truesee's Blog

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/records-show-evans-paid-135897-for-sports-tickets-from-constituent-fund/2011/08/16/gIQA9u8wUJ_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/king-memorial-opens-to-the-public-today/2011/08/22/gIQAL7zBWJ_blog.html?hpid=z4

http://bigpeace.com/stzu/2011/08/21/marines-in-afghanistan-using-shaving-cream-to-save-lives/

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/seminole/woman-arrested-for-attempting-to-sell-her-5-year-old-son

Phoenix police identify fatally shot carjacking suspect

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.azcentral.com/video/1120644166001

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/16/kathy-griffin-talks-michele-bachmann-bigot-conan_n_927900.html?ncid=txtlnkushuff00000004

http://www.ivillage.com/which-food-has-more-sugar/4-b-299573?obref=obnetwork#299575

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/bal-most-trusted-celebs-ipsos-poll-finds-americas-25-most-popular-celebrities-20110818,0,653131.photogallery?track=orl-mark-promo-news-25-most-popular-celebs

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/08/18/2011-08-18_lifeguard_draws_line_in_sand_sez_hes_too_old_for_tiny_trunks_suit_rips_speedo_li.html

Updated: August 20, 2011 6:11AM

The bride wore black, while the groom sported handcuffs.

And thanks to security rules, Jessica Ortiz and Tharvin Benitez couldn’t exchange rings or even share the traditional kiss after their unusual wedding Friday in a Wheaton courtroom.

Benitez, 21, is jailed after being arrested in May on felony drug charges.

But the Des Plaines man and his pregnant, 21-year-old bride wanted to be married before their child is born, so they sought permission from DuPage County Judge Blanche Fawell for the courthouse wedding.

Fawell, who is presiding over Benitez’s criminal case, approved the request and performed the brief marriage ceremony after Benitez — clad in standard-issue orange jail fatigues and handcuffs — appeared in her courtroom on his drug charges.

Courthouse rules that prevent jail inmates from touching visitors ruled out the usual wedding kiss after Ortiz and Benitez completed their vows.

And defense attorney Robert Duffy had to step in for Benitez and place the ring on Ortiz’s finger — a task he can’t remember performing for a client.

“In 40 years of practice, that’s never occurred before,” Duffy said.

Ortiz said the couple already was planning to marry before Benitez’s arrest, but decided to go ahead with the ceremony because the birth of their child is imminent.

“It should be next week,” Ortiz said of her expected delivery.

The newlyweds may not be spending much time together.

If convicted, Benitez faces up to 30 years in prison. He also could face deportation for allegedly entering the country illegally.

“It’s going to be a while before they take their honeymoon,” Duffy said. “But love springs eternal.”

 

LINK TO PHOTO:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7166980-417/inmate-pregnant-fiancee-wed-in-courtroom-but-they-cant-touch.html

Manhattan bicyclist Juan (JC) Rodriguez didn't learn his lesson after running his first red light. Or his second.

But the third time may be the charm - because it came with more than $1,500 in fines.

"It's absurd," complained Rodriguez, 45, who's also a pedicab driver. "When you look at the fines leveled and the actual offenses, it makes no sense."

Some bicycling advocates agree fining two-wheelers the same as tractor-trailers is overkill, while others say bikers should stop at red lights.

"They are endangering pedestrians, many of whom are elderly or children who may not be able to get out of the way quickly," said City Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx).

"We have too many people riding their cars and bicycles and thinking these rules are not meant for them."

Department of Motor Vehicles spokesman Nick Cantiello says cyclists are subject to the following fines for red-light violations: $190 for the first offense, $375 for the second, $940 for the third.

They don't, however, face $80 in surcharges that motorists get and there are no license points to worry about.

"Bicycles are expected to follow the rules of the road just like any other vehicle," Cantiello said.

Rodriguez says that regardless of whether it's legal, it's common practice for bikers to roll through red lights when it's safe.

He did it on March 3 as he rode down Central Park West near 109th St. on his way to work, and a traffic cop pulled him over.

"My first thought was, 'Are you serious? Is this some sort of joke?'" he said.

It wasn't. The officer also gave him a ticket for not having a bicycle bell.

Rodriguez figured it was a fluke. But six days later, an officer pulled him over for blowing a red light at Riverside Drive and W. 96th St.

"I thought, 'Oh my God! What is going on?'" Rodriguez said.

Last month, Rodriguez was stopped after he rolled through a red in Chelsea.

He pleaded not guilty to all three tickets by mail.

