Marin County (California) Sheriff, Brian Cabaud, bought a lottery ticket last Thursday in Mill Valley, CA. He promised to split his winnings with his girlfriend, Anneliese Hansen, if he won. That ticket was one of three that won the Mega Millions Jackpot that totalled $227 million on May 1st. Each ticket is worth $75 million.
The reality of winning the lottery hasn’t sunk in yet. The couple hasn’t made many plans for the money. Outside of trip to Disneyland, they’ve only come to one decision. The two sheriff’s department employees will be making a donation to the fund set up for the four police officers who were slain in Oakland, CA on March 21st.
Cabaud summed it up pretty well, ““All law enforcement is very much like a brotherhood or sisterhood,” he said. “For them to give up everything they had to keep the public safe is something we should never forget.”
The Founder of the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation, a tireless advocate who fed the needy, passed away at the age of 87.
The Mother of 9 who left Louisiana and her husband (took the 9 kids with her) in the 1950s. She worked two jobs so her kids would have food and shelter. At the age of 63, she had a vision which told her to feed the hungry. And, that’s just what she did.
At first she used her social security check to pay for food. She fed needy people in Oakland once a week. Her actions spread beyond Oakland. Later she formed the Mother Mary Ann Wright Foundation which fed 450 people a day.
It seems incredibly fitting that the woman dubbed “Mother Wright” would pass away right before Mother’s Day. She had been Mother to so many for so many years.
Optometrist, Dr. Rosie Flores, volunteers at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. She comes across youth who’ve done poorly in school and then end up in trouble. One thing she has noticed about many of these kids…they have poor vision and they don’t even know it.
Many of the teenagers get their first eye test after they’ve been arrested. Some of them were plagued with vision problems that lead to their difficulties in school. Some can’t read because they can’t see the words on the pages. When Flores fits them with glasses, they suddenly see what they’ve been missing.
The optometry program is run by volunteers with assistance from the San Leandro (California) Lions Club. The Club donates close to $20,000 for equipment and glasses. Lens Crafters donates the glasses and local optometrist donate their time and expertise for testing.
According to a representative of Highland Hospital, 500 teens were tested in 2007. 183 needed glasses.
It’s not often I read of either of my favorite baseball teams doing anything well. So, it’s with great pride that I report that the Los Angeles Dodgers have broken the record for the most games won at home to start the season. The previous mark was 12 games. The Dodgers won 13 in a row tonight with a win over the Nationals.
Now if my other team, the Oakland A’s, would win one game, I’d be very delighted!
Five years ago, Connie Culp’s life was destroyed. Her husband shot her in the face and then turned the gun on himself. She was horribly disfigured. She didn’t even have a nose anymore.
This week she unveiled her new face. The surgery took place place in December of 2008. She had surgery 30 times. The surgeons tried all sorts of things to no avail. Then in December an opportunity arose for a face transplant. There was considerable risk since the surgery had only been performed three other times and none in the US. But Culp took her chances.
The operation took 22 hours. The surgeons worked on muscles, nerves, bones…they replaced 80% of her face.
The entire cost of the surgery is around $300,000 but will be paid by the facility where the procedure was performed.
Right now, her face is bloated and oddly shaped, but there is more work to be done. As the nerves kick into gear, surgeons will remove excess skin. Slowly but surely, her new face will begin to look normal.
Culp is ecstatic about her new lease on life. Things we take for granted like smelling have been out of reach for her for five years.
Though Culp’s ordeal will soon be over, she knows the emotional trauma of not looking like everyone else. She offered these these words of wisdom to the nation, “When somebody has a disfigurement and don’t look as pretty as you do, don’t judge them, because you never know what happened to them,” she said. “Don’t judge people who don’t look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away.”
The US Forest Service is collaborating with states on a unique way to stop poachers. They set up robotic animal look alikes which lure people.
They set a trap involving the robots. Then they hide nearby. When someone attempts to shoot the fake animals, they arrest them.
In some states, shooting at a decay carries the same penalties as shooting at a real animals..
Robotic animals are made to look like the real deal. They can cost anywhere from $500 to $6000 depending on the animal. Evidently, it works because they keep catching people.
A little known law on the California books is that a child witness may have another human or a dog with them on the witness stand. A non-profit group called Paws’itive Teams has been providing dogs for this purpose.
One such team is Lynn Chavez and Dory. Chavez is a Police Officer with the San Diego Police Department. Dory, a Team Facility Dog, helps children get through this trying time. Dory is trained to support and comfort children as they reveal the disturbing details of their story. These cases usually involve a child who has been sexually or physically abused.
Right now, the program is privately paid for. The non-profit operation works solely on donations. The hope is one day these dogs may become so vital to child testimony that a program will be funded by the state.
Lynn Chavez has written a wonderful article about Dory’s importance:
