#Hillsboro Fire Department

[larryshapiro]

Hillsboro, OR - KME AerialCat 101' TDA

[mystlnewsonline]

Dollar General Exposed Workers to Hazards

Nine inspections in four states find Dollar General exposed workers to obstructed exits, fire, and electrical hazards; carry $3.4M in new penalities Since 2017, more than $21M in proposed fines for national retailer after 240 inspections WASHINGTON, DC (STL.News) Unsafe conditions typically found by federal workplace safety inspectors at discount stores operated by Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC nationwide were on display again during U.S. Department of Labor inspections at nine locations in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin in late 2022. The workplace safety failures identified in these inspections add $3.4 million in proposed penalties to the more than $21 million in fines the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed since 2017 after conducting 240 inspections at stores nationwide. OSHA inspections at Dollar General stores commonly find aisles, emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and electrical panels blocked by stored merchandise and other materials and boxes stacked unsafely.  These conditions expose employees to fire, electrical and struck-by, and other hazards in violation of federal regulations. “Dollar General continues to expose its employees to unsafe conditions at its stores across the nation,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.  “As one of the nation’s largest retailers, the company must focus its attention on resolving these issues and making corporate-wide changes to protect the safety and well-being of the people they employ.” The findings of OSHA inspections in October, November, and December 2022 in Maine, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin included the following: Enfield, Maine Responding to a complaint in November 2022, OSHA found rolling containers and boxes of products obstructing or completely blocking access to an emergency exit.  The agency also found carts clogging aisles and preventing quick access to fire extinguishers, and some goods stacked unsafely up to 6 feet high in front of and around an electrical panel.  In addition, inspectors noted the store had not visually inspected fire extinguishers at least monthly, as required. OSHA cited DG Retail LLC, operator of the Enfield store, with five repeat violations and proposed $321,419 in new penalties.  View the Enfield citations. Casselton, Garrison, Hillsboro, Killdeer, Minot, and Tioga, North Dakota Alerted by state fire marshals concerned about hazards at four stores and by complaints at two locations, OSHA opened inspections between late October and late December 2022 at these six Dollar General stores.  They found exit routes, doors, fire extinguishers, and electrical panels blocked and unsafely stacked merchandise. At the Minot store, OSHA inspectors learned at least six store employees suffered exposure to toxic vapors —three of whom sought medical treatment — after several chemical containers ruptured and their contents mixed in December 2022.  In this instance, the agency cited Dollar General for not providing employees with adequate respiratory protection and personal protective equipment and for failing to train employees on the safe handling of hazardous chemicals and proper clean-up. Following the North Dakota inspections, OSHA identified 32 violations in a two-month period in the fall of 2022 and proposed $2.5 million in penalties.  View the citations for the North Dakota inspections. Kettering, Ohio OSHA inspectors at a Dollar General store in Kettering, Ohio, found exit routes, fire extinguishers, and electrical panels blocked by merchandise and other materials in November 2022. As a result, the agency issued citations for three repeat violations for fire and electrical hazards with $270,116 in proposed penalties.  View the Kettering store’s citations. Kewaunee, Wisconsin Responding to a complaint of unsafe working conditions, OSHA investigators discovered exit routes, fire extinguishers, and electrical panels blocked by unsafely stacked merchandise and other materials in November 2022. As a result, citations were issued for four repeat and four willful violations for unsafe electrical cords, fire extinguishers that were not inspected, crushing hazards, and conditions that would prevent employees from exiting the store safely in an emergency. As a result, OSHA has proposed $367,216 in penalties.  View the citations for the Kewuanee location. The recent findings and penalties continue Dollar General Corp. and Dolgencorp LLC’s long history of willful, repeat, and serious workplace safety violations, a history that led OSHA to include Dollar General Corp. in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program. Based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General Corp., and Dolgencorp LLC operate about 19,000 stores and 28 distribution centers in 47 states and employ more than 173,000 workers.  In fiscal year 2022, the company reported more than $9 billion in net sales. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor Read the full article

[the-firebird69]

There's a lot going on right now these people realize they're in trouble they're trying to get to the money to protect ships and they can't they had planned it now but they think it's a good idea. They're going forwards with it and they all have different locations pretty much have most of it covered there's two or three they missed and one is here he has money in Florida up in Hillsboro it's in the Suncoast Bank it is not garth's Bank at all. The other is Wells Fargo in Hillsboro there's a third one and that's the bank in Bradenton they missed it it's a trust Bank and there's about 1 million dollars total and they're going nuts to get there so they're going after the stuff all over the world that ships in order to try and take over the United States

Couple more things that deserve mention

-these ideas our son and daughter have and we have and others at Olympus and still more of ours are circling around and Max ideas and lots of people want to do them and entire city around being jerks and getting nothing but fights and stupid things. There's a lot of interest in doing what he wants and getting things that he likes to do at this interest in getting things he doesn't like doing he doesn't want to do things that are horrible it's been through tons of that and it's tired so we don't want him doing that. And he's tired of people ridiculating and saying some things and we're going to take them out what's going on today is people are trying to get things done now they're trying to invade and take over cuz a huge force and they're trying to do things here the cops are busy the police are busy the military is busy we're busy and foreigners who are here busy there's a huge number OH police you're working huge there's an overflow police no but more being called all over the place and they're building up to it you think maybe 5:00 p.m. now it's going on and on someone said at night and he saw it that's going around and they're not prepared to help him at all until they're almost dead I guess and that's the way it goes when you're not very bright.

-the firing's in layoffs continue and in the sheriff's office is probably down to 200 now and the police department is still holding at the five they are laying off more Charleston Police momentarily it is a reason for it it's because when the sheriff's get let loose and they let loose probably 700 today a wheel around and they make the others miserable they don't want them in there protecting the police that's what they say. And they also have a problem with the clones who are Wheeling around saying they're going to get the police and they're resting them and the hired 2000 more shows today and it's kind of misery for more luck the police are going to fire the last five and the sheriff the last 200 shortly within the next hour. We have a feeling that upon this attack they're going to do some nasty stuff thank you very much. Your idiots are starting it up again. Too many thusfar. We use it.

Tons of sherrifout in Florida tons of cops too. Huge numbers of Florida law enforcement more luck or let loose giant numbers have that 455,000 remaining more lock in the Florida law enforcement agency $325,000 we're laid off for fire today and the remaining were called in they're off duty. And other agencies are losing. Disbanded group department of health police have lost 400,000 out of 500,000. They only lost a lot but today they don't announce they lost all of them. It looks like Tommy F doing it he's a nutcase.

Really it's like 30% more who said they were going to lay them all off but they're working on it and Chevron police numbers are accurate the floor alarm enforcement law enforcement had 25,000 left right now they're at about 13,000 well it's 12,000 left to go there's not many department of health had about 40,000 this morning and they're down to 20,000 and other agencies on the whole well added up we're at 100,000 and now down to 10,000 it's really it's not many fairly soon the Chiefs will be let go and you'll see some action then they'll be telling people what to do and the police department and they won't do it and they want to do that we'd like to do that see how it's done. What's going on right now and there are other groups they're being fired like Private industry and they're 80% almost 90 plan to stop at 90 if they can if not they'll continue but people are leaving some reason and it's because you can't be trying to invade and be here at the same time

Thor Freya

[bloojayoolie]

