This 2005 photo of then Staff Sgt. Michael Maroney hugging a girl he rescued during Hurricane Katrina went viral earlier this year. Ten years after they met, Maroney and the girl, LeShay Brown, will be reunited. (Photo: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Veronica Pierce)
The U.S. Air Force Reservist and father of two whose search for a girl he rescued during Hurricane Katrina went viral this year will finally meet with her this month.
In 2005, then Staff Sgt. Michael Maroney was sent into New Orleans to find and rescue Hurricane Katrina survivors. When one family got into his helicopter, a 3-year-old girl made a big impression. “When I rescued her and her family, they were just so happy to see us, and she herself was just excited, happy. … Just loving life,” Maroney told Yahoo News earlier this year. “Just her essence, that spirit that she had, just sucked me right in and I was amazed. I picked her up and she wrapped me up in a hug and everything melted away. I didn’t see anything but pure joy at that moment. It was an awesome hug.”
The moment was captured by Air Force photographer Veronica Pierce, and for a time it could be seen on Burger King placemats, AT&T phone cards, and even a magazine cover, according to the Air Force Times. In the decade since, the image has faded from public prominence, but it was always on the mind of Maroney, who has been trying to find the young girl — posting online, adding a video to YouTube, even writing to Oprah Winfrey for help. But it wasn’t until a 16-year-old who learned of the search launched a #FindKatrinaGirl campaign in February that Maroney’s search went viral, getting coverage on a number of news outlets.
Eventually, the campaign made its way to Waveland, Miss., where the young girl’s family had settled. “The whole neighborhood told us they saw LeShay on the news, and everybody told us someone was looking for her,” Shawntrell Brown, mother of now 13-year-old LeShay Brown, told People. Though Shawntrell could still recall the moment in the helicopter, she was surprised it was so meaningful for Maroney. “I didn’t know he still remembered it, that he was that moved by her,” she said.
After ten years of searching, Maroney had finally found Katrina Girl. “A friend of hers contacted my son on his Instagram and said, ‘Hey, the girl your dad’s looking for is a friend of mine,“ Maroney told ABC News. “He sent us a photo of the girl a month after Katrina, showing her and her family in a shelter in Tennessee. I compared that photo with my photo, and I knew that it was her.”
Maroney soon connected with LeShay and her mother over the phone, and though LeShay barely remembers that first meeting, Maroney says the call was exactly what he’s been waiting for. “I talked to her and her mother and it didn’t feel real. I’ve been speechless for the last couple of days. The English language doesn’t have the words for how happy I am,” Maroney tells Yahoo Parenting. “I talked to LeShay about how school is going, and I told her that our picture had been all over the world and that so many people were touched by her smile. Her mother told me what happened to them before I got them, what happened after, and it connected a lot of dots for me.”
The call was emotional for both sides, Maroney says. “Everyone was pretty excited. I think they were touched to know that I’ve been wondering about them every day for ten years,” he says.
Now the two families are planning to meet later this month, and Maroney is looking forward to introducing his sons to the Browns. “I have a son that is LeShay’s age and I think that’s a large part of why she stuck with me all this time,” he says. “I remember when she told me she was 3 and I said, ‘my son’s 3′ and she was so excited.”
Maroney is especially grateful that the story has happy ending. “In my line of work, it doesn’t usually turn out happily,” he told People. “This hug, this moment, was like — everybody I’ve ever saved, that was the thank you.”
Dr. Jesse Lewis, Sr. is the founder of The Birmingham Times.
By
Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
Is the Governor’s Marriage a Private Matter?
It all depends on whom you ask whether the Governor’s private life should be discussed publicly. If you were to ask me, I would say, ‘NO! Anytime a political figure or business figure gets a divorce after 50 years of marriage, it is a public matter, to me.’
When people divorce after 50 years it is always one of three things – cruelty with unusual punishment, not taking care of the person financially or, last one, it is a sexual relationship to someone else other than whom you/they are married. You can choose any one you like to think that fits the situation between the Governor and Mrs. Bentley. I know which one I would choose.
David Carrington, Jefferson County Commissioner and former President of the Commission, according to reliable sources stated that the governor’s relationship with his wife is a private matter. He further stated that the State of Alabama has more problems that they need to be concerned with and should be a priority – the state cannot presently meet their financial obligations.
He continued to say that moving forward the Chief Executive Officer of the State of Alabama should come from the business community because when running the State, one must make business decisions.
He was also asked how did he feel about the State passing some form of lottery. His reply was, “I do not believe in any form of gambling, but I do believe that the citizens of the State should be given the opportunity to determine their own destiny.”
There Will Never be another Black President
This statement was made by Donald Trump. Incidentally, Donald Trump never justifies whatever he says. I happen to think that the United States will have another Black president. I can’t find it in myself to believe that it will be Ben Carson.
