Latest news with #PurpleHeart
Daily Mirror
13-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Woman forced to dig her own grave escapes kidnap using friend's dead body
Nine people - one a 'war hero' - were sentenced for their parts in the kidnap of two friends who were made to dig their own graves and thrown down a well, with one shot dead A woman who was kidnapped and forced to dig her own grave has miraculously survived, but tragically her friend wasn't so lucky. Melissa Pugh and Sarah Pasco were sitting in a car on a street corner in Stotts City, Missouri, when Gary Hunter Jr approached them and asked to get in the vehicle. Once inside he pulled a gun on them and made them drive to the home of Christina Knapp, according to reports at the time. Knapp was one of the eight accomplices who would eventually face charges over the horrific crime on 16 August 2020. Terrifyingly, they were forced to start digging their own graves in Knapp's backyard. According to local KOLR 10, all nine suspects involved in the kidnapping plot travelled together in two separate cars to a wooded area in Miller, Missouri. Hunter then forced them to get into an abandoned well where he shot at them. Ms Pasco, who was 27, died instantly after being hit in the head by a bullet. Ms Pugh managed to survive further shots fired into the well by hiding under Ms Pasco's body and "playing dead" until the men left. She then climbed out of the well, ran for help and called 911. She was treated in hospital for gunshot wounds. Hunter admitted firing the weapon that killed Ms Pugh and his accomplices pleaded guilty. They were sentenced in 2022. However Steven "Chase" Calverley, 33, opted for a trial. He relied upon evidence given by Hunter, who claimed Calverley was not a 'willing accomplice' in the gruesome crime and had tried to talk him out of harming the women. However, in October last year Christian County Judge Laura Johnson said the testimony was not credible. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, kidnapping, assault, and four counts of armed criminal action. Calverley was sentenced to 40 years in prison, the same sentence given to Hunter. According to Springfield Daily Citizen, she told the court: "To me, it was clear what the plan was for these two women, that they were not coming out of that forest. Mr. Calverley was not the principal. He did not pull the trigger. He was there and he assisted." Calverley had been awarded the Purple Heart - a US military decoration given to service members who have been wounded or killed in action. He served with the Marines in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in 2011. He was injured when his vehicle was blown up by an IED, and he was credited with saving the lives of his fellow servicemen. His defense said he had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following his return to the US. They said this led to his "strange behavior" and the way he appeared to dissociate himself from what was happening around him, especially under police questioning. After his conviction Calverley read from a letter he wrote to the families of Pasco and Pugh. According to the Daily Citizen, he said: "I'm not asking you to forgive me. But I want you to know I am sorry. I'm sorry I was a coward and didn't try harder to stop him. I'm sorry I didn't call 911 and report it. I'm sorry I didn't try to put myself between him and you guys." At the time of sentencing, Ms Pugh testified against Calverley. She spoke via video link from prison, where she was on a parole violation, telling the jury she "forgave" him but didn't understand why he hadn't tried to help them. "I know God spared my life for a reason," she said. "But I don't understand why none of them tried to help us... Especially with Mr. Calverley being a war hero." Megan Pasco, Sarah Pasco's sister, furiously slammed Calverley for his role in the terrifying incident. She said: "There were nine of you and not one of you called 911. You are supposed to be a war hero. You should have been held to a higher standard."
