Three Philadelphia priests, teacher charged with sexually abusing boys
By Sarah Hoye, CNN
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (CNN) - Three Philadelphia priests and a parochial school teacher were charged Thursday with raping and assaulting boys in their care, while an official with the Philadelphia Archdiocese was accused of allowing the abusive priests to have access to children, the city's district attorney's office said.
Edward Avery, 68, and Charles Engelhardt, 64, were charged with allegedly assaulting a 10-year-old boy at St. Jerome Parish from 1998 to 1999. Bernard Shero, 48, a teacher in the school, is charged with allegedly assaulting the same boy there in 2000, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said at a Thursday press conference.
James Brennan, another priest, is accused of assaulting a different boy, a 14-year-old, in 1996.
Monsignor William Lynn, who served as the Secretary for Clergy for the under former Philadelphia Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua, was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child in connection with the alleged assaults, Williams said.
From 1992 until 2004, Lynn was responsible for investigating reports that priests had sexually abused children, the district attorney's office said.
The grand jury found that Lynn, 60, endangered children, including the alleged victims of those charged Thursday, by knowingly allowing dangerous priests to continue in the ministry in roles in which they had access to children.
read more here
Three Philadelphia priests, teacher charged
Thursday, February 10, 2011
136,334 veterans spent at least one night in a homeless shelter
Military veterans more likely to be homeless
More than 75,000 needed shelter in single-night survey
By William M. Welch - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Feb 9, 2011 21:27:51 EST
Military veterans are much more likely to be homeless than other Americans, according to the government’s first in-depth study of homelessness among former servicemembers.
About 16 percent of homeless adults in a one-night survey in January 2009 were veterans, though vets make up only 10 percent of the adult population.
More than 75,000 veterans were living on the streets or in a temporary shelter that night. In that year, 136,334 veterans spent at least one night in a homeless shelter — a count that did not include homeless veterans living on the streets.
The urgency of the problem is growing as more people return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study found 11,300 younger veterans, 18 to 30, were in shelters at some point during 2009. Virtually all served in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Mark Johnston, deputy assistant secretary for special needs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“It’s an absolute shame,” he said.
read more here
Military veterans more likely to be homeless
VA-HUD Issue First-Ever Report on Homeless Veterans
February 11, 2011
Assessment Key to Preventing and Ending Homelessness
WASHINGTON – For the first time, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development today published the most authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among Veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 Veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 136,000 Veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.
This unprecedented assessment is based on an annual report HUD provides to Congress and explores in greater depth the demographics of Veterans who are homeless, how the number of Veterans compare to others who are homeless, and how Veterans access and use the nation’s homeless response system. HUD’s report, Veteran Homelessness: A Supplement to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, examines the data in the department’s annual report to Congress in-depth.
“With our federal, state and community partners working together, more Veterans are moving into safe housing,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “But we’re not done yet. Providing assistance in mental health, substance abuse treatment, education and employment goes hand-in-hand with preventive steps and permanent supportive housing. We continue to work towards our goal of finding every Veteran safe housing and access to needed services.”
Last June, President Obama announced the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness, including a focus on homeless Veterans. The report, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, puts the country on a path to end Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020. Read more about the Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness in America.
Key Findings of
Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
Ø More than 3,000 cities and counties reported 75,609 homeless Veterans on a single night in January of 2009; 57 percent were staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program while the remaining 43 percent were unsheltered. Veterans represent approximately 12 percent of all homeless persons counted nationwide during the 2009 ‘point-in-time snapshot.’
Ø During a 12-month period in 2009, an estimated 136,000 Veterans—or about 1 in every 168 Veterans—spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. The vast majority of sheltered homeless Veterans (96 percent) experienced homelessness alone while a much smaller share (four percent) was part of a family. Sheltered homeless Veterans are most often individual white men between the ages of 31 and 50 and living with a disability.
