A tribute to Lawrence Dixon said: “To many he was more than a landlord, he was a friend, a storyteller, a familiar face behind the bar, and the person who made The Champ feel like home”

A popular Cambridge pub has closed after its landlord died on Thursday night (April 2). The Champion of the Thames has closed andlord Lawrence Dixon – who was the pub’s ‘heart and soul’ – died.

The pub has announced that it will not be reopening ‘as we know it’ in a statement on Friday (April 3). The statement said: “It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Lawrence Dixon passed away peacefully last night. For over 25 years, Lawrence was the heart and soul of The Champion of the Thames.

“To many he was more than a landlord, he was a friend, a storyteller, a familiar face behind the bar, and the person who made The Champ feel like home. The pub was never just a business to him; it was a community built on conversation, laughter, real ale, and genuine connection.”

The statement continued: “We know how much The Champ meant to so many people, and how many friendships, memories, and traditions were created within its walls under Lawrence’s care. He was immensely proud of the staff, the regulars, and everyone who walked through the door over the years.

“As a family, we kindly ask for privacy at this time as we come to terms with our loss. Sadly, this also means that The Champion of the Thames will not reopen under the Dixon family name, and The Champ as we know it will close its doors as of today.

“This is not a decision taken lightly, but one that reflects the end of an era that was so closely tied to Lawrence himself. We would like to thank every member of staff, every loyal regular, every visitor, and every friend who helped make The Champ what it became over the past quarter century.

“You were all part of Lawrence’s extended family, and your support meant the world to him. Lawrence is now at peace, and we take comfort in knowing how loved and respected he was by this community.”

In more recent years, the pub has been known by locals as a “traditional, no-nonsense watering hole”. It’s loved for its city location and weekly pub quizzes.

The pub has won many awards over the years. It is consistently listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. It was also the winner of the CAMRA Pub of the Year 2024 Cambridge City and District and Cambridgeshire.

A pre-kindergarten teacher’s aide in New Jersey has been arrested and charged over the sexual assault of “multiple” children over the course of more than a decade.

Shaun M. Stebbins, 43, was arrested Sunday and is facing a slew of charges including aggravated sexual assault of a victim under 13 and various crimes relating to child pornography, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

The charges stem from reported incidents involving a number of victims between 2014 and 2025, though prosecutors said they were “deeply concerned” there may be more children impacted.

“We are issuing this press release to make the public aware of these heinous allegations,” Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds said in a statement. “We are deeply concerned that there may be additional victims, particularly given the defendant’s access to children through his employment.

“As we have seen in other recent cases, individuals who prey on children often place themselves in positions of trust within schools, organizations, and youth programs to gain access to victims,” Reynolds added.

Stebbins has worked as an aide in a preschool class at Woodbine for several years, according to The New York Times. He was reportedly honored as one of the employees of the year, though all pictures of him appeared to have been deleted from the district’s social media pages as of Friday.

The claims against Stebbins first emerged two weeks ago when four students came forward and shared details of their alleged abuse with authorities, a relative of one of the victims told The NYT.

Reynolds said his office was putting out the information about the arrest of Stebbins “out of an abundance of caution… despite the holiday weekend and in advance of the scheduled detention hearing.”

Charges against Stebbins were brought following an investigation conducted by the Somers Point Police Department with assistance from the County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit.

The county prosecutor said the investigation revealed that over a period exceeding 10 years, Stebbins allegedly committed multiple sexual acts against multiple victims under the age of 13. He’s also accused of creating and possessing child sexual abuse material.

The unnamed victim’s relative told The NYT that Stebbins spent a lot of time online, including on livestreams, and claimed investigators had taken 15 hard drives and other devices from his home.

The Independent has contacted the Somers Point Police Department for further information as well as the Woodbine School District for comment.

Stebbins was arrested by the Somers Point Police Department and is currently being held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility. He is due to appear in court Monday morning.

In a message to parents, obtained by NBC Philadelphia, Superintendent Adrienne Breitinger said the district currently had no extra information to share.

“As you may be aware, an aide assigned to one of our classrooms was arrested last week,” the message read. “At this time, the District does not have any additional information beyond what has been reported in the media regarding the investigation.

“Upon being informed of the arrest, the District immediately requested a replacement aide. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in his 2027 budget released Friday, the largest such request in decades, reflecting his emphasis on U.S. military investments over domestic programs.

The sizable increase for the Pentagon, some 44%, had been telegraphed by the Republican president even before the U.S.-led war against Iran. The president’s plan would also reduce spending on non-defense programs by 10%.

“President Trump promised to reinvest in America’s national security infrastructure, to make sure our nation is safe in a dangerous world,” wrote Budget Director Russell Vought.

The president’s annual budget is considered a reflection of the administration’s values and does not carry the force of law. The massive document typically highlights an administration’s priorities, but Congress, which handles federal spending issues, is free to reject it and often does.

This year’s White House document is intended to provide a road map from the president to Congress as lawmakers build their own budgets and annual appropriations bills to keep the government funded. Vought spoke to House GOP lawmakers on a private call Thursday.

Trump, speaking ahead of an address to the nation this week about the Iran war, signaled the military is his priority, setting up a clash ahead in Congress.

“We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care,” Trump said at a private White House event Wednesday.

