The top-ranking budget official at the state Department of Finance and Administration and he has covered the state Legislature for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since November 2000 He previously spent several years covering the Idaho Legislature for the Lewiston Morning Tribune This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC El material de Associated Press es Copyright © 2025 derechos reservados Associated Press y no puede ser publicado audio y/o video de Associated Press no será publicado reescrito para su transmisión o publicación ni redistribuido directa o indirectamente en ningún medio Ni estos materiales de AP ni ninguna parte de los mismos pueden almacenarse en una computadora errores u omisiones de los mismos o de la transmisión o entrega de la totalidad o parte de los mismos o de cualquier daño que surja de cualquiera de los anteriores The period for Arkansas state government collecting state general revenue surpluses of $1 billion in a fiscal year is "likely over for the foreseeable future," the state's budget director.. Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism. Mike Wickline covers state politics, and he has covered the state Legislature for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since November 2000. He previously spent several years covering the Idaho Legislature for the Lewiston Morning Tribune. Copyright © 2025, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. – The 15U National Team picked up back-to-back wins by double digits and defeated Australia Team USA shutout Australia for the second time in as many games and improves to 2-0 in the International Friendship Series The 15U National Team has now scored 29 runs over two games and is on an 11-game unbeaten streak against international competition Back-to-back wins by 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞-𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐬 🙌#ForGlory🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/LClVzsgAY5 Despite a slower start than in yesterday’s contest Team USA readily adjusted and once again won big against its opponents from Down Under threw an admirable 3.0 innings in which one run was conceded but the big bats of Team USA could only be suppressed for so long backstop Cooper Collins drew first blood in the second inning setting the stage for starting pitcher Andrew Brech to pick up the win Brech flaunted an exceptional performance on the bump hurling 5.0 innings of one-hit ball while punching out seven batters Chase Cotton closed out the contest from there throwing 1.0 inning to secure the run-rule victory Team USA’s deadly offense stole the show in the fourth frame and proved to only get better as the game went on scoring 14 runs over the final three innings the offense ran through Jared Grindlinger and Rocco Maniscalco both of whom launched home runs in today’s win as the starting third baseman went 2-for-3 at the plate while driving in three runs and scoring three times himself .@andrewbrech1 is the first 15U National Team pitcher since Carson Bolemon in 2022 to throw 5.0 scoreless innings 🤯5.0 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 𝟕 Ks pic.twitter.com/mcjVDJFkyC ROCCOOOOOO‼️3-run 💣 for @RocManiscalco!T5 | 🇺🇸 7, 🇦🇺 0 pic.twitter.com/cE9IZPsS0W The 15U National Team plays its third contest against Australia tomorrow, September 9, at Auburn University. First pitch will be thrown at 2:00 p.m. local/3:00 p.m. ET; fans can follow live stats on GameChanger and the games will also be live streamed to the USA Baseball YouTube channel To follow along with all the action with the 15U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball15U on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Goldfinch Funeral Home is committed to the safety of the families we serve \u003ca href=\"/coronavirus-notice/\"\u003eRead More\u003c/a\u003e Bruce W. Brech, Sr., age 72, passed away on Friday, April 12, 2024, at Conway Medical Center. He was born on January 9, 1952, in Weehawken, NJ, the beloved son of the late William Conrad Brech and the late Marion Gertrude Brech. He dedicated... View Obituary & Service Information created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Made with love by funeralOne Timberlake x Nike shoe collab early access Making divots without a ball can be a great way to improve your game Welcome to Shaving Strokes a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way If you’ve never paid close attention to your divot after hitting a shot, you’re doing yourself a disservice Because when you take the time to analyze what your divot looks like you can learn a lot about how your golf game looks For instance, if you have a directional divot — meaning one that either points to the left or right — you know that your clubface was either open or closed at impact This can help you make some necessary adjustments prior to your next shot to straighten out your impact In fact, you don’t even need a golf ball to figure out a shot’s result, according to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brech Spradley — and he shows you why in the video below but it’s also one that so many players overcomplicate Spradley demonstrates a unique ball-striking drill that not only helps with your contact but also provides instant feedback — and it only takes a few simple divots to do (Editor’s Note: GOLF.com cannot be held legally responsible