13 Ekim 2012 Cumartesi
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Clemson plans ban on all tobacco on campus by 2014
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Clemson University, which spent millions helping farmers grow tobacco and was famed for tobacco-spitting football coach Danny Ford, is banning all tobacco products both indoors and outdoors within two years.
Clemson officials said they are bringing together students, professors and administrators to write a tobacco-free policy and put the plans in place by 2014.
Clemson won't be the first South Carolina school to ban tobacco, but it will be the largest. The school has plenty of ties to tobacco, such as a $380,000 grant from Philip Morris International in 2010 to pay for research to lower the cost of growing the crop and the image of Ford with a plug of tobacco in his cheek watching the championship-winning Tigers play in the 1980s.
But with all the research on the dangers of smoking and other tobacco use, the university decided it was time to take another step to improve the health of students and employees, said George Clay, the university's executive director of student health.
"Clemson University has a strategic goal of providing a healthy and safe campus. This was one of the ways to do that," Clay said. "We feel the issue for reducing tobacco use, particularly smoking among employees and students is especially compelling."
Surveys have shown about 12 percent of students smoke on campus, and Clay estimates about that number of employees are likely smokers too. Smoking is already banned in all university buildings.
The task force will seek ways that the university can help those people stop smoking, said Clay, who will lead the panel.
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation estimates more than 600 colleges and universities across the country are tobacco free. In South Carolina, that list includes Charleston Southern University, Lander University and the University of South Carolina Upstate. The main University of South Carolina campus in Columbia does not have a campus-wide tobacco ban, but its tobacco policy expresses the hope of banning the substance completely one day.
Since announcing the ban Thursday, Clay said he has receiving a couple of dozen messages from people against the idea. But he expects support will rise. He compares it to indoor smoking bans that were fought fiercely a decade or two ago, but aren't given a second thought now.
"It's definitely been accepted. Even a determined smoker would be hesitant to light up indoors in public these days," Clay said.
Clemson estimates the tobacco ban will save about $1 million a year in health care costs and other expenses.
The ban means football fans won't be able to smoke or chew tobacco while tailgating on campus either. When the University of Arkansas imposed a similar ban four years ago, some fans weren't happy, university spokesman Steve Voorhies said.
But the grumbling soon ended, and the ban appears to be working for the most part.
"It's probably abided by about as much as the no drinking policy is abided by," Voorhies said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Clemson plans ban on all tobacco on campus by 2014 - State & Regional - TheState.com
Clemson officials said they are bringing together students, professors and administrators to write a tobacco-free policy and put the plans in place by 2014.
Clemson won't be the first South Carolina school to ban tobacco, but it will be the largest. The school has plenty of ties to tobacco, such as a $380,000 grant from Philip Morris International in 2010 to pay for research to lower the cost of growing the crop and the image of Ford with a plug of tobacco in his cheek watching the championship-winning Tigers play in the 1980s.
But with all the research on the dangers of smoking and other tobacco use, the university decided it was time to take another step to improve the health of students and employees, said George Clay, the university's executive director of student health.
"Clemson University has a strategic goal of providing a healthy and safe campus. This was one of the ways to do that," Clay said. "We feel the issue for reducing tobacco use, particularly smoking among employees and students is especially compelling."
Surveys have shown about 12 percent of students smoke on campus, and Clay estimates about that number of employees are likely smokers too. Smoking is already banned in all university buildings.
The task force will seek ways that the university can help those people stop smoking, said Clay, who will lead the panel.
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation estimates more than 600 colleges and universities across the country are tobacco free. In South Carolina, that list includes Charleston Southern University, Lander University and the University of South Carolina Upstate. The main University of South Carolina campus in Columbia does not have a campus-wide tobacco ban, but its tobacco policy expresses the hope of banning the substance completely one day.
Since announcing the ban Thursday, Clay said he has receiving a couple of dozen messages from people against the idea. But he expects support will rise. He compares it to indoor smoking bans that were fought fiercely a decade or two ago, but aren't given a second thought now.
"It's definitely been accepted. Even a determined smoker would be hesitant to light up indoors in public these days," Clay said.
Clemson estimates the tobacco ban will save about $1 million a year in health care costs and other expenses.
The ban means football fans won't be able to smoke or chew tobacco while tailgating on campus either. When the University of Arkansas imposed a similar ban four years ago, some fans weren't happy, university spokesman Steve Voorhies said.
But the grumbling soon ended, and the ban appears to be working for the most part.
"It's probably abided by about as much as the no drinking policy is abided by," Voorhies said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Clemson plans ban on all tobacco on campus by 2014 - State & Regional - TheState.com
South Carolina man, lone survivor, testifies at Ohio Craigslist trial
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Hoping to land a farm job and move close to his family, Scott Davis met his new boss and walked with him through the autumn-color woodlands of southeast Ohio last year.
Then he heard the click of a gun at the back of his head.
"I spun around," the soft-spoken Scott Davis told a hushed courtroom Friday at the murder trial of Brogan Rafferty, a 17-year-old charged in a plot to lure victims through phony Craigslist job offers. Three men were shot to death. Davis was the only victim to survive and tell his story.
Gently prodded by the prosecutor, Davis testified that he pushed the gunman's arm away and got shot in the arm. Then he began a race for his life through the brush, the sound of gunfire ringing through the trees.
Davis told a harrowing story to jurors, saying he ran through the woods and hid for seven hours. "I was worried about bleeding to death," Davis testified.
Prosecutors say the plot involving Rafferty and Richard Beasley, a self-styled chaplain and the alleged triggerman, targeted men desperate for work who responded to Craigslist job ads.
Davis, 49, described how he responded to one such ad, sold his South Carolina business and moved last year to be closer to his family in the Canton area.
Davis said he, a man who called himself "Jack" and Rafferty shared a restaurant breakfast before Rafferty drove the trio to an isolated Noble County farm, ostensibly to show Davis where he would be working as a farmhand and live in a trailer with hunting rights.
Prosecutors say "Jack" was Beasley, Rafferty's mentor. Beasley, 53, of Akron, has pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately.
According to Davis, "Jack" urged him into a wooded area to look for farm equipment and eventually suggested that the two turn back.
"I heard a curse word and then a gun cock," Davis testified.
Davis said he turned around and found himself face-to-face with a handgun. He said he pushed the weapon aside, was wounded in the arm and fled as "Jack" fired at him.
Davis said he ran as fast as he could "but I kept falling down." He said he eventually hid in a creek bed and tried to stop the bleeding amid rising pain. Fearing loss of blood would kill him, Davis said he climbed to a hilltop in the moonlit night to look for a house. He found one and managed to get there and ask for a phone to dial 911.
"I was getting weak at that point," Davis testified.
Under questioning by prosecutor Emily Pelphrey, Davis identified the younger accomplice by describing the defendant's courtroom outfit.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney John Alexander, Davis testified that "Jack" had orchestrated the farm visit and fired at him.
Alexander posed repeated questions fingering Beasley as the mastermind, each time beginning, "'Jack' was the one ... "
In her opening statement, Pelphrey said Rafferty chose to participate in the three killings and Davis' wounding, even if he wasn't the triggerman. Rafferty, of nearby Stow, kept his head down and took notes as the alleged plot was detailed for the jury.
Pelphrey showed the jury timelines for each victim and said they had been desperate to improve their lives or find "the light at the end of the tunnel." A photo of each victim's grave was shown on a big TV screen as she spoke.
The defendant was a quick student of the alleged plot and "a student of violent crime," Pelphrey told jurors.
"He made the choices he wanted to make," she said.
Alexander told jurors Rafferty never participated voluntarily and was afraid that Beasley would kill him and his relatives if he didn't cooperate. As for the alleged plot to lure job-seekers, Alexander said, Rafferty "had no idea any of this was going on."
The first killing came without warning for Rafferty, according to Alexander. Afterward, Beasley warned Rafferty to keep quiet by reminding him that he knew where Rafferty's mother and sister lived, the defense lawyer said.
That was an implied threat, Alexander said. "He would kill them if Brogan says anything," Alexander told jurors.
The body of David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Va., was found on Noble County property owned by a coal company and often leased to hunters.
Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, was found in a shallow grave near an Akron-area shopping mall. He had been shot in the head.
The body of Ralph Geiger, 55, of Akron, was found in Noble County, dead of a gunshot wound to the head.
Beasley was a Texas parolee who returned to Ohio in 2004 after serving time on a burglary conviction. He was awaiting trial on prostitution and drug charges when authorities took him into custody.
Police have said a halfway house he ran in Akron was a front for prostitution. Authorities said he was a mentor for Rafferty and had befriended him.
AKRON, Ohio - South Carolina man, lone survivor, testifies at Ohio Craigslist trial - State & Regional - TheState.com
Then he heard the click of a gun at the back of his head.
"I spun around," the soft-spoken Scott Davis told a hushed courtroom Friday at the murder trial of Brogan Rafferty, a 17-year-old charged in a plot to lure victims through phony Craigslist job offers. Three men were shot to death. Davis was the only victim to survive and tell his story.
Gently prodded by the prosecutor, Davis testified that he pushed the gunman's arm away and got shot in the arm. Then he began a race for his life through the brush, the sound of gunfire ringing through the trees.
Davis told a harrowing story to jurors, saying he ran through the woods and hid for seven hours. "I was worried about bleeding to death," Davis testified.
Prosecutors say the plot involving Rafferty and Richard Beasley, a self-styled chaplain and the alleged triggerman, targeted men desperate for work who responded to Craigslist job ads.
Davis, 49, described how he responded to one such ad, sold his South Carolina business and moved last year to be closer to his family in the Canton area.
Davis said he, a man who called himself "Jack" and Rafferty shared a restaurant breakfast before Rafferty drove the trio to an isolated Noble County farm, ostensibly to show Davis where he would be working as a farmhand and live in a trailer with hunting rights.
Prosecutors say "Jack" was Beasley, Rafferty's mentor. Beasley, 53, of Akron, has pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately.
According to Davis, "Jack" urged him into a wooded area to look for farm equipment and eventually suggested that the two turn back.
