New memorial dedicated to veterans
A dedication will be held today to honor veterans with a new memorial. Our Kaitlyn Ross has more from Colonie Veteran Memorial Park.
Noonie Fortin is a friend of mine. Please click the link to see this tribute she was behind. She worked very, very hard to see this day come.
http://www.nooniefortin.com/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Veteran with ALS fights VA for benefits
If you are heartless enough to look at the claims tied up, the mountain of backlogged claims, and think for a second this is right, then I really feel sorry for you. What would it be like if you happen to be a civilian, hurt on the job and then have to wait over a year for a single check to pay your bills? What would it be like if Workman's Comp told you they were just too busy with other claims for you? Could you tell your mortgage company they just have to wait like you do?
Now, think about going to work for the nation in the military, training everyday for the day you would risk your life for the rest of the nation. What if you thought that it would be worth it if you were wounded the same nation would make sure you had what you needed to pay your bills and take care of your wounds? Then how would it feel when they didn't? You are left with whatever wound you carry, whatever illness caused by service that will stay with you the rest of your life plus bills you can no longer pay because of it.
Not great now is it? This is happening all over the country everyday while veterans wait to be taken care of, wait for claims to be approved and wait to be able to pay bills. One more thought. Did they make us wait when we said they needed to risk those lives and go off to war? The really sick part of all of this is that most of them would tell you they'd do it all over again even knowing how badly they had to suffer for doing it!
You've read about the false outrage over end of life decisions veterans are able to make. Well, here's one of the veterans that need the benefits he earned to help him make his days as comfortable as possible. Read this and then send it onto the people sending you the false outrage of the week about death book.
Now, think about going to work for the nation in the military, training everyday for the day you would risk your life for the rest of the nation. What if you thought that it would be worth it if you were wounded the same nation would make sure you had what you needed to pay your bills and take care of your wounds? Then how would it feel when they didn't? You are left with whatever wound you carry, whatever illness caused by service that will stay with you the rest of your life plus bills you can no longer pay because of it.
Not great now is it? This is happening all over the country everyday while veterans wait to be taken care of, wait for claims to be approved and wait to be able to pay bills. One more thought. Did they make us wait when we said they needed to risk those lives and go off to war? The really sick part of all of this is that most of them would tell you they'd do it all over again even knowing how badly they had to suffer for doing it!
You've read about the false outrage over end of life decisions veterans are able to make. Well, here's one of the veterans that need the benefits he earned to help him make his days as comfortable as possible. Read this and then send it onto the people sending you the false outrage of the week about death book.
Veteran with ALS fights VA for benefits
05:40 PM EDT on Monday, August 24, 2009
By RAD BERKY / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Rad: RBerky@WCNC.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A U.S. Army veteran who is fighting for his life is also fighting the Department of Veterans Affairs for his benefits.
"I'm frustrated with the VA," said Todd Overgaard at a news conference in Charlotte.
Overgaard decided to go public with his story, hoping coverage would force the VA to act.
Overgaard is 45 years old and has ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, a disease for which there is no cure. He has been in a back-and-forth struggle with the VA to get $72,000 for end-of-life benefits that he says he is entitled to in order to make handicapped upgrades to his home in Hendersonville.
The improvements his family says he needs include a special bathroom and a lift. He says his requests have been delayed and denied after years of trying.
His wife Cindy said, "The frustration is having to fight for something you know by law they are entitled to."
When he was in the Army, Overgaard was a chemical weapons instructor. Since he left the service, the military now recognizes ALS as a service-related disease, making vets eligible for benefits.
read more here
Veteran with ALS fights VA for benefits
Police, community mourn veteran Oakland officer
Police, community mourn veteran Oakland officer
By Sean Maher and Harry Harris
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 08/24/2009 05:40:29 PM PDT
Updated: 08/24/2009 08:21:06 PM PDT
OAKLAND — Murray Hoyle, a hardworking, highly respected 28-year Oakland police department veteran, died Saturday evening in a rural area of eastern Contra Costa County, authorities said. He was 51.
He fatally shot himself, investigators said. Though they declined to give a reason, they said he may have been having some personal problems. Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, he called 911 dispatchers in Contra Costa County to tell them he would do it and where they could find him.
It was the second time in slightly more than a year that an active-duty Oakland police officer took his own life. In July 2008, Lt. Derrick Norfleet fatally shot himself at his Vallejo home.
To a department still recovering from the March 21 killings of Sgts. Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans and Dan Sakai and Officer John Hege, coupled with Norfleet's death, Hoyle's suicide was a shock, especially since no one had seen any signs it would happen, members of the department said.
By Sean Maher and Harry Harris
Oakland Tribune
Posted: 08/24/2009 05:40:29 PM PDT
Updated: 08/24/2009 08:21:06 PM PDT
OAKLAND — Murray Hoyle, a hardworking, highly respected 28-year Oakland police department veteran, died Saturday evening in a rural area of eastern Contra Costa County, authorities said. He was 51.
He fatally shot himself, investigators said. Though they declined to give a reason, they said he may have been having some personal problems. Just before 6 p.m. Saturday, he called 911 dispatchers in Contra Costa County to tell them he would do it and where they could find him.
It was the second time in slightly more than a year that an active-duty Oakland police officer took his own life. In July 2008, Lt. Derrick Norfleet fatally shot himself at his Vallejo home.