for the outcome of this drill on your lawn.) set up like you’re going to hit a ball and take a divot from your trail heel all the way to your lead heel — so all these divots look like a semi-circle,” Spradley explains “We’re trying to mess up a lot [towards the back heel] and then overcook [near the front heel].” Spradley then takes a bunch of swings and makes a bunch of golf divots and using different angles of attack — all to provide himself with feedback based on his swing feels Now that he’s felt how his divots look throughout the stages of contact Spradley knows what his proper contact should look like the buttons on your shirt should be pointed at about 30 degrees in front of the ball,” he shares Spradely peeked at a few divots to assess my swing and you got your chest more on top of the golf ball when you hit it so you weren’t leaning back,” he says “So I’d do that around-the-world drill a little bit to break that [leaning back] habit.” It’s a great drill to feel your body and swing movements and can ensure better contact — just don’t expect the groundskeeper will be too thrilled after you try it out All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team Detri Brech receives Outstanding Nutrition Educator Award Ouachita to hold record-breaking Spring Commencement May 10 American Chemical Society wins $10,000 Kluck Service Enrichment Grant Ouachita names Rachel Martinez 2025 Support Staff Member of the Year Ouachita seniors win first place at Governor's Cup Business Plan Competition Frightful Stillness of the Tomb Ouachita Baptist University Apply Now Give to Ouachita Visit Ouachita Ouachita Baptist University's website uses cookies to improve user experience, analyze site usage and aid in student recruitment. To learn more, read Ouachita's privacy policy Aberdeen to Ashlee and Craig Hansen of Turton Grandparents are Mark & Lori Daniels of Brandon Great-grandparents are Carol Deffley of Winner and Sebastian & Rita Gisi of Aberdeen Jos Brech seized near Catalan village after being recognised from police photos A suspect in the murder of an 11-year-old Dutch schoolboy 20 years ago has been arrested in Spain after a Europe-wide manhunt triggered by the Netherlands’ largest ever DNA testing programme a former scout leader and playgroup worker adding that the 55-year-old “was taken into custody and will be returned to the Netherlands” Investigators said advanced analysis had revealed Brech’s DNA was a “perfect one-for-one match” with traces found on the body of Nicky Verstappen who was reported missing from a summer camp near the German border on 10 August 1998 De Telegraaf newspaper posted a video of Spanish police arresting Brech near “a kind of commune” outside the village of Castellterçol reportedly while he was out collecting firewood The paper said it had been called on Saturday by a Dutch national visiting the isolated wooded area who had recognised Brech from police photographs “The witness had spoken to Brech on several occasions and had specific information,” Telegraaf crime reporter Marcel Vink told the Dutch national broadcaster NOS and had details I could reasonably check.” the chief suspect in an unsolved murder that has held the Netherlands in thrall for two decades had been living partly under canvas and partly in an abandoned building on the site Brech is a survival expert used to living for extended periods in the wild Johan Mees, a fellow bushcraft enthusiast who knew Brech well and found his laptop in a cabin he had used earlier this year in the mountainous Vosges region of France, told NOS that in the weeks before his disappearance the suspect had carried out several online searches for deserted villages in Spain. Nicky’s body, which showed signs of sexual assault, was found in woodland a few miles from the camp in the Brunssummerheide nature reserve the day after his disappearance. Despite an intensive and heavily publicised manhunt at the time, police failed to identify a suspect. After recent advances in DNA analysis, Dutch authorities appealed in May last year for about 20,000 men in the Limburg area to come forward and provide samples for a mass testing programme. Almost 15,000 did so. Brech, who left the Netherlands last October and in February told his family he was on an extended wilderness hiking trip in the Vosges region, was not among those to volunteer. Read moreBut the DNA of a close relative showed enough similarities with the 1998 sample to flag him as a potential suspect and after a search of his home forensic scientists successfully lifted DNA from his pyjamas who at the time of Nicky’s death lived eight miles away from the campsite had been questioned three times during the inquiry – including two days after the murder when he was stopped close to the crime scene after midnight A video released by the Dutch crime watch TV show Opsporing Verzocht said Brech who was briefly a suspect in a separate 1985 sexual assault case was an experienced woodsman and survivalist who frequently used natural hiding places mountain huts and caves for shelter when on his treks “This is someone who often takes a long time to respond to emails because he has no mobile phone or social media accounts us used to being unreachable for long periods,” police said last week Brech Spradley’s office — a picturesque space tucked into the back of Barton Creek Resort’s Fazio Canyons course just 20-something minutes from downtown