Perth Now
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
The Mavericks star Raul Malo fears deportation
The Mavericks frontman Raul Malo fears he could be deported from the US despite being born in Florida. The 59-year-old singer was born and raised in Miami by parents who had settled in the city after fleeing Cuba, but Raul is worried changes in the government policy could mean his mother might be stripped of her "naturalized citizenship" and it would leave him facing an uncertain future as he could be ruled an "illegal birthright citizen" and forced to leave the country of his birth. In a post on Instagram to mark America's Independence Day, Raul wrote: "Dear America, today is the day we celebrate you and what you used to stand for. "The words 'liberty and justice for all' have faded into a distant past. "To some of us those words were deeply personal. My family came here because of those words. I was born here because of those words. I have had an extraordinary life because of those words. "And now those words have lost their meaning. They are now abstract concepts used to inflict cruelty and suffering on the unsuspecting, the weak, the sick, the poor, the needy. We can add Purple Heart war veterans to that list as several have been deported already. This is America right now." He went on to add: "Some will tell me that I should leave the country or my favorite - 'shut up and sing'. (A statement so void of any sense that it is impossible to execute) "On the 'leaving' part … that may come true whether I want to leave or not. The way the new law stands my mother could be stripped of her naturalized citizenship, then my sister and I would be illegal birthright citizens and away we go. "As far as 'shut up and sing' well, clearly that's not happening. You see the thing is this is my country too. Always has been ... " Raul concluded: "As Lady Liberty's flame dims with every atrocity committed in her name We will not be afraid of the dark. We will find the light again ... "This isn't about politics anymore. It's about humanity. It's about all of us. We, the people. Happy Birthday America!!" The Dance the Night Away singer was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer last year and he previously admitted talking about his health problems gave him hope. He told NPR: "It has been a beautiful, really remarkable kind of journey. I went public with this as soon as we could, and it helped me deal with it as well. "You know, it helped me find strength to not fear it, but tackle it head on and continue to live your life. Continue doing what you are doing."
Chicago Tribune
03-07-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Daywatch: Once lost, Purple Heart is back with family of Peoria veteran
Good morning, Chicago. Nearly 81 years to the date after 20-year-old Army Pfc. John L. Moore was wounded while fighting to liberate Europe during WWII, the Purple Heart he earned that day is now in the hands of his only surviving sibling. Jerry Moore was little more than a toddler when his brother went off to war. Now 86, Moore held the heart-shaped medal for what he said was the first time after Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs presented it to him yesterday at the World War II memorial in Decatur. The poignant ceremony, which included the Macon County Honor Guard, was held just days before the Independence Day holiday weekend. 'It means a lot to my heart,' said Jerry Moore, fighting back tears. 'I don't think there can be any higher honor than getting this back.' Read the full story from the Tribune's Christy Gutowski. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including a look back at a suburban company's role in the creation of DeLorean time machine, why Cook County political leaders are pointing fingers over tech troubles and which Chicago players were named All-Star Game starters. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History A drive-by mass shooting killed four people and wounded 14 more late last night on the near North Side, Chicago police said. The shooting took place around 11 p.m. yesterday and little detail was available this morning. A large group of people were on the 300 block of West Chicago Avenue when people inside a dark vehicle drove past, fired into the crowd and drove away, police said. The government's top vaccine official working under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently restricted the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released yesterday. The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency's vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna. The Chicago versus downstate dynamic has been a source of friction in state politics for years, and Gov. JB Pritzker's choice figures to play into that issue going forward. For his part, Christian Mitchell said he is ready to meet people from all over Illinois. On the 40th anniversary of the 'Back to the Future' movie premiere, Northbrook-based insurance giant Allstate is traveling back to the past to reveal its little-known role in developing the DeLorean, the futuristic but short-lived, gull-winged, stainless steel car that served as Doc Brown's time machine. Without Allstate, Marty McFly might never have left 1985 or perhaps he would have traveled back in time in a Buick, forever disrupting the space-time continuum of the seminal movie trilogy. Cook County property tax bills already on track to be at least one month tardy may arrive even later as controversial contractor Tyler Technologies' upgrades to the countywide property tax systems are again running behind schedule, leading to mounting frustration and political fighting among county leaders. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's office yesterday published the first of what is expected to be several reports detailing the technology delays and assigning blame for whether the fault lies with Tyler or with Assessor Fritz Kaegi, Treasurer Maria Pappas or Clerk Monica Gordon, the three county officeholders who handle property taxes. The family of slain Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera is calling for city agencies to relinquish the investigation of her death and, instead, turn over the probe to the Illinois State Police as they pursue legal avenues. The slain officer's parents and their attorney also asked that the city release the body-worn camera footage that captured the fatal June 5 shooting — despite a standing order from a Cook County judge preventing the public release. A jury found a former Chicago Public Schools dean guilty of multiple felony counts for sexually abusing a student, after the young woman testified that he coerced her into a relationship years earlier while she attended a Little Village high school. For the first time in nearly 90 years, the Chicago Cubs will have two outfielders in the starting lineup at the All-Star Game. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and right fielder Kyle Tucker earned enough votes in the second phase of the process, which ran from Monday until 11 a.m. yesterday, to be named National League starters for the Midsummer Classic on July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted yesterday of prostitution-related offenses under the federal Mann Act, an anti-sex trafficking law with a controversial, century-old history. Here's what to know about the law. The longest, strangest trip embarked upon by a rock 'n' roll band ended 30 years ago this week at Soldier Field. On July 9, 1995, the Grateful Dead played what would be its final concert with its full lineup at the stadium — the harmonious echoes of 'Box of Rain' concluding a fascinating musical journey that began in May 1965 at a small pizza parlor in California and encompassed more than 2,300 shows. This will be a great big for many of you, particularly armchair architecture historians, professional historians and anyone who ever took an architecture boat tour and now has strong opinions about bricks — but Christopher Borrelli didn't really know why the Wrigley gave off such odd vibes until he read 'The Wrigley Building: The Making of an Icon,' a fascinating and pretty entertaining new $95 coffee table book devoted to this terra cotta mainstay.
