Latest news with #Isbell
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal trial alleging illegal racial gerrymandering in Tampa Bay Senate seat concludes
The front of the federal courthouse in Tampa on June 12, 2025 (Photo by Mitch Perry/ Florida Phoenix) A panel of three federal judges is now weighing whether a Tampa Bay state Senate district created in 2022 was the result of illegal racial gerrymandering. A four-day trial over the district concluded on Thursday afternoon and judges must decide whether the constitutional rights of voters in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties were violated when the Legislature created the Senate district in 2022 that crossed from St. Petersburg over the water to Hillsborough County. Florida was sued by three voters who are represented by the ACLU of Florida and the Civil Rights & Racial Justice Clinic at New York University School of Law. The plaintiffs allege that the Legislature's plan to connect Black populations from parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties violated their equal-protection rights by unjustifiably packing Black voters into District 16 and removing them from nearby District 18, reducing their influence there. The defendants, Senate President Ben Albritton and Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, have denied that claim, saying that the maps were lawfully drawn up and previously approved as legally sound by the Florida Supreme Court. But the defense's arguments go beyond refuting the plaintiffs' claims. Indeed the defense went on the offense both before and during the trial to allege that the ACLU of Florida's lead attorney in the case, Nicholas Warren, worked behind the scenes with Democratic House and Senate staffers to try to get a partisan map approved. To bolster that argument, attorneys representing the state called Matthew Isbell to the stand (remotely) on Thursday, their last witness. Isbell is a Tallahassee-based data analyst and consultant who has worked with Democrats and Democratic-affiliated groups over the past decade. Text and direct Twitter messages between Isbell and Warren were displayed to the court showing how both men hoped that the Senate would adopt a map that kept Pinellas County intact and separate from Hillsborough County. Warren drew his own map that kept the two counties separate and introduced it before the redistricting committee in late 2021, without identifying himself as being a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida. Sen. Ray Rodrigues, who was chair of the Senate Committee on Reapportionment at the time, subsequently sent a memo to all 40 state senators accusing him of violating Senate rules by not disclosing that he was with the ACLU of Florida. Warren testified earlier this week that he drew the map on his own personal time and resources, and that the Senate forms that needed to be completed to appear before the committee did not require an individual to list his employer. Isbell testified on Thursday that he believed that the GOP-majority Legislature's motivation to split the city of St. Petersburg up was motivated by partisan politics, an allegation that attorneys for the Florida Senate president's office have strongly refuted. After Isbell's video appearance concluded, the closing statements began, starting with the plaintiffs. Warren declared that 'race predominated in the drawing of the district.' In terms of direct evidence to back up that statement, Warren played a video clip from a November 2021 committee hearing. The excerpt shows Orange County Democratic Sen. Randolph Bracy asked Senate Committee on Reapportionment staff director Jay Ferrin why the newly proposed Senate District 16 district had to cross from St. Petersburg over into Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County. Ferrin replied that it was to comply with the Fair Districts amendment in the Florida Constitution, specifically the 'Tier 1' standards which provide protections for racial and language minorities. Bracy then asked Ferrin if there was a way to configure the district to comply with the Fair Districts amendment and still keep the two countries separate. Another video exchange showed Pasco County Republican Danny Burgess,telling Bracy that Senate 'staff' had said keeping the counties separate wasn't possible, because it would lead to a 'significant number of voters who would be disenfranchised.' At the time Burgess was the chair of another Senate committee that also dealt with reapportionment. Ferrin agreed with Burgess, saying it would result in a'wide diminishment' that would ultimately disenfranchise Black voters in Pinellas County. Bracy followed up asking how much the Black vote would be diminished by if the counties were to remain separate. Ferrin replied 'close to 30%,'and added that such a reduction 'would constitute diminishment.' That comment, Warren said in his closing, revealed that race placed a major role in why Senate District 16 was created. The defense came back with closing statements from the two attorneys representing their side: Daniel Nordby, who was representing Ben Albritton in his official capacity as president of the Florida Senate, and Mohammad Jazil, who was representing Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd. Nordby said the plaintiffs had to prove that race was a predominant factor in the creation of Senate District 16, but that they fell short. 