NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Innovators for veterans and foster youth were among the celebrity-studded crowd of 400 who turned out to celebrate the importance of work in people's lives at Fedcap's annual gala Monday.
The 2012 Celebration of Work, held at The New York Public Library, drew leaders of city, state and federal agencies and a wide range of other supporters of Fedcap (http://www.fedcap.org/) and its Wildcat Service Corp., The Way to Work and ReServe operations.
Among the honorees and featured speakers:
Gen. Montgomery Meigs (Ret.), President & CEO of Business Executives for National Security with a distinguished 35-year career in the U.S. Army, received Fedcap's Leadership Award. BENS members include corporate leaders across the country who help government address such national problems as the high unemployment rate among returning veterans.
Warren Stephens, Chairman, President & CEO of Stephens Inc., accepted the Fedcap Excellence in Media Award on behalf of Stephens Media for its Saluting American Valor series, which told the stories of U.S. service members decorated for combat heroism in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Marie Tillman, President and Co-Founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation and a staunch advocate for service members, veterans and military families, presented the Excellence in Media award.
Brenda Donald, Director of the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency, received the Community Impact Award for her innovative leadership on behalf of youth in foster care.
David Cone, former New York Yankees pitcher and World Series Champion, accepted the Community Leadership Award on behalf of the Yankees in recognition of the team's community support of young people, veterans and other vulnerable populations.
Lauren Molina, star of hit shows?including Marry Me a Little and Sweeney Todd, provided the entertainment.
U.S. unemployment is still near 8 percent nationally and much higher among teen-agers, Post-9/11 veterans and others who face barriers to employment. The nonprofit Fedcap helps thousands of people each year ? including veterans, youth who have spent time in foster care, the formerly incarcerated and people with disabilities ? succeed in education and employment and move toward economic independence. Fedcap places people in jobs across a wide variety of sectors and employs 1,800 in its own businesses.
About Fedcap: Fedcap helps people break through barriers to achieve long-term economic independence. Our programs and operations bring education and the power of work to youth in transition, adults with conviction histories, veterans, individuals with disabilities and many others facing barriers to employment. We place people in jobs across a wide variety of sectors and employ 1,800 in our own businesses. Fedcap is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information or to make a donation, call 212-727-4200 or visit www.fedcap.org.? Follow Fedcap on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/fedcap) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/Fedcap).
Media Contacts: Barbara Rosen, VP, Communications at 212-727-4260 or brosen@fedcap.org; James Cook, Communications Coordinator, at 212-727-4375 or jcook@fedcap.org
Twelve years ago I had the privilege of attending the Greater Lowell Technical High School. During my four years there, I studied culinary arts under the direction of great teachers including Paul Morin, Arnold Price, Sandra Day, and the late Peter Coffin. The education that I received at Greater Lowell prepared me well for the transition to college where I earned my Associates Degree in Science.
The need for well-trained service and technical professionals is ever expanding. From traditional vocational service fields such as culinary arts, plumbing, and carpentry, to technical arts trades such as machine engineering, electronics, and office technology, to human service fields such as early childhood education, medical assisting, and hotel management Greater Lowell Technical High School provides education and training for these fields that are always desirable.
Over the years, Dracut has benefited from the training that Greater Lowell provides our children. For example:
? Electrical- Rewiring and installation of air conditioning units at the senior center
? Auto Tech-Painting of several police cruisers as well as a fire truck
? Carpentry- Students built a screen house and two storage sheds for the Dracut Housing Authority
? Painting- Painted town Hall
?Greater Lowell has given back $385,707.00 over the past ten years towards Transportation costs.
Greater Lowell?s facility is in need of improvements to support the efficient operation of the physical plant and to maintain the educational programming provided by the school. I am writing this letter to support the renovation project at Greater Lowell Tech. I write this letter of support as a proud alumnus, a Dracut Taxpayer, and an honored elected official.
The Dracut Public Schools has an outstanding and wide-ranging educational program.. There are, however, certain programming it cannot offer such as those listed above and others. The regionalization of vocational programming is an efficient way of supporting students who wish to pursue areas of study outside of the existing offerings of our community high schools. This is just one of many reasons that I support the renovation project for Greater Lowell Tech. When it comes to the education of our young adults of Dracut, we need to work together to provide the best learning environment we can.
The total price for this project is $65,310,211.00. The MSBA reimbursement rate is 76.84% or $50,088,316.00, leaving a balance of $15,030,825.00 of which Dracut?s cost is $3,124,909.00. Projects like these are proof of what our tax dollars can do in the state. The community?s financial obligation to its students who attend Greater Lowell is most efficiently met through support for the renovation project.
I ask that on December 11, 2012 the voter?s of Dracut carefully consider the numerous advantages to our students and support the renovation project for Greater Lowell Tech.
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) ? Apple says the smaller version its new, slimmed-down iMac desktop computers will go on sale Friday. It will also start taking orders for the larger model, but the units won't ship until next month.
The model with the 21.5-inch screen will cost $1,299 and up, depending on the configuration. The model with a 27-inch screen will start at $1,799.
The iMac tacks the computer components to the back of a large LCD screen. The new models have no disk drive, helping make the edges one-fifth the thickness of the old model. They bulge considerably toward the middle of the back, however.
