‘We don’t need a Gail’s’
‘We don’t need a Gail’s’
Lucy Hooker
BBC Business reporter
Reporting fromMacclesfieldBBC
Jane Kent says Macclesfield doesn’t need any more places to buy pastries
There is a cheerful red awning and a newly painted cream wooden shopfront on the market square in Macclesfield.
A new bakery cafe has just opened, offering ciabatta and sourdough loaves as well as hot cross buns, syrupy cakes, vegetable quiches and of course coffee.
Like towns around the ***, Macclesfield has struggled with retailers closing, leaving empty stores, so there is a buzz around the new arrival.
But Gail’s, a brand that started in London more than 20 years ago, is controversial. It draws crowds and inspires social media memes, but attracts fierce criticism too.
A recent spate of national media coverage has even asked why some people “hate” Gail’s so much, focusing on everything from who owns it to what it does with unsold pastries.
Its arrival isn’t universally popular here either.
“We don’t need another coffee shop,” says Linda Willdig. She is out shopping with her friend Nicola Tomlinson, who agrees. “There are too many,” says Nicola.
Nicola Tomlinson and Linda Willdig do not think Macclesfield needs another coffee shop
In fact, from a table outside the new Gail’s you could easily throw a cinnamon bun and hit both a Caffe Nero and a Costa. Gregg’s is just around the corner too.
So something different might have been better, says Jane Kent, a community nurse.
“People will be larding out on all the bakery stuff,” she says. “We don’t need more pastries.”
At heart, though, the objections to Gail’s are not about what it sells, but that it doesn’t really belong, that it will push up prices and put independent cafes out of business.
But Stephanie Lamb, a teacher on maternity leave, is more welcoming.
“I don’t know Gail’s, so it’s not necessarily a chain to me,” she says. “I’m just happy to have something extra in town.”
She likes a latte and a croissant and somewhere she can read a book for an hour.
At Gail’s prices that would set her back £6.50. Yes, it’s pricey, she says, but she is still planning to “give it a whirl”.
Stephanie Lamb says she is happy to have something new in town
Gail’s – a name that suggests a traditional, single-owner, cafe – favours attractive old buildings, often ones vacated as bank branches close, especially if it is a corner site that means it’s more visible to passers by.
It has 170 outlets mostly clustered in London and the south east. But this year it plans to open around 40 more, including Ely, Cambridgeshire later this month, Bath in April, and Buxton, Derbyshire in May.
At Friday’s opening in Macclesfield there was a flurry of interest in the new place on the square.
Katerina Antos-Lewis
Gail’s opened in Macclesfield on Friday on a corner site location
Even in the wake of the cost of living crisis, we are increasingly choosing a coffee out as a treat. Nearly two-thirds of people said they went to a coffee shop more than once a week, according to World Coffee Portal, spending more than £6 per visit on average.
So coffee shops are weathering the tough economic climate better than most businesses. There are now 11,450 branded chain outlets across the ***, up from 9,800 five years ago.
Speciality chains like ****** Sheep Coffee, Coffee#1 and Blank Street are springing up in city centres, while the giants like Costa and Starbucks are opening drive-throughs and outlets in retail parks.
Caffe Nero has bought up several smaller chains, in different parts of the country, and is retaining their independent branding so it can make the most of local loyalties.
Macclesfield has independent butchers, one of the things Gail’s looks out for when it is picking a new location
With enthusiasm for coffee so strong it’s something of a mystery to Gail’s chief executive Tom Molnar why people object to his chain. He feels misunderstood.
Mr Molnar – a joint owner with private equity backing – has been working on expanding the brand since he joined in 2003, but says it’s not just about coffee. Its role as a neighbourhood bakery – baking fresh in-store and in regional bakery hubs every day – is key.
He’s hoping to roll Gail’s out to many more neighbourhoods, including less affluent ones.
“It’s not supposed to be posh,” he insists.
But for now they pick very carefully where to open, using an algorithm to help select the most promising postcodes.
It flags up things like whether there is a local butcher, bookshops, a park, schools, churches or a farmers’ market.
“I prefer a place that’s evolving and growing rather than some place that’s too established,” he says.
If the algorithm homes in on a particular High Street it is a vote of confidence in that town’s future.
Firefighter and local councillor Anthony Harrison says Gail’s is just a “posh Gregg’s”
But retail experts warn that the very nature of the places that Gail’s is picking means there are likely to be accusations of gentrification, increasing prices and rents for existing businesses and residents.
“Gail’s is moving into areas with strong local identities. And when that happens, there will always be a reaction,” says Kate Hardcastle, founder of Insight with Passion.
“It’s not just about a bakery opening, I think it’s also about what it represents.
“Some will see it as a sign of investment and revitalisation, while others worry it’s another step back to our High Streets looking like carbon copies of each other,” she says.
Karen Pearson wants the town to “stay like it is”
In Flour, Water, Salt – a direct rival to Gail’s selling sourdough bread, bagels, coffee-iced buns and sausage rolls – that is just yards from the new shop, some loyal customers are adamantly opposed to the newcomer.
“Gail’s isn’t welcome here,” says Karen Pearson, a businesswoman who lives just outside Macclesfield. She and her friends are worried that the arrival of Gail’s means the town is “on the up”, when in fact they would rather it “stayed like it is”.
They’re not keen on big corporations coming into the town, concerned they might squeeze out independents.
But firefighter and local councillor Anthony Harrison, reckons Gail’s is no match for a place like Flour, Water, Salt. “It’s just a posh Gregg’s,” he says.
Local independents like Flour, Water, Salt say they aren’t worried
Independents may not be as under threat as people fear, says Graham Soult, a retail consultant from the north of England.
Local owners can offer a more personal touch, respond to local tastes and demands, he says, while it can be hard for chains to deviate from their given formula.
“I think a lot of independents are really adept at navigating all the things that are thrown at them,” he says.
Despite difficult times, the number of independent coffee shops has risen over the last five years from 11,700 to around 12,400 now.
Flour, Water, Salt’s manager Toby Johnstone isn’t worried. It could mean more footfall, with more people trying his shop too.
“We are happy there’s something else opening and keeping the town centre going,” he says. “It’s good to have competition.”
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A day at the end of the world
A day at the end of the world
Stephen Scourfield in Ushuaia, before heading to Antarctica (with plenty to do)
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London man says his life was ‘slowly deteriorating’
London man says his life was ‘slowly deteriorating’
BBC
Chris, not his real name, started missing work because of his involvement in chemsex
A man drawn into the world of having sex while high on ******** drugs has described how he became a “zombie” whose life was slowly deteriorating.
Chris – whose name has been changed – told the BBC he started to take part in chemsex, short for chemical sex, which helped mask the “the shame and guilt” he said he felt growing up gay.
The Londoner said after becoming addicted to chemsex – which typically involves men who have sex with men using the drugs crystal meth, methedrone and GHB/GBL to enhance their ******* experience – he faced a “wall of silence” from helplines and others within the community.
Campaigners say support is “patchy” due to gay sex stigma and has called for this to change. The government says it is aware of the harm caused by chemsex and has issued guidance to local authorities on managing the issue.
Chris was initially offered drugs at a party, but it was not until a few months later that he then began to actively seek it out more and find people who were taking drugs.
He said at first it took away “a lot of the shame and guilt you have about growing up being gay. It’s kind of quite liberating”.
However, that quickly changed.
