MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/06/15

Monday, July 6, 2015

Drunken driver runs red light, kills girlfriend after collision with a utility truck in Phoenix, AZ; 2 others were injured


Posted: July 6, 2015
Booking photo of Abraham Castro taken on July 4, 2015. (Source: Maricopa Couonty Sheriff's Office)  
Booking photo of Abraham Castro taken on July 4, 2015. (Source: Maricopa Couonty Sheriff's Office)
(Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
Police investigate the scene of Saturday's accident. (Souorce: KPHO/KTVK)
(Source: KPHO/KTVK)
 
 
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) - 
 A suspected drunken driver ran a red light Saturday and plowed into a vehicle, killing his girlfriend and injuring two other people, Phoenix police said. 

Abraham Castro, 25, was arrested and booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and endangerment. 

Police said Castro was driving a Jeep, failed to stop for a red light at 59th Avenue and Van Buren Street and hit a utility truck carrying three people heading south on 59th Avenue. 

The Jeep struck the truck in the left front tire, causing the vehicles to rotate and collide a second time, officers said. 

A front seat passenger, Jeanette Ruiz, who is Castro's girlfriend, suffered a fatal blow after she struck her head on the corner of the truck, police said. 

Two other people in the truck were injured. Shane Betz suffered a fracture to a vertebrae in his neck and Jose Arguelles suffered scrapes and minor cuts. 
 
Castro was also taken to the hospital, where was it was determined his blood alcohol content was .168, police said. 

A search warrant was served to obtain more blood samples. Results are pending.   

Copyright 2015 KPHO/KTVK (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.

Female driver killed, 2 injured in 3-car head-on wreck along Wall Triana in Alabama


JULY 5, 2015

A woman was killed following a 3-vehicle wreck early Sunday morning. (Source: Viewer) A woman was killed following a 3-vehicle wreck early Sunday morning. (Source: Viewer)
 
MADISON, AL (WAFF) - 

A woman was killed in a three-car collision early Sunday morning.

Madison police were called to the area of Wall Triana north of Highway 72 just before 3 a.m.

According to Deputy Coroner Tyler Berryhill, a woman driving a vehicle traveling south on Wall Triana was killed. Berryhill later identified the woman as 27-year-old Michele Montgomery of Athens.

Troopers said the vehicle Montgomery was driving collided head-on with two others. Montgomery was pronounced dead at the scene.

The drivers of the two other vehicles were transported to Huntsville Hospital. Their conditions are not known at this time.

Berryhill said Montgomery was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. An investigation is ongoing.

Elderly woman killed at an Iowa truck stop by an RV being parked by her husband


JULY 6, 2015
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - 

Authorities have released the name of a Tennessee woman who was killed in an accident at an eastern Iowa truck stop.

Davenport police identified the woman as 74-year-old Mary LeMay, of Centerville, Tennessee.

Police say she was guiding her husband as he was trying to park a recreational vehicle at the truck stop on Saturday.  Police Capt. Brent Biggs says the RV went out of control and struck LeMay and then struck a car full of children. Several of the were treated at the scene for scrapes and bruises.

LeMay's husband was taken to a Davenport hospital for evaluation. His name hasn't been released.

Source: http://www.wsmv.com

Female Driver Killed in Two-Vehicle Crash on 15 Freeway in California

photo by James Brand
photo by James Brand
VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA:(VVNG.com)- 

The San Bernardino Coroner’s Department is working on identifying a female who was killed in an early morning crash on the southbound 15 freeway.

The fatal two-vehicle traffic collision occurred on Monday, July 6, 2015 at approximately 5:44 A.M., just south of Palmdale Road.

The unidentified female driver of a black 2000 Toyota Echo was in the no. 1 lane, in excess of 70 MPH. 54-year-old Victorville resident, Mr. Ortega, was driving his 2003 Honda Odyssey in the #3 lane, south of Palmdale Road, at approximately 55-60 MPH.

According to California Highway Patrol Officer Shawn Gordon, A witness told CHP officers the Toyota Echo began to swerve out of control for unknown reasons.

The Toyota Echo spun out of control across the lanes of traffic into the path of Mr. Ortega’s Honda Odyssey. The right front of the Honda Odyssey struck the left rear of the Toyota Echo. The Toyota Echo continued to spin out of control and struck the drainage culvert, and came to rest on the west shoulder of I-15 southbound. The Honda Odyssey skidded to a stop on the west shoulder of I-15 next to the Toyota Echo.

