NMB: Bailey 'misled' administration in stolen gun report

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - North Myrtle Beach Public Safety Director William Bailey has been placed on administrative leave after an investigation revealed a handgun stolen out of his personal vehicle was not properly secured.

Horry County Police were dispatched to Bailey's home after the director reported two of his personal vehicles had been broken into between 10 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday. Bailey told police he became suspicious of criminal activity after noticing his truck, parked in his driveway, had been left unlocked throughout the night.

After opening the driver's side door of the truck, a police report states Bailey found papers thrown over the seats and the glove compartment and center console opened. A handgun stored in the glove compartment, Horry County Police say, was among the items taken from the vehicle.

Bailey later discovered his wife's car, parked inside of a garage, had also been tampered with. Items were strewn across the inside of the vehicle, but Bailey was unable to identify any stolen items.

Further questioning of Bailey's family revealed his son discovered what he calls a "suspicious man" in the neighborhood around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 21. When Bailey's son pulled over his vehicle to question why the man was in the area, he said he was visiting his girlfriend.

The man then proceeded to reach into his camouflage backpack, for what Bailey's son presumed to be a gun, and drove off. Bailey's son told police he returned to his home, grabbed two baseball bats, and unsuccessfully attempted to track the unidentified man down.

On Wednesday, North Myrtle Beach officials released a statement revealing Bailey had been placed on administrative leave after an investigation revealed Bailey's glovebox did not have a lock on it. As stated in an incident report, Bailey's gun could not have been safely stored inside of his truck.

Officials say the statements made by Bailey misled North Myrtle Beach administration about the security of the weapon.

"I take full responsibility and regret my actions regarding how the weapon was stored and the statements made by the City to media on December 29 saying the weapon was secured in a locked glove box. I made those statements to administration and approved their release," said Bailey.

"The nature of any disciplinary action is considered a personnel matter," added North Myrtle Beach City Manager John Smithson. "The City of North Myrtle Beach apologizes for the incorrect information and will be working diligently to correct it and the actions taken by Director Bailey."

In a statement prepared by the City of North Myrtle Beach, spokeswoman Nicole Aiello says the stolen gun was property of North Myrtle Beach and identified it as Bailey's back-up weapon. His primary weapon was in his possession at the time of the incident.

Aiello says it is now Bailey's responsibility to pay for and replace the stolen semi-automatic handgun.

Horry County Police say Bailey's report adds to five others filed on breaking and entering complaints in the Little River subdivision.

Source:wmbfnews.com/

Oregon rallies for 98-92 win after losing big lead

Micaela Cocks led six Oregon players in double figures with 22 points and the Ducks held on to beat Washington State 98-92 Sunday in the highest scoring game ever played between the schools.

Nia Jackson added 20 points, seven assists and five steals for Oregon (11-3, 2-0 Pac-10), which blew a 17-point lead and overcame a five-point deficit late in the game.

April Cook and Kiki Moore led the Cougars (5-8, 0-2) with 24 points each. Jazmine Perkins added 15 points.

Trailing 80-75, Jackson fueled the Ducks' comeback with two layups followed by a 3-pointer and short jumper to make it 84-80 Oregon with 4:37 to play.

The Cougars pulled to within a basket, 88-86, but Taylor Lilley answered with a 3-pointer for the Ducks, who then made 7-of-8 free throws in the final 1:28 to secure the victory.

Lilley finished with 15 points, Amanda Johnson had 12 points and 15 rebounds and Victoria Kenyon and Nicole Canepa added 11 points each for the Ducks, who are 2-0 in the Pac-10 for the first time since 2004-05 - the last season they made the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon was down 19-18 midway through the first half before going on a 24-6 run to go up by 17, 42-25.

The Ducks hit four of their five first-half 3-pointers during that stretch - two by Kenyon and one each from Johnson and Lilley.

But Washington State went on a 10-0 run in the final 1:48 of the first half to make it 51-46 Oregon at the break. The Cougars got two 3-pointers from Moore and the other four points from Carly Noyes.

Cook scored 10 points during a 16-2 run in the second half that put the Cougars up 80-75 with 6:46 to play.

Source:seattletimes.nwsource.com/

White House attacks Cheney over his accusations that administration is soft on terror

It's the White House vs. Dick Cheney -- and the verbal attacks are heating up.

The Obama administration rebuked the former vice president over his comments that the White House was not forceful enough in its response to the attempted terrorist attack of a Northwest Airlines flight. Cheney claimed that Obama "is trying to pretend we are not at war" and is making America "less safe," CNN reported.

"He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won't be at war," Cheney said in the statement. "He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of 9/11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won't be at war. He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core Al Qaeda-trained terrorists still there, we won't be at war."

Within hours, the White House had rebutted Cheney's claims.

"It is telling that Vice President Cheney and others seem to be more focused on criticizing the administration than condemning the attackers," White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer wrote on the White House blog. "Unfortunately, too many are engaged in the typical Washington game of pointing fingers and making political hay, instead of working together to find solutions to make our country safer."

And Pfeiffer went further, saying that it was the Bush-Cheney focus on Iraq that led to Al Qaeda's strengthened presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that President Obama is now making America safer by employing a strategy that focuses more resources on Afghanistan.

"To put it simply: This President is not interested in bellicose rhetoric. He is focused on action," Pffiefer wrote. "Seven years of bellicose rhetoric failed to reduce the threat from Al Qaeda and succeeded in dividing this country. And it seems strangely off-key now, at a time when our country is under attack, for the architect of those policies to be attacking the President."