Beautiful, Facepalm, and Fire: 7:58 100 100% (FRONT PAGE) EXIT iCaul ly a model rocket and flare parachute found in a sard these recovered items could have been the "fireballs" that and S " many people in illsho witnessed and reported Friday night. field off o s 16 Nov 1995 Rocket, Flares Blamed for Friday Night Sightings Fireball ck, offi crash. People claimed to have cials abandoned me ldea that It's a plane. It's a meteor. 6 p.m. on a report of a plane chard and No, it's... a rocket? Fireballs falling from the seen flames in the sky and a plane had crashed and theo- sky Friday evening near thought they had seen a Hillsboro may have been crash. flares or a rocket, found in a field off of Rag urday, according to Sh f any tyneofflares and flew over plane rized that meteors had caused the stir. One witness said he saw said the Air Force re- ported that it had not shot off four to five fireballs in the sky. lt said the only thing he "arca to looked for a downed saw, personally, looked to him The Sheriff's Department, aircraft. Gault said a satelite was like a meteor. Additionally, it. Fire Department also used to detect a craft, but sheriff's office In reported seeing a green light After an extensive search of in the sky during the search, Continued Page 3. and dozens of other rescue none were found and emergency personnel were called out shortly before the area between r- Fireball-continued which he believed to be a meteor. pieces, each with a parachute The search ended at 7:22 attached, lying about 100 feet p.m. Friday. Saturday morning apart in a field near Also the remnants of a military flare with a small para chute was found in the field. "I think maybe citizens were seeing flares," Gault said Mon- day. found officer something whic probably sightings. It was a large yellow and black model rocket, split in two said explaines the II O I attended a hobby rocket launch. The night before a meteor streaked across the sky. It was bright and beautiful. The next day, this rocket floated over the treeline and was not found. The rocket was found a day later by a local. Many suspected it was the source of the bright streaks seen by many.

[wikifoxnews]

Who is Tres Genco ( Ohio man pleads guilty to plotting mass shooting of woman at Ohio State ) Wiki, Bio, Age, Crime, Arrest, Incident Details, Investigations and More Facts

Tres Genco Biography                                              Tres Genco Wiki

A Hillsboro man who called himself "Incel" pleaded guilty on Tuesday to planning a mass shooting of women at Ohio State University.

Tres Genco was arrested by federal agents in July 2021 after a grand jury charged him with attempting to mass shoot women and illegally possessing a machine gun. He has been in custody since his arrest in 2021. A self-identified “Incel” has pleaded guilty to attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women and with illegally possessing a machine gun. Tres Genco, 21, of Hillsboro, Ohio, allegedly plotted to commit a hate crime, namely, a plan to shoot … https://t.co/RypehAksGC — The Pug (@thepugnews) October 11, 2022 "The s*xual hatred and threats of bias-motivated violence displayed by this defendant simply have no place in our society," said Deputy Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. . "The Department of Justice will remain steadfast in its efforts to investigate and prosecute those who commit or attempt to commit sex hate crimes to the fullest extent permitted by law." U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for Southern Ohio said Genco had formulated a plan to kill women and "intended to implement it."

US Justice Department

According to the US Department of Justice, Genco identified himself as "incel" or "involuntarily celibate". The incel movement is an online community made up mostly of men angry at women. He had profiles on a popular incel website from at least July 2019 to mid-March 2020, according to court documents, and posted on the site hundreds of times. The Justice Department said Genco wrote a poster saying he would "slaughter" women "out of hate, jealousy and revenge" and called the death a "great leveler". During the investigation of Genco, law enforcement officials found a note showing that he hoped to have "large targets" for a death toll of 3,000. The Justice Department said the investigation revealed he was searching online for fraternities and a college in Ohio the day he wrote his manifesto. Court documents revealed that his research related to The Ohio State University.

In 2019

The Department of Justice said that Genco had tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a hoodie with "Revenge" lettering, cargo pants, a hunting knife, a skull mask, two Glock magazines 17, a Glock 17 9mm Clip, and a Concealed Holster Clip Bought Carry for a Glock. He also completed basic Army training in Georgia from August to December 2019. The Justice Department said he was fired for his fundamental performance and conduct. In January 2020, the Justice Department alleged that Genco wrote a document titled "Isolated", which he described as "the writings of delusions and murders". Genco signed the document "Your friend and hopeful killer". Court documents showed Genco was conducting surveillance at the USO in January 2020, and on the same day the DOJ said it had searched online for topics such as "planning a shooting crime" and "when a crime is he prepared?" Is a try?” will be asked.

In March 2020

Highland County lawmakers responded to a call to Genco's home. In the trunk of his vehicle, officers found a firearm with a butt attached, multiple loaded magazines, body armor and boxes of ammunition, according to the Justice Department. Inside the house, officers found a modified Glock-style 9mm semi-automatic pistol with no maker's mark or serial number hidden in a fan heater in Genco's bedroom. As part of his application, Genco admitted to possessing the two firearms in support of his conspiracy, the Justice Department said. On Tuesday, Genco pleaded guilty to attempting to commit a hate crime. The Justice Department said the attempted murder charge could result in a life sentence. Read the full article

[orbemnews]

Girl saved her brother, then drowned under ice at Rocky Fork State Park HILLSBORO, Ohio — A 16-year-old girl saved her brother’s life Tuesday night after the pair fell through the ice covering Rocky Fork Lake. Emergency responders couldn’t save hers. The 13-year-old boy was freezing and calling for help when a construction worker found him around 6:30 p.m., according to Lt. Branden Jackman of the Paint Creek Joint EMS and Fire District. His department responded flanked by crews from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and dive teams trained to carry out rescues under ice. They retrieved the girl’s body around 11, Jackman said. The boy was hospitalized with hypothermia at Highland District Hospital. “After the fact, it turns out that she got him out before she succumbed,” Jackman said. “Don’t go out on the ice. It caused a very bad tragedy last night.” The girl’s identity had not been publicly released by Wednesday night. Jackman said the tragedy should remind Ohioans not to risk their lives by walking on frozen bodies of water. “You look at water and you think, ‘Oh, it’s just water,’” he said. “Thirty-six-degree water is no different than a three-story house fire. They’ll both kill you just as quick.” Ohio Department of Natural Resources Officer Jason Lagore suffered a “medical emergency” at the scene during the initial phases of the rescue, according to ODNR spokesperson Stephanie O’Grady. First responders transported Lagore to Highland District Hospital, but he was unable to be resuscitated. Lagore had worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 15 years. The Highland County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in its investigation of the incident. window.fbAsyncInit = function() FB.init( appId : '1374721116083644', xfbml : true, version : 'v2.9' ); ; (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments); if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '1080457095324430'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); Source link Orbem News #16-year-old #brother #drowned #Drowning #fork #girl #HighlandCounty #HighlandCountySheriff'sOffice #ice #ODNR #OhioDepartmentofNaturalResources #Park #Rocky #RockyForkStatePark #saved #state

[lifelastingcouples]

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Champion Barrow

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker was born in 1910 in Rowena, Texas, the second of three children. Her father was a bricklayer who died when Bonnie was four years old. Her widowed mother moved her family back to her parents' home in Cement City, an industrial suburb in West Dallas where she worked as a seamstress.

In her second year in high school, Parker met Roy Thornton. The couple dropped out of school and were married on the 25ᵗʰ of September 1926, six days before her 16ᵗʰ birthday. Their marriage proved to be short-lived. They never divorced, but their paths never crossed again after January 1929. She was still wearing his wedding ring when she died. Thornton was in prison when he heard of her death. He commented, "I'm glad they went out like they did. It's much better than being caught".

Clyde Champion Barrow was born in 1909 into a poor farming family in Ellis County, Texas, southeast of Dallas. He was the fifth of seven children. The family moved to Dallas in the early 1920s, part of a migration pattern from rural areas to the city where many settled in the urban slum of West Dallas. The Barrows spent their first months in West Dallas living under their wagon until they got enough money to buy a tent.

Clyde was first arrested in late 1926, at age 17, after running when police confronted him over a rental car that he had failed to return on time. His second arrest was with brother Ivan M. “Buck” Barrow soon after for possession of stolen turkeys. Clyde had some legitimate jobs during 1927 through 1929, but he also cracked safes, robbed stores, and stole cars.

