Category Archives: National

Matthew J. Broehm VFW post selling See’s candy for your Valentine.

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see-candy-valentineWILLIAMS—The members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Matthew James Broehm Post #12128 are trying to raise money and you can be the beneficiary. Orders are being taken at their office in the mall in downtown Williams next to the Grand Canyon Coffee and Cafe. Orders may also be placed with Al Dunaway at the John Ivens American Legion Post #42 next to the VFW office. For more information, you can email williamsvfwpost@hotmail.com.

Orders must be placed by Thursday to ensure the candy will be delivered in time for Valentine’s Day.

Combine the candy with a gift and flowers from the new Briar Patch florist and you will be ready for the 14th. The Briar Patch is located on route 66 next to Circle K.

Your purchase will support the activities of the heroes of the VFW post.

New Jersey Taxes Could Eat Up All Of Peyton Manning’s Super Bowl Earnings

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Peyton ManningPeyton Manning has the opportunity to pull a John Elway and ride off into the sunset as a Denver Bronco after winning his second ring, not that he wants to retire. His career will hinge upon an offseason exam on his surgically-repaired neck, according to ESPN ’s Chris Mortensen. Obviously, the most important implication of the exam will be Manning’s health. But whether his career continues will have an effect on how much tax New Jersey can collect from him for his appearance in the Super Bowl XLVIII.

Should the Broncos beat the Seahawks, Manning—and the rest of his teammates—will earn $92,000. The loser’s share in the Super Bowl is $46,000. So why does Manning’s future beyond February 2 matter to New Jersey? It would seem logical that the Garden State would apply its tax rates on the $92,000 or $46,000 Manning earns for his week in East Rutherford. Unfortunately, we are dealing with tax laws, not logic.

New Jersey, and every other state that imposes a jock tax, taxes players on their calendar-year income from each employer. If the Broncos defeat the Seahawks, Manning’s 2014 playing income to this point would be $157,000 derived from playoff bonuses. If the Broncos lose, his playing income would be $111,000.

If Manning is unable to continue playing, New Jersey would apply its tax rates to his income and multiply that amount by the ratio of 7/33 to determine his tax liability. The 7 in the numerator represents the week he spends in the state practicing and attending required NFL events. The 33 is the total number of duty days performed during the year—31 days in January plus two in February. If Manning is forced to retire, New Jersey will collect approximately $1,575 from him if the Broncos win and $982 if they lose.

Read more at Forbes

Worker Returns $43,000 Discovered In Donated Clothing

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monroe-6dsi8h1lp1k1eo3ppma_original_t670Once in a while, Tyler Gedelian will find some loose change in the pockets of cloth­ing that was donated to the Goodwill store in Monroe.

But on Wednesday even Mr. Gedelian, the store manager, couldn’t believe the bonanza he found in the pockets of some old suits and a robe. Stuffed in various envelopes were tidy stacks of $100 bills that totaled more than $43,000.

“We might find a quarter in somebody’s jeans,” he said. “But that blows my mind.”

So Mr. Gedelian, 29, immediately acted on his instincts: He called the police. In fact, he didn’t even count the hundreds. Never once did the thought of keeping any of it cross his mind because, he simply said, it’s not his.

Read more at Monroe News

Lake Mead is shrinking — and with it Las Vegas’ water supply

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LAKE MEAD, Nev.—When you head out on Nevada’s Lake Mead, the first thing you notice is a white line. That’s where the water used to be.

What did this look like a decade ago?

“This was all underwater,” said Pat Mulroy, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. “I mean boats were everywhere. There was a whole marina here.”

Mulroy said that the drought began 14 years ago. Satellite photos show the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead, is drying up — so the lake is rapidly shrinking. Islands are growing, and boats are floating far from where they once were.

Read more at CBS News

More than 1,800 vets’ records intentionally destroyed or misfiled by 2 clerks

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The National Archives at St. Louis has shelving that reaches 29-feet high for the storage of military records.

The National Archives at St. Louis has shelving that reaches 29-feet high for the storage of military records.

By Robert Patrick
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS —More than 1,800 personnel records for U.S. veterans were destroyed or misfiled by two student employees of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis County, federal criminal court documents show.

One of the student employees, Lonnie Halkmon, 28, was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service. The other, Stanley Engram, 21, is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 7. Both pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government records and faced probation to six months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Engram’s guilty plea says that 241 military records were found in the woods near the center on July 3, 2012, with 300 names and Social Security numbers visible on the documents.

The records were traced to Engram, who admitted disposing of the records found in the woods, “abandoning” files in the center and throwing them away at home. In all, he admitted destroying or purposely misfiling more than 1,000 records.

