Major GOP donor arrested in $100 million veteran charity scam
By David Edwards
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The U.S. Marshal Service announced Tuesday that it had captured one of America’s Most Wanted fugitives who is accused of creating a fake charity for Navy veterans that funneled some of the $100 million collected to Republican candidates.
Between the early 2000s and 2010, a man using the alias “Bobby Thompson” collected millions from unsuspecting donors for the charity U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), which claimed to provide support for members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Officials believe that very little, if any, of the money was ever used as intended, according to the U.S. Marshal Service.
To help legitimize his charity, Thompson allegedly donated part of the ill-gotten funds to Republican candidates like former President George W. Bush, former Republican presidential candidate John McCain and House Speaker John Boehner.
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Thursday, May 3, 2012
Horses give vets High Hopes for recovery
Horses give vets High Hopes for recovery
By Jennifer McDermott
Publication: The Day
Published 05/03/2012
Therapeutic riding in Old Lyme helps former soldiers cope
Old Lyme - After she rode a horse at a fast gait for the first time, Katye Zwiefka cried.
She threw her arms in the air and said, "I did it!" Zwiefka compared it to the joy she felt as a child on Christmas morning.
"It had been such a long time since I had that feeling or anything like it - just that excitement and that thrill, that joy that's untainted by the world," she said of her experience cantering last summer.
Zwiefka, who served in the Marine Corps, belongs to a women's riding group at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, she turned to the center two years ago. She and another veteran in the group, Khaylan Widener, said bonding with the horses and the other equestrians has helped them cope with the anxiety and isolation they have felt since leaving the military.
"It's hard to make connections with people," said Zwiefka, a 30-year-old who lives in Norwich. "It's hard to feel comfortable in my skin and my surroundings and to really just enjoy the moment for what it is.
"Being here, I'm really able to do that," she said of High Hopes. "It's beautiful out here and I'm able to enjoy every moment."
Zwiefka and Widener, an Army veteran, met in counseling at the Norwich Vet Center, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
With her new friend's encouragement, Widener began riding at the center.
read more here
By Jennifer McDermott
Publication: The Day
Published 05/03/2012
Therapeutic riding in Old Lyme helps former soldiers cope
Old Lyme - After she rode a horse at a fast gait for the first time, Katye Zwiefka cried.
She threw her arms in the air and said, "I did it!" Zwiefka compared it to the joy she felt as a child on Christmas morning.
"It had been such a long time since I had that feeling or anything like it - just that excitement and that thrill, that joy that's untainted by the world," she said of her experience cantering last summer.
Zwiefka, who served in the Marine Corps, belongs to a women's riding group at High Hopes Therapeutic Riding. Struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder, she turned to the center two years ago. She and another veteran in the group, Khaylan Widener, said bonding with the horses and the other equestrians has helped them cope with the anxiety and isolation they have felt since leaving the military.
"It's hard to make connections with people," said Zwiefka, a 30-year-old who lives in Norwich. "It's hard to feel comfortable in my skin and my surroundings and to really just enjoy the moment for what it is.
"Being here, I'm really able to do that," she said of High Hopes. "It's beautiful out here and I'm able to enjoy every moment."
Zwiefka and Widener, an Army veteran, met in counseling at the Norwich Vet Center, run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
With her new friend's encouragement, Widener began riding at the center.
read more here
Iraq Veteran stabbed stopping robber
Iraq war veteran Shawn Cox stabbed in the neck while trying to stop robber
By: Rochelle Ritchie
PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. -- A Port St. Lucie man and Iraq war veteran is being hailed a hero after trying to help a woman being robbed at knife-point in a store parking lot Tuesday night.
For his efforts, Shawn Cox ended up with a stab wound to the neck. But the two victims are thankful to be alive and are hoping justice is soon served.
Marie Whitely was able to thank the man who came to her rescue.
"I just wanted to come say thank you, I couldn't do it last night I was so overwhelmed," Whitely told him.
This surveillance video shows Whitely loading groceries in her car in the parking lot of Walmart on St. Lucie West Boulevard.
That's when you see a woman sneaking up behind her.
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By: Rochelle Ritchie
PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. -- A Port St. Lucie man and Iraq war veteran is being hailed a hero after trying to help a woman being robbed at knife-point in a store parking lot Tuesday night.