Witnesses stopped to attempt medical aid. Jane Doe was pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision.

Mr. Ortega sustained minor injuries, was treated by San Bernardino County Fire Department and refused medical aid. Details regarding the cause of the collision are under investigation by the Victorville CHP office.

If there is anyone with information regarding the collision please call 760-241-1186, to speak with Officer Gordon.

Woman dies after she hit her head when she went off a pontoon boat at Pickwick Lake in Alabama





SHEFFIELD, Ala. (WHNT) – 

Sheffield Police and Alabama State Troopers say a woman died after an incident that happened when the Spirit of Freedom Fireworks Festival wrapped up Saturday night.

Emergency crews responded to Riverside Park in Sheffield. Those teams included Florence Police Water Rescue Recovery, Florence Fire, ALEA Marine Police and ALEA Conservation Officers.

Florence Police officers said after a short search a female was found by Conservation Officers floating near the mouth of Cypress Creek. 

Sheffield Police tell WHNT News 19 the woman hit her head when she went off a pontoon boat.

The Colbert County Coroner identified the woman as Marie Franklin, 59.  Marine Police say she was not wearing a personal flotation device.

It is unclear at this time if Franklin jumped or fell from the boat.  Marine Police continue their investigation.

Man stole $75,000 after he pretended to work for Loomis and picked up the Loomis cash deposit for that day at an Oklahoma Walmart

Alleged Loomis employee imposter armored car worker hauls away $75K from OK Walmart

Police said he didn't threaten anybody. He just pretended to work for Loomis. (Source: KOKI/CNN) Police said he didn't threaten anybody. He just pretended to work for Loomis. (Source: KOKI/CNN)

JULY 6, 2015
 
BRISTOW, OK (KOKI/CNN) - 

A man walked into a Walmart and walked out with $75,000 in cash.

Police said he didn't threaten anybody. He just pretended to work for Loomis "and picked up the Loomis deposit for that day," Detective Kevin Webster of Bristow Police said.

He was dressed in what appeared to be a Loomis employee uniform. However, police said it appeared one thing was missing from his uniform: the Loomis logo.

Police say the vest he's wearing didn't look bulletproof either. Loomis employees normally wear bulletproof vests.

"It looked similar to actually a weight running vest," Webster said.

He didn't even ride in the armored vehicle in which Loomis employees normally ride.

Police say he came and left in a black Chevy, but he was convincing enough to fool the employees at Walmart.

They didn't figure it out until 30 minutes later, when the actual Loomis employee showed up for the deposit.

Bristow police and the FBI are working together to solve the crime.

If the suspect is caught and convicted, according to Oklahoma law, he's looking at 20 years or more in prison.  This guy is so cool that hopefully he will not be caught - but this is wishful thinking as they have his picture.

Copyright 2015 KOKI via CNN. All rights reserved.

Female driver killed in Shelby County, TN after she ran a red light and was struck by a tractor trailer

Woman killed in crash with tractor trailer

Posted: July 6, 2015
(Source: WMC Action News 5)
(Source: WMC Action News 5)
 
SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WMC) - 
 A woman died when her car crashed with a tractor trailer at the intersection of South Third Street and West Shelby Drive.

Police said the 40-year-old woman ran a red light around 11:45 Sunday night. That is when the tractor trailer crashed into her driver's side door.

A 75-year-old man was driving the tractor trailer. Police are not planning to charge him with any violations.
Copyright 2015 WMC Action News 5. All rights reserved.

Female driver killed after she rear-ended a tractor trailer truck in Spring Hill, Florida


TBO.com staff
Published:   |   Updated: July 6, 2015 at 08:13 AM
 
A Palm Beach County woman was killed this morning when she rear-ended a semi-trailer in Spring Hill.

The crash closed U.S. 19 at Toucan Trail earlier this morning.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, 29-year-old Christine Dimple Tiwari, of Wellington, was driving a 2014 Jeep Patriot southbound on U.S. 19, approaching Toucan Trail, around 2 a.m. when she struck the semi after it had turned southbound onto U.S. 19 ahead of her off Toucan Trail.

The driver of the semi, 31-year-old Javier Avila of Bartow, was traveling several hundred feet ahead of Tiwari when she struck the back of the trailer towed by Avila, the FHP said.