"I heard a curse word and then a gun cock," Davis testified.
Davis said he turned around and found himself face-to-face with a handgun. He said he pushed the weapon aside, was wounded in the arm and fled as "Jack" fired at him.
Davis said he ran as fast as he could "but I kept falling down." He said he eventually hid in a creek bed and tried to stop the bleeding amid rising pain. Fearing loss of blood would kill him, Davis said he climbed to a hilltop in the moonlit night to look for a house. He found one and managed to get there and ask for a phone to dial 911.
"I was getting weak at that point," Davis testified.
Under questioning by prosecutor Emily Pelphrey, Davis identified the younger accomplice by describing the defendant's courtroom outfit.
Under cross-examination by defense attorney John Alexander, Davis testified that "Jack" had orchestrated the farm visit and fired at him.
Alexander posed repeated questions fingering Beasley as the mastermind, each time beginning, "'Jack' was the one ... "
In her opening statement, Pelphrey said Rafferty chose to participate in the three killings and Davis' wounding, even if he wasn't the triggerman. Rafferty, of nearby Stow, kept his head down and took notes as the alleged plot was detailed for the jury.
Pelphrey showed the jury timelines for each victim and said they had been desperate to improve their lives or find "the light at the end of the tunnel." A photo of each victim's grave was shown on a big TV screen as she spoke.
The defendant was a quick student of the alleged plot and "a student of violent crime," Pelphrey told jurors.
"He made the choices he wanted to make," she said.
Alexander told jurors Rafferty never participated voluntarily and was afraid that Beasley would kill him and his relatives if he didn't cooperate. As for the alleged plot to lure job-seekers, Alexander said, Rafferty "had no idea any of this was going on."
The first killing came without warning for Rafferty, according to Alexander. Afterward, Beasley warned Rafferty to keep quiet by reminding him that he knew where Rafferty's mother and sister lived, the defense lawyer said.
That was an implied threat, Alexander said. "He would kill them if Brogan says anything," Alexander told jurors.
The body of David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Va., was found on Noble County property owned by a coal company and often leased to hunters.
Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, was found in a shallow grave near an Akron-area shopping mall. He had been shot in the head.
The body of Ralph Geiger, 55, of Akron, was found in Noble County, dead of a gunshot wound to the head.
Beasley was a Texas parolee who returned to Ohio in 2004 after serving time on a burglary conviction. He was awaiting trial on prostitution and drug charges when authorities took him into custody.
Police have said a halfway house he ran in Akron was a front for prostitution. Authorities said he was a mentor for Rafferty and had befriended him.
AKRON, Ohio - South Carolina man, lone survivor, testifies at Ohio Craigslist trial - State & Regional - TheState.com
South Carolina’s Faults due for a ShakeOut
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The earthquake threat that exists in South Carolina typically doesn’t get much attention as say, a hurricane, a tornado or even an ice storm potential. Many living in the Palmetto State aren’t aware that the epicenter of the largest earthquake ever recorded on the eastern seaboard was near Charleston, S.C. on August 31, 1886. This magnitude 7.3 earthquake resulted in 60 deaths, 90 percent of all buildings in the Charleston area were destroyed and property damage was estimated at $5-$6 million in the period’s currency.
The 1886 quake was felt over 2.5 million square miles from Chicago to Cuba. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division estimates an earthquake of similar magnitude occurring today would result in hundreds of fatalities; the damage to infrastructure and the economy would be spread over many states for many years afterwards.
It’s important for communities that may not be as susceptible to frequent earthquakes to be aware that it’s still a risk they should prepare for. Even though South Carolina hasn’t experienced an earthquake of such severity since the 1886 Charleston event, we experience 10-30 measurable tremors a year, with 5-6 on average physically felt. That’s why as part of the South Carolina’s annual Earthquake Awareness Week, more than 213,000 people from the state are participating in the Great Southeast ShakeOut. For example, an elementary school will be visiting the South Carolina State Museum on Thursday, visiting an exhibit on the 1886 earthquake and also participating in the drill at 10:18 a.m. Additionally, South Carolina Emergency Management Division is holding an earthquake preparedness table top earthquake exercise with several county emergency management agencies near the South Carolina-Georgia border.
Planning for this drill has given state emergency management communities an opportunity to have a little fun while conducting a disaster preparedness campaign. Through the development of Public Service Announcements, promoting social media pages, hosting chats and getting out in the communities, public information teams from the Nation’s Capital to Savannah and everywhere in between have been creative and enthusiastic about the Great Southeast ShakeOut- a testament to how dedicated our emergency management community is to making sure the people we serve have the information they need to make decisions about their personal safety.
We’ve been able to discuss the differences between the Richter and Mercali scales, to explain why some companies don’t offer earthquake insurance and to encourage people to take this opportunity to understand the types of emergencies their communities are most vulnerable to and take steps to prepare for them; all through multiple platforms, traditional and new. Plus, in states where college football reigns supreme, it’s been a friendly competition to see which state gets the most participants to practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On” at 10:18, on 10/18. I hope you’ll sign up to participate, too.
FEMA Blog: South Carolina’s Faults due for a ShakeOut
The 1886 quake was felt over 2.5 million square miles from Chicago to Cuba. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division estimates an earthquake of similar magnitude occurring today would result in hundreds of fatalities; the damage to infrastructure and the economy would be spread over many states for many years afterwards.
It’s important for communities that may not be as susceptible to frequent earthquakes to be aware that it’s still a risk they should prepare for. Even though South Carolina hasn’t experienced an earthquake of such severity since the 1886 Charleston event, we experience 10-30 measurable tremors a year, with 5-6 on average physically felt. That’s why as part of the South Carolina’s annual Earthquake Awareness Week, more than 213,000 people from the state are participating in the Great Southeast ShakeOut. For example, an elementary school will be visiting the South Carolina State Museum on Thursday, visiting an exhibit on the 1886 earthquake and also participating in the drill at 10:18 a.m. Additionally, South Carolina Emergency Management Division is holding an earthquake preparedness table top earthquake exercise with several county emergency management agencies near the South Carolina-Georgia border.
Planning for this drill has given state emergency management communities an opportunity to have a little fun while conducting a disaster preparedness campaign. Through the development of Public Service Announcements, promoting social media pages, hosting chats and getting out in the communities, public information teams from the Nation’s Capital to Savannah and everywhere in between have been creative and enthusiastic about the Great Southeast ShakeOut- a testament to how dedicated our emergency management community is to making sure the people we serve have the information they need to make decisions about their personal safety.
We’ve been able to discuss the differences between the Richter and Mercali scales, to explain why some companies don’t offer earthquake insurance and to encourage people to take this opportunity to understand the types of emergencies their communities are most vulnerable to and take steps to prepare for them; all through multiple platforms, traditional and new. Plus, in states where college football reigns supreme, it’s been a friendly competition to see which state gets the most participants to practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On” at 10:18, on 10/18. I hope you’ll sign up to participate, too.
FEMA Blog: South Carolina’s Faults due for a ShakeOut
CLOVER: Police: N.C. man leads York County police on chase, lawnmower in tow
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Gideon Johnson
CLOVER — A 30-year-old Gastonia man led police on a short car chase from Gaston County, N.C., to his father’s house in Clover where he was arrested for possession of marijuana, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.
Gideon Ephruim Johnson was driving a blue 1972 GMC pickup with a riding lawnmower in tow Thursday when Gaston County police started the pursuit because the truck and lawnmower had been reported stolen earlier in the day, the report states.
After police arrested Johnson, they found nine bags of marijuana totaling 6.6 grams in the truck, the report states. The vehicle and lawnmower belong to Johnson’s father.
During the chase, the report states, Johnson jumped out of the truck and ran into a wooded area behind his father’s home on Bellaire Circle in Clover.
The sheriff’s K-9 unit searched the woods and later found Johnson inside his father’s house, the report states.
Johnson has been charged with possession of marijuana and intent to distribute. He was in jail awaiting bail Friday morning, according to the sheriff’s website.
Johnson will not be charged with stealing the truck or lawnmower unless his father chooses to press charges, the report states.
CLOVER: Police: N.C. man leads York County police on chase, lawnmower in tow | Crime | Rock Hill Herald Online
Gideon JohnsonCLOVER — A 30-year-old Gastonia man led police on a short car chase from Gaston County, N.C., to his father’s house in Clover where he was arrested for possession of marijuana, according to a York County Sheriff's Office report.
Gideon Ephruim Johnson was driving a blue 1972 GMC pickup with a riding lawnmower in tow Thursday when Gaston County police started the pursuit because the truck and lawnmower had been reported stolen earlier in the day, the report states.
After police arrested Johnson, they found nine bags of marijuana totaling 6.6 grams in the truck, the report states. The vehicle and lawnmower belong to Johnson’s father.
During the chase, the report states, Johnson jumped out of the truck and ran into a wooded area behind his father’s home on Bellaire Circle in Clover.
The sheriff’s K-9 unit searched the woods and later found Johnson inside his father’s house, the report states.
Johnson has been charged with possession of marijuana and intent to distribute. He was in jail awaiting bail Friday morning, according to the sheriff’s website.
Johnson will not be charged with stealing the truck or lawnmower unless his father chooses to press charges, the report states.
CLOVER: Police: N.C. man leads York County police on chase, lawnmower in tow | Crime | Rock Hill Herald Online
12 Ekim 2012 Cuma
Hocking Hills State Park
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Last week my family and many of my wife's relatives vacationed in SE Ohio, in a region called "Hocking Hills." Among the activities in which we engaged was a trip to Hocking Hills State Park.
The state park contains quite a few "things to see and do" (check out the link above), but my family focused on three of the obvious ones: Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, and Ash Cave.
Old Man's Cave is not a subterranean cavern, but rather the result of erosion of softer rock beneath harder rock, resulting in very large overhangs above hollowed out areas. This part of the state park has a variety of features and is very picturesque. The stream that moves through the area also flows over multiple waterfalls.
