Latest news with #Menzies
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Altitude to unleash bugged-out brew
The Altitude Brewing team including, from left, Rob Garrett, Eliott Menzies and Dan Jaffe, has come up with an ant-astic new beer garnish. PHOTO: SUPPLIED A Queenstown brewer is, quite literally, upping the ant-e. Award-winning Altitude Brewing, which recently won the Champion Small International Brewery and Best Modern Pale Ale for its draught 'Sled Dog' at the Australian International Beer Awards, is soon to unveil a new beer, garnished with freeze-dried Green Tree Ant garnish. Altitude founder Eliott Menzies plans to unleash the Lemon Curd and Strawberry Pastry-Sour at Beervana 2025, being held at Wellington's Sky Stadium in August. Having made the pilgrimage north for eight years in a row, Altitude's become a fan favourite at the long-running event and Menzies says it's always been the place to push boundaries. As to where the idea for the newest brew came from, Menzies says one of his team came back from Australia last year and was "raving" about the flavour of ants he'd tried, describing them as a "citrusy-sherbert-bomb flavour". Found in tropical Australia, Green Tree Ants are said to be the nemesis of arborists, as they don't like being disturbed and have a sharp bite — but when you bite into them, they burst with a lemon flavour. "We knew a clever garnish would pair perfectly with this jammy delight of a beer, and the green ants' sharpness cuts through the rich custard notes the classic lemon curd delivers," Menzies says. "We can't wait to hear what punters think." Last year, more than 10,000 people attended the two-day Beervana celebration, being held on August 22 and 23 this year — tickets go on sale next Wednesday.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
Roy police seek public help in locating missing 65-year-old woman
UPDATE: The woman has been found and safely returned home, according to the Roy City Police Department. ROY, Utah () — The Roy City Police Department asked for the public's help in locating a 65-year-old woman who reportedly went missing on Tuesday evening. Police say the woman, whose name has been removed from this article to protect her identity, left her residence at the Orchard Cove apartments around 7 a.m. on June 10 but never returned. According to Roy City PD, the family said she is new to the area and has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and mutters a lot when speaking. She has been described as a Hispanic female and is about 5 feet 2 inches tall, 150 pounds with a medium build and shoulder length grey colored hair. She was last seen wearing white shoes, white pants, a dark blue sweater and possibly a maroon shirt. She may also be carrying a maroon-colored purse. Roy City PD said there are no available photos of the woman at this time. Anyone with information about her potential whereabouts is encouraged to contact Weber Area Dispatch by calling 801-395-8221 and asking to speak with a Roy City Police Officer. Arizona man drowns along San Juan River in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Charges for trespassing on border military zones 'not going away' Former Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon Hall dies at 98 Two women charged with felonies after late-night assault in Logan, charges say Death penalty expert weighs in on Menzies competency ruling and appeal Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
As state moves toward execution, Ralph Menzies' attorneys appeal to Utah Supreme Court
Ralph Leroy Menzies listens as attorney Eric Zuckerman talks to the judge during a competency hearing in 3rd District Court in West Jordan on Monday, Nov 18, 2024. (Pool photo by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune) Attorneys for death row inmate Ralph Menzies have filed an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court, challenging a recent decision that found the 67-year-old convicted killer has dementia, but is still competent enough to be executed. The news comes as the Utah Attorney General's Office says it plans to move forward with Menzies' firing squad execution, with a hearing set for July 9 to discuss the application for an execution warrant. An execution warrant, sometimes called a death warrant, is one of the final steps in the process, where the state authorizes the prison to carry out a death sentence after appeals have been exhausted. It's not yet clear how the appeal to the Utah Supreme Court will impact the state's application for an execution warrant. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Menzies was convicted of murder in 1988 after he kidnapped 26-year-old gas station clerk Maurine Hunsaker from her work and took her up Big Cottonwood Canyon, where she was later found tied to a tree with her throat slashed. Menzies spent decades on death row, and in recent years his health has deteriorated. After falling several times in prison he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, caused when the brain's blood flow is disrupted, leading to memory loss and declining cognitive function, according to court testimony. An MRI exam showed Menzies' brain tissue is deteriorating, and his balance is fraught, causing him to fall several times each month. His attorneys say his brain is so damaged that he cannot form a rational understanding of why the state is pursuing the death penalty. The goal of the death penalty — retribution and deterrence — cannot be achieved if Menzies doesn't really understand why he's being executed, they argued. But attorneys for the state say while Menzies might be suffering from cognitive decline, he doesn't meet that threshold of incompetence. And Utah's 3rd District Judge Matthew Bates ultimately agreed in a ruling issued Friday evening. Judge says Ralph Menzies does have dementia, but is competent enough to be executed Menzies' attorneys told Utah News Dispatch they disagree with the ruling and would file an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court. That was made official on Monday, with his attorneys writing they plan to challenge 'the final order finding that despite a proper medical diagnosis of vascular dementia, Mr. Menzies has failed to demonstrate that he is incompetent to be executed.' In Utah, death row inmates sentenced before May 2004 had a choice between lethal injection and firing squad. Menzies, when he was sentenced in 1988, chose the firing squad. For those sentenced after 2004, the default method of execution is lethal injection, unless the necessary drugs are not available. The news that Menzies was found competent to be executed was celebrated by Matt Hunsaker, Maurine's son, who told Utah News Dispatch 'my family is very happy to see that we might have some closure coming.' 