“No-one really speaks about it. Everyone is slightly ashamed about it. It’s all behind closed doors. It doesn’t really spill out into the real world. It’s very secretive,” he said.
‘Escape the horror’
Chris said his friends told him he was almost like a “zombie”.
“Slowly, your life starts to deteriorate because you are missing work on a Monday. And then your work is obviously not up to standard.
“You can’t do much until Wednesday. And then it all starts again on a Friday,” he said.
“You have to eat, you have to sleep, you have to get on with your life but all you’re really doing is looking forward to the next time you can take drugs,” he added.
“Which is to escape the horror that is your life, the misery that is your life which you’ve created but, in a way, you don’t seem to see that because all you want to do is take drugs.”
Ignacio Labayen De Inza says chemsex is a “trap”
Campaigners have said chemsex among some gay men has a stigma attached that meant many were not seeking the help they needed.
Ignacio Labayen De Inza, chief executive of the London-based charity Controlling Chemsex, is calling for people to start a conversation around chemsex to help change that stigma.
He said: “Chemsex is very available but not everyone has access to reliable information.
“Not just the government but no-one is doing very much. People think there is nothing we can do because it’s going to carry on happening, but people could make sure that they set boundaries and to keep safe.”
He said there was a stigma attached to it because “we are talking about sex, we are talking about gay sex, we are talking about drugs”.
Philip Hurd was involved in chemsex 12 years ago
Philip Hurd, a specialist adviser at Controlling Chemsex, was involved in chemsex 12 years ago and said it took a near-death overdose for him to realise he needed to stop.
He said: “You get close to the criminal justice system, and you start doing things that are dangerous.
“And then I had a near-death overdose. The doctors said I was very lucky to survive, and I had to get my parents down from the country in their early eighties. That was the point I thought I can’t do this; I’m going to die.”
Mr Hurd, who lives in London and now volunteers at Controlling Chemsex, uses his personal experience to help others.
“I think it’s possible for a person with good psychology, sociology skills to support somebody coming out of chemsex but nothing can replace having been there knowing,” he said.
London-based charity Controlling Chemsex says there is a stigma attached to chemsex that needs to be addressed
An Opinium Research poll of 2,000 people for the charity found that 76% of those surveyed were not familiar with chemsex.
Just over a third of those who identified as gay/lesbian were not familiar with the risks of chemsex, the study also found.
Veronika Carruthers, a lecturer at Portsmouth University, says current support available is still “pretty limited” and “patchy”
Veronika Carruthers, a lecturer at Portsmouth University, has been looking into the current support available across the south of England and found it was still “pretty limited” and “patchy”.
“We consider this to be a bit of a postcode lottery,” she said.
She explained that some people did not know the right services to turn to.
“Particularly if we look at it from a divide of drug counselling services and ******* health clinics, while ******* health clinics are preferred there is still an element of staff not having the appropriate knowledge of what chemsex actually is and in turn not being able to provide the most effect support,” she said.
“In regards to drug counselling services, quite often we have recovery workers who have never actually heard of chemsex and therefore they’re not able to provide any form of support and individuals often don’t feel that is the most appropriate place for them.
“As a result people don’t want to call for help or support from particular organisations over others.”
Recovery interventions
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said in addition to issuing guidance to local authorities, it had boosted the Public Health Grant by almost £200m.
“Local authorities can use this to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery interventions, including for people involved in chemsex,” the spokesperson said.
“We continue to work with substance misuse commissioners and ******* health commissioners to improve access to support services for those who use drugs in this context.”
Details of information and support with addiction are available
at BBC Action Line.
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Australia’s Vilips takes lead in quest for PGA Tour win
Australia’s Vilips takes lead in quest for PGA Tour win
Confident *********** Karl Vilips says he’s not surprised at carrying a one-shot lead into the final round of the Puerto Rico Open as he hunts his maiden PGA Tour victory.
The 23-year-old Vilips, in just his fourth PGA Tour start after turning pro last year, shot six-under 66 in Saturday’s third round at Rio Grande’s Grand Reserve Golf Club.
Vilips is 18 under for the tournament, one stroke clear of South African amateur Kieron Van Wyk and American Joseph Bramlett.
“I don’t feel that surprised,” Vilips said.
“I feel like my game has gotten a lot better over the years.
“Playing so much out of college and on the Korn Ferry and then just a lot of competitive golf, it just has sharpened me up a lot.”
Vilips has taken the outright lead despite battling a stomach bug.
“Feeling pretty good with the position I’m in,” Vilips said.
“I wish my stomach felt a little bit better but it is what it is. You’ve got one more day, just battle through it.”
If he salutes on Sunday, Vilips will be just the 12th golfer since 1970 to win in one of his first four PGA Tour starts and the 37th *********** to win on the tour.
Vilips, who was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and grew up in Perth, last month was selected by Tiger Woods to be an ambassador for the 15-time major winner’s Sun Day Red clothing label.
Vilips, like Woods, attended Stanford University in California and last year won his fourth tournament as a pro on the secondary Korn Ferry Tour – he finished 19th in that tour’s standings to get his PGA Tour card.
In Puerto Rico, Vilips’ third round featured seven birdies and one bogey to follow shooting 65 and 67 in the initial two rounds.
The *********** is being chased by a pack featuring 23-year-old amateur Van Wyk, who is making his first PGA Tour start.
Van Wyk is seeking to become the second amateur winner in two years on the PGA Tour, following Nick Dunlop’s victory last year at La Quinta.
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DHS administering lie detector tests to employees in effort to find leakers
DHS administering lie detector tests to employees in effort to find leakers
The Department of Homeland Security is administering polygraph tests to its personnel to determine who may be leaking information to the media about its ongoing immigration raids, an agency spokesperson confirmed to CBS News Saturday.
On Feb. 18, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said DHS would start polygraphing employees in order to crack down on these leaks.
In a video posted to social media Friday, Noem wrote that the department had “identified two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security who have been telling individuals about our operations and putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy. We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
The polygraph tests have been taking place for about three weeks, the DHS spokesperson told CBS News. It’s unclear how many employees have undergone them.
Since January, the White House has been aggressive in its efforts to fulfill President Trump’s campaign vow of cracking down on ******** immigration and enacting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is under DHS and is tasked with overseeing immigration arrests and deportations in the interior of the country, has conducted raids across the nation, resulting in thousands of arrests. Noem announced last week that more than 20,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested by ICE during the month of February.
Several other agencies — including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration — have been asked to provide personnel to help bolster this effort.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents knock on the door of a residence during a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago, Illinois, on Jan. 26, 2025. President Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Trump administration also lifted a Biden-era policy which had restricted immigration agents from making immigration arrests near schools, places of worship and other sensitive locations. That policy is facing legal challenges.
In late January, Noem told CBS News that ICE’s filming and publicizing of its immigration raids was an “accountability measure.”
“It’s not a spectacle,” Noem said. “This is our nation’s law enforcement — judicial process. The scales of justice are equally applied to everybody. We want transparency on this. I believe that this is an accountability measure.”
Camilo Montoya-Galvez
contributed to this report.
Olivia Rinaldi
Olivia Rinaldi is a White House reporter at CBS News. She covered President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and was previously an associate producer for “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell” and a broadcast associate for “Face the Nation.” She is based in Washington, D.C.