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FILE - This is a Wednesday, May 23, 2012 file photo of Grammy award-winning jazz bassist Marcus Miller performs in concert at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Marcus Miller and several members of his band were injured when their bus overturned Sunday Nov. 25, 2012 on a busy highway in Switzerland, killing the driver, police said. (AP Photo/MTI, Balazs Mohai, File)
FILE - This is a Wednesday, May 23, 2012 file photo of Grammy award-winning jazz bassist Marcus Miller performs in concert at Papp Laszlo Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Marcus Miller and several members of his band were injured when their bus overturned Sunday Nov. 25, 2012 on a busy highway in Switzerland, killing the driver, police said. (AP Photo/MTI, Balazs Mohai, File)
GENEVA (AP) ? Grammy-winning jazz bassist Marcus Miller and several members of his band were injured when their bus overturned Sunday on a busy highway in Switzerland, killing the driver, police said.
The German-registered private bus tipped over as it drove into a bend on the A2 highway in central Switzerland and came to a rest on its side, police in the canton (state) of Uri said. The bus was carrying 13 people ? two drivers and 11 members of the Marcus Miller Band, including Miller.
Over his career, the bassist has worked with jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Wayne Shorter, according to his website. He won two Grammys, his first coming in 1991 for Best Rhythm & Blues Song ("Power of Love") along with Luther Vandross and Teddy Vann, and the second came in 2001 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album ("M2").
The band was on its way from Monte Carlo to the Dutch town of Hengelo, the next stop on the American band's tour, where it was due to perform Monday.
The driver who was at the wheel at the time of the accident sustained fatal injuries. Police spokesman Karl Egli said the 12 passengers were injured and taken to hospitals, but none had life-threatening injuries.
Miller was discharged from the hospital later Sunday, as were fellow band members Alex Han and Kris Bowers, but some other band and crew members were being kept in hospitals overnight, according to a post on Miller's official Facebook page.
The cause of the accident was not immediately clear. Police believe no other vehicles were involved.
Leone, a world torn by war, can only be saved by the Legendary Hero. Will you help humanity find the hero and bring peace to Leone? Or will you join the King of Evil and bring darkness to the world? The choice is yours.
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The government of Pakistan and mobile phone carriers in the country have cut cellular service in major cities like Quetta and Karachi in the wake of a string of?terrorist?bombings that have shaken the country. It? the second time this month the government has attempted to disrupt communications between terrorists by taking the rather drastic step of eliminating cell phone coverage to wide swathes of the nation?s urban centers.
This weekend marks an important celebration on the Shi?ite holy calendar that is commemorated by processions of the faithful marching through the streets. More than 12 people have already died in bombings up processions so far this week, and the government ?is hoping that cutting communications between militants responsible for the bombings can help to stem the violence.
It?s uncertain how effective the tactic will prove this weekend, as this marks the second time Pakistan has eliminated all cell phone coverage in an area to try and impair the ability of terrorists to communicate with one another or set of explosive devices using triggers employing cellular signals. The first attempt met with limited success, but it?s not the only tactic the government is employing by any means ? as many as 5,000 troops will be patrolling the streets as well, looking to keep the peace.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? After bitter rival Hamas held its own in a fierce battle with Israel, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has no choice but to override U.S. objections and seek U.N. recognition of a state of Palestine next week, his aides said Friday.
But even such recognition, likely to be granted, may not be enough for the Western-backed backed proponent of non-violence and a peace deal with Israel to stay relevant and counter the soaring popularity of Gaza's Hamas militants.
Abbas ? formally the leader of all Palestinians but only in charge in parts of the West Bank ? was in trouble even before being relegated to the role of spectator as Israel and Hamas fought for eight days, starting Nov. 14, then negotiated a truce with the help of Egypt that could lead to easing Israel's long-standing Gaza border blockade.
By comparison, years of effort by Abbas to negotiate the terms of a Palestinian state with Israel have led nowhere.
His West Bank government has been buckling under the worst cash crisis in its 18-year existence, sparking widespread domestic discontent. And Hamas, which seized Gaza from Abbas in 2007, emerged from regional isolation after the Arab Spring uprisings brought its parent movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, to power in key countries, including Egypt.
The Gaza fighting sharpened trends already evident before, said analyst Nathan Thrall of the International Crisis Group think tank. "Abbas was truly isolated before this, and this (Gaza) conflict looks like a disaster for him," he said.
Abbas had hoped the U.N. bid will allow him to seize the initiative after years of diplomatic paralysis. Under the plan, the U.N. General Assembly would approve "Palestine" ? made up of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 ? as a non-member observer state.
Palestine is far from being established, but U.N. recognition would affirm its future borders and enable the Palestinians to join U.N. organizations. Israel, backed by the Obama administration, opposes the U.N. bid as an attempt to bypass negotiations.
Abbas says he's willing to resume talks once the 1967 borders have been recognized as the baseline, something hardline Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to do. Israel, while willing to cede some land, says it will not withdraw to the 1967 lines, and has instead moved half a million Israelis into settlements on war-won land.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton again urged Abbas in a meeting at his West Bank headquarters to drop the U.N. plan, said Abbas aide Saeb Erekat.
However, Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, told Clinton and other recent visitors, including the French and German foreign ministers, that he is determined to move ahead.
Israel's Gaza offensive "actually pushed Abu Mazen to go to the U.N.," Erekat said.
Erekat accused Netanyahu of systematically undermining the Palestinian Authority in order to keep his grip on the West Bank, while trying to push Gaza closer to Egypt. The West Bank and Gaza lie on opposite sides of Israel which has prevented virtually all travel and trade between the two territories.
