Latest news with #Tarrant
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Jaw-droppingly petty war erupts at town council meeting... and it was all caught on camera
An Alabama town council meeting devolved into a petty back-and-forth after the mayor was accused of treating the city clerk like a 'maid' and 'discriminating' against her by dumping a load of documents on her desk. Officials in Tarrant, outside Birmingham, were preparing for a meeting Monday evening when City Clerk Laverne Knight exploded over the stack of papers. Knight said that Mayor Wayman Newton was deliberately harassing her by placing the pile on her desk and responded by returning them to his seat at the dais. 'Why is he doing this to me, I'm not his maid. I can't clean up after him. That's not my job,' she said at the meeting, which was shared on the city's social media accounts. 'It's discriminating against me as a woman.' When Newtown returned to the room, Knight lit into the mayor. 'You can't do that to me,' she exclaimed. 'That is so wrong to put your junk on my desk, for me to clean up after you. Don't you ever do to that to me again.' Newtown then gathered up the documents and placed them back on her desk, before Knight again returned the favor. 'These are copies, these are yours,' the clerk said, urging the mayor to 'throw them away' if he didn't need them. 'I don't need them, so you can throw them away,' the mayor shot back. Angered, she asked: 'Is that in my job description?' 'Yes it is in your job description,' he replied. 'To clean up after you? How much does your assistant get paid?' Knight said, pointing her finger in his face. 'I'm not going to mop your floors, I'm not mopping your floors,' she continued. 'Don't do that to me, I am a woman and I am not mopping your floors.' After further bickering, the council's pro tem Mayor Traci Threadford bundled up the documents and took them away to be shredded. According to Newtown and Knight had once enjoyed a tight-knit relationship that his since crumbled. Knight recently sought an arrest warrant against Newtown, alleging that he has being illegally blocking her access from records she needs to conduct her job. A judge tossed out that warrant against the mayor, who is proceeding over a largely divided town over constant drama spilling out from the council. Newtown and City Manager John C. Brown also made headlines last year after both claimed to be in charge of the town of 6,000. The day after Brown was appointed, Newton filed a lawsuit against him, claiming the city council 'illegally' put Brown in his managerial position. The legal battle between the two started in 2023, when the mayor sued Brown for taking over as the city manager of Tarrant - a position that council members voted on. A judge ruled in favor of Newton, stating that the city council could not hire someone else to do his job. In turn, Brown lost his job, his $100,000 annual salary, and his bank account was wiped out to pay for his $78,000 in legal fees, as ordered by the judge. Brown appealed the case and it was handed over to the state's supreme court, which ruled his role was an illegal attempt to change the shape of the local government. In August, residents of Tarrant filed an impeachment lawsuit against Mayor Newtown, accusing him of violating his duties. They alleged that Newtown is using city funds, property, and employees for his personal business.
New Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
UK surveyors report weakest house price growth in nearly a year
LONDON: Britain's housing market lost more steam last month as demand faded from buyers after an increase in property transaction taxes in April and concerns mounted about global trade tensions, a survey showed on Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' monthly house price balance - which measures the difference between the percentages of surveyors seeing rises and falls in prices over the past three months - dropped to -8 in May from -3 in April, its weakest since July 2024. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a smaller fall to -4. "Sentiment across the UK residential property market remains somewhat subdued, with ongoing uncertainty around global trade policies and the dampening effect of transactions being brought forward ahead of the Stamp Duty changes at the end of March continuing to weigh on buyer activity," Tarrant Parsons, senior economist at RICS, said. Thursday's survey chimed with other measures of Britain's property sector that have pointed to a slowdown, and Bank of England data which showed mortgage approvals dropped to their lowest in more than a year in April. While property surveyors expect to see a gradual recovery in sales activity over the coming year, Tarrant said the "pace and extend of any improvement" in part depended on whether the Bank of England continues to cut interest rates. The BoE is expected to hold interest rates unchanged next week. Financial markets were on Wednesday almost fully pricing two quarter-point interest rate cuts by the end of 2025. A Reuters poll of economists published this week also pointed to two such rate cuts. RICS' gauge of agreed home sales dropped further into negative territory. Its measure of new buyer enquiries fell to a net balance of -26 in May, slightly less downbeat than the -32 in April and March.