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Fire causes Albuquerque Walmart to shut down for short time
Fire causes Albuquerque Walmart to shut down for short time
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A fire forced an Albuquerque Walmart to shut down for a short time on Saturday. According to Albuquerque Fire Rescue, crews responded to the Walmart on Eubank Blvd. near I-40 around 11:30 a.m. and found smoke coming from an HVAC vent in the ceiling. Crews were able to control the fire within 10 minutes with damage mostly kept to the single HVAC unit. No employees, customers, or firefighters were injured.
Albuquerque teen sisters open coffee shop
AFR said the fire was caused by an accidental malfunction in the electric components of the unit. Minor repairs were made to the Walmart and it reopened shortly after.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 – Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
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This Medicine Cabinet Staple May Help Stop ******* from Spreading – AOL
This Medicine Cabinet Staple May Help Stop ******* from Spreading – AOL
This Medicine Cabinet Staple May Help Stop ******* from Spreading AOLView Full Coverage on Google News
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‘No-one will go to US illegally now’
‘No-one will go to US illegally now’
Yogita Limaye
South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent
BBC
Gurpreet Singh hoped to enter the US before President Trump’s crackdown began
Gurpreet Singh was handcuffed, his legs shackled and a chain tied around his waist. He was led onto the tarmac in Texas by US Border Patrol, towards a waiting C-17 military transport aircraft.
It was 3 February and, after a months-long journey, he realised his dream of living in America was over. He was being deported back to India. “It felt like the ground was slipping away from underneath my feet,” he said.
Gurpreet, 39, was one of thousands of Indians in recent years to have spent their life savings and crossed continents to enter the US illegally through its southern border, as they sought to escape an unemployment crisis back home.
There are about 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US, the third largest group behind Mexicans and El Salvadoreans, according to the most recent figures from Pew Research in 2022.
Now Gurpreet has become one of the first undocumented Indians to be sent home since President Donald Trump took office, with a promise to make mass deportations a priority.
Gurpreet intended to make an asylum claim based on threats he said he had received in India, but – in line with an executive order from Trump to turn people away without granting them asylum hearings – he said he was removed without his case ever being considered.
About 3,700 Indians were sent back on charter and commercial flights during President Biden’s tenure, but recent images of detainees in chains under the Trump administration have sparked outrage in India.
US Border Patrol released the images in an online video with a bombastic choral soundtrack and the warning: “If you cross illegally, you will be removed.”
US Border Force
A video showing shackled migrants being deported sparked outrage in Gurpreet’s home of India
“We sat in handcuffs and shackles for more than 40 hours. Even women were bound the same way. Only the children were free,” Gurpreet told the BBC back in India. “We weren’t allowed to stand up. If we wanted to use the toilet, we were escorted by US forces, and just one of our handcuffs was taken off.”
Opposition parties protested in parliament, saying Indian deportees were given “inhuman and degrading treatment”. “There’s a lot of talk about how Prime Minister Modi and Mr Trump are good friends. Then why did Mr Modi allow this?” said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a key opposition leader.
Gurpreet said: “The Indian government should have said something on our behalf. They should have told the US to carry out the deportation the way it’s been done before, without the handcuffs and chains.”
An Indian foreign ministry spokesman said the government had raised these concerns with the US, and that as a result, on subsequent flights, women deportees were not handcuffed and shackled.
But on the ground, the intimidating images and President Trump’s rhetoric seem to be having the desired effect.
“No-one will try going to the US now through this ******** ‘donkey’ route while Trump is in power,” said Gurpreet.
In the longer term, this could depend on whether there are continued deportations, but for now many of the Indian people-smugglers, locally called “agents”, have gone into hiding, fearing raids against them by Indian police.
Gurpreet said Indian authorities demanded the number of the agent he had used when he landed back home, but the smuggler could no longer be reached.
“I don’t blame them, though. We were thirsty and went to the well. They didn’t come to us,” said Gurpreet.
While the official headline figure puts the unemployment rate at only 3.2%, it conceals a more precarious picture for many Indians. Only 22% of workers have regular salaries, the majority are self-employed and nearly a fifth are “unpaid helpers”, including women working in family businesses.
“We leave India only because we are compelled to. If I got a job which paid me even 30,000 rupees (£270/$340) a month, my family would get by. I would never have thought of leaving,” said Gurpreet, who has a wife, a mother and an 18-month-old baby to look after.
“You can say whatever you want about the economy on paper, but you need to see the reality on the ground. There are no opportunities here for us to work or run a business.”
Getty Images
The military plane carrying the first deported migrants landed in India last month
Gupreet’s trucking company was among the cash-dependent small businesses that were badly hit when the Indian government withdrew 86% of the currency in circulation with four hours notice. He said he didn’t get paid by his clients, and had no money to keep the business afloat. Another small business he set up, managing logistics for other companies, also failed because of the Covid lockdown, he said.
He said he tried to get visas to go to Canada and the ***, but his applications were rejected.
Then he took all his savings, sold a plot of land he owned, and borrowed money from relatives to put together 4 million rupees ($45,000/£36,000) to pay a smuggler to organise his journey, Gurpreet told us.
On 28 August 2024, he flew from India to Guyana in South America to start an arduous journey to the US.
Gurpreet pointed out all the stops he made on a map on his phone. From Guyana he travelled through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, mostly by buses and cars, partly by boat, and briefly on a plane – handed from one people-smuggler to another, detained and released by authorities a few times along the way.
From Colombia, smugglers tried to get him a flight to Mexico, so he could avoid crossing the dreaded Darién Gap. But Colombian immigration didn’t allow him to board the flight, so he had to make a dangerous trek through the jungle.
A dense expanse of rainforest between Colombia and Panama, the Darién Gap can only be crossed on foot, risking accidents, disease and attacks by criminal gangs. Last year, 50 people died making the crossing.
“I was not scared. I’ve been a sportsman so I thought I would be OK. But it was the toughest section,” said Gurpreet. “We walked for five days through jungles and rivers. In many parts, while wading through the river, the water came up to my chest.”
Each group was accompanied by a smuggler – or a “donker” as Gurpreet and other migrants refer to them, a word seemingly derived from the term “donkey route” used for ******** migration journeys.
One of the migrants with Gurpreet took pictures of their journey through the jungle
At night they would pitch tents in the jungle, eat a bit of food they were carrying and try to rest.
“It was raining all the days we were there. We were drenched to our bones,” he said. They were guided over three mountains in their first two days. After that, he said they had to follow a route marked out in blue plastic bags tied to trees by the smugglers.
“My feet had begun to feel like lead. My toenails were cracked, and the palms of my hands were peeled off and had thorns in them. Still, we were lucky we didn’t encounter any robbers.”
When they reached Panama, Gurpreet said he and about 150 others were detained by border officials in a cramped jail-like centre. After 20 days, they were released, he said, and from there it took him more than a month to reach Mexico, passing through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
Gurpreet said they waited for nearly a month in Mexico until there was an opportunity to cross the border into the US near San Diego.
“We didn’t scale a wall. There is a mountain near it which we climbed over. And there’s a razor wire which the donker cut through,” he said.
Gurpreet entered the US on 15 January, five days before President Trump took office – believing that he had made it just in time, before the borders became impenetrable and rules became tighter.
Once in San Diego, he surrendered to US Border Patrol, and was then detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During the Biden administration, ******** or undocumented migrants would appear before an immigration officer who would do a preliminary interview to determine if each person had a case for asylum. While a majority of Indians migrated out of economic necessity, some also left fearing persecution because of their religious or social backgrounds, or their ******* orientation.
If they cleared the interview, they were released, pending a decision on granting asylum from an immigration judge. The process would often take years, but they were allowed to remain in the US in the meantime.