About two miles away on foot is Cedar Falls. This is a large and beautiful waterfall that also features some of the same erosional rock features as the two caves.
At this point our family got adventurous and, instead of driving three miles to Ash Cave, found the Buckeye Trail and hiked there. This was a pretty easy trail to hike, though we were getting weary on the return, mostly uphill, trip. Along the way, there is a fire tower, which I and various others took the opportunity to climb.
Ash Cave is enormous. Its upper lip sticks out roughly 100 feet above the bottom, and a small stream sends a long fall of water into a pond below. It is easy to see why it was a site of Indian encampments, since it provides a great deal of shelter against the elements. Once again, erosion accounts for the unusual rock formation.
If you ever get a chance to visit Hocking Hills State Park, I encourage you to do so.
A Wonderful Story: God's Hand at Work
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Our friends had a successful court appearance, but only today did "mom" get a chance to tell us via blog about the details. Their story makes it abundantly clear that God answers prayer, often in ways far more blessed than we dare to hope. I trust you will take this opportunity to read their story and thank God for what He has done in their family and for the little boy who is now part of their family.
They cannot claim their new son until August 3, according to local law. I assume they will be returning to the USA soon thereafter. Be in prayer for their trip and for the inevitable challenges that their new son will bring to their home.
Our Friends' Adoption: An Update
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This summer friends of ours went to Russia and adopted a little boy, now four years old, with Down's Syndrome. Today "mom" updated her blog with uplifting photos of how well their new son is doing here in America. You can read about it here.
Of course, there are still a lot of challenges (take language, for example, and health), but it is a great blessing to see the willingness they have to cherish and raise up this little boy. Our prayers and encouragement go out to them.
Why I'm Voting for Rick Santorum in the SC Primary
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Tomorrow, in the South Carolina GOP Presidential Preferenceprimary, I will be voting for Rick Santorum. Here’s why.
I need to start out by saying that I haven’t been totallythrilled with any of the four remaining candidates. All of them have obvious weaknesses ofcharacter and/or policy which will make their race against Obama less of a lockthan it ought to be. The Republican Partyneeds a leader of the Reagan type, who, like him in 1980, would win 40+ statesand carry a mandate with him to Washington. But since we have four remaining candidates from whom to choose, andsince any of them will be an improvement over the current president, I mustchoose from among them.
Rick Santorum, on the whole, represents my views the mostconsistently. He has been consistentlyand passionately pro-life, and wrote the bill that ended partial birthabortion. On social issues, he and I areof one voice. He is also a firm believerin the Second Amendment (The NRA rates him A+). He opposed TARP, voted against McCain-Feingold and Frank-Dodd, andreceives low ratings from both the ACLU and the AFL-CIO. While I am concerned about the trouncing hetook in the 2006 Pennsylvania Senate race (and, for that matter, the trouncinghe may get here in SC tomorrow, if the polls are valid), he is moredemonstrably opposed to Obama than either Romney or Gingrich. His biggest liability in my eyes is that hedoes not come across as a leader.
Newt Gingrich, at the moment, would be my secondchoice. I agree with him on mostissues—but he occasionally throws one out there that makes me scratch myhead. His personal character history isa serious problem and, even if he has sincerely repented and stays on the righttrack, will be a detriment in the race. (Obama, for all his flaws, has no hint of marital infidelity.) I am also concerned that his ego may become aliability.
Mitt Romney seems to be a conservative now, but my gut justdoesn’t like the fact that he wasn’t while he was the governor ofMassachusetts. I think he can be a greatexecutive, and if he is the GOP nominee, I will vote for him in November. But for now, I’m going with the most consistentconservative.
Ron Paul is problematic. His voting record is often meritorious and often puzzling. The ACLU rates him pretty favorably—that's aproblem. His vicious and untrue attackads concerning Santorum (being shown adnauseam this week on SC TV stations) trouble me. His foreign policy ideas are dangerous to thefuture of our country.
Please educate yourself on the candidates and then take theopportunity to vote.
An Update on our Friends' Adoption!
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Friends of ours adopted a 3½-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome from Eastern Europe last summer (see their blog here). They have now had the boy in their home for six months. Their story has been featured on a local TV station and I'm sure many have viewed their blog. In short, their story not only testifies of God's love working through individuals, but also to the value of every individual soul—no matter the limitations of the physical body.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
11 Ekim 2012 Perşembe
YORKTOWN REUNION Dozens of former sailors gather at carrier reunion
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Dozens of sailors who once served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown are gathering for the Yorktown Association's 64th annual reunion on the South Carolina coast.
The World War II-era carrier is the centerpiece of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum on Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant.
The three-day reunion opening Thursday includes 10 sailors who served aboard the carrier during World War II. In all, about 150 veterans who served on the ship are attending.
Highlights of the reunion include Friday's dedication of a recently refurbished H-3 helicopter aboard the Yorktown.
On Saturday, there's a meet-and-greet with the former crewmen. That allows members of the public to learn firsthand about the carrier from those who sailed aboard the Yorktown.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) Dozens of sailors who once served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown are gathering for the Yorktown Association's 64th annual reunion on the South Carolina coast.
The World War II-era carrier is the centerpiece of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum on Charleston Harbor in Mount Pleasant.
The three-day reunion opening Thursday includes 10 sailors who served aboard the carrier during World War II. In all, about 150 veterans who served on the ship are attending.
Highlights of the reunion include Friday's dedication of a recently refurbished H-3 helicopter aboard the Yorktown.
On Saturday, there's a meet-and-greet with the former crewmen. That allows members of the public to learn firsthand about the carrier from those who sailed aboard the Yorktown.
SCHOOL ELECTROCUTION Worker electrocuted at Marlboro County High School
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BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) Authorities say a man from Rock Hill appears to have been electrocuted while working at Marlboro County High School.
Investigators said the body of 44-year-old Jeffrey Cheek was found around 8 a.m. Wednesday. He was working on a generator in the school's electrical room.
Authorities say students were kept in their classrooms for about two hours while the death was investigated.
Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown says all signs point to Cheek being electrocuted, but he has scheduled an autopsy Thursday to verify the cause of death.
BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. (AP) Authorities say a man from Rock Hill appears to have been electrocuted while working at Marlboro County High School.
Investigators said the body of 44-year-old Jeffrey Cheek was found around 8 a.m. Wednesday. He was working on a generator in the school's electrical room.
Authorities say students were kept in their classrooms for about two hours while the death was investigated.
Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown says all signs point to Cheek being electrocuted, but he has scheduled an autopsy Thursday to verify the cause of death.
SLED: Upstate nurse practicing without licenses
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According to the State Law Enforcement Division, a nurse admitted to giving counterfeit licensing papers to her employers. SLED says Denise Lynn Lollis has been working as a nurse in Anderson County without a license since 1985.
News 4 has obtained a copy of the arrest warrant and affidavit issued by SLED.
The document says Lollis voluntarily wrote a statement to SLED where she admitted she provided counterfeit licensing documents to her employers, AnMed Health and Tri County Technical College, where she was a nursing instructor.
The affidavit states the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation did confirm the licensing numbers Lollis used were not hers and that she was never issued a nursing license.
Rebecca Eidson with Tri County Technical College’s public relations department said Denise Lynn Lollis was on staff at the college until Aug. 9, 2012. Her position was lab coordinator for licensed practical nursing. Eidson would not say whether Lollis resigned, or was fired. She also would not say if her departure stems from arrest. Lollis was hired at the college in 1991.
One of her former students tells News 4 that Lollis' arrest devastated her and she says that she does not want to believe Lollis did anything wrong. She said, "I don't condone it, but I knew the skills she had, I knew the type of person she was as far as being a nurse and being a good human being and trying to help people succeed."
AnMed released a statement on Lollis, which said "...all nurses must produce a valid nursing license each year to continue employment in the health system. When Denise Lynn Lollis was unable to produce a valid license earlier this year, AnMed Health contacted the appropriate authorities, thus starting the investigation into Ms. Lollis’s licensure."
"Ms. Lollis, who had been working on an as-needed basis, was pulled from patient care as soon as questions arose about her licensure. Her employment at AnMed Health officially ended May 30, 2012. AnMed Health has cooperated fully with this investigation and will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to ensure employees are qualified to perform the duties they are assigned."
Lollis was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
SLED: Upstate nurse practicing without licenses - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
According to the State Law Enforcement Division, a nurse admitted to giving counterfeit licensing papers to her employers. SLED says Denise Lynn Lollis has been working as a nurse in Anderson County without a license since 1985.
News 4 has obtained a copy of the arrest warrant and affidavit issued by SLED.
The document says Lollis voluntarily wrote a statement to SLED where she admitted she provided counterfeit licensing documents to her employers, AnMed Health and Tri County Technical College, where she was a nursing instructor.
The affidavit states the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation did confirm the licensing numbers Lollis used were not hers and that she was never issued a nursing license.
Rebecca Eidson with Tri County Technical College’s public relations department said Denise Lynn Lollis was on staff at the college until Aug. 9, 2012. Her position was lab coordinator for licensed practical nursing. Eidson would not say whether Lollis resigned, or was fired. She also would not say if her departure stems from arrest. Lollis was hired at the college in 1991.
One of her former students tells News 4 that Lollis' arrest devastated her and she says that she does not want to believe Lollis did anything wrong. She said, "I don't condone it, but I knew the skills she had, I knew the type of person she was as far as being a nurse and being a good human being and trying to help people succeed."
AnMed released a statement on Lollis, which said "...all nurses must produce a valid nursing license each year to continue employment in the health system. When Denise Lynn Lollis was unable to produce a valid license earlier this year, AnMed Health contacted the appropriate authorities, thus starting the investigation into Ms. Lollis’s licensure."
"Ms. Lollis, who had been working on an as-needed basis, was pulled from patient care as soon as questions arose about her licensure. Her employment at AnMed Health officially ended May 30, 2012. AnMed Health has cooperated fully with this investigation and will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to ensure employees are qualified to perform the duties they are assigned."
