February 4, 2010
There’s not a lot of information available yet, but I’m so glad to say that there has been an arrest made in the death of Alex Teehee. It’s been a long almost 2 years for his family, but hopefully justice will finally be served. I’ll bring you more info as it becomes available. In the meantime, visit the Teehee family MySpace page and show your support.
Man arrested in Las Vegas for Charlotte murder
A former Port Charlotte resident was arrested in Las Vegas for a vehicular homicide he allegedly committed nearly two years, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office reports.
Ralph Loosman Jr. was arrested Thursday by the U.S. Marhshal’s task force in an unidentified hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. He was charged with vehicular homicide of Port Charlotte’s Alex Teehee.
The Marshal’s office investigation found that Loosman fled to Arizona where he was staying with family members and when agents went there he then fled to Las Vegas.
Teehee was at first thought to be a hit and run victim in Charlotte Harbor nearly two years ago but an investigation by Florida Highway Patrol determined it was a homicide. A grand jury was called and the charges were issued. No other details are available at this time.
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Posted by: Tammy
Posted in News, SW Florida news 
1 Comment »
January 20, 2010
It’s a fact of life, things are stressful these days. Between kids, Ben’s job search, struggling every month to keep the bills paid…life is stressful. Even work has been stressful the last few months. After months of it being quite slow, things have suddenly taken off. The phone rings constantly, the fax machine is always squealing. We’re so busy, we had to hire an assistant to help me. Yes, it’s good that we’re busy, but it’s horribly stressful. There are days when I go home and just collapse.
So, how to handle all this stress? Calgon, take me away?! :) Yes, that helps, but it’s not something I can do at work to unwind. So, I got to thinking (ut oh). And did some googling. One of the things recommended online is stress relief toys. Toys, for a grown woman? Well, why not?
So, I started to look. There’s little foam balls you can squeeze…well, ok. But I was looking for something a bit more unusual, more distracting than simply a ball to squeeze. In my search, I found something called buckyballs. They’re little magnetic balls, and you can make various shapes out of them. Now, that is distracting! Something to take my mind off things during my breaks and lunch (the one time I’m allowed to ignore that ringing phone!). Plus, they’re small, and stored in a nice neat box, something important in my office, as it’s already cluttered enough with all the paper I generate all day. So, maybe I’ll give them a try. I think it’d be a bit easier to do than taking a bath at work!
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Uncategorized 2 Comments »
January 10, 2010
How nice it is to read a GOOD 911 story for once. This is how it’s supposed to work. Shows what a huge difference proper training makes.
When 911 goes right
Tampa episode offers a model for other departments to emulate
Published: Friday, January 8, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 6:48 p.m.
Sometimes, 911 call-takers fail to live up to the public’s high expectations. But sometimes they exceed them, in extraordinary fashion.
A Tampa 911 case this week fell into the latter category, exemplifying all that can go right when technology and operators work well together.
As described in the St. Petersburg Times and other Tampa Bay area news sources, the case involved an attempted rape in prog-ress.
Ve’Etta Bess took the 911 call, secretly dialed by the victim, and heard only silence and screams. Yet, with a combination of skill, intuition and grace-under-pressure teamwork, she and her colleagues tracked and confirmed the location of the crime, dispatching police in time to stop the assault.
That is the kind of performance that people expect from the emergency communications system, yet 911 calls don’t always have such a happy ending.
Dispatching errors, operator mistakes and address confusion, for example, were seen in North Port, Charlotte County and Sarasota in the past two years. Other communities and states have had problems as well.
Such cases — most infamously the failure to relay emergency calls that might have caught a kidnapper before he killed Denise Lee of North Port — have sparked a strong push for 911 reforms in Florida. Local legislators have proposed bills that would improve oversight of the emergency-call system and work to make it more seamless.
Lawmakers weighing these reforms may learn something from the Tampa case.
A few points stand out:
Bess, the Tampa 911 call-taker, has more than three years’ experience.
The Tampa department trains call-takers extensively, using close observation, and hands-on and role-playing strategies. Diana Hall, training coordinator for the Tampa department, said 600 hours of training and classes are required.
The crew had recently taken a refresher course on how to find callers through cell-tower location — a skill that proved crucial in this case.
The Tampa episode embodies the often stressful conditions involved in 911 work.
At one point, when the attacker discovered the cell phone on the floor, Bess had the presence of mind to stay silent so the man would think the 911 call — the numbers visible on the phone screen — had not gone through.
All the while, she was multitasking to identify the location, signal her co-workers and alert police.