This is what Gurpreet thought would happen to him. He had planned to find work at a grocery store and then to get into trucking, a business he is familiar with.
Instead, less than three weeks after he entered the US, he found himself being led towards that C-17 plane and going back to where he started.
In their small house in Sultanpur Lodhi, a city in the northern state of Punjab, Gurpreet is now trying to find work to repay the money he owes, and fend for his family.
Additional reporting by Aakriti Thapar
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Trump downplays infighting between Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, other officials
Trump downplays infighting between Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, other officials
Trump downplays infighting between Elon Musk, Marco Rubio, other officials – CBS News
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President Trump is backing a House Republican plan to avert a government shutdown next week. He also played down reports of in-fighting in his Cabinet with advisor Elon Musk. Nikole Killion has the details.
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Weight loss drugs expose women to society’s harsh judgements on their bodies
Weight loss drugs expose women to society’s harsh judgements on their bodies
Jess Phillips and Branneisha Cooper
Women like Jess and Branneisha say strangers are more likely to smile at them or strike up a conversation since they lost weight
When Branneisha Cooper was overweight, she felt both invisible and like she stood out.
Her friends would get attention when they were out together, while she was overlooked. But she also had a sense that everyone was staring at her, scrutinising her.
Everyday scenarios were daunting: fairground rides (would she fit in the seat?), working out (would it hurt?), clothes shopping (would she find attractive clothing in her size?).
At the end of 2022, Branneisha, now 28 and working in Texas for a major retailer, began using weight-loss injection Mounjaro. She’s lost about six stone (38kg).
Things changed quickly. Suddenly, she could exercise without her body getting sore, colleagues made more small talk with her and she felt comfortable going on adventurous dates with her boyfriend. She was go-karting, dancing and going to arcades – activities that previously made her feel self-conscious.
But despite feeling like she had a “second chance at life”, weight loss was bittersweet.
“It was almost like I had stepped into a different world overnight,” Branneisha recalls. “People were suddenly more friendly, more attentive, and I was given opportunities and respect that didn’t exist before.”
“That rapid shift was jarring and really opened my eyes to just how deeply size bias is ingrained in our culture,” she continues. “Psychologically, it was a lot to process because while I was the same person, the way I was perceived had completely changed.”
Branneisha Cooper
Branneisha says that losing weight felt “almost like I had stepped into a different world overnight”
Weight-loss transformations are nothing new. In the 90s and 00s, they filled the pages of tabloid newspapers, sold celebrity diet regimes and inspired popular TV series like The Biggest Loser, You Are What You Eat and Celebrity Fit Club.
But in the 2020s, the advent of weight-loss injections like semaglutide and tirzepatide (marketed under brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro) has meant people can lose huge amounts of weight rapidly, without undergoing invasive surgery. The jabs suppress people’s appetites, causing them to feel fuller sooner.
Wegovy has been available on the NHS in England, Wales and Scotland since September 2023 with strict eligibility criteria, but weight-loss drugs are expected to become more accessible when Mounjaro becomes available through NHS England later this year.
The jabs, which are not suitable for everyone and can have severe side effects, are also available from pharmacies in the *** for people who can’t get them prescribed by their GPs.
So other than the physical difference, how does the way you’re perceived change when you lose weight quickly and look different to the world?
People who have used the injections have told BBC News that rapid weight loss has caused a massive shift in the way they are treated – by both strangers and loved ones – as well as a change in how they approach their lives.
‘Strangers are a lot more chatty’
Branneisha’s feeling of sticking out and being overlooked at the same time while overweight is one others can relate to.
When you’re overweight, people either avoid eye contact or “really stare and glare at you”, says Jess Phillips, 29, a primary school teacher from Sittingbourne, Kent.
She previously felt uncomfortable taking flights, travelling on public transport and eating at restaurants. Finding suitable seating worried her, as well as the feeling she was “taking other people’s space”.
People had even shouted “****” at her from cars and at a festival.
A trip in 2023 to Sorrento, on the Italian coast, was a major catalyst for starting weight-loss injections last June.
“Everyone was staring at me the whole time,” she says. “They’re just not used to people being that big out there.”
Jess Phillips
Jess says that before she lost weight she felt uncomfortable taking flights, travelling on public transport and eating at restaurants
Since losing weight, Jess has noticed a big difference in how she’s treated in public.
“Strangers seem to be a lot more chatty with me than they ever were before,” she explains.
She feels “more invisible in a nice way”, she continues. “I don’t feel like people are looking at me when I go to different places. I feel nicely anonymous… I’m not standing out in any particular way.”
This is something that Jeannine A Gailey, sociology professor at Texas Christian University, explored in her 2014 book The Hyper(in)visible **** Woman.
“My argument is that those who are marginalised, including **** people, become hyper-visible and hyper-invisible”, meaning they’re sometimes ignored and sometimes made into a “spectacle”, she tells the BBC.
Amy Toon, 34, a content creator from Solihull, felt this way. Before starting on the drugs, she shopped online “because of the overwhelming fear of people looking at me”, she says. “I just didn’t want to leave the house.”
Since losing weight, “people are a lot more smiley and just make eye contact,” she says. “I never had that before. It’s really strange and it’s also really sad at the same time.”
Society has preconceptions about how overweight people are expected to behave, and treats them accordingly, says Caleb Luna, an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara specialising in **** studies.
“**** people are expected to hide and shrink ourselves and not be proud,” says Prof Luna.
Weight isn’t a protected characteristic in the *** or in most other parts of the world, meaning it isn’t ******** to discriminate based on size, except if the person’s weight is classed as a disability.
Academics say that anti-**** bias can have significant implications, from how people are perceived in job interviews to how doctors interact with them. People make “all kinds of personality assumptions” about other people based on their body size, according to Prof Luna.
“I don’t understand why there’s this rage that some people seem to feel upon looking at someone who’s overweight,” says Alix Harvey, a 35-year-old marine biologist from Plymouth who’s lost around three stone (20kg) after starting weight-loss injections last year. “It’s socially acceptable to hate **** people.”
Alix Harvey
Alix says some people seem to have “rage” at overweight people
‘People see the drugs as cheating’
Weight-loss drugs have helped people like Branneisha, Jess, Amy and Alix lose weight – but they’re not right for everyone. Some in the healthcare industry have concerns about the wrong people getting hold of the jabs – including those who are already a healthy weight or have a history of eating disorders.
Common side effects of semaglutide and tirzepatide include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Rarer side effects include acute gallstone disease and pancreatitis, and the NHS warns that there is also a risk of hypoglycaemia, which happens when your blood sugar level drops too low.
Jonathan Pinkney, professor of endocrinology and diabetes at the University of Plymouth, says while there are “great expectations and hope around the drugs”, trials show people “do tend to relapse” after they stop taking them, meaning the weight loss isn’t sustained.
Alix says this worries her. “Am I going to be treated differently again? Because I like the way I’m currently being treated.”
Some people who take the medication say there’s stigma attached to using the drugs to lose weight, too, which Alix says puts some people off taking the injections.
“I didn’t expect the hatred,” she says, noting that some people see the use of weight-loss injections as “cheating” and a “socially unacceptable” way to lose weight.
“A lot of people see it as the lazy way out,” Amy says, referring to comments about weight-loss drugs left on her social media videos.
For sustained weight loss, the injections need to be used as part of a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular exercise.
“People think that it’s a magic wand then it’s not,” Amy says. “It doesn’t just melt the **** away.”
