Latest news with #Potts
Otago Daily Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Matariki celebrations return to mark occasion
Kāhui Whetū will be held at the Gore Gardens on June 19, from 5-9pm. PHOTO: THE ENSIGN FILES The stars will once again shine brightly in the Gore Gardens as the community comes together to celebrate the Māori New Year later this month. Kāhui Whetū refers to the stars as a gathering of the people of the land, and the Gardens will be transformed by a dazzling light display for Matariki. Gore District Council events co-ordinator Florine Potts said in a statement the event has grown rapidly year by year. "This year promises to be bigger and better than ever, bringing back old faves and mixing in fresh new bits to surprise even our biggest fans," Ms Potts said. Thanks to support from Mercury, the iconic giant tipi will offer a warm and inviting space for people to come together. This year, it will also serve as a hub for learning about Matariki and its rich history, she said. "Of course, Kāhui Whetū wouldn't be complete without Stella the Glow Fairy. "She'll be back, joined by a sparkling lineup of entertainers, including a glowing princess and even a fire performer." Two neon face-painters, live waiata from Emmy Rodrique and Maia Fletcher and the cosy indoor dining space made possible by a third year of support from Community Trust South, while the talented team at Gravity Events will once again transform the Gore Gardens into a glittering display of lights and colour, she said. "This free, family-friendly event is definitely worth the trip to Gore. "Whether it's going to be a chilly day or just a perfect winter evening, there'll be cosy spots and heaps of delicious food to enjoy, making it the ideal treat." Kāhui Whetū will be held at the Gore Gardens on June 19, from 5-9pm.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Young County Museum nearing grand opening in new location
GRAHAM (KFDX/KJTL) — It's been a project three years in the making. In just a few months, the Young County Museum of History and Culture will be ready to open its new building. Since 2022, the museum's new home has been undergoing major renovations. Now, with several exhibits already in their new home, the museum's executive director, Chandy Dunnam, is seeing a significant improvement from the old to the new. 'We came from such a small, condensed area of a kind of trial area, and now we are in this 6,000 square foot building that we can fill up already, probably,' Dunnam said. One big boost, Dunnam said, is the flexibility the new space allows for. In the museum's main room, Dunnam said there will be a clear, walkable timeline of Young County's history, which is most dense around the mid-to-late 1800s. 'We have a lot of stuff jam-packed into that time, and it kind of gets confusing,' Dunnam said. 'So, we're going to have a timeline to help people understand it.' Those who visited the museum's old building might remember the cramped individual rooms, with wagons and cars located in a barn-like room at the back. Now, with more space, museum treasurer Shannon Potts said that those big displays, like the wagons, can be displayed openly for everyone to see. 'It's open. We can add more exhibits to them,' Potts said. 'We can add more signage to let people know a little more, instead of just having to stand there and tell them what it is.' The museum is also preparing to introduce new attractions with its vast space. Potts said one room will be a 2,000-book library, which will allow guests to conduct research into various levels of history concerning the Young County area. 'Today, we already had three different people come in looking for stories on their families,' Potts said. 'And so that is the purpose. One of the purposes that we really, really want to help with.' But even with the extra space, Dunnam said there is only so much of Young County's history that can be displayed at a time. Though they can't display everything at once, museum staff are already planning some seasonal exhibit rotations. 'We also already feel like we've already outgrown this building,' Dunnam said. 'But we already realized that we are going to have to pick and choose, which is hard to do.' Regardless of what's on display, by Labor Day weekend, more chapters of Young County history will be on display than ever before. Although the expansion is progressing well and staff are excited about the museum's future, it still requires some additional support. If you're interested in getting involved with the Young County Museum of History and Culture, you can find out how to do that here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hollidaysburg man charged after leading officers on ‘reckless' pursuit
CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Hollidaysburg man is facing charges after he allegedly led multiple police departments on a high speed chase and almost hit an officer head on while he was driving in the wrong lane. James Potts, 44, is facing over 40 charges after he allegedly led officers on a high-speed chase, according to a criminal complaint. On June 2, a Pennsylvania trooper received a call to respond to a pursuit in Vintondale Borough in Cambria County. Potts, who was driving a Ford Explorer with a utility trailer attached, had fled from police on Ben Franklin Highway. Philadelphia duo arrested in Altoona with drugs after foot chase According to the complaint, while running from police, Potts's vehicle reached speeds up to 90 mph and drove into the other lanes multiple times. During the pursuit, a cruiser from the Nanty Glo Borough Police Department was damaged, and the chief of the Blacklick Township Police Department was almost struck and an officer with the Cambria Township Police Department sustained a hand injury that needed sutures. Potts eventually lost control of the vehicle and allegedly tried to flee from police into a nearby wooded area. However, he was arrested after a failed deployment of a stun gun or taser. 