More U.S. airlines give troops relief from checked-bag fees

After a video of soldiers complaining about baggage fees on Delta went viral, American Airlines announced Thursday it will allow military personnel to check an extra two bags with no out-of-pocket expense, and AirTran Airways said it will waive baggage charges for "members of the military who are traveling on active duty orders," CNN reported.

Delta amended its policy -- now allowing servicemembers to check four bags free in coach and five in other classes -- on Wednesday, shortly after Stars and Stripes published a story on the soldiers' video. Previously Delta had allowed only three free bags for troops flying coach.

American's new policy lets troops check five bags free and allows one bag to weigh up to 100 pounds with no penalty, the CNN report said, while AirTran waives excess baggage charges on any bag under 100 pounds and 80 inches in size.

United/Continental also decided Wednesday to waive fees for servicemembers' fourth bags, CNN reported.

Hudson River 'miracle' plane in aviation museum

Two years after a US Airways jet left New York for Charlotte and made a miraculous landing on the Hudson River, it reached its intended destination and future home in a museum.

"My flight has finally come home," said Eileen Shleffar, who was sitting in seat 13D when the plane splashed in the river.

US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia airport when a flock of geese disabled the engines on Jan. 15, 2009. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III of Danville safely glided to a water landing. All 155 passengers and crew members were rescued.

Thousands of people in several states have lined up along the road to glimpse the 120-foot-long fuselage on its 600-mile journey on a flatbed truck from New Jersey, where it had spent the last two years in a hangar. The wings of the damaged Airbus A320 were removed and shipped earlier to the Carolinas Aviation Museum.

Shleffar and other passengers on the flight posed in front of the plane as it arrived in a cargo area at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

"It's emotional," she said about seeing the plane for the first time since the landing. "It's always going to be emotional to us."

Said fellow passenger Michael Leonard: "It's surreal."

Public interest in the jet's journey this week has surprised and touched Sullenberger.

"When I see images of people in their lawn chairs waiting for their airplane to roll by on the freeway overpass with a camera to get a glimpse of it is surprising and wonderful," he said in an interview.

Sullenberger will speak today at a fundraiser for the exhibit. It will be the first time the passengers and crew will be together with the plane since the accident.

"It will feel like a wonderful reunion," he said. "I think we'll feel that connection again."

Sullenberger was recently named an aviation and safety expert for CBS News.

Outage delays flights...New contact for Rep. Weiner...Volcano effects

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — A power outage near one of US Airways' data centers in Phoenix has grounded or delayed numerous flights nationwide. Airline officials say the outage impacted its website and airport computer systems. A US Airways spokeswoman says some systems are coming back online this evening.

WILMINGTON, Del (AP) — Congressman Anthony Weiner has acknowledged he had online contact with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware. But he says the communications were "neither explicit nor indecent." The New York Democrat has been under fire after admitting to sending graphic photos to women online.

WASHINGTON (AP) — At least nine House members and three senators say Rep. Anthony Weiner should give up his seat in Congress after acknowledging sending sexually explicit messages over the Internet. But House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says the decision should be up to Weiner and his constituents.

RININAHUE, Chile (AP) — The effects of a volcano in Chile are wreaking havoc on parts of South America. Steaming rivers filled with hot ash, rocks, and rain are threatening to overflow their banks in southern Chile. And ash clouds are keeping some airports closed across much of the southern part of the continent.

CHATHAM, Mass. (AP) — Federal authorities want to know who has been fatally shooting gray seals on Cape Cod. According to fisheries police, six of the slain seals have been found on beaches over the last six weeks. Gray seals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, and authorities say they're taking the case very seriously.

BofA Stock Hits 2-Year Low on Mortgage Concerns

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) hit a two-year low in New York trading on concern that a stalling U.S. job market will drive up costs from bad mortgages.

The biggest U.S. lender by assets declined 45 cents, or 4 percent, to $10.83 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4:15 p.m. The bank hasn’t closed at a lower price since May 2009. The stock sold for more than $55 in 2006 before the financial crisis took hold.

Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan, 51, has assured investors that costs tied to defective mortgages and improper foreclosures can be absorbed without selling new stock to raise capital. His task may be harder after the U.S. jobless rate rose to 9.1 percent and employers added the fewest workers in eight months during May, meaning more unemployed people may fall behind on loans.

“We’ve been getting consistent signals that we continue to see growth, but those signals recently have had some choppiness to them in terms of new unemployment claims,” Moynihan said during a May 24 investor conference.

Bank of America has declined about 29 percent in the past year of New York Stock Exchange composite trading, the worst performance on the 24-company KBW Bank Index. The lender was the only U.S. bank among the largest four that had its capital plan rejected by the Federal Reserve this year.

