Accidental cremation; school bans Hillary T-shirt; dogs won't be dinner
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Odd and interesting news from around the West.
- By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press
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OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington voters have rejected personal income tax-related measures at the statewide ballot several times over the past eight decades. Now voters in the state capital will decide whether to approve an income tax on the city's highest earners, even as the legality of the measure remains in question.
Initiative 1 seeks a 1.5 percent tax on household income in excess of $200,000 for residents of Olympia, a city of about 50,000 people. The measure seeks to raise an estimated $3 million a year for a public college tuition fund that would give all Olympia public high school graduates and GED recipients tuition for at least the first year of community or technical college, or the equivalent amount — about $4,000 — for in-state public university tuition.
"It puts the spotlight on the finances of education," said Democratic state Sen. Sam Hunt of Olympia, a supporter of the measure. "Obviously, it's controversial. But I think at some point people need to step forward and say what we're doing isn't working, and we need to find better solutions. And this is one step toward finding a better solution."
Opponents of the measure argue that Seattle activists are focused solely on teeing up a test case for the state Supreme Court, and using a tax on the residents of the city of Olympia to accomplish that goal. The last time Washington voters approved an income tax was in 1932, but the measure was ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court the following year. In 1984, the state Legislature approved a law that that prohibits a county, city, or city-county from levying a tax on net income.
"It's not about education," said Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby, who noted that she supports the idea of a statewide income tax and has voted in favor of one before. "What I'm trusting is that our community, because we are so literate and educated around political issues, will see through this."
Last month, the state Court of Appeals ruled that the Olympia income-tax measure should appear on the ballot even as legal challenges to it continue. The ruling came following an appeal of an August ruling by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jack Nevin, who found the measure went beyond the scope of local initiative power and ruled it should not appear on the ballot.
The appellate court order noted that there will be "ample time to litigate the issues raised after the election."
The phrase "income tax" does not appear on the ballot title after a superior court judge ruled in favor of initiative proponents that it would be prejudicial to the proponents, who say the proposed tax is technically an excise tax because it taxes gross income. Instead, the ballot title simply says that the measure "concerns establishing and funding a college grant program."
In the fuller description below the title, it notes that the grants would be funded by a tax on household income above $200,000.
Supporters of the measure — including the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle — have raised more than $213,000, with the top donations coming from residents of Seattle and surrounding areas. Opponents have raised about $5,700.
Washington is one of seven states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming — without a personal income tax. New Hampshire and Tennessee have a limited income tax on interest, dividends and capital gains, but they do not tax wages and salaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Voters last weighed in on a statewide income tax on in 2010, overwhelmingly defeating a measure that would have taxed the top 1 percent of the state's earners. Initiative 1098 was defeated in all 39 counties, including Olympia's Thurston County, where nearly 61 percent of voters rejected it. But of the 60 precincts within the city of Olympia — which is more liberal than the rest of the county — the measure prevailed in 38, garnering 11,380 "yes" votes to 8,925 "no" votes.
Hugh Spitzer, a University of Washington law professor specializing in state constitutional law who is affiliated with the law firm that is representing the City of Olympia in the case, said that if the state Legislature passed an income tax or asked the voters to pass a statewide income tax, there's a reasonably good chance the court would uphold such a law this time around.
But the effort in Olympia is "beyond a code city's statutory authority," Spitzer said.
Heather Weiner, a spokeswoman for the initiative campaign, said the state needs to ensure that there is enough of an educated local workforce so that big companies aren't forced to seek talent from outside of the state. As the seat of state government, Olympia is the perfect city to have that discussion, she said.
"It sends a message to the state Legislature that we need to find progressive tax solutions to our higher education crisis," Weiner said.
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SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) — Search-and-rescue workers have recovered a body in the Angeles National Forest believed to be that of a missing hiker.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said the man's body was found Saturday near the base of Hermit Falls, a popular hiking destination in Southern California.
County coroner's and sheriff's homicide investigators are looking into the man's identity and cause of death.
The body is believed to be that of 63-year-old John Richard King, an experienced hiker who left his home in La Puente on Thursday morning and never returned.
King's car was found in the parking area of Chantry Flat, the start of the hiking trail.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — State transportation officials have used thousands of pounds of explosives to implode part of the old San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as part of an ongoing demolition project.
Crews set off the explosives Saturday morning, destroying a marine foundation on the old span.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2f09Lvl) that Caltrans first used the technique to break up one of the old bridge's foundations in November and concluded that the implosion caused minimal environmental damage.
Six foundations are slated to be destroyed next year and seven more in 2018.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces father says his son is no longer allowed to wear a pro-Hillary Clinton T-shirt to school.
Philip Walker told the Las Cruces Sun-News (http://bit.ly/2eTIa1e) on Friday that his 10-year-old son has been wearing a "Hillary Clinton 2016" shirt once a week for the past several weeks.
But Chris Walker says he was recently instructed to no longer wear it because school officials are concerned about heated political conversations between students in the schoolyard.
Philip Walker says he called the school principal, who said she was considering implementing a new rule banning political shirts during the campaign season.
Las Cruces Public Schools spokeswoman Jo Galvan says principals have can modify a school dress code if the attire is disrupting the learning environment.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A temporary winter homeless shelter that can house 100 adults is scheduled to open in downtown Portland next month.
Developer Tom Cody is donating the first floor of his property for six months while he waits permits to renovate the building for office and retail space.
The shelter is expected to open around Thanksgiving for six months.
Officials with Portland and Multnomah County announced the temporary shelter Friday.
Earlier in the week, the city scrapped plans to develop a massive homeless shelter at a city-owned warehouse known as Terminal 1.
Operating costs will be covered by A Home For Everyone, a collaborative that includes the city, county and nonprofits. The nonprofit group Transition Projects will operate the facility.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are looking for a Donald Trump supporter who was harassed and fell to the ground as she apparently protected the presidential candidate's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/2elP7EV ) that a video uploaded to YouTube Thursday shows the woman displaying pro-Trump signs complaining about immigrants and President Obama.
A man bumps against her, she pushes back and falls to the ground, staying there as the crowd jeers.
The video prompted angry calls to police asking why they didn't intervene.
LAPD Officer Tony Im says the woman incited the crowd with racial slurs and police at the scene "kept the peace."
He says police will look for the woman to interview her.
A man with a sledgehammer destroyed Trump's star Wednesday. It's being repaired.
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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A stuntman who was injured when he was run over while filming an upcoming television series is suing actor Tom Sizemore and the production.
Steve de Castro sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures on Friday, claiming the July incident in which he was pinned beneath a sport utility vehicle driven by Sizemore left him with significant injuries.
The lawsuit claims the "Black Hawk Down" actor was intoxicated at a remote desert airport in northern Los Angeles County during filming of the upcoming USA Network action show "Shooter." De Castro was airlifted from the scene but the lawsuit does not specify what his injuries were, describing them only as "numerous internal and external injuries."