Bonnie met Clyde on the 5ᵗʰ of January 1930 at the home of Clyde's friend. Clyde was 20 years old, and Bonnie was 19. Both were smitten immediately. But their romance was interrupted when Clyde was arrested and convicted of auto theft in April 1930 at the age of 21.

Clyde  escaped the prison shortly after his incarceration using a weapon Bonnie smuggled to him. He was recaptured shortly after and sent back to prison. Clyde was repeatedly sexually assaulted while in prison, and he retaliated by attacking and killing his tormentor with a lead pipe, crushing his skull. This was his first killing. Another inmate, who was already serving a life sentence, claimed responsibility.

In order to avoid hard labor in the fields, Clyde purposely had his two toes chopped off by either him or another inmate in late January 1932. Because of this, he walked with a limp for the rest of his life. However, Clyde was set free six days after his intentional injury because without his knowledge, his mother had successfully petitioned for his release.

After his release from prison in 1932 Clyde formed a gang and robbed grocery stores and gas stations. In February 1932, he and Fults began a series of robberies, primarily of stores and gas stations. Their goal was to collect enough money and firepower to launch a raid against Eastham prison. On April 19, Parker and Fults were captured in a failed hardware store burglary in Kaufman in which they had intended to steal firearms. Parker was released from jail in a few months, after the grand jury failed to indict her; Fults was tried, convicted, and served time. He never rejoined the gang.

On April 30, Clyde was the getaway driver in a robbery in Hillsboro during which store owner J.N. Bucher was shot and killed. Bucher's wife identified Clyde from police photographs as one of the shooters, although he had stayed outside in the car.

Later in 1932, Bonnie and Clyde began traveling with Raymond Hamilton, a young gunman. Hamilton left them several months later and was replaced by William Daniel Jones in November 1932.

On August 5, Barrow was drinking alcohol with Hamilton, at a country dance in Stringtown, Oklahoma when Sheriff C.G. Maxwell and Deputy Eugene C. Moore approached them in the parking lot. Clyde and Raymond opened fire, killing Moore and gravely wounding Maxwell. Moore was the first law officer that Barrow and his gang had killed; they eventually murdered nine. Hamilton left them several months later and was replaced by William Daniel Jones in November 1932.

Ivan M. “Buck” Barrow, brother of Clyde, was released from the Texas State Prison on the 23ʳᵈ of March 1933, having been granted a full pardon by the governor. He quickly joined Clyde, bringing his wife, Blanche, so the group now numbered five persons. This gang embarked upon a series of bold robberies which made headlines across the country. They escaped capture in various encounters with the law. However, their activities made law enforcement efforts to apprehend them even more intense.

Barrow did not see warning signs at a bridge under construction on June 10, while driving with Jones and Parker near Wellington, Texas, and the car flipped into a ravine. Clyde sustained third-degree burns to her right leg. In July 1933, the gang checked in to the Red Crown Tourist Court south of Platte City, Missouri. Bonnie and William Daniel went into town to purchase bandages and atropine sulfate to treat Parker's leg. The druggist contacted Sheriff Holt Coffey, who put the cabins under surveillance. The sheriff contacted Captain Baxter, who called for reinforcements from Kansas City, including an armored car. Sheriff Coffey led a group of officers toward the cabins at 11 p.m., armed with Thompson submachine guns.  But in the gunfight which ensued, the .45 caliber Thompsons proved no match for Clydes's .30 caliber BAR, stolen on July 7 from the National Guard armory. The gang had evaded the law once again, but Buck Barrow had sustained a bullet wound that blasted a large hole in his forehead skull bone and exposed his injured brain, and Blanche was nearly blinded by glass fragments in both her eyes. On another fire exchange on July 24, Buck was shot again nd Blanche was captured.

On the 28ᵗʰ of November 1933 a Dallas grand jury delivered a murder indictment against Bonnie and Clyde for the killing – in January of that year, nearly ten months earlier – of Tarrant County Deputy Malcolm Davis. it was Clyde's first warrant for murder.

On the 16ᵗʰ of January 16 1934, Clyde orchestrated the escape of Hamilton, Methvin, and several others inmates in the “Eastham Prison Breakout”. During his escape, Clyde's Gang member Joe Palmer fatally wounded Major Joe Crowson. This attack attracted the full power of the Texas and federal government to the manhunt for Bonnie and Clyde. The Texas Department of Corrections contacted former Texas Ranger Captain Frank Hamer and persuaded him to hunt down the gang. He was retired, but his commission had not expired. He accepted the assignment as a Texas Highway Patrol officer, secondarily assigned to the prison system as a special investigator, and given the specific task of taking down Bonnie and Clyde. For 20 years, Frank Hamer had acquired a formidable reputation as a result of several spectacular captures and the shooting of a number of Texas criminals. He was officially credited with 53 kills, and suffered seventeen wounds. Prison boss Simmons said publicly that Hamer had been his first choice, but the other rangers contacted declined because they were reluctant to shoot a woman.

On the 1ˢᵗ of April 1934, Bonnie and Clyde encountered two young highway patrolmen near Grapevine, Texas. Before the officers could draw their guns, they were shot. On April 6, 1934, a constable at Miami, Oklahoma fell mortally wounded by Bonnie and Clyde, who also abducted a police chief, whom they wounded.

On the 13ᵗʰ April 1934, an FBI agent, through investigation in the vicinity of Ruston, Louisiana, obtained information which definitely placed Bonnie and Clyde in a remote section southwest of that community.

On the evening of the 21ˢᵗ of May 1934, a police posse comprised of six members from Texas and Louisiana police departments including Frank Hamer set up an ambush on the main road into Bienville Parish. The posse waited for Bonnie and Clyde for the entire night, and the next day and night. Then, as they were nearly giving up, the duo arrived driving a stolen Ford V8 at a high speed. Police used Methvin's gather as a bait planting him with his truck on the side of the road to distract Clyde and force him into the lane closer to the posse. Before Bonnie or Clyde had time even to exit the car, the police opened fire. Clyde was killed instantly by a shot to the head, and one of the officers recounted hearing Bonnie scream as she realized he was dead. The officers emptied their entire supply of ammunition into the car, firing 130 rounds in all. The coroner’s report detailed 17 holes in Clyde’s body and 26 holes in Bonnie’s body. Unofficially, there may have been many more.

Bonnie and Clyde

[thekillerblogofkillers]

Kenneth McDuff (1946-1998)

Kenneth McDuff, also known as the Broomstick Killer, was an American serial killer who was convicted of murdering 3 strangers in 1966. He received 3 death sentences that were reduced to life imprisonment. He was paroled in 1989 but was given a new death sentence and was executed for a murder committed after his release. He is suspected to have been responsible for many other murders.

Kenneth Allen McDuff was born at 201 Linden Street in Rosebud, Central Texas, on March 21, 1946. He was the fifth of sixth children born to John and Addie McDuff. John McDuff ran a successful concrete business during the Texas construction boom in the 1960s. McDuff was said to be coddled by his mother, nicknamed the ‘pistol packing momma’ because she once threatened a school bus driver with a gun after he had kicked her older son Lonnie off the bus. Kenneth ended up with the reputation of a bully that picked only on the weak kids after losing a fight he had picked with an athletic, popular boy. As a result he dropped out of school and began to work for his father’s business, doing manual labour. He later bragged in interviews that the older women loved the way he mowed their laws, making others jealous. McDuff was convicted of a string of burglaries and imprisoned.

