|
|
|---|
Monday, March 1, 2010
FROM THIS PROUD SOLDIER TO HEADLESS FREAK ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE. WHEN IS THIS INSANITY GOING TO END?
"War all comes down to these little tiny stories about people's lives that will never be the same." -- Eugene Richards Sgt. José Pequeño / Age 34 / Sugar Hill, New Hampshire
José was the youngest police chief in the state of New Hampshire, forever. But then he was in the National Guard, and they asked for volunteers. It was on March 1, 2006. They were guarding an Iraqi police station and got a tip it was going to be hit. One of the bombers' cars hit the police station, blew it up, and my son was calling in to base when they threw a grenade through the open part of the Humvee. The driver died instantly. When they found José, the lower part of his body was still inside the Humvee but the explosion had gone under his helmet and the left part of his brain was out in the sand.
I used to work nights. I got home at 7 am, couldn't sleep, when there was a phone call. "We need to notify you that your son had an accident and is in surgery." But they couldn't give me any news how bad he was. I hung up, called my daughter and his dad, then kept calling Casualty Affairs every fifteen minutes. "As soon as we know, ma'am." Then, "They're flying him into Germany." Finally, when he got to Germany, they told me it was an injury on the head. "How bad is it?" "He's getting cleaned up, but we don't know the extent of the injury." I finally got to a nurse. "You tell me." "I'll have a neurosurgeon call." Two o'clock in the morning, I got a call from the neurosurgeon. "I'm still evaluating your son. I'll call you when I'm done." "How long?" "I've got like twenty minutes to go." And I said, "You've got twenty-two minutes. I'm his mom, for God's sake."
Twenty-five minutes later I got a call. A voice said, "Is this your son?" "Yes." "Such a beautiful son," he said. "What a terrible waste, a young man with such a life ahead of him, and he's going to die." Right there, a piece of me just left. "You're such a liar!" I yelled. "Of course my son is going to make it." After that, I asked, "Are you finished with your evaluation? Tell me exactly what's wrong with my son. Please." And he said, "He has a severe brain injury, severe bleeding; he's lost the bottom two lobes of his brain." And at that time, my daughter's boyfriend heard me scream and fall off the bed. I started throwing things. My next-door neighbor came running, and I sat down and cried and said, "I can't do this." --Nelida Bagley
I used to work nights. I got home at 7 am, couldn't sleep, when there was a phone call. "We need to notify you that your son had an accident and is in surgery." But they couldn't give me any news how bad he was. I hung up, called my daughter and his dad, then kept calling Casualty Affairs every fifteen minutes. "As soon as we know, ma'am." Then, "They're flying him into Germany." Finally, when he got to Germany, they told me it was an injury on the head. "How bad is it?" "He's getting cleaned up, but we don't know the extent of the injury." I finally got to a nurse. "You tell me." "I'll have a neurosurgeon call." Two o'clock in the morning, I got a call from the neurosurgeon. "I'm still evaluating your son. I'll call you when I'm done." "How long?" "I've got like twenty minutes to go." And I said, "You've got twenty-two minutes. I'm his mom, for God's sake."
Twenty-five minutes later I got a call. A voice said, "Is this your son?" "Yes." "Such a beautiful son," he said. "What a terrible waste, a young man with such a life ahead of him, and he's going to die." Right there, a piece of me just left. "You're such a liar!" I yelled. "Of course my son is going to make it." After that, I asked, "Are you finished with your evaluation? Tell me exactly what's wrong with my son. Please." And he said, "He has a severe brain injury, severe bleeding; he's lost the bottom two lobes of his brain." And at that time, my daughter's boyfriend heard me scream and fall off the bed. I started throwing things. My next-door neighbor came running, and I sat down and cried and said, "I can't do this." --Nelida Bagley
"Jigaboo Jones" Organized "Compton Cookout" Black Student Union Goes "Apeshit"
0 comments at 7:19 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdCmNoRMs1M&feature=related Jiggaboo's Response;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGfFSZ2kcRg
Organizer of 'racist' UC party was black
Last week a party – the Compton Cookout – was held off-campus near the University of California San Diego, and the firestorm it has created has been massive: Protest marches, teach-ins, protesters who walked out of the teach-ins and campus investigations have ensued. The administration for its part immediately placed blame on perpetrators they believed to be responsible – a so-called white fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha.
Many have cited, with outrage, the Facebook Compton Cookout invitation urging males to wear "straight up jerseys" or a "White T (size XXXL smallest acceptable)." Females were asked to come as "ghetto chicks" who "don't speak well, have short, nappy hair" and "usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes."
The rest of the invitation went on to describe the location of the party and the food and drinks available, such as chicken and watermelon.
Despite the denials by Pi Kappa Alpha that they were not behind the cookout, the blame remains on PKA and its white members. Garron Engstrom, chapter president of the Pi Kappa Alpha, said, "The fraternity regrets the display of ignorance and error of judgment made by any individual members who may have attended or were associated via social media with the racially offensive party." The administration continued its Mike Nifong-like prosecution of anyone white who may have attended the event.
The truth was finally revealed on my radio show last night when the true organizer, a self-described "black, crime comedian" named Jiggaboo Jones claimed responsibility for the event. In fact, Mr. Jones disclosed that similar parties have been held in past years going back as far as 2005. Mr. Jones further stated that he recently hosted a similar event with an even raunchier title at UNLV just a few days ago.
I am the only person on the national stage who has given Mr. Jones the chance to tell his side of the story, to claim responsibility for the Compton Cookout. Mr. Jones disclosed on my program that he attempted to contact UCSD administration and the local San Diego news media to claim the event and was rebuffed at every turn. Clearly, the administration, the San Diego Union Tribune and the PC Mafia have their perpetrators, just like Mike Nifong did at Duke.
While they may wish that the template remain, I am confronting the PC Mafia. On my nationally syndicated radio program last evening, I interviewed professor Daniel Widener, a professor of African-American studies and radicalism at UCSD, and he attempted to turn this cookout into a chance to score cheap political points. I refused to let him push his agenda.
Now, I want to give you the ability to hear the truth and decide for yourselves. Below is the unedited interview I conducted with Mr. Jones and professor Widener. Be warned: The language definitely is not politically correct and will certainly cause more than a few raised eyebrows. The truth is not always pretty – but it can be pretty funny.
Many have cited, with outrage, the Facebook Compton Cookout invitation urging males to wear "straight up jerseys" or a "White T (size XXXL smallest acceptable)." Females were asked to come as "ghetto chicks" who "don't speak well, have short, nappy hair" and "usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes."
The rest of the invitation went on to describe the location of the party and the food and drinks available, such as chicken and watermelon.
Despite the denials by Pi Kappa Alpha that they were not behind the cookout, the blame remains on PKA and its white members. Garron Engstrom, chapter president of the Pi Kappa Alpha, said, "The fraternity regrets the display of ignorance and error of judgment made by any individual members who may have attended or were associated via social media with the racially offensive party." The administration continued its Mike Nifong-like prosecution of anyone white who may have attended the event.