Sheriff's deputies did not open an investigation, saying at the time that it would be handled by occupational safety inspectors.
Paramount declined comment on the lawsuit. Sizemore's agents did not return emails sent Saturday.
De Castro's lawsuit states that some of his injuries are likely to be permanent and they have hampered his ability to work.
Sizemore was arrested later in July on suspicion of domestic violence and has pleaded not guilty to being abusive to his ex-girlfriend.
The accident and criminal case occurred amid Sizemore's latest comeback attempt after years of substance abuse problems. He has a recurring role in "Shooter," but his career has fallen from its heyday when he appeared in such films such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down."
"Shooter" is a TV adaptation of a 2007 film with the same name and a best-selling novel, "Point of Impact."
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police say a man who showed up to the hospital with multiple stab wounds reported being attacked by four people dressed as clowns.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2eTnTsN ) that police say the man reported getting into an argument with someone across the street from him as he was riding a skateboard on Friday night.
When he was about to leave, that's when the man says four people in clown costumes attacked him.
The man, in his 30s, had a gash to his left check and the back right of his shoulder. He also had two other cuts to his lower stomach.
None of the wounds are life-threatening.
The alleged attack is under investigation.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
- By JEFF DUEWEL Daily Courier
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GALICE, Ore. (AP) — Veterans often return from Afghanistan and Iraq physically and mentally shattered.
That's where the Freedom Alliance and its annual Rogue River trip comes in.
Four guides and 11 veterans took off from Grave Creek boat launch in late October for three days of whitewater rafting and camaraderie in lodges on the Wild Section of the river, reported the Daily Courier (http://bit.ly/2fchh9q).
Mike Dawson of Grants Pass and his father-in-law, Jerry Schuld, organized the annual fishing trip in 2011 through the Freedom Alliance, an organization that advocates for families of injured and deceased veterans.
The fishing trip turned into a rafting trip because all the recent rain left the river a bit too high and off-color for fishing.
But the purpose of the trip didn't change at all.
"It's one thing for these guys to talk to a shrink. It's totally different when they talk to one of their brothers who experienced the same thing," said Dawson, who was on the riverbank as the group launched their rafts into the Rogue.
"The night they leave and the night they come back, the difference is night and day."
Dawson overheard some of the angst, right on his back patio, when he had a Freedom Alliance group over for dinner two years ago.
"We had a guy who was suicidal. One of the experienced vets was with him," Dawson said. "He used some very frank language. I think he probably saved his life."
When it comes to therapy, it doesn't hurt to have good-natured guides like Bret Clark and Bill Inkrote along, river vets who were making their fifth straight Freedom Alliance trip. They were joined by guides Jordan Abbott of Medford and David Freeman of Portland.
"I think it's important to show these guys gratitude for the time they served," Clark said. "The guys are excited to go, and so am I."
"I love it down here, and these guys are great," Inkrote said. "They've taken care of all of us, and they're great people to be with."
The trip covers 60 miles, with stops at Marial and Lucas lodges, and a final take-out at Quosatana Creek, well below Agness on the lower Rogue.
Mark Deleon, 35, of El Paso, formerly of the 1st Marine Division, couldn't wait to go rafting. His first Freedom Alliance trip was halibut fishing in Alaska last year.
"I want to get rafting off my checklist," he said.
He was severely injured in Afghanistan while operating a grenade launcher in 2011, suffering broken arms that became infected, resulting in 12 surgeries. He has metal plates in both arms.
"I've got three good fingers on each hand," he said. "The other two don't work so well."
But the Freedom Alliance helped put together a special harness that allowed him to handle a fishing rod in Alaska. On the Rogue, all he has to do is hang on.
A handful in the group were Army Rangers who participated in Operation Red Wings, the 2005 military operation in Afghanistan now famous for the rescue of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell after three of his team members were killed in an ambush.
Will Black, 35, of Boise, Idaho, was one of his rescuers, and while he didn't want to discuss Red Wings, he was thrilled about reuniting with fellow Rangers for the first time in a decade.
"Honestly I'm not a big fan of whitewater," Black said. "If it wasn't for my buddies I wouldn't be on this trip."
The vets also were treated to a trip to Crater Lake National Park before heading down the river.
"By the time they come back, they'll all be a bunch of buddies," Schuld said.
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Information from: Daily Courier, http://www.thedailycourier.com
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a former Hurricane school teacher accused of having child porn.
The Spectrum in St. George reported (http://bit.ly/2dUVVZ3) Friday that the state dismissed three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor against Jessica Huntsman earlier this month because of insufficient evidence.
Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett says his office believes the 26-year-old's possession of three pornographic images on her phone was unintentional.
Huntsman and her husband, Chad Huntsman, were both previously teachers at Diamond Ranch Academy and were arrested in October 2015.
Chad Huntsman pleaded guilty to one count each of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography in federal court in August. He still has a case pending in state court.
School officials say none of the victims were students.
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Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — A St. George man is crediting the kindness of strangers on the internet for helping him discover a way to keep his wife's memory alive.
Jared Buhanan-Decker tells the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/2dPNgvE) that he has been trying for the last few months to preserve wife Sharry's memory for the sake of their infant son.
Sharry Buhanan-Decker died in June after having an emergency cesarean section.
Buhanan-Decker says he recently found old video files of his wife singing on her computer but couldn't play them.
He posted about his predicament on the website Reddit and was stunned by the response.
Buhanan-Decker says dozens of strangers sent him back the files but fixed. Some just wanted to offer well-wishes.
He now has the files on repeat for him and son, JJ.
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
- By MEGAN PACER Peninsula Clarion
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KENAI, Alaska (AP) — Little clouds of breath rose into the air over five teenagers standing stock-still in a row, eyes trained on the targets in front of them. Then a sharp pop broke the silence, quickly followed by another pop and another until a deluge of shots rang out at the Snowshoe Gun Club.
The young women were members of Teens on Target, created by Elaina Spraker, and they were just getting into their third meeting of this year's course at the gun club in Kenai, reported the Peninsula Clarion (http://bit.ly/2eHjBld). Spraker said she got the idea for the program back in 2009 when she asked her son, then a student at Soldotna High School, whether the girls he hung out with enjoyed going to the shooting range as much as he and his male friends did. His answer was that they tended to hang back, which got Spraker thinking of a way to get young women more involved in shooting and firearm safety.
"What we discovered in the years from then until now, is an amazing thing that has happened with these women is just the strength and empowerment and what it does to their self-esteem," Spraker said.
The program, which is similar to the Women on Target class Spraker teaches for adults, is supported by Friends of the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and the Snowshoe Gun Club. The approximately eight-week course takes a handful of teens aged 13-17 through the basics of shooting pistols, rifles and shotguns, though Spraker said the length of the course can be tweaked if the young women want to keep learning.