For his efforts, Shawn Cox ended up with a stab wound to the neck. But the two victims are thankful to be alive and are hoping justice is soon served.
Marie Whitely was able to thank the man who came to her rescue.
"I just wanted to come say thank you, I couldn't do it last night I was so overwhelmed," Whitely told him.
This surveillance video shows Whitely loading groceries in her car in the parking lot of Walmart on St. Lucie West Boulevard.
That's when you see a woman sneaking up behind her.
read more here
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Erin Brockovich Talks 'Last Call At The Oasis'
Erin Brockovich Talks 'Last Call At The Oasis' And Water Contamination Issues
The Huffington Post
By Joanna Zelman
Posted: 05/1/2012
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich recently held a roundtable discussion at The Huffington Post's offices to address water contamination challenges, the upcoming documentary "Last Call At The Oasis," and her newest endeavor to combat health concerns around the world.
"Last Call At The Oasis" focuses on the growing global water crisis, from the drying up of Lake Mead to the fight to keep herbicides from tainting drinking water. The film highlights Brockovich's newest project, mapping disease clusters around the world in partnership with Google.
Brockovich told HuffPost that this "pet project" began as she was receiving up to 50,000 emails per month from people reporting health issues in their communities, writing concerns such as: "We think it's odd that we have 18 people on our street with Hodgkins; We think it's odd that we have 15 kids on our street with leukemia; We think it's odd that we have 20 people in the community with glioblastoma brain tumors."
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The Huffington Post
By Joanna Zelman
Posted: 05/1/2012
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich recently held a roundtable discussion at The Huffington Post's offices to address water contamination challenges, the upcoming documentary "Last Call At The Oasis," and her newest endeavor to combat health concerns around the world.
"Last Call At The Oasis" focuses on the growing global water crisis, from the drying up of Lake Mead to the fight to keep herbicides from tainting drinking water. The film highlights Brockovich's newest project, mapping disease clusters around the world in partnership with Google.
Brockovich told HuffPost that this "pet project" began as she was receiving up to 50,000 emails per month from people reporting health issues in their communities, writing concerns such as: "We think it's odd that we have 18 people on our street with Hodgkins; We think it's odd that we have 15 kids on our street with leukemia; We think it's odd that we have 20 people in the community with glioblastoma brain tumors."
read more here
Spirit Airlines didn't care Vietnam Vet dying and can't fly
UPDATE
Facebook users heap baggage on Spirit Airlines after dying vet refused refund
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Published May 03, 2012
FoxNews.com
A Facebook campaign calling for a boycott of Spirit Airlines has taken off with jet-like propulsion since the carrier's denial of a refund to a dying former Marine made headlines.
The “Boycott Spirit Airlines” Facebook page has seen its number of "likes" soar in recent days, rising from roughly 700 earlier this week to more than 17,000 as of early Thursday.
The social network support has come as Jerry Meekins, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran with terminal esophageal cancer, raised a fuss when the Florida-based airline nixed his request for a $197 refund. Meekins was going to fly to New Jersey for his daughter's surgery, but his doctor told him not to fly, citing his deteriorating health. The Facebook page blasting the much-complained-about airline already existed, but Meekins' plight has sent furious fellow veterans and concerned citizens flocking to it.
"This is a despicable act on their part," one post read. "They should have quietly returned the airfare and they could have avoided this. I will never fly this airline."
read more here
By Joshua Rhett Miller
Published May 03, 2012
FoxNews.com
A Facebook campaign calling for a boycott of Spirit Airlines has taken off with jet-like propulsion since the carrier's denial of a refund to a dying former Marine made headlines.
The “Boycott Spirit Airlines” Facebook page has seen its number of "likes" soar in recent days, rising from roughly 700 earlier this week to more than 17,000 as of early Thursday.
The social network support has come as Jerry Meekins, a 76-year-old Vietnam veteran with terminal esophageal cancer, raised a fuss when the Florida-based airline nixed his request for a $197 refund. Meekins was going to fly to New Jersey for his daughter's surgery, but his doctor told him not to fly, citing his deteriorating health. The Facebook page blasting the much-complained-about airline already existed, but Meekins' plight has sent furious fellow veterans and concerned citizens flocking to it.