Finally, Pfiffer attacked Cheney's comments that Obama acts like this country is not a war.

"There are numerous … public statements that explicitly state we are at war," Pfeifer wrote. "The difference is this: President Obama doesn't need to beat his chest to prove it, and – unlike the last administration – we are not at war with a tactic ("terrorism"), we are at war with something that is tangible: Al Qaeda and its violent extremist allies. And we will prosecute that war as long as the American people are endangered."

It may almost be a new year, but we're seeing the same old political battles.

Source:nydailynews.com/

D.C. to AT&T: All Your Unused Minutes Are Belong to Us

Washington, D.C. is suing AT&T because some customers who buy its prepaid calling cards don't always use up all the minutes. The city isn't suing on behalf of the customers, of course (though even that would be sort of silly). It's suing on the notion that when a customer doesn't use up all of a product or service they purchase, the remainder belongs to the government. So they want the company to pay what the minutes are worth to the D.C. government, where they might be better used on, oh I don't know, maybe to pay overtime for Mayor Adrian Fenty's mountain bike detail.

Next up, D.C. sues Burger King for stray fries that go uneaten after falling to the bottom of the drive-thru bag.

Source:reason.com/

Harry Jaffe: It's old home week at D.C.'s gathering spots

For a dinner to celebrate the gathering of my far-flung family members, I chose Arucola, a local eatery on Connecticut Avenue just south of Chevy Chase Circle.

It was that hazy, semivacation week between Christmas and New Year's Day. The place was jammed, from wood-fired pizza stove to bar to windowed front room. It seemed the entire neighborhood had turned out. I saw union boss Andy Stern, who has Barack Obama on speed dial. My daughters pointed out kids they had known since Lafayette Elementary. Our waiter had graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High with one of my girls.

As a city, Washington, D.C., has the rap as a transient place populated by rootless politicians and bureaucrats. That's not the city I know. Like Boston or New York or Baltimore, we know local places that define us.

The revelry from last week's celebrations will give way to more gatherings with friends and family. Obey the rules: Don't drink and drive! But no one says you can't drink and walk -- or just eat and walk. Here are a few of my favorite neighborhood joints from one end of Washington to the other:

Down Connecticut Avenue from Arucola there's the trusty Chevy Chase Lounge, connected to Parthenon, the Greek restaurant that's been there forever. At the corner of Connecticut and Nebraska, check out Comet, a fine pizza restaurant with a long bar and high-class food.

The strip of stores and bars in Cleveland Park has an abundance of fine options. Locals hit these two: Nanny O'Brien's, smaller and more gritty than Ireland's Four Provinces on the west side of Connecticut; and down the steps to Atomic Billiards, where the beers are cold and cheap.

Penn Quarter is jammed with watering holes and eateries, but many are franchises. Locals tend to hang out at Oyamel, on Seventh Street. Great bar and terrific tapas.

Lord knows it's hard to stumble on Columbia Road and not wind up in a bar or restaurant. Locals still go to Millie & Al's, known for cheap drafts and greasy pizza, which seem to go together perfectly in this ancient meeting place.

The "New U" is no longer so new, but the run from Columbia Road to 14th has plenty of places to sit and chat and imbibe. When locals want to hit a dive bar, they wander in to Stetson's. Expect no frills.

On Capital Hill's Pennsylvania Avenue strip, Tune Inn still tops Hawk & Dove in my book. Can't get more D.C. than Tunnicliff's, across from Eastern Market. It attracts the local crowd, too.

Brookland? Try Colonel Brook's Tavern across from Catholic University.

Moving east, Antonio Roberson has opened Langston Bar and Grill at 1831 Benning Road. You have to navigate past some rough corners, but the shrimp and grits are worth it.

And up in the Anacostia hills, Players Lounge at 2737 Martin Luther King Avenue SE, is where locals like Marion Barry head for old home week.

When you come home, don't drink and drive -- just walk to a local joint.

Source:washingtonexaminer.com/

Temple Football Fans Head to DC for Bowl Game

by KYW's Al Novack

A charter bus loaded with about 60 Temple University alumni left the Liacouras Center Tuesday morning bound for Washington, DC to cheer on the Owls as they take on UCLA in the Eagle Bank Bowl.

The spirits were high, many noting this will be only the 3rd bowl game in Temple’s history and the first one since 1979.

Vince Boccollo of Newtown, graduated in 1978 so he missed that 1979 bowl game but, he said, he wouldn’t miss this for anything in the world and he predicted a big win.:

“I feel good. I feel that, you know hopefully Pierce will have a good game. Golden has done a great job, the guys he’s recruited, he’s turned the program around, getting some notoriety. It’s only going to happen again and again and again. I think he’s going to have a good drafts coming up because of this.

The fans on the bus were all predicting victory.

Source:kyw1060.com/

D.C. police kill man they say lunged at them with knife

A man who reportedly lunged at officers with a knife was fatally shot by police Saturday in Northwest Washington, D.C. police said.

Officers fired at Tremaine Flythe, 32, of Northwest, about 1 p.m. during separate confrontations in the 400 and 600 blocks of Kenyon Street, police said.

At both spots, police said, Flythe lunged at the officers "in an attempt to inflict bodily harm."

The officers were "in imminent fear of their lives" and fired their service weapons, the police said in a news release.

They added that the officers were sent to the area in response to a 911 call, but details were not available.

Flythe was being investigated in connection with an earlier offense, police said, but no information about the offense was provided.

The officers, both assigned to the 3rd Police District, were not identified. One has been on the force for five years, the other for six, police said.

The matter is under investigation.

Source:washingtonpost.com/