"To stop this strategy, the only avenue is to go to the U.N., and place Palestine as a geographic entity, as a state," Erekat said.
Abbas is seeking the U.N. vote next Thursday and is expected to win the needed simple majority of those present, his aides say. The Palestinians can count on support from Arab, Muslim and many developing and non-aligned countries. They have been courting European Union member states, many of them skeptical, but it's not clear if they've made inroads there.
Hana Amireh, a PLO official in the West Bank, said he believes Abbas will get some sympathy votes after the Gaza fighting, with the international community increasingly aware of his precarious situation. "What happened in Gaza will convince more countries in the world to support us at the U.N.," he said.
However, others say Hamas' battle with Israel has diverted attention from what Abbas had hoped would restore some of his political legitimacy. "This bid is going to be politically and PR-wise less rewarding because of the Gaza war," said Ghassan Khatib, until recently the Palestinian Authority spokesman.
The fallout from the fighting is also troubling for Abbas in other ways.
Many Palestinians consider Hamas the victor because Israel chose not to send ground troops to Gaza, even after the Islamists fired hundreds of rockets at the Jewish state, including several toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, crossing what many had assumed was an Israeli red line.
Israel said it achieved its main objective, halting rocket fire from Gaza, but as part of Egypt's cease-fire deal also agreed to consider easing Gaza border restrictions.
The message being heard by many West Bankers is that Hamas' violent ways produce results and that Abbas' approach of non-violence and negotiations has failed.
Khatib, who returned to academia after his government job, said that at his Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, there are signs of growing radicalization among student activists of Abbas' Fatah movement.
Fatah gunmen had been involved in clashes with Israeli troops during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, a decade ago, but Abbas got them off the streets and into security jobs after becoming president in 2005.
The Facebook page of the Fatah youth movement, Shabibah, this week posted a picture of a Tel Aviv bus bombing that wounded several Israelis, with the caption "Fatah was here," though a Hamas activist was later arrested as a suspect.
Among younger Fatah activists, there are also growing misgivings over Abbas' security coordination with Israel in the West Bank, meant to keep a lid on Hamas.
Abbas has been one of the most outspoken opponents of violence, telling an Israeli TV audience this month that "there is no justification for rocket fire from Gaza or anywhere else."
But with Hamas celebrating victory in Gaza, the militants are now pushing back against Abbas' crackdown on them in the West Bank.
Hundreds of Hamas supporters took to the streets on Friday, defiantly raising their movement's green flags, a rare sight in recent years. In Ramallah, Abbas' seat of government, some 300 Hamas supporters marched in the streets, chanting, "Resistance has won."
KABUL, Afghanistan ? A Taliban suicide bomber detonated a truck full of explosives Friday in eastern Afghanistan, killing two civilians and wounding more than 60 people, including Afghan and NATO troops, officials said.
Several government offices and a prison were damaged or destroyed in the early morning explosion in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Wardak province, said provincial spokesman Shahidullah Shahid.
The blast occurred in an area that is home to the provincial governor's office, police headquarters, a prison and a coordination center used by international and Afghan security forces.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying in a statement to media that it was in response to the recent execution of four Taliban detainees at the Afghan government's main detention center in Kabul.
The men were convicted and sentenced to death in Afghan courts for a variety of crimes, including murder, rape, kidnapping, robbery and cruelty against children. The Taliban condemned the hangings, saying the detainees were prisoners of war who were unjustly jailed.
Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi said Afghan security troops and prisoners were among the wounded in the Wardak blast. Three prisoners tried to escape from the damaged prison, but were apprehended, he said.
"Unfortunately, it was a very bad explosion and many of our countrymen were injured," he told reporters at a news conference in Kabul. "There was a lot of damage to infrastructure. The buildings that were around the blast were destroyed."
Sediqi said the Afghan government was sending a delegation, including the head of Afghan prisons, to Wardak to investigate the attack.
U.S. Army Maj. Adam Wojack, a spokesman for the international military coalition, said a half-dozen NATO soldiers received minor injuries in the explosion.
The Taliban said the attack involved two suicide bombers and claimed it killed tens of Afghan and international troops. The Taliban often exaggerate the number of casualties caused in their attacks.
Afghan and international forces have been working to root out insurgents in Wardak province to keep them from moving north into the Afghan capital. The international forces are scheduled to turn over security responsibility to local troops by the end of 2014.
Separately, Sediqi said that police in Kabul had arrested two men with four explosive vests. He said the two, described as experts in making suicide vests, were planning to conduct an attack in Kabul on Saturday, which is the holy day of Ashoura in Afghanistan.
Last year on Ashoura, a suicide bomber on foot struck worshippers at a Shiite shrine in Kabul, killing at least 80 people. It was the country's first major sectarian attack since the fall of the Taliban regime.
Ashoura, which is observed in the Muslim world either on Saturday or Sunday, commemorates the 7th century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
CHICAGO (AP) ? Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. quietly resigned Wednesday, effectively ending a once-promising political career months after the civil rights icon's son went on a mysterious medical leave while facing separate federal investigations.
Just two weeks after voters re-elected him to a ninth full term, Jackson sent his resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner, citing his ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder and admitting "my share of mistakes."
The House Ethics Committee is investigating his dealings with imprisoned ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and for the first time Jackson publicly acknowledged reports of a new federal probe believed to be looking into his possible misuse of campaign money.