'We definitely appreciate the fact that it's moving forward, we are in hopes that the flow can continue and we can get an execution date and the death warrant signed immediately,' Hunsaker said on Friday following Bates' ruling. Menzies' attorney Lindsey Layer, meanwhile, said she respectfully disagreed with the ruling, calling her client 'a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems.' 'He cannot understand the State's reasons for his execution. His dementia is progressive and he is not going to get better. It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death,' Layer said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Otago Daily Times
10-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Filipinos now 10% of roll, college celebrates culture
Due to a recent influx of Filipino students to a rural Southland school, students organised a celebration dinner to share their Southeast Asian culture and connect. This year the proportion of students from the Philippines at Menzies College has reached 10% and to celebrate, they threw a dinner party. International committee president Sarri Penus, 17, said there were a lot of new junior students at the school and the dinner was a chance for them all to get to know each other and their families. Guests were encouraged to bring a dish that showcased or represented their family, she said. There were 27 dishes on display in the school hall, brought by 20 families. The star of the show was the whole spit-roasted pig, or Lechón and there was also a dessert table featuring custard, coconut and rice-based delicacies. Sarri said they were going to have a traditional dance as entertainment for the evening, but decided that was not an authentic experience at a Filipino party. "As Filipinos we love to have celebrations and parties and all that stuff," she said. She said at birthdays, Christmas and other celebrations the Filipino standard was karaoke, which went on after dinner. Before dinner, Menzies principal Kath Luoni welcomed guests in Tagalog and said 10% Filipino representation was a massive change from when she first started 15 years ago, when there were none. "For quite a long time, the few Filipinos who did arrive would have felt quite isolated in our community. But it's so nice to see everybody here tonight and feel that sense of belonging and I'm very proud of that," she said. Nicholle Bedrijo, 16, came to the school eight years ago and said when she first started she knew only one other student who came from the Philippines. "Even though I progressed through school without that many Filipino peers, I'm very happy to see the younger Filipino students bonding," she said. ESOL teacher Maura Dakin, who helped organise the event, said that the number of new incoming students from the Philippines in the junior school was more like 20%. She said most of them arrived with perfect English. Gore District Council community development co-ordinator Guillaume Willemse also spoke and reminded newcomers to the district to reach out to the council for support. A raffle for Ronald McDonald House, drawn on the night, raised a "tidy" sum of money, Ms Dakin said. "I believe this will be the first of many future Filipino celebration events," she said.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Soonest available date': State moves to hold execution warrant application hearing for Menzies
WEST JORDAN, Utah () — The execution of a man on Utah's death row is now moving forward after it was delayed for an investigation into his competency. Ralph Leroy Menzies was convicted in 1988 for the 1986 aggravated murder, kidnapping, and robbery of Maurine Hunsaker. The State filed a motion Monday to lift the stay on Menzie's execution and hold a hearing for an application for an execution warrant on the 'soonest available date.' Victim's family reacts to convicted killer being ruled competent to be executed According to documents, on Feb. 13, 2024, the court ordered that all 'proceedings advancing toward execution are stayed pending the resolution of Meznie's petition into competency.' They cancelled a hearing set later that month for the State's application for an execution warrant. The 67-year-old man has dementia, his defense in May 2025. Last week, on June 6, Menzies was after 16 months of back-and-forth and competency hearings. 'The State, therefore, moves to lift the stay on the execution proceedings and to schedule a hearing on the State's application for an execution warrant on the soonest available date,' the motion reads. In a statement to ABC4 last week, Menzie's attorney with ABC4 after the ruling that he was competent for execution. Court rules that convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed We respectfully disagree with the Court's order and plan to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court. Ralph Menzies is a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems. He cannot understand the State's reasons for his execution. His dementia is progressive and he is not going to get better. It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death. Lindsey Layer, Attorney for Ralph Menzies Matthew Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker's son, last week. He shared the devastation he felt after his mother's murder, but also his fight to get justice. Matthew Hunsaker says that the nearly 40-year wait has been difficult. 'We were at peace either way, but now let's see this execution happen, let's get this over with, and let's let the family close this chapter and move on,' Matthew Hunsaker said. Abigail Jones and McKenzie Diaz contributed to this report. Here's why a Pleasant Grove splash pad is now closed shortly after opening Father's Day gifts to make dad feel loved ICE arrests top 100K under Trump 'Soonest available date': State moves to hold execution warrant application hearing for Menzies Locally-written theater production opening in Utah Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