The truth was finally revealed on my radio show last night when the true organizer, a self-described "black, crime comedian" named Jiggaboo Jones claimed responsibility for the event. In fact, Mr. Jones disclosed that similar parties have been held in past years going back as far as 2005. Mr. Jones further stated that he recently hosted a similar event with an even raunchier title at UNLV just a few days ago.
I am the only person on the national stage who has given Mr. Jones the chance to tell his side of the story, to claim responsibility for the Compton Cookout. Mr. Jones disclosed on my program that he attempted to contact UCSD administration and the local San Diego news media to claim the event and was rebuffed at every turn. Clearly, the administration, the San Diego Union Tribune and the PC Mafia have their perpetrators, just like Mike Nifong did at Duke.
While they may wish that the template remain, I am confronting the PC Mafia. On my nationally syndicated radio program last evening, I interviewed professor Daniel Widener, a professor of African-American studies and radicalism at UCSD, and he attempted to turn this cookout into a chance to score cheap political points. I refused to let him push his agenda.
Now, I want to give you the ability to hear the truth and decide for yourselves. Below is the unedited interview I conducted with Mr. Jones and professor Widener. Be warned: The language definitely is not politically correct and will certainly cause more than a few raised eyebrows. The truth is not always pretty – but it can be pretty funny.
Read The Invitation To The “Compton Cook Out,” As Posted On Facebook:
“February marks a very important month in American society. No, i’m not referring to Valentines day or Presidents day. I’m talking about Black History month. As a time to celebrate and in hopes of showing respect, the Regents community cordially invites you to its very first Compton Cookout.
For guys: I expect all males to be rockin Jersey’s, stuntin’ up in ya White T (XXXL smallest size acceptable), anything FUBU, Ecko, Rockawear, High/low top Jordans or Dunks, Chains, Jorts, stunner shades, 59 50 hats, Tats, etc.
For girls: For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks-Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes – they consider Baby Phat to be high class and expensive couture. They also have short, nappy hair, and usually wear cheap weave, usually in bad colors, such as purple or bright red. They look and act similar to Shenaynay, and speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger in your face. Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as “constipulated”, or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as “hmmg!”, or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises,grunts, and faces. The objective is for all you lovely ladies to look, act, and essentially take on these “respectable” qualities throughout the day.
Several of the regents condos will be teaming up to house this monstrosity, so travel house to house and experience the various elements of life in the ghetto.
We will be serving 40’s, Kegs of Natty, dat Purple Drank- which consists of sugar, water, and the color purple , chicken, coolade, and of course Watermelon. So come one and come all, make ya self before we break ya self, keep strapped, get yo shine on, and join us for a day party to be remembered- or not. ”
“February marks a very important month in American society. No, i’m not referring to Valentines day or Presidents day. I’m talking about Black History month. As a time to celebrate and in hopes of showing respect, the Regents community cordially invites you to its very first Compton Cookout.
For guys: I expect all males to be rockin Jersey’s, stuntin’ up in ya White T (XXXL smallest size acceptable), anything FUBU, Ecko, Rockawear, High/low top Jordans or Dunks, Chains, Jorts, stunner shades, 59 50 hats, Tats, etc.
For girls: For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks-Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes – they consider Baby Phat to be high class and expensive couture. They also have short, nappy hair, and usually wear cheap weave, usually in bad colors, such as purple or bright red. They look and act similar to Shenaynay, and speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger in your face. Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as “constipulated”, or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as “hmmg!”, or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises,grunts, and faces. The objective is for all you lovely ladies to look, act, and essentially take on these “respectable” qualities throughout the day.
Several of the regents condos will be teaming up to house this monstrosity, so travel house to house and experience the various elements of life in the ghetto.
We will be serving 40’s, Kegs of Natty, dat Purple Drank- which consists of sugar, water, and the color purple , chicken, coolade, and of course Watermelon. So come one and come all, make ya self before we break ya self, keep strapped, get yo shine on, and join us for a day party to be remembered- or not. ”
No Evidence That Jiggaboo Jones Behind UCSD “Compton Cookout”
No one has confirmed that Black shock-comedian was behind the racist February Compton Cookout
Student Activism / March 1, 2010/ by Angus Johnston
Okay, I guess I have to address this, since it’s coming up more and more often in comments on my coverage of the UC San Diego situation: There is NO evidence that the black shock-comedian “Jiggaboo Jones” was behind last month’s racist “Compton Cookout” at UCSD. None. Zero.
Here’s the deal.
Sometime in early-to-mid-February, the invitation to the Compton Cookout party was posted on Facebook. As word of the party got around, complaints began to mount, and on February 16 the UCSD administration condemned the event.
Okay, I guess I have to address this, since it’s coming up more and more often in comments on my coverage of the UC San Diego situation: There is NO evidence that the black shock-comedian “Jiggaboo Jones” was behind last month’s racist “Compton Cookout” at UCSD. None. Zero.
Here’s the deal.
Sometime in early-to-mid-February, the invitation to the Compton Cookout party was posted on Facebook. As word of the party got around, complaints began to mount, and on February 16 the UCSD administration condemned the event.
On February 18, nearly a week after the party and two days after the scandal broke as a national story, a black comedian who goes by the name “Jiggaboo Jones” posted a video on YouTube claiming that he had thrown the party as a DVD release event. Right-wing websites and fringe journalists leaped to endorse this “debunking” of the story, particularly after subsequent racist incidents at UCSD began to make national news, and the claim has begun to find its way into more mainstream media coverage as well.
But Jones’ story doesn’t hold water, for a long list of reasons:
* His name appears nowhere on the invitation, nor does any mention of any DVD tie-in.
* No media coverage of the party mentioned his name until after he “confessed.”
* Nobody involved with the party has since come forward to confirm his involvement.
* Despite promoting his YouTube posts with promises of video from the party, he’s produced no such video.
A photo of Jones — wearing dark glasses and a Jheri curl wig, and holding a bucket of fried chicken — accompanied the original party invitation, but that’s the only link between him and the party other than his own claims. Again, there was no mention of him in the invitation, and nobody with any known link to the party has suggested that he was involved in any way.
Every piece of evidence that exists suggests that Jones’ claim is exactly what it looks like — a creepy self-promoter’s attempt to turn a thin, random connection to an ugly news story into a few moments of seedy notoriety.
And yes, I recognize that I’ve just given him what he wants, and yes, I’m disgusted by that. Source;http://obrag.org/?p=18311
Student Activism / March 1, 2010/ by Angus Johnston
Okay, I guess I have to address this, since it’s coming up more and more often in comments on my coverage of the UC San Diego situation: There is NO evidence that the black shock-comedian “Jiggaboo Jones” was behind last month’s racist “Compton Cookout” at UCSD. None. Zero.
Here’s the deal.
Sometime in early-to-mid-February, the invitation to the Compton Cookout party was posted on Facebook. As word of the party got around, complaints began to mount, and on February 16 the UCSD administration condemned the event.
Okay, I guess I have to address this, since it’s coming up more and more often in comments on my coverage of the UC San Diego situation: There is NO evidence that the black shock-comedian “Jiggaboo Jones” was behind last month’s racist “Compton Cookout” at UCSD. None. Zero.