"I am aware of the ongoing federal investigation into my activities and I am doing my best to address the situation responsibly, cooperate with the investigators, and accept responsibility for my mistakes," he wrote, adding "they are my mistakes and mine alone."
Jackson, 47, disappeared in June, and it was later revealed that he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic for bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal issues. He returned to his Washington home in September but went back to the clinic the next month, with his father, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saying his son had not yet "regained his balance."
On Wednesday night, Jackson told reporters that his son resigned because he did not believe he could continue with his political career and try to regain his health at the same time.
"He made the decision to choose his health," said Jackson.
The elder Jackson said that his son had wanted to hold a news conference to discuss his decision to step down but did not believe he could do so without "breaking down."
He also said there is no way of knowing how long it will take for his son to recover from what he characterized as an "internal unresolved challenge."
"It's not the kind of illness you can put a timetable on," Jackson said, adding that he is confident that his son "will get well in time."
Jesse Jackson Jr. first took office in 1995 after winning a special election in a largely urban and Democratic district and began his career in Washington with a star power and pedigree that set him apart from his hundreds of other House colleagues.
But despite high expectations, he largely went unnoticed as a policymaker. Instead, he gained a reputation for quixotic pursuits such as trying to impeach President George W. Bush and push through constitutional amendments that had no chance.
He attended an elite private school in Washington and earned a law degree and a master's in theology. Over the years he bragged about spending his 21st birthday in jail after being arrested in an anti-apartheid protest, co-authored books with his father and developed his own a charismatic speaking style, with near perfect diction and often punctuated by finger pointing.
Shortly after taking office, he was deemed People magazine's sexiest politician in 1997 and became one of the most outspoken and quoted liberals in the House. There was a near-Hollywood buzz over his newly svelte figure in 2005 when he quietly dropped 50 pounds, disclosing months later that he had had weight-loss surgery.
Perhaps his shining moment as a Democratic leader was in 2008, when Jackson served as the national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. He had his sights set on U.S. senator or Chicago's mayor.
Then came Blagojevich.
Though never charged, Jackson had to repeatedly dodge allegations that he was involved in discussions about raising campaign funds for the now-imprisoned former governor in exchange for an appointment to Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat.
Jackson ? who testified at Blagojevich's second corruption trial ? always maintained that he was innocent and that his name would be cleared. Through the proceedings it was revealed that Jackson had an extramarital affair, something his wife detailed in a front-page newspaper interview.
The congressman kept a low profile for years, avoiding interview requests and public appearances.
It wasn't until this year that glimpses of Jackson's former self emerged. He was forced to campaign seriously for the first time in years when former Rep. Debbie Halvorson put up an intense primary challenge. He easily won and gave a triumphant victory speech with his wife and children by his side.
Neither Jackson's family nor staff ever fully explained what was happening with the congressman's health or if he'd return at all. A few times, staff seemed optimistic and so did voters in his Chicago-area district where he easily won re-election to a ninth full term this month despite, despite his only communication with voters coming through a robocall in which he asked for patience.
The timing of Jackson's leave and the way it was handled invited more scrutiny. Jackson's leave was announced just after a former fundraiser connected to the Blagojevich allegations was arrested on unrelated medical fraud charges.
The resignation left the House committee's investigation in the air. Since Jackson is no longer a congressman, the panel no longer has the power to punish him but could release a final report detailing its findings. A committee spokesman did not immediately return a message on Wednesday.
Reaction to his resignation was swift.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement that she'd spoke with both Jesse Jackson Jr. and his father Wednesday afternoon and accepted the news with "great sadness."
Rep. Danny Davis, a fellow member of Congressional Black Caucus, said Jackson's senior position on the House Appropriations Committee and his leadership would be missed. But he also said the way in which Jackson was leaving tarnished his image.
"It certainly does not leave his legacy untouched in as positive light as one would have hoped and wanted," he said.
He declined to comment on the federal investigation, saying he had no details, but the issue did appear to resonate with some voters.
"It was time," said retiree Gloria Pryor, who has voted for Jackson several times. "If he's done the things he's accused of doing then he should leave and apologize to the people of this community."
The vacancy left by Jackson's departure creates a rare opportunity for someone else to represent his district, which is made up of South Side Chicago neighborhoods, several southern suburbs and some rural areas.
Even before the resignation the gambit of potential successors floated around Chicago. Prominent Chicago attorney Sam Adam Jr., a onetime attorney for Blagojevich and R&B singer R. Kelly, said he'd be interested. Other names circulating are Chicago Aldermen Sandi Jackson and Anthony Beale, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Halvorson.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, has five days to schedule an election to replace Jackson, and the election must be held within 115 days, according to election officials. Quinn said he planned to schedule both a primary and a general election.
___
Henry C. Jackson reported from Washington. Associated Press Special Correspondent David Espo in Washington and Associated Press writer Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.
