Delvonte Tisdale Was Reported Missing the Same Day His Body Was Found
By EMILY FRIEDMAN
Authorities are investigating whether the North Carolina teen who was found battered to death on the side of a Massachusetts road more than 800 miles from home fell to his death from an airplane.
Remains found in Milton, Mass., last Monday have been identified as Delvonte Tisdale, 16, and one line of investigation is whether the ROTC cadet had been a stowaway in an aircraft. "The investigation remains active and ongoing on multiple fronts," David Traub, a spokesman for Norfolk District Attorney William Keating, said in a statement.
But an airport spokesman confirmed that he had been asked for information regarding the flights that flew over the area where Tisdale's body was found.
"I got a call about the possibility of a stowaway in one of the nose-wells of an aircraft," Logan International Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella said. "While I can't confirm that [he fell], we were asked to look into the flight tracks of who flew in over that community on the day [Tisdale] was found."
Orlandella said the area of Milton is on a common flight path to Logan airport in Boston.
D.A. spokesman Traub said Monday that investigators were working on "a number of leads."
He declined to comment on media reports that Tisdale was found with his arms and legs broken and with visible damage to his head.
Authorities also declined to comment on reports that a school hall pass had been found with Tisdale and had helped to identify him, saying only that fingerprints from Tisdale had been matched to items investigators had taken from his home in North Carolina.
Tisdale was one of 17 children, a member of the ROTC at North Mecklenburg High School and had no criminal history.
Maj. Mark Miller, who taught Tisdale in his ROTC classes, told ABC News' Charlotte affiliate WCOS that the program's other 125 cadets have been hit "hard" by their peer's death.
"It's personal," he said.
In a paper about his goals, Miller said, Tisdale had written, "I want to be a high ranking marine officer."
Miller said Tisdale could almost always be found wearing his full uniform or ROTC sweatshirt. Tisdale would spend dozens of hours at school and would sometimes have to be asked to go home, Miller said.
"He liked us enough that we had to send him away sometimes in between classes," he added.
Delvonte Tisdale Mourned by His Family
Some of Tisdale's relatives have taken to Facebook to remember the teenager.
Tisdale's sister, Erica Holloway, reportedly wrote, "Today is the WORST DAY of my life, I just found out my brother delvonte tisdale was found dead."
Craig Tisdale, Tisdale's older brother, wrote on his Facebook page, "R.I.P...[You] will neva eva eva be forgotten I love you little brother."
Craig Tisdale told the Charlotte Observer that his brother may have been running away from his father, whom he did not have a good relationship with.
Tisdale's father, Anthony Tisdale, was unable to be reached for comment.
He said that Tisdale had planned to get a ride to Baltimore, where his mother lives, from friends heading to Boston, according to the paper.
Did Dead North Carolina Teen Delvonte Tisdale Fall Out of a Plane? - ABC News
In Danger? Now You Can Text Details to 911- Bill May Give Tech Giants a Big Brother
911 Getting 21st Century Update to Allow Text Messages
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
SRSLY in danger? Just text a message to 911.
The 911 emergency response system was designed in 1968, well before the advent of text messages and cell phones. Citing the fact that 70 percent of 911 calls come from mobile phones, the FCC announced Monday that it is moving forward with plans to let people text message the details of an emergency situation to dispatchers.
Plans to modernize the 911 service has been under way for years; New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a similar effort to allow emergency centers to receive digital photos and videos back in 2007. But Monday, in a ceremony at the Arlington County Emergency Center in Virginia, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced the first steps to make it into a nationwide reality.
“911 is an indispensable, live-saving tool,” Genachowski said. "But today’s 911 system doesn’t support the communication tools of tomorrow. Even though mobile phones are the device of choice for most 911 callers, and we primarily use our phones to text, right now, you can’t text 911.
"I am pleased to announce that we will initiate a Next-Generation 911 proceeding next month -- taking up an item during the Commission’s December meeting. It is an important first step," he said.
The Next-Generation 911 service will allow people in situations where they are unable to speak to communicate with emergency dispatchers -- to send a photo of a car leaving the scene of an armed robbery, to let a deaf person communicate with a call center, or even to allow environmental or chemical sensors or security cameras to transmit alerts.
David Fiske, the director of the FCC's office of media relations, told FoxNews.com that this represents a massive advance for many call centers, a number of which don't even have broadband connections, he noted.
Tech news site Wired points out that it’s not clear yet where the money will come from for the upgrades, whether they will be federal requirements states and cities must carry out or if they will simply be suggestions.
911, which was established as the national emergency number in 1968, has been a lifeline to those in distress. Americans place more than 237 million 911 calls every year -- 650,000 per day. The changes will be welcome, Genachowski noted, highlighting the failure of 911 to save the lives of students during the 2007 shooting at the Virginia Tech campus.