Ø Low-income Veterans are twice as likely to become homeless compared to all low-income adults. HUD and VA also examined the likelihood of becoming homeless among American Veterans with particular demographic characteristics. In 2009, twice as many poor Hispanic Veterans used a shelter at some point during the year compared with poor non-Hispanic Veterans. African American Veterans in poverty had similar rates of homelessness.
Ø Most Veterans who used emergency shelter stayed for only brief periods. One-third stayed in shelter for less than one week; 61 percent used a shelter for less than one month; and 84% stayed for less than three months. The report also concluded that Veterans remained in shelters longer than did non-Veterans. In 2009, the median length of stay for Veterans who were alone was 21 days in an emergency shelter and 117 days in transitional housing. By contrast, non-veteran individuals stayed in an emergency shelter for 17 days and 106 days in transitional housing.
Ø Nearly half of homeless Veterans were located in California, Texas, New York and Florida while only 28 percent of all Veterans were located in those same four States.
Ø The report studied the path homeless Veterans take into the shelter system and found most Veterans come from another homeless location and few entered the shelter system from their own housing or from housing provided by family or friends.
Ø Sheltered homeless Veterans are far more likely to be alone rather than part of a family household; 96 percent of Veterans are individuals compared to 63 percent in the overall homeless population.
For more information on VA’s efforts to end homelessness among Veterans, visit VA’s Web page at www.va.gov/homelessness.
More than 75,000 needed shelter in single-night survey
By William M. Welch - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Feb 9, 2011 21:27:51 EST
Military veterans are much more likely to be homeless than other Americans, according to the government’s first in-depth study of homelessness among former servicemembers.
About 16 percent of homeless adults in a one-night survey in January 2009 were veterans, though vets make up only 10 percent of the adult population.
More than 75,000 veterans were living on the streets or in a temporary shelter that night. In that year, 136,334 veterans spent at least one night in a homeless shelter — a count that did not include homeless veterans living on the streets.
The urgency of the problem is growing as more people return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study found 11,300 younger veterans, 18 to 30, were in shelters at some point during 2009. Virtually all served in Iraq or Afghanistan, said Mark Johnston, deputy assistant secretary for special needs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“It’s an absolute shame,” he said.
read more here
Military veterans more likely to be homeless
VA-HUD Issue First-Ever Report on Homeless Veterans
February 11, 2011
Assessment Key to Preventing and Ending Homelessness
WASHINGTON – For the first time, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development today published the most authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among Veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 Veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 136,000 Veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year.
This unprecedented assessment is based on an annual report HUD provides to Congress and explores in greater depth the demographics of Veterans who are homeless, how the number of Veterans compare to others who are homeless, and how Veterans access and use the nation’s homeless response system. HUD’s report, Veteran Homelessness: A Supplement to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, examines the data in the department’s annual report to Congress in-depth.
“With our federal, state and community partners working together, more Veterans are moving into safe housing,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “But we’re not done yet. Providing assistance in mental health, substance abuse treatment, education and employment goes hand-in-hand with preventive steps and permanent supportive housing. We continue to work towards our goal of finding every Veteran safe housing and access to needed services.”
Last June, President Obama announced the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness, including a focus on homeless Veterans. The report, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, puts the country on a path to end Veterans and chronic homelessness by 2015; and to ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020. Read more about the Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness in America.
Key Findings of
Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness
Ø More than 3,000 cities and counties reported 75,609 homeless Veterans on a single night in January of 2009; 57 percent were staying in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program while the remaining 43 percent were unsheltered. Veterans represent approximately 12 percent of all homeless persons counted nationwide during the 2009 ‘point-in-time snapshot.’
Ø During a 12-month period in 2009, an estimated 136,000 Veterans—or about 1 in every 168 Veterans—spent at least one night in an emergency shelter or transitional housing program. The vast majority of sheltered homeless Veterans (96 percent) experienced homelessness alone while a much smaller share (four percent) was part of a family. Sheltered homeless Veterans are most often individual white men between the ages of 31 and 50 and living with a disability.
