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Share this Story : First-degree murder: Nikolas Ibey found guilty in 2022 death of Savanna Pikuyak Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News First-degree murder: Nikolas Ibey found guilty in 2022 death of Savanna Pikuyak Ibey had already admitted to killing Pikuyak and had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at the outset of his trial on Nov. 12, but that plea was rejected by the Crown. Get the latest from Aedan Helmer straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Aedan Helmer Published Dec 03, 2024 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 3 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. Savanna Pikuyak had recently rented an apartment from Nikolas Ibey before he killed her. SUPPLIED Article content Jurors needed only three hours of deliberations on Tuesday before finding Nikolas Ibey guilty of first-degree murder in the Sept. 11, 2022, killing of Savanna Pikuyak. Article content Article content Ibey, 35, had already admitted to killing Pikuyak and had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at the outset of his trial on Nov. 12, but that plea was rejected by the Crown. Pikuyak, a 22-year-old nursing student, had recently rented a room from Ibey at the townhouse at 34 Woodvale Green after moving from her home in Sanirajak, Nunavut, to pursue her studies at Algonquin College when she was murdered. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content Pikuyak’s family members were expected to deliver victim-impact statements in court following the verdict. Another statement was to be read on behalf of her community in Nunavut. Crown prosecutors Michael Purcell and Sonia Beauchamp told the jury there was “ample” evidence that Ibey sexually assaulted Pikuyak before killing her, a factor that “elevates” the crime to first-degree murder. Ibey’s defence lawyer, Ewan Lyttle, said Pikuyak’s murder was “awful, tragic and heartbreaking.” He acknowledged that his client was guilty of murder, but denied Ibey had committed a sexual assault. During closing arguments to the jury on Monday, the prosecution countered by showing the jury graphic crime scene photos of Pikuyak’s half-naked, beaten body after she was found lying face-down on a mattress. “The pictures tell all,” Beauchamp told the jury, as she outlined the evidence pointing to an “undeniable” sexual assault. There were drops of blood on the carpet at the entrance to Pikuyak’s bedroom, where, according to the Crown, Ibey attacked Pikuyak with a piece of wood that was later found spattered with the victim’s blood. Evening Update The Ottawa Citizen’s best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Evening Update will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content There were pools of blood on the carpet showing “the attack continued while she lay there” as Ibey forcibly confined her, Beauchamp said. Ibey struck Pikuyak in the arms, face and head “over and over again” with the piece of wood Beauchamp said, and Pikuyak had defensive injuries as she tried to fight back. Nikolas Ibey was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 killing of Savanna Pikuyak by a jury on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Photo by Facebook Prosecutors pointed to the positioning of the victim’s body, lying face-down, legs spread apart and naked from the waist down, her underwear and pants around her ankles. Her shirt and bra were lifted up over her chest and twisted together. She was gagged and strangled with a knotted sweater. “She died suffocated and strangled,” Beauchamp said, and there is “ample evidence” of both forcible confinement and sexual assault. No male DNA was found in a post-mortem examination of the victim’s genitals, but Ibey’s DNA was found on Pikuyak’s left and right breast. “When you use common sense, and when you look at the pictures, the only reasonable conclusion is that there was a sexual assault,” Beauchamp said. “It is clear that (Ibey) entered that room with one purpose in mind, the same purpose he had been chasing all night.” Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Ibey sexually assaulted and strangled Pikuyak after he was left sexually frustrated by an hours-long search for a sex worker earlier in the night. The Crown presented a volume of text messages, sex chats and internet searches for “escorts” that began around 7 p.m. the night before the killing and ended around 3 a.m. on Sept. 11. Ibey beat, confined and sexually assaulted Pikuyak, prosecutors said, before he strangled her to death between 3 and 9 a.m. “There is no reason, other than a sexual assault, to beat her, confine her, bind her, gag her, lift up her shirt and take off her pants,” Beauchamp said. The act of removing Pikuyak’s clothing was enough to constitute a sexual assault, even if the attack went no further, prosecutors said. “This was a sexual killing,” she told the jury. “This was, and is first-degree murder.” More to come... Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Recommended from Editorial Nikolas Ibey trial hinges on one question — was it first-degree murder? Nikolas Ibey viewed dozens of victim's Facebook photos before killing her Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : First-degree murder: Nikolas Ibey found guilty in 2022 death of Savanna Pikuyak Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending City of Ottawa worker fired after audit uncovers kickback scheme with landlords Local News Layoffs could be on the table for public servants. Here's everything you need to know Public Service Denley: Trudeau is treating the public service with contempt Opinion General told 'woke' dress code retreat improved troop morale Defence Watch Teenager hospitalized following south Ottawa school bus-van collision Local News Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local SavingsMinister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala told Parliament there is a sinister campaign aiming to create division and conflict between the North and the South of the country, highlighting the manipulative intent behind the false narratives. Making a special statement in Parliament on Wednesday (December 4), the Minister said an organised politically bankrupt group had orchestrated the campaign, confirming that investigations had identified their involvement. He said that several arrests have already been made in connection with the dissemination of false information which also includes a political activist from Boralesgamuwa who had contested the last general election under the Cylinder symbol. The Minister said that the photographs from the past LTTE Mahaviru commemorations that were held even in other countries in 2017 and 2022 had been circulated on social media, to create the impression that similar events were taking place in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka in 2024 under the current administration. Minister Wijepala said of the 244 Mahaviru commemoration events held in the Northern Province from November 21 to 27, LTTE-related symbols were displayed at 10 of them. The Police had taken action in response to these incidents. The Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court had reported about two such incidents while the Point Pedro Magistrate’s Court had reported four similar incidents. In addition, the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court had reported one such incident. A person from Chunnakam had also been arrested for attempting to promote the LTTE. Fake post on Mahaviru commemoration Social activist Kelum Jayasumana who was arrested for sharing a post related to the Mahaviru commemoration on social media was granted bail after being produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (December 4). During the trial, the officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told court that the suspect had downloaded and reposted a picture which was initially posted by a French woman on Facebook that contained proscribed symbols of the LTTE organisation. They said that this had disrupted public order and ethnic harmony, and that no such event had been held in the North. Since the investigation has not been completed, the officers of the CID requested that the suspect be further remanded. Subsequently, Colombo Magistrate Thilina Gamage questioned the CID officers whether statements confirming that public order had been violated due to this act had been recorded and submitted to the court. In response, the CID officers said that no such statements had been recorded. Questioning how the suspect could be further remanded without evidence confirming that a public disturbance had occurred, the Magistrate said the suspects cannot be remanded further without proper evidence. Accordingly, the Magistrate ordered the suspect to be released on two surety bails and ordered the case to be taken up again on April 3, 2025. Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara told Parliament on Wednesday (December 4), that a new political culture has emerged in the country and that is peace building and social cohesion. The country will never move forward unless there is an effort by the Government with peace building and social cohesion. Our international friends have worked with us so long providing us resources, sharing their knowledge and expertise. But how much have we achieved when it comes to social cohesion and peace building? We have not progressed that much. If that is the case then this society must reject all forms of racism outright. But still we feel there are certain elements in the society who are continuing it because old habits die hard. Most of the Governments in power had only paid lip service to the concept of peace building and social cohesion. It was merely a show either to appease Geneva or to get a donation or just to plead some international donor. But this Government doesn’t consider peace building and social cohesion as a mere show. It is our main project and we will push Government policies forward to that end. The Minister said, “We understand we are culturally different and we have different ethnic identities and cultural identities. We respect them all and the Government will make policies to encourage and preserve each other’s cultural identities. No matter how many laws you bring in and whatever the policies speak about to build peace, social cohesion and friendship, the bridge of friendship must be built first. It should start in our minds. Still, we geographically speak about the North and the South. That mindset has to be settled first and that is a serious problem. We are here to represent Sri Lankans of all ethnic origins, races and casts. No matter whatever the divisions, we have to create a unified Sri Lanka. Social inclusion, gender equality and inclusive principles, respecting cultural diversity is essential. Otherwise, this country will not go forward. I am happy to say that my Ministry of National Integration takes this job seriously and encourages all those stakeholders in the Government as well as non-Government to be hopeful and work with us on peace building and social cohesion because this Government is very serious about it.” Right to commemorate the dead