It’s amazing that Trump and Carson are tied at 23percent, according to a survey, making it the first time since July 27 that polls in the first four states to select a Republican nominee did not find Trump substantially ahead of all other candidates.
Ben Carson is a person without charisma, no personality, no structured organization to run for president, no financial support and most of all, he is in the same category as Donald Trump. He has not made the first policy statement.
Donald Trump and Ben Carson are Siamese twins in as much as they are the blind leading the blind. After the next series of votes in the states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Donald Trump and Ben Carson will be tied again but it is going to be at the bottom of the Republican ticket.
Would you believe what Donald Trump has said, (after all of the things that he had said previously about Hispanic people), and I quote, “I love Hispanic people,” Trump said recently at an event hosted by the National Federation of Republican Assemblies in Nashville, Tennessee. “Incredible energy, incredible people. I love the people.”
Clinton Still Standing
After all of the investigation over the emails and server in 2016 Hillary Clinton will still be standing. I still contend that this race will be between Jeb Bush (Republican) and Hillary Clinton (Democrat).
Incidentally, there are a lot of good Republican candidates running for the presidency. Donald Trump is not one of them.
IT’S FALL! IT’S FOOTBALL SEASON! IT’S RACING AT IT’S FINEST AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY! IT’S TAILGATING!!
It’s time to do a few different things now that summer is at its end. What do you have in mind? I have a few things up my sleeve to share with you. Check them out!
FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS….
**MILES COLLEGE LABOR DAY CLASSIC – The Labor Day Classic returns to Legion Field Sunday, 6 p.m. when the Miles College Golden Bears take on the University of North Alabama Lions. Call (205) 929-1732 for more. Tell them Gwen sent you
(Photo: Brick) (Palmer Williams, Jr.)
**MIDFIELD CITY FEST – Nationally known recording artist BRICK and PALMER WILLIAMS, JR. known as “Floyd” from Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network will be performing, Saturday, at Henderson’s, 103 Bessemer Super Highway in Midfield. For more information, call (205) 612-7614. Tell them Gwen sent you.
FOR GOLF LOVERS….
**HABD FSS GOLF TOURNAMENT – The Housing Authority Birmingham District is hosting the 2015 George A. Pegues Memorial FSS Golf Tournament on September 11 at the Roebuck Golf Course, 8920 Roebuck Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35206. Registration is 7 a.m. and Shotgun is 8 a.m. For more call (205) 521-0769.
**H2O FOUNDATION GOLF CLASSIC – The Birmingham Water Works Board is hosting the annual golf tournament September 11 at the Robert Trent Jones Oxmoor Valley Golf Course. Registration is 8 a.m. and Shotgun is 9 a.m. For information call (205) 244-4115.
**STILLMAN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT – Join the fun at the 15th Annual Stillman College Scholarship Golf Tournament, September 25. Registration is 7 a.m. and Tee-Time is 8 a.m. The tournament will be held at the Roebuck Golf Course and will feature some of Birmingham’s finest golfers including NFL football celebrities, local community public officials and top female golfers. There will be door prizes, raffle prizes, awards and delicious lunch. Proceeds will go to the deserving Birmingham students to attend Stillman College. For more information (205) 925-9373, gdennard2@aol.com, (205) 247-8145 or ascott@stillman.edu.
**HOMEWOOD CHAMBER GOLF CLASSIC – The Annual Homewood Chamber Golf Classic will be held on Thursday, October 8 at Robert Trent Jones – Oxmoor Valley’s Golf Course. Registration and the Putting Contest will be held at 8 a.m., and the Tournament will officially begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The Golf Classic supports economic development efforts in the City of Homewood. Participants will enjoy a light breakfast, full round of golf, the chance to win fantastic door prizes from area businesses, a locally sourced lunch from Urban Cookhouse and so much more. Call (205) 871-5631 for more.
….There are always plenty of things to do around the southeast. Here are a few things going on in town…
TODAY…
**CELEBRATE LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS – Support the UCP of Greater Birmingham’s Annual Life Without Limits Luncheon! This year’s luncheon will be held, today, at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The UCP 2015 Honorees recognized include: Legacy Award- Bee & Ed Robinson, Outstanding Employer- Red Mountain Park, Outstanding Program Partner- CVS Caremark, Outstanding Corporate Citizen-BioTech Limb & Brace, Outstanding Volunteer- Cassidy Bonner, and Inspiration Awards- Nathan & Owen Hite and Mary White. For more information, email Marka Chastainmchastain@ucpbham.com or call (205) 944-3909.
**LABOR DAY KICKOFF – Join friends at the Labor Day Kick-Off featuring LOGAN THE ENTERTAINER, 8 p.m. at Legends Sports Lounge. FREE before 9 p.m.