"Some students and witnesses tried to text 911 during that emergency -- and, as we know, those messages never went through and were never received by local 911 dispatchers," Genachowski said.
"It’s time to bring 911 into the digital age," he said.
Read more at www.foxnews.com
"Ugly Betty" actor repeatedly stabbed his mother, killing her with a Freemason ceremonial sword
Killed With A Masonic Sword
[*The Great Architect of the Universe (also Grand Architect of the Universe or Supreme Architect of the Universe) is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent whatever Supreme Being to which each member individually holds in adherence. It is also a Rosicrucian conception of God, as expressed by Max Heindel. Masonic historians such as William Bissey, Gary Leazer (quoting Coil's Masonic Encyclopaedia), and S. Brent Morris, assert that "the Masonic abbreviation G.A.O.T.U., meaning the Great Architect of the Universe, continues a long tradition of using an allegorical name for the Deity." They trace how the name and the abbreviation entered Masonic tradition from the Book of Constitutions written in 1723 by Reverend James Anderson. They also note that Anderson, a Calvinist minister, probably took the term from Calvin's usage.]
Charges against Brea are pending. Actor Michael Brea is currently undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Kings County Hospital, noted the
Posted by
Loren Coleman
Read more at copycateffect.blogspot.com
Limbaugh: America Is On The Brink Of Surrender
Rush: "Are We Missing the Most Obvious Thing To Check For Here? We Are Not Checking For Terrorists, We Are Checking For Things"
Rush: "Are We Missing the Most Obvious Thing To Check For Here? We Are Not Checking For Terrorists, We Are Checking For Things"
From today's EIB program, Rush says Islamic fundamentalists see America on the brink of surrender, "we are weakening our own credibility, we've become a laughing stock"
See more at www.hapblog.com
Police: Priest solicited murder of boy accusing him of sex abuse
Police: Priest solicited murder of boy accusing him of sex abuse
(CNN) -- A Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday.
The Rev. John M. Fiala was in the Dallas County, Texas, jail on Tuesday, charged with one count of criminal solicitation to commit capital murder, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the jail's website. He also is charged with two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bail totals $700,000.
Fiala, 52, of Dallas, was out on bond on other sexual assault charges involving the youth, now 18, when he allegedly attempted to negotiate the boy's murder, said Tom Rhodes, the teen's attorney.
He was arrested last week after he offered an undercover agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety $5,000 to kill the teen, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Block.
"This guy," Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger said, "is an evil man."
A call to Rex Gunter, the defense attorney listed in jail records for Fiala, was not immediately returned Tuesday.
The youth met Fiala in 2007, according to Rhodes. The attorney said the priest started "grooming him," buying him gifts including a computer and a car. In early 2008, when the boy was 16, under the guise of providing private catechism lessons, Fiala "gained access to him and began to sexually abuse him once or twice a month, including on church grounds," Rhodes said.
At the time, Fiala was administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary in Rocksprings, Texas, which is in Edwards County. The alleged abuse occurred in two counties -- Edwards and Howard -- and included the youth's rape at gunpoint, the attorney said.
Fiala allegedly threatened to kill the youth if he told anyone -- threats he repeated in daily text messages, Rhodes said, and Fiala also threatened to kill himself, telling the teen they would "go to heaven together."
The teen, after struggling with the abuse, told a school counselor, who notified authorities, Rhodes said. He filed suit in April against Fiala, as well as the archdioceses of San Antonio, Texas, and Omaha, Nebraska -- where Fiala was before Texas -- and Fiala's religious order, the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, the attorney said.
The suit claims that all three covered up Fiala's record of abuse. All three have denied doing so, according to the San Antonio, Texas, Express-News. When former San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez and the religious order learned of the police investigation into Fiala's relationship with the teen, he was removed from active ministry in October 2008, the newspaper reported.
In September, an Edwards County grand jury indicted Fiala on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault by threat, according to the Express-News. Fiala was arrested in Kansas by a fugitive task force and was extradited to Texas, where he posted bail on September 27, according to the newspaper. He then moved to Dallas County.
A grand jury in Howard County handed up an indictment last week on the two aggravated sexual assault charges, the Express-News said.
Meanwhile, "approximately a week ago, we got an anonymous phone call from someone saying, 'Look, I'm living in a building with this guy, and he's talking about killing this young man,' " Rhodes said. "Our response was, 'You need to call police.' "
Letsinger said he got a call November 11 from the neighbor. The man at first just told authorities they should "be looking at this guy," the sheriff said, but later said Fiala had offered him $5,000 to kill the teenager. The allegation surprised him, Letsinger said.