Minister Nanayakkara said some of these old habits die hard. As Minister Ananda Wijepala had told Parliament false information was circulated in the media about the Mahaviru commemorations held in the North. We admit the fact that in a civilised society the relatives of those who died have the right to commemorate them or invoke blessing on them. However, that did not happen when it came to the North. When we were in the Opposition we were subjected to state suppression and their stringent laws, violating our human rights. Therefore, as a party, we will not introduce any law to restrict the freedom of expression of the people or violate their rights to engage in politics. We govern with the mandate of the public will. The law is not so essential to a Government which has a clear public mandate and we always appear on behalf of the people. There is an accepted law in the country. As a policy we admit that the PTA should be abolished. However, even in developed countries, they have legislation to face global terrorism. We should formulate a counter terrorism act to suit international best practices and definitions. Definition given to the word ‘terrorism’ in all those recently introduced bills had restricted the freedom of expression of the people which has been enshrined in the Constitution. Until we formulate new laws, if any form of racism or religious extremism emerges, we will have to deal with such incidents in keeping with the prevailing laws. He said, “I admit the fact that freedom of expression is essential and this Government will take positive action to ensure that. However, the freedom of expression and committing a crime are two closely related facts. People can post anything on Facebook and that is their freedom of expression. However, Minister Ananda Wijepala had clearly explained what had really happened. One person who had got involved in that incident was a DNF candidate. He had circulated fake social media posts on Mahaviru commemorations that were not held in the North. What is their ulterior motive? Is it just an attempt to exercise their right legally? Otherwise, is this an attempt to create a division and conflict between the North and the South, paving the way to emerge yet another ethnic conflict in the country? I would like to appeal before writing songs and poems on the freedom of expression, please look into this aspect as well. We are new to govern but we are not new to politics. It is normal for the Opposition to test our strengths and limits from time to time and that is something we expect. They can clash with us ideologically and differ from us politically. We would respond to them democratically and politically. But any citizen in this country who thinks that race and religion could be used again for political gain, I tell you to think again and again.” No racism or religious extremism The Minister said, “This Government will not stand for racism or religious extremism in any form or the other. It will be defeated with whatever the laws we have enforced. If we are in the Government or the Opposition, we all are against racism and religious extremism. We all can join hands from that particular point but we will not be able to do so in some other matters. However, as the new Parliament, we all should join hands for this particular aspect by setting a new example. Although we have different political ideologies, all MPs who represent this Parliament are against racism and religious extremism. If we can take this message to the bottom level, there will be true social cohesion and peace building. So, I am inviting all Parliamentarians to help the Government with that initiative. Yes, we can fight politics another day on another topic. But let’s unite for this because the country has suffered enough and more. Enough tears had been shed in the North and the South and enough blood had run through this land. It has to come to an end and that can only happen by respecting one another’s cultural identities and diversities.” Minister Nanayakkara said the laws belong to the people and that laws are there to protect the people and their interest. Laws are essential for those who are marginalised, weak and poor. Our laws must focus not only on the making of them or even the implementation to make sure that their rights are protected. Three Bills, Proceeds of Crime Bill, Rescue, Rehabilitation and Insolvency Bill and amendments to the Audit Act will be presented to Parliament in the first quarter of next year. The whole idea of this is to recover stolen assets, trace the proceeds of crimes with one law and to effectively deter money laundering, drug trafficking and all related vices. The Audit Act and Insolvency Bill are there to improve the creditor’s confidence and to protect the debtor’s right to bring some uniformity and update. So, this Government is serious about what is said about it. Let’s build this country together. Let’s fight politics and that’s another matter. But I invite you all, let’s uphold the rule of law. There are so many law delays causing massive issues. Some of the delays are due to lack of resources and some human and technical errors. There are over one million court cases in the entire court system. At present, the ease of doing business in the country is very low-ranking and the rule of law far less. SJB Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara told the Sunday Observer that his personal opinion is that nobody can prevent the right of a person to light a lamp in memory of a deceased person. Since 2009, we have been maintaining this stance. However, it was not allowed those days. These Mahaviru