Latest news with #Stapleton
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Danville man sentenced to 9 years for 2023 armed robbery
DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — A Danville man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for an armed robbery that happened in October of 2023. Court records show KeShawn Stapleton, 23, was facing five felony counts for crimes including armed robbery and mob action and a misdemeanor count of obstructing identification. On Monday, he reached a plea deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to a Class 1 felony count of armed robbery; the other counts were dismissed. Acquitted, accused again, convicted: Champaign man found guilty of murder Evidence presented in court showed that on Oct. 26, 2023, Stapleton was one of five Black males who approached a person walking to a trash dumpster near Lewis Street. The group held the victim at gunpoint and stole his backpack, which had an Xbox inside, his cell phone and the shoes off the victim's feet. The crime was recorded by a security camera. As detectives were speaking with the victim, Danville Police received a call about robbery suspects running toward Moore Street. When officers responded to the area, they saw several Black males exiting a car on Moore Street. Stapleton was arrested during this police encounter. The State's Attorney's Office said Moore was identified as one of the perpetrators based on his clothes; what he was wearing when he was arrested matched the clothes of the suspect who was recorded on camera taking the robbery victim's shoes from his feet. The shoes and the victim's cell phone were subsequently found inside the vehicle Stapleton exited on Moore Street. Sangamon, Menard Co. Crime Stoppers seeking tips in theft at Springfield church 'I commend the Danville Police Department for quickly identifying and apprehending these violent offenders. We are grateful to the victim for coming forward,' State's Attorney Jacqueline Lacy said in a news release. 'Armed robbery is a dangerous crime that threatens the safety of our entire community. My office remains committed to working with the police to pursue justice and protect victims of violent crime.' Stapleton was given credit for 592 days he's already served in custody, and his sentence will be served at 50%. Once out of prison, he will spend one year on parole. Two other people have been charged in connection to the robbery. Alvin Daniels, charged with the same five felony counts as Stapleton, pleaded guilty in February to one of them and was sentenced to five years in prison. Another person, who is a juvenile, has been charged, but the State's Attorney's Office did not go into further detail. The investigation into the robbery is still ongoing, and people with relevant information are asked to contact law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sisseton's Roberts County Farm Mutual marks 120 years serving South Dakota communities
Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance Company (RCMI) marks 120 years of business this year. Having served South Dakotans since the early 20th century, the company is owned by its policyholders, and they are therefore considered a 'hometown' company by clients. 'It is quite an accomplishment for a small town to have an insurance company,' said Julie Stapleton, who has been a manager at RCMI since 2012. As one of the oldest existing businesses in Sisseton, Stapleton says the business still has a few policies in effect from the first policy numbers. More: Watertown opens new City Hall with help from Aberdeen construction co. 'RCMI supports their local clients and all of their clients statewide,' she told the Public Opinion. 'The current staff at Roberts Mutual strives to help the community and does many local community projects throughout the year and helps sponsor many local events. Roberts Mutual has helped two other Mutuals in the state by merging with them, and then they were able to take on their agents and clients.' RCMI began offering its products statewide in 1984. The company merged with Kingsbury Farm Mutual just over three decades ago, then with Denver-Kingsbury Farm Mutual Insurance Company in 1998. Finally, in 2008, RCMI merged with Central Farm Mutual in Onida, expanding its business into the western part of South Dakota. More: South Dakota records best pheasant hunting season in 13 years, state parks department says Stapleton says her company also has been able to help the Dakota Farm Mutual Insurance Company and their clients through the years. Currently, RCMI has roughly 60 agents across the state and have grown from a humble beginning to nearly 2,000 policyholders. 'In general, Roberts Mutual is able to provide a product that has small town appeal and affordable rates and excellent coverage,' Stapleton said. The home office building — a rental that was formerly a bank — burned down in 1959. The company then rebuilt the current office building. 'So, Roberts Mutual built around the two bank vaults,' Stapleton said. 'RCMI has two bank vaults. Roberts Mutual was able to purchase the building next door to them and expanded the office in 2006-2007.' In the end, the company returns to its reliable, local roots. 'RCMI has had many local faces serve on the Board of Directors over the years,' Stapleton said. 'Several local staff members and some local agents got their start in the Roberts Mutual Office Building. It has a long history of being on Main Street. Roberts is a fantastic place to work, and it shows with the longevity of the staff. There is over 85 years of combined insurance knowledge with the current staff. Roberts has always put family first, and the staff and directors are like family.' This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: South Dakota's Roberts County Farm Mutual Insurance turns 120