With a little less skill, luck and technology, the call could have gone disastrously wrong — but it went right. All communities should learn from this example.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in 911 Reform No Comments »
December 31, 2009
Tags: 911 Reform, Chief Terry Lewis, Denise Amber Lee, FL, North Port, North Port FL, North Port Police Department
Recently, the city of North Port came under fire for the mishandling of a 911 call. A local teenager, driving in a remote area of North Port, saw a man outside of his vehicle. He could not tell if the man was hurt, and was afraid to go closer to see…which is understandable, as it was dark and he was basically in the middle of nowhere. So he drove to the nearest store and called 911. While speaking to the dispatcher, he was not able to recall the name of the street, but knew that the word “Love” (he thought it was Lovesong, or Lovebird, turns out it was Lovering) was in it, and that it was directly off of N Sumter Blvd. The dispatcher claimed to not be able to find the street, and when asked to send a patrol car out, said that without the name of the street, she could not do so. The next day, the teenager returned to the area, and found that the man was still there, laying beside his truck. He had a neighbor call 911, and this time received a response. But it was too late, Brian Wood had died. Was he alive at the time of the first call? We don’t know, and may never know. But….he might have been.
It was hard for me to watch North Port go through this, they had done everything right during the 911 calls received during Denise Amber Lee’s abduction. I’ve grown to really like Chief Terry Lewis. He cares about North Port, and he cares about people. I’ve seen him interact with Denise’s sons, and you can just tell that he CARES. I’ve got a ton of respect for him.
Well, now I have more. After a brief investigation, Chief Lewis terminated the dispatcher who took the call. And apologized to the family of Brian Wood. He accepted responsibility for the dispatcher’s mistake. He didn’t try to brush it under the rug, or make excuses. His dispatcher screwed up, and he took care of it. As should be done in a case like this.
Story below.
Police chief fires dispatcher in mishandled 911 call
NORTH PORT — North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis was overcome with emotion Tuesday as he announced he had fired one of his 911 operators for mishandling a critical call.
Lewis said Nadia Kashitskaya, 25, violated two city policies by not sending an officer to check on the well-being of Brian Wood, 55, who crashed his Chevy truck late Dec. 11 in a desolate, wooded area on Lovering Avenue in North Port Estates.
Mark Mininci Jr., 19, who originally called 911 at 11:36 p.m. when he saw Wood slumped over on the ground next to his truck, returned more than 18 hours later and found Wood still there. He went to a nearby house and asked residents there to call 911 again.
Police responded and found Wood, the longtime owner of Suncoast V-Twin motorcycle repair in North Port, was dead.
“Ms. Kashitskaya violated department policy by not following mandates as to asking the basic questions as stated in our Telephone Procedures Policy and was negligent in her job duties by not sending an officer to either meet with the caller or to the area where the caller described seeing a man outside his truck,” Lewis said during a Tuesday press conference.
Lewis, who hired Kashitskaya, said judging the dispatcher by the short snippet of the 911 recording doesn’t show her overall job performance.
“Ms. Kashitskaya was an excellent employee, but she made a mistake,” he said, his voice cracking. “I am sorry to the family of Brian Wood … We have the highest responsibility to the citizens of North Port.”
Citizen safety and confidence in the 911 system is paramount, Lewis said. He asked two outside agencies to step in to review training procedures at the NPPD, including the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.
“Our operators have 600 hours of training,” Lewis said adding that the first 480 are spent with someone else, like a supervisor.
According to an Internal Affairs investigation, Kashitskaya, when asked why she did not send an officer, said she believed the call was for a suspicious vehicle since “nothing was said as to what the man was doing outside the truck and there did not appear to be an emergency in the caller’s voice.”
Mininci had trouble remembering the exact street name where Wood was, calling it “Lovebird” or “Lovesong,” in the 911 call, but gave accurate directions, including going to North Sumter Boulevard, which leads to the street.
Kashitskaya said she “put her faith in the assumption that the caller would go back and get the correct name of the street.”
However, according to the 911 call, Mininci told the operator he did not “feel comfortable” going back. He asked that a patrol car be sent instead.
“I took it at face value that he was going to call back,” Kashitskaya told investigators.
Kashitskaya could not be reached for comment late Tuesday.
Auvia Holmes, 18, who was with Mininci when he made the 911 call said she didn’t think the operator was taking him seriously.
She said the two panicked because they didn’t know if the man they saw was alive and just passed out, or if he needed medical attention. The two had also been “partying,” Holmes said.
“We didn’t want to touch him,” Holmes said in an earlier interview with the Sun.
In conducting a location check within the NPPD computer system, Capt. Bob Estrada entered the words “Salford” and “Love,” and the location Lovering and North Salford appeared instantly, the investigation shows.
Lewis said Kashitskaya could appeal the decision. He called the tragedy “human error.”
Following the press conference, Wood’s longtime friend and motorcycle riding buddy Buzz Gordon said he respected Lewis’ decision.
“There’s nothing wrong with the 911 system,” Gordon said, adding he is a former state trooper and vice agent. “The chief believed in what he had to do to correct the problem. He grabbed the bull by the horns. The operator made a decision that cost her her job.”
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Cameron said he understands Lewis had an “extremely difficult” decision in terminating an employee.