Tiwari died at the scene, the FHP said, while Avila was not injured.

Alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

New Jersey man killed, 3 kids, another adult injured in July 4 wreck on I-40 in Tennessee. Speed may have played a role in the crash.


WBIR Staff, WBIR 3:53 p.m. EDT July 6, 2015
 
Sevierville, TN (WBIR-Sevierville)

 A New Jersey man died and a young girl was seriously injured in a July 4 car wreck just west of the Sevierville exit on Interstate 40.

According to Sevierville Public Information Officer Bob Stahlke, a minivan was trying to change lanes on I-40 westbound when the driver lost control of the car, went off the side of the road and flipped the vehicle several times.

Milan Gupta, 46, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was partially ejected and killed in the wreck.  Shreya Gupta, 6, was ejected and suffered serious injuries. She was transported to UT Medical Center, along with three others with minor injuries in the car: driver Monika Gupta, 43, a 13-year old girl, and an 11-year old boy.

150 gallons of diesel fuel spill on Youree Dr. in Shreveport, LA after an 18-wheeler broke its wheel axle


According to the Caddo Parish Sherrif's office, the spill occurred after an 18 wheeler broke its wheel axle. (Source: Bubba Kneipp/KSLA News 12) 
According to the Caddo Parish Sherrif's office, the spill occurred after an 18 wheeler broke its wheel axle. (Source: Bubba Kneipp/KSLA News 12)
 
JULY 6, 2015

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - 

Hazmat crews were called in to help clean up a diesel fuel spill early Monday afternoon at a business on Youree Dr.

It happened in the parking lot of National Mail-it Inc. around 1:30 p.m.


According to the Caddo Parish Sheriff's office, the spill occurred after an 18 wheeler broke its wheel axle. 

About 150 gallons of diesel fuel has been contained by the HazMat team, and no roads have been closed.

Chemical spill at the Coca Cola plant in Speedway, Indiana

 

Crews responding to chemical spill in Speedway

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — 

Emergency crews are responding to a chemical spill at the Coca Cola plant in Speedway, according to Indianapolis Fire Department.

The Wayne Township Fire Department says the chemical has been identified muriatic acid.

An unknown amount of the chemical spilled outside the building.

No one was injured.

Stay with WISHTV.com for updates.

Tractor's front loader caused the massive Fresno, California natural gas explosion that killed 1, and injured several others







    




 
 

JULY 6, 2015
 
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - 

Authorities say a tractor's front loader punctured a gas line that exploded at a Fresno gun range killing one man and sending several others to the hospital.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Monday released the report that says the tractor's bucket gouged and scraped the pipeline that exploded April 17 at a gun range used by the Fresno County Sheriff's deputies. 

The blast from the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. gas line temporarily closed both directions of the nearby Highway 99. It injured 11, including eight jail inmates and a county employee who drove the tractor.

Tony Botti of the Fresno Sheriff's Office says none of the inmates remain in the hospital.
Assistant Sheriff Tom Gattie says he hasn't received a copy of the report and can't comment.

Massive gas leak after contractor struck a 12-inch gas pipeline in Clay County, MO

I-35 reopens following gas line break in Clay County

JULY 6, 2015
Northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 35 were closed at Missouri Highway 152 in the Northland after a gas main break.  
Northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 35 were closed at Missouri Highway 152 in the Northland after a gas main break.
The break happened about 9 a.m. Monday in a construction zone at I-35 and Highway 69 Highway in Pleasant Valley.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says all lanes of Interstate 35 closed Monday morning between Interstate 435 and Missouri Highway 152 because of a problem with a gas line on near the Pleasant Valley exit.
There have been reports of people in the area that can hear the gas spewing and getting headaches from the smell. (Heather Staggers/KCTV5 News)
 
 
PLEASANT VALLEY, MO (KCTV) - 
 Police have reopened Interstate 35 in the Northland after a gas line break Monday near road construction.

The break happened about 8:45 a.m. Monday at I-35 and Highway 69 in Pleasant Valley. Lane closures were between Interstate 435 and MO Highway 152.

Emergency response teams said while it may have been a traffic headache, they had to stop all traffic on I-35 for drivers' safety. The interstate reopened about 1:15 p.m.

Missouri Gas Energy said an outside contractor struck a 12-inch gas pipeline, and the line has an 18-inch tear. The gas agency was able to shut off the gas to the busted pipe so they can start their repairs.

