afghanistan

May 20 2013

Was 24 years old

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. — A 24-year-old soldier from Hacienda Heights died Tuesday in combat in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said today.

Spc. William J. Gilbert, 24, of Hacienda Heights, died from wounds inflicted by an improvised explosive May 14 in Senjaray, Afghanistan. The infantryman was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. He was stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Feb 15 2013

Clint Romesha’s son keeps the ceremony light

His eyes moist and lower lip trembling, Clint Romesha nodded haltingly at family, comrades, military brass and the president standing to applaud him for receiving the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor.
 
He never smiled during the White House ceremony on Monday and later explained why in a statement to reporters.
 
“I stand here with mixed emotions of both joy and sadness today,” he said, describing how he felt “conflicted” about the medal around his neck.
 

Oct 24 2012

Original sentence deemed too lenient

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —An al-Qaida-trained Algerian terrorist—dubbed the “millennium bomber”—was re-sentenced today to 37 years in prison for plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.

Ahmed Ressam, whose original 22-year prison term was deemed too lenient by a federal appeals court, was caught at the U.S.-Canada border in December 1999 with explosives capable of producing a blast 40 times greater than a car bomb.

Aug 7 2012

Nathen Taylor was 26

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Board of Supervisors today renewed a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever fatally shot an Army veteran in Lancaster.

Supervisor Michael Antonovich recommended that the reward—set to expire Aug. 14—be extended for at least another 90 days.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Feb 2 2012

Crenshaw/LAX is first project on list

Now that the parade of labor union members and leaders, bus riders, politicians and ordinary citizens have voiced their overwhelming support for an historic Project Labor Agreement (PLA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors unanimously approved it, the next step [in the process] is to get an OK from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA).

Once the FTA has signed off on the agreement, the Crenshaw/LAX Light Rail line will be the first project to begin construction under the new guidelines.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.