Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Disturbing Details Emerge About Pilot in Texas Hot Air Balloon Crash That Killed 16
The country continues to mourn a tragedy in Texas, in which a downed hot air balloon caught fire, killing all 16 people on board.
New details, however, are beginning to emerge about the balloon’s pilot, Alfred “Skip” Nichols.
Image Credit: Screenshot/People
Nichols has a fairly lengthy arrest record, including multiple DWIs.
Throughout the past couple of decades, the 49-year-old had twice been arrested for misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated offenses, as well one arrest being made for distribution, delivery or manufacturing of a controlled substance.
According to People, he was also arrested for driving with a suspended license and spent nearly 2 years on supervised probation.
His former girlfriend, Wendy Bartch, told ABC NewsBC that he was a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for at least 4 years.
She said he would never drink on the job and the safety of his passengers was his main focus:
“He did not fly when he wasn’t supposed to.
Having other people’s lives at stake was Skip’s primary concern.”
That’s not the end of the story, though.
Nichols owned a hot air balloon company that had come under investigation by the Better Business Bureau.
They advised consumers to be wary of Nichols, in a statement released in 2008:
“The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns consumers about doing business with Skip Nichols, the owner of Air Balloon Sports.”
“Several area consumers have complained that they had scheduled flights cancelled, difficulty rescheduling flights, sometimes over the course of years, and the company failed to provide refunds and was extremely difficult to contact.”
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating the crash.
The post Disturbing Details Emerge About Pilot in Texas Hot Air Balloon Crash That Killed 16 appeared first on Independent Journal Review.
Source: independent journal
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Taya Kyle Just Got a New Gig That’ll Have Conservatives Cheering
Taya Kyle has been in the pubic eye ever since her husband Chris wrote “American Sniper” and then was tragically murdered while trying to help a veteran with PTSD.
She’s gone through the wringer, first with losing her husband, then the trial for the man accused of killing him:
Image Credit: Tom Fox-Pool/Getty Images
The movie based on “American Sniper,” about her and Chris Kyle, was a smash at the box office:
She’s judged the Miss America pageant:
Image Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
She has been brutally honest with elected officials — even the president:
Image Credit: Aude Guerrucci-Pool/Getty Images
Kyle has also used her experience to bring comfort to other military families. And she has kept her husband’s memory and legacy alive with the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation.
Through it all, America has cheered for this strong woman.
Now, it looks like a certain cable news channel has noticed her grace under fire:
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Kyle started a new job as a Fox News Contributor on Monday, appearing on “Fox and Friends” for the first time in her new capacity.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that Kyle commented on criticism heaped on the two generals who spoke at both political conventions:
“These guys are retired,” Kyle said. “They spent their careers fighting for all of our right to freedom of speech, so I think once they’re out, they should be the first in line to exercise their right to free speech.”
While it’s not a full time job, Kyle will be offering commentary on the military and family to Fox News Network. And a lot of people will be very glad to see her on a regular basis.
The post Taya Kyle Just Got a New Gig That’ll Have Conservatives Cheering appeared first on Independent Journal Review.
Source: independent journal
The post Taya Kyle Just Got a New Gig That’ll Have Conservatives Cheering appeared first on .@tonygreene113.
Activists Tried to Rescue a Lobster From a Seafood Restaurant. It Didn’t Go According to Plan…
A giant lobster was rescued from a dinner table in Florida last week and immediately became a national sensation.
However, things didn’t end well for Larry the Lobster.
It all started when the 15-pound crustacean ended up at a Florida seafood restaurant owned by a man named Joe Melluso.
Once area activists discovered that the lobster might be as old as 110, they pressured Melluso to give the sea-dweller a chance for freedom.
So they decided to pack Larry up and mail him to the Maine State Aquarium, celebrating a job well done.
Image Credit: Screenshot/ABC
The story does not end there, though.
Jeff Nichols, communications director for the Maine Department of Marine Resources, which operates the aquarium, told ABC that Larry the Lobster arrived nearly a week later than anticipated.
The journey, in which he was packed atop ice in a styrofoam box, festooned with the phrase “#LLM” (Lobster Lives Matter), proved to be too much for the aged crustacean.
Image Credit: Screenshot/ABC
Larry the Lobster died.
Nichols suggested that the way that the activists packed the lobster contributed to his death:
“We’re not doing an autopsy, but it appears the way the lobster was extensively handled and the way it was packaged appears to have contributed to his death.”
Joe Melluso, the restauranteur who allowed the activists to take the lobster, was extremely saddened by the eventual outcome:
“I feel like if I had known that he was held up in shipping sooner, I would’ve offered to bring him back to the lobster tanks he was living in before I had purchased him,” he said.