SATURDAY…
*UA and AUBURN GAME DAY VIEWING AND AFTER PARTY – Football is all over the place. Auburn game is at 2:30 p.m. University of Alabama plays at 7 p.m. You can stop by, see the games and enjoy live performances by TELA at Legends Sports Lounge. No Admission ‘til 9 p.m.
**AN EVENING OF FLAVOR – With a theme of HARLEM RENAISSANCE in the air, An Evening of Flavor is 7 until 11 p.m. at the Regions Park, 1404 First Avenue South. There will be live music by THE SOULED OUT BAND, a Silent Auction, hors d’oeuvres served 7 – 8:30 p.m. and a 1920’s inspired atmosphere. Dress in your best Harlem Renaissance. For more information, call (205) 529-3417.
SUNDAY…
**SKATE NIGHT LABOR DAY WEEKEND – Check out the Labor Day Classic After Party at the ROLL BOUNCE SKATE NIGHT (every 1st and 3rd Sunday) at the Roller Motion Skate Center, 2474 Morgan Road in Bessemer. Music control is by DJ CJ “Tha Sticman in the Mix.”
WEDNESDAY…
FOR BUSINESS OWNERS –
**Iberia Bank’s New SBA Program and Lending Capacity is September 9 from 9 – 10:30 a.m. at the Innovation Depot on First Avenue North. FREE. Call (205) 250-6380 Ext. 6610 for more.
GARDENING TIP…..
Fall is the prefect time to plant perennials: Cooler temperatures help them get established faster, so you have a bigger, healthier plant in the spring. Plant perennials up until about four weeks before the ground freezes in your area. (Taken from Costa Farms Garden Club.)
SEPTEMBER AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…
September welcomes fall with things to do at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Such as…..
**Yoga with Lindsay – Join instructor Lindsey Barclift at the Gardens on Thursday in our new adult yoga class. Twenty-five years of classical ballet training, plus many years of cardio, weight and group training has allowed Lindsey to understand one’s limitations as well as specific training designed to maximize results while avoiding injuries. She understands the importance of knowing one’s limits and backing away to avoid pain and injury. Trained through Yogafit, Lindsey’s goal is to introduce you to yoga and to assist you in developing a safe daily practice. Breathe, strengthen, stretch and relax. Thursdays. 8:30-9:30 a.m. and 11:30-12:30 p.m.
**From the Ground Up: Herbal Plant Walk – Join Herbalists Cameron Strouss and Antonia Viteri for a medicinal plant walk at the BBG! During this walk we will be discussing southern herbs their traditional and medicinal uses. September 12, 10-11 a.m.
**Photography: What’s This Button Do? – This class is designed for those who have just gotten their first digital camera, or for those who have had one for a while but never really felt comfortable shooting in any mode other than full auto – point and shoot. For more information and to register online, visit www.bbgardens.org/classes. September 12, 9-noon.
**Baking From the Heart: Mini Apple Tartes – Creating something yummy for our tummy is the perfect way to celebrate back-to-school as we make lunchbox treats using garden favorites like apples and cinnamon! As we explore the story of the 2015 American Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas, an enthusiastic young baker, we’ll learn a little about French culture and bake mini tarte aux pommes (apple tarts) in honor of fall. September 13 and 17, 2-4 p.m.
**The Passion for Native Plants: A Journey & a Journal: Author Lida Hill – “Journal of a Cottage Garden” is a watercolor journal in the artist’s own handwriting featuring familiar trees and shrubs found in many Southern gardens. With homespun humor, Lida Hill gives facts and personal comments on 30 plants she shares her home with. Identifying which ones are native and which are alien, she writes about the value of the natives over non-natives for our environment often noting the invasive ones. In her talk Lida will be sharing the story of her passion for native plants. She will tell how this led her to create a watercolor journal to show family and friends and then how this personal journal became a published one prepared for an unlimited audience. September 15, 6 p.m.Free.
**Lunch and Learn: Backyard Habits – Michelle Reynolds of the Audubon Society and Audrey Ann Wilson of Aldridge Gardens lead a work shop that teaches participants to create a sanctuary for the birds and the bees, to starty by adding flowers and trees. September 16, 11:30-12:30 p.m. Free.
**Sushi with Kelly Viall – Join veteran chef Kelly Viall for a night of fun and sushi! This two hour, hands-on beginner class will teach you all of the basics of sushi making, from rice to sauces, shopping, serving raw fish confidently at home & more. For more information and to register online, visit www.bbgardens.org/classes.September 17. 6-8 p.m.
FOR ART LOVERS…
IN TUSCALOOSA….
(Photo: From Page to Stage) (Photo Credit: An Italian Straw Hat by university Relations)
**THE LIFE OF A COSTUME: FROM PAGE TO STAGE – This exhibition is at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center September 4 through the 25th. Demonstrating the process of costume designs, this exhibition will feature research, sketches, mock-ups, photographs and actual costumes as a way to invite the public to view the practice of costume design first hand. The gallery is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401.