Lollis was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
SLED: Upstate nurse practicing without licenses - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Robert Larson missing from Sandy Run home
To contact us Click HERE
Robert Larson and his two sons. (Source: Pamela Larson)
The Larson family. (Source: Pamela Larson)
Robert's 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. (Source: Pamela Larson)
Larson's Jeep has a Purple Heart plate with tag number PH5752. (Source: Facebook)
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers on Thursday afternoon said investigators have received tips and are working on leads that the 26-year-old isn't in South Carolina anymore. The sheriff wouldn't elaborate on what those leads are or where Larson might be.
Larson hasn't been seen since approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday. Pamela Larson says her husband left their Sandy Run home in his Jeep after working all day on the brakes.
She believes he may have left to blow off some steam after she was "nagging" him to help carry some boxes into the house.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury when the vehicle he was riding in hit an IED in Iraq during a deployment eight years ago.
Larson hasn't answered his phone or sent Pamela any text messages since he left. She says this long period of being out of contact is abnormal for her husband.
Larson was driving a Black 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with Smittybilt XRC front and rear fenders, and Smittybilt stickers on windshield and rear windows. It has South Carolina Purple Heart license plates. The tag number is PH5752.
Pamela was initially worried her husband may have gone off-road driving after dark on Saturday. "He thinks because he has a 4-wheel drive vehicle that he knows how to drive it in the woods," said Larson.
Wednesday the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department continued to search the dense woods around the home.
"We've utilized the helicopter and we've done a relatively good search on that but the canopy is real thick," said Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers.
"We've gone through the woods the best that we can." said Sheriff Summers. "Our vehicles, our four wheel drive vehicles as far as we can go. So now what we're doing, we've just assembled a bunch of four wheelers, and we've got deputies on four wheelers, the little ATV's that can get in tighter areas."
The sheriff says investigators were able to track Sgt. Larson's cell phone long enough to get a general idea about his travel direction.
But the phone contact stopped and there have been no signs that Larson used an ATM or credit card since his disappearance, said Summers on Wednesday.
Robert has served three tours overseas. He spent time in Iraq in 2005 and again in 2009. He was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.
In 2005, Larson, a combat engineer, was traveling in an RG-31 military vehicle when it rolled over an improvised explosion device. The vehicle, according to Pamela, was blown in half.
After the explosion, he was transported via medical helicopter and treated for a concussion. However, Robert's brain injury was not discovered until 2009 when he returned home from his second deployment. Doctors also determined that Robert suffers from PTSD.
"It's like a slow-moving train wreck," said Pamela. "Some days he's great. Someday there's not a problem in the world. Some days you just want to run away but you can't."
The couple recently moved to the area from Germany and has two boys, aged 3 and 5.
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said his office is working closely with Army CID, SLED, and surrounding agencies in an effort to help locate Larson. "We are very concerned about him at this point," said Summers. "This is not like him to not have contacted his family for this period of time."
Summers says helicopters and officers have searched the Sandy Run area. He wants people to get a look at Robert's car in hopes it may trigger a memory.
"Best case scenario, I just heard his wife say, maybe he's just blowing off steam," said Summers. "Maybe he needs some private time. Maybe he's hunkered down somewhere blowing off steam and he'll come home."
Summers said authorities have searched the area around the Larson home as well as any off-road sites Robert may have taken his Jeep.
If you know anything about Robert Larson's whereabouts, you are urged to call the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department at 803-874-2741.
Pamela has also set up a Facebook page to share information about Robert's disappearance. Click here to visit the page.
Robert Larson missing from Sandy Run home - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |
Robert Larson and his two sons. (Source: Pamela Larson) The Larson family. (Source: Pamela Larson) Robert's 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. (Source: Pamela Larson) Larson's Jeep has a Purple Heart plate with tag number PH5752. (Source: Facebook)Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers on Thursday afternoon said investigators have received tips and are working on leads that the 26-year-old isn't in South Carolina anymore. The sheriff wouldn't elaborate on what those leads are or where Larson might be.
Larson hasn't been seen since approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday. Pamela Larson says her husband left their Sandy Run home in his Jeep after working all day on the brakes.
She believes he may have left to blow off some steam after she was "nagging" him to help carry some boxes into the house.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury when the vehicle he was riding in hit an IED in Iraq during a deployment eight years ago.
Larson hasn't answered his phone or sent Pamela any text messages since he left. She says this long period of being out of contact is abnormal for her husband.
Larson was driving a Black 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with Smittybilt XRC front and rear fenders, and Smittybilt stickers on windshield and rear windows. It has South Carolina Purple Heart license plates. The tag number is PH5752.
Pamela was initially worried her husband may have gone off-road driving after dark on Saturday. "He thinks because he has a 4-wheel drive vehicle that he knows how to drive it in the woods," said Larson.
Wednesday the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department continued to search the dense woods around the home.
"We've utilized the helicopter and we've done a relatively good search on that but the canopy is real thick," said Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers.
"We've gone through the woods the best that we can." said Sheriff Summers. "Our vehicles, our four wheel drive vehicles as far as we can go. So now what we're doing, we've just assembled a bunch of four wheelers, and we've got deputies on four wheelers, the little ATV's that can get in tighter areas."
The sheriff says investigators were able to track Sgt. Larson's cell phone long enough to get a general idea about his travel direction.
But the phone contact stopped and there have been no signs that Larson used an ATM or credit card since his disappearance, said Summers on Wednesday.
Robert has served three tours overseas. He spent time in Iraq in 2005 and again in 2009. He was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.
In 2005, Larson, a combat engineer, was traveling in an RG-31 military vehicle when it rolled over an improvised explosion device. The vehicle, according to Pamela, was blown in half.
After the explosion, he was transported via medical helicopter and treated for a concussion. However, Robert's brain injury was not discovered until 2009 when he returned home from his second deployment. Doctors also determined that Robert suffers from PTSD.
"It's like a slow-moving train wreck," said Pamela. "Some days he's great. Someday there's not a problem in the world. Some days you just want to run away but you can't."
The couple recently moved to the area from Germany and has two boys, aged 3 and 5.
Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said his office is working closely with Army CID, SLED, and surrounding agencies in an effort to help locate Larson. "We are very concerned about him at this point," said Summers. "This is not like him to not have contacted his family for this period of time."
Summers says helicopters and officers have searched the Sandy Run area. He wants people to get a look at Robert's car in hopes it may trigger a memory.
"Best case scenario, I just heard his wife say, maybe he's just blowing off steam," said Summers. "Maybe he needs some private time. Maybe he's hunkered down somewhere blowing off steam and he'll come home."
Summers said authorities have searched the area around the Larson home as well as any off-road sites Robert may have taken his Jeep.
If you know anything about Robert Larson's whereabouts, you are urged to call the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department at 803-874-2741.
Pamela has also set up a Facebook page to share information about Robert's disappearance. Click here to visit the page.
Robert Larson missing from Sandy Run home - wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |
Police: Man wanted for knocking woman unconscious
To contact us Click HERE
Spartanburg police are looking for a man they say knocked a woman unconscious and hit her in the face. An officer went to a home on James H. Young Street on Aug. 8 about a domestic disturbance, according to an incident report.
The officer said he saw a woman unsteady on her feet and yelling for help.
The report says the woman told police her ex-boyfriend and infant daughter's father, Chadrick Rovelle Smith, was intoxicated when he came into her home and started yelling.
According to the report, she said Smith told her “If you ain’t gonna be with me you ain’t gonna be with no (expletive) body."
According to police, she said Smith hit her in the face, and at one point she became unconscious. She told police Smith left the home in a dark-colored Buick.
The woman was taken to the hospital.
Smith is wanted on charges of criminal domestic violence and burglary.
If you have any information about Smith, please call Spartanburg police.
Police: Man wanted for knocking woman unconscious - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Spartanburg police are looking for a man they say knocked a woman unconscious and hit her in the face. An officer went to a home on James H. Young Street on Aug. 8 about a domestic disturbance, according to an incident report.
The officer said he saw a woman unsteady on her feet and yelling for help.
The report says the woman told police her ex-boyfriend and infant daughter's father, Chadrick Rovelle Smith, was intoxicated when he came into her home and started yelling.
According to the report, she said Smith told her “If you ain’t gonna be with me you ain’t gonna be with no (expletive) body."
According to police, she said Smith hit her in the face, and at one point she became unconscious. She told police Smith left the home in a dark-colored Buick.
The woman was taken to the hospital.
Smith is wanted on charges of criminal domestic violence and burglary.
If you have any information about Smith, please call Spartanburg police.
Police: Man wanted for knocking woman unconscious - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
10 Ekim 2012 Çarşamba
An Update on our Friends' Adoption!
To contact us Click HERE
Friends of ours adopted a 3½-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome from Eastern Europe last summer (see their blog here). They have now had the boy in their home for six months. Their story has been featured on a local TV station and I'm sure many have viewed their blog. In short, their story not only testifies of God's love working through individuals, but also to the value of every individual soul—no matter the limitations of the physical body.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
Former Rock Band's CFO Charged With Embezzling At Least $380K
To contact us Click HERE
Rickey Charles Goodrich, who just turned 54, of Novato, California, has been charged with embezzling at least $380,000 from the rock band Pearl Jam, for which he had been employed as CFO. According to prosecutors, over a period of nearly 3 years, from October 2007 through June 2010, Goodrich misappropriated the bands' funds to support a lavish lifestyle. He has been charged with 33 counts of theft for making "dozens of unauthorized payments, transfers and credit card purchases" from the band's management company, Curtis Management.
Read the story here and here.
Read the story here and here.
Penny's Cataracts
To contact us Click HERE
I gave Penny a bath today. It was not a pleasant experience for either of us. I wouldn't have gotten any more scratches that if I had been in a fight with a dozen rose bushes. She sure has some claws on her and still acts like a cat after 16 years. She looks so fluffy and smells so nice though.
The sad part came when I was brushing the hair on her face and blowing her dry. I notice that she flinched ( more so than usual) every time I started to touch her face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had clouding (cataracts)in both her eyes now. She has had them in her left eye for some time but now they are in both. This explains why she has started to hesitate more when walking and jumping up or down from the couch. I noticed it more in the past two or three weeks that she seems to be disoriented but now I think she just couldn't see where she was going.