'Plaintiffs have not come close to doing so,' Nordby said. He emphasized how Ferrin had recognized the constitutional requirements for drawing up districts – which is that districts should be compact, and when possible, utilize existing political and geographic boundaries. Ferrin did, Nordby said, noting that Ferrin used important boundaries such as I-275, the Hillsborough River, and 22nd Avenue North in St. Petersburg, a major artery, when configuring the Senate district. Nordby acknowledged that race was a consideration, because 'it had to be,' noting that to ignore that would be ignoring part of the state constitution. Nordby also dismissed the three alternative maps drawn up for the plaintiffs by Pennsylvania State University professor of statistics Cory McCartan that keep Hillsborough and Pinellas counties separate. And he then addressed the peculiar situation regarding Warren, saying, 'This case is an odd one.' Nordby asserted Warren had essentially 'laundered' his map through the alternative presented during the trial by McCartan. He also questioned why none of the lawmakers that plaintiff attorneys had indicated could be witnesses in the case – Sen. Darryl Rouson, House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and most notably former Bracy, the 'alleged lynchpin' for the plaintiff's case, never showed up. Bracy was a scheduled witness but failed to appear earlier in the week, much to the disappointment of the ACLU attorneys. When contacted by phone on Tuesday by a representative from the three-judge panel, Bracy said he hadn't seen the subpoena until that very day and said that he had already told plaintiff attorneys that he did not intend to show up. Burgess and Rodrigues cited legislative privilege in declining to appear, according to the court. Representing Byrd,Jazil said all of the proposed Senate maps that the ACLU had presented during the trial were examples of partisan and racial gerrymandering, and cited his text messages to House and Senate staffers involved with the reapportionment process. In response to their closing arguments meanwhile, Daniel Tilley, another attorney with the ACLU of Florida, noted how no lawmaker had testified. Tilley said all of the attention focused on Warren was a 'contrived kerfuffle' that found no evidence to support the idea that members of the Senate were influenced by his map. It was, he surmised, a 'spectacular failure.' During the four-day trial there were hours of detailed descriptions by experts that dealt with how to draw legislative districts that were logically configured and not oddly shaped. The Florida Senate District 16 seat is held by Rouson, who resides in St. Petersburg. Several Tampa-based constituents in the district complained earlier in the trial that he was not as accessible to meet in Hillsborough County, though defense attorneys said he has district offices in the county in Tampa and Brandon. The three-judge panel that will decide the case includes two of them who are Trump appointees. The panel was led by Andrew L. Brasher, who serves in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Accompanying him was U.S. Senior District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell and U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber, both of whom serve on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Brasher and Barber were appointed by Trump during his first term as president in 2019. If they rule in favor of the plaintiffs, their hope would be that the Florida Senate could create and approve a new map of the district in time for the 2026 election. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Politico
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
U. of I.'s new chancellor on Trump's moves
Presented by Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. It feels like the calm before the storm. TOP TALKER PLAYBOOK Q&A: Charles Isbell Jr., who was approved Monday as the next chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and vice president of the University of Illinois System, comes into the position at a critical time for higher education. The Trump administration has zeroed in on American universities, threatening to cut federal funding and prevent international students from enrolling. While concerning, Isbell, who has been the provost at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says the tensions should not come as a surprise. 'We were increasingly seeing less and less support from politicians and from the government and even from industry over the last decade or so. So, this is an acceleration of where we were headed,' Isbell said in an interview with POLITICO after his approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees. 'This is not a thing that just started in January. This is a thing that has been going back over the decades.' The solution, he said, is to better communicate and listen to what the community at large wants from higher institutions. 'Maybe they're right,' he says of higher-ed critics. 'Maybe we aren't providing the things that they need or the things that they want. We have to listen and have that conversation with them.' Our interview has been edited for length and clarity. Are you approaching your position at U. of I. differently than you might have a year ago, before the Trump administration made universities such a focal point? 'We are at a critical time, but I do think it's worth stepping back a little bit and realizing that higher ed has been in a crisis of one form or another for quite a long time. At least since 2015, we were losing the support and faith of the public. We were increasingly seeing less and less support from politicians and from the government and even from industry over the last decade or so. It's a bit urgent now, more urgent than it was perhaps a year ago, but it was something that we as an industry have always needed to think about. 