Agriland
09-06-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Stapleton outlines challenges facing Forest Windblow Taskforce
The Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) forestry chair, Pardraic Stapleton has said that the number of truck drivers is 'biggest overall challenge' facing the Forest Windblow Taskforce. Stapleton told Agriland that industry is working with international recruitment firms for drivers, but getting work permits is a concern. He said: 'The likes of South Africa is favourable as a country to go and get drivers. They drive on the same side of the road. 'To get work permits in is a bit of a process, a lot of those permits go through the same department as asylum seekers. That department is, I would say, overloaded with work. We would hope that there is some accommodation made on that score. That is the big one, whether we can overcome it or not, I don't know,' Stapleton explained. According to Stapleton, 'the clock is ticking' to lift timber that was damaged by Storm Éowyn and Storm Darragh earlier this year. 'Timber on the ground is a perishable commoditiy. It is a concern, whether we have the capacity to get through it or not. It is all down to how we are able, as a country, to get drivers,' Stapleton said. 'There is recruitment going on, but it's trying to get them trained up before they come here, and assimilate into the way we work, our rules of the road, what to expect, that work is going on over there.' 'If it is a thing they are not allowed onto the road until they are fully permitted, it's going to be too late. It's going to need a whole of government approach to get timber lifted off the ground,' Stapleton added. Forest Windblow Taskforce Stapleton also said, that no compensation has been given to forestry farmers impacted by windblow earlier this year. However, Stapleton welcomed the commitment of the Minister for State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Michael Healy-Rae that there will be a reconstitution grant. Stapleton said: 'We have gone to the taskforce with out concerns. We do not have the capacity to replant that amount of land within the two year timeframe that a license requires. 'I welcome the fact that the minister has given a bit of leeway on this, and he will allow time for that work to commence. Anyone picking up their timber now, will also be eligible for the reconstitution grant. That's a huge weight off.' 'The volume of timber on the ground is a long way off where it should have been. The economics of picking up that timber now, and replanting it without a reconstitution grant, it's not financially viable,' the IFA chair added.
Perth Now
08-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Pacific solar pioneer, charitable Aussies earn gongs
Completing university in the early 1980s, Geoff Stapleton had no way of predicting how vital his chosen expertise in solar energy would be. "The industry was pretty well non-existent back then," he told AAP. Fast forward four decades, and Mr Stapleton can look back on a career supporting the rollout of renewable energy in Australia and further abroad, including the Pacific. As of Monday, he will also add an AO after his name, an Officer of the Order of Australia appointed for distinguished service to engineering in the renewable and sustainable energy sector, and to training and development. Mr Stapleton, 66, has been hands on with his Pacific work, personally training many workers across the blue continent, as well as developing industry standards. The rewards are clear: bringing power sources to many remote communities for the first time, allowing connectivity, business growth, poverty relief, and access to health. "To them it's a no brainer, solar is cheaper than diesel," he said. "Seeing people out there installing systems, it's very satisfying. "Just look at Vanuatu: there's no more kerosene lights, it's all solar lanterns and that's a major heath saving." He isn't done, and is realising a dream of several decades, this year breaking ground to build a regional training centre for renewable workers in Suva, alongside the University of the South Pacific's TAFE campus. Mr Stapleton is one of a number of Australians given King's Birthday Honours for their efforts to support their nation's closest neighbours in the Pacific. Dennis Perry, the co-founder of Papua New Guinea-based charity Operation Life, is another, awarded a Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for his decades of volunteer work. Mr Perry, 77, said he was moved to begin his education and poverty alleviation-focused charity after seeing a family burrowing in rubbish dump for food in Tonga. "You talk as a kid about being a good Samaritan ... that motivated me when I saw a great need to do something about it," he told AAP. "Sitting in a church wasn't good enough. I thought God expected more than that." Operation Life has expanded from its Port Moresby base, where it offers poverty alleviation, an orphanage and a school, into the Central Province, with a rapidly expanding school in Kivori Poe. Enrolment is up about 300, with many receiving an education including how to grow crops. "When they leave our school they will have not only life skills but hope and dignity," Mr Perry said.