Here’s the deal.
Sometime in early-to-mid-February, the invitation to the Compton Cookout party was posted on Facebook. As word of the party got around, complaints began to mount, and on February 16 the UCSD administration condemned the event.
On February 18, nearly a week after the party and two days after the scandal broke as a national story, a black comedian who goes by the name “Jiggaboo Jones” posted a video on YouTube claiming that he had thrown the party as a DVD release event. Right-wing websites and fringe journalists leaped to endorse this “debunking” of the story, particularly after subsequent racist incidents at UCSD began to make national news, and the claim has begun to find its way into more mainstream media coverage as well.
But Jones’ story doesn’t hold water, for a long list of reasons:
* His name appears nowhere on the invitation, nor does any mention of any DVD tie-in.
* No media coverage of the party mentioned his name until after he “confessed.”
* Nobody involved with the party has since come forward to confirm his involvement.
* Despite promoting his YouTube posts with promises of video from the party, he’s produced no such video.
A photo of Jones — wearing dark glasses and a Jheri curl wig, and holding a bucket of fried chicken — accompanied the original party invitation, but that’s the only link between him and the party other than his own claims. Again, there was no mention of him in the invitation, and nobody with any known link to the party has suggested that he was involved in any way.
Every piece of evidence that exists suggests that Jones’ claim is exactly what it looks like — a creepy self-promoter’s attempt to turn a thin, random connection to an ugly news story into a few moments of seedy notoriety.
And yes, I recognize that I’ve just given him what he wants, and yes, I’m disgusted by that. Source;http://obrag.org/?p=18311
Honolulu newspaper merger would mean name change, layoffsIt's not first time Gannett gave up fight
Acquisition plans began in 2009 after big losses
If the Honolulu Star-Bulletin doesn't find a buyer, its merger with The Honolulu Advertiser will likely wrap up this summer under a process that will result in layoffs and a name change for The Advertiser reflecting the consolidation, those involved in the sale say.
But yesterday, a day after Star-Bulletin owner David Black stunned Hawai'i's journalism community with news he was purchasing The Advertiser, it was still unclear how many would be laid off and how the papers would be combined.
Two things did appear certain yesterday.
The newspaper will sport a new name but retain the Advertiser's size. Star Bulletin publisher Dennis Francis said the Star-Bulletin's tabloid size will be scrapped.
Black said that the name of the combined newspaper will reflect both dailies. "We think a combination of the two names makes sense," he said. He couldn't yet say what that combination would be.
Lee Webber, publisher of The Advertiser, said he doesn't think readers will see any changes in the pages of the newspaper because of the purchase, even after the new owners step in.
"We will continue to put out the quality product that we've been putting out," he said. "I think that will continue even after the change" in ownership.
Black "knows what he's doing," Webber said.
Webber gave Black and Francis a tour yesterday of The Advertiser's printing facility in Kapolei, which was built for $82 million and opened in 2004.
Also yesterday, more details surfaced on the year-long discussions that led up to Gannett Co.'s sale of The Advertiser to its Honolulu competitor, Oahu Publications, which owns the Star-Bulletin. In an interview, Black said he approached Gannett and "said the obvious — (Star-Bulletin) revenues are down and we'd like to restructure the market."
Black, chairman of Oahu Publications, said Gannett initially was not interested.
The financial terms of the sale have not been released.
900 workers affected
Black has expressed doubt the Star-Bulletin will find a buyer. No potential buyers have come forward so far, officials said yesterday.
If the Star-Bulletin is not sold in four to eight weeks, Oahu Publications will move to consolidate the newspapers — a process expected to wrap up by late summer and result in layoffs at both dailies. The Advertiser, with a weekday circulation of about 130,000, has 600 full- and part-time employees, while the Star-Bulletin has 300.
There are about 120 people in The Advertiser's newsroom. The Star-Bulletin, with a circulation of about 60,000, has about 75 editorial employees.
Francis said yesterday he couldn't estimate how many people will be laid off at either newspaper if the two are consolidated.
He also said that once the sale of The Advertiser to Oahu Publications closes — in approximately six to eight weeks — the company will be able to get more information on the newspaper's employees.
"Until we get a chance to interview people and find out exactly what their responsibilities are, we can't really determine the numbers that we're going to need," Francis said. "That will ... be determined probably after the close of the sale."
Black also would not estimate how many employees at the newspapers could face layoffs, saying it's too early to tell how many workers a consolidated newspaper would need.
"Down the road, we'll be able to get into The Advertiser and start talking to folks and then figure out how we'll integrate things, if it comes to that," he said yesterday.
Francis added that the work of combining the newspapers can't start yet, since it's unclear whether the Star-Bulletin will be purchased. If it is, he said, any work to coordinate a merger would have been a waste. "We'll continue to operate" normally, he said.
Plans still up in air
Representatives from the Hawai'i Newspaper and Printing Trades Council, which represents Advertiser and Star-Bulletin employees, met yesterday to form a plan on how to move forward. The council also met with Advertiser management yesterday, and is seeking a sit-down with Star-Bulletin management to get more details on potential changes.
"There will be layoffs. One of our goals is to make sure we preserve all the jobs we possibly can," said Wayne Cahill, spokesman for the council and administrative officer of the Hawai'i Newspaper Guild. He added that employees at both newspapers have little information on how secure their jobs are and when they'll be told of potential layoffs.
He also said there are continuing questions about benefits and wages. "We just don't have those answers right now," he said.
Francis said that Star-Bulletin employees have expressed "mixed emotions" about the sale. "They feel very excited. They're concerned," Francis said. "There's no conclusion as to where it's (the Star-Bulletin) going to end up."
Webber, The Advertiser's publisher since 2007, said he isn't sure what he'll do when the newspaper's sale is complete. He said he may retire, but is also looking at other options.
If the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser merge, Honolulu will become one of a growing number of American cities with only one newspaper — a future many have fought against. In response to those concerns, Francis said that if it weren't for Black, Honolulu would have become a one-newspaper town years ago, when the Star-Bulletin was near closure.
"I guess nothing lasts forever," Francis said.
Black purchased the Star-Bulletin in 2001.
Since then the newspaper has struggled, shedding employees, freezing wages and converting to a tabloid format to save money. The Advertiser, though on firmer financial footing, also has been hit hard by the recession and decreased ad revenues and has reduced staff, cut pay and shrunk the size of its newspaper to cut costs.
Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.
But yesterday, a day after Star-Bulletin owner David Black stunned Hawai'i's journalism community with news he was purchasing The Advertiser, it was still unclear how many would be laid off and how the papers would be combined.
Two things did appear certain yesterday.
The newspaper will sport a new name but retain the Advertiser's size. Star Bulletin publisher Dennis Francis said the Star-Bulletin's tabloid size will be scrapped.
Black said that the name of the combined newspaper will reflect both dailies. "We think a combination of the two names makes sense," he said. He couldn't yet say what that combination would be.