Ø Low-income Veterans are twice as likely to become homeless compared to all low-income adults. HUD and VA also examined the likelihood of becoming homeless among American Veterans with particular demographic characteristics. In 2009, twice as many poor Hispanic Veterans used a shelter at some point during the year compared with poor non-Hispanic Veterans. African American Veterans in poverty had similar rates of homelessness.
Ø Most Veterans who used emergency shelter stayed for only brief periods. One-third stayed in shelter for less than one week; 61 percent used a shelter for less than one month; and 84% stayed for less than three months. The report also concluded that Veterans remained in shelters longer than did non-Veterans. In 2009, the median length of stay for Veterans who were alone was 21 days in an emergency shelter and 117 days in transitional housing. By contrast, non-veteran individuals stayed in an emergency shelter for 17 days and 106 days in transitional housing.
Ø Nearly half of homeless Veterans were located in California, Texas, New York and Florida while only 28 percent of all Veterans were located in those same four States.
Ø The report studied the path homeless Veterans take into the shelter system and found most Veterans come from another homeless location and few entered the shelter system from their own housing or from housing provided by family or friends.
Ø Sheltered homeless Veterans are far more likely to be alone rather than part of a family household; 96 percent of Veterans are individuals compared to 63 percent in the overall homeless population.
For more information on VA’s efforts to end homelessness among Veterans, visit VA’s Web page at www.va.gov/homelessness.
Senator Murray slams VA for limiting caregiver benefits
Murray slams VA for limiting caregiver benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 10, 2011 10:25:39 EST
Many caregivers of severely disabled veterans will be unnecessarily excluded from a new benefits and support program because of limitations proposed by the Obama administration, the new chairwoman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee says.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., appointed chairwoman just two weeks ago, is launching a high-profile fight with the Veterans Affairs Department over eligibility rules for benefits for the caregivers of severely injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. When Congress passed the benefits law last year, lawmakers believed about 3,500 families would be helped. But Murray said Wednesday VA’s criteria for determining who is eligible would “severely limit” who is covered.
MORE ON CAREGIVERS
• VA outlines plan to help caregivers of wounded
• Senators: Why is help for caregivers delayed?
“I’m not going to let VA minimize the impact of the bill that we passed,” Murray said in a statement.
At issue is a proposed rule that would provide benefits and support only in cases where severely disabled veterans needs a minimum of six months of continuous support from a caregiver or would otherwise have to be hospitalized because of their medical condition, inability to care for themselves or personal safety. What the caregiver is doing cannot duplicate services provided by another entity.
VA officials said the idea is to narrow eligibility to veterans who are “most at need” and to a population that can be supported.
Murray said that is “simply not good enough.” VA intends “to limit this benefit to an even smaller group of caregivers than intended by Congress, which is unacceptable,” she said.
read more here
Murray slams VA for limiting caregiver benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 10, 2011 10:25:39 EST
Many caregivers of severely disabled veterans will be unnecessarily excluded from a new benefits and support program because of limitations proposed by the Obama administration, the new chairwoman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee says.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., appointed chairwoman just two weeks ago, is launching a high-profile fight with the Veterans Affairs Department over eligibility rules for benefits for the caregivers of severely injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. When Congress passed the benefits law last year, lawmakers believed about 3,500 families would be helped. But Murray said Wednesday VA’s criteria for determining who is eligible would “severely limit” who is covered.
MORE ON CAREGIVERS
• VA outlines plan to help caregivers of wounded
• Senators: Why is help for caregivers delayed?
“I’m not going to let VA minimize the impact of the bill that we passed,” Murray said in a statement.
At issue is a proposed rule that would provide benefits and support only in cases where severely disabled veterans needs a minimum of six months of continuous support from a caregiver or would otherwise have to be hospitalized because of their medical condition, inability to care for themselves or personal safety. What the caregiver is doing cannot duplicate services provided by another entity.