**ROOTS AND ALL – P.H. POLK and GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER – This exhibition now through September 25 is at the Paul R. Jones Gallery, 2308 Sixth Street in Tuscaloosa. As one of the Tuskegee Normal and Technical School’s first photography students, P.H. Polk became the official photographer for the Tuskegee Institute, a position he held for 45 years. George Washington Carver, a faculty member at the time, became one of Polk’s most photographed subjects. These intimate scenes show Carver at work in his laboratories and greenhouses, as well as in the fields, teaching eager students, receiving accolades, and lecturing about his many discoveries. Call (205) 345-3038 for more.
DON’T MISS……. RACING AND TAILGATING AT TALLDEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY – OCTOBER 23-25!!
NOW…on to the rest of the happenings…. THIS WEEKEND….A FEW THINGS IN BIRMINGHAM!
CHECK OUT….the TIDE AND TIGER every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday on Graymont Avenue.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE THINGS GOING ON…THIS WEEKEND…
TODAY….
**TIDE AND TIGER LOUNGE, 8 p.m. on Graymont Avenue across the street from Legion Field. Open Tuesday through Sunday.
**Ona’s Music Room is relocating…. look for more soon.
**WILEY CHANDLER, RACHEL BUTTON and FIONA CULLEY at The Nick.
FRIDAY…
*FRIDAY AFTER WORK – For those that want ‘a break’ before the weekend ‘Friday after Work’ has food and more. This week’s menu is Texas Style Smoked Brisket w/Candied Currant topping served w/peppers and Vidalia onions accompanied with fresh Sugar Snaps, 5 – 10 p.m. Call (205) 572-1295 for more. Get your palates ready!
**BLACK PUSSY, APE MACHINE, and HAPPY LEMY at The Nick on southside.
SATURDAY…
**TIDE AND TIGER LOUNGE, 8 p.m. on Graymont Avenue across the street from Legion Field. Open Tuesday through Sunday.
**FUTURE PRIMITIVES, IN SNOW and FREAKY DEAKYS at The Nick.
SUNDAY…
**EAST CAMERON FOLKCORE and COREY HUNT BAND, 8 p.m. at the Nick. No cover.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS…
DON’T MISS….
(Photo: Rod Man) (Photo Credit:laughspin.com)
**AT THE STARDOME… this weekend…TOMORROW…LOVESHOOTER SPEAKS….The Loveshooter Speaks Show is an educational classroom. It is a music listening suite. It is an artistic showcase. It is a public erotica love letter and protest song. It’s both knee slapping hilarious and tear jerking serious. Loveshooter speaks is the most beautiful artistic, sexiest, realest, inspiring combination of POETRY, music, art, comedy, that you can experience in one night. The movement has grown and continues to gain Fans daily. The artists are great and leave you wanting more. Loveshooter is designed not only to entertain but also for networking and building a better community. It’s a family of artists and Lovers of the art coming together to change the World thru expression. I like to call going to a Loveshooter Speaks show getting my Soul Fed and when it’s over it leaves you anxiously anticipating the next show. Come experience this explosion of Love!
THIS WEEKEND…ROD MAN – Winner of the Last Comic Standing…Rod Man was the winner of Season 8 Last Comic Standing and has made many other television appearances, including “The Bad Boys of Comedy” for HBO, Martin Lawrence’s “First Amendment” for Starz, Nick Cannon’s “Wild ‘N Out” for MTV, “One Mic Stand” for BET, “The Funny Spot.” Check him out at the StarDome this weekend.
COMING SOON…, GARY CONRAD – September 8-13, MIKE EPPS – September 18-20, STEVE WILSON & GUY TORRY – September 25-27, BRUCE BRUCE – October 2-4, ETTA MAY – October 9-11, TOM SEGURA – November 2 (ONE NIGHT ONLY). Call (205) 444-0008 for more.
COMING SOON….
**SEPTEMBER 12 – ENSLEY ALIVE CONCERT – Ensley Alive is a concert and mini-outdoor music festival to highlight the heritage and revitalization efforts of Ensley. The event features a live performance from renowned artists Todd Simpson and Mojo Child, featuring Sharon with Heels & Chucks, Alvin Garrett and Raquel Lily. The event takes place Saturday, September 12th from 2-6 p.m. at Avenue E and 19th Street Ensley. For more call (205) 254-2303.
**SEPTEMBER 12 – AUDITIONS!! AUDITIONS! Auditions for stage play “ISOLATED” is September 12, 3 -7 p.m. at Cornerstone Daycare, located at 610 Ninth Avenue North in Bessemer. The play is based on a true life story of Pamela Adams Whitt. Singers and actors are needed between the ages of 18 and 29. Bring a photo. For more: pam_whitt66@yahoocom.