Moynihan told investors last week that new claims tied to bad mortgages tend to track the jobless rate, and he was pursuing ways to put housing liabilities behind the firm. The bank disclosed in January a $3 billion deal to settle some loan disputes with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and agreed in April to pay $1.6 billion to resolve claims with bond insurer Assured Guaranty Ltd.

Resolving Fights

Moynihan, who said last year the bank was engaged in “hand-to-hand combat” to fend off the claims, told investors this month that “there’s a point when fighting doesn’t have any value.”

Bank of America, the biggest servicer of U.S. mortgages, is among firms negotiating with state attorneys general to settle allegations that the banks seized homes during foreclosures by using legal shortcuts and falsified documents. The largest servicers are discussing a framework that may let them choose from a menu of options for helping borrowers, two people briefed on the talks said in May.

Costs to repurchase bad mortgages and settle with state attorneys general may total about $18 billion, Keith Horowitz of Citigroup Inc. wrote in a June 1 research note.

Adventist Health System, U.S. Bank Healthcare Division Partner for Health Care Growth

Adventist Health System obtained the services of U.S. Bank Healthcare Division, a division of U.S. Bank. The health care division closes as lead "Senior Credit Facility." Adventist Health System represents a  $1.75 billion deal.

An article has been posted at the Business Wire Website titled "U.S. Bank Healthcare Division Leads $1.75 Billion Senior Credit Facility for Adventist Health System."

I'm interested in this information because I'm 62 years old. Anything having to do with healthcare interests me. However, I have a special interest in the story because it seems Adventist Health System centers what they do on Christ -- their spiritual beliefs.

When I was in the workforce I was an executive vice president and CEO of a health insurance company. Of course we were "for-profit." Adventist is a not-for-profit organization.

When you run an insurance company you are dealing with premiums and claims and investments. In other words you always have money coming and going but you must always have a certain amount in reserve so you try and make the most from it that you can.

The difference with Adventist Health System is that they get rid of the middle man. They run their own health care facilities including inpatient and outpatient. That is what they concentrate on.

However, even though they aren't an insurance company per se, they still have to get their name out and invest funds. That is where U.S. Bank Healthcare Division comes in.

David P. Singleton, senior vice president is posted in the article as saying, "Their in-depth knowledge of our organization and of the industry is reflected in what they were able to deliver for us" when speaking of U.S. bank Healthcare Division

Adventist Health System serves four million patients annually. By working with an "expert" company that specializes in the laws of each state, investing and even presentation of product, Adventist can concentrate on doing what they do best and that is providing services as inexpensively as possible.

Shedd has high hopes after rare dolphin birth

A Pacific white-sided dolphin gave birth to an apparently healthy calf Friday at the Shedd Aquarium after coming home pregnant last year from a trip to Miami's Seaquarium.

The birth is a rare and important one for the Shedd, where only three white-sided dolphins have given birth since the species arrived in the marine mammal Oceanarium 20 years ago. None of the births was successful.
 

The mother is Tique, pronounced TEE-kay, a 26-year-old who accounted for two of the previous births. She had a stillborn calf in 1995, not unusual for first-time dolphin mothers, said Ken Ramirez, Shedd vice president.

In 2003 a calf she bore weakened and died after four days when it failed to learn how to nurse. The other dolphin birth at the Shedd was a stillborn to a different first-time dolphin mother.

"This is a good healthy calf," Ramirez said of the newest baby, whose sex has yet to be identified. He said that the little dolphin is showing signs of wanting to nurse and that its mother seems to be trying to guide it to her mammary glands, a learning that can take two or three days.

"Tique is a much more attentive and skilled mother than she was before," Ramirez said. "The calf surfaced for its first breath soon after birth, and Mom is guiding the calf around the habitat and seems to be trying to show where the calf should go on her body to begin nursing."

With no resident male Pacific white-sided dolphins living at the Shedd, Tique was sent a year ago to Miami Seaquarium to mate with an adult male. There are fewer than 20 Pacific white-sided dolphins in captivity in North American facilities, so a successful birth is extremely important.

"This calf must reach several milestones in its first days and months," said Ramirez. The first is to show that mother and calf are strongly bonded, which can take a few days, he said.

Mother and calf won't be exhibited during the critical first few days, Ramirez said. They are under 24-hour staff observation and likely to remain under observation for a few months while the calf passes through several crucial milestones, such as learning to nurse, swimming on its own and swimming with other dolphins.

Celebrity Death: Gunsmoke actor James Arness dead in LA celebrity home?

Celebrity Death!

Gunsmoke actor James Arness dead in LA celebrity home?