The CCSO came under fire in January 2008 after a 911 call taker failed to send help to the Toledo Blade Boulevard area in search of Denise Amber Lee. Law enforcement was looking for the 21-year-old North Port mother of two, who had been kidnapped by Michael King.
Witness Jane Kowalski gave detailed information about a suspicious Camaro with a person inside screaming and banging on the back window — which later proved to be Denise. Her remains were found just off of Toledo Blade two days later.
That 911 call taker was given a three-day suspension for not sending any help. Another call center staff member was also suspended in the incident.
“I know it’s a rough position to be in,” Cameron said Tuesday. “I can not compare what happened in North Port to what happened to us. I don’t know any of the details in the North Port incident. I know the chief labored over his decision.”
Denise Lee’s father is Rick Goff, a nearly 27-year employee of the CCSO.
“We were dealing with an internal investigation and someone who is part of our law enforcement family,” Cameron said. “It’s so hard for everyone, including the call takers. It’s something they play over and over in their head — if they could roll back the clock and do things all over again.”
Denise’s widower, Nathan Lee, filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against the CCSO in her death. The case is expected to continue into the new year. Nathan believes former CCSO sheriff John Davenport and Cameron, who was second in command at the time, “mishandled” discipline of the 911 telecommunication operators involved on the night Denise died. He said the pair didn’t apologize to his or Denise’s family for the botched call.
“Chief Lewis showed professionalism that we all expect from our law enforcement,” Nathan said Tuesday. “He held the dispatcher accountable for her actions and showed true compassion for the family, and apologized in the appropriate fashion.”
Wood’s biker friends are planning a memorial ride from Johny’s B Good in Port Charlotte at 10 a.m. on Jan. 16. The ride will go to the American Legion in North Port Estates, past the marker where Wood died, and end at Will’s Honky Tonk in Englewood. The event is also a fundraising benefit for Wood’s daughters, ages 18 and 24.
E-mail: eallen@sun-herald.com
By ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH
North Port Community News Editor
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in 911 Reform, Denise Amber Lee, News, SW Florida news 2 Comments »
December 12, 2009
Yes, it’s here. Christmas time. Yikes! I’ve gotten a bit of a start on the shopping….it’s light shopping this year, though, as things are a bit tight around here. The kids are pretty easy….all Baylee wants is the IPod Touch, Lindsay wants clothes, and Nick….as long as it’s sports related in some way, he’s pretty happy.
What would I like for Christmas? Well, in reality, it’s not much this year. I have a great husband, good kids, and we have a roof over our heads. It’s more than a lot of people can say right now. What I don’t have is time. I always seem to be rushed these days. Work is crazy, and when I get home, I basically go online, harvest my FarmVille crops (lol, the priorities, right?!) and then fall down. I have to admit, cleaning and laundry keep getting shoved aside. So I guess what I’d really love is for a commercial cleaning company to come wandering through my house and do all of that for me. :) They could get all that laundry done (and match all of those thousands of socks, where do they all come from?!), scrub the floor, clean the carpets, bleach down the bathroom. All the heavy stuff that I never have the time to do. Wouldn’t that be great?!
And while they’re cleaning….I’ll go shopping! Sure beats cleaning!
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Uncategorized No Comments »
November 18, 2009
Tags: 911 Reform, CCSO, Charlotte County Sheriff's Department, Denise Amber Lee, Florida news, Nathan Lee
The following was in today’s Charlotte Sun Editorial section. It’s perfectly written, and what I’ve said all along. I couldn’t have said it better.
CCSO compounds failure by not issuing apology
OUR POSITION: Apology could have prevented black eye for county law enforcement.
Everyone knew this was coming two months ago when Nathan Lee filed suit against the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office over the department’s botched handling of a 911 call that many believe would have saved his wife Denise Amber Lee’s life.
Everyone knew the defense’s lawyers — county taxpayer lawyers — would cite arcane legalese to shelter the department from responsibility. Everyone knew the sheriff’s office would appear callous and arrogant.
Try this on for size: “Absent a special duty to protect a person from being victimized by a criminal act, a governmental agency’s duty to protect a citizen is a general duty owed to the public at large, and any actions taken in fulfilling that responsibility will not be subject to scrutiny by way of a suit for damages.”
None of us as individuals expect personalized protection from the police, as the sheriff’s lawyer wrote in a motion to dismiss the suit — and force Lee to pay for the county’s trouble of defending itself. But to contend the department’s duty is to protect only the “public at large” is such tortured lawyerspeak it defies common sense. Criminal acts almost always are directed at individuals. The sheriff office’s duty is to protect people and their property, not the “public.”
We know sheriff’s deputies put their lives on the line every day with the intent to protect people. We also know they and their bosses are human and therefore imperfect. Somebody messed up that day when Lee was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Sheriff’s office officials compounded the error by conducting an investigation that didn’t even include interviews with then-Sheriff John Davenport, his chief deputy (and current sheriff) William Cameron or Major Dan Libby, who supervises the 911 call center at the center of the lawsuit.