**SEPTEMBER 17-18 – MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD FESTIVAL – The 2015 Middle Eastern Food Festival sponsored by Saint George Melkite Catholic Church will be held September 17-19. Mark your calendars!
**OCTOBER 10-11 – LIFE ISN’T FAIR – NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST, a stage play by Award Winning Film-Maker/Play-Writer DERRELL LAWRENCE featuring Grammy Award Winner REGINA BELLE, Emmy Nominated SEAN BLAKEMORE, International Actor JOHN TERRELL, Lawrence (himself) and more at the BJCC. The performances are Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
**OCTOBER 15-16 – DON’T MISS… CLEARWATER JAZZ FESTIVAL, with Gladys Knight, the O’Jays, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, The Averett Brothers and more.
**OCTOBER 31 – MAGIC CITY CLASSIC is the largestHistorically Black College and University (HBCU) football game in the country. Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University play in the game annually at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, and the winner could potentially earn a spot in the SWAC Championship. Festivities surrounding the event include the Magic City Classic Alumni Pep Rally, Magic City Classic Parade, Coors Light Pre-Game Tailgate Party and the famed halftime show performed by the Marching Hornets and the Marching Maroon and White. For more information, visit www.themagiccityclassic.com.
NOW…. BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUTS!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU… AND TO ALL CELEBRATING!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL YOU BIRTHDAY BALLERS…MANY, MANY MORE HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!! ENJOY!! Celebrate ‘your’ month…I do…all 30 days ‘and’ some!
A “blood moon” rises over the El Salvador del Mundo monument in San Salvador early Tuesday, April 15, as a total lunar eclipse attracts sky gazers across the Americas.arabnewsreview.com
(CNN)There will be blood in September — literally, according to the Internet postings of end-times believers.
The night of September 27-28 will bring a “blood moon.” To skywatchers, it simply refers to the copper color the moon takes on during an eclipse, but to some Christian ministers, the fourth and final eclipse in a tetrad — four consecutive total lunar eclipses, each separated by six lunar months — fulfills biblical prophecy of the apocalypse. (The first three in the series took place April 15, 2014; October 8, 2014; and April 4, 2015.)
In promotion for his 2013 book “Four Blood Moons,” Christian minister John Hagee claimed that the tetrad was a signal being sent by God.
“The coming four blood moons points to a world-shaking event that will happen between April 2014 and October 2015,” he said.
The reference to the impact is most direct in Joel 2:30-31, which reads, “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”
There’s also a reference to a blood moon in Revelation 6:12 — part of the passage about the Seven Seals — which reads, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”
Hagee’s assertion was quickly debunked by scientists and skeptics.
After walking through some of Hagee’s theories — including the blood moons coinciding with Jewish holidays (which is logical, since Jewish holidays are based on the lunar calendar) and significant events in Jewish history — Patheos’ Bob Seidensticker noted that the minister was vague at some points and credulous at others.
“I predict that John Hagee’s prediction will fail in 2015 and the end will not come,” he wrote in late 2013.
The astronomical site EarthSky.org added that tetrads, of which there have been 62 since the first century, follow natural cycles and are easily calculated. Moreover, three of the four most recent eclipses were not visible in Israel itself. (“What good is a blood moon if God’s chosen can’t see it?” wrote Seidensticker.)
Nevertheless, the coming of the September “blood moon” was making folks on Twitter jittery. Some had watched a documentary based on Hagee’s book.
On the other hand, some Twitterers weren’t impressed.
So, will September 27 bring on the end? If nothing else, it’ll be the end of predictions based on tetrads for a while. After the eclipse is over, the next tetrad isn’t due until 2032.
Authorities in Bodrum, Turkey stand near a body of a child who washed ashore Wednesday, September 2. The child was one of 12 who drowned during a failed attempted to sail to the Greek island of Kos. This photo has been shared widely around the world often with a Turkish hashtag that means “Flotsam of Humanity”.
(CNN)He’s maybe a year old. Lying face down, his head to one side with his bottom slightly up — the way very young children like to sleep.
But the water is lapping around his face and his body is lifeless.
The boy, in a red T-shirt, blue pants and tiny shoes with Velcro straps, was one of 12 people who drowned off Turkey and washed up on a beach Wednesday.
A photo of him lying alone and being approached by an official has been shared widely around the world, often with the Twitter hashtag #KıyıyaVuranİnsanlık or “Flotsam of Humanity” in Turkish.
We don’t know his name yet, or where he came from, though the local governor’s office said he and the other victims were Syrian refugees.
We do know he’s just one of more than 2,600 people who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year alone, according to the International Organization for Migration.
More than 350,000 people have arrived in Europe so far this year, seeking sanctuary from war or persecution or poverty or just seeking a better life.
There’s been a wildly different response from governments and citizens, some wanting to take people in, others shutting them out.