VA officials said the idea is to narrow eligibility to veterans who are “most at need” and to a population that can be supported.
Murray said that is “simply not good enough.” VA intends “to limit this benefit to an even smaller group of caregivers than intended by Congress, which is unacceptable,” she said.
read more here
Murray slams VA for limiting caregiver benefits
Expanding VA clinic meets hike in demand
Expanding Lynn VA clinic meets hike in demand
By David Liscio / The Daily Item
LYNN - With ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and baby boomers who fought in the Vietnam War now reaching retirement age with medical needs, the Veterans' Administration clinic on Boston Street is a busy place.
The clinic recently underwent a major expansion, increasing in size from 1,900 to nearly 8,000 square feet. A ribbon-cutting was held last month.
According to Arthur Salkins, 64, of Lynn, a U.S. Air Force veteran and commander of Franco-AMVETS Post 161, the clinic had 900 registered patients when it opened in 1998. Today, there are 2,143, said Salkins, who counts himself among them.
"Lynn has the highest number of veterans of any community in Essex County," he said Wednesday. "That's why this location is so important."
Michael Sweeney, the city veterans' agent, explained the expansion required gutting the first floor. "It was worth it and work is still under way in some parts of the building," he said. "The clinic provides a level of comfort. It's close by, so there's easy access. For some of the young returning veterans, that may make the difference of whether they come in for services or not."
U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat and longtime proponent of the clinic, said the five-year fight during the Bush Administration to keep the facility in Lynn paid off. "We were able to convince them not to consolidate the clinic. Their proposals didn't stand up to what the actual facts were," he said Wednesday. "
read more here
Expanding Lynn VA clinic meets hike in demand
By David Liscio / The Daily Item
LYNN - With ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and baby boomers who fought in the Vietnam War now reaching retirement age with medical needs, the Veterans' Administration clinic on Boston Street is a busy place.
The clinic recently underwent a major expansion, increasing in size from 1,900 to nearly 8,000 square feet. A ribbon-cutting was held last month.
According to Arthur Salkins, 64, of Lynn, a U.S. Air Force veteran and commander of Franco-AMVETS Post 161, the clinic had 900 registered patients when it opened in 1998. Today, there are 2,143, said Salkins, who counts himself among them.
"Lynn has the highest number of veterans of any community in Essex County," he said Wednesday. "That's why this location is so important."
Michael Sweeney, the city veterans' agent, explained the expansion required gutting the first floor. "It was worth it and work is still under way in some parts of the building," he said. "The clinic provides a level of comfort. It's close by, so there's easy access. For some of the young returning veterans, that may make the difference of whether they come in for services or not."
U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat and longtime proponent of the clinic, said the five-year fight during the Bush Administration to keep the facility in Lynn paid off. "We were able to convince them not to consolidate the clinic. Their proposals didn't stand up to what the actual facts were," he said Wednesday. "
read more here
Expanding Lynn VA clinic meets hike in demand
Murder in Tampa studied by Russian President Medvedev?
This is a National Security issue but the US media have other things to report on.
Julie Schenecker admitted killing her two children in Tampa. There have been a lot of cases in the US and around the world like this but what could have been so important about this case that the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences had to prepare a report for President Medvedev?
This case not only involves this but an Army Colonel with US Central Command. The report prepared by the academy also took a look at the drugs being used like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil and Cymbalta.
Why Medvedev is so interested in this case? Is he interested in the mental health of our military? Looking for ways to avoid it happening to his military? What is really behind this interest?
In a way it makes our own media a disgrace when they can focus in on topics for days leaving no time for real reporting on stories like this. It is a shame that Russia would be taking a harder look at all of this than our own media does. Issues with these drugs has been reported in print media for years with little being done about any of it. A few minutes here and there talking about what happens to our troops and veterans does not allow the pubic to be informed enough to force politicians to do the right thing. Now a foreign nation is paying more attention to all of this than they are. This is not a good thing at all.
