| By Kristen Welker and M. Alex Johnson, NBC News The Secret Service confirmed Friday that it lost two computer backup tapes in 2008 but said it knew of no fraud that had been committed using the information on them. The tapes were left on a Washington Metro subway train in February 2008 by a contract employee who was taking them to a storage facility, the agency said in a statement. It said that the tapes weren't "marked or identified in any way" and that they couldn't be accessed without proper codes and equipment. The inspector general's office of the Department of Homeland Security, to which the Secret Service reports, was notified of the loss at the time, the agency said. Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com "The Secret Service complied with all guidelines related to loss of information," the agency said, but Fox News, which first reported the loss, quoted sources it didn't identify as disputing that claim and saying the inspector general had opened an investigation:
In May, a Colombian escort claimed to be at the center of the Secret Service prostitution scandal. NBC's Mark Potter reports. Congressional investigators and the Homeland Security inspector general are already reviewing the Secret Service for its handling of an incident in April, when 13 employees were implicated in a prostitution scandal during a presidential visit to Cartagena, Colombia, where President Barack Obama was visiting. Eight of those Secret Service employees have been forced out of the agency and three were cleared of serious misconduct. At least two others were fighting to get their jobs back. The inspector general's report into that incident is expected in the spring. More content from NBCNews.com:  |
12/07/2012
Secret Service: We lost 2 computer tapes in 2008
Mystery in the meat: Handgun found in frozen food
| While unpacking a case of frozen meat, a New Mexico grocery store employee found a loaded gun packed with seven rounds of ammo. KOB's Erica Zucco reports. By Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News A supermarket employee in Roswell, N.M., found a unexpected item in a case of frozen meat this week: a loaded handgun. The Albertsons worker was unwrapping the meat, which had been shipped from a packing plant in Colorado, when he discovered the firearm, along with seven rounds of ammunition, on Wednesday. "The big cases of meat come in a box," Sabrina Morales, Roswell Police Department public relations liaison, said. "When he opened it, he saw the firearm. It wasn't packaged inside with the meat, but it was in the same box." The man brought the Rock Island Armory .38 super semi auto handgun, along with the ammo, into the Roswell Police Department at about 2 p.m. that afternoon, she said. Where the gun came from is a complete mystery to police. It was entered into the National Crime Information Center database, but no reports of it being stolen came up. The supermarket employee wiped it clean before turning it in, making it difficult for police to track whether there were any identifying fingerprints. Adding to officers' challenge: The meat, which was sent to Albertsons from Swift Packing Plant in Greeley, Colo., was packaged more than a year ago. "The other part that's disturbing is the date on the package was 6.8.2011. I don't know how long meat stays well-frozen, but that was the date of the package he was opening," Morales said. A call to Swift Packing Plant's corporate office from NBC News was not returned on Friday. Roswell police, who did not identify the Albertons employee, said they have collected all the information they can, and have turned the investigation over to Greeley police. In the meantime, Roswell police are hoping their NCIC database query through the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms may provide some clues, but Roswell Sgt. Jim Preston told New Mexico's KOB.com that the search could take months. "If it was stolen, we would have thought that by now it would have been entered into the actual database, NCIC, as a stolen firearm," he said. "But we don't have any of that information, and it is something we're looking into." The gun has made for one of the more memorable cases for the Roswell department. "You hear of people finding frogs in their salad or weird stuff like that, but never heard of this one," Morales said. More content from NBCNews.com: |
Mormon church's admission: 'Sexuality is not a choice'
 A screenshot of the new website, mormonsandgays.org. By Andrew Mach, NBC News The Mormon Church has launched a new website in an attempt to "encourage understanding" with gays and lesbians, an effort heralded by activists in the LGBT community. Presented as a "collection of conversations" with LDS leaders and Mormons "who are attracted to people of the same sex," the website, mormonsandgays.org, launched Thursday. The site includes an unusual statement for a major religious body: that sexuality, including same-sex attraction, is not a personal choice. But it maintains that acting on that attraction is still a "sin." "What we do know is that the doctrine of the church – that sexual activity should only occur between a man and a woman who are married – has not changed and is not changing," Elder Quentin Cook said in statement announcing the site's launch. "But what is changing and what needs to change is to help our own members and families understand how to deal with same-gender attraction." The website, which a spokesman said has been in production for more than two years, features a number of videos from top church leaders and gay and straight lay Mormons, who share their experiences counseling Mormons who suffer from AIDS and advising Mormon parents not to reject children who pursue a gay lifestyle. The development of the site was launched only a short time after the Mormon Church encouraged its members to get involved in the high-profile fight over Proposition 8 -- a ban on gay marriage -- in California in 2008. The church, which was blasted by the LGBT community at the time, has since ended directives that Latter-Day Saints should oppose civil rights for gay families. In 2010, it officially endorsed gay rights initiatives in Salt Lake City that stopped just short of civil unions or marriage. "On this website we witness something that church leaders rarely do: admit that we've done things wrong in the past. In light of this, the clear admission that things need to change is particularly welcome, if long overdue," Spencer Clark, executive director for Mormons for Marriage Equality, said in an email to NBC News. Public acceptance of gay marriage among all Americans