plus 4, Top 10 stories of 2009 - Huron Daily Tribune

Top 10 stories of 2009 - Huron Daily Tribune
Australian Teen Charged With Defrauding Bank of $2 Million - FOX News
In a new millennium, Shore kept the faith - Asbury Park Press
Behind the Badge serves when officer goes down - Tacoma News Tribune
Other voices, other places - Star-Press

Top 10 stories of 2009 - Huron Daily Tribune

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 06:51 AM PST

Tribune Staff

As the year unfolded, the economy continued to tumble, as did the housing market, the job market and the public's pocketbook.

At the same time, affordable health care, and the outbreak of the H1N1virus, captured a lot of attention across the nation. Some of this year's top 10 local stories stirred up plenty of controversy and featured some of the county's biggest crimes and health concerns.

Here is the complete list:

No 1. Continuing economic struggles

HURON COUNTY — It doesn't take a politician to say, "It's the economy, stupid," to know what the biggest story of 2009 is.

At the local level, the struggling economy took its toll on many.

Though the local area's jobless numbers have decreased in recent months, according to information from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, the Thumb's unemployment rate still remains more than 6,000 unemployed individuals in the Thumb Michigan Works! Area, which includes Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac and Lapeer counties.

Businesses experienced some tough times, including Dott Manufacturing in Deckerville, where about 160 employees lost jobs when the Deckerville plant closed its doors in early 2009.

The real estate industry continued to struggle, and foreclosure rates increased all over the U.S. during the past year. In Huron County, however, some good news was learned in February, when the Huron County Register of Deeds reported the number of local mortgage foreclosures actually slightly decreased from 2007 and 2008.

Also in 2009, county and local governments began to experience a loss of revenue, which resulted in pinched budgets for quite a few entities. Locally, Tuscola County reported the highest budget deficits for the upcoming fiscal year beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Huron County was able to balance its budget for the upcoming fiscal year, even though there were preliminary deficits that had to be balanced.

In Lansing, lawmakers once again had a partial government shutdown because no budget had been approved by the midnight Sept. 31 deadline. However, the shutdown only lasted about two hours, which is a couple hours shy of the last partial shutdown that was in 2007. The state ended up issuing more than $1 billion in cuts, and used billions of federal stimulus dollars to fill most of the remaining deficit. However, it's anticipated the state will experience an even higher deficit for the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, 2010, as revenues are expected to continue declining over the next year.

School districts suffered a $165-per-student cut in state aid for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Local districts are in the process of reviewing budget cuts for the next school year, and some districts have made some mid-year budget cuts to make up for the revenue loss. After the $165 per-student cut, school districts heard about a possible additional $127 per-student cut proposed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, but in December, she put it on hold until 2010. However, the Senate Fiscal Agency released information just before Christmas that gave a positive outlook — the $127 per-student cut may not be needed after all.

At the federal level, there was talk throughout 2009 of ways to help the economy, and fears abounded around the country of out-of-control spending in Washington D.C. Buzz words like "stimulus," "tarp" and "greenbacks" could be heard or read just about every day of this past year.

No. 2: H1N1 spreads fear locally, nationally

HURON COUNTY — A year ago, H1N1 was just a random grouping of letters and numbers — it had no significance. In 2009, the exact opposite was true.

People first heard of it as the swine flu earlier this year, as the virus is of swine origin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus first caused illness in Mexico and the U.S. in March and April. The virus caused a wide range of flu-like symptoms and was spread in a manner similar to the seasonal flu virus.

On April 22, the CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate the public health response. The U.S. government, on April 26, declared a public health emergency.

Also in late April, the first U.S. H1N1 fatality was reported — a 23-month-old child visiting from Mexico. The child died at a Houston hospital.

By June 19, all 50 states had reported H1N1 infections. About a week prior to this, the World Health Organization signaled that a global pandemic of H1N1 was under way. At the time, more than 70 countries had reported cases of H1N1 infection.