"I thought if I show up in court I might have a say and show how unbelievably ludicrous this is," he said.

At a hearing this month, Rodriguez contested the Riverside Drive ticket. The judge slapped him with a $375 fine.

Rodriguez returned to traffic court last week to plead guilty to the two other tickets and was fined another $1,000.

Barbara Ross of the pro-bike environmental group Time's Up! said the penalty system needs a tune up.

"Fining cyclists up to $950 for a traffic violation - the same rate as drivers of 4-ton vehicles that kill hundreds of people annually - is excessive and unfair," she said.

"Traffic enforcement policies should focus on safer streets, not use them as a revenue source for the city."

Rodriguez, who lives in Washington Heights, hopes by telling his story, other cyclists won't have to shell out a lot of green for running a red.

"Things have changed," he said. "[Bicyclists] need to be aware of what the worst-case scenario can be."

http://www.wtsp.com/news/article/205856/19/Brianna-Del-Rio-arrested-after-nut-cracker-attack-on-man

Pasco couple fear losing home to foreclosure for paying mortgage too early

 

Mark Puente

Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 20, 2011

---

NEW PORT RICHEY — Seventy-year-old Sharon Bullington may lose her home because she paid her mortgage a week early.

That may not make much sense to the thousands of homeowners who are behind on their mortgages in Florida. But it seems it does to Bank of America, which has filed to foreclose on Bullington and her husband, James, 78, who is terminally ill.

"It's like death to me," Sharon Bullington said, her voice quivering on the phone Friday. "My husband is bedridden. It's almost more than I can bear."

The couple moved to Florida 15 years ago after James Bullington retired from General Motors in Flint, Mich., and moved into the 1,591-square-foot New Port Richey home, which is now valued at $133,464, though they owe about $177,000.

When James became ill, the couple encountered financial difficulties because of high medical bills. The couple asked Bank of America to modify the loan.

There was a catch. The couple would have to first officially default on their $1,400-a-month payment. The couple did that and entered into the modification plan, which reduced their payment to $916.

Sharon Bullington made the January payment on Dec. 23, and the bank accepted the money, according to court records.

The next month, she made the February payment over the phone. Weeks later, the money had not been withdrawn from her bank account. After Bullington asked the bank about it, a representative told her she had punched in the wrong routing number. In March, the bank kicked the couple out of the modification plan.

Bullington pleaded for help in a June letter to Bank of America president Brian Moynihan and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor.

One of Moynihan's aides, Ana Olivera, told Bullington the foreclosure could not be stopped. She wrote in a two-page letter that the payment due on Jan. 1, 2011, had been made in December.

"In accordance with the Trial Payment Letter dated December 15, 2010, it indicates that if you are not able to make each payment in the month in which it is due, you will not be eligible for a modification under the Home Affordable Modification Program," the letter said.

Olivera told Bullington she could avoid a foreclosure by selling the home in a short sale or by signing it over to the bank. The letter said the bank values Bullington's business and strives to provide exceptional customer service.

"I understand that you may be disappointed with our final resolution and appreciate the opportunity to clarify this matter," Olivera wrote. "While this may not be the response you were hoping for, I trust I have addressed your concerns."

Olivera, a California-based employee, declined to comment about the case when reached by theTimeson Friday. Bank of America replied in an e-mail: "We are going to re-review the Bullington's case."

The Bullingtons' lawyer, Shawn Yesner, said the case makes no sense because his clients did what the bank told them to do. In 10 years as a lawyer, he said, he has never seen such an outrageous letter.

"I couldn't believe they would put that in writing," he said. "I had to read the letter three or four times. … Bank of America is putting her in a depressed state. She has never been behind on anything."

As thousands of property owners across Florida and the nation battle foreclosure, defense attorneys have accused lenders of bogging down the courts with an unwillingness to negotiate with people on their mortgages, often by simply refusing to make decisions.

Earlier this month, a 41-year-old man faced foreclosure after missing a mortgage payment on a St. Petersburg gas station by just one day. He made several attempts to continue paying and made a $50,000 payment in court earlier this month to settle the case, but the bank refused the payment. The day theTimespublished an article detailing the saga, BB&T suspended the foreclosure action and worked to settle the case.

Sharon Bullington, who has no children or siblings, said she is the sole caregiver for her ill husband, who cannot move from the home in his condition. She said she has repeatedly contacted the bank, but nobody will talk to her.

She wants Moynihan and Bank of America to know this:

"I want them to feel how we feel," she said. "I just don't understand why they're doing this. It looks like they're out to get us."