Immortalized in Toby Keith’s song, Should’ve Been a Cowboy, legendary actor James Arness, passed away quietly Friday, June 3, in his Los Angeles celebrity home. Known most for his role as Marshal Dillon on Gunsmoke from 1955 to 1975, he was the epitome of a Hollywood cowboy, and also starred in dozens of movies, some as recent as 1994. James Arness (brother of late Mission Impossible actor, Peter Graves), died of natural causes at age 88. During Arness’s career, he shared screen time with numerous famous actors, including Alec Baldwin, John Wayne, Harrison Ford, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Weaver, and Charles Bronson. The Minnesota-born actor fit the ideal stereotype for a cowboy, with his quiet demeanor and massive (for the time) 6-foot, 6-inch stature. The cultural icon has a star on the walk of fame, three Emmy Award nominations, a TVLand Nomination and is a 1967 Western Heritage and 1986 Golden Boot award recipient.

Arness landed the Gunsmoke role when John Wayne turned it down and recommended him for the slot. The longest-running television drama, focused on 1873 Dodge City, Kansas, and its lawmen and criminals. At one time during production, there were 30 competitive ‘cowboy’ television shows, and Gunsmoke outlasted them all, with episodes still playing on TVLand. The show was set during a timeframe in which our nation thrived on a green lifestyle, with very little industry and renewable energy coming from the efforts of humans and animals. It was a time in which vegetable gardens and organic methods were the norm for families on the frontier, and virtually every tool and resource was renewed or recycled. The show itself included horses as a staple in its scenes. There are no records of any negative treatment of animals on the show, and the stars seemed to treat them similar to true pioneers of the Old West: as reliable sidekicks.

A decorated World War II veteran, James Arness was awarded the Bronze Star; the Purple Heart (wounded at Anzio); the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze campaign stars; the World War II Victory Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. After the war, he started his career as a radio announcer in Minnesota in 1945. Then in the 1950’s, he signed a contract with John Wayne’s production company.

The family has asked that fans honor his memory with donations to United Cerebral Palsy in his name, a cause for which he was passionate

James Arness, tall, quiet Marshal Dillon of TV’s ‘Gunsmoke,’ dies at 88

James Arness, who presided over the frontier town of Dodge City as television’s most enduring western hero, the laconic, fair-minded and incorruptible Marshal Matt Dillon of the two-decade-long series “Gunsmoke,” died June 3 at his home in Los Angeles at 88. The cause of death was not reported.
Mr. Arness, who was a rugged 6-foot-7, stood tall in the dusty streets of Dodge City, Kan., portraying a U.S. marshal whose badge represented more than just the force of law. He was the embodiment of quiet moral authority, a sensitive arbiter of conflict in a rough-and-ready cow town — “Gomorrah of the plains, they call it,” as he said in the show’s first episode. Only when pushed to the limit would Marshal Dillon pull his six-gun from its holster.

James Arness, the 6-foot-6 actor who towered over the television landscape for two decades as righteous Dodge City lawman Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke" died Friday. (June 3)

When “Gunsmoke” premiered in 1955, it was considered a new breed of “adult western,” with well-drawn characters and complex plots that, despite its name, took the show beyond outlaws and gunfights.
“What made us different from other westerns,” Mr. Arness told the Associated Press in 2002, “was the fact that ‘Gunsmoke’ wasn’t just action and a lot of shooting; they were character-study shows.”
Mr. Arness, who was recommended for the role of Matt Dillon by his friend John Wayne, was the center of an ensemble that included Milburn Stone as the gentle, scholarly Doc Adams; Amanda Blake as Kitty Russell — “Miss Kitty” — who ran the Long Branch saloon; and Dennis Weaver as Mr. Arness’s limping deputy sidekick, Chester Goode. After Weaver left the show in 1964, Ken Curtis joined the cast as the memorable comic character, Festus Haggen.
“Gunsmoke” aired on CBS for 20 years, but in Dodge City it was forever 1873. Other westerns came and went, but “Gunsmoke” ranked among the most popular programs year after year. When it was canceled in 1975, it was the last western on TV at the time.
No other scripted shows have run as long except “The Simpsons,” which reached its 20th year in 2009, and “Law & Order,” which left the air last year after 20 seasons. Neither show is within 150 episodes of “Gunsmoke’s” total of 635.
As the show evolved, the opening credits changed from a main-street shootout to a scene of Marshal Dillon galloping his horse across the prairie. His relationship with Miss Kitty developed to the point that they shared a kiss during one episode in 1973. They never married, though, and the social order of Dodge City remained intact.
“Matt Dillon is still the all-time, all-star marshal, pure, square-shouldered square-shooter, yet he never hogs the screen,” New York Daily News culture critic Gerald Nachman wrote in 1973, summing up the appeal of “Gunsmoke” and Mr. Arness’s archetypal central character. “Half the time you hardly know he’s in town, but he casts a tall shadow.”
James King Aurness — he dropped the “u” after arriving in Hollywood — was born May 23, 1923, in Minneapolis. His younger brother was actor Peter Graves, the star of the 1960s series “Mission Impossible” and the comic “Airplane!” films. Graves died last year at 83.