Lee Webber, publisher of The Advertiser, said he doesn't think readers will see any changes in the pages of the newspaper because of the purchase, even after the new owners step in.
"We will continue to put out the quality product that we've been putting out," he said. "I think that will continue even after the change" in ownership.
Black "knows what he's doing," Webber said.
Webber gave Black and Francis a tour yesterday of The Advertiser's printing facility in Kapolei, which was built for $82 million and opened in 2004.
Also yesterday, more details surfaced on the year-long discussions that led up to Gannett Co.'s sale of The Advertiser to its Honolulu competitor, Oahu Publications, which owns the Star-Bulletin. In an interview, Black said he approached Gannett and "said the obvious — (Star-Bulletin) revenues are down and we'd like to restructure the market."
Black, chairman of Oahu Publications, said Gannett initially was not interested.
The financial terms of the sale have not been released.
900 workers affected
Black has expressed doubt the Star-Bulletin will find a buyer. No potential buyers have come forward so far, officials said yesterday.
If the Star-Bulletin is not sold in four to eight weeks, Oahu Publications will move to consolidate the newspapers — a process expected to wrap up by late summer and result in layoffs at both dailies. The Advertiser, with a weekday circulation of about 130,000, has 600 full- and part-time employees, while the Star-Bulletin has 300.
There are about 120 people in The Advertiser's newsroom. The Star-Bulletin, with a circulation of about 60,000, has about 75 editorial employees.
Francis said yesterday he couldn't estimate how many people will be laid off at either newspaper if the two are consolidated.
He also said that once the sale of The Advertiser to Oahu Publications closes — in approximately six to eight weeks — the company will be able to get more information on the newspaper's employees.
"Until we get a chance to interview people and find out exactly what their responsibilities are, we can't really determine the numbers that we're going to need," Francis said. "That will ... be determined probably after the close of the sale."
Black also would not estimate how many employees at the newspapers could face layoffs, saying it's too early to tell how many workers a consolidated newspaper would need.
"Down the road, we'll be able to get into The Advertiser and start talking to folks and then figure out how we'll integrate things, if it comes to that," he said yesterday.
Francis added that the work of combining the newspapers can't start yet, since it's unclear whether the Star-Bulletin will be purchased. If it is, he said, any work to coordinate a merger would have been a waste. "We'll continue to operate" normally, he said.
Plans still up in air
Representatives from the Hawai'i Newspaper and Printing Trades Council, which represents Advertiser and Star-Bulletin employees, met yesterday to form a plan on how to move forward. The council also met with Advertiser management yesterday, and is seeking a sit-down with Star-Bulletin management to get more details on potential changes.
"There will be layoffs. One of our goals is to make sure we preserve all the jobs we possibly can," said Wayne Cahill, spokesman for the council and administrative officer of the Hawai'i Newspaper Guild. He added that employees at both newspapers have little information on how secure their jobs are and when they'll be told of potential layoffs.
He also said there are continuing questions about benefits and wages. "We just don't have those answers right now," he said.
Francis said that Star-Bulletin employees have expressed "mixed emotions" about the sale. "They feel very excited. They're concerned," Francis said. "There's no conclusion as to where it's (the Star-Bulletin) going to end up."
Webber, The Advertiser's publisher since 2007, said he isn't sure what he'll do when the newspaper's sale is complete. He said he may retire, but is also looking at other options.
If the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser merge, Honolulu will become one of a growing number of American cities with only one newspaper — a future many have fought against. In response to those concerns, Francis said that if it weren't for Black, Honolulu would have become a one-newspaper town years ago, when the Star-Bulletin was near closure.
"I guess nothing lasts forever," Francis said.
Black purchased the Star-Bulletin in 2001.
Since then the newspaper has struggled, shedding employees, freezing wages and converting to a tabloid format to save money. The Advertiser, though on firmer financial footing, also has been hit hard by the recession and decreased ad revenues and has reduced staff, cut pay and shrunk the size of its newspaper to cut costs.
Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.
DEPRAVED DC AREA WOMEN KILLED THEIR CHILDREN AND CONTINUED TO COLLECT GOVERNMENT WELFARE CHECKS!A Maryland woman who adopted three children despite a troubled past was convicted Monday of murdering two of the girls, whose bodies were stored in a freezer as the woman continued collecting payments meant to help with their care.
Renee Bowman, 44, kept the bodies of the two young girls on ice for months while she continued to collect subsidies paid to parents who adopt special-needs children in the District of Columbia, receiving a total of about $150,000 since adopting the girls.
The bodies were found after the third daughter escaped by jumping out a window. The girl, now 9 and living with new foster parents, testified in the murder trial last week about the abuse she and her sisters endured — being beaten with a baseball bat and shoes and choked until they lost consciousness.
The girl's older sisters, Minnet and Jasmine Bowman, were both younger than 10 when they died, though authorities were never able to determine exactly when the murders occurred. Nobody knew they were missing, and there are no records the children were ever enrolled in school. Prosecutors said Bowman killed them while the family was living in Rockville and took the freezer with her when the family moved first to Charles County and later to Lusby, in Calvert County.
Bowman showed no emotion as she listened to the verdict — guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree child abuse. Jurors deliberated for about two hours.
Prosecutors said they would ask for life in prison without the possibility of parole when Bowman is sentenced March 22. Bowman's attorneys did not immediately return a call seeking comment. She has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison in Calvert County for abusing the surviving girl.
Afterward, jurors said the main issue was whether to convict her of first- or second-degree murder. Bowman's lawyer had argued the killings weren't premeditated.
"I am not going to insult your intelligence and say to you that she did not hurt those children, that she did not abuse those children," public defender Alan Drew told the jury. "Renee Bowman is not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder."
However, prosecutors argued the killings were deliberate, and Bowman's former cellmate testified that Bowman confided to her that she smothered them.
"She made a decision to go down, take a pillow, and smother these children," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said in his closing arguments.
During her testimony, the surviving girl clutched a Valentine's Day teddy bear as she told the jury about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the woman she called her "ex-mother"
She said she and her sisters were kept in a locked room in their Rockville home.
"There was a bucket where we went to the bathroom because we weren't allowed out of the room," she said.
McCarthy asked the girl where she had been beaten the worst. Asked to demonstrate on the bear, she pointed to its backside and its crotch.
The girl often waved happily at her foster mother during the testimony and talked about the books she likes to read. That contrasted sharply to a photo McCarthy showed that was taken in the hospital after she was found. In the photo, she stares with frightened eyes and part of her lip is missing — a result of the abuse, authorities say.
Bowman was able to adopt the children despite being convicted of threatening a 72-year-old man over damage to her car. She also had filed for bankruptcy, even though D.C. officials said financial stability is a requirement for adoption.
Renee Bowman, 44, kept the bodies of the two young girls on ice for months while she continued to collect subsidies paid to parents who adopt special-needs children in the District of Columbia, receiving a total of about $150,000 since adopting the girls.
The bodies were found after the third daughter escaped by jumping out a window. The girl, now 9 and living with new foster parents, testified in the murder trial last week about the abuse she and her sisters endured — being beaten with a baseball bat and shoes and choked until they lost consciousness.