“That way, he could have a safe place to stay while they were figuring out the shipping.
I’m disappointed by how all this was handled, and I had no clue about any of it.”
John Merritt, one of the activists that originally rescued the crustacean told ABC that he was “really disappointed that Larry didn’t make it alive.”
Image Credit: Screenshot/ABC
He said they did their best:
“We did our best…that is all we can say.
“The reason we stepped up to save Larry is because he was originally being exploited for profit and we couldn’t let that happen and thus our mission [was] to save him and get him back home.
“We wish we had better news.”
The blame is in being placed on the activist’s shoulders, as FedEx originally would not accept the styrofoam package because it was “leaking.”
You can find out more about Larry’s tragic voyage here:
The post Activists Tried to Rescue a Lobster From a Seafood Restaurant. It Didn’t Go According to Plan… appeared first on Independent Journal Review.
Source: independent journal
The post Activists Tried to Rescue a Lobster From a Seafood Restaurant. It Didn’t Go According to Plan… appeared first on .@tonygreene113.
Monday, August 1, 2016
The List of Americans Defending Donald Trump Against Family of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier
It was a rough weekend for Donald Trump, who faced a combined onslaught from Democrats, the media and even Gold Star families after he publicly attacked the parents of a fallen soldier.
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced elements of Trump’s statement, and even his VP running mate Mike Pence put out a statement distancing himself from the more egregious elements of Trump’s response.
But Trump did have some defenders.
1) Jeff Sessions
Sen. Jeff Sessions: “I reject” Khizr Khan’s criticism of Trump http://bit.ly/2aWW0vo #CNNSOTU http://bit.ly/2acnvnx
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 31, 2016
The Alabama Republican responded to Khizr Khan’s statement on Trump, saying:
“I’m disappointed that he would say that. Donald Trump complimented him. He praised his son who gave his life for this country… I don’t think anybody that says that we ought to slow down and be more careful about bringing in immigrants from countries that have terrorist tendencies and can’t be vetted properly, I don’t believe that that’s a person who lacks a soul.”
2) Paul Manafort
Trump’s campaign manager, who is in the news for his business and lobbying dealings with Ukraine and Russia, defended Trump on Sunday:
“Mr. Trump and all of us give him our sympathy and empathy for the loss of his son. I mean, that was a real tragedy.”
But he added that Khan started this fight, not Trump:
“Mr. Trump was asked about Mr. Khan, he didn’t raise Mr. Khan”
3) Scottie Nell Hughes
The CNN contributor and Trump surrogate took to the airwaves this weekend, saying the Khans should have blamed Presidents Bush and Obama, instead of Trump.
She added that Trump’s ban would not have affected the Khan family, which does not line up with Trump’s public statements. The Khan family is from Pakistan, a country ravaged by Islamic terrorism.
4) Corey Lewandowski
Corey Lewandowski, on @CNN: “If Donald Trump were the president, Capt. Khan would’ve still been alive right now…”
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) August 1, 2016
Was Trump’s response to the gold star family warranted? Fmr. Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski weighs in http://bit.ly/2acnPTj
— New Day (@NewDay) August 1, 2016
5) Roger Stone, former Trump aide
Stone, the Nixon staffer who now defends Trump, tweeted a link Sunday suggesting that Khan was a Muslim Brotherhood plant to help Hillary Clinton.
6) Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
The Tennessee Congressman gave a partial defense for Trump on CNN, saying (incorrectly) that his temporary Muslim ban would not have included the Khan family. She claimed it extended only to Syrian refugees, while Trump’s own public statements have expanded the proposal to all countries afflicted by Islamic terrorism.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, on CNN, just said that Trump’s Muslim ban is strictly limited to a temporary pause on Syrian refugees. Not correct.
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) July 31, 2016
7) John Nolte, former Breitbart News editor
It was bad enough that Khan used his son as a political prop.
Now he’s using him as a shield against criticism.
Contemptible man.
— CNN Is Hitler (@NolteNC) July 31, 2016
8) Chris Barron, LGBT for Trump
Democrats put Khan out in primetime to attack Trump. Trump fires back. Democrats cry foul. Idiot GOPers aid them. #RinseRepeat
— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) July 31, 2016
Democrats LOVE to use attack dogs that we are not allowed to criticize.
— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) July 31, 2016
Khan’s descent into Cindy Sheehan-land is almost complete.
— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) August 1, 2016
There are certainly more Americans out there defending Trump. Add them in the comments below.
The post The List of Americans Defending Donald Trump Against Family of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier appeared first on Independent Journal Review.
Source: independent journal
The post The List of Americans Defending Donald Trump Against Family of Fallen Muslim-American Soldier appeared first on .@tonygreene113.