McDuff’s criminal record began 2 years before his 1st conviction for murder. At the age of 18 McDuff was convicted of 12 counts of burglary and attempted burglary in 3 Texas counties. He was sentenced to 12 four-year prison terms to be served concurrently but he made parole less than a year later. McDuff did another brief stint in prison after becoming involved in a fight. Despite the fact that he had not been convicted of any murders at the time, Roy Dale Green, McDuff’s accomplice in the 1966 triple homicide, said that McDuff had openly bragged about raping and killing 2 women.

On August 6, 1966, McDuff and Green (whom he had met through a mutual friend around a month earlier) spent the day pouring concrete for McDuff’s father. When they were done for the day they began driving round (McDuff said he was looking for a girl.) At around 10pm, Robert Brand, 17, his girlfriend Edna Louise Sullivan, 16, and Brand’s 15-year-old cousin Mark Dunman were standing next to their parked car on a baseball field in Everman, Texas. While they were driving around, McDuff noticed Sullivan and parked 150 yards away from the trio. He threatened them with his .38 Colt revolver and ordered them into the trunk of their car. With Green following in McDuff’s car, he drove the victims’ Ford along the highway and into a field, where he ordered Sullivan to get out of the trunk and told Green to put her into the trunk of his Dodge Coronet. According to Green’s statement, McDuff said he would have to “knock ‘em off” and proceeded to fire 6 shots into the trunk of the Ford as Dunman and Brand were pleading for their lives. McDuff then told Green to wipe the fingerprints off the car. After driving to a second location, McDuff and Green (Green allegedly under duress) raped Sullivan. After raping her repeatedly, McDuff asked Green for something to strangle her with and Green have him his belt. In the end, though, McDuff chose to use a 3 ft long piece of broomstick from his car to choke Sullivan. After she was dead, McDuff and Green dumped her body in a patch of bushes. They bought Coca-Cola from a gas station in Hillsboro before driving to Green’s house to spend the night. The next day McDuff buried his revolver next to Green’s garage and their mutual friend Richard Boyd allowed McDuff to wash his car at his house. The next day, Green confessed Boyd’s parents, who told Green’s mother, who convinced Green to turn himself in. McDuff received 3 death sentences and was scheduled to die in Texas’s electric chair and Green was released after 11 years. McDuff’s death sentences were commuted to a life sentence and he hired a lawyer who gathered a wealth of evidence suggesting that Green was the real killer. Some members of the parole board were swayed by the dossier. During a 1-on-1 interview with a board member McDuff offered him a bribe to secure his release. He was given a 2-year sentence for the bribe attempt. It was meaningless, however, as board members thought McDuff was still able to “contribute to society” and granted him parole. He was released in 1989.

McDuff was one of 20 former death row inmates and 127 murderers to be paroled, and after his release he began working at a gas station making $4 an hour while taking a class at Texas State Technical College. It is believed that within 3 days of his release, McDuff killed 31-year-old Sarafia Parker. Her body was discovered on October 14, 1989 in Temple. McDuff was not charged with his crime, but was soon returned to prison on a parole violation for making death threats to a youth in Rosebud. Addie McDuff paid $1,500 plus another $700 for expenses to 2 Huntsville attorneys in return for their “evaluation” of her son’s prospects of parole. On December 18, 1990, McDuff was released from prison again. In October 1991 he picked up a prostitute/drug addict named Brenda Thompson in Waco. He tied her up and then stopped his truck 50 ft from a police checkpoint. When a police officer walked toward the vehicle, Thompson repeatedly kicked the windshield of McDuff’s truck, cracking it. McDuff accelerated quickly and drove at the officers. According to a statement the officers gave later, 3 of them had to jump out of the way of the truck. The officers chased McDuff, but he escaped by turning off his lights and travelling the wrong way down a 1-way street. He parked his truck in a wooded area near Route 84 and tortured Thompson to death. Her body was not discovered for 7 years.

Five days after the murder of Brenda Thompson, McDuff and 17-year-old prostitute Regenia DeAnne Moore were seen having an argument at a motel in Waco. Shortly after the 2 drove in McDuff’s pickup truck to a remote area near Texas State Highway 6. McDuff tied Moore’s arms and legs with stockings before killing her. She, too, had been missing for 7 years before her body was discovered. McDuff is also thought to have killed Cynthia Renee Gonzalez, 23, whose body was found in a creek bed near County Road 313 in a heavily wooded area near I-35, 6 days after she was reported missing. McDuff and Alva Hank Worley, an accomplice, murdered Colleen Reed from Louisiana on December 29, 1991. McDuff and Worley drove to a car wash and kidnapped Reed in full view of eyewitnesses before driving away. Worley admitted in a later interview that he had raped and tortured Reed with cigarettes, but claimed not to have participated in her murder.

McDuff’s next victim was Valencia Joshua, a prostitute, who was last seen alive knocking on McDuff’s door. He strangled her on February 24, 1992 and her body was discovered just under a month later at a golf course. Next came Melissa Northrup, a 22-year-old store clerk from a Waco Quik-pak, who was pregnant when she disappeared from the store. The kidnapper took $250 from the cash register. McDuff was a suspect as he was seen in the vicinity at the time of Northrup’s disappearance. Before the body was found, a college friend of McDuff’s told police officers that McDuff had tried to persuade him to help rob the store. Northup’s body was found by fishermen almost 2 months after the murder.

A problem for investigators was that McDuff’s post-release victims were spread out all across Texas, covering multiple jurisdictions, and making a coordinated investigation almost impossible. The police did learn that McDuff was selling drugs and had an illegal firearm, both of which are federal offences, so on March 6, 1992, a local State Attorney issued an arrest warrant. In April of the same year, Bell County investigators brought Worley in for questioning on the basis that he was a known associate of McDuff. Worley admitted his part in the kidnapping of Reed and was held in a Travis County jail while police continued the manhunt for McDuff. In the meantime, McDuff had moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was working as a garbage collector under the alias Richard Fowler. On May 1, 1992, a co-worker of his named Gary Smithee watched America’s Most Wanted & noticed how similar Kenneth McDuff was to his new colleague. After talking to another co-worker about the situation, Smithee called the Kansas City Police Department, which ran Fowler’s name and discovered he had been arrested (and subsequently fingerprinted) for soliciting prostitutes. A comparison of the prints taken from Fowler and those taken from McDuff proved they were one and the same man. On May 4, 1992, a surveillance team of 6 officers arrested McDuff as he drove to a landfill.

Kenneth McDuff was indicted on 1 count of capital murder for Northrup’s killing in McLennan County, Texas on June 26, 1992 and was found guilty. In Texas, the jury decides whether or not an individual convicted of murder is sentenced to life imprisonment or given the death penalty. Journalist Gary Cartwright wrote: “If there has ever been a good argument for the death penalty, it’s Kenneth McDuff.” On February 18, 1993, the jury opted to sentence him to death. After a number of delays while appeals were heard, the Western District Court denied habeas corpus relief and rescheduled the execution for November 17, 1998. McDuff is buried in the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, also known as “Peckerwood Hill,” in Huntsville, Texas. Prisoners buried there are the ones whose families chose not to claim their remains. His headstone contains only his date of execution and his death row number. His final meal was a hamburger fashioned to resemble his request of a steak.

[larryshapiro]

Hillsboro Fire Department, OR

[nh-lions-district44n]

Co-sponsored by the Hillsboro Lions and Hillsboro Volunteer Fire Department. Reserved these dates for a ton of fun! https://www.instagram.com/p/BzzJjyag1tn/?igshid=rgt4rpwgylv2

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

Todd Milsap, Son of Country Music Star Ronnie Milsap, Dead at 49

Country legend Ronnie Milsap's son, Todd Milsap, was reportedly found dead on Saturday at Four Corners Marina in Antioch, Tennessee.

Todd, 49 was found dead on his houseboat in the Four Corners Marina, law enforcement told the Tennessean. Todd was discovered by his son, who went to check up on him after not hearing from him for two days.