This boy’s death has at least been noticed and caused anguish. He may yet affect policy.
eptember is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every Wednesday during September, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ® will contribute stories that will put a face on the mission to end childhood cancer.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18. Faith and prayer can inspire extraordinary actions in ordinary people.
Danny Thomas was a struggling entertainer trying to make it in show business while supporting his young family. As his struggles continued to mount, Thomas – a devout Catholic – knelt in church and prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint of hopeless causes, “show me my way in life, and I will build you a shrine.”
On Feb. 4, 1962, with answered prayers of success and stardom, Thomas fulfilled his promise and opened the doors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. It became the first hospital built for the sole purpose of conducting basic and clinical research and developing treatments for childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening illnesses.
Thomas wanted a hospital that would treat children without regard to their race, ethnicity or religion, making St. Jude the first fully integrated hospital in the South during a time when segregation was a way of life.
St. Jude also played a vital role in the integration of hotels in Memphis in the 1960s. The hospital required that if any hotel was to provide lodging for St. Jude patients, they must allow all St. Jude patients to stay, including African-American patients and their families. That forced hotels in the area to integrate long before it was considered acceptable.
St. Jude leads the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, remaining on the cutting edge of scientific development to continually improve the world-class care it offers its patients.
In fact, in 2007 St. Jude began the St. Jude LIFE Study which brings St. Jude alumni back to campus to study the long-term effects of their cancer and its treatment. All St. Jude LIFE participants receive assessments based on the specific treatment they received as a child. More than 2,900 patients have enrolled with the goal to enroll 4,000 former patients in the study.
The unique findings from St. Jude LIFE are helping St. Jude survivors learn more about their individual health needs, and providing researchers with novel insights into the late effects of cancer therapy. By better identifying and tracking long-term health outcomes, St. Jude hopes to help survivors of childhood cancer take control of their health and enjoy longer, healthier adulthoods, while helping St. Jude researchers develop improved cancer treatments to minimize the late effects of therapy.
Today, the average cost to treat one child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, is $485,030. The daily operating cost for St. Jude is $2 million, and 75 percent of those funds must be raised by private donations. Because the majority of St. Jude funding comes from individual contributors, the hospital has the freedom to focus on what really matters most – saving kids regardless of their financial situation.
Because of generous supporters, no family ever receives a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
Opening the hospital was only the beginning. Thomas’ vision has lived on for more than half a century, providing hope and help for children of all ages, races, backgrounds and financial situations. Thomas left a beautiful legacy in the St. Jude mission: Finding cures. Saving children.
John Kerry (CLICK THE PICTURE ABOVE TO WATCH THE VIDEO)
Washington (CNN)In a major victory for President Barack Obama, Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland announced support for the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, providing the White House the votes it needs to prevent Republicans from scuttling the agreement.
The announcement means that at least 34 senators — the number required by the Constitution to sustain a veto — will back Obama’s expected veto of a Republican resolution to disapprove of the deal. Mikulski is retiring at the end of her term.
While majorities of both the GOP-controlled House and Senate are poised to vote against the agreement, supporters of the multinational accord that aims to curb Iran’s nuclear weapons program are also hoping to get the 41 votes needed to filibuster the bill and prevent it from even getting to a final vote in the Senate.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the administration will continue to try and push support for the deal past the 34 votes they now have “until the last moment.”
“Thirty-four votes are obviously enough votes for the president’s veto to be upheld,” Kerry told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “That is not satisfactory for us. We do want to try to go further. We’ll continue to persuade.”
That prospect upsets some Republicans who believe the historic agreement deserves a final up-or-down vote.
Nearly all Republicans have come out against the agreement, arguing it sets up weak standards for international inspectors to monitor whether Iran is complying with the agreement and would allow Iran to build nuclear weapons in a few years.
But only two Democratic senators — Chuck Schumer of New York and Bob Menendez of New Jersey — have announced they oppose it. The Senate’s 54 Republicans would need four more Democrats to join them in opposing the deal to end the filibuster and send the bill disapproving of the deal for a vote.
The agreement, which took years for the so-called P5+1 — the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, China and Russia — to broker, has been the subject of intensive lobbying by both sides. Ultimately, opponents’ multimillion-dollar campaign failed to resonate with enough of the Democratic lawmakers it was targeting.
Votes are expected after lawmakers return from a summer recess next week but before Sept. 17, the statutory deadline for Congress to act on the deal. But GOP leaders have not announced when those votes will take place.
House Speaker John Boehner’s spokesman Cory Fritz said the White House shouldn’t be celebrating.
“Forcing a bad deal, over the objections of the American people and a majority in Congress, is no win for President Obama. The White House may have convinced just enough Democrats to back an agreement that legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, trusts the regime to self-inspect and offers amnesty to terrorists, but this deal is far from being implemented,” Fritz said.