Announcers for NBA Finals know that every comment will be dissected

MIAMI — If the adage is correct that the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint, then the NBA playoffs are a balancing act, at least for those calling the action.
Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson know the drill. They know that while some might describe their perches for Tuesday night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals as courtside seats, a better description might be hot seats. Nearly everything coming out of their mouths during this series will be dissected by fans.
Say anything negative about the hometown Heat and it means they're rooting for the Dallas Mavericks.
Say anything negative about the Mavericks and it means they're obviously for the Miami Heat.
"It's amazing," said Breen, the play-by-play man for the ABC/ESPN crew. "We'll go into an NBA Finals and just for example, last year, we'll go into Boston and the Celtic fans will say, 'Boy, it's clear you guys are rooting for the Lakers. And then the series will shift to L.A. and the Laker fans will say, 'Boy, it's obvious you guys are rooting for the Celtics.' "
During the Eastern Conference finals, Heat fans were so worked up over TNT's Charles Barkley that he threatened to "come down there" to straighten out one towel-tossing fan.
For the next game, TNT moved its studio from outside the AmericanAirlines Arena to a more secure location inside the building.
Some might claim Barkley asked for it by calling the Heat "a whiny bunch," but network announcers know that at this stage of the post-season, emotions are so high that even innocent comments are over-analyzed. With a bemused look, NBC's Bob Costas said never in his career has a fan approached him with compliments for the remarkable way he was calling a game right down the middle.
Why is it especially an issue during the playoffs? First, most games are broadcast using national announcers as opposed to those hired by the clubs for the regular season.
Second, if an announcer rubs a fan the wrong way during the regular season, that might be the last time the fan hears that announcer for months. During the NBA Finals, it's possible that Breen, Van Gundy or Jackson could irritate a fan for seven consecutive games - if they haven't already done it during three prior rounds.
"When you hear from each city that you're biased, that means you're doing the perfect job," said Mike Tirico, play-by-plan man for this series on ESPN Radio and the voice of Monday Night Football.
Jackson added, "Our job is to tell a story. And basically, if you're playing bad, we're going to talk about that and I think it comes off to a true fan like you're disliking their team."
Make a mistake in the regular season and the worst that often happens is it's replayed on SportsCenter for a day. Not so now.
"In the playoffs, you're really focused on individual plays," Breen said, "so I think overall broadcasts are more critical in the playoffs in terms of what a team is doing, what a certain player is doing, and I think that's part of why sometimes the fans might be a little more sensitive, because also, their emotions are running high."
Announcers agree that the only rooting they do during games is for a good game.
"We put so much into a broadcast, my goal is the ball is in the air, the clock says zero, and wherever it comes down determines the outcome of the game," Tirico said.
So before Heat fans or Mavs fans accuse him otherwise, Tirico figured he might as well set the record straight.
"I couldn't care less who wins," he said.

NBA commissioner David Stern is hoping talks during NBA Finals will bring progress avoiding lockout

MIAMI - Taking a cue from LeBron James, David Stern has advised his owners and the players' union to "bring their negotiating talents to South Beach."
NBA owners and the Players Association will meet Wednesday to try to make some progress on a new labor deal, with a lockout scheduled to go into effect July 1.

But Stern is not hopeful that the two sides will get any closer, with owners and players far apart and the current deal set to expire June 30.
"It's going to be a challenge to the owners and the union to reach the right deal," the NBA commissioner said Tuesday night before Game 1 of the Finals. "The question is really whether we're going to be bold enough to negotiate as opposed to posture."
The two sides are also scheduled to meet twice when the series shifts to Dallas next weekend.

With the league claiming that 22 of its 30 teams are losing money, owners want to drastically reduce players' salaries and benefits from the current 57-43 split of revenue enjoyed by the players. They're looking for a 50-50 split, along with replacing the soft salary cap with a hard cap. Players, meanwhile, do not want to blow up the current economic system.

NBA Finals: LeBron James is focus of the series, win or lose

Dwyane Wade had a message and a reminder for his teammate when it ended: “Congratulations, LeBron, you just won your first NBA Finals game.”