FILE- This combo image made of undated file photos provided by the FBI shows, from left, Brandon Baxter, Douglas Wright and Connor Stevens. The three men, who pleaded guilty in an unsuccessful plot to bomb a highway bridge in Ohio, face sentencing before a judge who agreed with prosecutors that they should be punished as terrorists on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. A fourth defendant will be sentenced on Wednesday and a fifth is undergoing a psychiatric exam. (AP Photo/FBI, File)
FILE- This combo image made of undated file photos provided by the FBI shows, from left, Brandon Baxter, Douglas Wright and Connor Stevens. The three men, who pleaded guilty in an unsuccessful plot to bomb a highway bridge in Ohio, face sentencing before a judge who agreed with prosecutors that they should be punished as terrorists on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. A fourth defendant will be sentenced on Wednesday and a fifth is undergoing a psychiatric exam. (AP Photo/FBI, File)
AKRON, Ohio (AP) ? The alleged ringleader of an unsuccessful plot to bomb a highway bridge in Ohio was sentenced Tuesday to more than 11 years in prison.
Douglas Wright of Indianapolis was sentenced to 138 months in prison. He apologized in court to his family and the community, saying he was an addict and needed help for substance abuse, not just prison.
Two other men ? 20-year-old Brandon Baxter of Lakewood and 20-year-old Connor Stevens of Berea ? were to learn their sentences later Tuesday.
Judge David Dowd had ruled last week that the men should be sentenced as terrorists, making them subject to harsher prison terms.
A fourth defendant will be sentenced Wednesday and a fifth is undergoing a psychiatric exam.
Stevens, Baxter and Wright pleaded guilty to conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction, knowingly attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to damage property with explosives. There was no plea deal that would have reduced their sentences.
Last week Dowd backed a government request to consider stricter sentences based on a "terrorist enhancement" for the trio. The ruling that the three were trying to intimidate the government expanded possible sentences from five or six years to 15 to 30 years or more.
The men were arrested by the FBI and had targeted a bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park between Cleveland and Akron. The FBI has said the public was never in danger and the device was a dud provided by an informant.
The suspects were described by the government as self-proclaimed anarchists who acted out of anger against corporate America and the government.
The defense called the case entrapment, with the informant guiding the way, and said the plot was more an act of vandalism than anti-government terrorism. They asked for sentences in the range of five years.
The government said the plot "was meant to convey a message to the civilian population, the corporate world, the financial system, and all levels of government."
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Posted on: 6:06 pm, November 19, 2012, by Wayne Covil, updated on: 08:05am, November 20, 2012
PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR) -?A Petersburg mother waking up to make a pot of coffee early Monday morning saved her family from a fire.
Barbara Tucker says she was walking down the hallway when she spotted smoke and flames around 7 a.m.
That?s when she started yelling for her family, including her daughter?s three-and half-year-old son and her 92-year-old father-in-law, to get out of the house.?
?And I was screaming for my son and my husband and my daughter and her son to get out,? Tucker said.
Seven family members made their way out front door to the driveway, where they saw flames shooting up the side of the house.
?I think she?s a hero, because she woke everybody up,? Lakeshia Tucker, who escaped the flames, said.
Petersburg firefighters, who arrived a few minutes after the family escaped, found the blaze had spread to a middle bedroom and into the attic.
Fire crews were able to put out the blaze, but ran into some difficulty pulling clothes and boxes out of the attic to make sure the fire was totally?extinguished.
?We came and started our investigation this morning and we saw, this trash was remains of a trash can,? Petersburg Deputy Fire Marshal Jeff Fleming said. ?This is the highest char right here, this basically is where it started at.?
Family members say they feel blessed no one was injured and everyone escaped unharmed.
Southside Chapter of the American Red Cross are helping the family with food and clothes.
GAZA/JERUSALEM - Israel bombed Palestinian militant targets in the Gaza Strip from air and sea for a fifth straight day on Sunday, preparing for a possible ground invasion though Egypt saw ?some indications? of a truce ahead.
Militant rocket fire into Israel subsided during the night but resumed in the morning with three rockets fired at the nearby coastal city of Ashkelon, the Israeli army said.
?As of now we have struck more than 1,000 targets, so Hamas should do the math over whether it is or isn?t worth it to cease fire,? Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, over Twitter.
?If there is quiet in the South and no rockets and missiles are fired at Israel?s citizens nor terrorist attacks engineered from the Gaza Strip, we will not attack.?
Forty-eight Palestinians, about half of them civilians, including 13 children, have been killed in Israel?s raids, Palestinian officials said. More than 500 rockets fired from Gaza have hit Israel, killing three people and injuring dozens.
Israel unleashed intensive air strikes on Wednesday, killing the commander of the Hamas Islamist group that governs Gaza and spurns peace with the Jewish state. Israel?s declared goal is to deplete Gaza arsenals and press Hamas into stopping cross-border rocket fire that has plagued Israeli border towns for years.
Air raids continued past midnight into Sunday, with warships shelling from the sea. A Gaza City media building was hit, witnesses said, wounding 6 journalists and damaging facilities belonging to Hamas?s Al-Aqsa TV as well as Britain?s Sky News.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said the strike had targeted a rooftop ?transmission antenna used by Hamas to carry out terror activity?.
Two other predawn attacks on houses in the Jabalya refugee camp killed two children and wounded 13 other people, medical officials said.
These attacks followed a defiant statement by Hamas military spokesman Abu Ubaida, who told a news conference: ?This round of confrontation will not be the last against the Zionist enemy and it is only the beginning.?
The masked gunman dressed in military fatigues insisted that despite Israel?s blows Hamas ?is still strong enough to destroy the enemy?.
An Israeli attack on Saturday destroyed the house of a Hamas commander near the Egyptian border.