Read more at Stars and Stripes

Congressman in Drug Case Resigns Seat in Florida

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28RADEL-master180WASHINGTON — Representative Trey Radel, Republican of Florida, who pleaded guilty in November to a misdemeanor charge of buying 3.5 grams of cocaine and was sentenced to a year of probation, resigned from Congress effective Monday evening.

Mr. Radel, 37, a freshman legislator, quietly returned to Congress in January after nearly a month at a private rehabilitation center in Naples, Fla., but he announced his resignation plans on Monday morning.

Referring to his “personal struggles,” Mr. Radel wrote to Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, “While I have dealt with those issues on a personal level, it is my belief that professionally I cannot fully and effectively serve as a United States representative to the place I love and call home, Southwest Florida.”

When he was arrested, in Washington, Mr. Radel said he struggled “with the disease of alcoholism.”

His plan to resign was first reported by Politico.

Read more at The New York Times

Homeowner’s son shoots, kills burglary suspect in Van Zandt County

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DALLAS, Tx.—A man suspected of burglarizing a homeowner in Van Zandt County was shot and killed early Tuesday morning by the homeowners son.

The homeowner woke up to see a man burglarizing his pickup truck that was parked in his front yard. He approached the man with a rifle, intending to hold him until law enforcement could arrive, but the man fled the scene, according to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office.

The homeowner fired at the man and then noticed a truck parked in the dark near the roadway, which he believed belonged to the man so he got in the truck and took the keys out of the ignition to prevent him from leaving the scene. The man confronted the homeowner and disarmed him, assaulting him with the rifle, authorities said.

The homeowners son saw the man raising the rifle and, fearing the man was about to shoot his father, shot the suspect, killing him instantly.

More at Dallas News

Michaels Warns of Possible Data Breach

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Crafts-Store Chain Says It May Have Been Victim of Attack

By Andrew Dowell, Wall Street Journal

MK-CJ597_MICHAE_D_20140126182729Michaels Stores Inc. said it may have been the victim of an attack on its data security, making it the third major chain in a rash of assaults aimed at U.S. retailers.

In a statement on its website, the arts-and-crafts retailer said it had recently learned of possible fraudulent activity involving credit or debit cards that had been used at Michaels. The company said it hasn’t determined that a breach occurred, but said it is working with federal law-enforcement authorities and computer-security experts to determine what happened.

The disclosure echoed recent acknowledgments by Target Corp. and Neiman Marcus Group that they had suffered data breaches that compromised customers’ card information. Target said 40 million debit and credit card accounts had been affected, and Neiman said last week that 1.1 million accounts had potentially been exposed. In those cases, software was slipped into the retailers’ systems to quietly scrape card data.

Michaels, like those two retailers, made its comments following inquiries from security researcher and blogger Brian Krebs. In the statement, Michaels Chief Executive Chuck Rubin said the retailer was disclosing the issue to alert customers so they could take steps to protect themselves.

Read more at the Wall Street Journal

Donor beware. You are in Kansas.

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william-marottaAnswering a Craigs List ad, William Marotta donated a few cup fulls of sperm to a lesbian couple who performed an artificial insemination procedure in their home. He even signed a contract waiving his parental rights and responsibilities and even made the donation for free waiving the $50. The child was born in December of 2009. Recently, however, the lesbian couple separated and now he has to pay the $50 with interest.

Upon separating, one of the woman became ill and could not work. She applied for assistance which prompted the Kansas Department for Children and Families to file a case against Marotta.

Shawnee County District Court Judge Mary Mattivi has ruled that Marotta owes $6000 for back child support, and must continue to pay child support, for the four-year old child he and his wife only met once by chance.

The reason for the decision is that the artificial insemination was performed at home without the assistance of a doctor.

According to the Kansas City Star:

The judge’s ruling against Marotta seems to be consistent with a ruling in a polar-opposite Kansas case of several years ago, in which a sperm donor who had wanted parental privileges was denied because the baby makers also did not follow the law.

SEE ALSO: CNN

Washington blow dart suspect: ‘I’m a moron’

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blowdartCOLFAX, Washington––A man accused of shooting a woman and man with a blow dart in two separate attacks in Washington state has made his first court appearance on assault charges.

KREM-TV reports 18-year-old Joseph Gillies of Tacoma appeared in court Thursday in Whitman County. He was released from jail until his next court appearance at the end of the month.

Gillies is accused of shooting a woman with a blow dart Jan. 12 on the Washington State University campus. He’s also accused of hitting a man with a dart two days later while walking in Pullman.

Read more at FOX News