"This is a despicable act on their part," one post read. "They should have quietly returned the airfare and they could have avoided this. I will never fly this airline."
read more here
Spirit Airlines' refusal to refund vet's ticket earns it an 'F' in Public Relations
By Fraser Seitel
FoxNews.com
Published May 01, 2012
Ever shake your head, ruefully, and wonder why those Occupy Wall Street rabble rousers despise corporations so virulently?
Here’s the answer: Spirit Airlines.
And here’s a better answer: Lawyers.
Spirit, of course, is the airline that has been blistered in the media for refusing a dying Vietnam veteran a $197 ticket refund, because his doctor forbade him to fly. The 76-year-old esophageal cancer sufferer, Jerry Meekins, bought a ticket on Spirit to fly from Clearwater, Fla. to visit his daughter in Atlantic City – perhaps for the last time.
But then his doctor nixed the trip. And Spirit nixed the refund.
read more here
Fort Campbell soldier back from Afghanistan, dead from multiple gunshot wounds
UPDATE
Men Accused Of Killing Ft. Campbell Soldier Found Guilty
Fort Campbell Soldier Found Dead in Clarksville
May 2, 2012
Police in Clarksville are asking for information in the death of a Fort Campbell soldier who was found dead from gunshot wounds after giving two men a ride in his car.
The Leaf-Chronicle reports that Clarksville police found 22-year-old Taylor Hotzoglou inside his car with multiple gunshot wounds early Sunday morning.
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Man found dead Sunday remembered as kind-hearted and prone to offer favors
Police say shooting was 'cowardly' act
4:52 PM, May. 2, 2012
Written by
Allison Smith
Leaf-Chronicle
CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — Taylor Hotzoglou was the type of person who performed random acts of kindness.
He enjoyed helping almost anyone with anything, even if it was giving the last dollar out of his wallet. It was his kind heart and willingness to help that his brother, Greg, believes led to the 22-year-old’s death.
Just after midnight on Sunday, the Clarksville Police Department received a call about a possible wreck with an unresponsive victim, said Detective Michael Ulrey, who is overseeing the case.
When officers arrived, Ulrey said, they found Hotzoglou with multiple gunshot wounds. Police discovered that he had given two men a ride from his apartment at 1671 Fort Campbell Blvd. and was found dead shortly after that.
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Men Accused Of Killing Ft. Campbell Soldier Found Guilty
Fort Campbell Soldier Found Dead in Clarksville
May 2, 2012
Police in Clarksville are asking for information in the death of a Fort Campbell soldier who was found dead from gunshot wounds after giving two men a ride in his car.
The Leaf-Chronicle reports that Clarksville police found 22-year-old Taylor Hotzoglou inside his car with multiple gunshot wounds early Sunday morning.
read more here
Man found dead Sunday remembered as kind-hearted and prone to offer favors
Police say shooting was 'cowardly' act
4:52 PM, May. 2, 2012
Written by
Allison Smith
Leaf-Chronicle
CLARKSVILLE, TENN. — Taylor Hotzoglou was the type of person who performed random acts of kindness.
He enjoyed helping almost anyone with anything, even if it was giving the last dollar out of his wallet. It was his kind heart and willingness to help that his brother, Greg, believes led to the 22-year-old’s death.
Just after midnight on Sunday, the Clarksville Police Department received a call about a possible wreck with an unresponsive victim, said Detective Michael Ulrey, who is overseeing the case.
When officers arrived, Ulrey said, they found Hotzoglou with multiple gunshot wounds. Police discovered that he had given two men a ride from his apartment at 1671 Fort Campbell Blvd. and was found dead shortly after that.
read more here
IRS seeks loan taxes from family of dead Marine
IRS seeks loan taxes from family of dead Marine
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 1, 2012
A Tennessee lawmaker is trying to protect a Marine’s parents from having to pay taxes on student loans that were waived after the Marine’s death.
Lance Cpl. Andrew Carpenter died in 2011 in Germany from injuries suffered when he was shot by a sniper in Afghanistan. The 27-year-old, who had attended college before enlisting in the Marine Corps, died with outstanding student loans from a private lender. The lender waived the debt, but family was notified by the Department of Education that the waived debt was considered as income for tax purposes.