"It was a substantial leak. So that was why we have shut I-35 down, both north and south, to eliminate any ignition sources," said Jeff Gardner, Missouri Department of Transportation's incident management coordinator.

Officials were concerned with drivers flicking a cigarette or any spark and said the interstate may not be reopened until 1:30 p.m. at the earliest.

No injuries were reported.

KCTV5 On Time Traffic is the easiest way to enjoy a hassle-free commute in Kansas City. Quickly check the latest road traffic conditions in your area and discover the best route to take to avoid traffic jams. Click here to download.

Railroad whistle-blower awarded $1.25M

Jury awards former union safety official $1.25 million for retaliation and termination over reporting safety violations on tracks running from Tacoma to Vancouver.


A railroad whistle-blower has been awarded $1.25 million by a federal jury in Tacoma after a six-day trial in which the former union and safety official proved he was targeted and terminated on a pretext in 2011 after reporting dozens of safety violations to federal authorities. 

The unanimous verdict, which was reached late Wednesday, includes $250,000 in rare punitive damages against Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad for its efforts to discredit Michael Elliott after he raised the safety concerns and then fired him — twice.

Those efforts, according to testimony and court documents, included evidence that a supervisor set up a physical confrontation with Elliott in a BNSF parking lot, and then had him arrested and charged with assault. Elliott spent two days in jail but was acquitted in Pierce County court. The railroad used the incident to justify his dismissal.

Evidence also showed that BNSF officials in Washington colluded to provide inaccurate information to a mediator about whether Elliott had properly reported a 2007 felony conviction for drunken driving and vehicle assault. Elliott insisted he had, and internal emails he produced at trial indicated BNSF supervisors knowingly provided the mediator with inaccurate information, according to Sara Amies, one of Elliott’s Seattle attorneys.

“This is vindication for Mike after he’d been hung out to dry for four years,” said another lawyer, James Vucinovich. “The jury agreed that you can’t treat whistle-blowers like that.”

Gus Melonas, a spokesman for BNSF, said the railroad was “proud of its safety record” and repeated the company’s assertions that Elliott was fired for “unrelated rules violations,” which were rejected by the eight-member jury.

“BNSF is exploring its post-trial options,” he said.

Elliott was a 16-year veteran locomotive engineer for BNSF and elected chairman of the Washington State Legislative Board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), which represents roughly 750 union workers at BNSF, Union Pacific and Amtrak. As such, Elliott’s focus was on worker safety, according to court documents.

According to the complaint, Elliott reported several complaints about overgrown vegetation blocking the signal system along BNSF-owned tracks between Tacoma and Vancouver, Wash., along with several potentially catastrophic signal malfunctions. The signal system is designed to keep trains from colliding on tracks that are owned by BNSF and shared by passenger and cargo trains.

The lawsuit alleges BNSF was slow to address the issue, and in January 2011, after receiving no response, Elliott bypassed the railroad and took his concerns to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA conducted a six-week inspection in which it found more than 375 violations, including one that resulted in a $1,000 fine.

While minimal, the fine was the first in the area in years and “it stuck in their craw,” Vucinovich said.

Many of the violations were in territory overseen by a BNSF supervisor, Dennis Kautzmann, whom Elliott accused in his lawsuit of plotting a confrontation in the parking lot in which Kautzmann jumped on the hood of Elliott’s vehicle as he tried to leave. A scuffle ensued, and Elliott punched Kautzmann, according to court documents.

That March 2011 incident was used to terminate Elliott and have him charged with criminal assault, according to court documents. Vucinovich said there was evidence that Elliott was set up by Kautzmann, whose story was rejected by a criminal-court jury but used by BNSF to fire him.

While that incident was under internal review, BNSF officials claimed they discovered Elliott’s alleged failure to report the earlier felony conviction, and he was fired in April 2011. In September 2011, after its review of the incident with Kautzmann, the company called him in and fired him a second time, according to court documents.

The federal jury awarded him $1 million in compensatory damages, including loss of future pay, and imposed $250,000 in punitive damages against the railroad.

Vucinovich said Elliott was “ecstatic” with the verdict. He said the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton, will decide if Elliott should have the option of taking his job back. If he does, the attorney said the $1 million verdict will be reduced by the amount he was awarded for future wages.