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Hey, with LeBron James 0-4 in June coming in to Tuesday night’s Game 1 against the Mavericks, it’s a worthy milestone. Three more victories and let the bows begin.
Either way, win or lose, hoist that big, beautiful gold ball in triumph or humbly bow his head in defeat, LeBron already owns these NBA Finals. They are his the way the 1991 Finals were Michael Jordan’s and the 2000 Finals belonged to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal — the way the entire basketball community anxiously waited to see if the child stars had yet matured into championship adults.
The Heat was too defensive for Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas, and as white hankies rain down from the rafters of American Airlines Arena, Miami moved three wins away from Team Collusion’s stated goal.
Good sign for the Heat: Jose Barea, Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic, who looked like a deer in headlights, missed 17 of the 21 shots they took. Dallas can’t win this without its bench outperforming Miami’s.
LeBron had a nice line — 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to 1 turnover, even if he didn’t score in the fourth quarter until the game was decided.
Now here comes the double-edged sword for LeBron the next two weeks: He needs to close or the criticism won’t cease.
A great, young player only is afforded so many years to grow up and become king before the derision becomes more damning than “The Decision.”
Michael needed a grueling seven seasons to win it all. Kobe needed just four to win a title, but that’s mainly because he had Shaq, who before he won was eviscerated as a B-movie-making, hip-hopping lug more interested in studio time than court time.
When the Lakers won, the wait was over — not just for Shaq and Kobe, but for a league patiently biding its time before another star-laden team could help fill the void left by Michael’s Bulls.
Let’s be clear: A victory by LeBron and his Super Friends is important for David Stern’s NBA, almost as important as it is for the Heat and its 26-year-old supernova. Indeed, as the ball left LeBron’s hand at the end of the third quarter Tuesday night, deep on the right wing behind the three-point line, the league needed that swish almost as much as he did.
Of course this is also about whether the Mavericks can win a title in the Dirk Nowitzki era — whether Dirk and Jason Kidd will join Elgin Baylor, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Charles Barkley as some of the greatest players to never celebrate an NBA championship.
But mostly this is about LeBron. Four years after his last appearance in the championship round, the next two weeks represent a referendum on his progress as an all-time great player. It’s easy to measure.
The Heat wins and he is ready to take Kobe’s place as the most necessary, must-see player in pro basketball. Miami loses, and LeBron is 0-2 in the Finals with two different teams. Completing his eighth season without a title, he would also have been in the league one year longer than when Michael won his first title. Jordan had two championships at the completion of his eighth season.

Stateline busy with events for Memorial Day

From keynote speakers, to bands and pork chop barbecues, the Stateline Area will be bustling with Memorial Day activities this weekend.

The following is a roundup of area Memorial Day events:

Beloit and South Beloit

Memorial Day festivities in South Beloit and Beloit kick off at 6:30 a.m. Monday, with the laying of the wreath at the Beloit Rotary River Center, near the lagoon in Riverside Park. Lineup for the parade starts at 8 a.m. on Liston Avenue, one block past Oakland Avenue off Blackhawk Boulevard in South Beloit. The parade starts at 9 a.m., starting in South Beloit and ending at Horace White Park in Beloit.

“We’re happy that the downtown (construction) was completed,” said Michael Bendickson, South Beloit American Legion member. “The parade route will continue to State Street, then take a right on East Grand Avenue.”

The parade will feature some special guests, including the Navy Band from Great Lakes.

“The main purpose is to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and honor all service men and women,” said Bendickson.

Following the parade, there will be a ceremony at Horace White Park at 11:30 a.m. There will be a 10 a.m. Memorial Day Service hosted by the South Beloit Legion at South Beloit City Park. There will also be an 11 a.m. ceremony at Floral Lawns Cemetery. There will also be noon Memorial Day ceremonies at East Lawn Ceremony in Beloit and the South Beloit American Legion Post Home.

Town of Turtle

The town’s Memorial Day ceremony starts at 2 p.m. Monday at the Turtle Community Center, 6916 S. County Road J in Beloit. The parade will proceed to Turtleville and Shopiere cemeteries, then return to the community center for a video and refreshments.

“We’d love to have folks show up and celebrate the day with us,” said Roger Anclam, Town of Turtle board chair.

Roscoe

The Roscoe VFW Post 2955 will have its Memorial Day parade at 11 a.m. Monday in downtown Roscoe. Lineup will start at the corner of Bridge and Main streets at 10:30 a.m.

Rockton

The Rockton Memorial Day parade, hosted by the American Legion Walter Graham Post 332, will be held Monday, kicking off at 9 a.m. Parade participants will line up on East River Street by 8:30 a.m.

The parade will proceed north on Blackhawk Boulevard, pausing on the bridge for a wreath-throwing ceremony. Then it will continue north, turning left on Main street, continue and turn right on Center street. The parade will then turn west on Union street, then right onto West Street and proceed to the Rockton Cemetery for the Memorial Services.