Casualties there were averted however, because Israel had fired non-exploding missiles at the building beforehand from a drone, which the militant?s family understood as a warning to flee, and thus their lives were spared, witnesses said.
Israeli aircraft also bombed Hamas government buildings in Gaza on Saturday, including the offices of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and a police headquarters.
Among those killed in air strikes on Gaza on Saturday were at least four suspected militants riding motorcycles, and several civilians including a 30-year-old woman.
ISRAELI SCHOOLS SHUT
Israel said it would keep schools in its south shut on Sunday as a precaution to avoid casualties from rocket strikes reaching as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the past few days.
Israel?s ?Iron Dome? missile interceptor system destroyed in mid-air a rocket fired by Gaza militants at Tel Aviv on Saturday, where volleyball games on the beach front came to an abrupt halt as air-raid sirens sounded.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack on Tel Aviv, the third against the city since Wednesday. It said it had fired an Iranian-designed Fajr-5 at the coastal metropolis, some 70 km (43 miles) north of Gaza.
In the Israeli Mediterranean port of Ashdod, a rocket ripped into several balconies. Police said five people were hurt.
Israel?s operation has drawn Western support for what U.S. and European leaders have called Israel?s right to self-defence, but there was also a growing number of calls from world leaders to seek an end to the violence.
British Prime Minister David Cameron ?expressed concern over the risk of the conflict escalating further and the danger of further civilian casualties on both sides,? in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a spokesperson for Cameron said.
London was ?putting pressure on both sides to de-escalate,? the spokesman said, adding that Cameron had urged Netanyahu ?to do everything possible to bring the conflict to an end.?
Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, said the United States would like to see the conflict resolved through ?de-escalation? and diplomacy, but also believes Israel has a right to self-defense.
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi said in Cairo as his security deputies sought to broker a truce with Hamas leaders, that ?there are some indications that there is a possibility of a ceasefire soon, but we do not yet have firm guarantees.?
Egypt has mediated previous ceasefire deals between Israel and Hamas, the latest of which unravelled with recent violence.
A Palestinian official told Reuters the truce discussions would continue in Cairo on Sunday, saying ?there is hope,? but it was too early to say whether the efforts would succeed.
In Jerusalem, an Israeli official declined to comment on the negotiations. Military commanders said Israel was prepared to fight on to achieve a goal of halting rocket fire from Gaza, which has plagued Israeli towns since late 2000, when failed peace talks led to the outbreak of a Palestinian uprising.
Diplomats at the United Nations said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to visit Israel and Egypt in the coming week to push for an end to the fighting.
POSSIBLE GROUND OFFENSIVE
Israel, with tanks and artillery positioned along the frontier, said it was still weighing a ground offensive.
Israeli cabinet ministers decided on Friday to more than double the current reserve troop quota set for the Gaza offensive to 75,000 and around 16,000 reservists have already been called up.
Asked by reporters whether a ground operation was possible, Major-General Tal Russo, commander of the Israeli forces on the Gaza frontier, said: ?Definitely.?
?We have a plan. ... It will take time. We need to have patience. It won?t be a day or two,? he added.
A possible move into the densely populated Gaza Strip and the risk of major casualties it brings would be a significant gamble for Netanyahu, favoured to win a January election.
The last Gaza war, a three-week Israeli blitz and invasion over the New Year of 2008-09, killed 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict.
But the Gaza conflagration has stirred the pot of a Middle East already boiling from two years of Arab revolution and a civil war in Syria that threatens to spread beyond its borders.
One major change has been the election of an Islamist government in Cairo that is allied with Hamas, potentially narrowing Israel?s manoeuvring room in confronting the Palestinian group. Israel and Egypt made peace in 1979.
Two days after a Gulf of Mexico oil platform blast and one day after his co-worker was found dead on the sea floor, a Filipino man offered a succinct message Sunday to his relatives and countrymen: "I am alive."
Wilberto Ilagan is one of the at least 11 injured in Friday morning's explosion on a platform located 20 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. He is also one of four -- all men native to the Philippines -- who suffered major burns and are being treated at Baton Rouge General Medical Center.
Hospital officials briefed reporters Sunday about the status of those four patients, including passing along a message from Illagan, who was recently upgraded to fair condition.
"I am burned, but my heart and lungs are healthy," the Filipino man said, according to the hospital.
Two others remain in critical condition at the hospital, which is about 160 miles from the explosion site and 8,500 miles from the Philippines, said Baton Rouge General's chief of surgery Dr. Jeffrey Littleton. One other patient is in serious condition and being treated by staff at Baton Rouge General's burn center.
"They remain in the critical window of time that follows major burn injuries," said Baton Rouge General's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Flip Roberts. "But our physicians and staff remain hopeful about their prognosis."
Ilagan is the only one of the four at the Baton Rouge hospital to be identified by name. Authorities and energy company officials have not yet named the man whose body was found by divers Saturday night. Another worker was still unaccounted for Sunday.
Black Elk Energy President and CEO John Hoffman said that man's body was discovered under the platform, on the sea floor. He was one of two crew members who went missing after the explosion and subsequent fire.
"We're working in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard so we can respectfully and most efficiently recover the body and get that body to shore," Hoffman said.
Black Elk Energy, a Houston-based firm, was in charge of the platform -- which was used for production, not drilling -- where the blast occurred.
About 28 gallons of fuel spilled into the region, Coast Guard Response Division Chief Ed Cubanski said. An oil sheen reportedly stretched for about a half-mile near the platform.