The Department of Public Safety and its Texas Ranger Division got involved, sending the undercover agent to speak with Fiala, Rhodes said. The conversation was caught on video and audiotape.
Rhodes said his client was relieved to hear of Fiala's arrest. He was attending college but had to withdraw and be spirited away somewhere safe because of the threats, he said.
"He's still very afraid, but he is hoping that this time Fiala will stay behind bars," Rhodes said.
A hearing on the lawsuit was held Monday, he said. The Omaha diocese had argued it should be sued in Nebraska rather than Texas. The judge rejected that argument, Rhodes said.
"I think he's cooked his goose now," Letsinger said of Fiala. "We know that pedophiles sometimes threaten their victims to keep them quiet. But this is kind of an older victim, and you wonder sometimes why they wouldn't come forward. ... I can see now the evil in this guy is pretty bad."
- John Fiala is jailed on $700,000 bail
- He allegedly offered an undercover agent money to kill the teenager
- Fiala also faces multiple sexual abuse charges
- "This guy is an evil man," sheriff says
Read more at www.cnn.com
What's Your Reaction to Pope's Comments on Condoms and HIV?
If you want to know God's position on things: Read Your Bible! Don't rely on a fallible man in the form of an "infallible Pope".
Pope Benedict XVI quote: "Condom use may be warranted in certain situations." The pontiff was referring to male prostitution to avoid the spreading of HIV/AIDS. So if your a child molesting priest picking up a male prostitute, it is alright to wear a condom.
'World News' Wants to Know What You Think
Pope Benedict's landmark decision to condone condom use in some instances has sparked global conversation.
In an interview with a German journalist, the pope said that condoms should be used to prevent HIV transmission, singling out male prostitutes.
It's the "first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," the pope said.
The Vatican has clarified the pope's comments from what he said in a new book, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Sign of the Times," announcing... Full StoryRead more at abcnews.go.com
USS Carrier to Conduct Exercise in Yellow Sea This Weekend
USS Carrier to Conduct Exercise in Yellow Sea This Weekend
From ABC News' Luis Martinez:
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington and four other U.S. Navy ships will participate in just announced military exercises with South Korea this weekend as part of the United States’ response to North Korea’s deadly artillery barrage of a South Korean island that has triggered an international crisis.
The exercise will be held in the Yellow Sea, west of the Korean Peninsula.
Late Tuesday night, the White House announced that as part of President Obama’s phone conversation with South Korean President Lee, both presidents “agreed to hold combined military exercises and enhanced training in the days ahead to continue the close security cooperation between our two countries, and to underscore the strength of our Alliance and commitment to peace and security in the region.”
A statement from the Navy’s Seventh Fleet says the USS George Washington strike group will join with South Korean naval forces in the Yellow Sea for a joint exercise that will begin this Sunday and last through Dec. 1.
In addition to the carrier, the cruisers USS Cowpens and USS Shiloh and the destroyers USS Stethem and USS Fitzgerald will also participate in the exercise.
The statement makes the point that the exercise is “defensive in nature” and “while planned well before yesterday's unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence. It is also designed to improve our military interoperability.”
The U.S. and South Korean forces will conduct air defense and surface warfare readiness training.
The intent to hold a carrier exercise off the western coast of the Korean Peninsula was first announced in July in the wake of North Korea’s sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan. It was to do be part of a series of ongoing joint exercises intended to show North Korea the strength of the US-South Korean security alliance.
However, after China expressed concerns about holding an exercise in the Yellow Sea, plans were adjusted and a “show of force” exercise was held off the eastern Sea of Japan.
U.S. officials said plans still called for an exercise in the Yellow Sea, though they had yet to be announced until today.
The carrier left its homeport of Yokosuka, Japan on Wednesday morning as part of a previously scheduled departure. The carrier will now adjust its plans and make its way to the waters off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula for this weekend’s exercise.
Read more at blogs.abcnews.com
What's Your Reaction to Pope's Comments on Condoms and HIV?
What's Your Reaction to Pope's Comments on Condoms and HIV?
'World News' Wants to Know What You Think
Pope Benedict's landmark decision to condone condom use in some instances has sparked global conversation.
In an interview with a German journalist, the pope said that condoms should be used to prevent HIV transmission, singling out male prostitutes.
It's the "first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," the pope said.
The Vatican has clarified the pope's comments from what he said in a new book, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Sign of the Times," announcing that the pope's thinking applied not only to male prostitutes but also to females and transexuals too.
"The problem is this: It's the first step fo taking responsibility, of taking into consideration the risk of life of another with whom you have a relationship," Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters.
The Roman Catholic Church's stance on condoms has been widely criticized in the past, with some arguing that hard-line opposition to condoms has only added to the spread of AIDS in such places as Africa.