Murder in Tampa studied by Russian President Medvedev
Julie Schenecker admitted killing her two children in Tampa. There have been a lot of cases in the US and around the world like this but what could have been so important about this case that the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences had to prepare a report for President Medvedev?
This case not only involves this but an Army Colonel with US Central Command. The report prepared by the academy also took a look at the drugs being used like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil and Cymbalta.
Why Medvedev is so interested in this case? Is he interested in the mental health of our military? Looking for ways to avoid it happening to his military? What is really behind this interest?
In a way it makes our own media a disgrace when they can focus in on topics for days leaving no time for real reporting on stories like this. It is a shame that Russia would be taking a harder look at all of this than our own media does. Issues with these drugs has been reported in print media for years with little being done about any of it. A few minutes here and there talking about what happens to our troops and veterans does not allow the pubic to be informed enough to force politicians to do the right thing. Now a foreign nation is paying more attention to all of this than they are. This is not a good thing at all.
Family Massacre In US Linked To American Military ‘Murder Drugs’
Posted by EU Times on Feb 9th, 2011
A chilling report prepared for President Medvedev by the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (RAMS) says that a massacre in the United States committed during the past fortnight has as its “most likely cause” what are described as “murder drugs” being given by the millions to American Soldiers by their Military Leaders for the fighting of their Nations wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
According to this report, Julie Schenecker, the wife of US Army Colonel Parker Schenecker, shockingly murdered her two children, Carlyx, age 16, and Beau, age 13, in a sudden bloody rampage that has left family and neighbors stunned as to why a devoted wife and mother would point blank shoot her most beloved possessions to death.
US media reports about Julie Schenecker describe a devoted wife to her career US Army Officer husband (who at the time of his family’s massacre was stationed in the Middle East) and loving mother to her children, all being described as the “perfect” all-American family.
Educated at the University of Iowa, Julie Schenecker had also accompanied her husband to the many US Military bases he served at around the world, including in Germany where she worked as a Russian linguist for the US Army in Munich.
In 2008, Julie Schenecker and her family moved to Tampa, Florida where her husband, by then a US Army Colonel assigned to the US Central Command which oversees the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and began living a life described by her childhood friend Sylvia Carroll as being the “epitome of what wholesome is”.
The same, however, cannot be said about her husband, US Army Colonel Parker Schenecker, who, like all American Military personnel heading towards their war zones in the Middle East and Asia, was “more than likely” given one, or a combination of the powerful psychotropic drugs Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil or Cymbalta, all of which carry mandatory “suicide warnings” and have been linked to nearly every single massacre in the United States for the past two-decades.read more here
Family Massacre In US Linked To American Military Murder Drugs
Murder in Tampa studied by Russian President Medvedev
Texas National Guard sees a spike in suicides
Texas National Guard sees a spike in suicides
Grim statistic: More took their own lives than died in combat
By LINDSAY WISE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 8, 2011, 9:50PM
A spike in the number of Texas National Guard soldiers who took their own lives last year has resulted in a sobering statistic: More members of the Texas Guard have been lost to suicide than to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A total of 12 Texas Army National Guard troops have been killed in action since 2001. During that same time period, 18 killed themselves, according to Texas Army National Guard headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin.
That grim tally includes seven suicides in 2010, a jump from just one, two or none in previous years.
Senior Texas Guard officials said they're distraught by the sharp increase.
"We can only hope that it's a temporary thing, and we are certainly concerned about it, and we're looking at how can we change that," said Chaplain Lt. Col. Stephen Vaughn, operations chaplain for Texas Army National Guard.
"Losing a soldier in combat is horrible, but losing a comrade here in the States is unacceptable," said Col. Orlando Salinas, director of Joint Family Support Services for Texas Military Forces. "We take that very personally, and we want to do all we can to help all our service members and their families."