“Even if you injected yourself once a week and a pound a week just evaporated from your body, what would that matter?” Alix says. “Why is that cheating?”
“You basically can’t win,” she says, referring to the stigma attached to both being overweight and using injections to lose weight.
‘The larger me deserved that same attention and love’
People who’ve lost weight using the jabs tell the BBC their self-confidence has massively improved. Many say they feel much happier to take trains and planes. Some say they now wear brighter colours and tighter clothes. Others say they’re more vocal sharing their opinions at work.
Amy says she now feels comfortable taking her children swimming, while Jess says she’s been able to book her first-ever ski trip, something she’d never thought was possible before.
“I actually think it must be annoying how confident I am at the moment,” Jess laughs.
But many of the women we spoke to were left feeling sad for their previous selves, or frustrated at the unfairness of their past treatment.
“It’s so sad that your weight can define you,” Amy says. “I haven’t changed at all as a person. The only thing that has changed my appearance.”
Branneisha echoes these thoughts.
“It makes me sad when I have experiences that are different now because the larger me deserved that same attention and love,” Branneisha says. “Being smaller now makes me sad for my former self because people looked at me differently.”
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Ben Harvey comment: Premier Roger Cook about to find out that third terms are when the wheels fall off
Ben Harvey comment: Premier Roger Cook about to find out that third terms are when the wheels fall off
Premier Roger Cook is about to find out that third terms are when the wheels start falling off a government’s wagon.
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Musk’s DOGE team reportedly tried to fire air traffic controllers amid multiple plane crashes but was stopped by the transportation secretary
Musk’s DOGE team reportedly tried to fire air traffic controllers amid multiple plane crashes but was stopped by the transportation secretary
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Elon Musk squabbled during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Thursday, sources told the New York Times. Duffy was reportedly frustrated that Musk and DOGE had tried to cut air traffic control employees. Duffy also rebuffed Musk’s claim that air traffic controllers were hired from DEI initiatives.
Elon Musk and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reportedly had a testy exchange in a White House meeting Thursday about the conditions of the Federal Aviation Administration’s equipment and its air traffic controllers, according to the New York Times.
Duffy said the DOGE team was trying to lay off air traffic controllers, and asked what he was supposed to do while dealing with multiple recent plane crashes.
In January, 67 people died after an American Airlines flight collided in midair with a military ****** Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. In February, an air ambulance crashed in Philadelphia shortly after takeoff, killing seven, and two small planes collided in midair over southern Arizona, killing two.
Musk called Duffy’s comments about layoffs a “lie,” sources told the Times. Duffy maintained his stance, saying he heard from the DOGE team directly.
Musk demanded the names of people who had been fired, prompting Duffy to fire back that there were no names because he blocked the terminations.
Duffy also rebuffed Musk’s claim that people hired from diversity, equity, and inclusion programs were working in control towers.
The interchange concluded with President Donald Trump telling Duffy that he needed to hire M.I.T. graduates as air traffic controllers, saying they need to be “geniuses,” the report said.
The FAA, Transportation Department, and US DOGE Service didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Friday, Duffy posted on X applauding Trump and the DOGE team, saying that the cabinet meeting was productive. “DOGE is doing incredible work helping agencies identify inefficiencies as well as advising us as we work on the critical upgrades to our air traffic control system,” he wrote.
Duffy added “the DEI Department at the FAA was eliminated on day 2.”
Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency have raised the ire of other officials during their cost-cutting endeavor. In the same cabinet meeting Thursday, Musk and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly traded verbal blows about staffing.
Later in the meeting, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said that Musk’s cuts will impact thousands of veterans. According to the Times, Collins emphasized that they should not make massive layoffs. Trump agreed, saying that the VA needs to keep the smart ones and get rid of the bad ones.
“As President Trump has said, it’s important to increase efficiency and reduce bureaucracy while keeping in place the best and most productive federal employees,” a VA spokesperson told Fortune in a statement. “VA is working with DOGE and the rest of the administration to do just that.”
The airing of grievances among the cabinet helped curb DOGE’s cost-cutting spree. At the meeting, Trump said that DOGE and Musk will only advise, and that staffing decisions will be up to the secretaries.
“The President’s approach of a scalpel versus a hatchet and better coordination between Secretaries and DOGE is the right approach to revolutionizing the way our government is run,” Duffy wrote on X.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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U.S. economy on shaky footing, Trump calls it a “detox *******”
U.S. economy on shaky footing, Trump calls it a “detox *******”
U.S. economy on shaky footing, Trump calls it a “detox *******” – CBS News
Watch CBS News
The U.S. economy is on shaky footing. The Trump administration calls it a “detox *******” as it overhauls the federal government with layoffs, funding cuts and new tariffs. For markets, it’s bruising. Ali Bauman has more details.
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From scholarships to housing, college students struggle with the effects of Trump orders against DEI – CNN
From scholarships to housing, college students struggle with the effects of Trump orders against DEI – CNN
From scholarships to housing, college students struggle with the effects of Trump orders against DEI CNNTrump administration clarifies stance on DEI in schools K-12 DiveThe Ed Department Is Coming For Diversity Harvard CrimsonLawsuit seeks to block Trump administration’s anti-DEI in education order USA TODAY
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Michelle Payne shares update after sister Bernadette died aged 51
Michelle Payne shares update after sister Bernadette died aged 51
Melbourne Cup legend Michelle Payne has thanked fans and the wider racing industry for their support following the death of sister Bernadette.
Bernadette, a former jockey herself, died last week aged 51.
Michelle learned the news soon after completing an International Women’s Day photoshoot and shared an update in an interview published over the weekend.
“I’m OK, thank you,” she told News Corp.
“We are so deeply sad … Our family feels so grateful and appreciate for all the love and support.
“We thank everyone for the love and understanding. We’re very grateful for the support received for Bernadette and us from Racing Victoria and our close friends through a very difficult time.”
The family came together amid the grief on Saturday.
Smokin’ Princess, a horse trained by Michelle and brother Patrick, fought from the back of the pack at the final turn to finish fourth in the last race at Flemington.
The five-year-old mare entered the Group 3 Matron Stakes as a $5 favourite after recording four wins and a second in its previous five races.
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Michelle shot to superstardom in 2015 when she won the Melbourne Cup and retired from racing last year to turn her full attention to training.
Bernadette had retired in 2009 after a successful career with around 200 winners.
The Payne family announced her death in a statement issued by Racing Victoria on Tuesday.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm that Bernadette has passed away,” the statement said.
“She had a very difficult and challenging time in recent years and we find solace in the hope that she is now at peace.
“She was loved by many throughout her life.
“We ask that our family’s privacy is respected at this time. Thank you.”
The daughters of Ballarat trainer Paddy were among 10 children.
Camera IconMichelle Payne’s father Paddy, brother Stevie and sister Bernadette with Miner’s Miss in 2018. Credit: Getty
Michelle’s mother Mary died when she was just six months old and the future champion lost another sister, Brigid, in 2007.
Michelle spoke about Bernadette’s role in her life in an interview on Racing.com last year.
“Bernadette was 11 years old and getting up in the middle of the night feeding me,” she said.
“Amazing what they did and just without any fuss they just did what they had to do.
“It was just incredible that they got through it and that they’re so strong.”
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Joe Spagnolo: Elected Premier Roger Cook steps out of the shadow of Mark McGowan
Joe Spagnolo: Elected Premier Roger Cook steps out of the shadow of Mark McGowan
Nearly two years ago, Roger Cook was voted premier by unions, factions and his colleagues. Last night, he became an elected premier. He is no longer under the shadow of Mark McGowan.