It makes me so sad for her. I know what it's like to have cataracts. I had them removed from my right eye two years ago because I was 98% blind in that eye.Now I need my left eye done but it will have to wait a while due to finances. Medicare will not pay for cataract surgery until you are 65. I guess they figure you can stay blind until then. It is upsetting when you have worked and paid all that money in to a system that doesn't want to give back when you need it.
I guess Penny and I will just have to continue to look out for each other. I will be her eyes for her as long as I can. After all she is my heart.
The sad part came when I was brushing the hair on her face and blowing her dry. I notice that she flinched ( more so than usual) every time I started to touch her face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had clouding (cataracts)in both her eyes now. She has had them in her left eye for some time but now they are in both. This explains why she has started to hesitate more when walking and jumping up or down from the couch. I noticed it more in the past two or three weeks that she seems to be disoriented but now I think she just couldn't see where she was going.
It makes me so sad for her. I know what it's like to have cataracts. I had them removed from my right eye two years ago because I was 98% blind in that eye.Now I need my left eye done but it will have to wait a while due to finances. Medicare will not pay for cataract surgery until you are 65. I guess they figure you can stay blind until then. It is upsetting when you have worked and paid all that money in to a system that doesn't want to give back when you need it.
I guess Penny and I will just have to continue to look out for each other. I will be her eyes for her as long as I can. After all she is my heart.
Penny's Doctor Visit
To contact us Click HERE
I took Penny in for a checkup yesterday. Seems she has a kidney infection so now she is on antibiotics. She did not want to be there for sure. She has lost a few ounces. She now weighs 9.3 lbs. Dr. Carroll said the cataracts were fairly normal for a dog of her age and overall she seemed to be doing okay. Her heart murmur is graded on a scale of 1-6 and hers is now at a 5. Penny's heart was racing so fast while she was there it took her a while to get a reading on it. She said that when it's that bad a 5 or 6 were about the same. They didn't give her any booster shots because of her age and the fact that she is NEVER boarded. Her Rabies is up to date and that is the most important one since it is required for travel or anything like that.
She is doing good today. She took her antibiotics (liquid of course) like a little trooper and is sleeping soundly on my legs. She starts on heart medication twice a day later this week. The vet had to contract it to a lab that liquefies them for her. You cannot get a pill down her no matter what you do. I was hoping she wouldn't have to take the heart medicine but if it will help her even a little I am willing to do it.
So extra love an hugs for my baby.
She is doing good today. She took her antibiotics (liquid of course) like a little trooper and is sleeping soundly on my legs. She starts on heart medication twice a day later this week. The vet had to contract it to a lab that liquefies them for her. You cannot get a pill down her no matter what you do. I was hoping she wouldn't have to take the heart medicine but if it will help her even a little I am willing to do it.
So extra love an hugs for my baby.
Penny's Beauty Salon Day
To contact us Click HERE
Today is the day Penny visits the Beauty Salon. Since losing her eyesight, she doesn't go as often as she used to. We found that the scissors and sounds around her upset her. So we had to do a search of a place where they would not leave her alone even for a minute. We were fortunate enough to locate a lady named Brenda that works at our local PetSmart that does an "Express Groom." This is the perfect thing for Penny. From start to finish it only takes about an hour. They give complete attention to her and she is never put into a cage. This is so important to us because she gets very upset in unfamiliar surroundings these days and she has never liked cages. Brenda is very gentle with her and so patient. penny is very difficult to groom these days because sudden movements or anything coming close to her face startles her and she jerks away. I appreciate the time she takes in between the grooming to hug her and calm her down. There are still some special people out there that will take the time to help you out.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
9 Ekim 2012 Salı
An Update on our Friends' Adoption!
To contact us Click HERE
Friends of ours adopted a 3½-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome from Eastern Europe last summer (see their blog here). They have now had the boy in their home for six months. Their story has been featured on a local TV station and I'm sure many have viewed their blog. In short, their story not only testifies of God's love working through individuals, but also to the value of every individual soul—no matter the limitations of the physical body.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
Welcome
To contact us Click HERE
Welcome to my Blog.
I will be posting things here that interest me and hopefully you will like them too. The opinions I post on here are simply that, opinions. I do not want to offend anyone but I am very opinionated and tend to say exactly what is on my mind.
Some things that I post on here may not be suitable for all ages as I will be discussing subjects such as Child Sexual Abuse Domestic Violence, Rape, Incest and Pornography. I do not try to be graphic but some things cannot be described any other way.
I will also be blogging about my beautiful Apricot Poodle Penny. She is the love of my life.
Enjoy,
Janie
I will be posting things here that interest me and hopefully you will like them too. The opinions I post on here are simply that, opinions. I do not want to offend anyone but I am very opinionated and tend to say exactly what is on my mind.
Some things that I post on here may not be suitable for all ages as I will be discussing subjects such as Child Sexual Abuse Domestic Violence, Rape, Incest and Pornography. I do not try to be graphic but some things cannot be described any other way.
I will also be blogging about my beautiful Apricot Poodle Penny. She is the love of my life.
Enjoy,
Janie
Penny's Cataracts
To contact us Click HERE
I gave Penny a bath today. It was not a pleasant experience for either of us. I wouldn't have gotten any more scratches that if I had been in a fight with a dozen rose bushes. She sure has some claws on her and still acts like a cat after 16 years. She looks so fluffy and smells so nice though.
The sad part came when I was brushing the hair on her face and blowing her dry. I notice that she flinched ( more so than usual) every time I started to touch her face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had clouding (cataracts)in both her eyes now. She has had them in her left eye for some time but now they are in both. This explains why she has started to hesitate more when walking and jumping up or down from the couch. I noticed it more in the past two or three weeks that she seems to be disoriented but now I think she just couldn't see where she was going.
It makes me so sad for her. I know what it's like to have cataracts. I had them removed from my right eye two years ago because I was 98% blind in that eye.Now I need my left eye done but it will have to wait a while due to finances. Medicare will not pay for cataract surgery until you are 65. I guess they figure you can stay blind until then. It is upsetting when you have worked and paid all that money in to a system that doesn't want to give back when you need it.
I guess Penny and I will just have to continue to look out for each other. I will be her eyes for her as long as I can. After all she is my heart.
The sad part came when I was brushing the hair on her face and blowing her dry. I notice that she flinched ( more so than usual) every time I started to touch her face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had clouding (cataracts)in both her eyes now. She has had them in her left eye for some time but now they are in both. This explains why she has started to hesitate more when walking and jumping up or down from the couch. I noticed it more in the past two or three weeks that she seems to be disoriented but now I think she just couldn't see where she was going.
It makes me so sad for her. I know what it's like to have cataracts. I had them removed from my right eye two years ago because I was 98% blind in that eye.Now I need my left eye done but it will have to wait a while due to finances. Medicare will not pay for cataract surgery until you are 65. I guess they figure you can stay blind until then. It is upsetting when you have worked and paid all that money in to a system that doesn't want to give back when you need it.
I guess Penny and I will just have to continue to look out for each other. I will be her eyes for her as long as I can. After all she is my heart.
Penny's Doctor Visit
To contact us Click HERE
I took Penny in for a checkup yesterday. Seems she has a kidney infection so now she is on antibiotics. She did not want to be there for sure. She has lost a few ounces. She now weighs 9.3 lbs. Dr. Carroll said the cataracts were fairly normal for a dog of her age and overall she seemed to be doing okay. Her heart murmur is graded on a scale of 1-6 and hers is now at a 5. Penny's heart was racing so fast while she was there it took her a while to get a reading on it. She said that when it's that bad a 5 or 6 were about the same. They didn't give her any booster shots because of her age and the fact that she is NEVER boarded. Her Rabies is up to date and that is the most important one since it is required for travel or anything like that.
She is doing good today. She took her antibiotics (liquid of course) like a little trooper and is sleeping soundly on my legs. She starts on heart medication twice a day later this week. The vet had to contract it to a lab that liquefies them for her. You cannot get a pill down her no matter what you do. I was hoping she wouldn't have to take the heart medicine but if it will help her even a little I am willing to do it.
So extra love an hugs for my baby.
She is doing good today. She took her antibiotics (liquid of course) like a little trooper and is sleeping soundly on my legs. She starts on heart medication twice a day later this week. The vet had to contract it to a lab that liquefies them for her. You cannot get a pill down her no matter what you do. I was hoping she wouldn't have to take the heart medicine but if it will help her even a little I am willing to do it.
So extra love an hugs for my baby.
Penny's Beauty Salon Day
To contact us Click HERE
Today is the day Penny visits the Beauty Salon. Since losing her eyesight, she doesn't go as often as she used to. We found that the scissors and sounds around her upset her. So we had to do a search of a place where they would not leave her alone even for a minute. We were fortunate enough to locate a lady named Brenda that works at our local PetSmart that does an "Express Groom." This is the perfect thing for Penny. From start to finish it only takes about an hour. They give complete attention to her and she is never put into a cage. This is so important to us because she gets very upset in unfamiliar surroundings these days and she has never liked cages. Brenda is very gentle with her and so patient. penny is very difficult to groom these days because sudden movements or anything coming close to her face startles her and she jerks away. I appreciate the time she takes in between the grooming to hug her and calm her down. There are still some special people out there that will take the time to help you out.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
8 Ekim 2012 Pazartesi
Penny's Beauty Salon Day
To contact us Click HERE
Today is the day Penny visits the Beauty Salon. Since losing her eyesight, she doesn't go as often as she used to. We found that the scissors and sounds around her upset her. So we had to do a search of a place where they would not leave her alone even for a minute. We were fortunate enough to locate a lady named Brenda that works at our local PetSmart that does an "Express Groom." This is the perfect thing for Penny. From start to finish it only takes about an hour. They give complete attention to her and she is never put into a cage. This is so important to us because she gets very upset in unfamiliar surroundings these days and she has never liked cages. Brenda is very gentle with her and so patient. penny is very difficult to groom these days because sudden movements or anything coming close to her face startles her and she jerks away. I appreciate the time she takes in between the grooming to hug her and calm her down. There are still some special people out there that will take the time to help you out.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
I will be posting pics of her sweet face when we get back...In the meantime, we have to take a nap in preparation for the trip.