The number of freight-train accidents dropped nearly in half during the last decade, to 1,644 last year from 3,094 in 2005

Freight-rail accidents fall, despite high-profile derailments


Despite high-profile train derailments in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, railroads remain relatively safe transportation for people and freight, federal statistics show.

A derailment late Wednesday near Maryville, Tenn., of a CSX freight train carrying acrylonitrile, a hazardous material used to make plastics, rekindled attention in rail safety. So did the derailment May 12 of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia that killed eight people.

The number of freight-train accidents dropped nearly in half during the last decade, to 1,644 last year from 3,094 in 2005, according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics.

The number of derailments declined to 1,202 from 2,262 during that period, according to FRA.

Deaths and injuries dropped even more sharply than the accident rate. The number of deaths in those accidents fell to two last year from 19 in 2005, according to FRA. The number of injuries dropped to 47 from 443 during that period, according to FRA.

The number of hazardous materials releases fell to 15 last year from 39 in 2005, even as the number of cars carrying hazardous materials remained relatively stable, according to FRA.

Sarah Feinberg, FRA's acting administrator, said her agency will begin a thorough investigation of the Tennessee derailment as soon as the site is safe. 

The crash forced the evacuation of everyone within two miles and the train continued to burn Thursday morning.

"FRA investigators and hazmat inspectors are on site," she said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Amtrak crash, to determine why the train was traveling 106 mph through a 50 mph curve.




Freight and passenger railroads have spent billions of dollars in recent years to improve safety.

In 2008, Congress set a December 2015 deadline for trains to have automatic braking. Amtrak expects to meet the deadline, but the Association of American Railroads representing freight lines has said its members will complete installation by the end of 2018.

Freight railroads have spent more than $5 billion on the system involving high-tech equipment in locomotives and along tracks, with an expectation the total cost will be $9 billion.

Other strategies focus on education. Since 1972, a non-profit organization called Operation Lifesaver has provided safety-education programs nationwide, to reduce injuries and fatalities where tracks cross roads.

On Monday, the Association of American Railroads and Feinberg announced a partnership with Google to include 250,000 grade-level crossings on its electronic maps, in an effort to prevent collisions where tracks cross roads.

Grade-crossing collisions dropped 35% since 2000, "but too many collisions still occur and virtually all of them are preventable," said Edward Hamberger, the association's CEO. "As FRA statistics show, freight rail safety has been improving dramatically over the last several decades."

2 railroad workers injured after locomotive rear-ends another train in Vivian, LA


July 3, 2015

A train collision in Vivian this morning sent two railroad workers with non life-threatening injuries to the hospital, according to Caddo Parish Sheriff's deputies.

The accident happened just south of Myra-Merits road and Highway 1 when a southbound Kansas City Southern train plunged into the back of a southbound Kansas City Southern train.  

There were no hazardous materials on either train - one was hauling rocks, the other paper, according to people on the scene. 
Source:http://www.arklatexhomepage.com

LB&B Associates Inc. and its principals, Lily A. Brandon and F. Edward Brandon, have agreed to pay the government $7.8 million to resolve allegations that they made false statements to obtain contracts through the Small Business Administration’s Set Aside Contracts

JULY 6, 2015
 
 
LB&B Associates Inc. Agrees to Pay $7.8 Million for Alleged False Claims Related to Small Business Administration Set Aside Contracts
 
LB&B Associates Inc. and its principals, Lily A. Brandon and F. Edward Brandon, have agreed to pay the government $7.8 million to resolve allegations that they made false statements to obtain contracts through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) 8(a) Business Development Program for Small Disadvantaged Businesses, the Justice Department announced today.  LB&B is a North Carolina corporation headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.

“The purpose of the 8(a) Program is to assist small disadvantaged businesses to compete in the American economy,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. 

 “The Justice Department is committed to making sure that those who participate in 8(a) contracts do so honestly and fairly.”

“The basic purpose of this federal program is undermined when contractors falsely claim to be a small or disadvantaged business,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen Jr. of the District of Columbia.  “This $7.8 million settlement demonstrates our commitment to protecting the integrity of this important program.  Working with relators and federal investigators, we will do all that we can to act against those who illegitimately bill the American taxpayers.”