'This multi-jurisdictional high speed pursuit placed the lives of responding officers and the general public in danger, and occurred at high unsafe speeds in combination with reckless and careless driving,' Troopers noted in the complaint. Potts is facing felony charges of aggravated assault, fleeing officers, criminal mischief and evading arrest. He's also facing misdemeanor charges of simple assault, resisting arrest and recklessly endangering another person, along with multiple summary driving offenses. He's in the Cambria County Prison with bail set at 10% of $600,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The National
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
The Yes movement itself has dreamed up barriers to independence
His perceived problem with the direct route to independence (briefly, making a UK General Election a plebiscite by a simple manifesto seeking a majority of Scottish votes for Scotland to become independent, and undertaking to implement it on such a majority, if necessary by declaration of the Scottish MPs) is that 'Westminster doesn't have to accept our legal argument in that vote, as the election is for a UK Parliament and Scotland would not be able to generate a majority of votes in Scotland alone ... Westminster can in theory prevent us from leaving ... the majority of English MPs have a veto on what Scotland does or doesn't do.' He simply fails to grasp what the direct route is all about, in viewing it as a procedure of the Union parliament and attributing to England a role and a power which it does not have. READ MORE: The lesson for the SNP as new poll puts independence support at 54% Given that a referendum is prohibited, the one and only way which actually exists for the people of Scotland to vote for the country to become independent is by plebiscitary election. If the Scottish MPs, the highest representatives of the people, are elected as indy members by the majority of votes of the people of Scotland, they will occupy virtually all the Scottish seats, mandated by those votes to take Scotland out of the Union. Legal argument does not come into it. It is an election. The purpose and result of an election is the filling of seats. English votes and English seats do not come into it, since their make-up is neither here nor there for Scottish independence, and they have no part to play. The Scottish members would have the legal, constitutional and democratic right and authority (and indeed the duty?) to fulfil the democratic imperative and carry out their mandate irrespective of other parts of the UK (reversing, this time democratically, the step into union taken three centuries ago by their predecessors). There is no prohibition of such a course. If Mr Potts or anyone else can find one, I would be interested to know. In those circumstances, the declaration of Scottish independence by its MPs cannot properly be viewed as occurring either while Scotland is part of the Union or while it is independent. It is rather the deed of an instant marking the transition from one status to the other, a normal operation in steps of great legal effect. READ MORE: Tommy Sheppard: Why I stand by my claim after fierce debate that followed it I imagine that London will actually negotiate the mechanism and details of independence with Edinburgh, but only after Scotland has voted for it and our representatives plainly demonstrate their resolve to carry it through at their own hand if necessary. Mr Potts' position is far from unique in the independence movement, most of which may indeed be with him. Heaven help us, but the fixation with English omnipotence and the barriers it can place in Scotland's way is a concoction of the movement itself, as if we were determined not to succeed. No such claim has ever emerged from London, where any rare UK Government statement on the issue has been to the effect that Scotland may go if it no longer consents to the Union. Alan Crocket Motherwell AMIDST the ongoing chaos, let it be known that Scotland's hydro, wind and other renewable energy sources are helping to keep this broken UK afloat. Yet in return, energy-rich Scotland, pays among the highest bills in the UK and indeed Europe. The SNP and all independence campaigners cannot remain silent about this grossly unfair situation. It's time for the people of Scotland to take back control, believe, stand up and deliver independence. Grant Frazer Newtonmore
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
More than 100 performers come together for this Brazilian percussion party