Missing NY woman's family holds vigil in SC
To contact us Click HERE
Brittanee Drexel has been missing since April 2009 during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach when she was 17.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The family of a New York woman who disappeared more than three years ago in South Carolina has held a candlelight vigil to mark her 21st birthday.
The family of Brittanee Drexel gathered by a tree of hope planted in her honor at a park in Myrtle Beach on Sunday night.
The Rochester, N.Y., teen has been missing since April 2009 during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach when she was 17.
Dawn Drexel told the gathering she remembered when her daughter was a baby and remembered how special birthdays were.
Brittanee Drexel was last seen leaving a hotel on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach on April 25, 2009.
Dawn Drexel says more searches are planned for her daughter soon.
Missing NY woman's family holds vigil in SC | WCBD-TV 2
Brittanee Drexel has been missing since April 2009 during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach when she was 17.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The family of a New York woman who disappeared more than three years ago in South Carolina has held a candlelight vigil to mark her 21st birthday.
The family of Brittanee Drexel gathered by a tree of hope planted in her honor at a park in Myrtle Beach on Sunday night.
The Rochester, N.Y., teen has been missing since April 2009 during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach when she was 17.
Dawn Drexel told the gathering she remembered when her daughter was a baby and remembered how special birthdays were.
Brittanee Drexel was last seen leaving a hotel on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach on April 25, 2009.
Dawn Drexel says more searches are planned for her daughter soon.
Missing NY woman's family holds vigil in SC | WCBD-TV 2
YORK: 79-year-old Clover man jailed for junk released
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John Ramsey stands outside the York County Detention Center Sunday night after spending the weekend in jail.
Andrew Dys
YORK — So cold he had wrapped towels around his arms to keep warm – and having eaten just four slices of bread and a single cookie in three days – York County’s oldest inmate walked out of jail Sunday night and returned to freedom.
Johnny Ramsey, 79, had just spent 72 hours in jail, where a judge sent him after he didn’t clean up the junk in the yard of his Clover mobile home.
If the disabled Korean War veteran – gaunt and unshaven, knees so stiff he had to rub them to move around – doesn’t clean up his property to the satisfaction of the town judge by Friday, he will have to walk right back through those same jailhouse doors.
“I’m all right, but I don’t like being cooped up; I usually get out every day and do something,” Ramsey said after he was released at about 8 p.m. “I gotta come back here, last of the week.
“They say I gotta get rid of all my stuff or I come back to jail.”
Ramsey lives with his disabled wife on $898 a month in Social Security and veterans benefits. For years, he collected junk and building materials, appliances and more, to re-sell to make money to pay the utility bills and for his wife’s medications.
But Clover officials said he violated a town law against unsightly junk. Ramsey fought the law in court, but a jury found him guilty in a January trial. Town Judge Melvin Howell gave him six months to clean it up or face a month in jail.
Howell granted Ramsey an extension in August to either clean up the property or pay a $500 fine to avoid jail. On Thursday, Howell sentenced Ramsey to 30 days for contempt of court.
Howell said repeatedly in court that he had done all he could to keep Ramsey out of jail.
But Ramsey did not yield, and the judge had the last word.
Ramsey has admitted everything, that he keeps junk in his yard and why. A privacy fence built by volunteers from Rock Hill who wanted to keep Ramsey out of jail was not enough.
So on Thursday night, Ramsey – by far the oldest inmate in the county lock-up – walked into the same jail that houses murder suspects awaiting trial, accused rapists and all kinds of other violent offenders.
The jailing of Ramsey after his fight with the town, chronicled in The Herald for months, has captured national attention. The dispute comes down to Ramsey’s claimed principle to do what he wants on his property versus a town and its rules.
Ramsey and his supporters say the town’s enforcement targeted him unfairly, and the law was used to throttle the ability of an old man to support his family.
The town – its code enforcement officer, its elected officials, its judge – said Ramsey had more than a year to clean up his property. Sunday night, Ramsey said he will try this week to clean up his property and stay out of jail – but he still wants to keep his lumber and bricks.
“I’m gonna try to get it all up, but that lumber, and those thousands of bricks, I want to use those to build rooms,” Ramsey said. “I thought I had gotten rid of so much of it. It seems like they want me to get rid of everything.”
Judge Howell said at Thursday’s hearing that he would meet with Ramsey’s lawyer and town officials later this week to see if enough work has been done to keep Ramsey out of jail next weekend. The town has even offered to cart off anything Ramsey brought to the street.
It is unclear how much progress it will take to satisfy the judge.
“I hope I don’t have to come back,” Ramsey said Sunday.
After three days without food – “I gave my food to a buddy in there; he’s serving 30 days and got 27 left,” Ramsey said – and conditions far colder than he would like, Ramsey walked out under his own power carrying his migraine medications.
He thanked one of the jailers who walked him out, saying, “Appreciate it now, and thank you a lot,” then walked out to be driven home by his wife. Patty Ramsey had sat in her car for two hours, with two tiny chihuahuas, waiting for her husband.
“I just hope he’s all right,” she said during the wait. “He’s 79 years old. They shouldn’t have put him in jail for just trying to be a good man. He tried to clean up that yard, and he did a lot already.
“They just want him to get rid of everything. They had it out for him.”
Johnny Ramsey said as he walked out of jail that he planned to use some of the money people have offered to get rid of some of the junk he has. Hundreds of dollars in donations have poured in from as far away as California to pay the $500 fine that Ramsey had expected would keep him out of jail.
Howell said Thursday that Ramsey had made no effort to pay the fine until the contempt hearing Thursday, so he refused to accept the money.
“There was a fella right there in the courtroom the other night, had the money to pay the fine, but the judge just wouldn’t take it,” Ramsey said Sunday night.
The case of Johnny Ramsey versus the Town of Clover has moved beyond being about money and donations and even whether the town is being far too strict.
Ramsey has become a national symbol of fighting City Hall.
Ramsey is a former Ku Klux Klan member who has denounced his racist past. He spent a few years in prison more than 30 years ago after he was convicted of burning a cross in the yard of the York police chief. That conviction was later overturned, and Ramsey has always claimed he took the fall for others.
Today, despite support from so many who believe Ramsey has been treated poorly by the town and courts, the tarps and tin, bricks and wood, that cover his side and back yards remain.
The threat of going back to jail at 6 p.m. Friday remains.
The only person who can keep Johnny Ramsey out of jail again is the same guy whose knees creaked when he got into the car Sunday night with his wife. The wife who put her arm around his neck as he ran a hand over his tired, lined face.
The next move, to clean up or to go back to jail, belongs to Johnny Ramsey.
YORK: 79-year-old Clover man jailed for junk released | Local News | Rock Hill Herald Online
John Ramsey stands outside the York County Detention Center Sunday night after spending the weekend in jail.Andrew Dys
YORK — So cold he had wrapped towels around his arms to keep warm – and having eaten just four slices of bread and a single cookie in three days – York County’s oldest inmate walked out of jail Sunday night and returned to freedom.
Johnny Ramsey, 79, had just spent 72 hours in jail, where a judge sent him after he didn’t clean up the junk in the yard of his Clover mobile home.
If the disabled Korean War veteran – gaunt and unshaven, knees so stiff he had to rub them to move around – doesn’t clean up his property to the satisfaction of the town judge by Friday, he will have to walk right back through those same jailhouse doors.
“I’m all right, but I don’t like being cooped up; I usually get out every day and do something,” Ramsey said after he was released at about 8 p.m. “I gotta come back here, last of the week.
“They say I gotta get rid of all my stuff or I come back to jail.”
Ramsey lives with his disabled wife on $898 a month in Social Security and veterans benefits. For years, he collected junk and building materials, appliances and more, to re-sell to make money to pay the utility bills and for his wife’s medications.
But Clover officials said he violated a town law against unsightly junk. Ramsey fought the law in court, but a jury found him guilty in a January trial. Town Judge Melvin Howell gave him six months to clean it up or face a month in jail.
Howell granted Ramsey an extension in August to either clean up the property or pay a $500 fine to avoid jail. On Thursday, Howell sentenced Ramsey to 30 days for contempt of court.
Howell said repeatedly in court that he had done all he could to keep Ramsey out of jail.
But Ramsey did not yield, and the judge had the last word.
Ramsey has admitted everything, that he keeps junk in his yard and why. A privacy fence built by volunteers from Rock Hill who wanted to keep Ramsey out of jail was not enough.
So on Thursday night, Ramsey – by far the oldest inmate in the county lock-up – walked into the same jail that houses murder suspects awaiting trial, accused rapists and all kinds of other violent offenders.
The jailing of Ramsey after his fight with the town, chronicled in The Herald for months, has captured national attention. The dispute comes down to Ramsey’s claimed principle to do what he wants on his property versus a town and its rules.
Ramsey and his supporters say the town’s enforcement targeted him unfairly, and the law was used to throttle the ability of an old man to support his family.
The town – its code enforcement officer, its elected officials, its judge – said Ramsey had more than a year to clean up his property. Sunday night, Ramsey said he will try this week to clean up his property and stay out of jail – but he still wants to keep his lumber and bricks.
“I’m gonna try to get it all up, but that lumber, and those thousands of bricks, I want to use those to build rooms,” Ramsey said. “I thought I had gotten rid of so much of it. It seems like they want me to get rid of everything.”
Judge Howell said at Thursday’s hearing that he would meet with Ramsey’s lawyer and town officials later this week to see if enough work has been done to keep Ramsey out of jail next weekend. The town has even offered to cart off anything Ramsey brought to the street.
It is unclear how much progress it will take to satisfy the judge.
“I hope I don’t have to come back,” Ramsey said Sunday.