'We have to communicate what it is that we do with people. We have to not start at the point of, 'Well, let's just tell them what's right, and then they'll give us money and leave us alone.' No, you have to start from the place that maybe we aren't talking to them the way that we should. Maybe they're right. Maybe we aren't providing the things that they need or the things that they want. We have to listen and have that conversation.' What message do you give to returning or prospective international students and their families? 'We value them. We appreciate what it is that they bring, not just to the country, but what they bring to the campus, and that we will support them when they are here. That is the key message.' U. of I. would face a financial hit if the international student population dropped, given they pay full tuition. How else could it hurt the university? 'International students are a significant part of the population of the university, both the undergraduate level and the graduate level. They are a part of this community. They bring ideas, they bring experiences, they contribute to the diversity of the university. If we lose that, we lose the diversity of the student body, we lose the diversity of our faculty and our staff, and that's clearly not good. That is clearly suboptimal for everyone.' Do you expect to work with other universities to talk to the Trump administration about some of these concerns? 'We will continue to work with other universities. Illinois has been a part of those conversations before I got here. We will continue to be a part of those conversations.' STEM has been a priority for you. Do you worry about its future given reverberations from Washington? 'Everyone across higher ed is concerned about potential changes that will be happening over the next year through the budget. If you think about all the great things that exist now — whether technology, all kinds of things that the United States has been in the forefront of — it has come in partnership with basic research that wasn't just looking out six months, but looking out six years and six decades. We cannot afford to lose that. 'The lesson is to know that we have not always told our story, we have not always understood how fragile the ecosystem is, and that we shouldn't ever make that mistake again.' What was your take on the hearings with the university presidents? 'I cringed. I think at the moment, it was a surprise for everyone there. They thought they were having one conversation and they were having a different conversation, perhaps the conversation we should have been having all along, and certainly the conversation we're going to have to continue to have.' RELATED SIU med school dean urges resistance to Trump executive orders, by Daniel Nuccio for The College Fix THE BUZZ BIG MOVE: Mayor Johnson loses his chief operating officer, John Roberson, to Obama Foundation — not the CTA: Roberson is joining the Obama Foundation as executive VP for the Obama Presidential Center, which is under construction in Jackson Park. Roberson is 'the most seasoned and savvy member of Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration. … Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett knows Roberson well, having served with him in the administration of former Mayor Richard M. Daley,' writes the Sun-Times' Fran Spielman. Roberson had been considered to head the Chicago Transit Authority, but that potential appointment drew criticism from transportation advocates. His exit from city government leaves Johnson's administration without any old-school City Hall bureaucrats among his top advisers, by the Tribune's Alice Yin, A.D. Quig and Jake Sheridan. If you are John Roberson, Playbook would like to hear from you! Email: skapos@ WHERE'S JB No official public events WHERE's BRANDON No official public events Where's Toni No official public events Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, new job or a (gasp!) complaint? Email skapos@ BUSINESS OF POLITICS — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Congresswoman Robin Kelly has been endorsed in her bid for the U.S. Senate by Congresswoman Lucy McBath, a Georgia Democrat and a native of Joliet. The two lawmakers have led efforts to support gun-safety measures and to oppose the gun lobby. THE STATEWIDES — Illinois joins lawsuit against U.S. over triggers that can make semiautomatic rifles fire faster: 'Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he would continue to enforce the ban on the devices through Illinois law that prohibits owning them and other devices — such as bump stocks — that can make semiautomatic rifles fire faster,' by the Sun-Times' Violet Miller. — Gov. Pritzker prepping for House committee showdown with help from top Biden attorney Dana Remus, by the Sun-Times' Tina Sfondeles — Judge denies Michael Madigan's motion for new trial, setting stage for high-stakes sentencing Friday, by the Tribune's Jason Meisner — Terminally ill Lombard woman continues push for medical 'aid in dying' bill, by the Daily Herald's Alicia Fabbre CHICAGO — Not your grandparents' City Council: Chicago aldermen less aligned with 5th floor: 'The shift follows the demise of Chicago's infamous machine politics. It also tracks with the ascension of the aldermanic Progressive Caucus and the 'Common Sense Caucus' formed in part to oppose it, both shifting groups that bring more ideological force into debates,' by the Tribune's Jake Sheridan. — Did Chicago cops help ICE during mass arrests? City leaders call for investigation: 'Ald. Andre Vasquez wants to investigate whether police violated the Welcoming City ordinance during an ICE operation last week. Chicago police officials said officers were on the scene to preserve public safety and did not violate the ordinance,' by the Block Club's Francia Garcia Hernandez. — Some denounce Trump travel ban, but it's business as usual at O'Hare, by the Sun-Times' Elvia Malagón and WBEZ's Michael Puente — Chicago