To a department still recovering from the March 21 killings of Sgts. Mark Dunakin, Ervin Romans and Dan Sakai and Officer John Hege, coupled with Norfleet's death, Hoyle's suicide was a shock, especially since no one had seen any signs it would happen, members of the department said.
read more here
In an instant, majestic waves turn deadly
In an instant, majestic waves turn deadly
They went for the view -- awed by a vista of massive waves smashing against the rocky shore. Thousands of people went to Maine's Acadia National Park on Sunday to watch as Hurricane Bill churned offshore. But then a giant wave swept three people into the ocean, one of them a 7-year-old girl. What spectator Mary Ellen Martel saw next was a day of spectacular surf turned tragic. full story
They went for the view -- awed by a vista of massive waves smashing against the rocky shore. Thousands of people went to Maine's Acadia National Park on Sunday to watch as Hurricane Bill churned offshore. But then a giant wave swept three people into the ocean, one of them a 7-year-old girl. What spectator Mary Ellen Martel saw next was a day of spectacular surf turned tragic. full story
1,200 veterans wrongly told they got fatal disease
1,200 veterans wrongly told they got fatal disease
By P.J. DICKERSCHEID (AP)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Air Force Reservist Gale Reid received a letter from the Veterans Affairs Department that told her she had Lou Gehrig's disease, and she immediately put herself through a battery of painful, expensive tests. Five days later, the VA said its "diagnosis" was a mistake.
The Montgomery, Ala., resident was among at least 1,200 veterans who received a letter about disability benefits for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, even though they hadn't been diagnosed with the illness, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. Veterans were initially suspicious of the letters, but still went through the agony not knowing exactly whether they had the fatal disease, which typically kills people within five years.
At least 2,500 letters informing veterans of disability benefits for ALS were sent out, and of those, some 1,200 were a mistake, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. The wrongly sent letters were supposed to inform veterans of an undiagnosed neurological disorder, according to the Gulf War veterans group, which provides information, support and referrals about illnesses to veterans.
No one knows for sure exactly how many letters were mailed to veterans treated at VA hospitals and how many were a mistake. VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts didn't return telephone messages or an e-mail Monday.
Former Army Sgt. Samuel Hargrove cried Sunday after opening his letter.
"I can't even describe the intensity of my feelings," said the father of two from Henderson, N.C. "With so many health issues that I already have, I didn't know how to approach my family with the news."
So, at first, he didn't. Hargrove later discovered the mistake after talking with fellow veterans in the resource center and online, and he became angry.
read more here
1200 veterans wrongly told they got fatal disease
By P.J. DICKERSCHEID (AP)
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Air Force Reservist Gale Reid received a letter from the Veterans Affairs Department that told her she had Lou Gehrig's disease, and she immediately put herself through a battery of painful, expensive tests. Five days later, the VA said its "diagnosis" was a mistake.
The Montgomery, Ala., resident was among at least 1,200 veterans who received a letter about disability benefits for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, even though they hadn't been diagnosed with the illness, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. Veterans were initially suspicious of the letters, but still went through the agony not knowing exactly whether they had the fatal disease, which typically kills people within five years.
At least 2,500 letters informing veterans of disability benefits for ALS were sent out, and of those, some 1,200 were a mistake, according to the National Gulf War Resource Center. The wrongly sent letters were supposed to inform veterans of an undiagnosed neurological disorder, according to the Gulf War veterans group, which provides information, support and referrals about illnesses to veterans.
No one knows for sure exactly how many letters were mailed to veterans treated at VA hospitals and how many were a mistake. VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts didn't return telephone messages or an e-mail Monday.
Former Army Sgt. Samuel Hargrove cried Sunday after opening his letter.
"I can't even describe the intensity of my feelings," said the father of two from Henderson, N.C. "With so many health issues that I already have, I didn't know how to approach my family with the news."
So, at first, he didn't. Hargrove later discovered the mistake after talking with fellow veterans in the resource center and online, and he became angry.
read more here
1200 veterans wrongly told they got fatal disease
Marine wants to 'sell' his military leave to help homeless
Cpl. Matthew Purkey thought of others first, or he wouldn't have joined the Marines. Very few join any branch of the service thinking of themselves first. It's usually a case of caring about others, giving back, doing their part. What makes this story all the more telling about the type of people joining the military is what this man wanted to do instead of taking care of himself for Thanksgiving.
He wants to give back by taking care of homeless people.
No one would find any fault in him for wanting to spend Thanksgiving with his family or friends instead. While we walk by the homeless everyday, he thinks of them. While we decide they are not worth our time or find excuses to not care, he thinks of them.
He wants to give back by taking care of homeless people.
No one would find any fault in him for wanting to spend Thanksgiving with his family or friends instead. While we walk by the homeless everyday, he thinks of them. While we decide they are not worth our time or find excuses to not care, he thinks of them.
Marine wants to 'sell' his military leave to help homeless
By Margo Rutlede Kissell, Staff Writer
5:47 PM Monday, August 24, 2009
Marine Cpl. Matthew Purkey wants to “sell” his 96 hours of military leave over Thanksgiving to raise $2,400 to benefit a homeless shelter.
The 27-year-old Waynesville native would like to spend those four days living among and helping the homeless in Wilmington, N.C., where he’s stationed at Camp Lejeune. Purkey is seeking $25 in donations per hour of leave to raise the money.
He came up with the idea to help Good Shepherd Center, a nonprofit that feeds the hungry and shelters the homeless, after hearing his Life Community Church minister gave a sermon asking the congregation if they’re doing enough to help those less fortunate.