The Nashville Police Department believes Todd passed due to medical issues, but there are no details available yet. Nashville Fire Department spokesman Joseph Pleasant said that emergency responders converged on the scene for a "medical issue."

The death of Ronald Todd Milsap, 49, son of country music star Ronnie Milsap, appears to be medically related. He was found deceased this morning on his houseboat at 4 Corners Marina by his son, who had not heard from his father in the past 2 days.

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville)

Todd's father issued a statement on the death shortly after it happened.

"Our son Todd was a force of joy, life, creativity and giving from the moment he was born," he said. "He made such a mark on our world in his years on this planet, everyone who met him was richer for it. It is too soon to even understand this loss, and I hope it's something no one has to bare. Please keep his three children, their mothers and Joyce and I in your prayers at such a fragile time."

Todd worked with his father for years behind the scenes, helping to plan and run his father's tours, as well as his music videos, recording projects and other obligations. His funeral arrangements will be handled at Woodlawn Funeral Home, and details are coming soon.

Raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Todd reportedly attended Franklin Road Academy and Hillsboro High. His father is one of the most lauded performers in country music history, with a career spanning over six decades now and still going.

Todd's father, Ronnie Milsap released a new album just last month titled The Duets. It features such artists as Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Milsap is scheduled to spend most of the next few months on his "76 for 76 Tour," celebrating his 76th birthday. However, given the circumstances, some of his upcoming dates could be in danger.

Milsap is scheduled to play in Kentucky on Thursday. After that, he has obligations further out, with dates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin all in the near future. So far, his official website says nothing of how his son's death might effect those shows or the tour in general.

Photo credit: Getty Images

This content was originally published here.

[joshuajacksonlyblog]

Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada

Over the past 72 hours, bomb threats attempting to extort Bitcoin (BTC) from business owners and governmental agencies have taken the world by storm, affecting thousands across Canada, the U.S., and New Zealand. Although the threats have begun to recede from the limelight in the western world, the issue may only be getting started across the Pacific Ocean in Asia.

Hong Kong Targeted By Bitcoin Bomb Threat

According to an exclusive report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), an English news outlet centered around Asia’s happenings, bomb threats requesting BTC have arrived in the inboxes of a number of Hong Kong firms. As Michael Gazeley, CEO of Network Box, burned the candle on both ends on Friday, he purportedly saw a foreboding message land in his business email, telling the SCMP that he was “shocked.” This message was, of course, a threat from an anonymous group(s) asking for $20,000 U.S. worth of cryptocurrency in an apparent shakedown.

If the specified sum, dubbed a “security fee” by the group(s), wasn’t sent to the sender’s address, the terrorists claimed that they would bomb Network Box’s offices. In an interview with the outlet, Gazeley, obviously perturbed by the occurrence noted:

“This looks like the third wave of blackmail emails plaguing the world in the past few years… I have never seen something like this, which sounds like cyberterrorism, in my 20-year career in cybersecurity.”

Yet, the cybersecurity expert went on to add that he was 99.999 percent confident that the message wasn’t worth its water, so to speak. Gazeley drew attention to the layout, language, and the poor grammar contained within the email — accentuating that this message is nothing more than a poor attempt at a money grab scheme.

Hong Kong authorities have yet to comment on this odd Bitcoin-related case, so it remains to be seen how many businesses came under fire. Yet, a representative from the IT branch of Hong Kong’s legislative council lambasted this new scam format, stating that “scammers need to be smarter,” making it clear that such a form of extortion is ineffective and baseless.

Canada, U.S. Also Hit With Issue

This news comes just days after this same issue struck businesses throughout North America. As reported by NewsBTC previously, on Thursday, a number of places of work, public places, stores, and pertinent landmarks were targeted by the same scam outlined above. Although police departments, namely New York’s, have made it clear that such emails hold no credence, a number of firms purportedly closed up shop as a preemptive security measure.

A number of subway stations in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, purportedly shut down operations due to the threat. A community hospital in Hillsboro also decided to temporarily shutter its operations. Per The Verge, even Infinity Ward, the development company behind Call of Duty, had also made a conscious decision to evacuate its headquarters. Seeing that no explosions have occurred at locations targeted, it can be assumed that these threats have lacked legitimacy since day one.

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada appeared first on NewsBTC.

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[michaelbennettcrypto]

Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada

Over the past 72 hours, bomb threats attempting to extort Bitcoin (BTC) from business owners and governmental agencies have taken the world by storm, affecting thousands across Canada, the U.S., and New Zealand. Although the threats have begun to recede from the limelight in the western world, the issue may only be getting started across the Pacific Ocean in Asia.

Hong Kong Targeted By Bitcoin Bomb Threat

According to an exclusive report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), an English news outlet centered around Asia’s happenings, bomb threats requesting BTC have arrived in the inboxes of a number of Hong Kong firms. As Michael Gazeley, CEO of Network Box, burned the candle on both ends on Friday, he purportedly saw a foreboding message land in his business email, telling the SCMP that he was “shocked.” This message was, of course, a threat from an anonymous group(s) asking for $20,000 U.S. worth of cryptocurrency in an apparent shakedown.

If the specified sum, dubbed a “security fee” by the group(s), wasn’t sent to the sender’s address, the terrorists claimed that they would bomb Network Box’s offices. In an interview with the outlet, Gazeley, obviously perturbed by the occurrence noted:

“This looks like the third wave of blackmail emails plaguing the world in the past few years… I have never seen something like this, which sounds like cyberterrorism, in my 20-year career in cybersecurity.”

Yet, the cybersecurity expert went on to add that he was 99.999 percent confident that the message wasn’t worth its water, so to speak. Gazeley drew attention to the layout, language, and the poor grammar contained within the email — accentuating that this message is nothing more than a poor attempt at a money grab scheme.

Hong Kong authorities have yet to comment on this odd Bitcoin-related case, so it remains to be seen how many businesses came under fire. Yet, a representative from the IT branch of Hong Kong’s legislative council lambasted this new scam format, stating that “scammers need to be smarter,” making it clear that such a form of extortion is ineffective and baseless.

Canada, U.S. Also Hit With Issue

This news comes just days after this same issue struck businesses throughout North America. As reported by NewsBTC previously, on Thursday, a number of places of work, public places, stores, and pertinent landmarks were targeted by the same scam outlined above. Although police departments, namely New York’s, have made it clear that such emails hold no credence, a number of firms purportedly closed up shop as a preemptive security measure.

A number of subway stations in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, purportedly shut down operations due to the threat. A community hospital in Hillsboro also decided to temporarily shutter its operations. Per The Verge, even Infinity Ward, the development company behind Call of Duty, had also made a conscious decision to evacuate its headquarters. Seeing that no explosions have occurred at locations targeted, it can be assumed that these threats have lacked legitimacy since day one.

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken WP https://ift.tt/2QV4Dhb via IFTTT

[brettzjacksonblog]

Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada

Over the past 72 hours, bomb threats attempting to extort Bitcoin (BTC) from business owners and governmental agencies have taken the world by storm, affecting thousands across Canada, the U.S., and New Zealand. Although the threats have begun to recede from the limelight in the western world, the issue may only be getting started across the Pacific Ocean in Asia.

Hong Kong Targeted By Bitcoin Bomb Threat

According to an exclusive report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), an English news outlet centered around Asia’s happenings, bomb threats requesting BTC have arrived in the inboxes of a number of Hong Kong firms. As Michael Gazeley, CEO of Network Box, burned the candle on both ends on Friday, he purportedly saw a foreboding message land in his business email, telling the SCMP that he was “shocked.” This message was, of course, a threat from an anonymous group(s) asking for $20,000 U.S. worth of cryptocurrency in an apparent shakedown.