The girl's older sisters, Minnet and Jasmine Bowman, were both younger than 10 when they died, though authorities were never able to determine exactly when the murders occurred. Nobody knew they were missing, and there are no records the children were ever enrolled in school. Prosecutors said Bowman killed them while the family was living in Rockville and took the freezer with her when the family moved first to Charles County and later to Lusby, in Calvert County.
Bowman showed no emotion as she listened to the verdict — guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree child abuse. Jurors deliberated for about two hours.
Prosecutors said they would ask for life in prison without the possibility of parole when Bowman is sentenced March 22. Bowman's attorneys did not immediately return a call seeking comment. She has already been sentenced to 25 years in prison in Calvert County for abusing the surviving girl.
Afterward, jurors said the main issue was whether to convict her of first- or second-degree murder. Bowman's lawyer had argued the killings weren't premeditated.
"I am not going to insult your intelligence and say to you that she did not hurt those children, that she did not abuse those children," public defender Alan Drew told the jury. "Renee Bowman is not guilty of first-degree premeditated murder."
However, prosecutors argued the killings were deliberate, and Bowman's former cellmate testified that Bowman confided to her that she smothered them.
"She made a decision to go down, take a pillow, and smother these children," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said in his closing arguments.
During her testimony, the surviving girl clutched a Valentine's Day teddy bear as she told the jury about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the woman she called her "ex-mother"
She said she and her sisters were kept in a locked room in their Rockville home.
"There was a bucket where we went to the bathroom because we weren't allowed out of the room," she said.
McCarthy asked the girl where she had been beaten the worst. Asked to demonstrate on the bear, she pointed to its backside and its crotch.
The girl often waved happily at her foster mother during the testimony and talked about the books she likes to read. That contrasted sharply to a photo McCarthy showed that was taken in the hospital after she was found. In the photo, she stares with frightened eyes and part of her lip is missing — a result of the abuse, authorities say.
Bowman was able to adopt the children despite being convicted of threatening a 72-year-old man over damage to her car. She also had filed for bankruptcy, even though D.C. officials said financial stability is a requirement for adoption.
Capo Cafaro Admits Making Illegal Campaign Contribution,"LOAN" To Daughter-Ohio State Senator!
0 comments at 4:37 AM
CAFARO HAS FEDS BREATHING DOWN HIS NECK BECAUSE THIS IS HIS SECOND FEDERAL ELECTION LAWS VIOLATION.
BRIBES TRAFICANT - GIVES LOAN TO DAUGHTERS CAMPAIGN "UNDER THE RADAR". THIS GUY IS A BILLIONAIRE FROM A STORIED YOUNGSTOWN FAMILY. HE RUNS NORTHEAST OHIO.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- State Sen. Capri Cafaro's father admitted Monday that he skirted federal campaign finance law by hiding an illegal contribution to his daughter's unsuccessful 2004 bid for Congress.
Federal prosecutors accused former Youngstown mall developer John Cafaro of concealing a $10,000 loan to the campaign. They charged him Monday with making a false statement in connection with the loan, an offense that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Cafaro's attorney Ralph Cascarilla said his client takes responsibility for his actions and plans to plead guilty.
"Although I wanted to help my daughter in her campaign, I made a mistake for which I am solely responsible," Cafaro said in a written statement. "As the investigation has determined, my daughter was not involved in any way."
Capri Cafaro also said Monday afternoon that she was not involved in the loan transaction. She said she learned during the investigation that the recipient was her former campaign chairman B.J. Schuerger, who is now a lobbyist in Columbus.
Schuerger's attorney John Climaco said his client did not violate the law in accepting the loan from John Cafaro. "Unfortunately Mr. Cafaro failed to report the loan," Climaco said.
Capri Cafaro said her father has made a habit of doing things and not telling her, "particularly things that he thinks I would not be supportive of."
Ethical questions have dogged Capri Cafaro in the past, but she doesn't think this latest incident will harm her political career because she has faith people will see her as an effective legislator.
"People will judge me as Capri first and a Cafaro second," she said.
The charge against John Cafaro states that in 2004 "he caused the responsible official of the Capri Cafaro for Congress Committee to file with the FEC a quarterly report that falsely stated that he had contributed only $2,000 for the general election campaign," knowing he had also given a $10,000 loan to a member of the campaign staff.
The maximum any person can contribute to a federal candidate or an authorized committee was $2,000 for a general election and $2,000 for a primary election.
The charge against John Cafaro is not his first go-around with federal prosecutors. In 2002, he was fined $150,000 and placed on probation for bribing former U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant.
Prosecutors sought leniency for John Cafaro because he cooperated in their case against Traficant, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to eight years in prison.
John Cafaro extended favors to Traficant expecting the congressman to help Cafaro's USAerospace obtain runway-lighting system contracts from the military. The company later folded.
Capri Cafaro received immunity from prosecution during the Traficant investigation. She would later say she accepted the immunity on the advice of her attorney, but that she "didn't need immunity protection for anything."
Capri Cafaro lost the 2004 election in the 14th District to incumbent Republican Steve LaTourette. She then sought the Democratic nomination for the 13th District seat in 2006 but lost to Betty Sutton, despite spending more than $1 million of her own money.
Ohio Democrats later in the year appointed her to the state senate seat vacated by Marc Dann, who was elected attorney general. In 2009, Cafaro became the senate minority leader.
While Capri Cafaro's political opponents might try and make hay out of her father's transgression, it's not likely to do much damage to her because people understand how one family member might want to help another, said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
"It would be a much more serious problem potentially, if it had been someone unrelated to her," Green said, especially someone who does business with the federal government or a lobbyist.
Green also said he finds it credible that Capri Cafaro would not have known about the loan, even though it was given by her father to her campaign manager. As a full-time candidate, she would have been relying on others to handle various details of her campaign, he said.
Federal prosecutors accused former Youngstown mall developer John Cafaro of concealing a $10,000 loan to the campaign. They charged him Monday with making a false statement in connection with the loan, an offense that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Cafaro's attorney Ralph Cascarilla said his client takes responsibility for his actions and plans to plead guilty.
"Although I wanted to help my daughter in her campaign, I made a mistake for which I am solely responsible," Cafaro said in a written statement. "As the investigation has determined, my daughter was not involved in any way."
Capri Cafaro also said Monday afternoon that she was not involved in the loan transaction. She said she learned during the investigation that the recipient was her former campaign chairman B.J. Schuerger, who is now a lobbyist in Columbus.
Schuerger's attorney John Climaco said his client did not violate the law in accepting the loan from John Cafaro. "Unfortunately Mr. Cafaro failed to report the loan," Climaco said.
Capri Cafaro said her father has made a habit of doing things and not telling her, "particularly things that he thinks I would not be supportive of."
Ethical questions have dogged Capri Cafaro in the past, but she doesn't think this latest incident will harm her political career because she has faith people will see her as an effective legislator.
"People will judge me as Capri first and a Cafaro second," she said.