Spraker and her husband, Ted, were joined by Jamie Hoogenboom, an NRA certified instructor and mother of one of the participants, 14-year-old Erin.
It costs $35 to join the program, and all the ammunition and other materials are donated by Spraker and her husband. The program also introduces teens to other aspects of using or owning a gun, such as gun cleaning and the importance of testing firearms out before buying them to make sure they will work out.
"Guns are like jeans," Spraker said. "Certain fits for certain women."
The group consisted of the five teens. The session began with drills to test their skills shooting handguns. The group practices with 9 mm semi-automatic pistols and .357 revolvers, Spraker said.
The class has evolved over the years as Spraker's students give her feedback on what they need, she said. While Spraker originally thought she would teach a different class each year, she said it has worked better as a group that teens join at a younger age and remain in until they graduate out.
Faith Glassmaker, 14, and Matthea Boatright, 16, are both veterans of the program.
"I joined this class mainly because I've grown up around firearms, because my parents both shoot," Glassmaker said. "I love shooting, so I think it's cool that we get to come here every week and just shoot as much as we want."
Boatright said she didn't have much experience beyond rifles before joining Teens on Target, and that she has enjoyed getting to know her way around pistols and shotguns as well.
While Glassmaker and newcomer Morgan Reynolds, 14, both grew up in families that use firearms, they said expanding their range of knowledge has been exciting. Learning to shoot a pistol was especially intimidating at first, Glassmaker said.
"Last year when you (Spraker) had us shooting the pistols, I (thought), 'This is, like, intense,' and my adrenalin was just like overflowing," she said. "And after a couple shots you're like, 'I got this.'"
Boatright and Glassmaker have already been through the self-defense class portion of the program taught by members of the Kenai Police Department. Boatright said it was informative and that she only hopes she'd be able to recall what she learned while under the pressure of an emergency situation.
The teens all said they plan on using the skills they learn through the program to continue shooting and for hunting.
The group of girls has a shared interest in shooting that doesn't extend very far into their social circles. With the exception of one or two other girls they know that shoot, most of their female friends don't partake in the pastime, the teens said.
"And they don't know at all what we're talking about," Reynolds said with a laugh.
Not very many of their male friends shoot either, Reynolds and Glassmaker said.
As far as the future of the program is concerned, Spraker said a small group of young women who come back each year seems to be a good fit. The format of the course doesn't need much tweaking, but the participants are good at letting instructors know what they need, she said.
"Teenagers teach you, they humble you," she said. "And they've taught us a lot."
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Information from: (Kenai, Alaska) Peninsula Clarion, http://www.peninsulaclarion.com
- By HAL BERNTON The Seattle Times
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SEATTLE (AP) — More than a dozen years ago, Tami Silicio, a native of Edmonds, took a photo of the tunnel-like interior of a cargo plane that held more than 20 flag-draped coffins of U.S. service members killed in Iraq and soon to be flown home.
First published by The Seattle Times, the image quickly gained a global audience, and helped to fuel a volatile debate about a U.S. government policy that prohibited the media from taking pictures of such scenes.
It also cost Silicio her job in Kuwait with a military contractor, reported The Seattle Times (http://bit.ly/2eLK7Jr).
In October, the 2004 picture is included in a Time anthology book, "100 Photographs: The Most Influential Images of All Time," and will be part of a companion digital display scheduled for rollout later this fall.
Though the picture would become a rallying point for those opposed to U.S. policy in Iraq, Silicio said that, at the time, she did not intend an anti-war image. The aircraft interior felt almost like a shrine, she said, and she hoped the photo would convey the respect and the dignity with which the workers went about their tasks.
"I feel honored," Silicio said. "The photo was honest. It captured the respect for the dead and that's what it should have been about. That photo stirred up a whole lot of stuff around this nation. People's emotions were touched."
In the Time book, Silicio's photograph is included along with images that range from a Mathew Brady photo of Abraham Lincoln to the iconic shot of the World War II flag-raising on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal. The book's publication marks the 175th anniversary of photography.
"This was a censored photograph published on the front page of a major newspaper in 2004 and was extremely influential," said Kira Pollack, Time's director of photography and visual enterprise.
The Seattle Times first received Silicio's picture, taken with a Nikon Coolpix, from one of her stateside friends, Amy Katz, who had worked with Silicio for a different contractor in Kosovo.
Silicio, at the time, was based at Kuwait International Airport for Maytag Aircraft, and took the image after boarding a plane where half a dozen colleagues labored largely in silence to secure the coffins.
The photo arrived at the newspaper in early April 2004, a pivotal period in the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, as the death toll of U.S. troops rose amid a growing insurgency.
It was also taken at a crossroads moment in technology, when photos could be easily emailed around the world, but Facebook, then only a few months old, did not yet offer an instantaneous platform to self-publish.
The newspaper did not rush to release the photo, but held onto it for more than a week. In phone calls with Silicio, Barry Fitzsimmons, then a Seattle Times photo editor, said this was a potent and important image. But he warned of the potential implications of the public release, including the risk that Silicio would lose her job.
"Most of my conversations were making sure she knew what she was getting into," Fitzsimmons recalled.
On April 18, 2004, the photograph was published, paired with an article about Silicio's work in Kuwait and why she took the picture.
"Those of us at The Times knew the picture would be important, if only because the government prohibits the press from taking such photos. But we didn't dream it would spark so much interest worldwide," wrote Mike Fancher, then The Seattle Times executive editor, in a May 2, 2004, column written after two weeks of fielding media interviews and poring through an avalanche of reader responses.
Some were critical of the decision to publish, assuming political motivation. But most were positive, including several from parents of fallen service members who did not want to conceal the sacrifice their children had made.
"Hiding the death and destruction of this war does not make it easier on anyone except those who want to keep the truth away from the people," wrote Bill Mitchell, father of Staff Sgt. Michael Mitchell, who was killed in Iraq just days before Silicio took her photo and whose remains may have been on the aircraft.
Within days after the photo was published, Silicio was let go from Maytag for violating company and government regulations.
In the years that followed, Silicio couldn't get other military-contracting jobs. Back home, she struggled financially, losing the home she had purchased in Everett to a bank, as she was unable to keep up with her mortgage payments.
Now 62, Silicio says she has spent much of the past 12 years helping to raise her grandchildren. She now lives in Seattle, and says she does not regret her decision to allow publication of the photo.
"I would have been better off, but I still feel like I did the right thing," Silicio said.
The policy that prohibited the media from taking such pictures was put in place in 1991 during the Gulf War. In 2009, the Obama administration decided to lift the ban.
"This photo absolutely had something to do with that," said Fitzsimmons, the former Times editor. "It was eye opening. It made the war more real, and the sacrifice more real. When you see it, it hits home."
Today, the war in Iraq continues.