Those attending the parade are asked not to park their cars along the parade route.

Clinton

Clinton’s Memorial Day parade starts at 9:30, with the lineup starting at 9 a.m. The parade will head down Main Street, through the downtown district, head up on main street, though the downtown district to head to Clinton Senior High School, 112 Milwaukee Road. There will be a program after the parade, which will feature speaker John Solis, a county service officer for Rock County.

Orfordville

Hosted by the Kenneth S. Wells American Legion Post, Auxiliary Unit and SA Squadron 209 Orfordville, the community will kick off their Memorial Day activities Monday.

The program will start at the Parkview High School gym at 10:15 a.m. Lt. Karl Hanson, an Iraq and Bosnia veteran. Following the program there will be a parade from the school to Memorial Park at the Clubhouse for the annual rededication and reading of the 166 memorialized names. The Legion Chicken and Pork Chop Barbecue will then be served in the Clubhouse. Cost for a full dinner with half chicken or one pork chop is $7, and $8.50 for two pork chops.

Delavan

Delavan kicks off its Memorial Day celebration starting Sunday, with a church service at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church. Legion members should meet at the Delavan American Legion Post #95 parking lot at 9:45 a.m., then proceed to the church.

On Monday, the Delavan Memorial Day parade starts at 9 a.m. on the corner of Main Street and Walworth Avenue; line up starts at 8:45 a.m. The parade will proceed down Walworth, return on Seventh Street and then go north to the Spring Grove-St.Andrews Cemetery, where the Memorial Day ceremony will be held. The ceremony will feature Lt. Colonel John Loomer as Master of Ceremony, Poppy Princess Taiya Schroder, and keynote speaker Geoff Blumenfeld, a Marine corps captain who flies the Osprey aircraft.

Following the ceremony, the parade will proceed to Old Settler’s cemetery in downtown Delavan, where the national anthem and taps will be played, and there will be a rifle salute.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be performed at Phoenix Middle School in Delavan starting at 9:30 a.m.

If you have any questions, contact George Ballman at 262-728-3558.

Darien

Memorial Day festivities will begin Monday at 11 a.m. at the Darien Cemetery. There will be a short parade from the Darien Fire Station to the cemetery. Post member Ken Anclan will serve as emcee, and Gary Sisk will be chaplain. Auxiliary member Marie Huisheere will present the memorial wreath, and Chris Jordan, county veterans service officer, will be the day’s speaker.

Music will be provided by the Delavan Darien High School Band, under the direction of DDHS Band Director Jim Gornic. The post firing squad will visit two area ceremonies following the program. There will be a pot luck dinner at the Darien Legion Hall at noon.

In case of inclement weather, all events will be held at the Darien Legion Hall, 24 Market St.

Memorial Day 2011

QUANTICO NATIONAL CEMETERY, VA -- When I was a kid, we called May 30th "Decoration Day."

It was an occasion for Boy Scouts to be up before dawn and report, in uniform, to the American Legion hall. There, Cub Scouts would be paired with older Boy Scouts, organized into detachments of a dozen or so and issued bags of small American flags. Each group then "deployed" in station wagons and pickup trucks to local cemeteries and churchyards, where we placed Old Glory on every veteran's grave.

Later in the morning, there was a parade down Main Street, led by a color guard, the high-school band and ranks of veterans from World War I, World War II and the war of the moment, Korea. The Veterans of Foreign Wars sold red poppies to raise funds for the disabled. Politicians made speeches, and citizens prayed in public. It was a solemn annual event that taught us reverence for those who served and sacrificed for our country.

It's no longer so.

Begun as a local observance in the aftermath of the Civil War, the first national commemoration took place on May 30, 1868, at the direction of General John A. Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Though his General Order No. 11 specified "strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion" -- meaning only Union soldiers -- those who tended the burial sites at Arlington, VA, Gettysburg, PA and Vicksburg, MS, decided on their own to decorate the biers of both Union and Confederate war dead.

For five decades, the holiday remained essentially unchanged. But in 1919, as the bodies of young Americans were being returned to the U.S. from the battlefields of World War I, May 30th became a truly national event. It persisted as such until 1971, during Vietnam -- the war America wanted to forget -- when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by Congress went into effect and turned Memorial Day into a "three-day weekend."

Since then, it's become an occasion for appliance, mattress and auto sales, picnics, barbecues and auto races. Thankfully, there are some places besides Arlington National Cemetery where Memorial Day still is observed as a time to honor America's war dead. Here in Triangle, VA, the Marines do it right.