Austin — is jam-packed with awards To keep a gig as good as his for two decades there’s a little networking and schmoozing that comes with the territory But the Chuck Cook disciple is sincere when he talks about teaching the game and watching the Austin golf community grow More: Could Austin's new Golfinity become a national brand? now the owner and director of instruction at Barton Creek Golf Academy was recently named a Top 100 Teacher in America something that’s not new for him during his stay He’s not only been prominent in area golf circles but Spradley’s been a fixture on the Golf Channel for years as part of the Golf Channel Academy “It’s nice to be recognized for the work I think the best advertisement you can get is word of mouth,” he said Spradley has found his place as a mentor for young golfers a product of the academy who excelled at Westlake and is now at SMU was recently on the Golfweek college players to watch list More: Jordan Spieth: Move to SEC is good for all Texas sports Spradley cut his teeth teaching at a driving range in Dallas back in 1994 then tried to play professionally for a bit before settling in at Barton Creek After learning from Cook — and Spradley’s admiration still shines through for a mentor who has worked with PGA Tour pros Keegan Bradley Jason Dufner and Joe Ogilvie — the Corpus Christi native first assumed a teaching spot at the academy “I’m kind of a blend of the old and new You have some young teachers who are making a living just teaching on the internet But I say a big niche of mine has been the development of the elite junior players up through college,” Spradley said The Canyons course is ranked second on Golfweek’s Best Courses You Can Play in Texas and the other two tracks also make the list He agrees with the assessment that Canyons should be a notch higher saying “the thought is that this course is two to three shots harder because it’s got a few more blind shots.” but Canyons has some holes that never seem to disappoint an uphill beast of a par 4 that's forced many players to stop for a cocktail at the turn And Spradley also knows he’s one of many outstanding coaches in the Central Texas region one that continues to produce stronger talent each year you have to do all the things — you have to show your face You’ve got to put the time in,” he said if you’re getting people better — and nobody can bat a thousand — if you’re doing a good job that’s how you make a living and that’s how you get your book full.” Sergio Garcia shines again at Ryder CupLocal part-time resident Sergio Garcia cemented his name in the Ryder Cup history books at Whistling Straits who was playing in the event for the 10th time extended his career total to 28½ points He also holds the mark for most matches won with 25 More: Scottie Scheffler earned Ryder Cup bid with strong Austin showing This week he's off to the PGA Tour's Sanderson Farms Championship at the Country Club of Jackson in Miss. He is the only Ryder Cup player making the trip assistant captain Zach Johnson also will compete this week • Gary Durbin captured his second Texas Senior Amateur at Houston’s Westwood Golf Club last weekend Rob Teets was the highest local finisher as the Austinite finished T-12 while area golfers Larry Nunez and Michael Allen both finished in the top 25 More: Mini-golf? Dripping Springs’ Dreamland ups the ante on an old premise Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock within a driver and subsequent wedge from Dell Diamond. Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee The budget director at the state Department of Finance and Administration has been promoted to deputy director of budget at the finance department This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette You know those rounds where your ball-striking is off and you can’t seem to hit the ball anywhere near your target but those days shouldn’t ruin a scorecard You’re probably asking how that’s even possible In the video above, GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brech Spradley shares some building blocks that provide insurance against bad ball-striking days which help you get back to basics rather than get frustrated — and create the perfect golf swing “There are some foundational building blocks that you are safeguarding yourself of having any really bad days of ball-striking,” says Spradley By practicing the following steps on the range you can use them to develop the perfect golf swing allowing for better consistency with each shot — and giving yourself more chances to score lower because of it “The first drill in building your perfect golf swing is what I call the impact drill,” Spradley tells me I want to set you up in a pretty fundamentally sound impact position.” he tells me about the four pillars of impact start with about 80 percent of your pressure on the lead foot The second one is having your pelvis at about 45 degrees so we’re going to kind of open you up The third one is called ‘the little Y,’ so we have a flat lead wrist and [your forearms] form what we call the ‘little Y,’ so it’s an easy visual And then the fourth one is we’re checking where your head position is; which is right up against the back of the ball.” Spradley then has me start from that impact position to hit a couple of shots explaining that it’s “a little bit of a punch shot.” The next building block towards creating the perfect golf swing is working