In late April, the CDC confirmed Michigan's first case of the H1N1 virus in Livingston County. H1N1 activity in the state escalated in the fall, according to information on the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) website. A Sept. 19 report showed 10 hospitalizations and three deaths connected to H1N1 since Sept. 1. As of Oct. 31, hospitalizations increased to 451 and deaths increased to 19. About a month later, hospitalizations and deaths increased to 1,660 and 49, respectively.

As of Dec. 23, the number of hospitalizations since Sept. 1 totaled 1,990 and the number of deaths totaled 64.

In October and early November, hundreds of school districts across the state — including several in the Upper Thumb — closed for multiple days, as the flu kept many students home. Schools closed because they did not have enough students attending, according to state requirements, to be able to count the days as official school days. Schools need to have at least 75 percent of their students attend on any given school day in order for the school day to count.

To add to the H1N1 concerns, production delays slowed shipments of H1N1 vaccine to Michigan. People waited eagerly to get the vaccine, which originally was limited to five target groups developed by the CDC. These groups included pregnant women, people from 6 months through 24 years old and people aged 25 through 64 years old who have underlying health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from the flu. Because of the limited vaccine supply, however, many health departments across the state, including Huron and Tuscola counties, further limited the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine to subgroups within the five CDC-designated groups. In early December, MDCH stated the health departments that were still using the subgroups no longer needed to do so.

The first H1N1 vaccine clinic in Huron County took place Oct. 27, and 550 people lined up and waited for hours to receive the vaccine. Several more H1N1 vaccine clinics have taken place at the health department and other locations in the county since late October.

In mid-December, MDCH announced all Michigan residents are eligible to get the H1N1 vaccine. Shipments continue to arrive in the state. As of Dec. 29, 3.66 million doses have been allocated to Michigan and 2.56 million doses have been ordered.

In December, two H1N1 vaccine recalls were announced. The first was for the pediatric injectable vaccine and the second was for the nasal spray vaccine. The vaccines were recalled because it was determined the potency was weakened, but there were no safety concerns. For this reason, the CDC and Federal Drug Administration stated there was no need to re-vaccinate people who received the recalled vaccines.

No. 3: Turbine debate hits gale force

HURON COUNTY — While there were some who have supported local wind turbine developments, what blew this year away was the vocal opposition against existing and future wind farms in Huron County.

At least nine individuals/families have officially submitted noise complaints regarding the Michigan Wind I Park near Ubly over the past year. Others did not officially submit a complaint, but said during public meetings they have been disturbed.

Concerns included suffering health problems from low frequency vibrations. Symptoms that have been reported by various individuals over the past year include heart palpitations, losing the ability to sleep and a feeling of anxiousness, among others. One family reported that the problems have been so severe that they had to rent an apartment to go to on nights when the turbines make too much noise for them and their children to sleep.

The Huron County Board of Commissioners created a Wind Energy Subcommittee to address the noise concerns. While the committee met on a weekly basis at the beginning of the summer, meetings have been more infrequent as officials await the results of a noise study being completed by a company hired by John Deere Wind, which owns the wind park located near Ubly.

Officials recently have said results from the study, which was delayed for a time because the company conducting the study said there was not enough wind to work with, should be available in the near future.

Throughout 2009, there were a variety of other developments regarding wind turbines and the Thumb.

A final report from the Michigan Wind Energy Resource Zone Board identified Huron County as having by far the largest amount of wind energy production potential compared to the rest of the state. The report estimates the Thumb — which includes portions of Saginaw, Bay, Huron, Tuscola and Sanilac counties — has the potential to have between 1,578 and 2,824 turbines, a capacity of between 2,367 and 4,236 megawatts and an annual energy production of between more than 6.7 million and 12 million megawatt hours.

This report spawned a flurry of concerns from some residents in the area who fear the area will become inundated with land turbines, resulting in health problems, decreased property values, a loss of tourism and other revenue, as well as the loss of the view of the scenic landscape that currently exists.