The probe, belatedly overseen by an FDLE official who signed off on the shoddy review, began a disturbing trend of defensiveness and insensitivity that got the department sued. Nathan Lee has repeatedly called on the department to assist his crusade to improve 911 training so somebody else’s wife, mother and daughter doesn’t die. We strongly suspect an admission that the sheriff’s office fell short that evening and a willingness to work with Lee on his training project would have averted a lawsuit.
Instead, we’ll continue to read that the sheriff’s office had no “special relationship” with Lee that bound the department to be “uniquely responsive” to her predicament. The fact is, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded in an extraordinary way, in part because Denise was the daughter of one of their own, Sgt. Rick Goff. On-duty and off-duty deputies hunted for Lee as she fought for her life and after she lost that fight. Cameron himself was in the field doing everything in his power to find her.
It wasn’t enough. An apology from Davenport (or later from Cameron) may have spared Charlotte County the shame and expense of having its public servants claim we deserve no special protection. Our deputies and their bosses don’t believe that, but their lawyers — our lawyers — have to say so. And for what? So we can save money that never needed to be spent in the first place?
Much will be said and written as this case plays out in court. Fancy legal phrases and obtuse arguments will fill court files and news pages. But everyone knows it might have been avoided with two simple words: We’re sorry.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in 911 Reform, Denise Amber Lee, News, SW Florida news 1 Comment »
November 14, 2009
Tags: 911 Reform, CCSO, Crimes Against Women, Denise Amber Lee, Nathan Lee
Ok, so I expected the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department to try to get Nathan Lee’s lawsuit thrown out. After all, they’ve never really accepted responsibility for the mistakes made the night Denise Amber Lee was kidnapped and murdered, so I didn’t think they’d just take the lawsuit laying down. But when I read the reason that they’re trying to have it thrown out, I was pretty sure that I just needed more coffee, that I wasn’t reading it right.
Ready for this? CCSO wants the lawsuit thrown out because, according to them, they were under no obligation to protect her. They “gave no specific promise to protect Denise Amber Lee”. Ummmm….wait a minute. They’re the Sheriff’s Department in the county I live in….but they don’t have to protect us?! They say that they were in no “special relationship” with Denise, had not promised to protect her…any more than anyone else in the general public. Well, DUH! I guess that means they’re under no obligation to protect the general public. I guess I don’t feel very safe in this county right about now.
According to this reasoning, apparently Denise should have had some type of premonition that she was about to be kidnapped (from her own home), raped and murdered. Then I guess she should have called CCSO and let them know that someone was going to be calling 911 to report seeing her screaming for her life in the backseat of a car…and to please take the time to dispatch an officer or two out to save her. How the hell else would they be in the “special relationship” they seem to require in order to be held liable if someone is killed because of their incompetence?!
This is just beyond stupid. Like I said, I expected them to fight the lawsuit…but I expected a better reason than that. Their reasoning seems to say that none of us can really expect to be helped if we call 911 in Charlotte County….and that’s pretty scary, if you ask me.
Story and video below.
Sheriff’s Office wants Lee’s lawsuit thrown out
PUNTA GORDA — The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has asked that the civil lawsuit Nathan Lee filed against the agency a month ago in the death of his wife Denise be thrown out of court, according to court documents filed this week.
The CCSO states the case should be dismissed with prejudice and asks for Lee to pay court fees.
In the 13-page motion, the Sheriff’s Office claims no responsibility for Denise Amber Lee’s death due to a “mishandled” 911 call because her murder was committed by a third party — Michael King.
The motion states, “Absent a special duty to protect a person from being victimized by a criminal act, a governmental agency’s duty to protect a citizen is a general duty owed to the public at large, and any actions taken in fulfilling that responsibility will not be subject to scrutiny by way of a suit for damages.”
A court hearing has not been set yet in the case..
Lee maintains that a 911 call taker and dispatchers failed to send any help for his wife on Jan. 17, 2008, after an eyewitness, Jane Kowalski, called to report suspicious activity in the vehicle next to her while she was driving south on U.S. 41 in Charlotte County. Denise, 21, had been kidnapped by King from her North Port home and was blindfolded and bound in the back seat of his Camaro, which was traveling near Kowalski’s car.
In a detailed, nine-minute call, Kowalski told a 911 call taker that the person in the Camaro’s back seat was screaming and slapping the window. King turned left on Toledo Blade Boulevard, and Kowalski was unable to follow.
Denise’s body was found two days later in a wooded area off Toledo Blade.
Lee claims the botched handling of the 911 call in the CCSO dispatch center helped lead to Denise’s death. He says employees proved “severe incompetence” in handling the 911 call and “breached their duties” by incorrectly performing numerous operational acts — including failing to timely air BOLOs about King’s Camaro from the North Port Police Department to deputies, failing to communicate the information from Kowalski, failing to timely log her call into the system for 12 minutes after the call was made, and failing to dispatch the information from the call.