The statistics in Texas reflect a nationwide trend in the Army, which recently reported that suicides among National Guard and Reserve forces jumped significantly last year from 80 deaths in 2009 to 145 deaths in 2010, even as the number of active-duty soldiers who took their own lives went down slightly, from 162 in 2009 to 156 in 2010.
"It's emblematic of a string of broken systems, and in the National Guard and Reserve, some of the support structures you have on the active-duty side, you just don't get," said Tom Tarantino, senior legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington .
read more here
Texas National Guard sees a spike in suicides
Grim statistic: More took their own lives than died in combat
By LINDSAY WISE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Feb. 8, 2011, 9:50PM
A spike in the number of Texas National Guard soldiers who took their own lives last year has resulted in a sobering statistic: More members of the Texas Guard have been lost to suicide than to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A total of 12 Texas Army National Guard troops have been killed in action since 2001. During that same time period, 18 killed themselves, according to Texas Army National Guard headquarters at Camp Mabry in Austin.
That grim tally includes seven suicides in 2010, a jump from just one, two or none in previous years.
Senior Texas Guard officials said they're distraught by the sharp increase.
"We can only hope that it's a temporary thing, and we are certainly concerned about it, and we're looking at how can we change that," said Chaplain Lt. Col. Stephen Vaughn, operations chaplain for Texas Army National Guard.
"Losing a soldier in combat is horrible, but losing a comrade here in the States is unacceptable," said Col. Orlando Salinas, director of Joint Family Support Services for Texas Military Forces. "We take that very personally, and we want to do all we can to help all our service members and their families."
The statistics in Texas reflect a nationwide trend in the Army, which recently reported that suicides among National Guard and Reserve forces jumped significantly last year from 80 deaths in 2009 to 145 deaths in 2010, even as the number of active-duty soldiers who took their own lives went down slightly, from 162 in 2009 to 156 in 2010.
"It's emblematic of a string of broken systems, and in the National Guard and Reserve, some of the support structures you have on the active-duty side, you just don't get," said Tom Tarantino, senior legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington .
read more here
Texas National Guard sees a spike in suicides
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Florida investigates contractors of Lake Nona VA Hospital
State investigates VA Center contractors
By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel
4:14 p.m. EST, February 9, 2011
Contractors for the VA Medical Center's new $665 million complex at Lake Nona are being investigated by state and federal agencies for employment practices, according to the state Department of Financial Services.
"It is an ongoing investigation involving multiple state and federal agencies into the employment practices of some contractors," said Nina Ashley, a spokeswoman for the Financial Services Department.
Officials with the Department of Veteran Affairs offices in Orlando would not comment on the investigation and referred inquiries to the state agency. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has agents at the site assisting in the investigation, which is being conducted by the Financial Services' Division of Insurance Fraud.
With a 134-bed hospital, community living center and 60-bed nursing home, the VA project represents possibly the largest construction project in the region. It's slated for completion in 2012.
No one would disclose what companies were being investigated.
State investigates VA Center contractors
By Mary Shanklin, Orlando Sentinel
4:14 p.m. EST, February 9, 2011
Contractors for the VA Medical Center's new $665 million complex at Lake Nona are being investigated by state and federal agencies for employment practices, according to the state Department of Financial Services.
"It is an ongoing investigation involving multiple state and federal agencies into the employment practices of some contractors," said Nina Ashley, a spokeswoman for the Financial Services Department.
Officials with the Department of Veteran Affairs offices in Orlando would not comment on the investigation and referred inquiries to the state agency. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has agents at the site assisting in the investigation, which is being conducted by the Financial Services' Division of Insurance Fraud.
With a 134-bed hospital, community living center and 60-bed nursing home, the VA project represents possibly the largest construction project in the region. It's slated for completion in 2012.
No one would disclose what companies were being investigated.