The Herald Scotland
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
How did the Senate change the GOP tax and spend bill?
Here are some of the changes the Senate made to the bill: Not making it easier to ignore court rulings Senate Republicans removed a provision in the House version of the bill that would have restricted judges' ability to hold people accountable for violating court orders. In recent months some judges have considered contempt rulings against the Trump administration for ignoring court orders that restricted the administration's actions. The legislation would bar judges from enforcing such contempt rulings if they didn't first order a bond, which is commonly set at zero or not ordered in cases when people are claiming the government did something unconstitutional. Democrats say it's an attempt to limit the power of the courts, while Republicans say it was an incentive to stop frivolous lawsuits by requiring plaintiffs to pay in. Who is eligible for the child tax credit? The Senate version allows mixed-status immigration status families to quality for the child tax credit for American citizen children. Currently, children with Social Security numbers, the vast majority of whom are American citizens or legal permanent residents, are eligible for the Child Tax Credit, even if their parents lack Social Security numbers, according to the Center for Migration Studies. The Senate version, requires at least one parent to have a Social Security number to qualify. The House version required both parents to have valid Social Security numbers to qualify, which would have kept millions of children from getting the benefit. The Center for Migration Studies estimated this would have impacted 4.5 million citizen and legal permanent resident children. A ban on regulating AI Senate Republicans stripped out a provision in the House bill that would have blocked states from creating new regulations to shape how artificial intelligence is used or developed for the next 10 years. It would have also blocked dozens of states from enforcing AI regulations and oversight structures already in place. There is now no federal AI regulation to take the place of state policies, which are likely to vary across the country. Tax-free gym memberships Senators removed a portion of the bill qualifying sports and fitness expenses as qualified medical care, which would have allowed people to pay for them tax-free through a Health Savings Account. The benefit, worth $500 for an individual or $1,000 per couple, could not have been used at "a private club" owned by members, or a facility that offers golf, hunting, sailing or riding facilities. The health and fitness part of the business also couldn't be "incidental to its overall function and purpose." Purple Heart benefits Senators also removed a provision that would have created a new income tax credit for some people who earned a Purple Heart - the decoration for service members who were wounded or killed in action. Purple Heart recipients who lost a portion of their Social Security disability benefits because they got a job could have also gotten a higher Earned Income Tax Credit to make up those lost Social Security benefits. Pell grants The Senate also pulled out a change to the Pell Grant program, which provides federal aid to low-income students to attend colleges and universities. Right now, students are considered full time and qualify for the maximum amount of aid if they take 12 credits a semester. The House version of the bill would have changed that to 15 credits a semester, which the National College Attainment Network estimated would result in a nearly $1,500 cut in benefits for students who can't increase their courseload because of work or caretaking responsibilities. The Senate left the 12-credit requirement intact.