“I just think people who live in Charlotte County should be concerned that (the CCSO) are saying they had no duty to protect Denise,” Lee said Friday. “It’s so unbelievable to say.”
Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Cameron was named as the defendant in Lee’s 17-page wrongful death lawsuit. Although Cameron was not the sheriff at the time — John Davenport was — Lee is required to name him on behalf of the Sheriff’s Office for legal purposes, said his attorney, Patrick Boyle of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
Boyle said he expected the Sheriff’s Office to fight the suit “every step of the way.”
“It’s common for challenges in most civil cases,” Lee agreed.
The civil suit doesn’t specify an amount Lee is seeking. State law allows only $200,000 to be awarded in a settlement of such a suit, but a jury can award more.
The CCSO conducted an Internal Affairs investigation following the incident. Two dispatchers were suspended for not following protocol.
The sheriff’s motion filed this week states Lee’s lawsuit puts a spin on the 911 call, saying that because Kowalski called 911 and alerted law enforcement about the situation, she didn’t take any further action to help Denise (because she expected the Sheriff’s Office to respond timely) — “thereby increasing the risk of harm faced by Mrs. Lee.”
In the call, Kowalski gave specific street names and explained that King turned onto Toledo Blade. She told the operator she didn’t follow him because traffic was too heavy. Kowalski pulled over and asked that someone follow up with her.
The operator indicated in the call that the vehicle was headed toward Interstate 75.
Denise’s body was found less than a mile from the Interstate. King was pulled over as he entered I-75 nearly three hours after Kowalski’s call.
The CCSO motion also contends that no special relationship existed between the Sheriff’s Office and Denise compared to anyone else in the general public — meaning she wasn’t entitled to any special protection.
The CCSO suggests the agency is only liable when a special relationship exists if employees make promises to provide assistance “uniquely responsive to someone, and the person relies upon those assurances to his detriment,” according to the motion.
Jurors recommended the death penalty for King in September. A Sarasota judge ultimately will decide his fate in December.
E-mail: eallen@sun-herald.com
By ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH
North Port Community News Editor
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in 911 Reform, Denise Amber Lee, SW Florida news 5 Comments »
November 14, 2009
For whatever reason, our business at work has really picked up over the last couple of weeks. It’s really weird, the economy is still in the toilet, unemployment is at the highest levels since 1983 (much higher, I think, when you take into account all the people the statistics aren’t counting…those whose unemployment have run out, those working part time jobs because that’s all they can find)…but people are suddenly buying furniture. I come home every day and basically collapse. We’re all stressed, we all need a vacation at this point.
Vacation….hummmmmmm….
Well, we close for the week of Christmas, so there is a vacation in sight. But I don’t tend to do anything for that week, just hang out at home and enjoy the holidays (which is wonderful, after years of working retail…where Christmas was when you DID NOT take a vacation). But….I’d love to have a vacation that was really a vacation. One where you actually GO somewhere.
My ultimate dream vacation would be to go on a cruise. It’s something I’ve never done, and would love to do. I was hoping maybe for our 20th anniversary…but given the state of things, I don’t think that’s realistic. Maybe for our 25th. :) By then the kids will be grown, and hopefully things will have turned around. 6 years….yeah, I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer. In the meantime, maybe we’ll manage to sneak off to Daytona for a weekend for our 20th. A kid-free weekend on the beach….that’ll work.
Hey, a girl can dream!
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Uncategorized 1 Comment »
November 8, 2009
Tags: 8th of November, support our troops, war on terror
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 4 years since I originally posted this video. It’s become kind of a tradition…and it’s just as important now as it was 4 years ago. Please continue to keep our troops in your prayers…they’re out there fighting for OUR freedom.
*************************************
Compare THIS video to the latest Dixie Chicks video…I think I’ll stick with the real musicians (the ones that still HAVE a fan base)
Sorry about the ad at the beginning, but it’s by far the best quality video source I’ve been able to find.
Sorry about the autostart, but I can’t seem to convince it not to in Firefox, no matter what I do to the code.
****UPDATE*****
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who’s taken the time to visit, listen to the video, and comment.
****UPDATE2*****
Please, please, go read my follow-up post, with some of the background to this wonderful song. And if you know how to capture the video I linked to there, please let me know, as I would really like to post it.
http://www.cmt.com/videos/big-rich/88178/8th-of-november.jhtml?id=1243422
**11/08/07**
I changed the video code as the old one no longer seemed to be working.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in War 1 Comment »
November 8, 2009
Recently, I received a bill in the mail, saying that my daughter had signed up for a magazine subscription. Now, normally, I’d be upset. Just what I DON’T need right now is another bill! But…the child went and subscribed to “Taste Of Home” magazine!