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The rise of ‘free the nipple’ fashion
The rise of ‘free the nipple’ fashion
Yasmin Rufo
Culture reporter
Getty Images
Charli XCX told viewers that ITV had complained about her outfit at the Brit Awards
Six months ago, a viral TikTok trend made us obsessed with being very demure and very mindful – but now, modesty has taken a back seat among celebrities who have made see-through outfits all the rage on red carpets and catwalks.
At the Brit Awards last week, big winner Charli XCX went full brat as she wore a sheer ****** dress, prompting hundreds of complaints to media watchdog Ofcom.
She used one of her acceptance speeches to address the controversy of her outfit. “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples,” she said. “I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
The nearly-naked look has been a talking point at other award ceremonies – including last Sunday’s Oscars and the Grammys in February, when Kanye West’s girlfriend Bianca Censori dropped her coat on the red carpet to reveal an almost entirely invisible dress.
The love for transparent textiles has continued at London and Paris fashion weeks, with many of the celebrities watching on also getting the memo.
Getty Images
Paris Jackson’s translucent dress left little to the imagination at Paris Fashion Week
At Stella McCartney’s Paris show, US actress and Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson wore a translucent ****** off-the-shoulder maxi dress with only a nude-coloured thong underneath.
Rapper Ice Spice sported a ****** lace catsuit with a feathered coat at the show.
Naked dressing was a key trend in some designers’ spring/summer collections, and the theme has continued in autumn/winter looks too.
As Vogue wrote in January: “For a ******* of time, sheerness was few and far between, but nowadays, ‘naked dressing’ is commonplace every season.”
Dior’s latest collection embraced see-through material and presented it in an ethereal way, with intricate detailing and gender-fluid silhouettes.
Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri described her collection as “demonstrating how clothing is a receptacle that affirms cultural, aesthetic and social codes”.
Getty Images
Dresses with intricate detailing and patterns on were a part of Dior’s Autumn/Winter collection
The trend divides opinion but is certainly part of a wider movement – last summer Charli XCX’s definition of being a brat included wearing “a strappy white top with no bra”.
Sheer dressing is a nod to the minimalist looks of the 1990s – think transparent blouses and Kate Moss wearing a thin slip dress – and with our love for nostalgia fashion, it’s no wonder it is taking off again.
The trend also had a resurgence a decade ago. The “free the nipple” movement was everywhere in the early 2010s, with Rihanna stirring up headlines with her sheer crystal-embellished dress at the CFDA awards in 2014.
Charli XCX’s Brits outfit was praised by some on social media. “Stop policing women’s bodies,” one person wrote, while another said she looked comfortable in her outfit so “why is society judging?”
But many found it too risque for prime-time TV. Ofcom received 825 complaints about the Brits ceremony, the majority relating to Charli’s outfit and Sabrina Carpenter’s eye-opening pre-watershed performance.
“Maybe think about putting this on at a time when kids ain’t gonna be watching,” one person wrote on social media.
‘Challenging fashion norms’
Fashion stylist and CEO of clothing brand Mermaid Way, Julia Pukhalskaia, calls the choice to wear revealing dresses a “provocative statement”, but says it’s a “way to reclaim the right to govern one’s body”.
The controversy around it feeds into a wider dialogue about women’s rights and double standards when it comes to dress codes, she adds.
Abhi Madan, creative director of fashion brand Amarra, believes the trend “is about embracing freedom and boldness in fashion”.
The idea of freeing the nipple “isn’t just about exposure – it’s a movement towards body positivity and challenging conventional fashion norms”, she argues.
“Designers are now integrating sheer elements not just for shock value but to create a refined and elegant silhouette that empowers wearers.”
Getty Images
In 2014, Rihanna wore a sheer dress embellished with diamonds at the CFDA Awards
It seems many Hollywood stars this year were feeling empowered as chiffon, lace and tulle were in plentiful supply at the Oscars.
Shock value is surely a factor for some, too, though.
At Vanity Fair’s Oscars afterparty, Julia Fox wore a mesh dress with only long wavy hair to cover some of her modesty.
There were other interpretations of the naked dress – Megan Thee Stallion wore a green dress with strategically-placed foliage and nipple coverings, while Zoe Kravitz opted to cover up the front but expose the back as a beaded mesh panel revealed her buttocks in her Saint Laurent dress.
“This year, naked dressing seemed to particularly thrive at the event,” the New York Times noted.
However, not everyone is on board. The Times fashion director Anna Murphy wrote that she’s over the trend because “it’s only women who do this”.
“It is not an equal opportunities endeavour. It is, rather, a manifestation of the kind of thing that keeps this world unequal. That women’s bodies are for public consumption and men’s, usually, aren’t,” she wrote.
Some men have been embracing the nearly naked trend, though. In 2022, Timothée Chalamet wore striking a backless red top at Venice Film Festival, and at the 2023 Grammys Harry Styles freed the nipple in a plunge harlequin jumpsuit.
It’s the women who will continue to cause more of a stir on runways and red carpets – and society will still be split on whether it’s redefining conventional notions of modesty in fashion, a product of misogyny, or simply seeking attention.
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Aussie Day in sight of PGA Tour triumph at Bay Hill
Aussie Day in sight of PGA Tour triumph at Bay Hill
Jason Day has given himself a chance to take out his first PGA Tour event win of the year – the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The *********** 13-time tour winner, who last enjoyed success at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, opened with a 76, put himself back in the mix with a tournament-low 64 on Friday and a wild round of 69 on a baked out Bay Hill course on Saturday.
The 37-year-old was briefly tied for the lead until closing out the front nine with three straight bogeys. He was losing ground until making three straight birdies at the end, including a 20-footer on the 17th.
Even without much wind and occasional cloud cover, the heat and three days of sun brought a yellow shine to fairways and greens. Birdie putts from a reasonable range rolled out past the hole sometimes eight feet or more away.
“Any time you put your putter down and you start sliding on your putter, that’s when you know the greens are getting pretty slick,” Day said.
“They’re changing colour and you can kind of start to see the change in colour.”
Collin Morikawa made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th for a five-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead and a chance to win for the first time in 17 months.
Fellow American Russell Henley holed a long bunker shot for birdie on the opening hole, ran off four in a row to start the back nine and had a 67 to finish one shot behind. Corey Conners of Canada carded a 69 and is two back.
Irishman Shane Lowry, the 36-hole leader, had a 76 to leave him six shots behind.
Rory McIlroy (73) made bogey on three of his last four holes to fall seven shots adrift, while Scottie Scheffler could only manage a 71 to be eight shots back.
“You have to hit good shots out there,” Morikawa, who is at 10 under, said.
“It can get you from any direction.”
The final hour had Morikawa, Henley and Conners trading spots or sharing time at the top. Morikawa was the only one to avoid a bogey over the final four-hole stretch. He laid up on the par-5 16th and hit lob wedge and let a six-foot birdie trickle and swirl into the cup.
He barely touched his 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole.
Every shot — trying to keep it in the fairway, on the green and putting — required respect.
“Some of these pin locations, I feel I’m having to putt very defensively,” Henley said.
Michael Kim had two eagles on the back nine for a 67, joining Tony Finau (68) at five under. Kim is the only player among the top five going into the final round who is not already exempt for the Masters, and a win would take care of that.