The injured were airlifted to area hospitals, and nine other crew members were evacuated, according to the Coast Guard.
The cause of the blast remains under investigation.
North Texas (2-2) vs. IUPUI Jaguars (2-2)
Nov. 19, 2012 ? 3:30 p.m. (Central)
North Texas vs. Virginia Cavaliers (2-2)
Nov. 20, 2012 ? 6 p.m. (Central)
Charlottesville, Va. ? John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)
Radio: MGRN - 88.1 KNTU-FM, 95.3 KHYI-FM
TV: None ? Webcast: None
Game Notes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ? The North Texas men?s basketball team
righted its ship against Lamar and Cameron, and looks to keep that momentum
going in the Consolation Round of the NIT Season Tip-Off against IUPUI and host
Virginia.
Alzee Williams and Chris Jones have been on fire in NT?s
last two games - Mean Green wins by an average of 22 points. Jones (15-of-18)
and Williams (12-of-18) have combined to hit 27-of-36 (75 percent) shots and
average 30 points together over the last two outings.
Dating back to last year?s Sun Belt Tournament Jacob Holmen
has hit nine of his last 12 shots (75 percent) from 3-point and is averaging
10.3 points per game. Holmen was a 25.0 percent career 3-point shooter (22-of-88)
prior to the 2012 SBC Tournament. Holmen earned All-SBC Tournament honors for
helping NT advance to its third straight finals.
Tony Benford and the Mean Green pride themselves on their
defense. So far so good, as NT ranks third in the Sun Belt with a 38.6
defensive field goal percentage, and third in scoring defense at 64.2 points
allowed per game so far.
UPUI drew Michigan in the opening game of the NIT Season
Tip-Off and fell, 91-54, to the Wolverines despite 15 points from John Hart.
The Jaguars bounced back in the second round with 27 points from Mitchell
Patton and 21 points from Greg Rice in an 80-66 victory over Bowling Green.
IUPUI was tabbed as the fifth best team in the Summit League
in 2012-13 according to their Preseason Poll. South Dakota State ran away with
the top spot, taking all but one first-place vote. Ian Chiles, who has yet to
see the floor this year due to injury, was Second-Team All-Summit League
selection for the Jaguars.
Virginia cruised past Fairfield in the opening round of the
NIT Season Tip-Off, 54-45, after Joe Harris poured in 15 points. The Cavaliers
were relegated to the Consolation Bracket after Deleware pulled the upset
thanks to a stifling defensive effort that held Virginia to 35.1 percent
shooting.
The Cavaliers were picked to finish seventh in both the
Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Coaches and Media polls. NC State was
tabbed atop the ACC in both polls, and C.J. Leslie from NC State was the
unanimous pick for Preseason Player of the Year. The ACC currently has three
teams inside the AP Poll top 11.
The file sharing crew at BitTorrent has so far taken only tentative footsteps into the living room with its certification program. If CEO Eric Kinkler's comments to MultichannelNews are any indicator, though, the company is ready to make itself at home. He reveals that BitTorrent has signed pacts with 20 electronics makers to include its peer-to-peer service for media streaming in new TV sets, some of which will ship as soon as the end of 2012. Kinkler isn't naming the partners, but he notes that most of the torrent-ready screens are destined for Asia and Europe rather than the US -- many TV builders in American shops already have a raft of streaming video deals with the likes of Netflix, the executive says. Don't anticipate seeing a row of BitTorrent TVs in the local big-box store, then, but do expect the firm to make a name for itself beyond software and the occasional router.
Educators are turning up alarm bells they?ve been sounding since last spring about how students could be harmed if Congress doesn?t act to steer away from the ?fiscal cliff.?
If lawmakers can?t make a deal, ?sequestration? ? automatic cuts to the federal budget ? would begin to kick in at the beginning of 2013. Education would take a hit of about 8 percent, or at least $4 billion a year, according to various government estimates.
?These cuts to our schools would be devastating and of course would impact student achievement,? said Deborah Rigsby, director of federal legislation for the National School Boards Association (NSBA), in a press call Wednesday. ?[They] would result in increased class sizes ... the elimination of after-school and summer-school programs, a narrowing of the curriculum, the closing of school libraries, and more.?
RECOMMENED: 'Fiscal cliff'? 'Sequester'? Your guide to Congress's code language.
Not everyone sees a sky-is-falling scenario, however. Many schools receive only about 10 percent of their funding from the federal government. Cuts to that could hurt, but they would be just a further indication that there?s ?a need for schools to do more with less,? says Michael Petrilli, an education expert and executive vice president at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute in Washington. ?If there?s been any doubt that we?re in a new era of constrained resources, people have got to get with the program.?
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Congress in July that ?the sequestration will put at risk all that we've accomplished in education and weaken programs that help children, serve families, [and] send young people and adults to college.?
According to Secretary Duncan, some examples of what the cuts would mean:
At least $1.1 billion of Title I funding would be lost, affecting approximately 1.8 million disadvantaged students.
Special-education funding would be cut by $900 million.
About 100,000 low-income children would not have access to early education through Head Start.
At least 48,000 jobs could be lost because of such cuts, according to an October analysis by House Democrats.
Most of the impact wouldn?t be felt in schools until the beginning of the next school year, since funding for this year has already been distributed. However, because of the way some funding is structured, school districts with high numbers of military children and American Indian students would face cuts immediately in January.