Yet others have had no such concerns, and feel the wind energy will help benefit the area.

As a result, there has been much dissent at local municipal hearings and meetings, as well as in some smaller local townships.

In other turbine news in 2009, the Huron County Planning Commission began working on a residential wind turbine ordinance. Also, Huron County Commissioners resurrected an idea proposed last spring in efforts to offset the county millage by capturing some revenue from the energy produced by wind turbines, though no plan was created or approved.

Regarding future developments, DTE Energy continued to conduct research and proceed in the process of creating wind developments in Huron County. The majority of land DTE has acquired in easements with leaseholders is about 75,000 acres located primarily on the west side of the county, and the company announced its goal is to secure 100,000 acres total in Huron County. Company officials have said it's uncertain at this time the total number of turbines DTE will erect in Huron County. The company did estimate its first farm will contain about 25 turbines on 3,100 acres of land.

While DTE Energy has said it will not generate all its renewable energy through wind turbines, it was said there will be additional wind farms besides that first one, which is expected to be completed in 2012.

No. 4: Animal control takes center stage

HURON COUNTY — The issue of animal control dominated many Huron County Board of Commissioners meetings throughout 2009.

Various plans were proposed, including contracting Sanilac County or a private company to pick up vicious animals. Other plans expanded on that idea to have a contractor available for numerous animal control services.

Also, commissioners discussed allocating additional funding to the Huron County Sheriff's Office to have someone available to pick up dogs that are vicious or have other special circumstances that warrant having the animal picked up.

At the Dec. 29 meeting, commissioners approved a motion to facilitate the procedures for animal control as worked out between Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson and the board of commissioners at a cost not to exceed $5,000. The motion also stated the finance and personnel committees need to review the plan before a resolution is placed on the commissioner's agenda.

The proposed plan is to have the county purchase a 12 to 16foot trailer, various sizes of cages and other equipment to pick up and transport vicious dogs to the Thumb Animal Shelter on an as-needed basis. According to the proposal, two full-time road patrol deputies would be trained to handle such situations on an on-call basis, and the training costs would be covered by the county. The deputies would be paid a specific amount per hour whenever they would handle animal control duties, and the amount would be based on their experience.

Details still need to be worked out on specific policies and procedures regarding this proposal with the sheriff's office.

At another recent meeting, the board voted to increase dog license fees, effective Jan. 1, 2011, to fund whatever animal control program will be developed.

The issue of animal grabbed the attention of local officials in mid-April, after one man was killed and two other men narrowly escaped an attack by three dogs identified as blue heeler/Australian shepherd mix. Killed was 41-year-old David Whitenack, a veteran from the Kinde area.

Police report Whitenack's friends, Douglas Ignash and Randy Franzel, went to the Carpenter Road property on April 13 to look for Whitenack, who had not been seen for several days. As Franzel and Ignash searched the property and buildings there, they were attacked by the same dogs police say killed Whitenack. Whitenack's body was discovered inside a small camper where he lived.

The issue once again captured headlines in midAugust when a 2-year-old Sherman Township boy was attacked outside his home. The boy sustained bites to his head, face and eye area. Following the attack the boy, was taken to Harbor Beach Community Hospital and later was transported to Children's Hospital in Detroit for further medical treatment. Not long after the dog attack, the boy's father, was inside his Purdy Road home when the dog returned. The boys father shot the dog.

"The dog had returned and was being aggressive," said Trooper Brian McComb in an earlier interview with the Tribune.

McComb reported the dog was a 6-year-old male German shepherd/lab mix. The owners of the dog were been identified, and live approximately two miles from home of the boy who was attacked.

No. 5: Medical marijuana law tested

When police busted a large marijuana growing operation in the basement of a Bad Axe home on Sept. 25, 2009, they seemed to have an open and shut case. The case became much more complex, however, after grower Jeffery David Ellis came forward with claims the operation was a legitimate medical marijuana facility.