commemorations have been held since 2011. The issue is these commemorations are held during the Mahaviru week. It was LTTE Leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran who declared the Mahaviru week. Should these commemorations be held during the Mahaviru week? A circular has been issued in 2011 specifying guidelines as to how these commemorations should be held. A large number of Mahaviru commemorations were held by violating the guidelines in that particular circular. Except for two persons, those who violated the circular had not yet been arrested. However, a person in the South who shared information of those incidents took place in the North was arrested under the PTA. But those who violated the law have not been arrested. Outdated law It is completely wrong to arrest people under the PTA. The PTA is an outdated law in the country. I would like to say that anybody should not be arrested or detained under the PTA and it should be implemented equally to North and the South. However, the PTA is used to arrest people in the South and the ordinary law is used to deal with the incidents that take place in the North. This is the issue I raised in Parliament. As the JVP holds Il Maha Viru Samaruma to commemorate their fallen comrades, the people in the North also have the right to talk about the deaths of their people and conduct Mahaviru commemorations. We should also keep in mind that thousands of war heroes and police personnel sacrificed their lives to safeguard the motherland. In addition, a large number of people had died and some became disabled due to LTTE bomb attacks. Therefore, they also might feel hurt when such incidents occur. I told Parliament that the Government should seriously consider this issue. There are some extremist groups in all parts of the country including North, East and the South. However, there is a law in the country to prevent any form of extremist acts and I would like to say that the law should be implemented equal to everybody. The new political transformation in the North is a very positive development. The people in the North and the East who were trapped by Tamil and Muslim parties had voted for a national political party in the South. It is a very significant development and it was unable to do so over the past many years. I think it is the responsibility of all of us to safeguard the trust and mandate given by the people in the North and the East.
South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify public protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party, but it is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals. After the motion fell through, members of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party rallied inside the National Assembly, chanting slogans calling for Yoon’s impeachment or resignation. The party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said it will soon prepare for a new impeachment motion. “We’ll surely impeach Yoon Suk Yeol, who is the greatest risk to Republic of Korea,” party leader Lee Jae-myung said. “We’ll surely bring back this country to normal before Christmas Day or year’s end.” Despite escaping the impeachment attempt, many experts worry Yoon won’t be able to serve out his remaining 2 1/2 years in office. They say some ruling party lawmakers could eventually join opposition parties’ efforts to impeach Yoon if public demands for it grow further. Protests against Yoon are swelling On Saturday, tens of thousands of people densely packed several blocks of roads leading up to the National Assembly, waving banners, shouting slogans and dancing. Protesters also gathered in front of PPP’s headquarters near the Assembly, angrily shouting for its lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. A smaller crowd of Yoon’s supporters, which still seemed to be in the thousands, rallied in separate streets in Seoul, decrying the impeachment attempt they saw as unconstitutional. Impeaching Yoon required support from two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 of its 300 members. The Democratic Party and five other small opposition parties, which filed the motion, have 192 seats combined. But only three lawmakers from PPP participated in the vote. The motion was scrapped without ballot counting because the number of votes didn’t reach 200. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik called the result “very regrettable” and an embarrassing moment for the country’s democracy that has been closely watched by the world. “The failure to hold a qualified vote on this matter means we were not even able to exercise the democratic procedure of deciding on a critical national issue,” he said. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday. If Yoon is impeached, his powers will be suspended until the Constitutional Court decides whether to remove him from office. If he is removed, an election to replace him must take place within 60 days. Yoon apologizes for turmoil Earlier Saturday, Yoon issued a public apology over the martial law decree, saying he won’t shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration and promising not to make another attempt to impose martial law. He said would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country’s political turmoil, “including matters related to my term in office.” “The declaration of this martial law was made out of my desperation. But in the course of its implementation, it caused anxiety and inconveniences to the public. I feel very sorry over that and truly apologize to the people who must have been shocked a lot,” Yoon said. Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has struggled to push his agenda through an opposition-controlled parliament and grappled with low approval ratings amid scandals involving himself and his wife. In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a “den of criminals” bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” The turmoil resulting from Yoon’s bizarre and poorly-thought-out stunt has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners like the U.S. and Japan. Tuesday night saw special forces troops encircling the parliament building and army helicopters hovering over it, but the military withdrew after the National Assembly unanimously voted to overturn the decree, forcing Yoon to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. The declaration of martial law was the first of its kind in more than 40 years in South Korea. Eighteen lawmakers from the ruling party voted to reject Yoon’s martial law decree along with opposition lawmakers. PPP later decided to oppose Yoon’s impeachment motion. Yoon’s speech fueled speculation that he and his party may push for a constitutional amendment to shorten his term, instead of accepting impeachment, as a way to ease public anger over the marital law and facilitate Yoon’s early exit from office. Lee told reporters that Yoon’s speech was “greatly disappointing” and that the only way forward is his immediate resignation or impeachment. His party called Yoon’s martial law “unconstitutional, illegal rebellion or coup.” Lawmakers on Saturday first voted on a bill appointing a special prosecutor to investigate stock price manipulation allegations surrounding Yoon’s wife. Some lawmakers from Yoon’s party were seen leaving the hall after that vote, triggering angry shouts from opposition lawmakers. Yoon accused of ordering arrests of politicians On Friday, PPP chair Han Dong-hun, who criticized Yoon’s martial law declaration, said he had received intelligence that during the brief period of martial law Yoon ordered the country’s defense counterintelligence commander to arrest and detain unspecified key politicians based on accusations of “anti-state activities.” Hong Jang-won, first deputy director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing Friday that Yoon had ordered him to help the defense counterintelligence unit to detain key politicians. The targeted politicians included Han, Lee and Woo, according to Kim Byung-kee, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting. The Defense Ministry said Friday it suspended three military commanders including the head of the defense counterintelligence unit over their involvement in enforcing martial law. Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon Ho has told parliament that Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun ordered the deployment of troops to the National Assembly after Yoon imposed martial law. Opposition parties accused Kim of recommending to Yoon to enforce martial law. Kim resigned Thursday, and prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on him.DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 13, 2024-- The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) announced today that its Board of Directors approved a new $1 billion authorization for the Company to repurchase its common stock and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.235 per common share. The dividend will be payable December 31, 2024, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 23, 2024. “We remain committed to returning capital to our shareholders with our disciplined approach focused on driving long-term shareholder value through both dividends and stock repurchases and today’s announcements allows us the flexibility to continue to do that,” said Devin McGranahan, President and Chief Executive Officer. Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion through open-market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, Rule 10b5-1 plans, or by other means. The amount and timing of any repurchases made under the share repurchase program will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions, share price, legal requirements, and other factors. The program does not have a set expiration date and may be suspended, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “targets,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “guides,” “provides guidance,” “provides outlook,” “projects,” “designed to,” and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” and “might” are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release of The Western Union Company (the “Company,” “Western Union,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) should not rely solely on the forward-looking statements and should consider all uncertainties and risks discussed in the Risk Factors section and throughout the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The statements are only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Possible events or factors that could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the following: (i) events related to our business and industry, such as: changes in general economic conditions and economic conditions in the regions and industries in which we operate, including global economic downturns and trade disruptions, or significantly slower growth or declines in the money transfer, payment service, and other markets in which we operate, including downturns or declines related to interruptions in migration patterns or other events, such as public health emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics, civil unrest, war, terrorism, natural