on a full release “We’re going to keep ‘the little Y’ and use the same backswing,” Spradley instructs “The first [drill] was like a little This is basically a follow through where everything is back extended.” Spradley has me go into the ‘L position,’ meaning he’s having me work on a two-thirds golf swing “Work back in and get that same feel of where you were at impact stopping at the same point you just did [in full release] Spradley now has me work through completing my swing structure going from a two-thirds backswing to two-thirds follow through “Now we’re going to go into ‘the other L,’” he tells me “We’re going to let the lead arm fold having your head peek around the corner a little bit the last building block for the perfect golf swing is making sure there’s a pivot at the top of the backswing “What the best players are really good at doing is turning the L back and using their pivot to get [the club] back up,” Spradley says “A lot of golfers fight [that feeling] and finish the swing off with their arms and break down a lot.” He then explains how this structure should feel “I want you to feel like there’s a tube around the shaft you’re stretching the shaft through a tube so it’s working on the same angle “We’re finishing it off with a turn as opposed to just arms.” By using these building blocks in practice Spradley says these “vitamin drills” can serve as a baseline for making better contact; while correcting any swing mistakes “We can derive what kind of swing feels you need out of these to go play with,” he adds “Most mistakes in the golf swing can be located in one of those drills.” Compressing the golf ball is a skill that the best players utilize in their games, as it helps them make ball-first contact and optimize their shot for the most distance and control But for mid-handicappers like myself (and many of you reading) it’s not something that’s easily learned we may be able to compress the ball every so often with many amateur golfers not knowing what they did properly in order to do it One of the first things required for ball compression is knowing how to take a proper divot — meaning you hit the ball first and then the ground it means you’re hitting the turf first whereas tops means you’re simply not engaging with the ground at all As I continue on my journey toward breaking 80 for the first time, I know I must become a better ball-striker This means compressing the ball and making purer contact To work toward doing this, I recently got a lesson from GOLF Top 100 Teacher Brech Spradley who walked me through a simple divot drill to help give me the feel of where my club should be during the golf swing Take a look below to learn a few things of your own Spradley discusses an obvious weakness with my ball-striking “Nick struggles with good compression and getting that nice dollar-bill divot past the ball,” he says But this isn’t uncommon for Spradley to see when he’s on the lesson tee with amateur players “When I do golf schools with mid-to-high handicappers they need a little better understanding of what’s going on with the hands and wrists through impact,” he adds “But the key is uncocking my wrist like a hammer allows the club to go outward — which means it’s moving towards the ground “A lot of golfers tend to fight a scoop the club goes away from the ground.” This is where Spradley dives into a simple divot drill to help improve my contact and “When we come into impact in the golf swing we have a cocked left wrist and a cocked right wrist — with the latter being more of an extension It’s in this area that the lead wrist begins uncocking and moving down This is the feeling that a lot of people tend to override Spradley says I need to start digging the leading edge into the ground — which will help compress the golf ball and produce a proper divot But it also requires pushing the upper body up and the wrist is getting it down,” he adds really working on how my wrists hinge and how I utilize the leading edge prior to ball-first contact he reminds me to keep going through the process which will eventually lead me to compressing the ball you’ll notice the club flying through,” he says “You just need a little better understanding of the hammer [and how to dig that club into the ground before impact].” By really understanding how to produce the right kind of divot and in the right place (after the ball) I can learn how to compress the golf ball and begin hitting flush shots So give this a try for yourself to see similar results You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience Jim Brech and Peggy Manges both of Albert Lea announce the engagement of their daughter son of Arthur Smith and the late Jaris Smith of Albert Lea Amanda is a 1999 graduate of Glenville-Emmons High School She is employed at Agilis Company in Albert Lea Jim is a 1990 graduate of Albert Lea High School a 1992 graduate of Waldorf College in Forest City and a 2000 graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall He is employed with the Glenville-Emmons School District A June 2 wedding is planned at United Methodist Church in Albert Lea The Minnesota Timberwolves (33-29) are home in Northwest Division play versus the Utah Jazz (15-45) on Sunday which includes the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Florida Panthers Top 25 teams will take the court across two games on Monday’s college basketball schedule The college basketball