Thursday Food
If you enjoy canning, try this delicious pickle relish PAGE 7
It’s Where You Live! www.troydailynews.com August 1, 2013
Volume 105, No. 180
INSIDE
Veterans of Korean War honored By Belinda M. Paschal Civitas Media bpaschal@civitasmedia.com
Cause of Florida gas plant blast being investigated TAVARES, Fla. (AP) — Equipment malfunction and human error are among the possible causes of a series of explosions that spawned a 20-by-20 foot fireball at a central Florida propane plant and left eight injured, authorities said.
DAYTON — Saturday, July 27, marked the 60th anniversary of the armistice that ended what some refer to as America’s “Forgotten War.” There were no parades or fanfare awaiting these soldiers when they returned home. Even today, the Korean War often gets lost in the shuffle of more oftrecognized wars. So it was with awe and astonishment that three local Korean War veterans received a heroes’ welcome during a recent trip to Seoul to participate in activities commemorating the armistice that ceased the fierce combat between North and South Korea. The trio’s homecoming on Tuesday at the Dayton International Airport was filled with emotion, stories about their experiences and praise for the graciousness and hospitality of their hosts and helpers during the weeklong visit. “We felt like presidents,” said Donald Meek of Troy. “This trip meant the world to me. It was just beyond human dreams.”
Meek, along with Donald Motter of Piqua and Donald Earnest of Tipp City, made the all-expenses-paid trip to South Korea as guests of the Korean Presbyterian Church of Kettering. All three are members of the Western Ohio chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association, based in Piqua. Meek spent 13 of his 21 months in the Army serving in South Korea. A decade after his discharge from the Army, he enlisted in the Air National Guard, from which he retired. Among the many trip memories he shared was a trip to North Korea, which despite the armistice signing, continues to have a tense relationship with its neighbor to the south. “I always thought that if I got into North Korea, they’d shoot me dead!” the endearingly animated Meek said. Earnest also spoke of the trip north, as well as into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a strip of land running across the Korean peninsula, along the 38th parallel north, that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea.
• See VETERANS on page 2
Mexico keeps constant eye on Popocatepetl volcano
MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a clean, hushed room in the south of Mexico City, cameras, computer screens and scrawling needles track the symptoms of a special patient, as they have every second of every day for the past two decades.
INSIDE TODAY Business..................2 Calendar....................3 Entertainment..............8 Comics.....................9 Deaths.......................5 Susan Patton Opinion......................4 Sports........................13
OUTLOOK Today Chance of storms High: 80º Low: 64º Friday
Chance of storms High: 80º Low: 60º Complete weather information on Page 10 Home Delivery: 335-5634 Classified Advertising: (877) 844-8385
Mike Ullery | Civitas Media Korean War veterans Donald Meek of Troy and Donald Earnest of Tipp City acknowledge those gathered to meet them at the Dayton International Airport on Tuesday afternoon following a week-long trip to Korea. The trip was sponsored by the Korean Presbyterian Church and allowed the vets to attend ceremonies honoring the 60th anniversary of the signing of the amistice ending hostilities in the Korean War.
WikiLeaks case turns to sentencing
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Staff Photo | ANTHONY WEBER
Campers of the Miami County Park District Eco-Splorers including Lydia Collins, 10, take advantage of a mud pit Wednesday during Water Discovery at Garbry Big Woods Reserve near Casstown.
Down and dirty Ecosplorers, Ecotots learn, explore in mud pit By Melanie Yingst Staff Writer myingst@civitasmedia.com
MIAMI COUNTY — This week, Miami County Park District’s EcoSpolorers were as happy as pigs in mud. Eco-Tots and Eco-Spolorers got the oppurtunity to play and explore in a
man-made mud pit as part of “Water Week” at the Miami County Parks District’s Garbry Big Woods Reserve. Naturalist Susan Condy, along with a group of muddy Eco-Spolorers, played a game of mud pit survival on Wednesday. The children used wood logs to make
• See DIRTY on page 2
FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — Acquitted of the most serious charge against him, Army Pfc. Bradley Manning still faces up to 136 years in prison for leaking government secrets to the website WikiLeaks, and his fate rests with a judge who will begin hearing arguments Wednesday in the sentencing phase of the soldier’s court-martial. The former intelligence analyst was convicted of 20 of 22 charges for sending hundreds of thousands of government and diplomatic secrets to WikiLeaks, but he was found not guilty of aiding the enemy, which alone could have meant life in prison without parole. “We’re not celebrating,” defense attorney David Coombs said. “Ultimately, his sentence is all that really matters.” Military prosecutors said they would call as many as 20 witnesses for the sentencing phase. The government said as many as half of the prosecution witnesses would testify about classified matters in closed court. They include experts on counterintelligence, strategic planning and terrorism. The judge prohibited both sides from presenting evidence during trial about any actual damage the leaks caused to national security and troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but lawyers will be allowed to bring that up at sentencing. The release of diplomatic cables, warzone logs and videos embarrassed the U.S. and its allies. U.S. officials warned of dire consequences in the days immediately after the first disclosures in July 2010, but a Pentagon review later suggested those fears might have been overblown. The judge also restricted evidence about Manning’s motives. Manning testified during a pre-trial hearing he leaked the material to expose U.S military “bloodlust” and diplomatic deceitfulness, but did not believe his actions would harm the country. He didn’t testify during the trial, but he could take the stand during the sentencing phase. Lisa Windsor, a retired Army colonel and former judge advocate, said the punishment phase would focus on Manning’s motive and the harm that was done by the leak. “You’re balancing that to determine what would be an appropriate sentence. I think it’s likely that he’s going to be in jail for a very long time,” said Windsor, now in private practice in Washington. The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, deliberated three days before reaching her verdict in a case involving the largest leak of documents in U.S. history. The case drew worldwide attention as supporters hailed Manning as a whistleblower and the U.S. government called him an anarchist computer hacker and attentionseeking traitor. The verdict denied the government a precedent that
• See WIKILEAKS on page 2
Responses, many angry, flood OSU after remarks COLUMBUS (AP) — Joseph Nally was disappointed on three fronts by disparaging remarks made by Ohio State University’s former president — as a Roman Catholic, a graduate of Ohio State and a Notre Dame grad. “Your President’s recent remarks were disappointing — and unacceptable,” Nally, a Cleveland doctor, wrote in a scathing letter to Ohio State’s trustee chairman on June 3.
In December comments first revealed in May by The Associated Press, ex-President Gordon Gee jabbed Roman Catholics, the University of Notre Dame and Southeastern Conference schools, among others. Nally, 62, a kidney disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a phone interview Wednesday that Gee’s comments “really tainted the university.” The university was flooded with angry
emails and letters after the remarks, many demanding Gee’s firing or immediate resignation, according to documents obtained by the AP through an open records request. “The Board should be asking, what would they have done if any other employee of the university made similar remarks about Jews, gays, impaired persons, obese persons, same sex couples or a racially insensitive remark?” Dennis
Lyons wrote in a May 31 email. He told the AP in a follow-up email he was satisfied with Gee’s retirement. In Dec. 5 comments to the university Athletic Council, Gee criticized the negotiating tactics of Notre Dame administrators during discussions about joining the Big Ten, saying they weren’t good partners. He jokingly said the school’s priests were “holy on Sunday and they’re holy hell on the rest of the
week,” and said, to laughter, “you just can’t trust those damn Catholics.” On March 11, before the remarks became public, university trustees ordered Gee to begin apologizing for the comments and warned that future transgressions could lead to his dismissal. Gee, 69, retired July 1, a decision he announced
• See RESPONSES on page 2
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