The charge against John Cafaro states that in 2004 "he caused the responsible official of the Capri Cafaro for Congress Committee to file with the FEC a quarterly report that falsely stated that he had contributed only $2,000 for the general election campaign," knowing he had also given a $10,000 loan to a member of the campaign staff.
The maximum any person can contribute to a federal candidate or an authorized committee was $2,000 for a general election and $2,000 for a primary election.
The charge against John Cafaro is not his first go-around with federal prosecutors. In 2002, he was fined $150,000 and placed on probation for bribing former U.S. Rep. Jim Traficant.
Prosecutors sought leniency for John Cafaro because he cooperated in their case against Traficant, who was convicted of corruption and sentenced to eight years in prison.
John Cafaro extended favors to Traficant expecting the congressman to help Cafaro's USAerospace obtain runway-lighting system contracts from the military. The company later folded.
Capri Cafaro received immunity from prosecution during the Traficant investigation. She would later say she accepted the immunity on the advice of her attorney, but that she "didn't need immunity protection for anything."
Capri Cafaro lost the 2004 election in the 14th District to incumbent Republican Steve LaTourette. She then sought the Democratic nomination for the 13th District seat in 2006 but lost to Betty Sutton, despite spending more than $1 million of her own money.
Ohio Democrats later in the year appointed her to the state senate seat vacated by Marc Dann, who was elected attorney general. In 2009, Cafaro became the senate minority leader.
While Capri Cafaro's political opponents might try and make hay out of her father's transgression, it's not likely to do much damage to her because people understand how one family member might want to help another, said John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
"It would be a much more serious problem potentially, if it had been someone unrelated to her," Green said, especially someone who does business with the federal government or a lobbyist.
Green also said he finds it credible that Capri Cafaro would not have known about the loan, even though it was given by her father to her campaign manager. As a full-time candidate, she would have been relying on others to handle various details of her campaign, he said.
Posted by rhbole
February 22, 2010, 3:16PM
She went to middle school with me when I was a kid. She used to run for class president. Even back then daddy was paying for expensive posters with glitter to put around school. He also would send a limo and a body guard to park outside school all day. Some things never change.
February 22, 2010, 3:16PM
She went to middle school with me when I was a kid. She used to run for class president. Even back then daddy was paying for expensive posters with glitter to put around school. He also would send a limo and a body guard to park outside school all day. Some things never change.
March 13, 2009
Categories: Ohio
The return of Capri Cafaro
One of the most colorful characters in Ohio politics could be running another congressional campaign – but this time she may have a credible chance at winning. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) is being seriously considered by Gov. Ted Stickland as an appointee to replace Lee Fisher as lieutenant governor. If Ryan gets the nod, then Capri Cafaro is expected to run in a special election for his vacant seat.When she last ran for Congress, she was a 20-something shopping mall heiress who spent millions of her family fortune in unsuccessful attempts to win two different congressional seats (against Reps. Steve LaTourette and Betty Sutton). She was mocked by much of the party establishment, who viewed her as trying to buy a congressional seat – and for inflating a resume since she had just been out of college for several years at the time. But since then, she has become part of the establishment. She was appointed to Youngstown-area State Senate seat in 2007, won election in her own right and became the minority leader in the chamber. So if Ryan gets the appointment, don’t be surprised if Cafaro makes another congressional bid – and this time starts as the front-runner.
The return of Capri Cafaro
One of the most colorful characters in Ohio politics could be running another congressional campaign – but this time she may have a credible chance at winning. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) is being seriously considered by Gov. Ted Stickland as an appointee to replace Lee Fisher as lieutenant governor. If Ryan gets the nod, then Capri Cafaro is expected to run in a special election for his vacant seat.When she last ran for Congress, she was a 20-something shopping mall heiress who spent millions of her family fortune in unsuccessful attempts to win two different congressional seats (against Reps. Steve LaTourette and Betty Sutton). She was mocked by much of the party establishment, who viewed her as trying to buy a congressional seat – and for inflating a resume since she had just been out of college for several years at the time. But since then, she has become part of the establishment. She was appointed to Youngstown-area State Senate seat in 2007, won election in her own right and became the minority leader in the chamber. So if Ryan gets the appointment, don’t be surprised if Cafaro makes another congressional bid – and this time starts as the front-runner.
A former county judge in Ohio has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for getting a sham loan from a business executive with dozens of civil cases before her court.
Judge sentenced in federal court
Ashley C. HeeneyLegal News Reporter
Federal Judge Sara Lioi gave retired Mahoning County Judge Maureen Cronin the maximum sentence Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, for not reporting an $18,000 loan on her state financial disclosure statements in 2006 and 2007. It is a message to the legal community and all citizens, Lioi said, that misconduct of a public official must not go un-checked.Attorney J. Gerald Ingram, representing Cronin in USA v. Maureen A. Cronin, said his 56-year-old client would surrender her law license voluntarily, which means she can never serve as a judge or practice as a lawyer again. Cronin, a Youngstown resident who served on the Mahoning Common Pleas bench from 1995 until her premature retirement in 2007, apologized tearfully in the courtroom. The loan she took was from business executive Flora Cafaro, part-owner of shopping mall developer Cafaro Co.Lioi sentenced Cronin to 27 months in federal prison.According to Lioi, the maximum sentence was imposed to “adequately promote respect of the law and serve as a deterrent for others to show that actions do not go unchecked.”While in prison, Cronin is required to give 25 percent of her monthly income to the government. Lioi also ordered her to pay $200 in court costs and fined her $4,000, payable immediately to the U.S. District Court. After her release from prison, Cronin will be on supervised release for three years. She must get treatment for drug/alcohol addiction and mental health. Lioi also ordered Cronin not to participate in gambling of any kind, including the Internet and the lottery. Plus, she cannot enter gambling establishments.“I accept complete responsibility,” Cronin said in court, citing the deaths of her mother and boyfriend several years ago as the factors in her downward spiral.In 2005, Cronin was found guilty of operating a vehicle while impaired. She was elected to a third term in 2006, resigned from the bench in 2007, and about two months later, was convicted of a second OVI. She was ordered to do jail time and put on probation.For Cronin’s sentencing on Tuesday, the federal court considered the fact that her crime of not reporting the loan was committed while she was on probation.In December 2009, Cronin pleaded guilty to two felony counts of honest services mail fraud. When she took the no-interest loan from Cafaro, no payment schedule was made. During sentencing it was revealed the purpose of the loan was to satisfy her addictive habits.The Ohio Supreme Court requires judges to annually submit disclosure statements listing the names of all creditors living or transacting business in Ohio to whom the judges owed, or had owed, during the calendar year, more than $1,000.Cronin said in court that her actions caused her to lose her teaching job (at Youngstown State University) and prematurely retire from the bench. “I’m truly sorry for letting down the community, my family and friends, and most importantly the legal profession,” Cronin said.In 1988, Cronin became Youngstown’s first city prosecutor. She became Mahoning County’s first female judge in 1994. The voters re-elected her in 2000 and 2006.“She’s personally mortified,” Ingram told the court Tuesday, standing next to Cronin. “She’s brought it on herself. She avoids leaving the house, with the fear of running into someone she knows.” “Ordinarily in this business, we punish bad people for bad things. Today, it’s a good person who lost her way.”Because his client admitted fault, sought treatment and is at low risk for recidivism, Ingram requested a sentence of 21 months in prison.Attorney Justin Roberts, representing the US, asked for 24 to 27 months, saying the court should let the public know that “public officials are not held to a different set of rules.”“The people of Mahoning County, the litigants, the people of the State of Ohio deserve better. They deserve to know whether public officials are being bought and sold and paid for.”“It really shocks people’s trust in their judicial system and the people they’ve elected,” he said.Roberts, accompanied by an FBI agent, said they were asking the court to send a message to other public officials not to be compromised, not to take money and to submit to full disclosure.Nearly 50 cases involving Cafaro’s business came before Cronin when she was judge. The majority were dismissed or settled and several were deferred to a magistrate, according to the court.Once a prosecutor, a judge and a professor, “soon she’ll be a prison inmate,” Ingram said, adding that it is difficult to imagine a bigger fall from grace.“What matters is she had interests that she failed to disclose, and she continued to preside over cases,” Lioi said.“Such conduct tends to erode our courts and system of justice in this country.
