Latest news with #Davey
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Leitrim national school pupils forced to cross busy road and learn in converted toilets amid new school plea
For over a decade, the parents association, staff and the school community have been calling for a new school building on a single campus to replace the current Scoil Mhuire. The need for the new school on a green field site emerged as the girls and boys national school in Carrick on Shannon merged in 2013. However, the school remains on two campuses despite the school population doubling in that time. Since the amalgamation, the school has fallen into a state of disrepair and campaigners say not a single classroom is fit for purpose. Despite the poor conditions, no commitment has ever been given by the Department of Education for a new school building. Recently, John Campion Davey, assistant to Senator Nessa Cosgrove, visited the school and met with some members of the New School Committee. Mr Davey saw first hand the conditions within the school and said the facilities within each building are 'severely inadequate', with a technical report from the Department of Education issued several years ago calling the school building "sub-standard". Mr Davey said 'I had the privilege of being shown around the two campus Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon, by members of the staff and parent body. 'I had been asked to attend by Senator Nessa Cosgrove to see how she could help with their campaign for a new school building. 'The most glaring issue is immediately evident. "The school is spread across two different campuses, the former girls school and the former boys school. "I heard how Scoil Mhuire had been one of the earlier proponents of amalgamations, they embraced the change enthusiastically, yet they still exist across two campuses. 'Apart from the damage this does to a sense of a school identity, it is a hazard for children crossing roads to go from one school to the other. 'It also results in the ridiculous situation of many parents dropping off and collecting children from each campus every day for multiple years,' said Mr Davey. Mr Davey observed the school has 'gone out of its way' to cater for the increased number of students but building a new school is the 'logical thing to do'. 'The PE Hall is tiny, for the numbers of children attending, having been subdivided to provide additional learning spaces. "The school has gone out of its way to welcome increased numbers of children from many different cultures and backgrounds many of these have language needs. 'As in all schools, there are more children with additional needs, which must be met. 'I saw converted corridors, store rooms and even rooms which had formerly housed toilets and hand washing facilities converted into Special Education Needs classrooms. 'The two campuses dating from 1953 and 1963 must be a nightmare to heat in winter, and to keep cool in a hot summer. "The savings on energy costs alone, never mind the environmental impact, must make construction of a new school the logical thing to do. 'Despite the very real challenges faced by the school, the commitment which the school Principal, Staff and Parent body show to the children is phenomenal,' said Mr Davey. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that funding was granted to provide a two mainstream classroom extension for Scoil Mhuire. While the funding was welcomed, it does not provide a long term solution. "While the promise of two new modular classrooms over the summer is welcome, in terms of learning space, it does nothing to address the core issues highlighted, and in fact will further reduce the amount of outdoor space available for play,' said Mr Davey. "As an Early Years Educator, I am fully aware of the importance of having outdoor space for physical activity and play. "It is a fundamental part of a child's holistic development, particularly their physical, emotional and social development. 'The school community are not campaigning for a new school to have a shiny new building to work from. "They are doing it because they feel a real bond with the children and families they educate and care for. 'Inclusive practice is at the heart of everything that is done at Scoil Mhuire. "The passion of the teachers and the happiness of the children to be at school is written all over them,' said Mr Davey. Leitrim County Council has identified a suitable greenfield site close to the current school building and the school are happy with the proposed site. Mr Davey continued, 'All we need now is for the Government to commit to funding the new building. "Senator Cosgrove has committed to highlighting the need for a new school building, which has the support of all four local TDs, and will be hoping to raise the matter personally with the Minister for Education before the summer recess. 'Carrick-on-Shannon is the County Town of Leitrim, it is a fast growing town and it deserves a National School which reflects its developing and changing needs,' said Mr Davey. A spokesperson for the school said, 'On Tuesday, June 17th, John Davey, assistant to Senator Nessa Cosgrove, met with some members of the New School Committee. 2The meeting went well, and John assured us he would pass on all information to Senator Nessa Cosgrove. 'We call on all politicians and members of the wider community to put pressure wherever they can to help us secure a new school for Carrick-on-Shannon.'