schedule on Monday should provide some fireworks Our computer model has provided picks against the… Ranked teams are on Monday’s college basketball schedule for two games including the Kansas Jayhawks squaring off against… A budding young tennis star — and coach determined to inspire — are starting to make some racket in Selma Anna Brech is a rising star on Morgan Academy’s state championship tennis team who only lost one match during the entire season — as a freshman “It makes me like proud to see what I’ve done,” said Brech “But it also makes me want to work even harder to let it be a hundred percent.” Brech has been training with Coach Nesbert Vaval for about a year I’ve never seen somebody suck in tennis as quick as that “I go watch her play and she’s remembering it from that lesson and just doing it on recall.” Vaval says along with teaching tennis skills — he uses the game and his Christian faith to teach life lessons — like the value of hard work and how to be comfortable in your own skin “You have to be comfortable with your game And the more we get comfortable with our game the better it goes We will go through hardship but at the end of the day Vaval says he’s on a mission to inspire more young people around Selma to take up the sport Anna’s younger sister Sarah — already has She’s only in 7th grade — and baby got back hand Just like getting athletic and just running around and having a good time,” she said Vaval says tennis can give kids another way — to escape some of the traps and pitfalls — that can destroy a life Anyone who’d like to get lessons can call Coach Nesbert Vaval at (786) 202-4925 8 On Your Side i-Team Saving Selma Pay It Forward What the Tech Mugshots Sister Maria Kim Brech educator and missioner to Guatemala for nearly 40 years She was 88 and had served as a Maryknoll Sister for 67 years she felt the call to missionary life at age 19 while working as a toll poster for Bell Telephone Company in N.Y.C Then known as Gloria Margaret Brech from St she entered the Maryknoll Sisters community in 1945 After completing studies at Maryknoll Teachers College and the New York Institute of Dietetics she took charge of the kitchen at the Sisters Center at Maryknoll She also served in the kitchen and bakery at the Maryknoll Junior Seminary in Mountain View After a parish assignment in South Carolina and one year of language study she was assigned to utilize her food service skills at the Sisters’ residence in Guatemala City Your email will be used to send you The Tablet newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy. More info Create your free account or log in to continue reading The Tablet is the newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, serving Brooklyn and Queens since 1908.© 2025 DeSales Media Group, Inc. Website by 345 Design ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Liquidnet continues to bulk up its newly formed Execution & Quantitative Services Group by hiring two new veteran equities executives The block trading and global institutional network announced that it has further expanded its Execution & Quantitative Services (EQS) Group with two new hires Craig Viani joins Liquidnets Algo Services Group as an execution consultant a veteran with over 20 years of industry experience to his new role comes from the Market Structure & Technology Research at Greenwich Associates where he advised institutional clients on the challenges of electronic trading in US equities he served as Managing Director and Head of US Electronic Trading Product Management at ConvergEx smart order routing and algorithmic technologies Jerry Casey comes onboard as Head of Trading Strategy Also a professional with over 20 years of experience brings Liquidnet experience in program trading corporate actions and quant-based trading ideas he was with Barclays Capital as a member of the Global Portfolio Sales Team the co-head of EMEA prime services for Credit Suisse will next month leavethe bank after almost a decade to pursue “outside interests,” according to an internal memo.The bank will conduct a search for Brechs replacement the memo noted.Brech wanted to see his team through its transition to Dublin will become CEO of the banks Dublin prime operations which is buying rival ICAPs voice-broking division said that itwill reduce headcount in its interdealer business in Europe and North America by about 70 people more than than the job cuts it announced in November.The cuts equivalent to 7.5 percent of front-office staff in the interdealer unit will result in 25 million pounds ($36 million) of charges to the companys 2015 accounts the preeminent and most integrated provider of residential real estate services in the United States today announced the appointment of former NYSE CEODuncan Niederauer to its Board of Directors With his appointment as an independent director the Realogy Board now consists of 10 directors eight of whom are classified as independent directors for purposes of the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange The Realogy Board has not yet determined the committees on which Mr UBS Wealth Management has hired former Brevan Howard partner Vinay Pande as managing director and head of trading within its chief investment office (CIO).Pande will form part of a four-person team within the CIO focusing on ultra-high net worth and alternatives His team will include former Brevan colleagues