“It’s not possible for us to take care of day care, Medicaid, Medicare — all these individual things,” he said. “They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal.”

Money for immigration enforcement, air traffic controllers and national parks

Among the priorities the White House called for:

—Supporting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and deportation operations by eliminating aspects of a refugee resettlement aid program, maintaining Immigration and Customs Enforcement funds at current year levels and drawing on last’s year’s increases for the Department of Homeland Security funds to continue opening detention facilities, including 100,000 beds for adults and 30,000 for families.

— A 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and the president’s promise to stop what the White House calls migrant crime.

— A $10 billion fund within the National Park Service for “construction and beautification” projects in Washington, D.C.

— A $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.

Cuts to green energy, housing and health programs

— Cancels more than $15 billion from the Biden-era bipartisan infrastructure law, including funds for renewable energy projects and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, grants.

— A 19% cut in the Department of Agriculture, ending certain university grants, a 13% cut for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and about a 12% decrease to the Health and Human Services department, including cuts to a low-income heating assistance program.

The White House is touting cuts of what it calls “woke programs” that often direct federal investments toward low-income communities. The budget used the word “woke” 34 times

For example, the administration is looking to cut Community Services Block Grants, which funds activities such as financial and job counseling and helping people obtain adequate housing. The administration says its cuts would target grants “hijacked by radicals” to promote equity-building and green energy initiatives.

The president also seeks to cut $106 million in funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which it says has “pushed radical gender ideology onto children.”

Supporters and detractors

The Republican chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees applauded Trump’s request for defense spending, saying the money would ensure the country’s military remains the most advanced in the world while confronting growing threats from China, Russia, Iran and others.

“America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.

The top Democrat on House Budget Committee, Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, said the president was demanding a massive increase in defense while cutting billions from health care, housing and more.

“This budget represents ‘America Last,’” Boyle said.

Debt, deficits and tough choices ahead

With the nation running nearly $2 trillion annual deficits and the debt swelling past $39 trillion, the federal balance sheets have long been operating in the red.

About two-thirds of the nation’s estimated $7 trillion in annual spending covers the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs, as well as Social Security income, which are essentially growing — along with an aging population — on autopilot.

It’s the rest of the annual budget where much of the debate in Congress takes place, as Democrats over the years have insisted that changes in the level of spending for defense and non-defense need to be equitable.

The GOP’s big tax breaks bill that Trump signed into law last year boosted his priorities beyond the budget process — with at least $150 billion for the Pentagon over the next several years, and $170 billion for Trump’s immigration and deportation operations at the Department of Homeland Security.

The administration is counting on its allies in the Republican-led Congress to push part of president’s beefed up defense spending through its own budget process, as it was able to do last year.

It suggests $1.1 trillion for defense would come through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires support from both parties for approval, while $350 billion would go in the budget reconciliation process that Republicans can accomplish on their own, through party-line majority votes.

Congress still fighting over 2026 spending

The president’s budget arrives as the House and Senate remain tangled over current-year spending and stalemated over DHS funding, with Democrats demanding changes to Trump’s immigration enforcement regime that Republicans are unwilling to accept.

Trump announced Thursday he would sign an executive order to pay all DHS workers who have gone without paychecks during the record-long partial government shutdown that has reached 49 days.

Last year, in the president’s first budget since returning to the White House, Trump sought to fulfill his promise to vastly reduce the size and scope of the federal government, reflecting the efforts of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

However, while Trump had sought a roughly one-fifth decrease in non-defense spending, Congress kept such spending relatively flat.

Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, called Trump’s new budget “morally bankrupt.”

“Trump wants to build a ballroom,” Murray said, referring to the White House renovation. “I want to build more affordable housing, and only one of us sits on the Appropriations Committee.”

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Associated Press reporter Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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An earlier version of this story misstated what NOAA stands for. It is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Personal Independence Payment rates are rising from April 6, 2026, with millions of claimants set to receive more money for daily living and mobility support

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Millions of claimants are set to see their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) rates increase next week. Here is a breakdown of how much more you could receive.

PIP is the principal disability benefit for those under state pension age, awarded to individuals who require assistance with day-to-day tasks as a result of an illness, disability or mental health condition.

Rather than qualifying through a specific list of conditions, eligibility is determined by how your condition impacts your daily life. PIP is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The benefit comprises two components, both of which will rise by 3.8% from April 6, 2026. The daily living element currently stands at £73.90 per week for the standard rate and £110.40 per week for the enhanced rate. These figures will increase to £76.70 per week and £114.60 per week respectively, reports the Mirror.

The mobility component currently sits at £29.20 per week for the standard rate and £77.05 per week for the enhanced rate. These will rise to £30.30 per week and £80 per week. Claimants may be entitled to both the daily living and mobility components simultaneously.

PIP is typically awarded for a period of between nine months and 10 years, after which the claim is subject to review. Your award may be adjusted should your condition improve or deteriorate.

The DWP will ordinarily approve a PIP claim without a formal assessment for those who are terminally ill, with the award lasting three years before review. PIP is available to individuals aged 16 and over who are below state pension age.

If you’re receiving PIP and reach state pension age, your claim will typically carry on. You may be eligible to submit a fresh claim at state pension age if you qualified for PIP within the previous 12 months.