Page 34 - Wayne Walker News Today

One too many? Joyce Williams, Ōrewa (abridged) Retirement villages – a growth industry with our ageing population – serve a vital need and most do so extremely well. However, too many of these large villages in the one location can be undesirable for several reasons: medical services to the community can only stretch so far and are already overloaded with so many elderly patients in one concentrated catchment; an area with an over concentration of one demographic range is not a desirable o...

Dallas is in huge need of more affordable housing. The city’s first comprehensive housing study showed a shortage of some 20,000 affordable homes.

Outside a tent at the embattled Dallas homeless encampment known as Camp Rhonda, the wind blew ash and smoke from a small firepit into Michael Lavelle Amphys face. The air was thick with the smell of dying flames. It was Amphys last day at the camp near Interstate 45 and Ferris Street, as it was for the rest of the homeless residents. They packed their belongings, stuffing whatever they wanted to take with them into black trash bags and moving boxes. Some were leaving with Ryan Ahmadian, co-...

The Ruddiman Hypothesis: A Debated Theory Progresses Along Interdisciplinary Lines By Rich Blaustein - 24 February 2021 Scientist William Ruddiman is the lead proponent of the Early Anthropocene Hypothesis, which asserts pre-industrial land clearing and agricultural practices caused the release of historically underappreciated amounts of greenhouse gases, transforming the Earth. While Ruddiman’s hypothesis has engendered debate, a recent interglacial-ice age study and interdisciplinary arc...

As Texas faced record-low temperatures this February and snow and ice made roads impassable, the state’s electric grid operator lost control of the power supply, leaving millions without access to electricity. As the blackouts extended from hours to days, top state lawmakers called for investigations into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and Texans demanded accountability for the disaster. We have compiled a list of resources for Texans who are seeking help, or places to get warm. T...

At least six people experiencing homelessness died during the winter storm. That number could rise. Texas Tribune Tags:  Credit: The Texas Tribune Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. As temperatures reached 20 degrees Feb. 15, Harris County sheriff deputies found a 60-year-old man dead in a van under an overpass east of Houston. According to the agency, members of their homeless outreach team had previously tried to convi...

Half of Texas without clean water as state and federal governments look the other way More than 14.6 million Texans, about half of the population of the state, remained under a boil-water advisory Friday, according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokeswoman Tiffany Young. This encompasses more than 1,225 water supply systems and 63 percent of Texas counties following the record winter storm which hit the state last weekend. People wait in line to fill propane tanks Wednesday, Feb....

Texas winter storm: Heres what organizations are doing to protect Texas most vulnerable populations from harsh weather CNN 2/18/2021 By Amir Vera, CNN © From OurCalling/Facebook Dallas-based nonprofit Our Calling is now operating 24/7 out of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as an emergency homeless shelter. The devastating weather is shining a light on inequities in a state with large immigrant and homeless populations, many of whom are without the resources to sa...

"Everyone is struggling right now, especially those who are sleeping outside," said one Dallas-based pastor.

A homeless Austinite wears extra blankets to protect against the cold as an unprecedented winter storm grips much of Texas on Feb 13, 2021. homeless shelters and warming stations are experiencing high demand, although advocates say there’s still enough capacity to ensure no one will be turned away. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune As Texas endured a second day of freezing temperatures, hundreds of people who live in the streets sought live-saving refuge in ...