Gerald Lucas Yang Tang and Miguel Costa.Prior to joining Brevan in 2012 Pande was a managing director with Deutsche Bank between 2006 and 2012 after a stint as portfolio manager with hedge fund Caxton Associates.He has also held trading roles with Goldman Sachs Credit Suisse and JP Morgan and served as World Bank CIO between 1985 and 1993 Bond firm Siebert Brandford Shank hired Jeffrey Mahoney as managing director in institutional sales the 30-year veteran was most recently executive director of municipal securities at Morgan Stanley he was a director of municipal securities sales at Citigroup where he was a municipal securities trader and a part of the institutional sales team As the state prepares to usher in medical marijuana some Arkansans are already getting their certification to take it 220 people have been certified by the state to get their medical marijuana card Robert Brech of the Arkansas Health Department says they’ve approved about 50 percent from the applications they've received "As of today I don't know of any actual rejections other than we've sent them back trying to get clarification,” Brech said “There's some things people are just missing whether it's just the written certification from a physician whether or not they're signing the bottom of that form Brech says cards will be sent out 30 days before marijuana goes on sale nearly 1,000 people have created an account on the Health Department's website to start the process "I think maybe some people are discouraged or surprised that the numbers are so low but at this point I wouldn't put too much into that people aren't in a big rush,” Brech said there are six doctors listed on the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association's website as doctors who are willing to write certifications The only central Arkansas doctor is Betsy Hendricks of Conway David Diffine is listed in Blytheville and Paragould John House is listed in Eureka Springs and Dr opening in August in Fort Smith is a clinic that will be partially dedicated to medical marijuana called Ft The Health Department says they'll be checking those certifications to make sure they're valid "We may ensure that a doctor filled it out but I don't think we're going to be looking behind that,” Brech said The application process for cultivation sites and dispensaries is still underway so the actual sale of marijuana is not expected until sometime next year No federal American Rescue Plan funds will be used to directly offset the potential tax cuts that lawmakers will consider in the special session planned to begin Aug MELBOURNE – Is Ais pronounced “Eye-ees?” Or “Ice?” Or another way It doesn’t matter to Brevard history lovers who gathered Saturday to unveil an official state marker celebrating the area once home to the Ais Indian town of Pentoaya there’s no debate about the importance of the area and the people who summered on the arc-shaped sand bluffs surrounding the western edge of what’s now Ballard Park one of 48 such markers around the Space Coast was paid for by the Tourist Development Council placed by workers from Melbourne’s parks department sparkled in the sun as the history behind it was explained by officials from the Brevard County Historical Commission “We are probably the only beings on Earth who remember those who go before us,” said David Paterno “This is one of the reasons for historical markers .. we hope this will be around in perpetuity.” According to Historical Commission officials who apply for such signs through the state the segment of the Indian River Lagoon that stretches from the newly marked site to Floridana Beach was once called Pentoaya Lagoon Pentoaya’s wintertime location was in what’s now Indian Harbour Beach along the barrier island near present-day Gleason Park Two local men were spurred to action after reading an article about the summer site who’s been fascinated with Indians since childhood “They’re the ones who did all the legwork,” Brech said We would be in the Indian River Lagoon right now,” Brech said “Somewhere in this area is a submerged boat sunk sometime in the 1800s This Ballard Park area was dredged material from the Eau Gallie River thrown off in the 1940s by the CCC (Citizen Conservation Corps) this was not here when the Indians lived here.” But Ais-centered history permeates the area An earthen ramp that runs from the first house to the north of Thomas Barbour Drive to Ballard Park may have been prehistoric and constructed by the Indians as well have found material from those long-ago Brevard residents — shards from a soapstone vessel Brevard’s other 47 state-marked sites range from the Pritchard House in Titusville to the Old Town Hall History Center in Melbourne Beach and the First Congregational Church at U.S “It’s so nice that we’re finally recognizing the history around us,” said Jane Beach who serves the commission as a District 5 citizen advisory board member Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com Follow her on Twitter @bybrittkennerly or at Facebook.com/bybrittkennerly Know a site you think might qualify for a state-recognized historic marker? Contact the Brevard County Historical Commission, 321-633-1794 or http://www.brevardcounty.us/HistoricalCommission. 