Like all Marine Corps installations, every major structure at Quantico is named for a fallen fellow warrior. On May 13, hundreds of Marines and their families gathered to dedicate a new staff noncommissioned officer academy, named in honor of Sergeant Kenneth Conde Jr. Our Fox News "War Stories" team was embedded with his unit, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, in Ramadi, Iraq, during April 2004. Shortly after Sgt. Conde was wounded in action during a gunfight with enemy insurgents, I asked him why he refused to be medically evacuated. His response: "There is no other choice for a sergeant in the Marine Corps. You have to lead your Marines."

Corporal Jared McKenzie, one of Conde's Marines, said of his sergeant -- "He always led from the front and never asked us to do something he wouldn't do." Sgt. Conde was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his valor and wounds in that engagement. On July 1, just eight days after his 23rd birthday, he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

At the dedication ceremony, Conde's Battalion Commander, Colonel Paul Kennedy, described the young sergeant as "a courageous, inspiring leader." The fallen Marine's father, Kenneth Conde, Sr. said, "I'm wearing my son's combat boots. Though they fit, I could never fill them."

Just down the road from Conde Hall is another testament to how the Marines honor America's heroes. Quantico National Cemetery occupies 725 beautifully landscaped acres donated by the Marines to the Veteran's Administration in 1977. This final resting place for more than 28,000 Americans who served in every branch of our armed forces is closely linked to some of the most crucial events in U.S. military history. The fledgling Continental Navy prepared to battle the British fleet here in 1775-76. During the Civil War, it was a blockade point and subsequently a logistics base during the bloody battle for Fredericksburg. In 1918, the Marines established a training base and an air station for units deploying to fight in World War I. Since 1941, Quantico has been the home of the Marines' Officer Candidates School and The Basic School for all Marine officers. Today it is also home to the FBI and DEA academies.

On Memorial Day, an "Avenue of Honor" through Quantico National Cemetery is adorned with American flags. A "Memorial Pathway" displays monuments to Edson's Raiders of WWII fame and recipients of the Purple Heart; memorials to the 1st, 4th and 6th Marine Divisions; and a monument erected to America's veterans by the commonwealth of Virginia.

This is also the final resting place for a close friend and a reminder of present day peril. On February 17, 1988, U.S. Marine Colonel William "Rich" Higgins was kidnapped in Beirut by Iranian-supported Hezbollah terrorists. They murdered him in July 1990. His remains were interred here in 1991. Rich Higgins' gravesite is my Memorial Day reminder that the streets of heaven really are guarded by U.S. Marines. So are the streets of America.

The true meaning of Memorial Day

WPRI) - This Monday, many Americans will spend a day off from work or school going to parades, attending barbecues or taking advantage of Memorial Day sales. But, how many will actually stop to remember the true meaning of the holiday?

Ask any military family who has lost a family member to war or a person who has a loved one deployed overseas and they will likely tell you Memorial Day is not a celebration. It's not a happy day. It was never intended as the unofficial start to summer or a big day for race fans. It's a somber occasion meant to honor the men and women who have died in service of the country.

• Memorial Day Coverage

"Many people look at it as a time to relax, have a hamburger and enjoy a parade," said retired Lt. Gen. Reginald Centracchio, Rhode Island National Guard . "We've basically forgotten the main reason for Memorial Day; and that's to really remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice."

The holiday, originally called Decoration Day, started in the Civil War era; when the graves of those killed in action were adorned with wreaths. In 1971, Congress declared it a national holiday to be observed the last Monday in May. Since then, many veterans groups have lobbied for a return to the traditional observance of May 30, saying the creation of the national holiday further eroded the day's meaning.

"Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day," the VFW said in a 2002 Memorial Day address.

In order to remind Americans about the true meaning of Memorial Day, President Bill Clinton in 2000 issued the National Moment of Remembrance resolution. It asked all Americans to "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.'"

• Other ways to observe Memorial Day

So, while it's okay to enjoy a day off from work or school to go to a parade, attend a barbecue, or take advantage of those sales; why not take a quiet moment to remember those who sacrificed it all for all of us. It's the least we can do.

Beneath the Vatnajokull glacier lies the most active volcano in Iceland. Only hours ago, it has erupted again sparking renewed air traffic fears.

The latest Grímsvötn Volcano eruption is reported to be more powerful than its last in 2004. Its previous eruptions in the last 100 years were recorded in 1922, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1945, 1954, 1983, 1998 and 2004. According to a May 21, 2011 article in Ice News, Iceland volcano ‘not Eyjafjallajokull’, Saturday's eruption was expected by volcanologists this year.

Ash More Dense, Less Likely To Spread Far

The Icelandic Met Office website reported that ash is falling in the vicinity of the Vatnajokull glacier. This also includes towns of Hofn i Hornafirdi and Kirkjubaerklaustur as well as farmland nearby. The plume is up to 12 miles (20km) high, but the basalt eruption is meant to give the ash a density that will prevent a Eyjafjallajokull-style spreading.
Other effects associated with Grímsvötn is glacial flooding. As lava protrudes the Vatnajokull glacier and the ice is melted, water is produced.