The government alleged that in seeking certification under SBA’s 8(a) Program, LB&B falsely represented that Lily Brandon – who satisfied the criteria for a socially and economically disadvantaged person under the program – controlled the operations of LB&B, when she did not.  Securing 8(a) certification allowed LB&B to obtain 8(a) set aside contracts from various government agencies.  

Throughout the performance of these contracts, Lily Brandon allegedly failed to exercise actual control over LB&B’s operations, a key component to qualifying for the set aside contracts. 

“This case shows the lengths we will go to protect the integrity of SBA’s 8(a) program,” said General Counsel Melvin F. Williams Jr. of the SBA.  “Both the Justice Department and SBA are prepared to do what it takes to make certain that the program helps folks who are really disadvantaged, and for whom it is intended to assist.”

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by Steven O. Sansbury and James T. Buechler, former employees of LB&B, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties, known as relators, to file suit on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery.  

The act permits the government either to intervene in and take over the whistleblowers’ suit, or to allow the whistleblowers to pursue the action.  In addition to alleging LB&B’s improper receipt of 8(a) set aside contracts, Mr. Sansbury and Mr. Buechler alleged that LB&B made false claims in connection with contracts it obtained pursuant to the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program, which allows participants to obtain set aside contracts following LB&B’s graduation from the 8(a) Program.  

The United States intervened in the whistleblowers’ 8(a) claims but not the Mentor-Protégé claims.  The settlement resolves both claims, and Mr. Sansbury and Mr. Buechler will recover a total of $1.5 million of the settlement.

The settlement with LB&B was the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia, the SBA’s Office of Inspector General and SBA’s Office of General Counsel.

The civil lawsuit was filed in the District of Columbia and is captioned United States ex rel. Sansbury, et al.  v. LB&B Associates, Inc., et al., No. 07-cv-00251 (D. D.C.).

The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Greece's Resounding 'No' ("OXI") to Oppressive Bailout Conditions Could Complicate NATO Relations

After casting his vote Sunday, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told journalists in Athens that Russia is not the enemy but a "brother country", because Russia and Greece share the same religion of Greek Orthodox.  Back in February, Kammenos, a right-wing politician, was issuing warnings that his country could pursue a "plan B" if a more favorable bailout deal couldn't be reached, indicating Moscow could be a possible benefactor.
 
 
 
 The guided-missile frigate USS Elrod arrives in Souda Bay, Crete for a scheduled port visit Feb. 16, 2014. (Jeffrey M. Richardson/U.S. Navy)
 
STUTTGART, Germany -- If Sunday's referendum that rejected new austerity measures turns out to be a prelude to Greece's abandonment of the euro, the country's position inside the NATO military alliance also could be jeopardized.
Already Russia has been reaching out to the leftist Greek government.

One day after Greek voters rejected new terms for an international bailout, Russian President Vladimir Putin telephoned Greek left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and expressed his support for the Greek people, a Kremlin statement said.

Recent displays of friendship between the two Christian Orthodox countries have been mutual. After casting his vote Sunday, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos told journalists in Athens that Russia is not the enemy but a "brother country." Back in February, Kammenos was issuing warnings that his country could pursue a "plan B" if a more favorable bailout deal couldn't be reached, indicating Moscow could be a possible benefactor.

Historically, Greece has maintained closer cultural ties with Russia than most other Western nations. Now with Greece in financial shambles, some observers fear that European leaders' failure to reach a compromise on bailout terms could push the country toward Russia and eventually challenge NATO's ability to maintain solidarity in dealing with Moscow.

Plenty of questions remain about the implications of Sunday's vote.
In theory, Greece could find itself out of the eurozone but still in the EU and NATO. That raises a host of thorny concerns.

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, warns that alienating Greece will have long-term geopolitical consequences.

"Let's face it: A Greece that goes crashing out of the eurozone will be an angry, disaffected, and battered nation -- but one that will continue to hold membership in the European Union and NATO, both consensus-driven organizations," Stavridis wrote in a Foreign Policy commentary ahead of Sunday's vote.

NATO, an alliance of 28 countries, requires unanimous consent to make major decisions. For example, when members recently agreed to expand NATO's response force from 13,000 to as many as 40,000 troops, a move sparked by concerns over a more assertive Russia, the alliance required Greece's consent to do so. If the time ever comes to deploy NATO's new brigade-size spearhead force on a crisis-response mission, that also will need Greek approval.