Now, this magazine has a special place in my heart. I first discovered it back when I met Ben, during our first visit together to his parents house in Canada. If you’ve never looked through a “Taste of Home” magazine, you haven’t lived. There’s just pages and pages of wonderful looking meals, all with pictures. I mean, you get hungry just looking through it. For a while, every time we visited Ben’s folks, I’d spend part of my visit copying down recipes. Eventually, Ben’s mom subscribed me to the magazine as a Christmas gift, and continued to do so for a number of years.
Now, the story gets weirder. About a week after getting this bill, Baylee came home from Jen’s (the Ice Cream Lady, who she works for part time), raving about a new recipe they had tried for chicken (something I cook a lot of, as it’s on sale buy one/get one free at Winn Dixie every time you turn around). She went to google and found the recipe…which it turns out was from “Taste of Home”. Weird, huh?
Anyway, to make a long story short, Baylee wanted the chicken, and Lindsay loves to cook. So, she cooked….and it was every bit as good as Baylee had promised. It’s been a long time since I posted a recipe, so I thought it would be cool to share it with y’all. It’s simple, and it’s good. Enjoy!
Baked Swiss Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
* 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 pounds)
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
* 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
* 6 slices Swiss cheese
* 1 cup crushed seasoned croutons
Directions
* Place chicken in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the soup and wine or broth; pour over chicken. Top with cheese and sprinkle with croutons.
* Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 6 servings.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Recipes No Comments »
November 5, 2009
One of my FaceBook friends posted a status update the other day about Hershey’s new Cherry Cordial kisses. First it made me hungry, then it made me think about how much I love chocolate. :) I love everything about it. I know, typical female!
This year is promising to be a lean one as far as Christmas goes. I can’t see giant stacks of stuff under the tree, given our current situation. So I’ve decided I’ll be happy with chocolate. Lots of it! Even on good years, that’s what my stocking tends to be made up of (Ben knows what I like, lol). So, this year, the candy can spill right out of the stocking and into the regular gifts, as far as I’m concerned. A nice big box of truffles will do me fine.
Speaking of truffles….one of the things I miss the most about Vermont is downtown Burlington. They had a Lindt store….a store full of nothing but truffles! It was like my own personal heaven. I wonder if it’s still there. I wonder why they can’t put one in this town. The mall is kind of boring if you’re over 17….a truffle store would really make it a more pleasant place to shop.
Just sayin’.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Uncategorized 5 Comments »
October 23, 2009
Tags: crimes against children, Elizabeth Olten, Missing Children
This one is in Missouri. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of media coverage, and no amber alert yet. I’ve really had to dig for information. I’ll try to keep y’all updated.
Cole Co. Girl Still Missing Despite Search
Child Has Been Missing Since Wednesday Night
POSTED: 11:30 am CDT October 22, 2009
UPDATED: 9:35 am CDT October 23, 2009
ST. MARTINS, Mo. — A group of searchers took the night off as they searched an area near Jefferson City for a 9-year-old girl who went missing after visiting a friend.
Cole County Sheriff Greg White said Thursday that Elizabeth Olten left a friend’s house just after 6 p.m. Wednesday and was supposed to walk a quarter-mile to her house in St. Martins, west of Jefferson City. Elizabeth was reported missing around 7 p.m.
“My niece is scared of the dark,” Elizabeth’s aunt Vicki Olten said. “I don’t understand.”
Elizabeth has long brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a pink sweater, T-shirt, blue jeans and white shoes.
Elizabeth’s aunt describes her niece as a “tough tomboy,” but only as tough as a 9-year-old can be.
“She’s just a baby,” Vicki Olten said.
White’s last briefing of the day Thursday left no more hope than what was at 7 a.m. when the search started.
“Daylight is our friend, darkness is not,” White said. “I’m a daddy and if my child was missing, I would be struggling.”
More than 400 people searched a half-mile radius and surrounding areas of Elizabeth’s home on Route D. Search crews battled rain and a ticking clock. Elizabeth’s family and White said there are no signs of a troubled runaway, foul play or any other clues that might shed light on where she could be.
“It’s been 24 hours, she’s 9 years old … being out there for two nights now,” Vicki Olten said.
Searchers planned to renew their search Friday once they had sunlight. There will be a 10 a.m. news conference to offer updates on the search.
Officials have set up a 24-hour hot line for any information on the case at 866-362-6422.
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October 23, 2009
As a lot of you know, I’m pretty active with the Denise Amber Lee Foundation. I’ve participated in a lot of fundraisers. Most of them are the old fashion type of fundraisers…car washes, golf tournaments, selling cookbooks. Or just manning a booth at local events. We’re always looking for new ideas and ways to raise money, so I was reading about things like bingo for charity. I discovered that in some states (California, for instance), there is legislation out there that would make this an illegal method of raising money. To me, that seems silly. If playing free bingo is a way that smaller charities can interact with their communities and raise money, why should they not be able to do so?