The numbers of U.S. troops, numbering nearly 6,000, has once again been on the rise, although greatly reduced from a peak of more than 165,000 during the Bush administration.
Oct. 20, a U.S. service member was killed by a roadside bomb.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
- By KYLE SPURR The Bulletin
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BEND, Ore. (AP) — Megan Watkins never wanted a dog until she met Florence, a Tosa mastiff rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm.
Watkins, who manages a Starbucks in Bend, hosted a grand opening block party in August. She remembers stepping outside the coffee shop and happening to see Florence being walked by Humane Society of Central Oregon outreach manager Lynne Ouchida.
Watkins, an owner of two cats, knew she found her dog.
"I felt instantly connected to her," she said. "She just had this really tough, sweet, calm energy."
Watkins offered the dog a puppuccino, a small cup filled with whipped cream that Starbucks employees give to customers' dogs.
"We say it was a match made over a puppuccino," Ouchida said.
Rescued dogs
Florence is one of 28 dogs brought to central Oregon in March from a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea. All but three of the dogs have since been adopted, and two had to be euthanized, reported The Bulletin (http://bit.ly/2dSSmWh).
Humane Society International, a global animal protection organization, goes to dog meat farms and trades services and goods for the dogs. The group teaches farmers how to grow crops or offers rice and berries in exchange for the dogs.
A total of 250 dogs were rescued from the South Korean farm and sent to Humane Societies around the United States.
The Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend took 17 dogs, and BrightSide Animal Shelter in Redmond took 11 dogs. The breeds vary with mixes including Labradors, mastiffs, Jindos and elkhounds.
Each dog had major medical and behavioral issues. The dogs had infections, orthopedic issues and broken teeth from being confined in small cages. Many were fearful at the Humane Society shelters and would hide in their kennels.
"These dogs were not raised with human contact. They were not raised in a social environment," Ouchida said. "They were raised in wire cages. Their interactions with humans were extremely limited."
Florence had two deformed legs from growing up in a small cage. She had surgery in September, paid for by Humane Society International. She is now recovering with her foster owner, Watkins, who will be able to formally adopt her from the Humane Society after she recovers.
"We came into her life through the worst of it," Watkins said.
Two dogs from the farm remain at the Bend shelter; Owen, a 1-year-old Jindo, and Addi, a 2-year-old Tosa-Lab mix. Staffers continue to socialize and train the two dogs before they will be put up for adoption.
Jesse, a 1-year-old Jindo mix, is in foster care with the Redmond shelter.
Overall, 23 of the dogs have been adopted.
"This has been extremely successful for the dogs," said Karen Burns, Humane Society of Central Oregon manager. "Yes, we have had some heartbreak along the way, but I would like to focus on all the positive we have done. These are success stories. These are dogs that are part of someone's life and family now because of what we did."
Changing the culture
Bend resident Debby Bever grew up in Taiwan, where it is common to see dog meat at the markets. She never got used to the sight.
"There were dogs at the market all the time," Bever said. "There would be chicken, fish and then you would see a dog carcass."
Consuming dog meat is a cultural tradition, Bever said, where some Asian people believe it will keep them cool in the summertime. The tradition is still popular among older generations, she said, but younger people are slowly changing the culture.
With the experience of seeing dog meat firsthand, Bever felt compelled to help the dogs that came to town in March.
She offered to be a foster owner for a Tosa mastiff puppy named Lana. After less than a month, Bever adopted the young dog.
Bever, who owns two mastiffs, said it has been fascinating to see how Lana interacts with her two large dogs. Lana almost immediately bonded with them, while remaining distant to any human contact. Over time, she has warmed up to Bever.
"They just attach to other dogs and don't want to be by themselves," Bever said. "All they knew were dogs and mean people."
'Part of the family'
At her home in Redmond, Watkins had a ramp, doggy door and outdoor enclosure built for Florence.
"She is part of the family now, and we set up the whole house for her," Watkins said.
After meeting Florence at the block party, Watkins visited her at the Bend shelter for two weeks before bringing her home. During those two weeks, Watkins convinced her husband, Jason Watkins, they needed the dog.
He agreed, and Florence has fit into their family ever since.
"I just feel very lucky to have her in our lives," Watkins said.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
- By ELOISE OGDEN Minot Daily News
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MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Long-range bombers, including the B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, have been providing continuous bomber presence in the Pacific since early 2000.
Minot AFB has two B-52 squadrons in the rotation: the 23rd and the 69th bomb squadrons. Members of the 69th recently returned from the deployment at Andersen AFB in Guam, the Minot Daily News (http://bit.ly/2esTFfc ) reported.
Maj. Ken Sterling of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB said B-1 bombers pulled out of the Continuous Bomber Presence, often referred to as CBP, in approximately the 2006 timeframe until about two months ago when the B-1s returned to the rotation.
"The mission itself is a deterrence of potential adversaries," Sterling told members of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee at a recent meeting at the Minot base. The continuous bomber mission also is a reassurance to U.S. allies and defending national security interests in that region.
Sterling said the "big picture" when personnel from Minot AFB's 5th Bomb Wing deploy to Guam is they go there for joint training opportunities with other branches of services in the Pacific area of operations.
Tech. Sgt. Lara Miguel III, a public affairs representative with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, said all three strategic bombers regularly conduct missions in the Indo-Asia-Pacific in support of U.S. Pacific Command.
"During a recent deployment to Guam in August, B-2s from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, deployed in support of the U.S. Strategic Command's bomber assurance and deterrence missions, while at the same time, B-1s from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and B-52s from Minot AFB, N.D., were deployed in support of the U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence in Guam. The assurance and deterrence missions conducted by the B-2s from Whiteman AFB complimented the Continuous Bomber Presence, said Miguel.
Sterling said the typical deployment from Minot AFB has about 300 military members including aircrew, weapons loaders, maintenance and other support people.
He said the missions of the CBP in the Pacific region have increased extensively.
During the most recent deployment of Minot AFB personnel to Guam, 82 missions were flown, Sterling said. He said this is an increase in the number of missions compared to the first years of CBP when around 30 to 35 missions were flown. "You can see the level of frequency has changed as well as the scope of the missions," he said.
Also, during the most recent deployment for Minot AFB personnel, he said they did seven exercises with the Navy's Seventh Fleet.
Sterling said the shortest sorties for them during the CBP deployment is about 10 hours and the longest sorties are about 22 hours. The flight between Minot AFB and Guam is about 14-16 hours.
The B-1Bs from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., replaced the B-52s from Minot AFB in support of U.S. Pacific Command's
He said the B-1s from the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., will continue in Guam for a time and then the B-52s will eventually roll back into the deployment to return to Guam again.
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Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com
An AP Exchange shared by Minot Daily News
- By RACHEL LA CORTE Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington voters have rejected personal income tax-related measures at the statewide ballot several times over the past eight decades. Now voters in the state capital will decide whether to approve an income tax on the city's highest earners, even as the legality of the measure remains in question.