School administrators have been actively lobbying on Capitol Hill for a solution that would preserve education funding.
Because the districts with more low-income children rely more heavily on federal education dollars, the across-the-board sequestration cuts ?would make the gap wider between the haves and the have-nots,? says Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).
About 57 percent of districts say they?d have to cut jobs, and 55 to 70 percent would have to reduce class sizes, cut academic programs, and trim staff development if dealing with the federal cuts, according to an AASA survey earlier this year.
One administrator from Georgia noted in the AASA survey that at stake is a six-year effort in that person?s district to narrow achievement gaps and bring graduation rates up 35 percent among students who are mostly low-income. ?Our students and teachers are beginning to believe we can achieve at a high level; however, my greatest fear is that with these additional funding cuts our supports will disappear,? wrote the administrator, who was not named. ?It will take more time and consistent resources to break the generational cycle of poverty and low academic expectations in our community.?
California would take a particularly big hit, said Jill Wynns, president of the California School Boards Association, in the NSBA?s press call Wednesday. In a state where 1 out of 8 US public-school students live, she noted, more than 20 percent of state support has been cut since 2007-08, causing districts to scale back programs for the highest-need students.
?If sequestration occurs, our state will lose $387 million.... So federal cuts ... on top of that will just devastate these programs,? she said.
Ms. Wynns urged people to realize that ?this is not abstract? but affects individual children. The budget cuts wouldn?t be saving money, she said, but ?disinvesting in our future.?
President Obama made comments earlier this week indicating he would continue to push for a solution that protects investments in education as he negotiates with Republicans in Congress.
?I strongly suspect that education will come out fine,? says Mr. Petrilli of Fordham. Even Republicans ?are loath to cut it because they know it?s popular,? he says.
But Mr. Domenech of AASA says assurances that sequestration ?is not going to happen? aren?t very comforting until something concrete is announced. If lawmakers simply cobble together a temporary solution ? say, averting the cuts for a year ? ?the issue will still be hanging over everybody?s head,? he says.
RECOMMENDED: 'Fiscal cliff'? 'Sequester'? Your guide to Congress's code language.
Molly Raben , Music Columnist November 15, 2012 ? 25 views Filed under Arts and Entertainment
Have you heard the sound of 500 voices singing Christmas music as it resonates through the halls of Christiansen Hall of Music? How about the spirited renditions of Christmas hymns spilling out of the orchestra room every Monday, Wednesday and Friday? If you have missed out on these aural treats, then you surely have heard the ground shake as the 500 musicians make their way up to Stav Hall following Christmas Festival rehearsals.
Yes, the holiday season is now upon us, and renowned folk musician Sufjan Stevens has reminded us of that fact with his very recent release of Silver & Gold, a compilation of songs for the Christmas season. Some of you may look back fondly on 2006 ? the year he released his previous holiday album, Songs for Christmas. If you are in that boat, then you are in luck. Sufjan?s new album has much the same character of his former compilation and takes even more liberty in his interpretations of classic Christmas tunes.
Stevens impressively creates a cohesive flow among popular tunes, hymns, medieval carols and original compositions. Among the highlights of the album is his rendition of the ?Coventry Carol.?? This piece was first performed in a 16th century mystery play based on the Gospel of Matthew and depicts the ?Massacre of the Innocents,? the night in which King Herod ordered that all male infants in Bethlehem be killed. The carol is a mother?s lament, often performed by children?s choirs and recorder ensembles. Sufjan Stevens, however, sets the piece for a chorus of female voices and strings. The song opens with plucked strings playing the haunting melody in canon, which is then taken up by the women. They are later joined by the eerie and melancholy timbre of a singing saw. It is this choice that makes Sufjan?s rendition so effective: Clearly, the song is far removed from the 1500s but can still evoke an emotional response in its listeners.
It was a fine choice of the artist to incorporate little-known ancient music in his compilation, but in order to make it appealing, it must be balanced by recognizable tunes. Sufjan delivers: Various beloved hymns pop up on the album, one of the most innovative takes being of ?Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.? The piece begins with a rag-tag choir of mixed voices, young and old, singing the Christmas classic. Gradually, the musician adds his characteristic spinning electronics and backbeat, turning the reliable old favorite into a fresh and off-kilter, wild piece of music.
On the topic of wild music, one cover on the album sets itself apart from the rest. ?Alphabet? is a cover of Prince?s 1988 hit ?Alphabet St.? Far from the original upbeat version, Sufjan?s rendering is digitized and funky and gives the listener the impression of being inside a Pacman machine with its 8-bit, antiphonal sounds and retro synthesizer lines. Although the song may in no way be relevant to the holiday season, it is an intriguing choice to throw it into the mix.
This Sufjan Stevens Christmas album would not be a Sufjan Stevens Christmas album without his own works. His whimsical character shines through on tracks such as ?Ding-a-ling-a-ring-a-ling? ? a lo-fi song about the birth of Jesus Christ featuring a children?s chorus and crashing, often violent, percussion. Memorable lyrics from this song include: ?Jesus is the king-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling.?
Sufjan tops off his album with its final 13 minute-long track, an original piece entitled ?Christmas Unicorn.? This song is exactly as its title makes it seem.? Stevens identifies himself as a Christmas Unicorn over accompaniment typical of his minimalist style ? strings, cute wind lines and electronics. There really could be no better way for him to end the journey across time that is Silver & Gold.