"In both the EU and NATO, an uncooperative Greece in the future could time and time again put the organizations 'in irons,' which is to say becalmed and not moving effectively forward," Stavridis warned.

In the case of the EU, which has struggled to stay united on sanctions against Russia for its illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, Greece could break Europe's fragile unity.

As for NATO, officials declined to speculate about the future of Greece or outline what steps would be required if the time ever came to evict Greece from the alliance.

"The secretary-general has made clear that Greece is a committed ally, and the Greek government has stressed that they stand by their commitments to NATO and do not make any link between the debt crisis and Greece's NATO membership," a NATO official said Monday.

According to NATO's Washington Treaty, a member is free to renounce membership and leave the alliance one year after submitting formal notice of departure. The treaty doesn't specify how allies would evict a member it deemed at odds with NATO interests.

As Greece's crisis with the EU has dragged on, leaders have increasingly been looking toward Moscow for possible relief. While Russia's ability to provide support could be limited -- Moscow itself is in a bad fiscal state -- Putin has made a point of meeting with Tsipras, much to the West's consternation.

Still, some experts doubt Greece would ever attempt to exit NATO, despite Athens' contentious relations with EU.

"Because of the Cyprus issue and Turkey, not to speak of the turmoil in the Middle East, NATO is crucial to Greece's security," said Judy Dempsey, an expert with the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels. "I can't imagine what the military would do if there was any move by the ultraleft and ultraright in Tsipras' coalition to even call into question the Alliance. Not to speak about how the U.S. would do everything to keep Greece inside NATO."

For the U.S., Greece's troubles and the EU's tough stance on austerity have long been a source of concern.

Stavridis cautioned that a Greece estranged from Europe would prove destabilizing for the Continent as a whole. European politicians must take into account the geostrategic stakes of a Greek default and departure from the eurozone, he said.

"At the dark end of the spectrum, losing any nation from the EU or NATO is simply terra incognita and would shake both organizations in fundamental ways while deeply weakening the idea of the European project generally," Stavridis wrote.


Hispanics and Blacks Commit a Disproportionately High Number of Violent Crimes. Thank God they Are Killing Each Other: 10 killed, 55 wounded in Fourth of July gun violence in Chicago, most of them blacks and hispanics

10 killed, 55 wounded in Fourth of July gun violence in Chicago





Shootings over the Fourth of July weekend left 10 people dead and 55 others wounded, a toll lower than last year but one marked by an intense stretch of gun violence over eight hours on one of the nights.
Among those killed was 7-year-old Amari Brown, shot in the chest as he watched fireworks near his father's home in Humboldt Park late Saturday night.

  Police say they believe the attack was aimed at the father, whom they described as a ranking gang member.


Also gunned down was 17-year-old Vonzell Banks, who was shot as he played basketball Friday at a park named for Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student fatally shot in 2013 near President Barack Obama's Chicago home.


The wounded included a 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl shot shortly after midnight Sunday as they walked in Old Town, and a 19-year-old man shot around 10 p.m. Saturday as two groups fought near Navy Pier after the fireworks display there.


The violence peaked from dusk Saturday until dawn Sunday, when 30 people were shot across Chicago -- nearly half the total for the entire weekend, measured from 3 p.m. Thursday until just before dawn Monday.


Last Fourth of July, 82 people were shot, 16 of them fatally, over 84 hours. Five of those shot were wounded by police. There were no police-involved shootings this year.


The shootings this Fourth of July were primarily scattered across the South and West sides.

Englewood -- the police district with more shootings than any other in the city so far this year -- did not have a single person shot over the holiday weekend.
A number of other neighborhoods saw several shootings: Little Village, four people shot; Back of the Yards, six shot; and the Austin neighborhood, eight people shot.

Two North Side neighborhoods -- Old Irving Park and Albany Park -- each had shootings in which three people were wounded. One man died in the Albany Park shooting.


Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said the weekend outbreak in violence shows the number of officers working the streets isn't as critical in preventing shootings as having effective gun laws that put gun offenders behind bars for a long time. McCarthy has long contended that Illinois' sentencing laws for gun crimes are too lenient.


"If you think that putting more cops on the street would make a difference, then take a look at the fact that we put a third more manpower on the street for this weekend," McCarthy said. "What's the result? We're getting more guns. Well, that's great. It's not stopping the violence.

"And it's not going to stop the violence until criminals are held accountable and something is done to stem the flow of these guns into our city."