cracks down on nearly 200 illegal trash pickups in first months of enforcement effort, by WTTW's Nick Blumberg TAKING NAMES — State Sens. Lakesia Collins and Laura Fine and state Reps. Mary Beth Canty, Terra Costa Howard and Suzanne Ness will be honored today with the Champion of Youth Award by the Illinois Collaboration on Youth during its annual member meeting in Naperville. The award is recognizing their efforts to help make liability insurance more accessible for child welfare and youth service providers. Advocate James McIntyre will also be recognized. Reader Digest We asked what warrants the National Guard being brought in? Lucas Hawley: 'When the said state cannot or will not control mob acts of violence and destruction on private or public property.' Jim Lyons: 'Jan. 6, 2021.' Timothy Thomas: 'As U.S. law states, when it's necessary to repel invasion, suppress a rebellion or if the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.' Steve Weiss: 'Blocking freeways, burning vehicles and assaulting police officers (LAPD et al.) is a reasonable motive for bringing in the Guard.' NEXT QUESTION: When did politics dictate how your purchase decisions? KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION — Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin led 12 of their Illinois delegation members in criticizing the Trump administration's cancellation of the Digital Equity Act Competitive Grants Program, which would have provided more than $23.7 million to Illinois organizations across the state to equip households with the tools needed to use high-speed internet, according to Duckworth's team. Their letter is here. — Durbin spoke on the Senate floor Monday to criticize the budget legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Durbin called it 'a big, beautiful betrayal.' Here's the video THE NATIONAL TAKE — RFK Jr. to fire all members of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee, by POLITICO's Sophie Gardner and Lauren Gardner — ActBlue says GOP investigation might be a partisan violation of the Constitution, by POLITICO's Jessica Piper — Gavin Newsom: Trump is 'unhinged,' speaking like an 'authoritarian,' by POLITICO's Melanie Mason and Christopher Cadelago — 'A self-fulfilling prophecy': How the clash in LA could explode, by POLITICO's Katy Murphy and staff TRANSITIONS — Adam Collins is now chief communications officer at Reddit, the social media and news aggregation website. He was chief communications and corporate affairs officer at Molson Coors Beverage Company. Politicos know him for his work leading various political communications operations. He was communications director for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, communications director for the Chicago Police Department and press secretary for Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, among others. — Chelsea Blink is now legislative director for Rep. Lauren Underwood. She was director of farm animal legislation at the ASPCA. — David Shapiro has been named executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, a civil rights law firm with offices in Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Oxford and D.C. He starts Aug. 1. He's currently executive director of the Chicago Lawyer's Committee. EVENTS — Thursday: 'The Calumet River and Its Toxic Islands' is the subject of a tour. Details here — Friday: 'The State of the Media' is the subject of a panel at the Rainbow Push 'People's Conference.' Details here — June 17: Ald. Nicole Lee will be feted at a fundraiser. Details here — July 10: The 47th Ward Democrats are having a fundraiser by the river. Details here TRIVIA MONDAY's ANSWER: Congrats to Jim Nowlan for correctly answering that the late former state Rep. Webber Borchers took on the Chief Illiniwek role when he was a University of Illinois student. TODAY's QUESTION: Who were the two Illinoisans who served as personal secretaries to President Abraham Lincoln? Email skapos@ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Former first kid Sasha Obama, Circuit Court Judge Dominique Ross, former state Sen. Jim Oberweis, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, Bowman Consulting's Brian McPartlin, political consultant Eli Brottman, Cook County Commission on Human Rights Chair Sufyan Sohel, AJ Capital Partners HR Manager Marissa Schanbacher, HUD nominee Ben DeMarzo and Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg -30-
Miami Herald
21-04-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
A call for comfort brought the police instead. Now the solution is in danger
If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting "988." ___ Overcome by worries, Lynette Isbell dialed a mental health hotline in April 2022. She wanted to talk to someone about her midlife troubles: divorce, an empty nest, and the demands of caring for aging parents with dementia. "I did not want to keep burdening my family and friends with my problems," Isbell said. But she didn't find the sympathetic ear she was hoping for on the other end. Frustrated, she hung up. Little did she know ending that call would set off events she would regret. Police arrived at her home in Terre Haute, Indiana, handcuffed her, and had her committed to a hospital, records show, resulting in more than $12,000 in hospital charges. "The whole thing was an absolute, utter, traumatic nightmare," she said. Isbell's call for help represented the need for a new approach to crisis calls just as the nation was readying to flip the switch to a revamped response system for mental health. Using just three digits - 988 - people could call or text for help from anywhere at any time starting in July 2022. Federal officials viewed the launch of 988 " as the linchpin" to reenvision the mental