After three days without food – “I gave my food to a buddy in there; he’s serving 30 days and got 27 left,” Ramsey said – and conditions far colder than he would like, Ramsey walked out under his own power carrying his migraine medications.
He thanked one of the jailers who walked him out, saying, “Appreciate it now, and thank you a lot,” then walked out to be driven home by his wife. Patty Ramsey had sat in her car for two hours, with two tiny chihuahuas, waiting for her husband.
“I just hope he’s all right,” she said during the wait. “He’s 79 years old. They shouldn’t have put him in jail for just trying to be a good man. He tried to clean up that yard, and he did a lot already.
“They just want him to get rid of everything. They had it out for him.”
Johnny Ramsey said as he walked out of jail that he planned to use some of the money people have offered to get rid of some of the junk he has. Hundreds of dollars in donations have poured in from as far away as California to pay the $500 fine that Ramsey had expected would keep him out of jail.
Howell said Thursday that Ramsey had made no effort to pay the fine until the contempt hearing Thursday, so he refused to accept the money.
“There was a fella right there in the courtroom the other night, had the money to pay the fine, but the judge just wouldn’t take it,” Ramsey said Sunday night.
The case of Johnny Ramsey versus the Town of Clover has moved beyond being about money and donations and even whether the town is being far too strict.
Ramsey has become a national symbol of fighting City Hall.
Ramsey is a former Ku Klux Klan member who has denounced his racist past. He spent a few years in prison more than 30 years ago after he was convicted of burning a cross in the yard of the York police chief. That conviction was later overturned, and Ramsey has always claimed he took the fall for others.
Today, despite support from so many who believe Ramsey has been treated poorly by the town and courts, the tarps and tin, bricks and wood, that cover his side and back yards remain.
The threat of going back to jail at 6 p.m. Friday remains.
The only person who can keep Johnny Ramsey out of jail again is the same guy whose knees creaked when he got into the car Sunday night with his wife. The wife who put her arm around his neck as he ran a hand over his tired, lined face.
The next move, to clean up or to go back to jail, belongs to Johnny Ramsey.
YORK: 79-year-old Clover man jailed for junk released | Local News | Rock Hill Herald Online
Park officials: Teenage hikers found safe
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A couple, both 19, were found at a church camp after they called 911 to say they were lost in Caesars Head State Park. Marion Edmonds, the director of communications for South Carolina State Parks, said the couple called 911 Sunday at 10:30 pm. He said park employees and fire officials were alerted about the lost couple. He said they searched 45 miles of trail overnight and then called off the search until first light.
Fire personnel and volunteers in northern Greenville County and Transylvania County met Monday morning at Caesars Head State Park for a search and rescue operation.
Edmonds said the couple was found at 8:30 a.m. Monday after they walked to Asbury Hills, a United Methodist Summer Camp.
Officials say it appears the couple started their hike from Caesars Head State Park.
Park officials: Teenage hikers found safe - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Fire personnel and volunteers in northern Greenville County and Transylvania County met Monday morning at Caesars Head State Park for a search and rescue operation.
Edmonds said the couple was found at 8:30 a.m. Monday after they walked to Asbury Hills, a United Methodist Summer Camp.
Officials say it appears the couple started their hike from Caesars Head State Park.
Park officials: Teenage hikers found safe - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Study investigates vet suicide risk
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) A new $10 million study in Charleston is investigating if omega-3 fatty acids - the substance found in fish oil - can reduce the suicide risk among the nation's veterans.
The study is being announced Monday by the Medical University of South Carolina, the Veterans Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
In the controlled study being conducted for the Army, veterans already receiving mental health services will be given smoothies high in omega-3s for a six-month period. Others will be given a placebo.
Previous research has found that deficiencies in omega-3s can cause mental disorders.
The Veterans Administration estimates that 20 percent of the suicides in the nation are committed by veterans and that the rate among vets is almost twice as high as in the general population.
Latest South Carolina news, sports, business and entertainment | WJTV
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) A new $10 million study in Charleston is investigating if omega-3 fatty acids - the substance found in fish oil - can reduce the suicide risk among the nation's veterans.
The study is being announced Monday by the Medical University of South Carolina, the Veterans Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
In the controlled study being conducted for the Army, veterans already receiving mental health services will be given smoothies high in omega-3s for a six-month period. Others will be given a placebo.
Previous research has found that deficiencies in omega-3s can cause mental disorders.
The Veterans Administration estimates that 20 percent of the suicides in the nation are committed by veterans and that the rate among vets is almost twice as high as in the general population.
Latest South Carolina news, sports, business and entertainment | WJTV
7 Ekim 2012 Pazar
A Wonderful Story: God's Hand at Work
To contact us Click HERE
Our friends had a successful court appearance, but only today did "mom" get a chance to tell us via blog about the details. Their story makes it abundantly clear that God answers prayer, often in ways far more blessed than we dare to hope. I trust you will take this opportunity to read their story and thank God for what He has done in their family and for the little boy who is now part of their family.
They cannot claim their new son until August 3, according to local law. I assume they will be returning to the USA soon thereafter. Be in prayer for their trip and for the inevitable challenges that their new son will bring to their home.
Our Friends' Adoption: An Update
To contact us Click HERE
This summer friends of ours went to Russia and adopted a little boy, now four years old, with Down's Syndrome. Today "mom" updated her blog with uplifting photos of how well their new son is doing here in America. You can read about it here.
Of course, there are still a lot of challenges (take language, for example, and health), but it is a great blessing to see the willingness they have to cherish and raise up this little boy. Our prayers and encouragement go out to them.
Why I'm Voting for Rick Santorum in the SC Primary
To contact us Click HERE
Tomorrow, in the South Carolina GOP Presidential Preferenceprimary, I will be voting for Rick Santorum. Here’s why.
I need to start out by saying that I haven’t been totallythrilled with any of the four remaining candidates. All of them have obvious weaknesses ofcharacter and/or policy which will make their race against Obama less of a lockthan it ought to be. The Republican Partyneeds a leader of the Reagan type, who, like him in 1980, would win 40+ statesand carry a mandate with him to Washington. But since we have four remaining candidates from whom to choose, andsince any of them will be an improvement over the current president, I mustchoose from among them.
Rick Santorum, on the whole, represents my views the mostconsistently. He has been consistentlyand passionately pro-life, and wrote the bill that ended partial birthabortion. On social issues, he and I areof one voice. He is also a firm believerin the Second Amendment (The NRA rates him A+). He opposed TARP, voted against McCain-Feingold and Frank-Dodd, andreceives low ratings from both the ACLU and the AFL-CIO. While I am concerned about the trouncing hetook in the 2006 Pennsylvania Senate race (and, for that matter, the trouncinghe may get here in SC tomorrow, if the polls are valid), he is moredemonstrably opposed to Obama than either Romney or Gingrich. His biggest liability in my eyes is that hedoes not come across as a leader.
Newt Gingrich, at the moment, would be my secondchoice. I agree with him on mostissues—but he occasionally throws one out there that makes me scratch myhead. His personal character history isa serious problem and, even if he has sincerely repented and stays on the righttrack, will be a detriment in the race. (Obama, for all his flaws, has no hint of marital infidelity.) I am also concerned that his ego may become aliability.
Mitt Romney seems to be a conservative now, but my gut justdoesn’t like the fact that he wasn’t while he was the governor ofMassachusetts. I think he can be a greatexecutive, and if he is the GOP nominee, I will vote for him in November. But for now, I’m going with the most consistentconservative.
Ron Paul is problematic. His voting record is often meritorious and often puzzling. The ACLU rates him pretty favorably—that's aproblem. His vicious and untrue attackads concerning Santorum (being shown adnauseam this week on SC TV stations) trouble me. His foreign policy ideas are dangerous to thefuture of our country.
Please educate yourself on the candidates and then take theopportunity to vote.
An Update on our Friends' Adoption!
To contact us Click HERE
Friends of ours adopted a 3½-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome from Eastern Europe last summer (see their blog here). They have now had the boy in their home for six months. Their story has been featured on a local TV station and I'm sure many have viewed their blog. In short, their story not only testifies of God's love working through individuals, but also to the value of every individual soul—no matter the limitations of the physical body.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
Former Rock Band's CFO Charged With Embezzling At Least $380K
To contact us Click HERE
Rickey Charles Goodrich, who just turned 54, of Novato, California, has been charged with embezzling at least $380,000 from the rock band Pearl Jam, for which he had been employed as CFO. According to prosecutors, over a period of nearly 3 years, from October 2007 through June 2010, Goodrich misappropriated the bands' funds to support a lavish lifestyle. He has been charged with 33 counts of theft for making "dozens of unauthorized payments, transfers and credit card purchases" from the band's management company, Curtis Management.
Read the story here and here.
Read the story here and here.
6 Ekim 2012 Cumartesi
Green Berets to converge on South Carolina in 2014
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U.S. Army Special Forces Association has over 9,200 members. By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Palmetto State will host the U.S. Army Special Forces Association’s national convention in 2014. And Columbia and Charleston will serve as dual-destination cities for the annual celebration.
The seven-day event – June 9 through June 15 – will include static displays and demonstrations, museum and battlefield tours, shooting matches, cooking classes, and a black-tie dinner.
“South Carolina, with its rich military heritage, is the perfect venue for the convention, the attendees, and the businesses that will benefit from the influx of Green Beret veterans – active, retired, Reserve, and former – supporters and their families,” says MAJ Mike Mika, pres. of the S.C. Chapter of the Special Forces Association and the assistant operations officer in the S.C. State Guard. “Through our Special Forces Association and the convention we are furthering public awareness about our Special Forces community and heritage.”
Recognized by their distinctive green berets, the elite Special Forces are the U.S. Army’s experts in unconventional warfare.
Special Forces operators are unique combatants, operating as both independent fighters and military advisers, each of whom specialize in a particular area of expertise (i.e. medicine, communications, weapons). As advisers, Green Berets are tasked with training resistance or guerrilla troops in foreign countries. In nearly all cases, they must be able to speak at least one language other than English; and they are trained for a variety of missions such as direct action, guerrilla operations, special reconnaissance, and counter terrorism.