“In the Marines, I’m taught to fight wars abroad,” said Purkey, whose 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is expected to deploy in January, possibly to Afghanistan. “I realized wars need to be fought locally here, too.”
read more here
Marine wants to sell his military leave to help homeless
Veterans are not stupid, stop treating them like they are
Why would so many be acting as if veterans are too stupid to make their own choices when it comes to the end of their lives? Sure, we value them when they are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of the rest of us, and we respect that decision. Hell, we even applaud them for it. So how is it that when they actually have bodies and health issues like the rest of us, there are some in this country acting as if they do not deserve the same right the rest of us have when it comes to how they want to be treated at the end of their lives?
My husband and I have living wills and gave medical power of attorney to each other. We know what the other one wants and have promised, if the worst happens, we will honor it. We had no problem at all reading the booklet and he filled out his wishes on a form for the VA.
Was the booklet well written? No but then again, most publications the VA puts out aren't either. Still we have to ask who in their right mind decided that veterans are not able to decide for themselves what it is they want? Who decided they don't deserve the same rights the rest of us have?
This is a false issue and you also need to be asking how it is that real problems our veterans face are not even discussed but this one is. Backlog of claims nearing one million? Is that an big issue? VA doctor screwing up but the veteran can't sue anyone? Is that a big issue? Ever check out the FERES Doctrine? NAMI giving an award to Dr. Katz, the same man covering up suicide statistics and having to change because of law suits and congressional action? Is that a big issue?
Our veterans are in deep trouble in this system but this issue gets blood boiling over nothing! Do they get great care from most VA hospitals? Yes. But there are problems that need our attention. This is a diversion and the people behind it should be ashamed of themselves.
You are able to read the false news, so how about you take the time to read the real document and stop spreading false fear when there are real things the veterans do have to worry about. Anything less than that, is what is really an assault against our veterans. They deserve more from you!
http://www.ethics.va.gov/YLYC/YLYC_First_edition_20001001.pdf
Your Life, Your Choices
There’s only one person who is truly qualified to
tell health care providers how you feel about
different kinds of health care issues—and that’s you.
But, what if you get sick, or injured so severely that
you can’t communicate with your doctors or family
members? Have you thought about what kinds of
medical care you would want? Do your loved ones
and health care providers know your wishes?
Many people assume that close family members
automatically know what they want. But studies
have shown that spouses guess wrong over half the
time about what kinds of treatment their husbands
or wives would want.
You can help assure that your wishes will direct
future health care decisions through the process of
advance care planning.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Basics
Why do you need to think now about future health
care decisions? 5
Do you have strongly-held beliefs that should guide
your care? 6
If you couldn’t speak for yourself, what would you
want done for you? 7
Who will speak for me if I can’t speak for myself? 8
Common questions about choosing a spokesperson 9
What else can I do to make my wishes known? 10
Common questions about advance directives 11
What situations and decisions do people commonly face?
Dementia 12
Coma 13
Stroke 14
Terminal illness 15
Telling others what you want 16
Writing it down 17
What’s next? 18
Thought-provoking exercises
Introduction 19
Your Beliefs and Values
Who should speak for me? 20
What makes your life worth living? 21
Personal and spiritual beliefs 22
Hope for recovery 23
Weighing pros and cons of treatment
for different chances of recovery 23
Choices about death and dying
How would you like to spend your last days? 24
Organ donation and autopsy 25
Burial arrangements 25
Funeral or memorial services 26
Health conditions and treatments
Introduction 27
Health conditions
Coma 28
Dementia 29
Serious stroke 30
Terminal illness 31
Treatments
Kidney dialysis 32
CPR-Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 33
Feeding tubes 34
Mechanical ventilators (breathing machines) 35
Hospice and palliative care 36
Your health care preferences
Introduction 37
Care preferences under different health conditions
Current health 38
Permanent coma 39
Severe dementia 40
Severe stroke 41
Terminal illness 42
A future situation of concern 43
How to talk about your wishes
Introduction 45
Talking about your wishes
Starting the discussion 46
Asking someone to be your spokesperson 47
Who else should you talk to? 47
What if you don't have close family or friends? 47
Nine important issues to discuss 48
Talking to your health care providers 49
Reviewing you wishes 50
Other issues
Legal and ethical issues of advance care planning 51
You have to wonder why FOX thinks our veterans are stupid by lying to them like this. Weren't they supposed to be the ones claiming they supported them? So why is it that when FOX could be helping them for real they come up with a load of garbage like this? The veterans have enough real problems as it is but instead of doing something real to help them, put pressure on our elected to take care of them, what they do is more harm than good. Shame on FOX!
My husband and I have living wills and gave medical power of attorney to each other. We know what the other one wants and have promised, if the worst happens, we will honor it. We had no problem at all reading the booklet and he filled out his wishes on a form for the VA.
Was the booklet well written? No but then again, most publications the VA puts out aren't either. Still we have to ask who in their right mind decided that veterans are not able to decide for themselves what it is they want? Who decided they don't deserve the same rights the rest of us have?
This is a false issue and you also need to be asking how it is that real problems our veterans face are not even discussed but this one is. Backlog of claims nearing one million? Is that an big issue? VA doctor screwing up but the veteran can't sue anyone? Is that a big issue? Ever check out the FERES Doctrine? NAMI giving an award to Dr. Katz, the same man covering up suicide statistics and having to change because of law suits and congressional action? Is that a big issue?
Our veterans are in deep trouble in this system but this issue gets blood boiling over nothing! Do they get great care from most VA hospitals? Yes. But there are problems that need our attention. This is a diversion and the people behind it should be ashamed of themselves.