While the survivors never expected it, IRS policy holds that forgiven debt on credit cards, personal loans and student loans is treated as income, just like wages — and taxable, just like wages.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., a freshman lawmaker representing Carpenter’s hometown of Columbia, Tenn., is trying to help the Carpenter family and ensure similar situations don’t happen to other military families.
“It is simply not right to require the families of deceased veterans, having already sacrificed so greatly for our country, to pay more in taxes for loans that have already been forgiven,” DesJarlais said.
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By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 1, 2012
A Tennessee lawmaker is trying to protect a Marine’s parents from having to pay taxes on student loans that were waived after the Marine’s death.
Lance Cpl. Andrew Carpenter died in 2011 in Germany from injuries suffered when he was shot by a sniper in Afghanistan. The 27-year-old, who had attended college before enlisting in the Marine Corps, died with outstanding student loans from a private lender. The lender waived the debt, but family was notified by the Department of Education that the waived debt was considered as income for tax purposes.
While the survivors never expected it, IRS policy holds that forgiven debt on credit cards, personal loans and student loans is treated as income, just like wages — and taxable, just like wages.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., a freshman lawmaker representing Carpenter’s hometown of Columbia, Tenn., is trying to help the Carpenter family and ensure similar situations don’t happen to other military families.
“It is simply not right to require the families of deceased veterans, having already sacrificed so greatly for our country, to pay more in taxes for loans that have already been forgiven,” DesJarlais said.
read more here
Camp Lejeune Marine dies after physical training
Marine dies after physical training
May 02, 2012
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Monday after conducting personal physical training, according to information from Camp Lejeune.
Staff Sgt. Carlous Perry, 30, a native of Clay, Miss. and a maintenance chief assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, was rushed to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 p.m.
read more here
May 02, 2012
A Camp Lejeune Marine died Monday after conducting personal physical training, according to information from Camp Lejeune.
Staff Sgt. Carlous Perry, 30, a native of Clay, Miss. and a maintenance chief assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, was rushed to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune where he was pronounced dead at 1:15 p.m.
read more here
Towels, shower items sought for Marines
Towels, shower items sought for Marines
May 1, 2012
BY BRIAN MARTINEZ /
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The city and Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee are collecting personal items for 350 welcome-home packages for Irvine's adopted Marines – the 2d Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division – out of Camp Pendleton.
The "2/11" battalion, which the city "adopted" in 2007, is returning throughout May and June from a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. The welcome-home packages are for the battalion's single Marines, many of whom return to empty barracks without the comfort of family.
The public is invited to show support for the troops by donating towels, washcloths and men's body wash/shower gel items (Axe or Dove are the preferred brands) at Irvine Civic Center or the Lakeview Senior Center through Monday, May 7.
Items dropped off after May 7 will be used for any remaining welcome home packages and for other 2/11 Marine activities.
Information: 949-588-8014 or visit Irvine 211 Marines or 949-588-8014.
May 1, 2012
BY BRIAN MARTINEZ /
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The city and Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee are collecting personal items for 350 welcome-home packages for Irvine's adopted Marines – the 2d Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division – out of Camp Pendleton.
The "2/11" battalion, which the city "adopted" in 2007, is returning throughout May and June from a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. The welcome-home packages are for the battalion's single Marines, many of whom return to empty barracks without the comfort of family.
The public is invited to show support for the troops by donating towels, washcloths and men's body wash/shower gel items (Axe or Dove are the preferred brands) at Irvine Civic Center or the Lakeview Senior Center through Monday, May 7.
Items dropped off after May 7 will be used for any remaining welcome home packages and for other 2/11 Marine activities.
Information: 949-588-8014 or visit Irvine 211 Marines or 949-588-8014.
MIA U.S. Army Capt. Charles Barnes will be laid to rest
Governor orders flags in Lehigh Co. to fly at half staff in honor of fallen soldier
Author: Katie Shank
Web Producer
Published On: May 01 2012
ARLINGTON, Va.
More than 40 years after his plane went missing over Vietnam, a Lehigh County soldier will finally be laid to rest.
U.S. Army Capt. Charles Barnes, a native of Fullerton, Whitehall Twp., was listed as missing in action after his Army U-21A "Ute" aircraft lost radar contact and crashed in bad weather on Mar. 16, 1969.
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