At the time of the bust, Bad Axe Police Chief Mike Anderson estimated the home's basement contained 85 pot plants at various stages of growth.

Ellis, of Livonia, is the certified caregiver for four patients, and the law allows him to grow up to 12 marijuana plants for each one. Anderson said Ellis was clearly over his legal limit for plants, but Ellis argued that the majority did not meet the legal definition of a "plant." Ellis said only 34 of the plants seized by police were mature and able to produce "useable" marijuana, and he said he believes the cuttings and immature plants should not be included in the count.

Per Michigan's Medical Marijuana Act, patients can get a medical marijuana registration card — which means they are legally able to possess up to 2.5 ounces of useable marijuana, and if they have no designated caregiver, are allowed to grow 12 plants. Caregivers are allowed to grow marijuana for up to five patients.

The law is vague about what the definition of "usable marijuana" and what constitutes a "plant," and it is likely this gray area will be sorted out in court, said Michigan Department of Community Health Spokesman James McCurtis, Jr.

Ellis continues to maintain he did nothing wrong, and he demands that his name is cleared and that the police return property taken from his home during the bust.

Charges are yet to be filed in this case, which is still under investigation. The Huron Daily Tribune has regularly inquired about this matter to the Bad Axe Police Department and will report new information when it becomes available.

No. 6: Heavy rains ruin wheat crop

UPPER THUMB — This year's wheat crop looked beautiful and golden — that is, until Mother Nature wreaked havoc in late July.

During the week of July 20, the days of heavy rain caused wheat grown in the county to germinate, or sprout. While this happens some years in certain areas, this year's wheat germination was more widespread than many growers have ever witnessed. It was not just a Huron County problem — a good portion of the state's white wheat sprouted.

In Huron County alone, the destroyed wheat crop was a multi-million dollar loss to county farmers and elevators. Crop insurance agencies were flooded with calls from growers wanting to know what to do — and what not to do — with the damaged crop.

Farmers handled the situation in a variety of ways, depending on their situation. Some growers harvested the wheat and left it in the field. Others put the harvested wheat in a bin, not sure what to do with it. Others — mostly those who did not have crop insurance — took the sprouted wheat to a local elevator to be sold as livestock feed.

While crop insurance helped soften the blow for growers who had it, it's not the same as harvesting the wheat and taking it to an elevator to have it sold as market quality wheat. Most of the wheat this year isn't of a good enough quality to be sold to grain millers, so it will be sold as feed quality wheat for livestock. However, some wheat is of such poor quality, it can't even be sold as feed.

Bob Battel, MSU Extension field crops educator, said crop insurance would not make up for the major loss farmers faced. He said growers spend hundreds of dollars per acre to grow the wheat, and if the costs are recovered through insurance, they're lucky. However, most wheat growers didn't receive a profit from their crop this year. This reduced farmers' overall revenues this year, and it could lead to less wheat grown next year.

No. 7: The robbery of Chemical Bank

BAD AXE — The robbery of Chemical Bank on Dec. 8 left many in the community in disbelief that such a crime would be committed locally.

But as shocking as the robbery was, the manner in which the alleged crime was carried out left some people puzzled — making this story our No. 7 pick.

Currently, Darrell R. Polega, 29, of Port Austin is behind bars facing a felony charge of robbery.

The Huron County Sheriff's Office reports Polega entered the bank located along N. Van Dyke in Bad Axe at 9:42 a.m. Dec. 8, dressed in plain clothes and a ball cap. When Polega approached the teller, he allegedly passed a hand-written note to the teller demanding cash.

Polega allegedly then fled the scene. A surveillance photo taken from inside the bank at the time of the robbery helped police quickly identify a suspect.