You are able to read the false news, so how about you take the time to read the real document and stop spreading false fear when there are real things the veterans do have to worry about. Anything less than that, is what is really an assault against our veterans. They deserve more from you!
http://www.ethics.va.gov/YLYC/YLYC_First_edition_20001001.pdf
Your Life, Your Choices
There’s only one person who is truly qualified to
tell health care providers how you feel about
different kinds of health care issues—and that’s you.
But, what if you get sick, or injured so severely that
you can’t communicate with your doctors or family
members? Have you thought about what kinds of
medical care you would want? Do your loved ones
and health care providers know your wishes?
Many people assume that close family members
automatically know what they want. But studies
have shown that spouses guess wrong over half the
time about what kinds of treatment their husbands
or wives would want.
You can help assure that your wishes will direct
future health care decisions through the process of
advance care planning.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Basics
Why do you need to think now about future health
care decisions? 5
Do you have strongly-held beliefs that should guide
your care? 6
If you couldn’t speak for yourself, what would you
want done for you? 7
Who will speak for me if I can’t speak for myself? 8
Common questions about choosing a spokesperson 9
What else can I do to make my wishes known? 10
Common questions about advance directives 11
What situations and decisions do people commonly face?
Dementia 12
Coma 13
Stroke 14
Terminal illness 15
Telling others what you want 16
Writing it down 17
What’s next? 18
Thought-provoking exercises
Introduction 19
Your Beliefs and Values
Who should speak for me? 20
What makes your life worth living? 21
Personal and spiritual beliefs 22
Hope for recovery 23
Weighing pros and cons of treatment
for different chances of recovery 23
Choices about death and dying
How would you like to spend your last days? 24
Organ donation and autopsy 25
Burial arrangements 25
Funeral or memorial services 26
Health conditions and treatments
Introduction 27
Health conditions
Coma 28
Dementia 29
Serious stroke 30
Terminal illness 31
Treatments
Kidney dialysis 32
CPR-Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation 33
Feeding tubes 34
Mechanical ventilators (breathing machines) 35
Hospice and palliative care 36
Your health care preferences
Introduction 37
Care preferences under different health conditions
Current health 38
Permanent coma 39
Severe dementia 40
Severe stroke 41
Terminal illness 42
A future situation of concern 43
How to talk about your wishes
Introduction 45
Talking about your wishes
Starting the discussion 46
Asking someone to be your spokesperson 47
Who else should you talk to? 47
What if you don't have close family or friends? 47
Nine important issues to discuss 48
Talking to your health care providers 49
Reviewing you wishes 50
Other issues
Legal and ethical issues of advance care planning 51
You have to wonder why FOX thinks our veterans are stupid by lying to them like this. Weren't they supposed to be the ones claiming they supported them? So why is it that when FOX could be helping them for real they come up with a load of garbage like this? The veterans have enough real problems as it is but instead of doing something real to help them, put pressure on our elected to take care of them, what they do is more harm than good. Shame on FOX!
Rove falsely claimed Obama admin. pushing vets toward "assisted suicide"
August 25, 2009 7:23 pm ET
Continuing Fox News' pattern of falsely suggesting that the Obama administration is pressuring veterans to end their lives prematurely, Karl Rove claimed that the Veterans Health Administration is directing veterans to an end-of-life educational booklet, "Your Life, Your Choices," that includes contact information for "a group that believes in assisted suicide," and thus "the kind of guidance we're giving returning veterans" is "you ought to go to an assisted suicide group." In fact, that group is not referenced in the current version of the document, a fact that Jim Towey -- who originated the smear of the booklet as a "death book" -- acknowledged in interview on Fox News Sunday.
Rove claimed booklet says vets "ought to go to an assisted suicide group"
Rove claimed "Compassionate Choices" a.k.a. "the Hemlock Society" referenced on "Page 99." Rove asserted that, concerning guidance on advanced directives, "Your Life, Your Choices" "lists one group ... Compassionate Choices [sic]," which "is a group that believes in assisted suicide." He added that "it gives their phone number and their log site." [Hannity, 8/24/09]
Booklet doesn't reference Compassion and Choices, Hemlock Society
Booklet contains no reference to Compassion and Choices or the Hemlock Society. Contrary to Rove's claim, the current version of the booklet as posted on the VA's website does not reference either group, nor does it provide "their phone number and their log site." ["Your Life, Your Choices"]
Towey admitted Compassion and Choices reference "pulled" from 2007 edition of booklet during Bush administration. During his Fox News Sunday interview, Towey alleged of "Your Life, Your Choices" that "[t]he 2007 edition said go to Compassion Choices [sic]. That's the Hemlock Society." After host Chris Wallace stated that "we need to point out that those references which were in ... the 2007 edition are not in the edition that is currently being circulated at the Veterans Administration," Towey acknowledged that "they pulled that page after we raised concerns about it." [Fox News Sunday, 8/23/09] Media Matters for America has documented that Towey, who originated the smear that "Your Life, Your Choices" is a "death book," has advanced numerous false claims about the VA's booklet and has a financial interest in undermining it.
There is no "Page 99" of "Your Life, Your Choices." In fact, the current version of the booklet as posted on the VA's website only contains 51 numbered pages. ["Your Life, Your Choices"]
read more here
http://mediamatters.org/research/200908250055
Monday, August 24, 2009
For Parents on Neonatal ICU, Trauma May Last
For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last
By LAURIE TARKAN
Published: August 24, 2009
Kim Roscoe’s son, Jaxon, was born three months early, weighing two and a half pounds. But for nine days he did exceedingly well in the neonatal intensive care unit, and Ms. Roscoe felt little different from the other new mothers.
Her nightmare started on Day 10.