Morikawa is a two-time major champion whose last victory was in October 2023, 502 days ago, at the Zozo Championship in Japan.
“Thank you for putting that in exact days. I hope you have it in hours and minutes,” he said.
The only number that matters is 18 holes and a lot of stress along the way.
With AAP.
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Migrant dies during English Channel crossing
Migrant dies during English Channel crossing
EPA
Migrants cross the English Channel on a small boat in 2024
A migrant has died during an attempt to cross the Channel in a small boat from northern France to England, French maritime authorities have said.
The Kuwaiti national, in his sixties, suffered a cardiac arrest on the boat that was carrying him and other migrants on Saturday, the Pas-de-Calais prefecture said.
The boat returned to the beach but despite the efforts of police and medics the man was declared dead at the scene, it added.
He is the sixth person to have died while attempting to cross the Channel this year.
The boat set off from Calais in northern France on Saturday morning and “very quickly returned to the beach with a person in cardio-respiratory arrest on board”, the French maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea told AFP news agency.
“This boat set off again once it had dropped off the people who wanted to disembark on the beach,” it added.
Authorities said the boat was “quite heavily loaded” but did not say how many people were on board.
Home Office figures show that more than 1,600 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats in the past week, with 51 people arriving on Friday alone.
At least 3,720 people have made the crossing to date this year, an increase of 11% on the same ******* last year.
A record number of migrants died while attempting to make the dangerous crossing in 2024.
According to the Office for the Fight against Illicit Trafficking of Migrants, 78 people died while trying to reach England aboard small boats last year, the highest number since the first crossing in 2018.
The *** and France have ramped up efforts to stop Channel crossings, including intensifying patrols on French beaches, intercepting small boats and apprehending the smugglers who organise the crossings.
In a statement on Friday, the Home Office said: “We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
“The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.”
On 27 February, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper met her French counterpart, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, to agree a raft of measures aimed at tackling people-smuggling gangs.
These include a new specialist intelligence and judicial police unit in Dunkirk to speed up the arrest and prosecution of people-smugglers and training drone pilots to help intercept boats before they reach the sea.
French authorities will stop migrants on land but not once they take to the sea.
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South Austin homeless camp drawing concerns as drug use, open fires continue
South Austin homeless camp drawing concerns as drug use, open fires continue
AUSTIN (KXAN)— There’s a homeless encampment in southeast Austin that is drawing concern from people who live nearby.
It’s located just off William Cannon Drive and Bluff Springs Road, right across the street from a neighborhood.
The property
The property is filled with trash, open flames, drug paraphernalia and many tents where people are living. For months it has continued to grow with no signs of slowing down.
“We do recognize that this specific property is posing some challenges to the community,” said David Gray, the City of Ausin Homeless Strategy Officer.
KXAN reached out to the city to find out why the camp remains and what is being done to get the people living there off the streets and into programs that can help them.
“So we have worked with the code enforcement department to do cleaning at the property,” Gray said. “I have had outreach staff go to the property to see if anyone at the property is willing to take us up for offers on shelter. No one yet has taken us up yet on that offer.”
Homeless camp fires raise concerns during freezing weather
More than two months ago, KXAN’s Jala Washington reported on the property, highlighting concerns people had about open fires and the general safety for people living nearby. When KXAN cameras returned in March, we saw even more people and trash on the property, as well as open drug use.
KXAN asked Gray what happens if someone staying in one of these camps refuses help?
“Our philosophy is, if someone says no the first time, that is ok, we are going to come back the next day, and the next day, and we are going to keep on coming back and let them know that we see you, we value you and that these are real opportunities to help you get you off the street,” Gray said.
Gray said this property is private so it can be a challenge to clean up. KXAN is working to get a hold of the property owner to find out if they are aware of the issue.
According to the Travis County Appraisal District property search the owner is listed as MT Properties LLC out of Wilmington, Delaware.
KXAN asked the city if it has been in contact with the property owner, but we have not heard back.
KXAN has also requested 911 and 311 calls for the property, but that request is still pending after more than a week.
Shelter space
Gray said there is only one shelter bed for every five people that need assistance.
“Last year we had more than 24,000 people make contact with one of our homeless providers,” Gray said.
Gray said on any given night there could be 6,000 to 6,500 people sleeping unsheltered on the streets.
The city has invested millions of dollars into what are meant to be temporary shelters, places like the Northbridge and Southbridge shelters.
Bridge Housing is a hybrid of emergency shelter and transitional housing to serve the target population. It features short-term housing and supportive services, with the goal of helping people achieve self-sufficiency or to access available permanent housing options.
KXAN asked the city if it tracks how many people have entered bridge shelters, but then end up back on the streets.
More than 100 people relocated from camps to Austin homeless shelters
The city tells KXAN that 431 clients exited the Housing-Focused Encampment Assistance Link (HEAL) shelters in 2024. The city said 102 clients went to negative destinations (streets, other shelters, or jail) in 2024. Fifty-three clients exited HEAL shelters to unknown destinations in 2024.
HEAL is a program in Austin that connects people experiencing homelessness to shelters and housing resources.
“Returns to homelessness does happen unfortunately however our positive success rate here in Austin is higher than the national average,” Gray said. “I think last time I checked 92% of people who graduate from our programs, we do not see those folks come back into the Homeless Management Information System.”
Mental health and addiction
Low bed space is one challenge, but many of the people facing homelessness also struggle with mental illness and addiction.
“We know it is a problem with this population, we do have substance use programs, harm reduction programs and other services for folks that are looking to get clean,” Gray said.
Gray said reporting any issues with drugs is still the best thing to do.
“If people in the area see any concern related to public safety on the property, please call 911 and report that activity, because that helps the city and in our case with the private property owner, to compel the private property owner to take action,” Gray said.
But people tell KXAN they are doing that. One person who wanted to stay anonymous, lives near a different encampment in east Austin,. He said he has called 311 and 911, and it’s discouraging to see no changes.
“I have probably called a dozen times, but I probably should have called 40 times,” the man said.
The man said abandoned properties near him have become a place where drugs are being used, bought and sold in plain sight.
“There was fire and police because we had an overdose on the street and that is becoming essentially a weekly thing here,” the man said.
Gray said they have cracked down on the ***** of drugs near and around shelters.
“We worked a couple of instances last year with Austin Police Department, where we knew there were drug dealers, preying on people experiencing homelessness — some of those operations in abandoned structures,” Gray said. “We were able to identify those structures for APD and work with their task force to eliminate those nuisances from communities.”
The shelters don’t allow drug use and have a zero tolerance policy.
“Our clients know if you use drugs in our shelters, if you bring drugs into our shelters, or if you manufacture drugs in our shelters, or in our housing projects, you will get kicked out,” Gray said.
The man KXAN spoke to said more should be done for those struggling with addiction and mental health, or there needs to be a crackdown on the people supplying the drugs.
“My understanding is that if people want to get access to the resources, they have to be sober,” the man said. “So it does not surprise me that the people you see most often, the regulars, per se, are folks that are using drugs.”
Perspective from the streets
KXAN spoke with Dixie Clanton who has been experiencing homelessness for about a year and a half in Austin.
He said he has reached out about getting into a shelter, but it can be a long and difficult process. He said it is hard to access resources when living on the streets, because many people live far away from the main facilities.
Clanton said a lot of the larger camps attract those who prey on the people who suffer from addiction and that’s why he stays away from them.