Chicago Tribune
02-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Once lost to time and circumstance, Purple Heart is back with family of Decatur veteran
DECATUR — Nearly 81 years to the date after 20-year-old Army Pfc. John L. Moore was wounded while fighting to liberate Europe during WWII, the Purple Heart he earned that day is now in the hands of his only surviving sibling. Jerry Moore was little more than a toddler when his brother went off to war. Now 86, Moore held the heart-shaped medal for what he said was the first time after Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs presented it to him Wednesday at the World War II memorial in Decatur. The poignant ceremony, which included the Macon County Honor Guard, was held just days before the Independence Day holiday weekend. 'It means a lot to my heart,' said Jerry Moore, fighting back tears. 'I don't think there can be any higher honor than getting this back.' The Decatur man was joined by several family members, including a granddaughter of his late brother, who died in 2002. Angie Holliger flew in from Colorado for the occasion. 'My grandpa would be so happy about this and that it is back with our family,' she said. Frerichs launched 'Operation Purple Heart' in late 2021 to raise awareness about war medals that had ended up in the state's unclaimed property section after they were left in abandoned safe deposit boxes at banks. The state treasurer has returned 15 Purple Hearts, including Moore's, during his three terms in office. Last winter, the Tribune wrote about its own efforts to identify the veterans who had earned the Purple Hearts that at the time remained unclaimed. After months of researching public records, unearthing decades-old war documents and interviewing people linked to the safe deposit boxes, the Tribune succeeded in 10 of the 11 cases on the treasurer's public list — including that of John Moore. The treasurer's office has been working to verify the claims of relatives who have come forward so far following the Tribune's reporting, officials said. Frerichs pledged to continue his effort. 'These symbols of honor and heroism don't deserve to be in a cold vault,' he said Wednesday. 'I don't know what it was like for John's family here today but it's frequently a reminder of that person who was special in your life. The ability to reconnect is something that is really special.' The state had preserved Moore's medal in its Springfield vault since 2001, when a Peoria bank turned it over. John Moore died a year later at age 78 from a heart attack. The only other item in the safe deposit box was his last will and testament. The box was in the name of his second wife, Linda, whom he married in 1986. Their marriage ended in 1992, according to court records. Besides tracking down Moore's brother and granddaughter, the Tribune found his ex-wife, Linda, who had remarried and was living in Texas. She confirmed to the Tribune that the Purple Heart was her former husband's and said it belongs with his family, clearing the way for Wednesday's ceremony. Two of the four Moore brothers fought in WWII, and both made it home to Peoria. John Moore survived the D-Day invasion in 1944 only to be wounded shortly afterward by shrapnel in his right wrist, left knee and lower right leg while fighting in France that July 27, according to his military records. He returned to active duty that winter for several months, but persistent nerve damage affected the use of his hand and led to more hospitalizations. Moore was honorably discharged in early 1946 after three years of service that included battles in Normandy, the Rhineland and northern France, the records state. Jerry Moore, the youngest of the four boys, still recalls his parents' anguish while their sons were off fighting in the war. 'Johnny got shot pretty bad,' Jerry Moore said. 'He had a young lieutenant who led them into what turned out to be an ambush and that's how he got wounded. There were several in his outfit that got shot. Some of them didn't make it.' He said his brother's war injuries, including chronic pain in his legs, gave him trouble but John Moore persisted. He married his first wife, Grace, shortly after his return and had five children with her, including a boy who died a few months after birth, according to the family. Relatives said John Moore enjoyed hunting and fishing and worked in carpentry and roofing, having learned the trades along with his brothers while working with their dad, a World War I veteran. John Moore also worked as a truck driver, postal worker and hospital maintenance supervisor before retiring in 1986. Moore was a past commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Peoria Heights and East Peoria, active in the American Legion and among the many who joined an effort to build Illinois' WWII Illinois Veterans Memorial in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. His name is among nearly 3,000 etched in the memorial's commemorative granite bricks. The bronze headstone of his grave in nearby Warrensburg also speaks to his proud military service. It reads: 'John Louis Moore Sr. PFC US Army WWII Purple Heart D-Day Invasion Survivor.' It was Holliger, whose mother was one of John Moore's daughters, who filed a claim with the treasurer's office for the return of her grandfather's Purple Heart after the Tribune contacted her last year. She said the Purple Heart belongs with her uncle, Jerry, who shared a close bond with John. After the ceremony, Jerry Moore went back to his Decatur home and placed the black box holding his brother's Purple Heart on the top shelf of a living room display case, next to the folded American flag bestowed upon the family at John Moore's funeral more than two decades ago. 'I'll keep this the rest of my life,' Jerry Moore said of the Purple Heart. 'We've always been a fairly close family and John, he was the rock. I appreciate all the time we had with him.'