State investigates VA Center contractors
After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control
After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control
February 8, 2011
The Air Force ordered Maj. Chad Bushman to have no contact with his wife and children for almost two years.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Pilot faces military inquiry that may result in being discharged
His wife detailed years of abuse upon her husband's return from duty
Military may have missed the early signs of PTSD
Board to determine whether it's in best interest of Air Force to keep the pilot in its ranks
San Francisco (CNN) -- Air Force Maj. Chad Bushman vividly remembers the worst day of his life, the sound of handcuffs gripping his wrists as six military officers took him away and told him he faced criminal charges for abusing his wife.
"It's shameful. There's no honor in it." Bushman said. "I'm very ashamed of how I had gotten."
What Bushman didn't know at that moment was that a military psychologist would soon determine that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and, he says, it led to years of abusing his wife. The diagnosis may have come too late, and the decorated pilot's military career could soon come to a disgraceful end. But Bushman says that he deserves a second chance and that the Air Force has let him down.
"I think they're trying to wash their hands of me," Bushman said. "Instead of looking at the whole picture of 'how did he get this way, and what could we have done to make him better or help him?' "
The secretary of the Air Force will ultimately decide whether Bushman can continue his career as a military pilot. This week, the case goes before a board of inquiry at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
How Bushman's career reached this point is a sad and often disturbing tale that raises questions about whether the military missed PTSD warning signs along the way.
read more here
After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control
UPDATE
Feb. 10, 2011
I think they're trying to wash their hands of me instead of looking at the whole picture.By Ed Lavandera, CNN
--Maj. Chad Bushman
February 8, 2011
The Air Force ordered Maj. Chad Bushman to have no contact with his wife and children for almost two years.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Pilot faces military inquiry that may result in being discharged
His wife detailed years of abuse upon her husband's return from duty
Military may have missed the early signs of PTSD
Board to determine whether it's in best interest of Air Force to keep the pilot in its ranks
San Francisco (CNN) -- Air Force Maj. Chad Bushman vividly remembers the worst day of his life, the sound of handcuffs gripping his wrists as six military officers took him away and told him he faced criminal charges for abusing his wife.
"It's shameful. There's no honor in it." Bushman said. "I'm very ashamed of how I had gotten."
What Bushman didn't know at that moment was that a military psychologist would soon determine that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and, he says, it led to years of abusing his wife. The diagnosis may have come too late, and the decorated pilot's military career could soon come to a disgraceful end. But Bushman says that he deserves a second chance and that the Air Force has let him down.
"I think they're trying to wash their hands of me," Bushman said. "Instead of looking at the whole picture of 'how did he get this way, and what could we have done to make him better or help him?' "
The secretary of the Air Force will ultimately decide whether Bushman can continue his career as a military pilot. This week, the case goes before a board of inquiry at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
How Bushman's career reached this point is a sad and often disturbing tale that raises questions about whether the military missed PTSD warning signs along the way.
read more here
After war, an Air Force pilot's life spirals out of control
UPDATE
Feb. 10, 2011
Air Force panel: Pilot with PTSD should be discharged
By Ed Lavandera, CNN
February 10, 2011 -- Updated 0257 GMT (1057 HKT)
Criminal charges against Chad Bushman were dismissed after his wife learned of his PTSD prognosis.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Board of Inquiry recommends honorable discharge for Maj. Chad Bushman
Bushman was accused of abusing his wife after deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan
His lawyer says Air Force failed to promptly diagnose his PTSD
Montgomery, Alabama (CNN) -- A three-member Board of Inquiry is recommending that a veteran Air Force pilot who has post-traumatic stress disorder be discharged under honorable conditions, according to the pilot's attorney.
Maj. Chad Bushman's 17-year flying career unraveled in November 2008 after he was arrested by military police and accused of abusing his wife in the four years after he returned home from war deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shortly after the board issued its recommendation Wednesday afternoon, Bushman said that, despite the discharge ruling, he was still hopeful that he could stay in the military. The board could have recommended a harsher ruling of a dishonorable discharge.
"I get to be back with my family. I'm blessed," Bushman said. "The family is the most important part. I'm accepting this is what's going to happen."