“I had left him late the night before, in my arms, tiny but perfect,” said Ms. Roscoe, now 30, of Monterey, Calif. But when she returned to the NICU the next day, Jaxon was in respiratory and kidney failure, and his body had swollen beyond recognition.
“He was hooked up to ventilators, his skin was turning black, the alarms kept dinging over and over,” Ms. Roscoe recalled.
Jaxon is 16 months old now, and home with his family. But he was in the NICU for 186 days, and his days and weeks were punctuated by near-death episodes.
During the six-month ordeal, Ms. Roscoe had constant nightmares. She slept with her shoes on, expecting a call from the hospital at any moment. She became angry at the world, and so jumpy she thought a supermarket scanner was one of Jaxon’s monitors going off. Her husband, Scott, immersed himself in projects, took care of their daughter, Logan, now 6, and held things together emotionally.
About three months after her son’s birth, Ms. Roscoe asked to see a psychiatrist. She was given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. — a mental illness more often associated with surviving war, car accidents and assaults, but now being recognized in parents of premature infants in prolonged intensive care.
read more here
For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last
By LAURIE TARKAN
Published: August 24, 2009
Kim Roscoe’s son, Jaxon, was born three months early, weighing two and a half pounds. But for nine days he did exceedingly well in the neonatal intensive care unit, and Ms. Roscoe felt little different from the other new mothers.
Her nightmare started on Day 10.
“I had left him late the night before, in my arms, tiny but perfect,” said Ms. Roscoe, now 30, of Monterey, Calif. But when she returned to the NICU the next day, Jaxon was in respiratory and kidney failure, and his body had swollen beyond recognition.
“He was hooked up to ventilators, his skin was turning black, the alarms kept dinging over and over,” Ms. Roscoe recalled.
Jaxon is 16 months old now, and home with his family. But he was in the NICU for 186 days, and his days and weeks were punctuated by near-death episodes.
During the six-month ordeal, Ms. Roscoe had constant nightmares. She slept with her shoes on, expecting a call from the hospital at any moment. She became angry at the world, and so jumpy she thought a supermarket scanner was one of Jaxon’s monitors going off. Her husband, Scott, immersed himself in projects, took care of their daughter, Logan, now 6, and held things together emotionally.
About three months after her son’s birth, Ms. Roscoe asked to see a psychiatrist. She was given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. — a mental illness more often associated with surviving war, car accidents and assaults, but now being recognized in parents of premature infants in prolonged intensive care.
read more here
For Parents on NICU, Trauma May Last
Oklahoma pastor found slain in her Pentecostal church
UPDATE August 27, 2009
Police say slain pastor's body 'staged' in church
Crime scene 'horrific' says Oklahoma prosecutor
updated 34 minutes ago
OKLAHOMA CITY - Whoever killed a pastor inside her small Oklahoma church “staged” the body, authorities said Thursday, meaning it was moved into an unnatural position after the slaying.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown declined to elaborate on how the body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was positioned inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko.
Brown also said investigators are reviewing video surveillance tapes from a nearby convenience store for clues in the brutal killing. A preliminary autopsy found she died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” and a veteran local prosecutor described the crime scene as “the most horrific” he’s ever witnessed.
read more herehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32582893/
UPDATE
Prosecutor: Crime Scene at Okla. Church 'Horrific'
Prosecutor describes as 'horrific' the crime scene at Oklahoma church where pastor was killed
By ROCHELLE HINES Associated Press Writer
ANADARKO, Okla. August 25, 2009 (AP)
The scene inside a small Pentecostal church where a pastor was slain was "horrific," an Oklahoma district attorney said Tuesday, calling it the most brutal he has seen in nearly 20 years as a prosecutor.
Police have released scant information about the killing of 61-year-old Carol Daniels, whose body was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church, a weather-beaten building on a rundown block near downtown Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy deemed Daniels' death a homicide caused by "multiple sharp force injuries," said Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state Medical Examiner's office. She declined to discuss further details.
"I've prosecuted over 50 murders," District Attorney Bret Burns said. "This is the most horrific crime scene I've ever witnessed." He declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.
read more here
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8405401
Police say slain pastor's body 'staged' in church
Crime scene 'horrific' says Oklahoma prosecutor
updated 34 minutes ago
OKLAHOMA CITY - Whoever killed a pastor inside her small Oklahoma church “staged” the body, authorities said Thursday, meaning it was moved into an unnatural position after the slaying.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown declined to elaborate on how the body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was positioned inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko.
Brown also said investigators are reviewing video surveillance tapes from a nearby convenience store for clues in the brutal killing. A preliminary autopsy found she died of “multiple sharp force injuries,” and a veteran local prosecutor described the crime scene as “the most horrific” he’s ever witnessed.
read more herehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32582893/
UPDATE
Prosecutor: Crime Scene at Okla. Church 'Horrific'
Prosecutor describes as 'horrific' the crime scene at Oklahoma church where pastor was killed
By ROCHELLE HINES Associated Press Writer
ANADARKO, Okla. August 25, 2009 (AP)
The scene inside a small Pentecostal church where a pastor was slain was "horrific," an Oklahoma district attorney said Tuesday, calling it the most brutal he has seen in nearly 20 years as a prosecutor.
Police have released scant information about the killing of 61-year-old Carol Daniels, whose body was found Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church, a weather-beaten building on a rundown block near downtown Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy deemed Daniels' death a homicide caused by "multiple sharp force injuries," said Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state Medical Examiner's office. She declined to discuss further details.
