Eustis hospital gets new commander

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Writer

Lt. Col. Heidi Mon took the reins of McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis last week.

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Mon, previously troop commander at the Evans Army Community Hospital in Fort Carson, Colo., assumed command just two months after her predecessor was relieved of duty following an investigation into the command climate and undue influence.

Col. Glenda Lock was suspended in February and fired in March. Lt. Col. David Johnson served as the facility’s interim leader during the transition.

Few details have been released about the investigation, but Lock remains on active duty in an administrative role, according to Northern Regional Medical Command, which oversees the hospital and many other Army medical facilities from North Carolina to New York. Brig. Gen. Robert D. Tenhet said in a statement that he’d “lost confidence” in Lock.

The new commander, Mon, took her troops for a run on Monday to boost morale and unit cohesion, according to Facebook.

The hospital has more than 800 employees and serves about 50,000 service members, retirees and eligible family members annually. The health center commander is also responsible for a medical clinic at Fort Story, and annual training site support at Camp Dawson, W.Va.

Aviation Summer Camp

The Military Aviation

Article source: http://www.dailypress.com/news/military/dp-nws-tst-recon-0604-20150603-story.html

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19% Of Marine Aircraft Down For Repairs; Paying For Mistakes Of 1970s

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Writer

Kai Boyce makes a repair in the APU compartment on the aft right side of an F/A-18 hornet at Cecil Commerce Center.Kai Boyce makes a repair in the APU compartment on the aft right side of an F/A-18 hornet at Cecil Commerce Center.

A Navy depot worker repairs an F-18.

CAPITOL HILL: Marines pride themselves on being ready for anything. But as of today, 19 percent of their air fleet is out of action “long-term” awaiting repairs and spares, the deputy commandant for aviation said today. “It’s 158 — actually, today, 159 aircraft — that the taxpayer paid $8.4 billion dollars for,” said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis.

An unexpected wiring problem even kept CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters from deploying to Nepal, Davis said. That left the earthquake relief effort to aircraft with smaller payloads, namely the V-22 Ospreys and UH-1Y Hueys. (Maintenance doesn’t seem to have been an issue in the fatal Huey crash, just the terrible conditions in the Himalayas).

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. photoSydney J. Freedberg Jr. photo

Lt. Gen. Jon Davis

The Navy’s wrestling with readiness as well. Backlogged maintenance on aging F-18 Hornets will leave the fleet about 104 fighters short. That’s roughly the equivalent of an entire carrier air wing, said Rear Adm. Mike Manazir, speaking alongside Davis at a Navy League event in the Cannon House Office

Article source: http://breakingdefense.com/2015/06/19-of-marine-aircraft-down-for-repairs-paying-for-mistakes-of-1970s/

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Roslindale attack the latest in series of terrorism cases with ties to Mass.

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Writer




Weeks after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death for the bombing of the Boston Marathon, a Roslindale man was killed by police during a thwarted terrorist attack, according to law enforcement officials.

Usaama Rahim had planned to attack “those boys in blue”and behead a police officer in Massachusetts, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent in federal court, which said Rahim has purchased several military knives. David Wright, an alleged coconspirator, was arraigned in federal court on Wednesday on charges of conspiring to obstruct a national security investigation.

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Rahim’s alleged plot was the latest in a series of terrorism cases with connections to the state stretching back to Sept. 11, 2001.

Here are some of the terrorism cases linked to Massachusetts in recent years.

9/11 attacks

Two of the four hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, left from Boston’s Logan Airport. The two flights, which were diverted from routes to Los Angeles, crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers.

According to the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, 206 people from the state or with strong Massachusetts ties died that day.

Richard C. Reid

Reid pleaded guilty to trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight with explosives concealed in his shoes in 2001. Known as the “shoe bomber,” Reid was sentenced to life

Article source: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/06/03/roslindale-attack-latest-series-terrorism-cases-with-ties-mass/42PF3P0VERevHHaCyQn67L/story.html

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Inmate to be Executed Tonight after 30 Years on Death Row

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Writer

Texas death row inmate Lester Leroy Bower is scheduled for execution tonight after 6 p.m. after spending over 30 years on death row.