If the specified sum, dubbed a “security fee” by the group(s), wasn’t sent to the sender’s address, the terrorists claimed that they would bomb Network Box’s offices. In an interview with the outlet, Gazeley, obviously perturbed by the occurrence noted:

“This looks like the third wave of blackmail emails plaguing the world in the past few years… I have never seen something like this, which sounds like cyberterrorism, in my 20-year career in cybersecurity.”

Yet, the cybersecurity expert went on to add that he was 99.999 percent confident that the message wasn’t worth its water, so to speak. Gazeley drew attention to the layout, language, and the poor grammar contained within the email — accentuating that this message is nothing more than a poor attempt at a money grab scheme.

Hong Kong authorities have yet to comment on this odd Bitcoin-related case, so it remains to be seen how many businesses came under fire. Yet, a representative from the IT branch of Hong Kong’s legislative council lambasted this new scam format, stating that “scammers need to be smarter,” making it clear that such a form of extortion is ineffective and baseless.

Canada, U.S. Also Hit With Issue

This news comes just days after this same issue struck businesses throughout North America. As reported by NewsBTC previously, on Thursday, a number of places of work, public places, stores, and pertinent landmarks were targeted by the same scam outlined above. Although police departments, namely New York’s, have made it clear that such emails hold no credence, a number of firms purportedly closed up shop as a preemptive security measure.

A number of subway stations in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, purportedly shut down operations due to the threat. A community hospital in Hillsboro also decided to temporarily shutter its operations. Per The Verge, even Infinity Ward, the development company behind Call of Duty, had also made a conscious decision to evacuate its headquarters. Seeing that no explosions have occurred at locations targeted, it can be assumed that these threats have lacked legitimacy since day one.

Featured Image from Shutterstock

The post Bitcoin Bomb Threats Strike Hong Kong After Debacle In U.S., Canada appeared first on NewsBTC.

from CryptoCracken SMFeed https://ift.tt/2QV4Dhb via IFTTT

[awesomecolorfulcollectorwombat]

Watch 2 Helicopter Pilots Pull Off A Daring Wildfire Rescue

New Post has been published on http://delphi4arab.com/watch-2-helicopter-pilots-pull-off-a-daring-wildfire-rescue/

Watch 2 Helicopter Pilots Pull Off A Daring Wildfire Rescue

Over the past 10 days, the Woolsey Fire has burned nearly 100,000 acres of Southern California, destroying some 1,500 buildings. It has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, and killed at least three.

The damage and death toll would have been far worse were it not for the efforts of first responders like David Nordquist and Joel Smith. On November 9, as the fires were tearing through the hills around Malibu, the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Operations helicopter pilots answered a call to help three people trapped atop Castro Peak, in the middle of the inferno.

Flying a helicopter is always hard. Flying into a fire zone, where wind, smoke, and heat muddy the already complex aeronautics by changing how the aircraft moves through the air, is harder. “Flying around a mountainous area, while the mountain is on fire, is one the most challenging things you can do as a helicopter pilot,” says Lasse Brevik, the chief helicopter instructor at Oregon’s Hillsboro Aero Academy.

But you might not know it when you listen to Nordquist and Smith work their way through the problem, captured in a helmet cam video shared Monday by the LAFD. They make it seem almost simple. “You can hear these guys’ deep knowledge and expertise.” And, even as their fuel levels dwindled, Nordquist and Smith flew into a fire zone and balanced on a narrow ridge long enough to pull off the rescue.

This rescue operation combined a terrifying number of complicating factors. Mountains don’t just make for massive obstacles, they shape how the wind moves—and thus how helicopters move. Valleys become funnels for air, ramping up its speed. Ridges create downdrafts that push helicopters around. Choppers lose power when it gets hot, because the higher temperatures expand the air, reducing the amount of oxygen feeding the combustion engine. Higher heat means lower pressure, which reduces the rotors’ ability to create lift and keep the aircraft airborne. “Pilots are 25 percent weathermen,” Brevik says. Nordquist and Smith didn’t have the right gear to hoist the trapped civilians to safety, so they had to get the helicopter onto the ground, in a spot crowded with cars, trees, bushes, and antenna towers.

Brevik points to a few things these pilots did especially well, starting with how they communicate constantly and clearly, about what they’re doing, what they see, what the other needs to know. Consider this exchange, as they start, then abandon, an attempt to land in a small lot atop the peak:

“Come forward.”

“Well here’s the thing I’m too close to these trucks now.”

“Yeah, this is gonna be too tight.”

“OK, I’m gonna go straight up, and we’ll go with the nose in thing.”

“OK, don’t come any more left.”

“OK.”

“Go straight forward, and we’ll go around.”

“Straight forward.”

That steady back-and-forth seems obvious, but it’s crucial to maintaining situational awareness, Brevik says. “At no point is there any doubt between the two pilots what their intentions are.” And that’s extra important in this sort of stressful, dangerous circumstance.

Ultimately, pilots fly a bit to the east, and find a small, mostly flat spot between a pair of bushes. Nordquist slowly drops altitude, with Smith helping guide him down, letting him know when he’s got room to maneuver, and when he has just a few feet to play with. When they get down, Smith hops out of his left seat to escort the trapped people to the aircraft, and Nordquist tells him, “I’m not gonna go flat pitch.”

That bit of jargon reveals the deftness of Nordquist’s flying. Flat pitch is the term for angling the rotors so that they keep spinning without producing lift. It’s handy when you’re on the solid, flat ground of an airport. But it’s a no-go when you’re on atop a narrow ridge cluttered with bushes with barely enough room for the aircraft, and when you can only get one skid down safely: You can’t rely on the ground to support you.

“That means he’s still flying the helicopter,” Brevik says. And he’s doing it while being buffeted by wind, and with four adults (counting Smith) and two big dogs climbing into and around the aircraft, shifting hundreds of pounds around. “That is pure skill.”

With three relieved people and at least one not so happy English Mastiff aboard, the pilots lifted off again. “That was close,” Smith says. “That’s enough excitement for me today.”

“You and me both brother,” Nordquist says, as he flies away from the flames—at least until it’s time to head back in.

More Great WIRED Stories

[camillerosemarydasilva]

Gabriel Elijah's Birth Story

So, I made the proverbial first-time-mom mistake of cancelling everything in the 9th month of pregnancy and sitting around in intense anticipation for the birth. I just knew I’d go early since I was measuring big. Of course.

So I sat in a rocking chair until a midwife told me that would keep the baby from descending. So then I switched to a birthing ball or a straight-back chair––or napping on the bed. Haha. I took walks around the neighborhood everyday, though my semi-daily two miles to and from mass had gradually shrunk to a very slow one mile or less. I drank turmeric shots from the local juice bar and had one memorable afternoon where slight contractions came every ten-fifteen minutes until a nap eliminated all uterine movement.

Except the baby, who loved to kick and had hiccups every afternoon. 

I had a teeny-tiny breakdown at about 39 weeks and decided that I had to get busy or I’d go crazy, so I started working schedules and tax stuff and reading books. I cleaned the apartment. We ate Indian food. I even went on a fast waddle-walk down 21st Ave to church one Thursday evening in pouring rain at dark with cars splashing me every time they whizzed by, much to the horror of James. 

The next Saturday, January 21, James and I went out to eat with friends who had a newborn and talked birth stories and experiences with the L&D department. After lunch, we went home and I took a very long, deep-sleep nap. James came over when I started to wake up and kissed me and asked how I was doing. I started to sit up and felt a tiny flow of water. I continued to sit up (it takes a while to ‘sit up’ at 40 weeks pregnant) and felt a very large, continuous gush. I stood up in disbelief as water puddled the floor…and kept on coming. 