"I've prosecuted over 50 murders," District Attorney Bret Burns said. "This is the most horrific crime scene I've ever witnessed." He declined to elaborate, saying he did not want to jeopardize the investigation.
read more here
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8405401
Okla. pastor found slain in her Pentecostal church
By MURRAY EVANS (AP) – 5 hours ago
ANADARKO, Okla. — A pastor was killed and her body was found inside her Pentecostal church, where she had no regular congregation but went every Sunday on the chance that someone would come to pray, authorities said Monday.
Police found the body of Carol Daniels, 61, of Oklahoma City, about noon Sunday inside the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. The small, weathered A-frame building sits along a main road, just a block from the police station, in the town of about 6,600 people about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said that Daniels had trauma to her body, but would not disclose details, including how, when or where Daniels died. An autopsy was to be done Monday.
The pastor's body was found after police were asked to check on her, Brown said. She could not immediately say who asked police to look in on Daniels.
Brown said the church did not have a regular congregation, but that Daniels was there every Sunday in case people came in to pray or hear a sermon.
"From the little bit I know about her, she was very dedicated to her calling," Brown said.
read more here
Okla pastor found slain in her Pentecostal church
linked from RawStory
College student killed cougar with broken rifle
College student killed cougar that may have chased bikers on trail
Esmerelda the hog was saved from an attacking cougar Aug. 15 by a 20-year-old man shooting a broken . 22-caliber rifle from 100 yards.
By Rachel Schleif
The Wenatchee World
LEAVENWORTH — Esmerelda the hog was saved from an attacking cougar Aug. 15 by a 20-year-old man shooting a broken .22-caliber rifle from 100 yards.
Hayden Winkler, in his boxers, had just sat down with a cup of coffee, when he heard the pig's screams around 8 a.m.
An hour before, he had been feeding the cows, pigs and chickens on Gibbs Organic Farm, near the Freund Canyon trailhead — and not far from where mountain bikers had recently reported being chased by a mountain lion.
A college student from Colorado, Winkler spent the past three months as an apprentice in sustainable farming. His pants were soaked from the morning dew and irrigation, so he left them outside.
Winkler saw through a sliding-glass door the 200-pound cat attacking Esmerelda in an alfalfa field, about 100 yards away.
read more here
College student killed cougar
Esmerelda the hog was saved from an attacking cougar Aug. 15 by a 20-year-old man shooting a broken . 22-caliber rifle from 100 yards.
By Rachel Schleif
The Wenatchee World
LEAVENWORTH — Esmerelda the hog was saved from an attacking cougar Aug. 15 by a 20-year-old man shooting a broken .22-caliber rifle from 100 yards.
Hayden Winkler, in his boxers, had just sat down with a cup of coffee, when he heard the pig's screams around 8 a.m.
An hour before, he had been feeding the cows, pigs and chickens on Gibbs Organic Farm, near the Freund Canyon trailhead — and not far from where mountain bikers had recently reported being chased by a mountain lion.
A college student from Colorado, Winkler spent the past three months as an apprentice in sustainable farming. His pants were soaked from the morning dew and irrigation, so he left them outside.
Winkler saw through a sliding-glass door the 200-pound cat attacking Esmerelda in an alfalfa field, about 100 yards away.
read more here
College student killed cougar
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
It looks like Florida wants to make sure they drop from a D to an F when it comes to mental healthcare. Wonder if all the people against healthcare ever seem to manage to figure out a lot of the people in need in Florida also happen to be veterans with claims in limbo but still need to be taken care of? Lack of mental healthcare is an increase in crimes, divorce, homelessness, suicide, you name it. Do they think how much money it costs to not take care of people in the long run?
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, August 24, 2009
BROOKSVILLE — A national advocacy group this year awarded a grade of D to the state of Florida for its care of the mentally ill.
The news is even worse in Hernando County, where involuntary commitments under the Baker Act, mental health hospitalizations, domestic violence incidents and suicide threats are all above state averages.
None of Hernando County's acute-care hospitals have psychiatric beds. Springbrook Hospital does, but the for-profit psychiatric facility has a high occupancy rate. BayCare Behavioral Health has just a handful of crisis stabilization beds, and they're in great demand.
read more here
Mental and social services face cut in Hernando County budget
50,000 employees lobbying Congress to make sure we don't get healthcare
Insurers admit 50,000 employees lobbying Congress to claim profits fair
By John Byrne
Published: August 24, 2009
Memo tells employees to keep a low profile
A spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s trade group, admitted in an article published Monday that as many as 50,000 industry employees are involved in an effort to fight back against aggressive healthcare reform.
The admission, published in the last sentence of a Wall Street Journal article, highlights the stakes of potential healthcare reform for the private health insurance industry. Insurers and investors alike are terrified at the prospect of a so-called “public option,” which would create a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurers. Because the government plan wouldn’t have to earn a profit, the plan would be able to undercut the premiums of private firms, pressuring profit margins.
read more here
Employees lobbying Congress to claim profits fair
By John Byrne
Published: August 24, 2009
Memo tells employees to keep a low profile
A spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s trade group, admitted in an article published Monday that as many as 50,000 industry employees are involved in an effort to fight back against aggressive healthcare reform.
The admission, published in the last sentence of a Wall Street Journal article, highlights the stakes of potential healthcare reform for the private health insurance industry. Insurers and investors alike are terrified at the prospect of a so-called “public option,” which would create a government-run health insurance program to compete with private insurers. Because the government plan wouldn’t have to earn a profit, the plan would be able to undercut the premiums of private firms, pressuring profit margins.
read more here
Employees lobbying Congress to claim profits fair
Judge tells VA Law Suit Lawyer, work it out
Veterans groups urge court to force the VA to speed up handling of disability claims and appeals
One judge has said the problem is beyond the court's power to correct, while another has given the two sides until Sept. 1 to mediate the issue.