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Live music is coming this summer to an unusual place: Baggage claim at Logan Airport
'One of the top five customer complaints: 'It takes too much time to get my bags at baggage claim,'' Davey told the chamber crowd. 'The perception [is] our baggage claim is slow. How can we make sure we're keeping folks entertained or amused at baggage claim? We're going to start some live music and see if that works.' Advertisement The news prompted Brendan Joyce, public policy manager at Lyft, to pose a light-hearted question to Davey during the Q&A portion of the event. 'Rich, I have a very important question for you,' Joyce said. 'Are you performing live this summer at baggage claim, and if so, originals or covers?' Davey didn't miss a beat: 'If we want customer satisfaction to improve, no, I will not be performing.' This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Logan Airport is starting to see decline in Canadian travelers
The drop in April marked the first year-over-year decline in Canadian visitors at the airport in 2025; the total is still up slightly for the year so far, when compared to the first four months of 2024. (May passenger traffic numbers are not yet public.) Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'That's obviously incredibly disappointing [but] with one month of data, I'm not ready to press the panic button,' Davey said in an interview earlier this month, after Massport published the April numbers. Advertisement National statistics released by the Canadian government last week indicate the trend most likely continued at Logan through May. Plane trips by Canadian residents from the US fell 24 percent in May, year over year, while Canadian vehicular trips from the US fell 38 percent. The backlash in Canada started early this year. Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Canadians to vacation in their home country instead of going to the US, as President Trump imposed new tariffs on goods imported from Canada and talked repeatedly about the benefits of Canada becoming the '51st state.' Advertisement Current prime minister Mark Carney has strongly rebuffed the 51st state idea, though he indicated several days ago that he's hopeful about progress with the Trump administration on trade issues. In an attempt to counteract some of the Trump administration's hostility, Governor Maura Healey on Monday will be hosting in Boston several Canadian premiers and governors from Northeast states to talk about ways to maintain strong economic relations among the states and provinces. Much is at stake: Visiting Canadians spent an estimated $20 billion in the US last year. Amid the pushback in Canada to US leisure travel, JetBlue decided to cancel a new flight from Boston to Halifax it had planned, and Porter Airlines cut one of its Boston flights to Ottawa. Travel research firm Tourism Economics is predicting much bigger drops ahead for Greater Boston, with 657,000 Canadian visits expected to the region in 2025, a 20 percent decline from 2024, and a 24 percent drop from what was originally projected for 2025. David O'Donnell, a vice president with the Meet Boston tourism bureau, said his organization hasn't yet heard from local hotels about Canadian travel, but it expects a decline in international travelers to pick up in the summer. Many visitors who booked in the first half of the year would have faced cancellation fees if they opted not to come, but in the second half of the year, many of the bookings will reflect decisions made since Trump took office. Concerns about Canadian tourism prompted state Senator John Keenan of Quincy to file a budget amendment last month requiring the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism to report to the Legislature the feasibility of promoting Massachusetts as a destination for residents of countries showing a decline in travel to this state in 2025. The Senate adopted the language as part of its state budget proposal, but its fate now remains tied to House-Senate budget negotiations. Advertisement 'Clearly our Canadian numbers, like those at a lot of other [US] airports, are going in the wrong direction,' Davey said. 'I hope it's not a canary in the coal mine for us, but we're going to keep a close eye on it.' Jon Chesto can be reached at
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rowena Fire closes I-84 eastbound; over 700 homes on level 3 'Go Now' evacuation orders
(This story has been updated to include new information) Eastbound I-84 closed June 11 between mileposts 64 and 82 due to the Rowena Fire, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Wasco County Sheriff's Office. The closure is between Mosier and The Dalles. I-84 and Highway 30 were also closed from Rowena to milepost 82. ODOT advised drivers to find an alternative route. ODOT spokesperson Kacey Davey said there are fires burning on both the Oregon and Washington state sides of the Columbia River Gorge. Davey urged travelers to not drive to the highway closure spots and to check for updates and closure information. "Wildfires are unpredictable and we have no timeline for when I-84 or U.S. 30 may open," Davey said. The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post 733 homes were under level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders, 1,195 homes were under level 2 "Be Set" and 157 homes were under level 1 "Be Ready." A map for areas under evacuation can be found at: The fire was at least 500 acres as of 5:45 p.m. June 11, according to WatchDuty. It was not immediately clear what caused the fire. Gov. Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act in response to the fire, allowing the Oregon state fire marshal to mobilize resources. The state fire marshal is mobilizing structural firefighters and an incident management team for the fire, according to a news release. Three task forces were set to respond June 11 and three more are set to arrive the morning of June 12. According to the release, the Oregon State Fire Marshal Green Team will work with the Central Oregon Fire Management Service Type 3 team. Areas under level 3 "Go Now" evacuation orders included: Rowena Ferry Road east to River Road; Seven Mile Hill Road to Mountain View Drive, south to Chenowith Creek Road and Browns Creek Road east to West Seventh Street. Areas under level 2 "Be Ready" included: Evacuation Snipes, west to Chenoweth Loop Road, Chenowith Creek Road to Browns Creek Road. Areas under level 1 "Be Set" included: Port area of The Dalles. A temporary shelter is available at The Dalles Middle School, 1100 E 12th St., The Dalles, OR., 97058. The Wasco County Fairgrounds is open for livestock and horses and is located at 81849 Fairgrounds Road, Tygh Valley, OR., 97063. 'This early season conflagration should come as a reminder to Oregonians to be ready for wildfire,' State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said in a news release. 'The predictions for this summer are extremely concerning. I am asking everyone to take that extra minute to mindful of the conditions and remember it takes a single spark to ignite a disaster.' Jonathan Williams is the news editor of the Statesman Journal. Reach him at jcwilliams1@ This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfires: Rowena Fire closes part of I-84, evacuations ordered
Daily Record
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Paisley rocker Davey Pattison back on stage after battling cancer and brain lesion
He is making an amazing comeback on stage after a 'nightmare' year of multiple health battles. Paisley rock star Davey Pattison is making an amazing comeback on stage after a 'nightmare' year that saw him beat prostate cancer then spend more than four months in hospital with a lesion on his brain. And Davey admits that, when he was at his lowest ebb lying in a hospital bed unable to hold a conversation with anyone, he thought he was going to die. But the singer has fought back to recover from his life-threatening health problems and is performing with his band at Ivory Blacks, in Glasgow, on Friday, June 13. The lead vocalist was plucked from obscurity in the late 1970s after being invited to join legendary American guitarist Ronnie Montrose's newly-formed rock band, Gamma and spent the next 40 years living in California. Davey also went on to become the lead singer with the Robin Trower Band, recording solo albums and doing countless studio sessions making TV adverts for the likes of the Mattel toy company, Coca Cola and Taco Bell. After returning to Scotland several years ago to live in Paisley, he formed The Davey Pattison Band and gigged all over the country. That was until early in 2024 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Davey successfully battled the cancer after going through 20 radiotherapy sessions at The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, in Glasgow. Davey revealed he took a lot of comfort and positivity from the doctor who first saw him at The Beatson when she said: 'We're going to fix this. We'll get rid of the cancer.' And after being told he no longer had prostate cancer, Davey thought he would quickly get back on stage and start gigging again – even after a bout of covid that made him unwell again. But these hopes were dashed when one day Davey was on the phone to a friend and suddenly started talking what he describes as 'gibberish', became confused and couldn't see properly in both eyes. He was immediately admitted to Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital where at first doctors suspected he had suffered a stroke. But an MRI scan showed this wasn't the problem. After several weeks of tests at the hospital, there was still no diagnosis and he was transferred to the neurosurgical unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, in Glasgow. And after several weeks there, further scans showed he had suffered a lesion on his brain. Davey explained: 'At first, I thought this must be a cancerous brain tumour caused by the radiation therapy I had for prostate cancer. 'But I'm told that although all brain tumours are a type of lesion, not all lesions are brain tumours and the damage to my brain had been caused by a temporary lack of blood flow to that area. 'It seemed to me that I was in hospital for an eternity and not knowing what was causing my symptoms really scared me. It frightened me more than being told I had cancer. At one point it crossed my mind that I was going to die.' As the weeks in hospital turned into months, Davey's speech and general health began to improve and a breakthrough came when an MRI scan showed the lesion had shrunk. Weeks later another scan showed the lesion had shrunk even more and finally, in February a scan revealed the lesion had completely disappeared and he was allowed home. As Davey became stronger, one of the first things he did was book a rehearsal room to run through a set of songs with his band – Jim Keilt and Euan Maxwell, on guitar; Alan McAuley, on bass; Mikey Grant on keyboards and James Nevans on drums. Davey said: 'Although the first rehearsal tired me out, by the time I had gone through another couple of sessions with the band, it was as if I'd never been away. 'Now, I can't wait to get back on stage at Ivory Blacks. After everything I've been through I'm raring to go and it will be a special night for me.' Davey also paid tribute to the care he received in both hospitals. 'I've had a nightmare year health-wise, but if I've learned anything from all the time I spent in hospital it's that we are so lucky to have the NHS,' he said. 'I cannot praise the doctors, nurses and other staff enough – they are very special people. They are a different class and I won't have a bad word said about the NHS.'