disasters, or non-performance by our banks, lenders, insurers, or other financial services providers; failure to compete effectively in the money transfer and payment service industry, including among other things, with respect to price or customer experience, with global and niche or corridor money transfer providers, banks and other money transfer and payment service providers, including digital, mobile and internet-based services, card associations, and card-based payment providers, and with digital currencies and related exchanges and protocols, and other innovations in technology and business models; geopolitical tensions, political conditions and related actions, including trade restrictions and government sanctions, which may adversely affect our business and economic conditions as a whole, including interruptions of United States or other government relations with countries in which we have or are implementing significant business relationships with agents, clients, or other partners; deterioration in customer confidence in our business, or in money transfer and payment service providers generally; failure to maintain our agent network and business relationships under terms consistent with or more advantageous to us than those currently in place; our ability to adopt new technology and develop and gain market acceptance of new and enhanced services in response to changing industry and consumer needs or trends; mergers, acquisitions, and the integration of acquired businesses and technologies into our Company, divestitures, and the failure to realize anticipated financial benefits from these transactions, and events requiring us to write down our goodwill; decisions to change our business mix; changes in, and failure to manage effectively, exposure to foreign exchange rates, including the impact of the regulation of foreign exchange spreads on money transfers; changes in tax laws, or their interpretation, any subsequent regulation, and unfavorable resolution of tax contingencies; any material breach of security, including cybersecurity, or safeguards of or interruptions in any of our systems or those of our vendors or other third parties; cessation of or defects in various services provided to us by third-party vendors; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from restructuring-related initiatives, which may include decisions to downsize or to transition operating activities from one location to another, and to minimize any disruptions in our workforce that may result from those initiatives; our ability to attract and retain qualified key employees and to manage our workforce successfully; failure to manage credit and fraud risks presented by our agents, clients, and consumers; adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies; our ability to protect our trademarks, patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights, and to defend ourselves against potential intellectual property infringement claims; material changes in the market value or liquidity of securities that we hold; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations; (ii) events related to our regulatory and litigation environment, such as: liabilities or loss of business resulting from a failure by us, our agents, or their subagents to comply with laws and regulations and regulatory or judicial interpretations thereof, including laws and regulations designed to protect consumers, or detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illicit activity; increased costs or loss of business due to regulatory initiatives and changes in laws, regulations and industry practices and standards, including changes in interpretations, in the United States and abroad, affecting us, our agents or their subagents, or the banks with which we or our agents maintain bank accounts needed to provide our services, including related to anti-money laundering regulations, anti-fraud measures, our licensing arrangements, customer due diligence, agent and subagent due diligence, registration and monitoring requirements, consumer protection requirements, remittances, immigration, and sustainability reporting including climate-related reporting; liabilities, increased costs or loss of business and unanticipated developments resulting from governmental investigations and consent agreements with, or investigations or enforcement actions by regulators and other government authorities; liabilities resulting from litigation, including class-action lawsuits and similar matters, and regulatory enforcement actions, including costs, expenses, settlements, and judgments; failure to comply with regulations and evolving industry standards regarding consumer privacy, data use, the transfer of personal data between jurisdictions, and information security, failure to comply with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as regulations issued pursuant to it and the actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and similar legislation and regulations enacted by other governmental authorities in the United States and abroad related to consumer protection; effects of unclaimed property laws or their interpretation or the enforcement thereof; failure to maintain sufficient amounts or types of regulatory capital or other restrictions on the use of our working capital to meet the changing requirements of our regulators worldwide; changes in accounting standards, rules and interpretations, or industry standards affecting our business; and (iii) other events, such as catastrophic events and management’s ability to identify and manage these and other risks. 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WU-G View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/en/ CONTACT: Media Relations: Brad Jones media@westernunion.comInvestor Relations: Tom Hadley WesternUnion.IR@westernunion.com KEYWORD: COLORADO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE PERSONAL FINANCE PAYMENTS FINANCE BANKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY FINTECH SOURCE: The Western Union Company Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/13/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/13/2024 04:04 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/en