Our question to you today: What's your reaction to the pope's comments on condoms?
The Associated Press contributed to this report.Read more at abcnews.go.com
Many faiths come together for Thanksgiving service
Many faiths come together for Thanksgiving service
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
York, PA -
Imagine a world where all people respect every religion, belief, tradition, custom and lifestyle. Such a place could be modeled after a gathering of local people from various faiths and backgrounds, said Sharon Hillman.
Hillman, spiritual leader of Unity By The River in Marietta, Lancaster County, was at the York Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Temple Beth Israel in York Township on Tuesday.
The annual event included speakers, musicians and others from local faith-based organizations including the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, Nature Church, York Baha'i Community and the York Friends Meeting.
Many folks brought to the service nonperishable foods that will be given to needy
people across the county.
The ceremony opened with Windsor Township resident Frank LittleBear playing American Indian music on a flute-type instrument, accompanied by his son Thomas, 7, who drummed.
Temple Beth Israel Rabbi Jeffrey Astrachan welcomed the participants and about 150 visitors to the event.
He said people on Thanksgiving should remember that much of what they expect, such as food, shelter and warmth, are considered luxuries to many other people. Remember to help others, he added.
"If we work together, we can make a difference," Astrachan said. "Be mindful of those who are suffering."
The Rev. Bob Renjilian, pastor of UUC of York, said people at the service came from "many different houses" to gather in unity.
"Go
in peace," he said. "Make peace. Be at peace."
The attendees socialized after the service.
"I learned that everybody can be thankful," said Sivan Menache, 11.
Donna Weber and her husband, Bryan, of Shrewsbury said their daughter, Brooke, 12, was in the children's choir that performed at the service.
The event was interesting and included a good representation of many area faiths, Bryan Weber said.
He described the service as a tapestry woven from various textures.
"It had that
kind of feel to it," he said.
More
The annual York Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is sponsored by the Interfaith Dialogue Forum of York.
To learn more or to become active in the Interfaith Dialogue Forum of York, e-mail cwalker856@aol.com.
Religion news
Read more at www.ydr.com
For more religion news, visit the Belief and Beyond blog.
Priest in sex case now charged with trying to hire hitman
Priest in sex case now charged with trying to hire hitman
By EVA RUTH MORAVEC
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — A Catholic priest charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy in 2008 in the rural parish where he worked west of here was rearrested last week in Dallas and charged with trying to hire someone to kill his alleged victim.
Father John M. Fiala, 52, was in Dallas County Jail on one count of solicitation to commit murder and two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, officials said. A judge set bail at $700,000.
The sexual assault charges were part of indictments handed up last week in Howard County, which brought to six the number of charges Fiala faces that involve the boy, who was 16 at the time of the alleged offenses.
The Texas Rangers and Department of Public Safety troopers arrested Fiala on Thursday after he negotiated a murder arrangement with an undercover officer at his residence in Garland, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said.
A DPS investigation began Nov. 11, when a neighbor of Fiala tipped off Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger. "I received a call from an unnamed informant who was having problems with the way Fiala was acting," the sheriff said.
The neighbor "had been solicited (to commit the murder) himself, and he didn't want anything to do with that," Letsinger said. Fiala reportedly offered the neighbor $5,000 to kill the teen, the sheriff said.
Boy relieved
Attorney Tom Rhodes, who is representing the boy in a lawsuit in Bexar County, said his client is relieved that Fiala is again in custody.
"Fiala had threatened him with physical violence and threatened to kill him before, and he was very afraid of that," Rhodes said.
In September, the priest was indicted on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault by threat in Edwards County, where Fiala is accused of raping the teen at gunpoint.
Fiala's attorney did not return a phone call seeking comment Monday.
Fiala had been living in Dallas County since he was released from Edwards County Jail after posting $100,000 bail Sept. 27. A fugitive task force arrested him in Kansas on the Edwards County charges, and he was extradited to Texas in September.
Rhodes filed the lawsuit last spring over the sexual assault allegations, also naming the archdioceses of San Antonio and Omaha, Neb., and Fiala's religious order, the Robstown-based Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.
The lawsuit claims all three entities covered up Fiala's record of abuse, which they have denied. Former San Antonio Archbishop José Gomez and Fiala's religious order removed the priest from active ministry in October 2008.
In a hearing here Monday, a judge rejected the Omaha archdiocese's argument that Texas was not a proper jurisdiction for the lawsuit.
The sexual assault charges stem from Fiala's time as administrator of Sacred Heart of Mary in Rocksprings, which is about 110 miles west of San Antonio. Fiala was working for the Archdiocese of San Antonio but was still a member of the religious order.
Read more at www.chron.com