Initiative 1 seeks a 1.5 percent tax on household income in excess of $200,000 for residents of Olympia, a city of about 50,000 people. The measure seeks to raise an estimated $3 million a year for a public college tuition fund that would give all Olympia public high school graduates and GED recipients tuition for at least the first year of community or technical college, or the equivalent amount — about $4,000 — for in-state public university tuition.
"It puts the spotlight on the finances of education," said Democratic state Sen. Sam Hunt of Olympia, a supporter of the measure. "Obviously, it's controversial. But I think at some point people need to step forward and say what we're doing isn't working, and we need to find better solutions. And this is one step toward finding a better solution."
Opponents of the measure argue that Seattle activists are focused solely on teeing up a test case for the state Supreme Court, and using a tax on the residents of the city of Olympia to accomplish that goal. The last time Washington voters approved an income tax was in 1932, but the measure was ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court the following year. In 1984, the state Legislature approved a law that that prohibits a county, city, or city-county from levying a tax on net income.
"It's not about education," said Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby, who noted that she supports the idea of a statewide income tax and has voted in favor of one before. "What I'm trusting is that our community, because we are so literate and educated around political issues, will see through this."
Last month, the state Court of Appeals ruled that the Olympia income-tax measure should appear on the ballot even as legal challenges to it continue. The ruling came following an appeal of an August ruling by Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jack Nevin, who found the measure went beyond the scope of local initiative power and ruled it should not appear on the ballot.
The appellate court order noted that there will be "ample time to litigate the issues raised after the election."
The phrase "income tax" does not appear on the ballot title after a superior court judge ruled in favor of initiative proponents that it would be prejudicial to the proponents, who say the proposed tax is technically an excise tax because it taxes gross income. Instead, the ballot title simply says that the measure "concerns establishing and funding a college grant program."
In the fuller description below the title, it notes that the grants would be funded by a tax on household income above $200,000.
Supporters of the measure — including the Economic Opportunity Institute in Seattle — have raised more than $213,000, with the top donations coming from residents of Seattle and surrounding areas. Opponents have raised about $5,700.
Washington is one of seven states — Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming — without a personal income tax. New Hampshire and Tennessee have a limited income tax on interest, dividends and capital gains, but they do not tax wages and salaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Voters last weighed in on a statewide income tax on in 2010, overwhelmingly defeating a measure that would have taxed the top 1 percent of the state's earners. Initiative 1098 was defeated in all 39 counties, including Olympia's Thurston County, where nearly 61 percent of voters rejected it. But of the 60 precincts within the city of Olympia — which is more liberal than the rest of the county — the measure prevailed in 38, garnering 11,380 "yes" votes to 8,925 "no" votes.
Hugh Spitzer, a University of Washington law professor specializing in state constitutional law who is affiliated with the law firm that is representing the City of Olympia in the case, said that if the state Legislature passed an income tax or asked the voters to pass a statewide income tax, there's a reasonably good chance the court would uphold such a law this time around.
But the effort in Olympia is "beyond a code city's statutory authority," Spitzer said.
Heather Weiner, a spokeswoman for the initiative campaign, said the state needs to ensure that there is enough of an educated local workforce so that big companies aren't forced to seek talent from outside of the state. As the seat of state government, Olympia is the perfect city to have that discussion, she said.
"It sends a message to the state Legislature that we need to find progressive tax solutions to our higher education crisis," Weiner said.
SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (AP) — Search-and-rescue workers have recovered a body in the Angeles National Forest believed to be that of a missing hiker.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials said the man's body was found Saturday near the base of Hermit Falls, a popular hiking destination in Southern California.
County coroner's and sheriff's homicide investigators are looking into the man's identity and cause of death.
The body is believed to be that of 63-year-old John Richard King, an experienced hiker who left his home in La Puente on Thursday morning and never returned.
King's car was found in the parking area of Chantry Flat, the start of the hiking trail.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — State transportation officials have used thousands of pounds of explosives to implode part of the old San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as part of an ongoing demolition project.
Crews set off the explosives Saturday morning, destroying a marine foundation on the old span.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/2f09Lvl) that Caltrans first used the technique to break up one of the old bridge's foundations in November and concluded that the implosion caused minimal environmental damage.
Six foundations are slated to be destroyed next year and seven more in 2018.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — A Las Cruces father says his son is no longer allowed to wear a pro-Hillary Clinton T-shirt to school.
Philip Walker told the Las Cruces Sun-News (http://bit.ly/2eTIa1e) on Friday that his 10-year-old son has been wearing a "Hillary Clinton 2016" shirt once a week for the past several weeks.
But Chris Walker says he was recently instructed to no longer wear it because school officials are concerned about heated political conversations between students in the schoolyard.
Philip Walker says he called the school principal, who said she was considering implementing a new rule banning political shirts during the campaign season.
Las Cruces Public Schools spokeswoman Jo Galvan says principals have can modify a school dress code if the attire is disrupting the learning environment.
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, http://www.lcsun-news.com
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A temporary winter homeless shelter that can house 100 adults is scheduled to open in downtown Portland next month.
Developer Tom Cody is donating the first floor of his property for six months while he waits permits to renovate the building for office and retail space.
The shelter is expected to open around Thanksgiving for six months.
Officials with Portland and Multnomah County announced the temporary shelter Friday.
Earlier in the week, the city scrapped plans to develop a massive homeless shelter at a city-owned warehouse known as Terminal 1.
Operating costs will be covered by A Home For Everyone, a collaborative that includes the city, county and nonprofits. The nonprofit group Transition Projects will operate the facility.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police are looking for a Donald Trump supporter who was harassed and fell to the ground as she apparently protected the presidential candidate's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
The Los Angeles Times reports (http://lat.ms/2elP7EV ) that a video uploaded to YouTube Thursday shows the woman displaying pro-Trump signs complaining about immigrants and President Obama.
A man bumps against her, she pushes back and falls to the ground, staying there as the crowd jeers.
The video prompted angry calls to police asking why they didn't intervene.
LAPD Officer Tony Im says the woman incited the crowd with racial slurs and police at the scene "kept the peace."
He says police will look for the woman to interview her.
A man with a sledgehammer destroyed Trump's star Wednesday. It's being repaired.
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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A stuntman who was injured when he was run over while filming an upcoming television series is suing actor Tom Sizemore and the production.
Steve de Castro sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures on Friday, claiming the July incident in which he was pinned beneath a sport utility vehicle driven by Sizemore left him with significant injuries.
The lawsuit claims the "Black Hawk Down" actor was intoxicated at a remote desert airport in northern Los Angeles County during filming of the upcoming USA Network action show "Shooter." De Castro was airlifted from the scene but the lawsuit does not specify what his injuries were, describing them only as "numerous internal and external injuries."