Source;http://www.dlnnews.com/news_fs.php?story=1
Ashley C. HeeneyLegal News Reporter
Federal Judge Sara Lioi gave retired Mahoning County Judge Maureen Cronin the maximum sentence Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, for not reporting an $18,000 loan on her state financial disclosure statements in 2006 and 2007. It is a message to the legal community and all citizens, Lioi said, that misconduct of a public official must not go un-checked.Attorney J. Gerald Ingram, representing Cronin in USA v. Maureen A. Cronin, said his 56-year-old client would surrender her law license voluntarily, which means she can never serve as a judge or practice as a lawyer again. Cronin, a Youngstown resident who served on the Mahoning Common Pleas bench from 1995 until her premature retirement in 2007, apologized tearfully in the courtroom. The loan she took was from business executive Flora Cafaro, part-owner of shopping mall developer Cafaro Co.Lioi sentenced Cronin to 27 months in federal prison.According to Lioi, the maximum sentence was imposed to “adequately promote respect of the law and serve as a deterrent for others to show that actions do not go unchecked.”While in prison, Cronin is required to give 25 percent of her monthly income to the government. Lioi also ordered her to pay $200 in court costs and fined her $4,000, payable immediately to the U.S. District Court. After her release from prison, Cronin will be on supervised release for three years. She must get treatment for drug/alcohol addiction and mental health. Lioi also ordered Cronin not to participate in gambling of any kind, including the Internet and the lottery. Plus, she cannot enter gambling establishments.“I accept complete responsibility,” Cronin said in court, citing the deaths of her mother and boyfriend several years ago as the factors in her downward spiral.In 2005, Cronin was found guilty of operating a vehicle while impaired. She was elected to a third term in 2006, resigned from the bench in 2007, and about two months later, was convicted of a second OVI. She was ordered to do jail time and put on probation.For Cronin’s sentencing on Tuesday, the federal court considered the fact that her crime of not reporting the loan was committed while she was on probation.In December 2009, Cronin pleaded guilty to two felony counts of honest services mail fraud. When she took the no-interest loan from Cafaro, no payment schedule was made. During sentencing it was revealed the purpose of the loan was to satisfy her addictive habits.The Ohio Supreme Court requires judges to annually submit disclosure statements listing the names of all creditors living or transacting business in Ohio to whom the judges owed, or had owed, during the calendar year, more than $1,000.Cronin said in court that her actions caused her to lose her teaching job (at Youngstown State University) and prematurely retire from the bench. “I’m truly sorry for letting down the community, my family and friends, and most importantly the legal profession,” Cronin said.In 1988, Cronin became Youngstown’s first city prosecutor. She became Mahoning County’s first female judge in 1994. The voters re-elected her in 2000 and 2006.“She’s personally mortified,” Ingram told the court Tuesday, standing next to Cronin. “She’s brought it on herself. She avoids leaving the house, with the fear of running into someone she knows.” “Ordinarily in this business, we punish bad people for bad things. Today, it’s a good person who lost her way.”Because his client admitted fault, sought treatment and is at low risk for recidivism, Ingram requested a sentence of 21 months in prison.Attorney Justin Roberts, representing the US, asked for 24 to 27 months, saying the court should let the public know that “public officials are not held to a different set of rules.”“The people of Mahoning County, the litigants, the people of the State of Ohio deserve better. They deserve to know whether public officials are being bought and sold and paid for.”“It really shocks people’s trust in their judicial system and the people they’ve elected,” he said.Roberts, accompanied by an FBI agent, said they were asking the court to send a message to other public officials not to be compromised, not to take money and to submit to full disclosure.Nearly 50 cases involving Cafaro’s business came before Cronin when she was judge. The majority were dismissed or settled and several were deferred to a magistrate, according to the court.Once a prosecutor, a judge and a professor, “soon she’ll be a prison inmate,” Ingram said, adding that it is difficult to imagine a bigger fall from grace.“What matters is she had interests that she failed to disclose, and she continued to preside over cases,” Lioi said.“Such conduct tends to erode our courts and system of justice in this country.
Source;http://www.dlnnews.com/news_fs.php?story=1
JUST GIVE THE DEGENERATE GAMBLING JUDGE A FAT LOAN TO SQUARE HER BILLS WHILE SHE RULES ON CASES YOU HAVE PENDING BEFORE HER. NEEDLESS TO SAY THESE JUDGES PULL IN A SIX FIGURE INCOME, BUT FOR SOME, IT IS NEVER ENOUGH!
IT IS UNNERVING TO HEAR ABOUT STORIES LIKE THIS. IN RESEARCHING THIS POST, I AM AMAZED AT ALL OF THOSE MISSING UNDER MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES. I AM NEVER HOPEFUL IN CASES LIKE THESE SINCE THE PROBABILITY OF FOUL PLAY IS EXTREMELY HIGH. Welcome to the McStay Family support site
This site has been created to raise awareness and help support the ongoing efforts to locate and bring home the McStay family.
Click here for information regarding their disappearance and some of the efforts being made to locate them.
This site has been created to raise awareness and help support the ongoing efforts to locate and bring home the McStay family.
Click here for information regarding their disappearance and some of the efforts being made to locate them.
WHOLE FAMILY DISAPPEARS WITHOUT A TRACE!
Police in Southern California are working with Mexican authorities in the search for a missing family and poring over hundreds of hours of border security videotapes, hoping to find some clues.
"We are reviewing a lot of surveillance tapes," said Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "On a daily basis, there may be up to 100,000 people who cross that border."
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also assisting in the scrutinizing of the tapes, he said.
Joseph McStay, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, have not been seen or heard from since February 4. Concerned relatives contacted authorities, who checked the family's home February 15, the sheriff's department said.
A vehicle belonging to the family was found abandoned near the Mexican border. The McStays' home is in Fallbrook, an unincorporated area about 45 miles north of San Diego.
The sheriff's department said two Mexican liaison detectives are conferring with their counterparts across the border.
