Vacation rentals

A four-year property dispute between brothers was a big factor in a Levin man’s 24-hour standoff with armed police. Police are still considering whether Paul Kenneth Smith, 62, will be charged after he barricaded himself inside his Bledisloe St home on Thursday, with indications he had weapons. Armed police and emergency blocked off streets and evacuated 80 residents, while a negotiation team was brought in. Police described it as a self-harm incident. A fire broke out in the house on Friday night and Smith was taken to Palmerston North Hospital. The cause of the blaze is yet to be confirmed. READ MORE: Levin standoff comes to fiery end as residents of Bledisloe St return to sense of normality Levin man who sparked police stand-off in moderate condition Levin standoff comes to fiery end as residents of Bledisloe St return to sense of normality A police spokesperson told Stuff on Monday officers had finished the scene examination. “The man remains in a … [Read more...] about Police standoff in Levin rooted in legal dispute over late mother’s house

First-term Ascension Parish Councilman Joel Robert has been urging his council colleagues for the past few months to consider term limits for themselves and the parish president. Robert says term limits would keep people from becoming entrenched, foster turnover that could spur term-limited local officials to seek higher office and create openings for residents to fill vacated parish posts. "It wasn't intended to be a lifetime career. It was intended to be a service, a service for any particular citizen," Robert said. From one of the council committees that Robert chairs, he has pressed for the change without a significant call from the public in meetings and in the face of some concern from first-term Parish President Clint Cointment, but the full council has agreed to debate next month putting the matter to the voters, probably next year. Term limits would require an amendment to the parish's home rule charter, which is Ascension's governing constitution, and only the … [Read more...] about How long is too long in parish government? Ascension weighs term limits for president, council

Once upon a time Louisiana cooking methods were considered exotic: Mike Boudreaux, of Bush, says, "In the early '60s my family and my aunt’s family took a vacation to Santa Rosa Island, where we rented a beachfront house. "This was before Florida’s panhandle became as popular for Louisianans as it now is. "We packed a seafood boiling pot, burner, and tank. The dads also packed some 'Louisiana Budweiser' (10-ounce cans I don’t think you could get anywhere else in the country). "We had decided to have a crab boil, because you could buy those big Florida blue crabs pretty cheaply. "When the pot was set up and set to boiling, passersby began stopping to look at what we had. Most had never seen such a setup. "When they looked in and saw the crabs in with potatoes, corn, and sausage they were flabbergasted. Of course, they were curious about the 'bean bags' floating in the pot. "We introduced them to Louisiana boiled seafood with Zatarain’s Crab Boil. I think if we had packed … [Read more...] about Smiley: Boiled ‘bean bags’ were a mystery

STUFF Piotr Mierzejewski, a wheelchair user, laments lack of accessible housing in Dunedin, as he has to shower at the local swimming pool. Piotr Mierzejewski is living in a sleepout without hot water or an accessible bathroom, while he waits on the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) and Kāinga Ora to find him a home. In the meantime he’s resorted to sponge baths or showering at the local swimming pool to wash himself. So far he’s been waiting five months on MSD's Public Housing Register , ever since he and his wife were evicted from their Dunedin home, but the couple has been searching for an accessible home for more than three years. While he doesn’t like to complain, Mierzejewski, who uses a wheelchair, describes their search as like trying to find a needle in a haystack. READ MORE: Wheelchair user asks Kāinga Ora for safer home each month for 18 years Wheelchair user worries she won't be able to bathe in emergency housing Lack of accessible housing … [Read more...] about Wheelchair-user forced to shower at local swimming pool due to lack of accessible housing

Attitude. Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni describes how collaboration with Māori and disability organisations will aid development of the framework of the new Ministry for Disabled People. (First published November 1, 2021) EXPLAINER: Four years ago Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni promised to overhaul the welfare system. A crack team was pulled together, called the Welfare Expert Advisory Group. They did their job, coming up with 42 recommendations. None have been fully implemented. Olivia Shivas explains why it matters to the disability community. It’s a simple enough question: how do you make the benefit system actually benefit people? Particularly for those who need a helping hand. It took the best of the best team of experts, led by the now Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, more than a year to come up with 42 recommendations, carefully and expertly considered, though probably robustly debated. The Welfare Expert Advisory Group ( WEAG) … [Read more...] about Explainer: How the government asked for social welfare advice, got it, ignored it, and the impact on people with disabilities