“Uh, James…James!” I said.

“What is that?” he said, looking down at the puddle.

“My water broke!” 

I had tested GBS negative, so I didn’t have to go in for 12 hours or until my contractions were strong. It was about 4:30pm, so James and I decided to go to mass since we wouldn’t be able to tomorrow. I had absolutely zero feeling in my uterus. No contractions, nothing. My back ached a teensy-weensy bit. After mass we drove to my sister-in-law Lisa’s birthday party, under instructions from the midwife to have fun and then sleep as much as we could.

I had planned on telling everyone when I got there, but once I was there it felt a bit awkward to suddenly break out with: ‘Hey guys, I’m gushing amniotic fluid right now!” But eventually I got up the gumption to announce, and then worry took over. Once your water breaks you’ve got a time limit. If you don’t have contractions, you have to go on Pitocin to simulate labor, which is said to be much more painful since it doesn’t have the natural ebb and flow of natural labor. I had wanted a natural labor, med-free.

James and I took a quick sojourn to triage to make sure the baby’s heartbeat was strong, and then went home to sleep. Around 1am I woke up to a contraction, and kept on waking up every 30 or 40 minutes to more. But by 5am they were gone. 

With the morning we went into hyper action. Water had been broken over 12 hours. I drank fluids and James and I went outside into the gorgeous January day, warm and full of sunshine. Hillsboro Village was blanketed in a Sunday morning stillness. My brother’s family met us on the road on their way to church with a packet of labor-inducing herbs that we borrowed from a friend midwife. And then, after a healthy dose of those, James and I did everything we had ever read to do on inducing labor. Walked over Belmont campus, went up and down stairs, curb hopped, kissed, drank more turmeric ginger shots from the Juice Bar, and finally, exhausted, met up with family for brunch. Still no contractions. 

After brunch, my mother and sisters and I descended on the apartment for the Last Stand. We had three hours before we’d have to check in at the hospital to induce labor. Mama gave me copious amounts of blue and black cohosh and had me drink half a bottle of castor oil. Then Annie brought her electric breast pump and we tried that. We prayed. Finally, around 2:30pm, at 22 hours from water breaking, contractions started. They were every 3-5 minutes apart. Just strong enough to make me concentrate through them.

We sacked up and headed across the street to the hospital. I was afraid that the contractions would stop on arrival, as happened in so many birth stories I had read, but in the excitement of finding a place to park, walking to the L&D floor, then walking to triage, they ramped up, until I was stuck signing myself away at the welcome kiosk breathing heavily and having to squat with each contraction. It was all in my back. A tingling, aching sensation that was concentrated in my low spine.

I had done Hypnobabies, read Ina May Gaskin books and other literature on the energy of labor, preaching that women experiencing pain in childbirth was something that women were brainwashed into experiencing. I was totally, one hundred percent expecting that it would not be painful, just intense, and that taken in the right mindset, I’d be able to be calm and relaxed through the ‘energy’ and the ‘rushes’. 

And at that moment, it was an energetic rush. I breathed, stayed calm, and went straight back into a L&D room since my water had been broken so long. The midwife at that shift was pretty brisk and was not very happy that I had taken so many herbs to induce labor. She checked me and found that I was only 1cm dilated, but that I was 90% effaced, which is half the battle. Somehow all the little back twinges I had been feeling over the last 24 hours had been working toward something.

The contractions were more intense now that the hustle and bustle of getting set up in a room, listening to the anesthesiologist’s pain-med offerings, and getting the IV put in (oh horror) was over. I had never been an inpatient at a hospital before so it was all new to me. They monitored me shortly, the baby’s heartbeat was very strong (and never faltered through the whole labor), and then I was left with no distractions but the contractions. I was on the bed, leaning forward against the raised back of the bed, coming up on all fours every time the vice took hold. I felt no sensation in my uterus, just fire in my low back. I tried for a short time to listen to the Hypnobabies birthing tapes and send ‘purple anesthesia’ to the pain in my back, but soon the contractions took over my entire existence so intensely that I forgot I ever did Hypnobabies or was supposed to not be in pain.

Every time James would press on my back to ease the gripping ache. I had a heating pad put on my back until I got so hot that we had to take it off. Finally I tried getting in the shower. The minute it fell on my back I didn’t feel the pain so much, I was able to concentrate and breathe through the contractions and take it in stride.

But the water slowed down the contractions, and so I was told to come back out. They were now 5+ minutes apart and I had been going a few hours. The staff shift had changed and I had the midwife I had wanted to have. I also had my husband, mother and sisters, sister-in-law and mother-in-law in the room with me. I had been worried about having so many people, but I found it was a welcome reminder that this was exciting and that there was a baby at the end of it.

I lay on the bed on my side. When a contraction started, I would sit up and squat off the bed, hanging from James’s neck. Poor James got very tired. When it ended I would lay down and actually fall asleep. I don’t know how it’s possible to go from such an intense feeling to total sleep, but it happened. My body knew it needed rehabilitation. The contractions came in 2s, one long hard one, one short medium one. They hooked the IV on while I lay down and put some sugar water in there to keep me hydrated.

Mama and my sisters coached me through contractions. My mother-in-law went home and got a back massager which she welded with expert muscle on my low back during each contraction. I don’t know what I would have done without that. The rumble and vibration of it dispersed the vice grip on my spine. 

At some point the guys, who were all in the waiting room, brought pizza and everyone took turns leaving to go eat. I got a bit upset when James left to grab a bite until it dawned on me that I had been going for several hours and no one had eaten since lunch. I was shocked that it had been going on that long. I had absolutely no desire for food and my psyche was so taken up in what was happening that the hours had literally slipped away.

Then the castor oil kicked in. I would lay on the bed in the few minutes between contractions, sit up to vomit into a bag, squat down for the contraction(s), lay back down, rush to the bathroom for the other end, have contractions on the toilet alone for a while with a pillow at my back, pressing against the walls with my hands and against the floor with my feet, while Mama reminded me through the door that I needed to relax so that I didn’t hinder the labor progress. Even in the action of it all I was very intent on not making a mess anywhere. I couldn’t bear to be in filth. And the rotation kept on for an hour or so until the castor oil wore off, and so did my contractions.

At this point it was sometime past midnight. I had been in labor for 30 hours and in active hard labor for 8, and had had only a little sleep the night before. The midwife, Kate, came in to monitor. We needed to get the baby out soon. She knew I wanted a natural labor and did not posit meds, but said that she could bring in the breast pump to try to to get the contractions closer together than 5 minutes. The idea of doing the breast pump again made me want to cry. I was so exhausted, the breast pump hurt, especially with contractions going at the same time, and I didn’t believe that it would really work. I was very disappointed in my body at this point. 

Then Mama suggested I just go ahead and get on Pitocin. I had been going so long and if I didn’t get the baby out soon, I would get so tired that a C-section would be inevitable. I was shocked, since my mother is a huge proponent of natural childbirth. 

“But won’t it hurt a lot more?”

Kate, the midwife, said that in her experience it didn’t actually make the labor more painful, it just made the contractions more even. So I said yes and tried to steel myself for what would come.

She put me on a very tiny, steady drip of Pitocin. And then I was in the game. The contractions came strong and steady every 3 minutes. I sat on the side of the bed, then would stand and hang on James while I tried to open my legs and squat down, wishing the baby out. My mother-in-law wielded the heavy back massager for the hours, dispersing the pain in my back. Mama and my sisters coached me through the contractions.

I would moan as each contractions gripped me, feeling like my spine was about to be crushed. I tried to think of Jesus’s suffering, to join my suffering with his. I kept saying, “Jesus, help me! Jesus, help me!” with every contraction.

And then Mama said, “Camille, He is helping you.”