I don’t know. Sometimes laws seem silly. They can make things so hard on smaller foundations. And the smaller foundations are the ones that really need the help. I guess we’ll just stick with the old fashion stuff. Hey, golf tournaments are fun…and creating cookbooks is not only fun, but it’s been a great way to find new meals for our family. Probably not as exciting as bingo, tho!
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October 21, 2009
Tags: crimes against children, Missing Children, SW Florida news
It’s being reported that the body of a small child has been found in a landfill in Georgia…the landfill where the trash from Orange Park, Florida, goes. There has not been a positive identification, but, as they said in one article that I read, they don’t have reports of any other missing children in the area. There is also one report that Somer’s dad has said that the child they found has a birth mark similar to the one that Somer has.
I really don’t get it. Why does this keep happening? How can someone just throw a child away like trash?! Children are a gift, they are not disposable, and are not put here to be the playthings of evil people.
I just don’t get it. Once again, I’m sitting here with a broken heart.
Here are a few of the articles I’ve found. I’ll keep updating. I wish I could update with happier news.
GBI: Body of Girl Found, ID Could Come Late Tonight
Dave Wax Created: 10/21/2009 11:20:36 AM Updated: 10/21/2009 6:55:59 PM
FOLKSTON, GA — There won’t be an identification until tonight at the earliest of the girl found dead in a Georgia landfill this afternoon, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
A body was discovered this afternoon while officials searched the Chesser Island Landfill near Folkston – a routine part of a missing person investigation, said Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler.
“The body of a small child has been found,” Beseler said at an afternoon news conference. “This is a rapidly unfolding matter.”
He confirmed that it is a white child. The medical examiner in Georgia will do an autopsy in Savannah tomorrow. An identification may not come until Thursday morning.
Both parents of 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who has been missing for two days after disappearing on her way home from school, have been informed of the discovery, Beseler said.
Beseler said law enforcement has switched to a “criminal investigation” rather than a search and recovery. There is only, “one chance to do an investigation correctly,” emphasizing that the process was painstaking.
“It’s very emotional right now, certainly a lot of long hard hours…we’ve been praying the whole time,” said Clay County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Dan Mahla.
At an evening news conference, state attorney Angela Corey said that the office knew how important it was for Somer’s family to know the identity of the body.
“We’re doing everything possible to identify the body to assist the family,” she said.
Mahla said the investigation will go well into Thursday and will cover a 100-yard radius. Officials will try to “get as much done as possible in the sunlight…we’re looking for anything and everything we can.”
There are no other reports of missing children in the area, Mahla said.
An official with Waste Management said earlier today that law enforcement, including those from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, were searching through the Chesser Island Landfill near Folkston.
Gov. Charlie Crist, who was at the afternoon news conference, said his prayers were with the family of Somer.
“It’s not conclusive, but all indications sort of point in the direction,” he said, referring to the unknown identity of the child that was found. “This is a very difficult day, a very tragic situation.”
Trash from Clay County where Somer disappeared is dumped in the Georgia landfill and police pinpointed where specifically the trash from that area is. Mahla said it is unclear if the trash where the body was found was dumped this morning or Tuesday.
“It’s very disturbing to find a human life in a landfill,” Mahla said.
Police also searched the Rosemary Hill Landfill in Green Cove Springs in Florida earlier today.
Charlton County officials requested that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation come to the scene after the body was found. Clay County authorities are also there along with GBI special agents and a crime scene specialist.
“They are a dangerous character. They are obviously picking up children and killing them,” said Wylie Hodges, of Crimestoppers, referring to the person responsible for the death of the child found.
There are two candlelight vigils tonight, one at Somer’s home on Horton Street in Orange Park. The other is from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the First Baptist Church – Orange Park, 1140 Kingsley Ave.
Somer Renee Thompson’s father: Birthmark on body found in landfill matches daughter’s
Clay County police said landfill searches were “precautionary,” not based on tip.
* By Gordon Jackson, Dana Treen, Jim Schoettler
* Story updated at 6:21 PM on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009
ORANGE PARK — The body of the young girl found in a Georgia landfill had a birthmark that matched one on the leg of 7-year-old Somer Renee Thompson.
Samuel Thompson, Somer’s father, said he given that news today by police after the body was found about 3:25 p.m. No positive identification has been released by authorities.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said at an afternoon news conference that the Georgia landfill is used for Clay County trash.
Samuel Thompson wept as he spoke to the Times-Union by phone from his North Carolina home. Thomas, who is getting a divorce from Somer’s mother, said he received the call from police about 4:30 p.m.
“I’m angry. I’m so angry. I’m so hurt,” said Thompson, 41. “My baby daughter laying in trash. Discarded like a piece of trash.
God help the sons of bitches who hurt my daughter. They better find them.”? ?Thompson said he intends to come to Florida and wants to take Somer’s twin brother and two of his other children who’ve been living with their mother back to his home in North Carolina, where he thinks they’ll be safe. “They’re not going to live in Orange Park, Florida anymore,” Thompson said.?
