Salon.com > Christina Hoag

Nation pays tribute to sacrifices of veterans

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:10:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — From sea to shining sea, the nation paid tribute to its members of the armed services Sunday, both with somber traditions such as a Virginia wreath-laying ceremony attended by President Barack Obama to honor those who didn't make it back from active duty, and more lighthearted perks including red-carpet treatment at Las Vegas casinos for those who did.

In California, a long legal case drew to a close as a war memorial cross that had been deemed unconstitutional was being resurrected Sunday in the Mojave desert, capping a landmark case for veterans fighting similar battles on public lands.

Sunday marked the official commemoration of Veterans Day, but the federal holiday will be observed Monday.

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President Barack Obama laid the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Memorial Cemetery in Virginia and noted that this is the first Veterans Day in a decade with no American troops in Iraq, and that a decade of war in Afghanistan is coming to a close.

In a speech at the Memorial Amphitheater, he said America will never forget the sacrifice made by its veterans and their families.

Ammo seized at Bulger apartment

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:52:00 +0000

FBI agents have hauled ammunition and bags labeled as containing weapons out of the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment building where Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger was captured after 16 years on the run.

One clear plastic bag removed Thursday morning contained boxes of .357 Magnum bullets, and another bag was labeled miscellaneous firearms and accessories.

Numerous other pieces of evidence in paper bags were also carried out and placed in a law enforcement truck.

Agents arrested the 81-year-old Bulger and longtime girlfriend Catherine Greig late Wednesday after receiving a tip and setting up surveillance.

Bulger had a $2 million reward on his head and rose to No. 1 on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list after Osama bin Laden was killed.

Friends say Americans killed by pirates were careful

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:34:00 +0000

They were four adventure seekers who loved the sea and wanted to see the world. Friends said they were meticulous and planned for any dangers, but even that couldn't prepare them for the Somali pirates who stormed their yacht and took their lives.

The boat's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, along with Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death early Tuesday, after pirates took them hostage on Friday about several hundred miles south of Oman.

Macay's niece, Nina Crossland, told reporters Tuesday that her aunt was "a very smart and avid sailor."

"I think she was smart enough and planned ahead and prepared to not be in this type of situation," she said, visibly shaken and holding back tears.

The Adams had been sailing full-time on their 58-foot yacht, the Quest, since December 2004 after retiring. They often travelled with friends, and on this trip were joined by Riggle and Macay.

Mariners were warned about traveling around the Horn of Africa because of the risk of pirate attacks. The four sailors traveled with a large flotilla to stay safe earlier in the trip, but left the group at the time of the attack, said Crossland.

Judge orders disaster plan for L.A.’s disabled

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:48:00 +0000

The city of Los Angeles discriminates against disabled people because it lacks specific plans to meet their needs in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency, a federal court ruled Friday, the first such decision in the country.

"Because of the city's failure to address their unique needs, individuals with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to harm in the event of an emergency or disaster," U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall said.

Marshall ordered the city to meet with the plaintiffs, Audrey Harthorn, a Los Angeles resident who uses a wheelchair, and Communities Actively Living Independent and Free, a Los Angeles nonprofit independent living center, in the next three weeks to come up with a disaster plan for disabled people.

City attorney's office spokeswoman Cindy Shin said the office has not had a chance to fully review the decision and had no immediate comment.

The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2009, spurred by events during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans, when many disabled people were abandoned and left stranded during evacuations because of a lack of disability planning.