 

In April 1984, a Grayson County jury found Bower guilty of four counts of capital murder for the killings of Bobby Tate, Philip Good, Ronald Mayes, and Jerry Brown. Years of appeals and execution stays have kept Bower alive since conviction, most recently in February when the court halted his death date as it considered another appeal.

Facts of the Case

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals described the facts of the crime as follows:

Testimony at trial showed that one of the victims, Bobby Glen Tate, owned the BB Ranch which was located near Sherman. Mr. Tate owned an ultralight aircraft which he stored in a hangar located on his property. Another ultralight aircraft owned by David Brady was also stored in the hangar. Evidence was presented to show that Tate had decided to put his ultralight up for sale and his friend, Philip Good, another one of the victims, who sold ultralights was attempting to find a buyer for the aircraft. A day or two before the commission of the offense, Tate told his wife, Bobbi, that Philip Good had met someone the previous Wednesday who was interested in buying the ultralight.

On October 8, 1983, Mr. Tate went out to his ranch to work on a house he was building. According to Bobbi Tate, he was to return to their home in town around 4:30 p.m. About 7:30 p.m., when

Article source: http://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2015-06-03/inmate-be-executed-tonight-after-30-years-death-row

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French Open Spectators Freaked Out By Airplane Flying Backwards (Video)

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Writer

French Open Spectators Freaked Out By Airplane Flying Backwards (Video)

Either airplanes have a hidden gear we don’t know about, or shenanigans were afoot at the French Open on Monday.

As Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens duked it out at Roland Garros, the shadow of an airplane was spotted on the court’s clay. Nothing too strange, right?

WRONG.

There’s no way that’s not a plane, and there’s no way that plane isn’t flying backwards.

As it turns out, both of those statements are true. But there’s a catch.

The bizarre sight was the result of an advertising campaign by airline company Fly Emirates, which decided to sponsor the French Open’s wire camera by affixing a model plane to it.

That reality is much more lame than the potential invention of backwards-flying planes, but it’s a pretty clever move on Fly Emirates’ part. The wire camera automatically moves back and forth to capture the action, and when the sun is in the right spot, the mounted plane casts a shadow that draws some incredulous stares when it travels in

Article source: http://nesn.com/2015/06/french-open-spectators-freaked-out-by-airplane-flying-backwards-video/

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2015 Legislature: Net metering, Uber and tax cuts for aviation, data centers

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Writer

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s record $1.3 billion tax plan attracted most of the spotlight during Nevada’s 2015 Legislature. For economic development wonks, however, there was an assortment of other legislative initiatives that also deserved special attention.

From decisions surrounding net metering and ridesharing to an assortment of tax breaks to help spur economic activity for aviation and data centers, here’s a list of key measures passed by lawmakers that should impact economic development in the state.

AVIATION TAX ABATEMENT

Supported by groups such as the Reno Tahoe Airport Authority, Assembly Bill 161 grants an abatement that lowers the sales and use tax on aircraft parts down to 2 percent. Without the legislation, taxes on those parts are normally 7.725 in Washoe County and 8.1 percent in Clark County.

With several surrounding states providing exemptions on taxes for aircraft parts, Nevada was at a competitive disadvantage, said Tina Iftiger, Reno Tahoe Airport Authority vice president of economic development.

“Aircraft are mobile assets,” Iftiger said. “Just because you have an airplane in once place doesn’t mean that’s where you’ll fix it.”

RENO GAZETTE JOURNAL

Tesla hires first operational staff for gigafactory, total investment at $143.2M

For Nevada, it meant plenty of lost revenue as well as lost opportunities

Article source: http://www.rgj.com/story/money/reno-rebirth/2015/06/03/nv-legislation-impact-economic-development/28385403/

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Belle Fourche airport to host open house

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Writer

About Belle Fourche

Butte County Post

614 State St.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-892-2528

City of Belle Fourche

511 6th Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-892-2494

Belle Fourche Police Department

1010 8th Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-892-4354

Belle Fourche Volunteer Fire Department

605 National St.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-893-6237

Belle Fourche High School

2305 13th Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-723-3350

Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce

415 5th Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-892-2676

Belle Fourche Development Corp

511 Sixth Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
605-892-3006

Article source: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/belle_fourche/belle-fourche-airport-to-host-open-house/article_752bfea7-63f1-5424-bd64-2ba3de9e6d3e.html

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