2020 Jos Brech is charged with abduction and manslaughter Photo: Police issueJos Brech is charged with abduction and manslaughter Photo: Police issueThe man accused of abducting and killing 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen in 1998 has told his trial that the boy was already dead when he found him Jos Brech is alleged to have snatched Nicky Verstappen from a summer camp in Brunssummerheide sexually assaulting him then killing him to conceal the crime The boy’s body was found the next day a kilometre away Other than a brief statement during an earlier procedural hearing in which he denied having anything to do with Nicky’s disappearance Brech has so far exercised his right to silence the 57-year-old told the court that he had found the boy’s dead body on the heath and panicked because he had a previous history of offences involving young boys which explained why his DNA was found on Nicky’s body and underwear ‘I didn’t know what else to do,’ he said in a recorded video message played to the court ‘I left as fast as I could and went home ‘I have made wrong decisions that I can’t change I have exercised my right to silence for a long time which is why it’s good for me to tell my story now The parents have the right to know.’ The case was unsolved for 20 years until a mass DNA profiling exercise in 1998 linked Brech to the crime via family members Prosecutors say 27 traces of DNA on Nicky’s body and clothing match the suspect’s profile Brech is charged with possessing child pornography and qualified manslaughter which refers to the act of killing a person to cover up another crime The prosecution case is likely to hang on the DNA evidence and the testimony of two witnesses who say they saw Brech riding his bike through Brunssummerheide with a boy on the back on the night of the kidnapping. The development led to a Europe-wide search for Brech, who had been reported missing by his family in April 2018. He was tracked down to a remote area outside Barcelona where he was living in the wild, and has been held in custody ever since. We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days! We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here. Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey. 2022 Nicky Verstappen's parents listen to the verdict Photo: Remko de Wal ANPNicky Verstappen’s parents listen to the verdict Photo: Remko de Wal ANPAppeal court judges in Den Bosch have sentenced Jos Brech to 16 years in jail for the kidnapping manslaughter and sexual abuse of Nicky Verstappen the 11-year-old boy taken from a tent at a campsite in 1998 The court said it had also taken into account the parent’s wait of more than 20 years to find out what had happened to their child in imposing the longer sentence the fact that Jos Brech had never showed any remorse for the death also played a role In November 2020, a lower court sentenced Brech to 12.5 years in jail for abusing and kidnapping the boy The public prosecution department had called for a 20 year sentence Nicky disappeared from a summer camp on the Brunssummerheide 1998 and his body was found the next day over a kilometre away The case was unsolved for 20 years until a mass DNA profiling exercise in 2018 linked Brech to the crime via family members Prosecutors say 27 traces of DNA on Nicky’s body and clothing match the suspect’s profile The development led to a Europe-wide search for Brech, who had been reported missing by his family in April 2018. He was tracked down to a remote area outside Barcelona where he was living in the wild, arrested and extradited to face charges. Brech was also found guilty of possessing child pornography. Central Valley — Some time Wednesday of last week, thieves jacked up Theresia Brech's brand-new Acura TL Type-S luxury car, stripped it of its four tires, and then, when they were unable to get in the car using tools, bashed in a window. This happened not on a side street, or in a big city, but right in the middle of a parking lot at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in broad daylight. Surprising in its brazenness, the crime has sparked fear among mall employees, as well as anger at what they say is an insufficient level of security. "This is what I get for parking behind the (expletive) blue line," Brech said, referring to the employee parking spaces demarcated by a blue line in the very back of the mall's parking lots. The thieves did their handiwork under a slightly overcast sky between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and within full view of passing cars on Route 32, Brech said. They left the hood open, a jack underneath one side of the car, and the other side resting atop a used tire. They also stole from the trunk shopping bags filled with expensive pocketbooks and scarves Brech had recently bought, as well as car tools. Shattered glass remained yesterday at the site of the theft. Most of the mall's parking lots are sprawling fields of asphalt, requiring some employees to walk as far as 80 yards, often at night, with sporadic security patrols as protection, mall employees said. None of the parking lots have security cameras, employees said. Neither Woodbury town police nor mall management returned calls for this story. The mall requires its workers to park behind the blue line in the back of the lots to create more convenient parking for customers. Those violating the policy are ticketed. Brech and other employees at the mall said the policy is unfair. They said they regularly experience or hear about car thefts and accidental damage to employees' cars. They have