health crisis system. The idea was to reduce the reliance on police and the burden on emergency rooms, while eliminating the stigma of seeking help. But recent federal funding and staffing cuts undermine the future of the 988 program and threaten to erase progress made in Indiana and elsewhere, mental health advocates said. The Trump administration cut staffing at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the federal office that oversees 988, in recent weeks. It also ended $1 billion of its grants that a number of states relied on this year to help fund their 988 systems, said Stephanie Pasternak, state affairs director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. While a judge temporarily paused grant cuts for 23 states that contested them, the trims to other states - including Indiana - have moved forward. Between the SAMHSA cuts and potential reductions to Medicaid, another crucial funding stream for these services, Pasternak and others are concerned about what this means for 988's future. Any disruption to federal funding streams is "gravely impactful," said Zoe Frantz, CEO of the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers. "We have put a lot of time, talent, and treasure - from the state to providers - in trying to build the system," Frantz said. "We can't go back." After Isbell hung up her call, a member of the Suicide Prevention Hotline, the crisis line formerly available, phoned the Vigo County Sheriff's Office and told a dispatcher Isbell was "thinking of committing suicide," according to the sheriff's report obtained by KFF Health News. Years later, Isbell maintains she never said this. "I've never been actively suicidal." But two officers drove to Isbell's home. When they arrived, Isbell was sitting on her back porch on a sunny day with trees just starting to bud. The officer's report alleged she admitted to thinking about driving her car into a tree, wanting doctor-assisted suicide, and fantasizing about a semitruck hitting her. She contends active suicidal ideation with a plan is different than the overwhelmed feelings she had that day. "It was like a childhood game of telephone, only not at all funny," she said. What she said became distorted and left her no recourse. The officers walked her to a squad car, where they handcuffed her before transporting her to Terre Haute Regional Hospital, according to dashcam video obtained from a public records request. Neighbors watched as she was taken away. "I don't know why I needed to be handcuffed," she said. "It was demoralizing." The Vigo County Sheriff's Office did not respond to requests for comment about Isbell's case. Isbell said being hospitalized against her wishes humiliated her and forced her to battle confusing medical bills for months. An itemized bill shows the hospital charged $12,772 for her overnight stay. After insurance, Isbell was on the hook for roughly $2,800. By comparison, a one-night stay in the presidential suite at the new Terre Haute Casino Resort is $2,471. Terre Haute Regional Hospital spokesperson Ann Marie Foote said Isbell's bill was "discounted down" to $1,400. "Our highest priority is always the safety and well-being of patients," Foote said. According to Isbell's medical records, doctors there said "she was very stressed" and "just wanted to speak to someone" and reiterated "she was not suicidal." They said her anxiety "is increased and made worse by being in here." She had "anxiety" and a "depressed mood," and, according to medical records signed by a psychiatrist there, "she does not meet current criteria for involuntary hospitalization." She was discharged the next day. Upset by how she was treated, she contacted 988, the sheriff's office, and the hospital. In response to KFF Health News' questions about Isbell's experience, Michele Holtkamp, a spokesperson at the time for Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration, said that before the launch of 988, "the state did not have oversight of individual crisis lines and how they responded." After 988 began, Isbell received a follow-up email from an executive with Mental Health America, introducing her to the director of Indiana's 988 hotline, Kara Biro. "I shared your story with her and we agree that we would love to get you to help with a training video," wrote Brandi Christiansen, CEO of Mental Health America-Wabash Valley Region. She explained it would provide workers an opportunity to understand the real-life implications an "outcall can have on a human being." The video has yet to happen, Isbell said. The sheriff's department also asked for her input to improve the process, she said. Isbell saw those as signs of a turnaround. For mental health leaders in Indiana, 988 represented a " springboard to transform and build" a new response system, according to a 2022 Indiana Behavioral Health Commission report. Too often, the report said, Indiana's "ineffective and inefficient" system had relied heavily on police and emergency rooms. Before 988, the state hotline also relied almost entirely on volunteers, complicating efforts to standardize responses, said Jay Chaudhary, a former director of Indiana's Division of Mental Health and Addiction, who led the state's transition to 988. "When somebody makes the really brave step to seek help with mental health care, that system better be ready to catch them," he said. Today, Indiana ranks among the 10 states with the highest 988 answer rates, a sign it can handle the demand, said Laurel Stine, chief advocacy and policy officer with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In Indiana, behavioral health professionals now lead the response via mobile crisis teams, not law enforcement, such as the officers who handcuffed Isbell. As of July, mobile crisis teams