Sheriff's deputies did not open an investigation, saying at the time that it would be handled by occupational safety inspectors.
Paramount declined comment on the lawsuit. Sizemore's agents did not return emails sent Saturday.
De Castro's lawsuit states that some of his injuries are likely to be permanent and they have hampered his ability to work.
Sizemore was arrested later in July on suspicion of domestic violence and has pleaded not guilty to being abusive to his ex-girlfriend.
The accident and criminal case occurred amid Sizemore's latest comeback attempt after years of substance abuse problems. He has a recurring role in "Shooter," but his career has fallen from its heyday when he appeared in such films such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down."
"Shooter" is a TV adaptation of a 2007 film with the same name and a best-selling novel, "Point of Impact."
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police say a man who showed up to the hospital with multiple stab wounds reported being attacked by four people dressed as clowns.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2eTnTsN ) that police say the man reported getting into an argument with someone across the street from him as he was riding a skateboard on Friday night.
When he was about to leave, that's when the man says four people in clown costumes attacked him.
The man, in his 30s, had a gash to his left check and the back right of his shoulder. He also had two other cuts to his lower stomach.
None of the wounds are life-threatening.
The alleged attack is under investigation.
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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
- By JEFF DUEWEL Daily Courier
GALICE, Ore. (AP) — Veterans often return from Afghanistan and Iraq physically and mentally shattered.
That's where the Freedom Alliance and its annual Rogue River trip comes in.
Four guides and 11 veterans took off from Grave Creek boat launch in late October for three days of whitewater rafting and camaraderie in lodges on the Wild Section of the river, reported the Daily Courier (http://bit.ly/2fchh9q).
Mike Dawson of Grants Pass and his father-in-law, Jerry Schuld, organized the annual fishing trip in 2011 through the Freedom Alliance, an organization that advocates for families of injured and deceased veterans.
The fishing trip turned into a rafting trip because all the recent rain left the river a bit too high and off-color for fishing.
But the purpose of the trip didn't change at all.
"It's one thing for these guys to talk to a shrink. It's totally different when they talk to one of their brothers who experienced the same thing," said Dawson, who was on the riverbank as the group launched their rafts into the Rogue.
"The night they leave and the night they come back, the difference is night and day."
Dawson overheard some of the angst, right on his back patio, when he had a Freedom Alliance group over for dinner two years ago.
"We had a guy who was suicidal. One of the experienced vets was with him," Dawson said. "He used some very frank language. I think he probably saved his life."
When it comes to therapy, it doesn't hurt to have good-natured guides like Bret Clark and Bill Inkrote along, river vets who were making their fifth straight Freedom Alliance trip. They were joined by guides Jordan Abbott of Medford and David Freeman of Portland.
"I think it's important to show these guys gratitude for the time they served," Clark said. "The guys are excited to go, and so am I."
"I love it down here, and these guys are great," Inkrote said. "They've taken care of all of us, and they're great people to be with."
The trip covers 60 miles, with stops at Marial and Lucas lodges, and a final take-out at Quosatana Creek, well below Agness on the lower Rogue.
Mark Deleon, 35, of El Paso, formerly of the 1st Marine Division, couldn't wait to go rafting. His first Freedom Alliance trip was halibut fishing in Alaska last year.
"I want to get rafting off my checklist," he said.
He was severely injured in Afghanistan while operating a grenade launcher in 2011, suffering broken arms that became infected, resulting in 12 surgeries. He has metal plates in both arms.
"I've got three good fingers on each hand," he said. "The other two don't work so well."
But the Freedom Alliance helped put together a special harness that allowed him to handle a fishing rod in Alaska. On the Rogue, all he has to do is hang on.
A handful in the group were Army Rangers who participated in Operation Red Wings, the 2005 military operation in Afghanistan now famous for the rescue of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell after three of his team members were killed in an ambush.
Will Black, 35, of Boise, Idaho, was one of his rescuers, and while he didn't want to discuss Red Wings, he was thrilled about reuniting with fellow Rangers for the first time in a decade.
"Honestly I'm not a big fan of whitewater," Black said. "If it wasn't for my buddies I wouldn't be on this trip."
The vets also were treated to a trip to Crater Lake National Park before heading down the river.
"By the time they come back, they'll all be a bunch of buddies," Schuld said.
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Information from: Daily Courier, http://www.thedailycourier.com
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a former Hurricane school teacher accused of having child porn.
The Spectrum in St. George reported (http://bit.ly/2dUVVZ3) Friday that the state dismissed three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor against Jessica Huntsman earlier this month because of insufficient evidence.
Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett says his office believes the 26-year-old's possession of three pornographic images on her phone was unintentional.
Huntsman and her husband, Chad Huntsman, were both previously teachers at Diamond Ranch Academy and were arrested in October 2015.
Chad Huntsman pleaded guilty to one count each of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography in federal court in August. He still has a case pending in state court.
School officials say none of the victims were students.
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Information from: The Spectrum, http://www.thespectrum.com
ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — A St. George man is crediting the kindness of strangers on the internet for helping him discover a way to keep his wife's memory alive.
Jared Buhanan-Decker tells the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/2dPNgvE) that he has been trying for the last few months to preserve wife Sharry's memory for the sake of their infant son.
Sharry Buhanan-Decker died in June after having an emergency cesarean section.
Buhanan-Decker says he recently found old video files of his wife singing on her computer but couldn't play them.
He posted about his predicament on the website Reddit and was stunned by the response.
Buhanan-Decker says dozens of strangers sent him back the files but fixed. Some just wanted to offer well-wishes.
He now has the files on repeat for him and son, JJ.
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
- By MEGAN PACER Peninsula Clarion
KENAI, Alaska (AP) — Little clouds of breath rose into the air over five teenagers standing stock-still in a row, eyes trained on the targets in front of them. Then a sharp pop broke the silence, quickly followed by another pop and another until a deluge of shots rang out at the Snowshoe Gun Club.
The young women were members of Teens on Target, created by Elaina Spraker, and they were just getting into their third meeting of this year's course at the gun club in Kenai, reported the Peninsula Clarion (http://bit.ly/2eHjBld). Spraker said she got the idea for the program back in 2009 when she asked her son, then a student at Soldotna High School, whether the girls he hung out with enjoyed going to the shooting range as much as he and his male friends did. His answer was that they tended to hang back, which got Spraker thinking of a way to get young women more involved in shooting and firearm safety.
"What we discovered in the years from then until now, is an amazing thing that has happened with these women is just the strength and empowerment and what it does to their self-esteem," Spraker said.
The program, which is similar to the Women on Target class Spraker teaches for adults, is supported by Friends of the National Rifle Association, Safari Club International and the Snowshoe Gun Club. The approximately eight-week course takes a handful of teens aged 13-17 through the basics of shooting pistols, rifles and shotguns, though Spraker said the length of the course can be tweaked if the young women want to keep learning.