Perth Now
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Aussies battle it out for free flights
Aussies have stormed a quiet neighbourhood park in medieval get-up in an epic battle to win $50k worth of free flights. Eight contestants chosen from the ultimate costume contest geared up to compete in a Live Action Role Play (LARP) event 'Knight of the Skies' in a bid to win a free trip, or a few, in celebration of Jetstar's 21st birthday. Contestants fought to win $50k free flights in a massive LARP battle for Jetstar's 21st birthday. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia The eight were split into two teams, Team Jet and Team Star – to wield battle alongside long-time LARP warriors from Australia's largest LARPing organisation, Swordcraft. The event was co-hosted with Swordcraft – biggest LARPing organisation in Australia. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia With $50k worth of free flights on the line, no one held back, and insane battle scenes roared out on the quiet Saturday morning. Puzzles, politics, and full on battle all ensued in the crisp Melbourne air at Edinburgh Garden, North Fitzroy as the LARPers fought it out. People were pommeled to the ground, hit over the head with swords, kicked and punched – all in the name of good old medieval fun. Aussies had to face up against ogres, Vikings and everything in between for a shot at the free flights. Credit: Supplied They will be split into two teams to wield battle alongside long-time LARP warriors from Australia's largest LARPing organisation, Swordcraft. Australian comedian and radio star Liam Stapleton is playing the role of Jetstar birthday host and LARP wizard himself, joining in on the action this Saturday. 'The folks from Jetstar reached out and look, it's not too far from a stretch, like I dress up and chase my wife around as Shrek and that sort of stuff on the weekend, so I've never done LARPing before though, but I felt like I was the right man for the job,' Stapleton told NewsWire. Liam Stapleton led the massive LARPing group. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia Radio and TV star Stapleton said impressions and role-play have been a big part of his career. 'It's something I've done like since I was a kid … and it's led to fun opportunities like this. Like now I'm dressed as a wizard in a park speaking to you.' Radio and TV star Liam Stapleton will also be trying his hand in medieval battle. Credit: Supplied The event centres around 21 being the age of knighthood in medieval times, and everyone is dressed the part with knights, fire mages, goblins, alchemists and everything in between. 'When you work in radio, you are always afraid of the axe. But this is, you know, today I'm afraid of real axes because people have that sort of weaponry,' Stapleton said. There was a variety of weaponry, each deadlier than the last. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia If he wins, Stapleton said he would love to fly to Japan. 'Top of the list. Yeah. It's somewhere I've always wanted to go … I've heard cherry blossom season is the time, it's literally like the top of my wife's and myself's bucket list. So that's where I'd love to go.' But Stapleton is not sure about his chances of winning. 'Look, I'm an optimistic man, but there is some genuine giants. LARPers were very well prepared in their medieval armour. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia 'There's some people who are like dressers giants and there's other people who are like, no, you are actually seven foot. 'There's some intimidating looking figures with proper armour. I'm wearing basically a dressing gown. So I don't know how we're going to go.' Stapleton did not win – Team 'Jet' emerged victorious, and four lucky winners won the ultimate $50k prize – Genevieve Maisey, Cameron Riches, Nicole Brownlie and Julian Dods. Four lucky Aussies walked away with $50k in free flights, to share. NewsWire / Valeriu Campan Credit: News Corp Australia Either way, Swordcraft head of advertising Lou Harwood is glad more people got to take part in LARPing and hopes the contestants enjoyed the medieval role-play. 'The rush you get when you're in combat is like nothing else. So if they even if they don't win, if they just come away, just feeling excited, having had given it a go, that's a win in our books,' she told NewsWire. Ms Harwood said she is glad more people have been able to experience LARPing. Credit: Supplied 'I've really found my chosen family in this crew. And I wouldn't give them up for anything in the world. 'We're so grateful for the opportunity to show off lap to the wider community and get people to see how much fun it can be.'