The administration only needs one chamber to sustain its veto in order for the Iran deal to go through. House Democratic leadership aides are confident that they also have enough votes in the House to uphold a veto.
The Iran deal has been a charged topic in the 2016 presidential race and GOP, candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was the first in the field to react to the 34th vote.
“When I’m President, we won’t just reverse President Obama’s dangerous Iran deal. We will increase sanctions on Iran,” Rubio tweeted Wednesday.
Vice President Joe Biden, meanwhile, tweeted that “The #IranDeal is the best available option to block Iran from a bomb. It is in our national security interests.”
The administration is clear it will continue to sell the Iran deal to the public as it looks to bolster the number of votes in favor of the deal and sway a divided public.
Following Mikulski’s announced decision, Kerry will deliver a speech in Philadelphia continuing to make the case for the deal.
In his interview with CNN before the speech, Kerry said he would look to “dispel the myths” that he says opponents of the deal have propagated, instead laying out “specifically and factually what this agreement does and doesn’t do.”
He insisted the deal would make the world safer — including Israel and the Gulf states that have expressed concerns — by preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, rather than paving a pathway toward a bomb, a charge of the fiercest critics.
Opponents say the billions of dollars in sanctions relief Iran will receive will bolster its terrorism-funding and other military operations that have contributed to an increasingly unstable Middle East.
But Kerry said the amount of money Iran will receive in sanctions relief will be much lower than what some critics have contended. And while Iran will receive a windfall of tens of billions of dollars, Kerry said he and the U.S. intelligence community are confident that windfall will not put money in the hands of terrorists.
“Some may find its way to some bad or nefarious activity, but the activities that we have objected to…are not just fueled by money. Much of the terrorism that has been supported in the region has been done on the cheap, not because of money,” Kerry said.
“I don’t believe that the money released by this…is going to be determinative in any way regarding the security of the region,” he added.
It’s game week, which means SEC football Q&A is kicking that door down and making its illustrious return to Bleacher Report.
Each Tuesday, I’ll answer your questions that are submitted via Twitter about anything in the world of SEC football. Basically, this is the weekly story in which you, the fans, drive the conversation.
So send your questions for next week to @BarrettSallee, and we’ll get to them. In the meantime, here’s the first SEC football Q&A of the 2015 season.
Whoa boy, let’s get this year’s Q&A started off with a bang, shall we?
No, Alabama isn’t overrated. In fact, head coach Nick Saban‘s crew is being properly rated heading into this season.
Alabama QBs (L to R) David Cornwell, Cooper Bateman, Jake Coker and Alec Morris (photo credit: Brynn Anderson/ AP)
When Alabama was winning three titles in five years, it almost received a tag of being invincible from the college football world, despite losing games in national title years in 2011 and 2012 and needing a whole lot of luck down the stretch to even play for those crystal footballs.
The Crimson Tide have the lingering problem of a secondary that gives up too many big plays and some questions on offense, but they’ve proved to be a national title contender over the last two seasons despite similar issues on the roster.
They’re ranked third in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, and fourth in the newly released Bleacher Report Top 25. Essentially, what voters are saying (and I ranked Alabama No. 3 in the B/R poll) is that Saban’s crew is solid, has questions and, if it answers them correctly, will be considered a team that’s worthy of a national championship.
That’s right where the Tide should be.
Jeremy Johnson has enjoyed a meteoric rise to near the top of the Heisman odds board, which I explained here earlier this summer.
Since you specifically asked about quarterbacks who haven’t started a game yet, that also eliminates Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs, Texas A&M’s Kyle Allen and Georgia’s Greyson Lambert—who was Virginia’s starter last year.
Ole Miss starting quarterback Chad Kelly. (photo credit: Rogelio V. Solis/ AP)
I’ll go with Ole Miss starting quarterback Chad Kelly. Head coach Hugh Freeze named the junior college transfer as his starter for the season opener against UT-Martin, although he did say that Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade will also play.
I don’t buy that for one second.
Kelly has a strong arm, more upside than either of his primary competitors and is a threat with his legs on the ground. He has weapons all around him with a wide receiving corps led by Laquon Treadwell, a solid downfield threat up the seam with tight end Evan Engram and a coach in Freeze who knows how to find ways to put stress on opposing defenses.
If Freeze can give Kelly a little help in the running game between the tackles, the Rebels will get back into the College Football Playoff discussion and Kelly will be the man dominating all of the headlines.
I guess it would be easy to go with new starting quarterback Greyson Lambert, but that’s probably too easy, right?
So I’ll side with freshman wide receiver Terry Godwin.
Georgia wide receiver Terry Godwin (photo credit: Johnathan Dyer/ USA TODAY sports)
At 5’11”, 174 pounds, it might seem like Godwin is destined to be a slot receiver in the Classic City. But he plays much bigger than his frame (like Texas A&M stud and fellow freshman Christian Kirk), runs incredibly crisp routes, has tremendous body control and that slot role will be occupied by the “Human Joystick” Isaiah McKenzie anyway.