repeatedly asked to be allowed to park closer to their stores, if only during the slow business seasons, but the mall has denied their requests, they said. The mall's security patrols seem more concerned with finding workers who violate the blue line policy rather than protecting them, they said. "You know we were saying just yesterday, 'This place is turning into like New York City,'" said Brech's boss, Nick Ruggiero. "At any time of day, I can find stories from people who had experiences with their cars in the parking lot." Brech's colleagues, Launa Kruithof and Debbie Maldonado, have both had damage to their vehicles recently, they said. Employees want to know why the mall has not installed security cameras in the parking lot, as suggested by Woodbury police, Ruggiero said. "My only question is, where is security?" Kruithof said. The latest incident also has employees, especially women, worried about their personal safety. "There are times we walk out there late at night, and there's nothing, no security camera or anything, and it's difficult to find the mall's patrol cars," Brech said. "Nobody feels safe anymore." 2018 Jos Brech is charged with abduction and manslaughter Photo: Police issueJos Brech is suspected of killing the boyJos Brech the man suspected of killing 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen over 20 years ago was known as a sex offender and had been treated after molesting several boys the Limburger and AD newspapers reported on Friday is their main suspect for the killing in 1998 following dna tests on 15,000 men in Limburg The Limburger said Brech told police three years after the killing that he had been treated for a ‘sex crime’ Police have already said he was questioned twice in the investigation into Nicky’s death – once after he was spotted near the scene where Nicky’s body had been dumped and then again twice Brech said he had committed a sex offence involving children in 1985 and had undergone therapy The case was dropped and there is nothing about it in police files However, local paper reports write of a 22-year-old man from Simpleveld The AD said on Friday that the police warned scouts organisations in 2002 Brech had a history of sexual offences and that he formed a danger for children. The claim is made by Frank Peters, a former police officer who has been a member of the Heerlen scout troop for 57 years. ‘This is a man that you don’t want in the scouts.’ Peters claims he was told by a member of the police team reinvestigating Nicky’s death in 2002. Peters says he confronted Brech with the warning and that he confessed to being attracted to boys. Brech left the scouts movement in 2002. Brech, a known survivalist, has been officially missing since April, after leaving for France last year. An international warrant has been issued for his arrest. You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 2018 Spanish police released photographs of the arrestSpanish police have released photographs of the arrestJos Brech the man wanted for the murder of 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen over 20 years ago has been arrested in Spain and will be extradited to the Netherlands Brech was found after a tip-off from another Dutchman He told the Telegraaf he had spoken to Brech several times before photos showing Brech were broadcast on Dutch television Brech was found in an isolated wooded area some 50 kilometres from Barcelona He was living in a tent near a large house which was used as ‘a sort of commune’ and chopping wood at the time of his arrest Last Wednesday police revealed a dna match with Brech after a mass testing of men in the Limburg region He was identified through the dna of a family member was reported missing by his family in April this year after going to France Dutch police told a news conference on Monday they suspected he may have moved on to Spain because he had researched isolated Spanish villages on the internet Nicky Verstappen was taken from his tent while at summer camp in August 1998 His body was found the next day but his killer has never been identified A cold case team started re-investigating the murder five years ago and now new techniques allowed scientists to identify dna found on Nicky’s body and clothes On Friday it emerged that Brech was a known sex offender. The paper says court officials feel there is not enough evidence to convict Brech of deliberately setting out to kill Nicky and have called on the public prosecution department to soften the charge Manslaughter carries a maximum of 15 years in jail while people found guilty of murder can be sentenced to life imprisonment Journalist Peter R de Vries, who has supported the family in their efforts to find out what happened to their son, told the Telegraaf they were expecting this ‘It was pretty obvious from the start that murder could not be proved,’ he said Manslaughter is the highest charge that can be brought unless Brech was arrested in Spain on August 26 just a few days after police announced that his DNA had been found on the boy’s body Update: Brech’s laywer Gerald Roethof said on Friday evening that his client had not carried out the crime but declined to give further details ‘until the time is right’ We could not provide the Dutch News service without the generous support of our readers Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days We could not provide this service without you