By Carol J. Williams
August 24, 2009
Suicides among veterans average 18 a day, by the government's estimation, and a backlog of disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and other untreated ailments approaches 1 million.
With a massive military drawdown from Iraq and Afghanistan potentially on the horizon, lawyers for the veterans want a federal appeals court to order the Department of Veterans Affairs to make good on the nation's commitment to take care of those wounded in mind as well as body.
It is an onerous task that a lower court has already deemed beyond the power of the judiciary to correct. And the latest appeal, to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has also been met with reluctance by the judges to tell a government bureaucracy how it should conduct its affairs.
read more here
Veterans groups urge court to force the VA to speed up
One judge has said the problem is beyond the court's power to correct, while another has given the two sides until Sept. 1 to mediate the issue.
By Carol J. Williams
August 24, 2009
Suicides among veterans average 18 a day, by the government's estimation, and a backlog of disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and other untreated ailments approaches 1 million.
With a massive military drawdown from Iraq and Afghanistan potentially on the horizon, lawyers for the veterans want a federal appeals court to order the Department of Veterans Affairs to make good on the nation's commitment to take care of those wounded in mind as well as body.
It is an onerous task that a lower court has already deemed beyond the power of the judiciary to correct. And the latest appeal, to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, has also been met with reluctance by the judges to tell a government bureaucracy how it should conduct its affairs.
read more here
Veterans groups urge court to force the VA to speed up
G.I. Go Fund steps up to help veterans
For veterans in a bind, civilian group moves to the front line with help
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tomas Dinges
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Scott E. Allen was at a tough place in his life when he found the guys at the G.I. Go Fund.
The Marine staff sergeant was unable to get a job and about to be kicked out of an abandoned house in Sun City, Calif., that his family was occupying.
A 13-year career left Allen, 39, with a ruptured Achilles tendon and nerve pain from two discs in his lower back.
In June, disheartened and almost penniless, Allen signed on to Twitter in search of help.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, an avid Twitter user, responded and sent Allen's information to the nonprofit G.I. Go Fund, located in the basement of Newark City Hall.
read more here
For veterans in a bind
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tomas Dinges
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
Scott E. Allen was at a tough place in his life when he found the guys at the G.I. Go Fund.
The Marine staff sergeant was unable to get a job and about to be kicked out of an abandoned house in Sun City, Calif., that his family was occupying.
A 13-year career left Allen, 39, with a ruptured Achilles tendon and nerve pain from two discs in his lower back.
In June, disheartened and almost penniless, Allen signed on to Twitter in search of help.
Newark Mayor Cory Booker, an avid Twitter user, responded and sent Allen's information to the nonprofit G.I. Go Fund, located in the basement of Newark City Hall.
read more here
For veterans in a bind
Military medical mistake changes Arlington Airman
I found this looking at another story. I can't believe no major news source picked this up.
Military medical mistake changes Arlington Airman
July 17, 2009
Jessica Read is still stunned about what happened to her husband. "It's hard for us to understand"
http://cbs11tv.com/video?id=44394@ktvt.dayport.com
Travis Air Force Base was supposed to operate on a gallbladder, but ended up cutting the aortic valve of this Airman. Because of the FERES Doctrine, his legs were amputated over blood loss but no one can be sued. Airman Colten Read is left without legs.
Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo
Buffalo mourns loss of 2 firefighters
Story Highlights
Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo, New York
Mayor: "Today is a very tragic day in the city of Buffalo"
Firefighters responding to reports that person was trapped in building
Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo, New York
Mayor: "Today is a very tragic day in the city of Buffalo"
Firefighters responding to reports that person was trapped in building
Dead identified as
Lt. Charles "Chip" McCarthy, 45, and
Jonathan Croom, 34
(CNN) -- Flags were being lowered to half-staff Monday in Buffalo, New York, after two firefighters died inside a fire-engulfed building, city officials said.
The firefighters were responding to reports that at least one person was trapped in the building.
"Today is a very tragic day in the city of Buffalo," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said at a news conference. "Our hearts are broken right now, and we are all saddened by this terrible tragedy."
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, and the remains of the building are being searched to determine if anyone else perished inside, Buffalo Fire Commissioner Michael Lombardo said.
Emergency officials received a call around 3:50 a.m. that "someone [was] banging on a wall and calling for help" from inside the burning building, Lombardo said. Video footage showed the top level of the two-story brick building fully engulfed in flames. A convenience store was on the building's first floor.
read more here
Two firefighters die in burning building in Buffalo
Iraq Vet and Ravens Rookie Arrested over cell phone hand off?
Ravens Rookie Arrested
According to the Associated Press, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tony Fein was arrested Sunday and charged with assaulting a police officer.
Fein, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi and an Army veteran who served in Iraq, reportedly was eating dinner at an Inner Harbor restaurant when a security officer thought he saw Fein give a handgun to a friend. It actually was a cell phone, the AP reported.
read more here
Ravens Rookie Arrested
According to the Associated Press, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Tony Fein was arrested Sunday and charged with assaulting a police officer.
Fein, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi and an Army veteran who served in Iraq, reportedly was eating dinner at an Inner Harbor restaurant when a security officer thought he saw Fein give a handgun to a friend. It actually was a cell phone, the AP reported.
read more here
Ravens Rookie Arrested
Crisis team responds to high school after deah of football player
Sullivan South Football Team Still in Shock After Player Dies During Game
Dana Wachter
Published: August 22, 2009
Update (Aug. 24 / 7:53 a.m.)