Spraker and her husband, Ted, were joined by Jamie Hoogenboom, an NRA certified instructor and mother of one of the participants, 14-year-old Erin.
It costs $35 to join the program, and all the ammunition and other materials are donated by Spraker and her husband. The program also introduces teens to other aspects of using or owning a gun, such as gun cleaning and the importance of testing firearms out before buying them to make sure they will work out.
"Guns are like jeans," Spraker said. "Certain fits for certain women."
The group consisted of the five teens. The session began with drills to test their skills shooting handguns. The group practices with 9 mm semi-automatic pistols and .357 revolvers, Spraker said.
The class has evolved over the years as Spraker's students give her feedback on what they need, she said. While Spraker originally thought she would teach a different class each year, she said it has worked better as a group that teens join at a younger age and remain in until they graduate out.
Faith Glassmaker, 14, and Matthea Boatright, 16, are both veterans of the program.
"I joined this class mainly because I've grown up around firearms, because my parents both shoot," Glassmaker said. "I love shooting, so I think it's cool that we get to come here every week and just shoot as much as we want."
Boatright said she didn't have much experience beyond rifles before joining Teens on Target, and that she has enjoyed getting to know her way around pistols and shotguns as well.
While Glassmaker and newcomer Morgan Reynolds, 14, both grew up in families that use firearms, they said expanding their range of knowledge has been exciting. Learning to shoot a pistol was especially intimidating at first, Glassmaker said.
"Last year when you (Spraker) had us shooting the pistols, I (thought), 'This is, like, intense,' and my adrenalin was just like overflowing," she said. "And after a couple shots you're like, 'I got this.'"
Boatright and Glassmaker have already been through the self-defense class portion of the program taught by members of the Kenai Police Department. Boatright said it was informative and that she only hopes she'd be able to recall what she learned while under the pressure of an emergency situation.
The teens all said they plan on using the skills they learn through the program to continue shooting and for hunting.
The group of girls has a shared interest in shooting that doesn't extend very far into their social circles. With the exception of one or two other girls they know that shoot, most of their female friends don't partake in the pastime, the teens said.
"And they don't know at all what we're talking about," Reynolds said with a laugh.
Not very many of their male friends shoot either, Reynolds and Glassmaker said.
As far as the future of the program is concerned, Spraker said a small group of young women who come back each year seems to be a good fit. The format of the course doesn't need much tweaking, but the participants are good at letting instructors know what they need, she said.
"Teenagers teach you, they humble you," she said. "And they've taught us a lot."
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Information from: (Kenai, Alaska) Peninsula Clarion, http://www.peninsulaclarion.com
- By HAL BERNTON The Seattle Times
SEATTLE (AP) — More than a dozen years ago, Tami Silicio, a native of Edmonds, took a photo of the tunnel-like interior of a cargo plane that held more than 20 flag-draped coffins of U.S. service members killed in Iraq and soon to be flown home.
First published by The Seattle Times, the image quickly gained a global audience, and helped to fuel a volatile debate about a U.S. government policy that prohibited the media from taking pictures of such scenes.
It also cost Silicio her job in Kuwait with a military contractor, reported The Seattle Times (http://bit.ly/2eLK7Jr).
In October, the 2004 picture is included in a Time anthology book, "100 Photographs: The Most Influential Images of All Time," and will be part of a companion digital display scheduled for rollout later this fall.
Though the picture would become a rallying point for those opposed to U.S. policy in Iraq, Silicio said that, at the time, she did not intend an anti-war image. The aircraft interior felt almost like a shrine, she said, and she hoped the photo would convey the respect and the dignity with which the workers went about their tasks.
"I feel honored," Silicio said. "The photo was honest. It captured the respect for the dead and that's what it should have been about. That photo stirred up a whole lot of stuff around this nation. People's emotions were touched."
In the Time book, Silicio's photograph is included along with images that range from a Mathew Brady photo of Abraham Lincoln to the iconic shot of the World War II flag-raising on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal. The book's publication marks the 175th anniversary of photography.
"This was a censored photograph published on the front page of a major newspaper in 2004 and was extremely influential," said Kira Pollack, Time's director of photography and visual enterprise.
The Seattle Times first received Silicio's picture, taken with a Nikon Coolpix, from one of her stateside friends, Amy Katz, who had worked with Silicio for a different contractor in Kosovo.
Silicio, at the time, was based at Kuwait International Airport for Maytag Aircraft, and took the image after boarding a plane where half a dozen colleagues labored largely in silence to secure the coffins.
The photo arrived at the newspaper in early April 2004, a pivotal period in the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, as the death toll of U.S. troops rose amid a growing insurgency.
It was also taken at a crossroads moment in technology, when photos could be easily emailed around the world, but Facebook, then only a few months old, did not yet offer an instantaneous platform to self-publish.
The newspaper did not rush to release the photo, but held onto it for more than a week. In phone calls with Silicio, Barry Fitzsimmons, then a Seattle Times photo editor, said this was a potent and important image. But he warned of the potential implications of the public release, including the risk that Silicio would lose her job.
"Most of my conversations were making sure she knew what she was getting into," Fitzsimmons recalled.
On April 18, 2004, the photograph was published, paired with an article about Silicio's work in Kuwait and why she took the picture.
"Those of us at The Times knew the picture would be important, if only because the government prohibits the press from taking such photos. But we didn't dream it would spark so much interest worldwide," wrote Mike Fancher, then The Seattle Times executive editor, in a May 2, 2004, column written after two weeks of fielding media interviews and poring through an avalanche of reader responses.
Some were critical of the decision to publish, assuming political motivation. But most were positive, including several from parents of fallen service members who did not want to conceal the sacrifice their children had made.
"Hiding the death and destruction of this war does not make it easier on anyone except those who want to keep the truth away from the people," wrote Bill Mitchell, father of Staff Sgt. Michael Mitchell, who was killed in Iraq just days before Silicio took her photo and whose remains may have been on the aircraft.
Within days after the photo was published, Silicio was let go from Maytag for violating company and government regulations.
In the years that followed, Silicio couldn't get other military-contracting jobs. Back home, she struggled financially, losing the home she had purchased in Everett to a bank, as she was unable to keep up with her mortgage payments.
Now 62, Silicio says she has spent much of the past 12 years helping to raise her grandchildren. She now lives in Seattle, and says she does not regret her decision to allow publication of the photo.
"I would have been better off, but I still feel like I did the right thing," Silicio said.
The policy that prohibited the media from taking such pictures was put in place in 1991 during the Gulf War. In 2009, the Obama administration decided to lift the ban.
"This photo absolutely had something to do with that," said Fitzsimmons, the former Times editor. "It was eye opening. It made the war more real, and the sacrifice more real. When you see it, it hits home."