Huron County Sheriff Kelly J. Hanson said tips from citizens who saw the photo released to the media, along with local police being somewhat familiar with the Huron County native, helped swiftly identify him as the suspect.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Polega outside George E. Greene Elementary School four hours after he allegedly robbed Chemical Bank, making off with $4,690 in cash. Polega and his girlfriend reportedly went to the elementary school following the robbery to pick up his girlfriend's child early from school.

Polega was found with a large sum of cash in his possession. Hanson reports it appeared Polega was not armed when he allegedly robbed the bank.

Polega is represented by Bad Axe attorney James Woodworth. Woodworth said Wednesday morning the preliminary examination set to get under way Wednesday afternoon in Huron County District Court was adjourned until after the first of the year.

No charges have been filed at this time against Polega's girlfriend for any possible involvement.

Look to the Tribune in 2010 for a follow up to this story as details become available.

No. 8: Pharmacist, doctor indicted on drug-related charges

HURON COUNTY — Capturing the No. 8 spot on the Tribune's Top 10 stories of 2009 is the federal indictment of a former area physician and a former Caseville-area pharmacist.

Dr. Philip J. LaFata and Paul John Nugent, a pharmacist who owned Nugent's Pharmacy in Caseville, were indicted in August by a federal grand jury on multiple prescription drug-related charges.

According to records from the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan,

both Nugent and LaFata will have a jury trial in February before District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington.

Nugent was taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Agents (DEA) from the U.S. Department of Justice. The DEA worked with the Huron County Sheriff's Office and Caseville Police Department to investigate allegations against Nugent that date back to 2007. Nugent currently is facing eight felony counts, one count of conspiracy to distribute the drug hydromorphone and seven counts of distribution of the drug hydromorphone (a narcotic given for pain relief).

If convicted, Nugent could face a possible maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.

The DEA also is seeking the forfeiture of Nugent's commercial building on Main Street in Caseville, where he operated Nugent Pharmacy.

Also indicted on federal charges in August was LaFata, 76, a former area physician who worked for both Scheurer Hospital in Pigeon and Harbor Beach Community Hospital.

LaFata was arrested in Berkley Aug. 27 by DEA agents. He, too, was transported to Detroit, where he was arraigned in federal court on 11 counts, including charges of conspiracy to distribute hydromorphone, distribution of hydromorphone and obtaining a controlled substance through fraud or deceit.

Like Nugent, the maximum possible penalty LaFata faces is up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The investigation also includes allegations that LaFata self-prescribed Dilaudid, filled the prescription at the former Nugent Pharmacy in Caseville and then delivered the Dilaudid to a former nurse/patient with whom he reportedly was having a sexual relationship.

On March 17, 2008, the investigation revealed that LaFata allegedly backdated prescriptions for Nugent for drugs like Dilaudid and Phenergan, both controlled substances that Nugent dispensed to a former nurse/patient of LaFata's without a prescription.

The backdated prescriptions filled out by LaFata were, according to reports, "to reconcile the pharmacy records."

Nugent is being represented by Saginaw Attorney William Brisbois. LaFata is represented by Attorney Raymond S. Sakis, of Sakis & Sakis of Troy.

No. 9: An exciting year for local high school sports teams

It was another memorable year for area high school sports.

Unionville-Sebewaing Area's softball team opened the season as the No. 1 squad in Division 4.

That's the way the Patriots ended it, as well, when they defeated Decatur, 4-0, in the state championship to capture their third title in four years.

They finished the season 41-1.

"This one was my toughest one by far," said USA coach Lary Houthoofd. "Being on top right at the beginning of the year — and being expected to win it — that put a lot of pressure on these kids.

"They didn't feel the pressure at the beginning of the season, but from regionals on... It started to build."

USA powered its way to the championship, belting a state record 55 home runs — 15 more than the previous record. The mark ranks second nationally.

The Patriots did set a national record with their 99 doubles and set a state record with 368 RBI.

Meanwhile, Ubly's football team followed up the success of 2008 with its fourth semifinals appearance of the decade.

