Interstate 75 crashes kill at least 10 near Gainesville
By David Breen
5:04 p.m. EST, January 29, 2012
Interstate 75 is shut down this afternoon in Alachua County after a series of fatal crashes killed 10 people overnight.
Lt. Patrick Riordan of the Florida Highway Patrol said cars and trucks piled up amid poor visibility from fog and smoke from nearby wildfires. At least 18 people were taken to area hospitals as well.
At least 12 passenger cars and about seven semi-trucks were involved in the crashes, which happened at about 4 a.m. in both northbound and southbound lanes near Mile Marker 379, the FHP said.
FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said it could take days to piece together how many separate accidents took place.
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
U.S. Defense Department can't account for billions for Iraq
Where was all the talk about our deficit when all of this was happening? Will the men running for President have to answer that one?
U.S. Defense Department can't account for billions for Iraq, audit finds
By Josh Levs, CNN
January 29, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: The U.S. is keeping Iraq out of the loop on some projects, report says
NEW: The U.S. Embassy in Iraq disagrees with that complaint
The Defense Department can't account for about $2 billion in past spending, report says
The department acknowledges a "records management issue"
(CNN) -- The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, according to two new government audits.
The reports come from the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
The Iraqi government in 2004 gave the Department of Defense access to about $3 billion to pay bills for certain contracts, and the department can only show what happened to about a third of that, the inspector general says in an audit published Friday.
Although the Department of Defense (DoD) had "internal processes and controls" to track payments, the "bulk of the records are missing," the report says, adding that the department is searching for them.
Other documents are missing as well, including monthly reports documenting expenses, the audit says.
"From July 2004 through December 2007, DoD should have provided 42 monthly reports. However, it can locate only the first four reports."read more here
Some veterans wary of GOP frontrunners’ tough talk on foreign policy
Some veterans wary of GOP frontrunners’ tough talk on foreign policy
By Zac Anderson
Tallahassee bureau
Published: Friday, January 27, 2012
JACKSONVILLE — After spending two tours in Iraq and losing two friends in combat, Army veteran John Fails listens with skepticism to the tough foreign policy talk coming from the GOP presidential frontrunners.
“Every deployment has a cost,” said the 27-year-old, who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and now studies public policy at the University of North Florida.
From covert operations against Cuba to confronting Iran over nuclear weapons, the Republican candidates — with the exception of Rep. Ron Paul — are largely pushing a hawkish approach to conflicts overseas.
In the past, such bellicose talk may have been guaranteed to win over support in this generally conservative region, with a heavy concentration of retired and active duty service members.
But Fails and other veterans interviewed on the campaign trail expressed the weariness of a segment of the population asked to bear the brunt of nearly 10 years of war in two countries, conflicts that killed more than 6,000 American soldiers and cost the country at least $1 trillion.
Florida has 19 military bases — including the Central Command for Iraq and Afghanistan — and more than 1.6 million veterans, so perceptions about who would make the best commander in chief can play a big role in presidential contests. Veterans’ support helped seal Sen. John McCain’s victory in the state’s 2008 Republican primary.
read more here
By Zac Anderson
Tallahassee bureau
Published: Friday, January 27, 2012
JACKSONVILLE — After spending two tours in Iraq and losing two friends in combat, Army veteran John Fails listens with skepticism to the tough foreign policy talk coming from the GOP presidential frontrunners.
“Every deployment has a cost,” said the 27-year-old, who served in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and now studies public policy at the University of North Florida.
From covert operations against Cuba to confronting Iran over nuclear weapons, the Republican candidates — with the exception of Rep. Ron Paul — are largely pushing a hawkish approach to conflicts overseas.
In the past, such bellicose talk may have been guaranteed to win over support in this generally conservative region, with a heavy concentration of retired and active duty service members.
But Fails and other veterans interviewed on the campaign trail expressed the weariness of a segment of the population asked to bear the brunt of nearly 10 years of war in two countries, conflicts that killed more than 6,000 American soldiers and cost the country at least $1 trillion.
Florida has 19 military bases — including the Central Command for Iraq and Afghanistan — and more than 1.6 million veterans, so perceptions about who would make the best commander in chief can play a big role in presidential contests. Veterans’ support helped seal Sen. John McCain’s victory in the state’s 2008 Republican primary.
read more here
Marine from Los Angeles is found dead in La Jolla
Marine from Los Angeles is found dead in La Jolla
January 28, 2012
A 20-year-old Marine from Los Angeles has been found dead in the La Jolla section of San Diego, the Marine Corps announced Saturday.
Cpl. Cody Adler was found dead Thursday. No information was released on where his body was found or the cause of death.
He was a small-arms technician assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
Adler's death is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
go here for updates
January 28, 2012
A 20-year-old Marine from Los Angeles has been found dead in the La Jolla section of San Diego, the Marine Corps announced Saturday.
Cpl. Cody Adler was found dead Thursday. No information was released on where his body was found or the cause of death.
He was a small-arms technician assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
Adler's death is being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
go here for updates
Marine robbed and shot in critical condition
Marine critically wounded in Church Hill shooting
By: TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF
Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: January 29, 2012
Richmond police are seeking the public's help in the search for a man who shot and critically wounded a Marine reserve sergeant after a robbery on Church Hill late Friday.
The victim was shot while walking with his girlfriend in the 600 block of North 33rd Street after being approached by a man who displayed a gun and demanded money, police said Saturday.
After the victims complied with the request, the man was shot.
The suspect was described by police as black, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a skinny build and possibly in his late 20s. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a white-and-black or red bandana covering the lower portion of his face. The bandana possibly had a houndstooth print design, police said.
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By: TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF
Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: January 29, 2012
Richmond police are seeking the public's help in the search for a man who shot and critically wounded a Marine reserve sergeant after a robbery on Church Hill late Friday.
The victim was shot while walking with his girlfriend in the 600 block of North 33rd Street after being approached by a man who displayed a gun and demanded money, police said Saturday.
After the victims complied with the request, the man was shot.
The suspect was described by police as black, about 5 feet 10 inches tall with a skinny build and possibly in his late 20s. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hoodie with a white-and-black or red bandana covering the lower portion of his face. The bandana possibly had a houndstooth print design, police said.
read more here
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