Music is a social art. How music is played and how it's shared is informed by the community in which it's created. In turn, in ways obvious and subtle, music reflects and shapes the community that produces it. It's a process that goes as far back as humanity has been creating sound, and it's at the heart of the work of Miamibloco, a Miami-based samba drumming ensemble comprising professional musicians and community music enthusiasts. In sound and spirit, it is modeled after the blocos de carnaval that parade through the streets during the Brazilian Carnival. Reflecting the diversity of South Florida, Miamibloco often blends Afro-Brazilian samba grooves and rhythms from next-door-neighbor sources such as Dominican merengue or Puerto Rican plena but also traditions as far afield as Moroccan Gnawa. Miamibloco's 80-member strong percussion ensemble Bateria Saideira, augmented by more than 20 guests, will be performing in its fifth annual 'Saideira Social' at the Miami Beach Bandshell at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 24. Bateria is a percussion band or the rhythm section of a Samba School. Saideira is a casual term that translates as 'nightcap' (much akin to a drumming nightcap). Guests for the performance include Tato Marenco, a Colombian percussionist and gaita player (a traditional double-reed wind instrument), who brings into the mix the irresistible groove of Afro-Colombian bullerengue. Meanwhile, the samba drumming will be pushed up a notch by the presence of Brazilian master percussionists Boka Reis, from Salvador, Bahia; and Gustavo and Guilherme Oliveira, members of the rhythm section of the storied samba school Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba Academicos de Salgueiro, which in 2023 was declared intangible cultural patrimony of Rio de Janeiro. A strong lineup of Miami-based musicians including Gilmar Gomes, Rose Max, Ramatis Moraes, and Afrobeta, round out the program. 'This show is a continuation of the idea of using the bateria as an orchestra to support different artists throughout the night and create the feeling of a mini festival,' says Brian Potts, founder, percussionist, CEO, and music director of Miamibloco. With a Ph.D. in Musical Arts from the University of Miami, Potts became passionate about Brazilian music and has been traveling to Brazil to study and perform for more than fifteen years. Having Reis and the Oliveira brothers in this performance 'means a lot to me personally,' he says. 'The way we play the drums is inspired by the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro, but in particular, it's inspired by the Salgueiro samba school,' he says. 'I've learned from Guilherme and Gustavo. I paraded with Salgueiro this year. Having them here and getting a chance to play with them is incredible for us. You are learning from masters, and it's the kind of thing that you can't learn from the books. It's experiential.' The chance to experience the samba schools' work in their home neighborhoods gave Potts insights that went beyond the music, arriving at the experience 'from a musician's perspective,' he says. 'I studied music all my life and was a classical percussionist, and then I went to Brazil and saw this incredible musical tradition. But the other thing that was very striking was its social aspect. You have 300 people playing in the bateria [the drumming ensemble, the engine room of the samba school], but when the samba school marches, you have 4,000 people in the parade. Potts say there is a rehearsal every week and different events. 'From having feijoadas (a bean and meat stew) to bringing in doctors and doing health events sponsored by the samba school for the community. They do a lot of good in terms of holding the community together and creating bonds between people. People grow up in these schools. Think of the bloco and all that it involves as a community-building technology.' He credits his partner SuOm Francis, a designer and urban planner who became Miamibloco's co-founder and Chief Operations Officer, for putting that technology to good use. 'She has a background in community building that has been huge in terms of constructing the community that we have now,' says Potts. He says when he began in 2017, he was inviting people to come and drum, mostly posting on Facebook to get interest. 'I never got more than like five to 10 people to show up at a time. I was working as a freelance musician, and it was hard for me to put too much time into the project.' After the disruptions caused by COVID-19, Miamibloco 'started for real in 2021, after the pandemic.' Francis says that she wanted to turn 'what was a small hangout thing into something by which you feel a sense of true belonging to a community. Something that's very special to me is that we have begun to have an impact on the other work that makes a bloco a bloco besides the music, which is community participation and not necessarily playing.' As for Miamibloco's going musically outside samba and incorporating other traditions, Potts credits Batuquebato, a group from Rio de Janeiro with which he has also performed. 'They are always experimenting with a bunch of different influences from all over the world,' he says. He adds that while most samba schools prepare during the year for fierce competition during carnival, Batuquebato is not competitive. 'They're focused on teaching people how to play drums, how to play with each other, and creating a community where there wasn't one before.' Music offers many lessons, from learning to play your part and understanding that no matter how seemingly small, it's necessary to the overall sound, to listening, a lost art these days. 'Creating musically interesting ideas by fusing other cultures with the sound of the bateria is amplified by the fact that you're bringing all these people together and creating community,' says Potts. 'That's the big inspiration for what we do.' If you go: WHAT: Miamibloco 5th Saideira Social with guests including Colombian gaita player and percussionist Tato Marenco, Brazilian master percussionists Bóka Reis, Gustavo & Guilherme Oliveira, and Gilmar Gomes, Rose Max & Ramatis Moraes, and Afrobeta. WHERE: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday, May 24 COST: $47 at (Discount code VISITMIAMI ) INFORMATION: (305) 322-0875 and is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don't miss a story at