?Thompson said he knows nothing of funeral arrangements.??“I know my daughter’s in heaven now and I’ll see her again some day,” Thompson said. A woman who answered the phone at Diena Thompson’s home about 5 p.m. said the mother was too distraught to talk.
A community vigil also is planned for 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Orange Park at 1140 Kingsley Ave. Clay County police Sgt. Dan Mahla said investigators spent two hours yesterday searching the Georgia landfill, then returned this morning at 7.
At 6 p.m., about 30 officers remained at the landfill, where lights had been erected to enable investigators to work into the night. Beseler had planned a 4 p.m. news conference but delayed it because of a “major development” in the case.
Mary Justino, a spokeswoman for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, said earlier today that Rosemary Hill landfill near Green Cove Springs and the Chesser Island landfill, were targeted by investigators.
Trash from the neighborhood where Somer’s family lived is taken to Rosemary Hill, then transferred to the Georgia landfill. Justino said the searches are a “precautionary measure” and are not based on a tip or a lead in the case.
Officials have been looking for Somer since she disappeared on her way home from Grove Park Elementary School Monday afternoon. The Justice Coalition and First Coast Crime Stoppers had planned to announce a reward this afternoon for information that can help locate the Orange Park girl.
At least $30,000 has been raised.
Gov. Charlie Crist arrived today in Orange Park to talk with the sheriff and offer his support. He was at the news conference where Beseler announced the body had been found. Laura Holt, Somer’s aunt, said the entire family is devestated by the news.
Holt lives with Somer’s father, who is Holt’s brother. “We’re not even able to fathom what happened to this poor little girl,” said Holt, 43, sobbing loudly.
Nancy Daughtry, a great aunt of Somer’s, said she’s only seen Somer once but often spoke about her with other family members. Daughtry, of Virginia, said the loss is heartfelt. “I’m more in shock than anything. I can’t even cry,” said Daughtry, 61.
At a news conference this morning, Beseler said the likelihood that Somer had been taken by someone is “very high.” “It would be very difficult for her to be out in the open and not found,”
Beseler said at the morning update with Somer’s mother. So far a massive search for the first-grader who disappeared on her way home from Grove Park Elementary School in Orange Park Monday has turned up nothing.
No evidence, including a book bag she said her daughter was carrying when she went to school Monday morning have been found.
“Nothing has surfaced, we have zero leads,” Beseler said at the morning news conference. He said leads as far as a possible Tennessee sighting have been followed without luck.
Detectives have located a blue Nissan that was sighted in what was suspected to be an abduction attempt in the same vicinity 10 days prior.
He said the individuals have been located and are not believed to be connected to Somer’s case. He said that investigation is still ongoing but that no arrests have been made. This morning Diena Thompson, 34, made a plea to anyone who may have her daughter.
“Just drop her off somewhere,” she said. “I don’t care if you ever get in trouble.” She said she did Somer’s hair in a ponytail Monday morning before sending her to school. Beseler said the search involved dozens of deputies, divers, dogs, horses, a helicopter and volunteers.
Somer’s twin brother Sam, who was with her when she separated from a group walking home Monday, busied himself earlier in the day by a neighborhood command post with an important task.
??In the shade of a huge live oak that sits across from his home and that has become a makeshift symbol of hope for Somer, her brother carefully rearranged the flowers strewn at the tree’s base among lighted candles and pictures of his sister.??“Somer is going to be so happy when she sees this,” he said, “if we ever get her back.”
A tip line has been set up to contact authorities at (877) 227-6911. Tips can also be emailed to CART@claysheriff.com. Times-Union correspondent Debra W. Buehn contributed to this report.
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Posted by: Tammy Posted in Missing Children, News, SW Florida news, crimes against children No Comments »
October 21, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but October is just about gone, and it’ll be time to start planning for Christmas shopping soon. Honestly, I think it gets here quicker every year. And the older the kids get, the more expensive shopping for them seems to get.
A lot of people, of course, depend upon credit cards to get them through the Christmas season. One thing I remember from working retail jobs is how particular people can be about which card they’re going to use. They want to use the best credit cards that they can….the ones that maybe have some kind of a payoff, after Christmas. Airline miles, points, cash back…you name it, it’s out there. And as tough as times are right now, I guess people will be even pickier this year….everyone wants something extra. I guess if you’re going to use those cards, and pay that interest, you might as well get as much back from it as you can.
Myself, I try to pay cash for everything I do. I love my debit card….it only works if there’s actually money there, and I can’t get into trouble with it. If only there was a way to get a bonus from using my debit card….I’d do great! I guess there are banks that have programs like that…sadly, mine does not. Although, come to think about it, I think PayPal actually has something like that with their debit card. Maybe I better do all my shopping with that card!
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My name is Tammy. I'm a 45 year-old married mother of three teenagers, living in my version of paradise, also known as SW Florida. I can tend to be opinionated. My political views lean to the right. I'll think of more later, lol.