He said the majority of the people he knows access homeless resources, and he knows about a few success stories. However, he said there are also people who don’t want to leave the streets.
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Ireland 27-42 France: ‘Free-scoring Bleus leave Irish history tilt in tatters’
Ireland 27-42 France: ‘Free-scoring Bleus leave Irish history tilt in tatters’
Although Ireland only gave away six penalties, there were plenty more occasions when France were able to play with greater freedom thanks to a penalty advantage.
If that was one way in which the visitors were able to get on such a roll, Ireland’s interim head coach Simon Easterby felt their dominance in the collisions was another.
“They’re as good as anyone when they get behind you and they get on the front foot,” he said after his first defeat filling in for Andy Farrell.
“It’s probably down a large part to the collisions that we weren’t able to put in place ourselves, but also credit to the way that they play the game as well.”
Across the past four seasons, these sides have now won two head to heads each, both having done so once away from home.
Barring a French stumble next weekend, it will likely be a pair of titles apiece too.
Yet, rarely, across the ******* has one team felt so superior to the other, even for only half an hour.
Ireland will surely point to areas where they could be and normally are better.
For the second game in succession they played 20 minutes a man down with Joe McCarthy’s first-half yellow card feeling particularly avoidable.
They lacked any clinical edge during their own ******* of ascendancy too.
Given France’s final try came off a Damian Penaud intercept from within the shadow of his own posts, it is fair to say that France scored the same seven points as Ireland did from the latter’s visits to the opposition 22 across the first 75 minutes of the game.
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Second storm system bringing additional rain to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
Second storm system bringing additional rain to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
(This story has been updated to correct when showers are possible in Palm Springs.)
A low-pressure system from the northwest will bring another bout of rain and wind gusts to the Coachella Valley beginning Monday.
The National Weather Service says showers are possible from Tuesday through Thursday in Palm Springs and throughout the Coachella Valley.
The greatest chance of heavy rain will come Wednesday and Thursday. Gusts are expected to peak at 55 to 65 miles per hour Thursday through Friday.
Snow covers the upper elevation of the San Bernardino Mountains after a few days of wet weather in Southern California., Jan. 28, 2025.
NWS expects snow to hover at 5,000 to 6,000 feet until Tuesday before falling to around 2,500 to 3,000 feet in the San Bernardino mountains.
The sun should remain through the weekend, with temperatures in the upper 70s throughout the desert.
Sam Morgen covers the city of Palm Springs for The Desert Sun. Reach him at *****@*****.tld.
Tennis fans take in the view over the lawn and distant Santa Rosa Mountains from Stadium 1 during the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Friday, March 7, 2025.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: New storm to bring more rain to the Coachella Valley next week
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*** ‘hardest hit by Covid fallout’ and next Bond ‘shouldn’t be American’
*** ‘hardest hit by Covid fallout’ and next Bond ‘shouldn’t be American’
The Observer reflects on the fallout from the Covid pandemic, as the *** marks five years since the pandemic started with a day of reflection on Sunday. The paper has carried out its own analysis which it says shows Britain performed worse than most other developed nations in its response to the pandemic. The *** spent more money than most other countries on economic help yet saw larger drops in life expectancy and more people too sick to work, the paper says.
For a second day, the Telegraph leads with its investigation into the man who ran a Russian spy ring in Britain, Jan Marsalek. The paper says fugitive Marsalek – who faces no charges in the *** – wanted to create a private army to control migration into Europe. Elsewhere, Reform ***’s Nigel Farage has written in the paper warning against infighting within the party, and defending his decision to suspend one of its five MPs. The Telegraph front page also pictures James Bond star Pierce Brosnan who tells the paper the next 007 should not be an American.
The Sunday Mirror looks ahead to a vote in the Commons this week, on Labour’s plans to ban persistent anti-social behaviour offenders from town centres. The government wants to bring in new “Respect Orders” which Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hopes will restore trust in the police, the paper reports.
The Mail on Sunday reports on the case of a ************ asylum seeker who crossed the Channel this week and was picked up by the *** Border Force. The paper says he is is a “militant” who has shared videos on his social media calling for Jewish people to be killed.
The Sunday Express’s front page is also on asylum seekers – but it focuses on the cost of support schemes offered in the ***. It has carried out its own investigation which finds the government and local councils spent a total of £6.6bn over the past five years on schemes for refugees, which sometimes include trips to the zoo, tennis lessons and sandwich deliveries.
The Daily Star reports that Britons are “going goggle-eyed for telescopes”. They’re buying more than ever before because of the soaring interest in space, the paper says.
The Sunday People reports on figures showing 40 women have been fired from prison jobs in the last four years for having sex with inmates. The figures come just days after 26-year-old Katie Evans – who is pictured on the front page next to the headline – was jailed for having a relationship with a male inmate at HMP Doncaster. Also pictured on the front page is actress Blake Lively, who attended a film premiere this weekend.
According to a Sunday Times investigation, defence firms supplying weapons to the British military are being “attacked and sabotaged” by pro-************ activists. It says the group Palestine Action has claimed responsibility for more than 350 “direct actions” since 2020 – including damage to banks, estate agencies, universities and local government buildings. This weekend the group vandalised one of Trump’s Scottish golf courses, the paper says. The group tells the Times that the goal of its direct actions is to “rid Britain of Israeli weapons factories”.
And the Sun reports that Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is facing a new legal battle with the mother of his child, over child support payments. It says a claim has been lodged in New York, and follows a previous settled legal claim.
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Socceroo Ryan, PSG’s Dembele star in Ligue 1 wins
Socceroo Ryan, PSG’s Dembele star in Ligue 1 wins
Ousmane Dembele has come off the bench to score twice and help a shaky Paris Saint-Germain win 4-1 at Rennes to stay unbeaten in Ligue 1.
Bradley Barcola got one goal and set up another as PSG moved 16 points ahead of second-placed Marseille, who conceded an added-time goal in a 1-0 home defeat to Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan’s Lens in the late game.
Third-placed Nice can move level on points with Marseille if they beat Lyon at home on Sunday.
Ryan, who joined Lens from Roma in the January transfer window, stopped a close-range volley from Brazilian winger Luis Henrique in the 83rd minute and moments later the man-of-the match made a superb one-handed save low to his right to deny forward Neal Maupay.
Marseille paid the price when the visitors launched a counterattack in the 94th and Colombia defender Deiver Machado teed up Neil El Aynaoui for a fine finish as Lens moved up to eighth.
Earlier on Saturday, PSG coach Luis Enrique rested captain Marquinhos ahead of the return leg at Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League next Tuesday, having lost the first leg 1-0 despite dominating.
Marquinhos was joined on the bench by striker Dembele, right back Achraf Hakimi, winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Barcola put PSG ahead in the 28th minute when he placed the ball through goalkeeper Brice Samba’s legs.
Barcola broke down the left again and picked out striker Goncalo Ramos in the 50th for 2-0. Three minutes later, sloppy defending allowed defender Lilian Brassier to pull one back and it galvanised Rennes, who came close to equalising several times.
Dembele’s added-time brace took him this season to 20 league goals for the first time.
In other matches, Canada striker Jonathan David moved onto 14 league goals after scoring in Lille’s hard-fought 1-0 win against rock-bottom Montpellier.
The win moved fifth-placed Lille level on 44 points with Monaco, who are ahead on goal difference, in the race for one of the four Champions League spots.
All the players had “WO=MAN” written on the back of their jerseys instead of their names as part of the French league’s initiative centred around International Women’s Day.
With AAP.
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