Kermadec quake fails to raise a ripple

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake today struck near New Zealand's Kermacec islands, but scientists in the islands were unaware of the tremor.

There were no reports of damage or risk of tsunami, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

A spokeswoman for Auckland Museum said she had been in contact with a research group on the islands since the quake.

"They had to be informed by us that there had been an earthquake," she said.

The team of 19 people, which includes experts from the Department of Conservation, Te Papa, NIWA and Australian Museum, have recorded a number of new marine species during their trip.

Many of the research team were aboard a boat by Macauley Island, a small island in the Kermadec Islands group, when the 6.1 earthquake struck.

"Everybody was unaffected by it."

New Zealand's subtropical Kermadec Islands group lies 1000km north east of the North Island.

A small US religious group had predicted that Judgement Day would begin a day earlier, on Saturday, with an earthquake in New Zealand.

5 injured in Canoga Park crash

CANOGA PARK - Five people were injured today, one critically, in a traffic collision in Canoga Park, a city fire official said. 

The crash in the 21000 block of Saticoy Street was reported at 5:24 p.m., said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

"It was a two-car collision,'' Scott said. "One (person) is critically injured. The other four suffered non-life threatening injuries.'' 

Scott said all five people were taken to local hospitals. The cause of the crash was not immediately determined.

Sitting next to President Obama, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu says no to 1967 borders

WASHINGTON -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat alongside President Barack Obama on Friday and declared that Israel would not withdraw to 1967 borders to help make way for an adjacent Palestinian state. Obama had called on Israel to be willing to do just that a day earlier.

The Israeli leader said he would make some concessions but Israel would not go back to the lines from decades earlier because they would be "indefensible."

For his part, Obama said that there were differences of formulations and language but that such disputes are going to happen "between friends."

The president never mentioned the 1967 borders as the two men talked with reporters. The leaders spoke after a lengthy meeting in the Oval Office, amid tense times.

Obama said in his speech on Thursday that the United States supports creation of a Palestinian state based on the border lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel forces occupied east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. The comment drew angry criticism in Israel, and Netanyahu made clear after meeting with Obama that the idea was unacceptable.

"We cannot go back to those indefensible lines," said Netanyahu.

Both Obama and Netanyahu said they shared a desire to get to peace and played down disagreements. "We may have differences here and there," Netanyahu said.

But there was no sign of resolution of the many barriers that stand between Israel and the Palestinians, more now than last September when Obama brought the two parties together to call for a peace deal within a year -- a deadline that now looks unattainable.

Netanyahu said his nation could not negotiate with a newly constituted Palestinian unity government that includes the radical Hamas movement, which refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. He said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had to choose between continuing the deal with Hamas and making peace with Israel.

FDA approves new HIV drug from Johnson & Johnson

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration says it approved a new HIV drug from Johnson & Johnson for patients who have not been treated with other medications for the virus.

The once-a-day pill Edurant works by blocking the virus from reproducing. It is designed to be used with other drugs that reduce levels of HIV in the blood.

FDA officials say the approval provides an additional option to HIV patients, who respond differently to various medications.

The FDA approved the drug based on a study showing it was as effective as Sustiva, an older HIV drug already on the market.

Police shooting death of Pacoima burglary suspect under investigation

An investigation was underway in the death of a burglary suspect who, after being chased by Pacoima residents, was shot by police with beanbags last week and later died while in custody, authorities said Friday.

Van Nuys resident Victor Preciado, 32, was arrested May 11 after LAPD Foothill Division officers shot him several times with a less-lethal beanbag shotgun after he refused to drop a pair of garden shears, according to LAPD.

Preciado, who officers said appeared to be under the influence of drugs, was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation, where he slipped into a coma. He died Tuesday, six days after his arrest, according to LAPD.

The cause of his death has not been determined.

Police arrested Preciado after receiving two separate radio calls - one for a burglary at a car shop and another about a man causing a disturbance at a home in the 10600 block of Tamarack Avenue in Pacoima.

Preciado allegedly committed a theft at the shop and was then chased by neighbors to the Tamarack home minutes before police arrived, LAPD said.

When officers arrived at the home, they saw Preciado trying to get inside while holding what looked like a knife but later turned out to be the garden shears, according to LAPD.

Officers ordered him to drop the weapon in Spanish and English, but Preciado refused and they shot him several times, according to LAPD. He was taken into custody without further resistance and transported to the hospital.

The incident is being investigated by the LAPD Force Investigation Division.