“Some guys are naturally born to play certain positions,” receivers coach Bryan McClendon told Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald. “I think Terry was naturally born to play wide receiver. Things come naturally for him. The game of football comes very easy to him.”
Expect new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to get Godwin involved in the game plan in a variety of ways, use him to get Lambert comfortable with his new role and provide a nice one-two punch with veteran receiver Malcolm Mitchell.
I guess you can say that since Urban Meyer really figured out what it takes to win as the front man of a big-time college program, but it’s not like Ohio State was an also-ran before he got there.
Major programs like Ohio State, Oregon, Florida State and others were part of the same rise in coaching salaries, recruiting budgets and facility upgrades that helped build the SEC into a power—there were just more SEC teams in that pool that found success over the last 10 or 15 years.
If you want to relate Meyer’s success to what he learned in the SEC, that’s fine. But it’s a little more simplistic than that.
He is simply focused on being a big-time program in Columbus, where a foundation was already waiting for him when he got the job prior to the 2012 season.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and bleacherreport.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93 XM 208. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
Jorge Field of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations walks on his way to raid and apprehend an immigrant without legal status who may be deportable on Aug. 12, 2015 in Riverside, Calif. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they are relying more than ever on costly manhunts to locate immigrants in the country illegally who have criminal records. In the past, the agency would simply contact local jails where such immigrants were being detained and ask jail officials to hold them until an ICE van could pick them up, but hundreds of counties across the country stopped honoring such requests after a federal judge last year found that practice unconstitutional.
LOS ANGELES — More than 240 people were taken into federal custody last week across Southern California after a four-day sweep for immigrants in the country illegally with criminal records, authorities announced Monday.
The enforcement action ended Thursday with 244 foreign nationals in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the majority of them with at least one felony conviction on their record, authorities said.
It was the most successful four-day sweep of its kind in the region, ICE said.
Among the people captured, 191 were from Mexico and the rest were from 21 other countries including France, Ghana, Peru and Thailand, the agency said. A majority of them had convictions for violent felonies or weapons or sex abuse charges.
The rest had past convictions for “significant or multiple misdemeanors,” ICE said in a news release.
In the past it was easier for ICE agents to locate and deport immigrants who had been convicted of crimes. The agency would contact local jails and ask that such inmates be held until an ICE van could pick them up.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations unit raid to apprehend immigrants without any legal status and who may be deportable on Aug. 12, 2015 in Riverside, Calif.
But last year a federal judge found that practice illegal, prompting hundreds of counties to stop honoring the detainer requests. As a result, ICE officials say they have to rely on costly and dangerous manhunts or multiday sweeps like the one conducted last week.
The sweep was led by the agency’s National Fugitive Operations program, which finds at-large criminals for deportation.
Originally formed to locate immigrants who had failed to comply with a judge’s deportation order, the program is increasingly being used to find immigrants with criminal convictions who have recently been let out of jail. Of the more than 27,000 people whom ICE arrested nationwide last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2014, about 78 percent had criminal convictions, according to ICE data.
Among those captured was Vincente Onofre-Ramirez, 35, who authorities say was convicted in 2002 of sexual abuse with force in New York.
In Sunland, authorities arrested a 50-year-old Salvadorian national convicted of two criminal counts of child sex abuse in Los Angeles County; in Upland, a 46-year-old man from Guatemala who previously served 10 years in prison for sexually abusing two children was arrested.
But not everyone arrested in the sweep was a violent felon. Those who have not been deported before and found to have illegally re-entered the country or aren’t facing new charges will have an administrative hearing with a judge.
Law enforcement officials at the site where a police officer was fatally shot in Fox Lake, Illinois, September 1, 2015.
CHICAGO, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Police with dogs and helicopters are searching woods and swampy areas north of Chicago for three armed suspects after a police officer was shot dead on Tuesday in the suburb of Fox Lake, a local law enforcement official said.
Lake County sheriff’s office Sergeant Christopher Covelli told Reuters the officer had died after being shot, but declined to identify him.
Covelli said area residents should remain inside and report suspicious activity.
“We have three offenders at large” who are believed to be armed, he told reporters at a news briefing.
The shooting occurred earlier Tuesday morning when the officer told his police department that he was pursuing three suspects on foot. When back-up officers arrived, they found him shot and injured, Covelli said. He later died.
Trains were stopped, roads were blocked and schools were on lock-down during the widespread manhunt that encompassed in a heavily wooded area about 40 miles north of Chicago, near the Wisconsin border, media reports said.
McHenry and Lake County Sheriff’s offices, as well as federal authorities, were involved in the search.
(Additional reporting by Suzannah Gonzales; Editing by Susan Heavey)
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