Global News
12-06-2025
- Global News
101-year-old man celebrates birthday parasailing on Okanagan Lake
For his 101st birthday, Arpan Szentpronai is gaining a fresh perspective. The centenarian, taking flight, was carried by a parasail as his friends and family cheered him on from the boat. His daughter, Sue Tarrant, says she isn't surprised her father has bested the Canadian life expectancy by 20 years. She says he has always been a survivor. 'He just keeps going — he's an amazing man, he is just very resilient,' said Tarrant. 'After high school, he went into the military (and) after the war, he was captured and spent two and a half years in a Siberian war camp.' 1:52 100-year-old B.C. swimmer blows the competition out of the water Tarrant says he immigrated to Canada in 1969 from Hungary with his family. Story continues below advertisement 'He had a great life here,' said Tarrant. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Having more life experience than many has given Szentpronai a unique perspective on life. With 101 years under his belt, he has some advice for the next generation. 'Young people are sick and weak because they want everything too much. They should cut everything off and just moderate and live life,' said Szentpronai. However, he may not be taking his own advice, because he is collecting record-breaking sails. He was the oldest customer of Okanagan Parasail last year, and broke his record this year. 'People think it's a thrill-seeking but really it's more like a Ferris wheel ride in the sky,' said Robert Wittmer, Okanagan Parasail owner. By the time Szentpronai is back on the boat, he's already planning to go up again on his birthday next year.
Business Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
UK surveyors report weakest house price growth in nearly a year: RICS survey
[LONDON] Britain's housing market lost more steam last month as demand faded from buyers after an increase in property transaction taxes in April and concerns mounted about global trade tensions, a survey showed on Thursday. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' monthly house price balance - which measures the difference between the percentages of surveyors seeing rises and falls in prices over the past three months - dropped to -8 in May from -3 in April, its weakest since July 2024. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a smaller fall to -4. 'Sentiment across the UK residential property market remains somewhat subdued, with ongoing uncertainty around global trade policies and the dampening effect of transactions being brought forward ahead of the Stamp Duty changes at the end of March continuing to weigh on buyer activity,' Tarrant Parsons, senior economist at RICS, said. Thursday's survey chimed with other measures of Britain's property sector that have pointed to a slowdown, and Bank of England data which showed mortgage approvals dropped to their lowest in more than a year in April. While property surveyors expect to see a gradual recovery in sales activity over the coming year, Tarrant said the 'pace and extend of any improvement' in part depended on whether the Bank of England continues to cut interest rates. The BoE is expected to hold interest rates unchanged next week. Financial markets were on Wednesday almost fully pricing two quarter-point interest rate cuts by the end of 2025. A Reuters poll of economists published this week also pointed to two such rate cuts. RICS' gauge of agreed home sales dropped further into negative territory. Its measure of new buyer enquiries fell to a net balance of -26 in May, slightly less downbeat than the -32 in April and March. REUTERS
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sweetgreen adding 40 locations in 2025. Where it will add Michigan location next
Sweetgreen, a national chain known for its fast-casual "plant-forward menu," has added a Michigan restaurant among its locations that have opened in 2025, and another is on the way. The Los Angeles-headquartered chain offers salad and bowl food options, including caramelized garlic steak, wild rice and other combinations. Sweetgreen has opened eight new restaurants this year, including one in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in May, Chris Tarrant, the chain's chief development officer, said. A Shelby Township location is listed as coming soon on the company's website. By the end of the year, Sweetgreen will have opened at least 40 new locations, Tarrant said. Tarrant said the company plans to keep growing in 2026. 'We look forward to serving more communities as we expand our footprint with 15%-20% annual unit growth and offer different formats to meet our guests where they are,' he added. It is not clear if Michigan will get any additional Sweetgreen locations. The company lists 34 "coming soon" locations on its website. More: Plant-based restaurant Sweetgreen adding new healthy barbecue sauce There are currently five Sweetgreen locations in Michigan, according to the company's website, and one coming soon. The sites include: Ann Arbor Arbor Hills Birmingham Hall Road Shelby Township (coming soon) Rochester Hills Troy This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rochester Hills Sweetgreen open. Shelby Township site on way