Bushman's attorney said the decorated pilot should be allowed to remain in the Air Force because the abuse would not have occurred had the Air Force properly diagnosed his PTSD after returning from war in 2004.
Stephen Karns, Bushman's attorney, argued before the review board that warning signs of the pilot's mental state were missed because the pilot was not given a psychological exam until four years after returning from the battlefield.
read more of this here
Pilot with PTSD should be discharged
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Posted Wed, Feb 09, 2011 at 06:02 am
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Bob Milligan.
By Bobbie O'Brien
TAMPA
At first glance, it appears there is a 44 percent slash in the governor's proposed budget for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts and agency reductions are now available online. Floridians can compare his recommendations to the agency’s requests and to current budgets.
If you compare the current state veterans affairs budget of $81 million to the governor’s proposed budget of $45.5 million, it appears as if Scott is cutting the agency 44 percent.
But that’s not the case. Veterans Affairs spokesman Steve Murray said the governor’s proposal reflects the transfer of the department’s six nursing homes and one assisted living facility, the largest portion of the budget, to a public corporation.
“This public corporation could report directly to the governor and cabinet," Murray said. "It would operate in the sunshine. Our agency the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs would work hand in hand with the corporation on veterans issues. We would be able to retain VA funding."
read more here
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Posted Wed, Feb 09, 2011 at 06:02 am
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Bob Milligan.
By Bobbie O'Brien
TAMPA
At first glance, it appears there is a 44 percent slash in the governor's proposed budget for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's budget cuts and agency reductions are now available online. Floridians can compare his recommendations to the agency’s requests and to current budgets.
If you compare the current state veterans affairs budget of $81 million to the governor’s proposed budget of $45.5 million, it appears as if Scott is cutting the agency 44 percent.
But that’s not the case. Veterans Affairs spokesman Steve Murray said the governor’s proposal reflects the transfer of the department’s six nursing homes and one assisted living facility, the largest portion of the budget, to a public corporation.
“This public corporation could report directly to the governor and cabinet," Murray said. "It would operate in the sunshine. Our agency the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs would work hand in hand with the corporation on veterans issues. We would be able to retain VA funding."
read more here
Florida Veterans Face Budget Cuts and Agency Changes
Fort Bliss soldier faces charges of killing another soldier after Super Bowl Party
Fort Bliss soldier killed at East El Paso bar
By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 02/08/2011 04:09:43 AM MST
A shooting early Monday outside a popular East Side bar left one Fort Bliss soldier dead and another facing a murder charge.
El Paso police said an altercation broke out just after 1 a.m. inside the Three Legged Monkey and then spilled into the parking lot where Spc. Zareef Quasim Saleel allegedly shot Spc. Alex Gabriel Jaime once in the chest, killing him.
Police and paramedics arrived to find Jaime, 23, dead in the parking lot of the bar on Hawkins Boulevard by Montana Avenue.
After the shooting, Saleel was arrested when a patrol officer stopped him in a vehicle a short distance from the bar, police spokesman Darrel Petry said. Saleel, 25, was jailed in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
read more here
Fort Bliss soldier killed at East El Paso bar
By Daniel Borunda \ El Paso Times
Posted: 02/08/2011 04:09:43 AM MST
A shooting early Monday outside a popular East Side bar left one Fort Bliss soldier dead and another facing a murder charge.
El Paso police said an altercation broke out just after 1 a.m. inside the Three Legged Monkey and then spilled into the parking lot where Spc. Zareef Quasim Saleel allegedly shot Spc. Alex Gabriel Jaime once in the chest, killing him.
Police and paramedics arrived to find Jaime, 23, dead in the parking lot of the bar on Hawkins Boulevard by Montana Avenue.
After the shooting, Saleel was arrested when a patrol officer stopped him in a vehicle a short distance from the bar, police spokesman Darrel Petry said. Saleel, 25, was jailed in lieu of a $100,000 bond.
read more here
Fort Bliss soldier killed at East El Paso bar
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