That went all over me like a bucket of ice water. I felt slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t been recognizing that before. And then I was able to take it. I started breathing through the contractions, I focused, I accepted the pain and tried to ready myself for ‘transition’, which was supposed to be even worse.

Then I started having a bit of bloody show on the chuck pad beneath me. The midwife would come in and out, feeling my stomach as it labored. She had not checked my dilation at all since there was risk of infection from my water being broken, so I didn’t have an idea where I was in the labor process. I thought I couldn’t be ready to push. But I did feel an intense need to poop right then and there.

And suddenly those magical words from the midwife. “I think she’s ready to push.”

Apparently I had been in transition and hadn’t even noticed. Suddenly there were more nurses in the room, the bed had transformed into a donut shape, a great plastic bag was below it to measure bleeding, and I was being propped up on the edge and James was behind me for support. 

Excitement took over. The baby had moved past the place in my spine that hurt so bad and now I barely felt the contractions. Suddenly I knew this was going to be fun. The midwife checked me, and said I was 100% effaced. She put her finger on the baby’s head and told me to push. I pushed and felt the head come past the hip bones. 

The midwife smiled. “Good work! That was great. Now just push with the contractions. Try to rest in between.”

I was so excited now that the pain was gone that it was hard to be disciplined. Especially since it was not very hard to feel when exactly the contractions were happening. It was just a tingling sensation. I was super surprised that pushing out a baby feels like the biggest BM of your life. I kept pushing, asking “Do you all see anything? Do you see anything?” after every push.

And then finally I felt a burning sensation, a taut stretching, the head squeezing through, and then a closing, and the head was out and then the body slipped out in one great bloody gush and my baby was being laid on my chest. I couldn’t believe it! It was over! 

He cried a little and I just held him, looking down at his little face and his great big nose, his nostrils flaring, and the bunch of black hair that was on his head. We immediately knew that the name Gabriel Elijah was right for him. He was just as I had always imagined he would be.

I don’t remember much about this time, but my mother said that I said, “Well, I had a baby!” And everyone laughed. I also remember suddenly remembering that I had forgot to remember Hypnobabies during the labor, and saying, “Man, Hypnobabies! What a crock!” Which made everyone laugh. James held the baby, and then the grandparents and family held him while I was stitched up (oh horror!)

Pushing had only taken half an hour. I felt blessed. Gabriel was born at 4:26am, a full 36 hours from when my water broke. It was January 23, my Grandpa Bill’s birthday. It was the most incredible experience of my life and I was fiercely glad I had felt everything.

And then they were measuring and weighing the baby. He was 8 lb 10 oz, and that was with me being on an intense third trimester diet! They thought he was 20.5 inches, but a few days later once he had stretched out a little the pediatrician measured him at 21.5 inches. 

Then they wheeled the baby away because he was grunting and they wanted to check his air passages. I wasn’t able to concentrate very well. I had lost a liter and a half of blood, very dangerous since I’ve always been anemic. We had to vacate the room and go to the postpartum floor, and there was a bustle of movement as I was put in a wheelchair and all our stuff was gathered up and a crew helped us move. Everyone but Mama and Gretchen finally went home to get some rest after the all-nighter.

Finally we got to the room and the nurses helped me get comfortably in bed. They squashed down my uterus and continued to monitor blood loss. I sent James after Gabriel to try to get them to bring him back to me. After an hour or so it became necessary to empty my bladder so that the uterus could get back into place and wouldn’t hemorrhage, which could mean death for me. The nurses helped me walk to the toilet but I was so swollen that I couldn’t pee. As I was sitting on the toilet, the nurses standing over me, I suddenly found myself in a room talking with a tall man in a long coat, and other people milling around. Then I felt a great wind in my face and heard voices calling out of the distance and came back to the bathroom and the toilet seat. I had fainted. The nurses were waving a piece of paper on my face like mad, yelling at me and I saw the look of shock on my mother’s face and James, who had come back to say the baby was fine. Mama says I was as white as a sheet and they were afraid I had died.

They wheeled me back to bed on a dolly, telling me to look at them, look at them, and then I was again in the dark room. This time I came out of the faint quickly and they got me back into bed.

We discussed putting in a catheter, since it was imperative that my bladder empty lest I hemorrhage, but when they touched me to clean before they inserted it I screamed with pain and begged to try to pee again. So they rolled me to the toilet and thankfully I was able to empty my bladder. They brought me back to the bed and I fainted again in the process of being put onto the bed. 

The nurse was very defensive and hard to deal with throughout. My mother and my sister Gretchen had stayed through the ordeal, though they had been up for hours and it was now around 6:30am. I was brought a plate of eggs and sausage and potatoes from the restaurant down the street and a huge beet smoothie. Our family probably spent hundreds of dollars feeding us excellent, hearty food and nutritious smoothies and juices over the next two days. I started calling the nurses, trying to annoy them into bringing Gabriel back to me. James went and stood beside Gabriel in the nursery, making sure they didn’t do anything we didn’t want them to do. 

Finally, after having had him about 2 hours, they brought him back. He wasn’t interested in nursing now. Mama and Gretchen went home and were replaced by my brother Alex and sister-in-law Berklee, and then my mother-in-law Kathy. I held Gabriel close, skin to skin, and would sleep little bits until a nurse came into the room and then pretend I was awake, so they wouldn’t take the baby away from me. I wasn’t accepting any of the hospital’s push to keep my baby in a cold plastic bassinet when he’d spent his entire existence inside of me. I kept him with me and only laid him in the bassinet long enough to take a shower the next morning. The lactation consultant came in a few times and helped me establish nursing with him.

It was a slow recovery. The nurse on shift changes went from saying I fainted three times to saying I fainted a ‘little bit’. Gabriel thrived. Every check up they would take his vitals while he nestled beside me in the hospital bed. I was intent on keeping his body temperature regulated so they wouldn’t take him away again. I barely slept for the 2 days, I was so worried they would take him from me. I talked to him and stared at him. He was so beautiful to me. The labor was still traumatic in my mind, but it was slowly fading and the beauty of my baby replacing it.

When it was time to come home we were quite a sight to see, me all bundled up in pajamas and a coat and Gabriel teeny tiny in his car seat. We went across the street to our apartment and found that my siblings had been in and cleaned the place and decorated it with lights and a Welcome Baby sign. It was beautiful!

A week into recovery I started bleeding more heavily again, passing blood clots the size of gum balls. My sister Annie had invited us to dinner that night but I called her to say I had to stay at home because I was terrified that moving around was going to make me bleed more. I started crying as I talked. After the conversation I sat in bed, holding Gabriel and rocking back and forth, sobbing, thinking I was going to hemorrhage and die and leave Gabriel without me. There is no bond like the bond of mother and child. Even now I can’t take anything mentioning parents dying and leaving little ones. 

Clotting a week postpartum was not normal. The midwives sent me to get an ultrasound to make sure there was no placenta still in the uterus. Mama and Annie and Gretchen took me in the wheelchair to the ultrasound place, where I felt generally whoozy and was seen by the first-aid man who was able to get our hemoglobin reports back from Vanderbilt and we found that my blood count had come from a 7.5 to a 9.5 in only a week, which was great. I felt relief pour over me. If I hemorrhaged I probably wouldn’t bleed out. I was going to be around for Gabriel.

After that James and I went to live with my mother for a couple weeks. I did nothing but lay on the couch and watch movies and eat good food and hold my beautiful baby boy. There is no love like it. 

When I got married I was surprised at how deep my love for James was, how deeply we knew each other. But having a baby, the depth of married love was nothing to it. The floodgates of love opened up, took me down to the depths. I kept Gabriel with me, I wore him in my baby wrap, I talked to him and sung to him. I was fully needed, fully and unquestioningly loved. It is better than anything life has to offer.