Green Berets became famous during the Vietnam War. Like their U.S. Army Ranger brethren, they trace their lineage to the colonial wars and to guerrilla leaders of the American Revolution – like S.C.’s own Francis Marion – but their technical sophistication has expanded exponentially as have their operational responsibilities worldwide since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“[The association has] over 9,200 members worldwide,” says Mika, who also holds the distinction of being the Special Forces Association’s Man of the Year award-recipient for 2012. “I expect around 850 to 1,100 to be in attendance in 2014. The reason for the small numbers is mostly mission tempo.”
According to its mission statement, “The Special Forces Association serves as the voice for the Special Forces community; perpetuates Special Forces traditions and brotherhood; advances the public image of Special Forces and promotes the general welfare of the Special Forces community.”
[For additional information, phone MAJ Mike Mika at 843-422-1425]
Green Berets to converge on South Carolina in 2014 | The Daily Caller
U.S. Army Special Forces Association has over 9,200 members. By W. Thomas Smith Jr.COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Palmetto State will host the U.S. Army Special Forces Association’s national convention in 2014. And Columbia and Charleston will serve as dual-destination cities for the annual celebration.
The seven-day event – June 9 through June 15 – will include static displays and demonstrations, museum and battlefield tours, shooting matches, cooking classes, and a black-tie dinner.
“South Carolina, with its rich military heritage, is the perfect venue for the convention, the attendees, and the businesses that will benefit from the influx of Green Beret veterans – active, retired, Reserve, and former – supporters and their families,” says MAJ Mike Mika, pres. of the S.C. Chapter of the Special Forces Association and the assistant operations officer in the S.C. State Guard. “Through our Special Forces Association and the convention we are furthering public awareness about our Special Forces community and heritage.”
Recognized by their distinctive green berets, the elite Special Forces are the U.S. Army’s experts in unconventional warfare.
Special Forces operators are unique combatants, operating as both independent fighters and military advisers, each of whom specialize in a particular area of expertise (i.e. medicine, communications, weapons). As advisers, Green Berets are tasked with training resistance or guerrilla troops in foreign countries. In nearly all cases, they must be able to speak at least one language other than English; and they are trained for a variety of missions such as direct action, guerrilla operations, special reconnaissance, and counter terrorism.
Green Berets became famous during the Vietnam War. Like their U.S. Army Ranger brethren, they trace their lineage to the colonial wars and to guerrilla leaders of the American Revolution – like S.C.’s own Francis Marion – but their technical sophistication has expanded exponentially as have their operational responsibilities worldwide since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
“[The association has] over 9,200 members worldwide,” says Mika, who also holds the distinction of being the Special Forces Association’s Man of the Year award-recipient for 2012. “I expect around 850 to 1,100 to be in attendance in 2014. The reason for the small numbers is mostly mission tempo.”
According to its mission statement, “The Special Forces Association serves as the voice for the Special Forces community; perpetuates Special Forces traditions and brotherhood; advances the public image of Special Forces and promotes the general welfare of the Special Forces community.”
[For additional information, phone MAJ Mike Mika at 843-422-1425]
Green Berets to converge on South Carolina in 2014 | The Daily Caller
Regulators warn of flood risk at South Carolina nuclear plant
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Photo Caption: Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina.
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Federal regulators say the danger of flooding at Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina is higher than previously thought.The Charlotte Observer reported the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has notified the Charlotte-based utility about the risks.The report says estimates of flooding have increased substantially if the 385-foot high Jocassee Dam failed upstream from the three reactors near Seneca, S.C.The report warns such flooding could leave the station blacked out. The NRC removed large parts of the report from the public version in order to protect infrastructure that could become a security target.Duke says Oconee is safe and the utility has taken steps to reduce flood risks.The NRC began a formal study of the safety implications of dam failure on nuclear plants in March.
Regulators warn of flood risk at South Carolina nuclear plant : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
Photo Caption: Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina. CHARLOTTE (AP) — Federal regulators say the danger of flooding at Duke Energy's Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina is higher than previously thought.The Charlotte Observer reported the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has notified the Charlotte-based utility about the risks.The report says estimates of flooding have increased substantially if the 385-foot high Jocassee Dam failed upstream from the three reactors near Seneca, S.C.The report warns such flooding could leave the station blacked out. The NRC removed large parts of the report from the public version in order to protect infrastructure that could become a security target.Duke says Oconee is safe and the utility has taken steps to reduce flood risks.The NRC began a formal study of the safety implications of dam failure on nuclear plants in March.
Regulators warn of flood risk at South Carolina nuclear plant : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
Witness: 20 dogs, some dead, dumped on roadside - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
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Several dogs, some dead, were dumped on the side of an Upstate road Friday morning, according to Greenville County Governmental Affairs Coordinator Bob Mihalic. An eyewitness reported that someone had dumped about 20 dogs, some of them dead, at a location on Alexander Road off Brushy Creek Road near Lismore Park Drive, Mihalic said.
Greenville County Animal Control was at the location at about 11 a.m. rescuing the surviving dogs.
Mihalic had no further information from officers at the scene.
Pictures from Sky 4 showed two Greenville County Animal Control trucks on the rural road. The trucks cleared the area by 11:30 a.m.
A caller to WYFF News 4 said that the dogs were dumped by two men in a U-Haul truck. The caller also said he believed the dog were pit bulls that had been used for fighting. Officials have not yet confirmed any of that information.
Refresh this page for more information as it becomes available.
Witness: 20 dogs, some dead, dumped on roadside - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Several dogs, some dead, were dumped on the side of an Upstate road Friday morning, according to Greenville County Governmental Affairs Coordinator Bob Mihalic. An eyewitness reported that someone had dumped about 20 dogs, some of them dead, at a location on Alexander Road off Brushy Creek Road near Lismore Park Drive, Mihalic said.
Greenville County Animal Control was at the location at about 11 a.m. rescuing the surviving dogs.
Mihalic had no further information from officers at the scene.
Pictures from Sky 4 showed two Greenville County Animal Control trucks on the rural road. The trucks cleared the area by 11:30 a.m.
A caller to WYFF News 4 said that the dogs were dumped by two men in a U-Haul truck. The caller also said he believed the dog were pit bulls that had been used for fighting. Officials have not yet confirmed any of that information.
Refresh this page for more information as it becomes available.
Witness: 20 dogs, some dead, dumped on roadside - Local News - Greenville, SC | NBC News
Mount Pleasant clinic got possibly tainted steroid
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COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina health officials say one clinic in Mount Pleasant received a batch of drugs used for steroid shots that have been linked to a rare form of meningitis.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control said Friday that no cases of fungal meningitis have been reported in South Carolina. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about three dozen people in six other states have contracted meningitis. Five of them have died.
The CDC says Intervene MD is the clinic in South Carolina. Officials say they have notified 177 of the 189 patients who got spinal steroid injections from the clinic to discuss their health and the symptoms of meningitis. DHEC says residents don't need to worry unless they have heard from the clinic or the agency.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mount Pleasant clinic got possibly tainted steroid - State & Regional - TheState.com
The Department of Health and Environmental Control said Friday that no cases of fungal meningitis have been reported in South Carolina. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about three dozen people in six other states have contracted meningitis. Five of them have died.
The CDC says Intervene MD is the clinic in South Carolina. Officials say they have notified 177 of the 189 patients who got spinal steroid injections from the clinic to discuss their health and the symptoms of meningitis. DHEC says residents don't need to worry unless they have heard from the clinic or the agency.
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Mount Pleasant clinic got possibly tainted steroid - State & Regional - TheState.com
Tobias' name unveiled on monument, 113 years after his death
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MANNING - On Sept. 2, 1899, Clarendon County Constable Samuel Thomas Tobias, 41, died from injuries he received while serving Clarendon County. At 10:30 a.m. today, more than 113 years after his death, the Clarendon County Law Enforcement Officers Association will unveil Tobias' name on the Clarendon County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on the Clarendon County Courthouse square.
"We'll have family members that will be coming in from Texas and North Carolina," said Hannah Timmons, a descendant of Tobias who lives in Columbia. "I'll be seeing cousins I've never met before. It'll be like a family reunion."
Tobias' name unveiled on monument - The Item: Local News
"We'll have family members that will be coming in from Texas and North Carolina," said Hannah Timmons, a descendant of Tobias who lives in Columbia. "I'll be seeing cousins I've never met before. It'll be like a family reunion."
Tobias' name unveiled on monument - The Item: Local News
5 Ekim 2012 Cuma
A Wonderful Story, continued
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Our friends who are pursuing the adoption of a child from Eastern Europe have departed, with their own two children, to that country to complete the arrangements and bring him home. They have managed to update their blog with two entries: First, this one, and then this one.
We ask your prayers that they are able to complete all the arrangements promptly and successfully. It is not easy staying for an indefinite period of time in such a foreign place, and there is still no certainty that the adoption will be completed. This can, of course, be very stressful; it will be stressful enough moving a preschooler with Down's Syndrome into one's home. So let's pray that everything goes smoothly for them.
A Wonderful Story: God's Hand at Work
To contact us Click HERE
Our friends had a successful court appearance, but only today did "mom" get a chance to tell us via blog about the details. Their story makes it abundantly clear that God answers prayer, often in ways far more blessed than we dare to hope. I trust you will take this opportunity to read their story and thank God for what He has done in their family and for the little boy who is now part of their family.
They cannot claim their new son until August 3, according to local law. I assume they will be returning to the USA soon thereafter. Be in prayer for their trip and for the inevitable challenges that their new son will bring to their home.
Our Friends' Adoption: An Update
To contact us Click HERE
This summer friends of ours went to Russia and adopted a little boy, now four years old, with Down's Syndrome. Today "mom" updated her blog with uplifting photos of how well their new son is doing here in America. You can read about it here.
Of course, there are still a lot of challenges (take language, for example, and health), but it is a great blessing to see the willingness they have to cherish and raise up this little boy. Our prayers and encouragement go out to them.
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