Today, the war in Iraq continues.
The numbers of U.S. troops, numbering nearly 6,000, has once again been on the rise, although greatly reduced from a peak of more than 165,000 during the Bush administration.
Oct. 20, a U.S. service member was killed by a roadside bomb.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
- By KYLE SPURR The Bulletin
BEND, Ore. (AP) — Megan Watkins never wanted a dog until she met Florence, a Tosa mastiff rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm.
Watkins, who manages a Starbucks in Bend, hosted a grand opening block party in August. She remembers stepping outside the coffee shop and happening to see Florence being walked by Humane Society of Central Oregon outreach manager Lynne Ouchida.
Watkins, an owner of two cats, knew she found her dog.
"I felt instantly connected to her," she said. "She just had this really tough, sweet, calm energy."
Watkins offered the dog a puppuccino, a small cup filled with whipped cream that Starbucks employees give to customers' dogs.
"We say it was a match made over a puppuccino," Ouchida said.
Rescued dogs
Florence is one of 28 dogs brought to central Oregon in March from a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea. All but three of the dogs have since been adopted, and two had to be euthanized, reported The Bulletin (http://bit.ly/2dSSmWh).
Humane Society International, a global animal protection organization, goes to dog meat farms and trades services and goods for the dogs. The group teaches farmers how to grow crops or offers rice and berries in exchange for the dogs.
A total of 250 dogs were rescued from the South Korean farm and sent to Humane Societies around the United States.
The Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend took 17 dogs, and BrightSide Animal Shelter in Redmond took 11 dogs. The breeds vary with mixes including Labradors, mastiffs, Jindos and elkhounds.
Each dog had major medical and behavioral issues. The dogs had infections, orthopedic issues and broken teeth from being confined in small cages. Many were fearful at the Humane Society shelters and would hide in their kennels.
"These dogs were not raised with human contact. They were not raised in a social environment," Ouchida said. "They were raised in wire cages. Their interactions with humans were extremely limited."
Florence had two deformed legs from growing up in a small cage. She had surgery in September, paid for by Humane Society International. She is now recovering with her foster owner, Watkins, who will be able to formally adopt her from the Humane Society after she recovers.
"We came into her life through the worst of it," Watkins said.
Two dogs from the farm remain at the Bend shelter; Owen, a 1-year-old Jindo, and Addi, a 2-year-old Tosa-Lab mix. Staffers continue to socialize and train the two dogs before they will be put up for adoption.
Jesse, a 1-year-old Jindo mix, is in foster care with the Redmond shelter.
Overall, 23 of the dogs have been adopted.
"This has been extremely successful for the dogs," said Karen Burns, Humane Society of Central Oregon manager. "Yes, we have had some heartbreak along the way, but I would like to focus on all the positive we have done. These are success stories. These are dogs that are part of someone's life and family now because of what we did."
Changing the culture
Bend resident Debby Bever grew up in Taiwan, where it is common to see dog meat at the markets. She never got used to the sight.
"There were dogs at the market all the time," Bever said. "There would be chicken, fish and then you would see a dog carcass."
Consuming dog meat is a cultural tradition, Bever said, where some Asian people believe it will keep them cool in the summertime. The tradition is still popular among older generations, she said, but younger people are slowly changing the culture.
With the experience of seeing dog meat firsthand, Bever felt compelled to help the dogs that came to town in March.
She offered to be a foster owner for a Tosa mastiff puppy named Lana. After less than a month, Bever adopted the young dog.
Bever, who owns two mastiffs, said it has been fascinating to see how Lana interacts with her two large dogs. Lana almost immediately bonded with them, while remaining distant to any human contact. Over time, she has warmed up to Bever.
"They just attach to other dogs and don't want to be by themselves," Bever said. "All they knew were dogs and mean people."
'Part of the family'
At her home in Redmond, Watkins had a ramp, doggy door and outdoor enclosure built for Florence.
"She is part of the family now, and we set up the whole house for her," Watkins said.
After meeting Florence at the block party, Watkins visited her at the Bend shelter for two weeks before bringing her home. During those two weeks, Watkins convinced her husband, Jason Watkins, they needed the dog.
He agreed, and Florence has fit into their family ever since.
"I just feel very lucky to have her in our lives," Watkins said.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
- By ELOISE OGDEN Minot Daily News
MINOT, N.D. (AP) — Long-range bombers, including the B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, have been providing continuous bomber presence in the Pacific since early 2000.
Minot AFB has two B-52 squadrons in the rotation: the 23rd and the 69th bomb squadrons. Members of the 69th recently returned from the deployment at Andersen AFB in Guam, the Minot Daily News (http://bit.ly/2esTFfc ) reported.
Maj. Ken Sterling of the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB said B-1 bombers pulled out of the Continuous Bomber Presence, often referred to as CBP, in approximately the 2006 timeframe until about two months ago when the B-1s returned to the rotation.
"The mission itself is a deterrence of potential adversaries," Sterling told members of the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee at a recent meeting at the Minot base. The continuous bomber mission also is a reassurance to U.S. allies and defending national security interests in that region.
Sterling said the "big picture" when personnel from Minot AFB's 5th Bomb Wing deploy to Guam is they go there for joint training opportunities with other branches of services in the Pacific area of operations.
Tech. Sgt. Lara Miguel III, a public affairs representative with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, said all three strategic bombers regularly conduct missions in the Indo-Asia-Pacific in support of U.S. Pacific Command.
"During a recent deployment to Guam in August, B-2s from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, deployed in support of the U.S. Strategic Command's bomber assurance and deterrence missions, while at the same time, B-1s from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., and B-52s from Minot AFB, N.D., were deployed in support of the U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence in Guam. The assurance and deterrence missions conducted by the B-2s from Whiteman AFB complimented the Continuous Bomber Presence, said Miguel.
Sterling said the typical deployment from Minot AFB has about 300 military members including aircrew, weapons loaders, maintenance and other support people.
He said the missions of the CBP in the Pacific region have increased extensively.
During the most recent deployment of Minot AFB personnel to Guam, 82 missions were flown, Sterling said. He said this is an increase in the number of missions compared to the first years of CBP when around 30 to 35 missions were flown. "You can see the level of frequency has changed as well as the scope of the missions," he said.
Also, during the most recent deployment for Minot AFB personnel, he said they did seven exercises with the Navy's Seventh Fleet.
Sterling said the shortest sorties for them during the CBP deployment is about 10 hours and the longest sorties are about 22 hours. The flight between Minot AFB and Guam is about 14-16 hours.
The B-1Bs from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., replaced the B-52s from Minot AFB in support of U.S. Pacific Command's
He said the B-1s from the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., will continue in Guam for a time and then the B-52s will eventually roll back into the deployment to return to Guam again.
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Information from: Minot Daily News, http://www.minotdailynews.com
An AP Exchange shared by Minot Daily News
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