Sullivan Co., Tenn—A crisis team will be on hand Monday for Sullivan South High School students after 18-year-old Jake Logue, a senior, co-captain and linebacker on the Sullivan South High School football team, died during their season opening game in Knoxville against Knox West High School. Logue collapsed during a play in the third quarter.
On Saturday night, teammates, coaches, family members and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil in Logue’s honor. Everyone painted the football field with Logue’s name and jersey number. People at the candlelight vigil also gathered in a big circle and shared a prayer.
A memorial service for Logue in Sullivan South High School’s gymnasium is tentatively scheduled for the middle of this week.
Sullivan Co., Tenn.—Friday night, 18-year-old Jake Logue, a senior, co-captain, and linebacker on the Sullivan South High School football team, died during their season opener in Knoxville.
Logue collapsed during a play in the third quarter, and the game was called off.
read more here
Sullivan South Football Team Still in Shock
linked from CNN
H.S. football player dies 1:35
A high school football player collapses during a game and later dies. WJHL's Dana Wachter reports.
Dana Wachter
Published: August 22, 2009
Update (Aug. 24 / 7:53 a.m.)
Sullivan Co., Tenn—A crisis team will be on hand Monday for Sullivan South High School students after 18-year-old Jake Logue, a senior, co-captain and linebacker on the Sullivan South High School football team, died during their season opening game in Knoxville against Knox West High School. Logue collapsed during a play in the third quarter.
On Saturday night, teammates, coaches, family members and friends gathered for a candlelight vigil in Logue’s honor. Everyone painted the football field with Logue’s name and jersey number. People at the candlelight vigil also gathered in a big circle and shared a prayer.
A memorial service for Logue in Sullivan South High School’s gymnasium is tentatively scheduled for the middle of this week.
Sullivan Co., Tenn.—Friday night, 18-year-old Jake Logue, a senior, co-captain, and linebacker on the Sullivan South High School football team, died during their season opener in Knoxville.
Logue collapsed during a play in the third quarter, and the game was called off.
read more here
Sullivan South Football Team Still in Shock
linked from CNN
H.S. football player dies 1:35
A high school football player collapses during a game and later dies. WJHL's Dana Wachter reports.
Rescue Underway For Child Stuck In Pool Drain
Rescue Underway For Child Stuck In Pool Drain
Reporting
Lisa Cilli
Key Biscayne Fire Rescue crews rush to help a child who became stuck in a pool drain.
CBS
Crews were called to the Key Colony Condominium located at 235 Crandon Boulevard, where a child is stuck in the water. In video shot by Chopper 4, fire rescue crews are in the water and working to free the child, whose head is above water.
City of Miami rescue crews are also on the scene assisting in the rescue. Miami Rescue spokesman Ignatius Carroll confirms the child's mother is in the water to help keep the child's head above water.
go here for more and update
Rescue Underway For Child Stuck In Pool Drain
linked from CNN
UPDATE
She's safe!
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/08/24/nr.child.stuck.pool.drain.cnn
Reporting
Lisa Cilli
Key Biscayne Fire Rescue crews rush to help a child who became stuck in a pool drain.
CBS
Crews were called to the Key Colony Condominium located at 235 Crandon Boulevard, where a child is stuck in the water. In video shot by Chopper 4, fire rescue crews are in the water and working to free the child, whose head is above water.
City of Miami rescue crews are also on the scene assisting in the rescue. Miami Rescue spokesman Ignatius Carroll confirms the child's mother is in the water to help keep the child's head above water.
go here for more and update
Rescue Underway For Child Stuck In Pool Drain
linked from CNN
UPDATE
She's safe!
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/08/24/nr.child.stuck.pool.drain.cnn
Ark. Guard not using soldier-aid funds
Ark. Guard not using soldier-aid funds
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 24, 2009 5:13:03 EDT
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A fund set up at the direction of state lawmakers in 2005 to receive donations from taxpayers for soldiers and their families has gone largely ignored by the Arkansas National Guard, despite a $65,000 balance.
The law setting up the Military Relief Trust Fund designated the Arkansas National Guard as the agency in charge of distributing the money gathered from people who checked off a box on their income tax returns authorizing the state to put $1 of their money into the fund.
The Legislature has appropriated to the National Guard $50,000 each year since 2007 to operate the fund. But neither the operating funds nor the donated money has been touched. The National Guard hasn’t even set up procedures for getting the money into the hands of needy soldiers or their families.
Command Sgt. Maj. Deborah Collins of the Arkansas National Guard said the money is not immediately needed, because a United Way fund provides loans and grants to needy Reserve and National Guard families.
read more here
Ark. Guard not using soldier aid funds
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Aug 24, 2009 5:13:03 EDT
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A fund set up at the direction of state lawmakers in 2005 to receive donations from taxpayers for soldiers and their families has gone largely ignored by the Arkansas National Guard, despite a $65,000 balance.
The law setting up the Military Relief Trust Fund designated the Arkansas National Guard as the agency in charge of distributing the money gathered from people who checked off a box on their income tax returns authorizing the state to put $1 of their money into the fund.
The Legislature has appropriated to the National Guard $50,000 each year since 2007 to operate the fund. But neither the operating funds nor the donated money has been touched. The National Guard hasn’t even set up procedures for getting the money into the hands of needy soldiers or their families.
Command Sgt. Maj. Deborah Collins of the Arkansas National Guard said the money is not immediately needed, because a United Way fund provides loans and grants to needy Reserve and National Guard families.
read more here
Ark. Guard not using soldier aid funds
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