was 'extreme' across the Lac la Biche and neighbouring Wood Buffalo forest protection areas, due to hot, dry, windy conditions. A wildfire alert was issued for Conklin on May 29 due to the risk that the fire could spread toward that community. That alert remained in effect Wednesday, with the fire burning 17 kilometres southeast of the community.
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Cenovus shuts in oilsands production at northern Alberta site due to wildfires
Cenovus Energy Inc. says only essential personnel are at its Christina Lake oilsands operations where it has shut production due to the wildfires in northern Alberta. The company says it began the work to shut in production at Christina Lake on May 29. The heavy oil operation is about 150 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. A fire nearby has put the roughly 200 residents of the hamlet of Conklin under evacuation alert. As of Monday, the fire — known as the Caribou Lake wildfire — continued to burn out of control and had consumed more than 61,550 hectares of forest. The fire is among more than 50 burning across the province. As of 7 a.m. Monday, 26 are classified as out of control. Based on its inspections so far, Cenovus says it is not aware of any damage to its infrastructure and expects a full restart of its Christina Lake operations once it is safe. About 238,000 barrels per day of production have been impacted. It says it will provide an update when it's in a position to restart. The company said operations will resume as soon as it's safe to do so. Thousands of residents have been affected by wildfires in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta prompted by hot, dry weather that have allowed some fires to grow.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PIAA playoff reform bill advances out of Pa. House committee
(Getty Images) The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) may soon be able to create separate playoffs and championships for public schools and non-public schools. A proposal to hand the association that power passed a state House committee on a bipartisan basis Monday. Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), sponsor of House Bill 41, believes his measure would correct what he and other supporters argue is an 'imbalance' in the current system, which pits public schools, which they describe as 'boundary' schools, in the same state playoffs and championship games as non-public schools. They include private, charter and parochial 'non-boundary' schools. Conklin mentioned that a few other states, including neighboring Maryland, currently use this approach. 'It's worked very, very well,' Conklin said. He likened his proposal to Penn State football being able to play an Ivy League team in the regular season and being able to 'beat the tar out of them,' but ultimately the two schools won't be vying for the same championship. Among the reasons Conklin's cited in pushing the measure are that in the past, some high schools were talking about dropping out of the PIAA over the issue. He also highlighted how non-public schools only represent a small percentage of schools in the state, but ultimately win state championships at a larger rate. A Capital-Star report in May 2024 found that at that time, non-public schools comprised 24% of the high schools in the PIAA, but accounted for a disproportionate amount of state champions in most common sports over the past decade. Conklin also made the case that his proposal is not meant to 'harm' those non-public schools in any way. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The PIAA has said that they don't have the authority to make such a change without legislation. A co-sponsorship memo notes it gives the association the power to make changes. However, the proposal is not a mandate for the PIAA, unlike a previous 2019 plan that would have mandated the PIAA to hold separate playoffs for public and non-public schools in certain sports. Several committee members spoke out in support of the bill, including Rep. Jeff Olsommer (R-Pike), who said his brother is a football coach at a public high school in the state. 'I can't tell you how many times he's gone into the state playoffs, faced a charter or a private school that is loaded with talent and just gets mowed down. I hear it from the coaches on the staff and his friends of coaches, that this idea that is in this bill that you're talking about, is widely prevalent and thought of as a great idea amongst the coaches, at least, in my brother's circle,' Olsommer said. The bill passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee by a 20-6 vote and will be referred to the full chamber for consideration.