"They were on this investigation right from the start," Brugos said. "They check the morgue, the airport, bus terminal, contact the taxi drivers who frequent the border area.
"At this point, it just seems to be a mystery," Brugos added. "There is a chance the family could have voluntarily left and disappeared, but it's unlikely."
Michael McStay, Joseph McStay's brother, fears that they may have been kidnapped.
"My gut feeling is telling me that they are being held against their will in some way," he said.
See a Web site set up for the missing family
Michael McStay said he usually speaks to his older brother at least once a week. "Every Friday, he would call me, and we'd be talking for a while. We were tight. We've always been tight."
"We are reviewing a lot of surveillance tapes," said Lt. Dennis Brugos of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. "On a daily basis, there may be up to 100,000 people who cross that border."
The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is also assisting in the scrutinizing of the tapes, he said.
Joseph McStay, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, have not been seen or heard from since February 4. Concerned relatives contacted authorities, who checked the family's home February 15, the sheriff's department said.
A vehicle belonging to the family was found abandoned near the Mexican border. The McStays' home is in Fallbrook, an unincorporated area about 45 miles north of San Diego.
The sheriff's department said two Mexican liaison detectives are conferring with their counterparts across the border.
"They were on this investigation right from the start," Brugos said. "They check the morgue, the airport, bus terminal, contact the taxi drivers who frequent the border area.
"At this point, it just seems to be a mystery," Brugos added. "There is a chance the family could have voluntarily left and disappeared, but it's unlikely."
Michael McStay, Joseph McStay's brother, fears that they may have been kidnapped.
"My gut feeling is telling me that they are being held against their will in some way," he said.
See a Web site set up for the missing family
Michael McStay said he usually speaks to his older brother at least once a week. "Every Friday, he would call me, and we'd be talking for a while. We were tight. We've always been tight."
The sheriff's office said evidence at the family home "suggested that the family had not left on a planned vacation" and that "the totality of the circumstances surrounding their disappearance was quite out of character for the family."
Brugos said the McStays' two dogs were left at the home unattended and without food or water.
Brugos said the McStays' two dogs were left at the home unattended and without food or water.
"I think there were some food items left out that should have been refrigerated," Brugos added. "Those types of things sparked our attention, and on the chance that this turns into a criminal investigation, we want to be on the ground floor with this thing."
After the family's SUV was found in San Ysidro, two blocks from the Mexican border, "it was processed with a search warrant," Brugos said. "There was nothing in the car ... suggesting that this was some criminal act."
However, investigators are not ruling out the possibility of foul play and have assigned the case to the sheriff's homicide detail.
They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong.--Friend of McStay family
However, investigators are not ruling out the possibility of foul play and have assigned the case to the sheriff's homicide detail.
They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong.--Friend of McStay family
"There is nothing illegal about disappearing," Brugos said. "[But] in this particular case, according to relatives, it would be out of character just to disappear without notifying family members."
Brugos also said it was unlikely the McStays were targeted by a Mexican drug cartel.
"There is nothing in Joseph or his wife's life or background that would suggest [or] that would put them in a high risk of any criminal activity," he said.
He said interviews with relatives and friends indicate no internal signs of marital trouble or conflict.
"Everyone has issues in every family, but as far as a family just disappearing, there is nothing to suggest they would do just that," he said.
A good friend of the McStays', who did not want to give her name because she said she feared for her safety, echoed that sentiment.
"They wouldn't have left. They didn't flee," she said. "They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong."
The friend said she spoke with the McStays on February 3 or 4, right before they disappeared.
"Everything was fine. [Summer] was excited. She was painting the kitchen. Everything was good. The kids were playing outside," the friend said. "Nothing out of the ordinary that would give us any reason to think there was a problem."
She also said the couple would not have willingly traveled to Mexico.
"We had talked about a year and a half ago about going on a vacation together and said it would be nice to go to Mexico, but it's too unsafe," she said.
Visit the Center for Missing and Exploited Children site
Michael McStay said his brother is fun-loving and easygoing.
"He's creative, he's just, you know, people like to hang with him, both of them," Michael McStay said. "Summer is very intelligent, very educated, a heck of a mom. ... This doesn't add up."
Joseph McStay is self-employed, creating and installing indoor water features, Brugos said.
Brugos called the disappearance of the McStay family unsettling and unusual.
"We've had cases where there have been incidents, but relatively quickly, we are able to determine what happened," he said. "In this particular case, it's been quite a while."
Joseph McStay is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Summer McStay, also known as Lisa Aranda-Martelli, is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the McStay family is urged to contact Sgt. Dave Martinez of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200. Anonymous calls can be made to 888-580-8477.
Brugos also said it was unlikely the McStays were targeted by a Mexican drug cartel.
"There is nothing in Joseph or his wife's life or background that would suggest [or] that would put them in a high risk of any criminal activity," he said.
He said interviews with relatives and friends indicate no internal signs of marital trouble or conflict.
"Everyone has issues in every family, but as far as a family just disappearing, there is nothing to suggest they would do just that," he said.
A good friend of the McStays', who did not want to give her name because she said she feared for her safety, echoed that sentiment.
"They wouldn't have left. They didn't flee," she said. "They are as close as newlyweds. Everyone needs to be on the lookout for them, because something is wrong."
The friend said she spoke with the McStays on February 3 or 4, right before they disappeared.
"Everything was fine. [Summer] was excited. She was painting the kitchen. Everything was good. The kids were playing outside," the friend said. "Nothing out of the ordinary that would give us any reason to think there was a problem."
She also said the couple would not have willingly traveled to Mexico.
"We had talked about a year and a half ago about going on a vacation together and said it would be nice to go to Mexico, but it's too unsafe," she said.
Visit the Center for Missing and Exploited Children site
Michael McStay said his brother is fun-loving and easygoing.
"He's creative, he's just, you know, people like to hang with him, both of them," Michael McStay said. "Summer is very intelligent, very educated, a heck of a mom. ... This doesn't add up."
Joseph McStay is self-employed, creating and installing indoor water features, Brugos said.
Brugos called the disappearance of the McStay family unsettling and unusual.
"We've had cases where there have been incidents, but relatively quickly, we are able to determine what happened," he said. "In this particular case, it's been quite a while."
Joseph McStay is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Summer McStay, also known as Lisa Aranda-Martelli, is 5 feet 5 inches tall and 115 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the McStay family is urged to contact Sgt. Dave Martinez of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200. Anonymous calls can be made to 888-580-8477.
I first became aware of "Sandra Teen Model" when Internet Explorer 6 was susceptible to browser redirectors which took me to her sites in order for a potential customer to whip out their credit cards and fap to her preteen and early teen model pictures. Apparently Sandra's mother got her involved in "modeling" at a very early age and exploited the hell out of this young person, all while laughing all the way to the bank! Now, rich internet perverts are "dating" her for $10.000 a pop, flying into Moscow to fulfill their perverted dreams of banging her since she is now "legal".Whole sections of sex forums, blogs and websites have been devoted to this "internet sensation", as she appears to hold universal appeal to the males of the human species.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