were available to 4.8 million people living in 65 of Indiana's 92 counties, reaching roughly 71% of residents, according to a 2024 report from the behavioral health commission. In the first half of last year, mobile crisis teams were dispatched 3,080 times for help. Law enforcement officers were involved in about 1% of those cases and roughly 10% resulted in a trip to the emergency room, according to the report. Similar efforts have occurred nationwide since the 2022 launch. The 988 hotline received 4.8 million calls, texts, and chats during its first year, which is roughly nine times a minute, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data. But the federal government has terminated numerous grants earmarked for Indiana and other states to tackle mental health and substance use issues. Still, SAMHSA spokesperson Danielle Bennett said the 988 hotline is a "critical function" and that the federal government "will never compromise" protecting people experiencing a crisis. The hotline, Bennett said, "continues daily, life-saving work." The Indiana agency tasked with overseeing 988 had more than $98 million in SAMHSA grants but received 73% of that as of March 24, when the grants were terminated, according to a government list of cuts. That leaves Indiana $26 million short. Some federal grants were passed through to local organizations, including one group that received grant money for "mobile crisis units," according to an online grant summary. In a statement, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration spokesperson James Vaughn confirmed it received notice of the terminated SAMHSA grants but declined to provide details other than to say it is "working to minimize the impact to Hoosiers." Isbell hopes the 988 option doesn't disappear for those who need a hand, not handcuffs. She dealt with the fallout of that fateful call for a long time. After more than a year, she said, she paid the $1,400 bill to put the ordeal behind her. ____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
US 421 crash claims life of Sanford woman
A Sanford woman was killed Friday, April 11, when her car was hit by a truck on U.S. 421, according to the NC Highway Patrol. The crash happened about 6 a.m. at the Cox Mill Road intersection, Trooper C. Isbell said. Crystal Cain-Thorne, 53, was exiting Cox Mill Road in her Nissan Sentra to turn left on to US 421. As she entered the highway, a northbound tractor trailer crashed into the driver's side of the Sentra, Isbell said. Thorne was flown to the UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill where she died from her injuries. Isbell would not release the name of the truck driver, citing the ongoing investigation.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Leaders look to reinvent the old Sumner County Courthouse
GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — The old Sumner County Courthouse has entered a new chapter in its history after a new courthouse opened last summer. In 1939, Sumner County grew beyond its courthouse capacity. The county tore it down and built what is now the historic courthouse in Gallatin's Square. 'It was a big deal to have this new courthouse; there were about 30,000 people in the county then,' Sumner County historian Kenneth Thompson said. Gallatin museum honors Sumner County's only Black high school 'It's endless — what happened here. I don't know where to start,' Thompson said. 'It was the center of the town and everything revolved around it.' It was built under President Franklin Roosevelt's program that funded public works projects and became a hub for nearly every county job. 'Everything was in this building, including the sheriff,' Thompson listed. 'The sheriff was in the basement when I was young, and they had the jail on the top floor.' For 84 years, the courthouse was home to criminal and civil cases. 'One lady discovered that her husband was having an affair,' Thompson said. 'She sued the woman he was going with for alienation of affection.' In 2025, the courthouse is a reflection of years gone by. 'I love looking at the old wooden walls,' Sumner County mayor John Isbell said. 'There's a map [of Sumner County]when you walk into this courthouse.' Volunteers help clean up 8K+ pounds of trash in one day across Sumner County But as the county's population grew, it was time for a new courthouse. 'We were operating one set of courts out of this building, one set of general sessions out of another building, and then juvenile out of another building,' Isbell explained. 'So us being able to consolidate that for the citizens into one modern courthouse was, really, a feat.' The new Sumner County Courthouse opened in June 2024, leaving the old one vacant and awaiting its future in the square. 'We need to try to save it, and this is no exception,' Isbell said. 'There is a storied history on the square, and it is my goal to make sure that we maintain that history.' Like most old buildings, the old courthouse has a mold issue. However, the mayor told News 2 the plan is to remove the mold and use the building in a new way. 'It could be for office space for attorneys since the new courthouse is right here,' Thompson thought. 'They could put attorneys in this building and fill it up.' News 2 On Tour | Explore the communties that shape Middle Tennessee 'What I would like to do is bring in a committee made up of citizens and people — stakeholders who have a vested interest in maintaining the charm and character of this building,' Isbell said. For now, the old courthouse provides a glimpse into the past as Sumner County looks toward its future. 'I am looking forward to the future, but I am also looking forward to preserving our past,' Isbell said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