RICHMOND — He boasts that he can ring up Snoop Dogg on speed dial. Samuel L. Jackson depicted him in a Hollywood blockbuster. He commands speaking fees in all corners of the country, carrying trading cards and copies of his own book that he autographs for anyone who asks (and even some who don’t). And on Thursday night, Ken Carter was one of about two dozen people inside a basketball gym, where the only signs a game was taking place were the squeaks of sneakers and four buzzers to signal the end of each quarter. The stands were empty. There was no band, no students but for a few stragglers on their cell phones. Coach Carter is back at Richmond High School . Now 65, a grandfather and 25 years removed from the 1999 season depicted in the 2005 box-office hit, he faces a distinctly different challenge this time around. Look no further than the final score in his first game back on the bench, a 55-31 loss to a seven-player team from a small private Oakland academy. “Back in the day, the stands were full. I mean, totally full,” Carter said. “But I guarantee by our sixth game, we’re going to have this place full.” It was the Oilers’ fourth game of the season and their fourth loss. Carter had other engagements that prevented him from attending the previous three, forcing them to forfeit twice, and at first glance, he didn’t appear to be there Thursday, either. In his initial run with the program, from 1997-2002, Carter gained a reputation for wearing a suit and tie on game days and requiring his players to do the same. It was one of a number of rules set forth, as well as maintaining at least a 2.3 GPA, in a contract he had all of his players sign. Things have changed, and so has Carter’s wardrobe, which featured a navy blue, school-branded sweatsuit and unlaced white sneakers. He pledged to turn boys into men when he took over the program the first time around. Now, it’s about turning boys into basketball players. Back then, he inherited a team that had 45 players to fill out varsity, JV and freshman rosters. The team he took over this fall has 10 members, most of whom were struggling to fill out their jerseys. “Our kids are undersized, some of them their first year ever playing basketball,” Carter said. “I enjoy coaching here now more than I ever did, with the kids and their attitudes. The attitude of the kids is just wonderful. ... We have no problems academically. We’re just physically not a big team. But I think that’s going to change next year. I think we’re going to be pretty good next year.” Richmond has cycled through four coaches the past four years while posting one winning season, including a 1-21 finish last year while being outscored by an average of 48.5 points per game. Senior Jayden Briscoe said he believes Carter, a star player at Richmond in the 1970s, is dedicated to rebuilding the program. While it was Carter’s first time on the sidelines for a game, he has been coaching the team through practice all summer. “He makes us work a lot harder,” Briscoe said. “The other coaches, no hate to them, but their practices were a lot different. It’s a different work ethic. Carter, he’ll have us (scheduled to) practice for two hours and we’ll end up being there for four hours. The other coaches, it would be an hour and 30 minutes.” Carter plans to put his own resources into the program and hopes that his name recognition can prevent some of the area’s most talented players from opting for private school, such as Salesian, the private power just down the road that qualified for the state Open Division tournament. “There’s not a college coach in America that I can’t call that’s not going to return my call,” he said. The setting that inspired the film, where he returned Thursday night, couldn’t feel further from the bright lights of Hollywood. No player on the court had been born when the movie was released. But Carter clearly still carried weight with the current generation. “I wanted to see him so bad,” said Irvelle Winchester, a freshman guard for the opposing Envision Academy. “It was something that was local, so I liked the movie a lot. I didn’t know who he was until I watched it, but I was like, ‘Dang.’ How he turned a trash team into a good team. I lowkey look up to him.” After one physical play, Winchester fell to the floor and Carter jumped from his seat on the bench to go check on him. Afterward, Carter stuck around to take photos, sign autographs and chat with the entire opposing team and its coaches. After the handshake line, he made a beeline for the parking lot and returned with a stack of cards that he signed and passed around, along with a few copies of his book. “I’m one of the so-called celebrities that you can touch,” he said. “People ask me, ‘Why did I return to Richmond?’ First of all, it was just the love of Richmond. I’d like to see this school be extremely successful. Now I have a Rolodex of resources, so we can get things done. ... This completes the circle.”
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