The Bearcats dropped a 26-6 decision to Hudson, but they finished their two-year run with a 25-2 record.

Ubly's offense was explosive once again, scoring the third-most points in Thumb history at 562. Their two-year total of 1,187 (43.9) is the best stretch ever for a Thumb team.

The Bearcats played with heavy hearts in the semifinal, just days after the passing of Hall of Fame coach Gerry Herp.

"We played for him, and I didn't think we quit," said Ubly coach Bill Sweeney. "Gerry lost his fair share of games. He won a lot more than he lost. But what he was about was toughness — and that's what we try to be."

Ubly and coach Sweeney were the first to ever win the Thumb Sportswriters Association's highest awards twice.

The Bearcats were named Team the Year while Sweeney earned Coach of the Year.

No. 10: Dog fight operation busted

A story that caught many by surprise in June 2009 was the arrest of a Lincoln Township man allegedly involved in a dog fighting operation.

Martin Phillips, 34, pled guilty in early September to charges of transporting animals for fighting ventures. Terms of the plea agreement state a charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government will be dismissed at the time of sentencing before Judge David M. Lawson at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 17, in U.S. District Court.

Phillips was reportedly part of a trio indicted June 29, following simultaneous raids nearly two weeks earlier in Huron and Lenawee counties by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General. Seized in the raids were 50 pit bulls, dogfighting and training equipment, medical supplies, computers and a dogfighting publication.

The Huron County Sheriff's Office assisted in the Lincoln Township raid at Phillips' property located on Church Road near Carpenter Road. Investigators there seized 17 pit bull dogs, varying in age, from the Phillips' property. Court documents indicate that in late April, Phillips had more than 30 pit bull dogs there. Authorities charged Phillips, along with B. Jay Rodriguez, 28, of Adrian, and Joshua Gates, 25, of Blissfield, following the raid.

Investigators have said the trio started the dog fighting activity around 2005. The three operated Pitformance Kennels, a business that bred, bought, sold and trained fighting dogs at all the men's homes. They also fought the dogs at other locations, according to court documents.

Look to the Tribune as details from the sentencing become available.

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Australian Teen Charged With Defrauding Bank of $2 Million - FOX News

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 07:41 AM PST

An 18-year-old Brisbane, Australia, student has been charged with defrauding Queensland's biggest bank of $2 million in a case that has set off alarm bells about online banking security.

Philip Heggie, who is enrolled to study business at University of Queensland, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on New Year's Day charged with fraud and attempted fraud.

The alleged offenses involved online banking and false identification.

The money was allegedly transferred from an internal account where Suncorp holds a large percentage of the bank's own money.

Just two days before the teenager's arrest, Suncorp general manager Terry Wasmund was praising the bank's award-winning Internet banking scheme.

Wasmund said that after online security attacks in the mid-1990s, security measures had improved and Queenslanders had embraced online services.

The bank was recently awarded the best Australian-based transactional web and mobile service.

A Suncorp spokesman said Friday the bank would review its systems and procedures and continue to assist police.

Heggie, of Eight Mile Plains, was arrested last Thursday after he allegedly tried to withdraw $5,000 from the $2 million account at Suncorp's Garden City branch.

A detective said in a statement tendered in court that a teller had reacted to "a gut feeling" and police were then contacted.

An unknown Suncorp staff member is believed by police to have processed the $2 million transfer from the internal account into an account Heggie allegedly set up under the false name of Shane Seato.

According to documents tendered to the court, about the time he tried to withdraw the $5,000, Heggie sent a mobile phone text message to an unknown person saying: "Best day of the next 20 years of my life. If all goes well, drinks are on me tonight."

Six weeks earlier, Heggie had been cautioned, but not charged, by police after Customs intercepted false identifications addressed to the student, the court was told.

Click here to read more on this story from News.com.au.

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In a new millennium, Shore kept the faith - Asbury Park Press

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 07:41 AM PST

(2 of 2)

Lowery said that religious observance tends to fluctuate.

"It's basically unpredictable,'' he said.

But, he said, he has seen more people turn to their religion over the past eight or nine years.

"That's the most priceless gift of all,'' he said, "our faith commitment.''

Rabbi Wolintz Fields said that she has seen more people turning to Judaism in the last decade, but not necessarily in traditional ways.

"I have seen in the last decade that people are looking for alternative ways of being connected to the Jewish community and to religious practice,'' she said. "But it's not so much the straight prayer book anymore. It's become the norm for people to try meditation, or chanting or yoga as opposed to straight from the prayer book.''

"It's more of an individual, personal, spiritual sort of searching,'' she said.

Nationally, observance of religious traditions by the faithful has remained pretty steady through the first decade of the 21st Century.

There was a slight surge in attendance of religious services after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, but even that has leveled out, according to various polls and members of the religious community.

That trend is exemplified in at least on national poll, the 2006 General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center.

From 2000 to 2006 -- the latest year for which data are available -- the percentage of Americans who said they attended religious services every week or nearly every week stayed steady at between 23 and 24 percent, according to the

The percentage of Americans who said they never attend religious services dropped to 16.8 percent in 2004, the lowest percentage in eight years, the study showed.

That percentage peaked at 20.2 percent in 2000, and declined until 2004, the study showed. It increased to 22.7 percent by 2006, its highest since the NORC began tracking the issue in 1972.

About 29 percent of Americans said they prayed at least once a day in 2000, according to the survey. That increased slightly to 30 percent in 2001, rising to 31.4 percent in 2002 before dropping to 27.7 in 2004, according to the survey.

In contrast, the percentage of Americans who said they prayed several times a day rose to 31.2 percent in 2004, its highest since the NORC began tracking the issue in 1983.

About .8 percent of those surveyed in 2001 said they never prayed; that percentage dropped slightly to .5 percent in 2002 before skyrocketing to 10.3 percent in 2004. The number increased slightly to 10.6 percent in 2006.

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Behind the Badge serves when officer goes down - Tacoma News Tribune

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 06:43 AM PST

When a law enforcement officer is gravely hurt or killed while on duty in Washington, a team of volunteers from the Behind the Badge Foundation responds immediately.

The volunteers provide support to the officer's family and department, help plan the memorial service and offer money to help cover initial expenses.

In the foundation's first year, teams have responded after seven deaths. This week, volunteers have been in the South Sound, helping the family of slain Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputy Kent Mundell and coordinating with other county officials on his memorial service Tuesday.

"We'll be there to help in any way, shape and form we can," said foundation director Frank Kampsen, who was at the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, checking on seating arrangements for the ceremony. "We just want to make sure they are taken care of."

Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar said the foundation was a huge help to his department after four officers were killed Nov. 29 at a Parkland coffee shop.

"They show up, they jump in and help where they can," Farrar said. "They are great people, with great hearts."

The Behind the Badge Foundation, formed Jan. 1, 2009, was created from two other organizations – the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation and the 10-99 Foundation.

Kampsen, a retired Seattle police detective sergeant and honor guard commander, was the founding president of the nonprofit Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial organization.

The group raised nearly $2 million to build a memorial to the state's fallen law enforcement officers on the Capitol grounds in Olympia. The memorial was dedicated in May 2006.

The 10-99 Foundation, named for the dispatch code for "help the officer," raised money to defray the costs for the families of officers killed in the line of duty.

The two foundations merged after the memorial was erected. Board members from each foundation remained part of Behind the Badge.

The foundation raises money through fundraisers, donations and specialty license plates. The goal is to raise about $500,000 to pay for the maintenance of the memorial in Olympia, Kampsen said.

It has two paid employees – each of whom lost a loved one in the line of duty and has worked for the Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. Behind the Badge also has a state-recognized team of volunteers, including Kampsen, who respond when needed.

The team begins with four or five people and can grow to about 10 people, who include active-duty law enforcement officers, honor guard members and survivors of slain police officers

Kampsen also calls on honor guard members and representatives from other law enforcement agencies.

After Mundell was shot Dec. 21 in an exchange of gunfire with a domestic violence suspect near Tanwax Lake, volunteers drove to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to help make sure his family and fellow officers had coffee, water, food and support.

"We've got to make sure the officers are taken care of and the family is comfortable," Kampsen said.

Mundell died Monday of his injuries.

The foundation helps with the planning of memorial services and with the paperwork after an officer dies. It also provides money to the families and the departments.

Police departments "don't carry budgets for this kind of stuff," Kampsen said.

He knows the protocols because of his time with the Seattle police honor guard.

At the Tacoma Dome on Thursday, Kampsen was making sure the seating arrangement was what the department wanted and that the seats were tagged so there would be no confusion over who was sitting where.

After Tuesday's memorial, the foundation will continue to stand by Mundell's family and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. It will remind the department to keep in touch with Mundell's family and to think about what to do on the anniversary of his death.

"They are still your family," Kampsen said. "That's really important."

Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268

stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com

blog.thenewstribune.com/crime

Memorial arrangements

Officials expect today to release the finalized program for Tuesday's memorial for slain Pierce County sheriff's deputy Kent Mundell.

Organizers took Friday off for the holiday but plan to get back to it today.

Law enforcement officers from across the state as well as those from California, Idaho, Oregon and Canada are expected to attend.

Mundell died Monday. He was shot Dec. 21 when responding to a domestic violence call near Eatonville.

Donation accounts

Officials are warning residents of phone calls soliciting donations for Mundell's family. Three accounts have been set up for donations to the family. Donations can be made at:

• Any Columbia Bank branch.

• Any TAPCO credit union.

• The Pierce County Deputy Sheriffs Guild Web site: www.pcdsguild.com.

For more information

Anyone wanting to make a donation, wanting to attend from an out-of-area law enforcement agency or honor guard, or looking for more information can e-mail pcsdmemorial@co.pierce.wa.us or call 1-866-977-2362.

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Other voices, other places - Star-Press

Posted: 02 Jan 2010 06:51 AM PST

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-- The Boston Globe

BATTERERS DESERVE stiff penalties for perpetrating domestic violence -- a crime that feeds on fear, shatters lives, and keeps communities in denial.

As it stands now, most misdemeanor offenses for battery don't qualify the accused for prison time and too many batterers, upon arrest, spend, perhaps, only a night in jail.

Then, they have an opportunity to go back and terrorize their victims. That's not right.

Law enforcement, attorneys and victim advocates acknowledge that prevention is the best solution. That's true, but the person who commits the crime needs to know the act comes with a high price.

Probation time and weeks of batterers' intervention may help some, but this crime needs to be stigmatized more. ...

Much as sex offenders' mug shots are posted along with their vital information, it might do our community good to call out the batterers among us. Some might argue that this could harm someone's employment prospects and divide families. However, domestic violence is wrong, plain and simple.

No, we can't lock up abusers forever.

It would be ideal if society could successfully rehabilitate abusers and prevent potential abusers from ever acting out. It would also be ideal if abusers would keep their hands -- and harsh words -- to themselves.

-- The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.

CONGRESS SHOULD PASS a bill designed to stop the United States from becoming the world's dumping ground for low-level radioactive waste.

Co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Murfreesboro, Tenn., the legislation would bar EnergySolutions from importing 20,000 tons of waste to America from an old nuclear power plant in Italy. The waste would enter through Charleston, S.C., or New Orleans and be processed in East Tennessee before about 1,600 tons would be disposed at an EnergySolutions facility in Utah.

Though this material isn't high-level radioactive waste, it is "special" waste, and by accepting it, the United States could open the door to countries around the globe depending on America to take their radioactive material. ...

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