has increased to record highs. A Gallup poll released Wednesday showed that 53 percent of Americans favor legalizing same-sex marriage. For Clark, the website represents a turning point for his faith's stance on homosexuality. "Too often, gay Mormons and their families have felt that they had to choose between their loyalty to each other and to their church," Clark said. "Latter-Day Saints have often been described as gay individuals as 'struggling with same-sex attraction' without considering whether the true test from God was on those who are straight to see if they would struggle loving those who are gay. We simply can't claim to love God, and not love the gay children, parents or neighbors that he has placed in our lives." Jim Dabakis, a former Mormon missionary and soon to be the only gay person in the state legislature, told the Salt Lake Tribune he's thrilled with the new site. "I give tremendous credit to the LDS Church," Dabakis said. "This can't have been easy," acknowledging ever-improving relations between the Mormon church and the gay community. Clark said he believes the website will help heal deep-seated wounds. "It is clear that church leaders have heard the voices and stories of so many Mormons who have been working to make things better for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, and I believe this will help open the door to even greater progress in the future." More content from NBCNews.com: |
Woman survives 6 days stranded in snow
| A woman who was trapped in the Sierra Mountains for nearly a week survived by seeking shelter inside a hollowed-out tree and eating tomatoes and snow. KCRA-TV's Sharokina Shams reports. By Sharokina Shams and M. Alex Johnson, NBC News A Nevada woman was found by her brother shivering in a hollow tree this week after having survived for six days on tomatoes and snow in the wintry Sierra Nevada mountains in California, relatives and authorities said. Her boyfriend died during the ordeal. The woman, Paula Lane, 46, of Gardnerville, Nev., was described Friday as in stable condition with only minor frostbite at Carson-Tahoe Hospital in Carson City, Nev. Her doctor said she could go home as soon as Sunday. "She was one very lucky person," said Dr. Vijay Maiya, who treated Lane after she was found Wednesday night by her brother, who had set out in the snow to look for her against his family's advice. Lane and her boyfriend, Roderick Clifton, 44, of Citrus Heights, Calif., had diverted from their trip home to go four-wheeling in Clifton's Jeep on Nov. 29 when they got stuck in a snowdrift in Hope Valley, south of Lake Tahoe, according to Lane's family and Alpine County, Calif., sheriff's deputies. Clifton left to seek help, they said, while Lane stayed put. But he never returned. After a few days, Lane decided that she was on her own and set out on foot. As she hiked toward the highway, she found Clifton's body in the snow. She later took shelter in the well of a hollowed-out tree as another snowstorm moved through the area. Lane's brother, Gary, found her off State Route 88 in Hope Valley. Their sister, Linda Hathaway, said she'd advised him not to risk it, "but he's going to do what he's going to do," she said. Reunited at the hospital Thursday, "I gave her the biggest kiss I could without hurting her," Hathaway said through tears. "It's so hard as a family to sit there at home, waiting to hear news if they're gone or if they went over a cliff or somebody abducted them," Hathaway said. "You don't know. Your mind plays so many things." Clifton's daughter, Mariah Clifton, said she still couldn't quite believe her father hadn't made it. "I kept thinking he was going to call and be like, 'Hey, call off all these news reporters and police officers. We have the car covered in leaves because I don't want another speeding ticket,'" she said. Rescuers said they had to use snowmobiles to get to Clifton's body. When they found the Jeep, it was buried under new snow. Lane, however, had been remarkably lucky, having gotten out of the vehicle just in time, and with just enough supplies. Octogenarian survives 5 days on windshield wiper fluid "Before they went on their excursion, they had stopped by some family members' houses and apparently, they had gotten some tomatoes. She sustained herself on tomatoes and snow," Maiya said Thursday at a news conference at the hospital. "Her toes were a little on the bluish side for lack of oxygen," but "they've re-warmed nicely, and she's doing well," he said, adding that Lane could be home with her 11-year-old twin children by the end of the weekend. More content from NBCNews.com: |
Nurse found dead after prank call on Catherine
Pearl Harbor dead remembered on 71st anniversary
 Getty Images Smoke pours from wrecked American warships after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. By Audrey McAvoy, The Associated Press More than 2,000 people are gathering at Pearl Harbor on Friday to mark the 71st anniversary of the Japanese attack that killed thousands of people and launched the United States into World War II. Ceremonies get under way with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the exact time the bombing began in 1941. The crew of a Navy guided-missile destroyer will stand on deck while the ship passes the USS Arizona, a battleship that still lies in the harbor where it sank. Hawaii Air National Guard aircraft will fly overhead. The Navy and National Park Service are hosting the ceremonies, which are being held in remembrance of the 2,390 service members and 49 civilians killed in the attack. Friday events also will give special recognition to members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, who flew noncombat missions during World War II, and to Ray Emory, a 91-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor who has pushed to identify the remains of unknown servicemen. Admiral Cecil Haney, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, is scheduled to give the keynote address. The ceremony will also include a Hawaiian blessing, songs played by the U.S. Pacific Fleet band and a rifle salute from the U.S. Marine Corps. Related: 'It was a terrible day. It just engulfed us in flames' President Barack Obama marked the day on Thursday by issuing a presidential proclamation, calling for flags to fly at half-staff on Friday and asking all Americans to observe the day of remembrance and honor military service members and veterans. "Today, we pay solemn tribute to America's sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice at Oahu," Obama said in a statement. "As we do, let us also reaffirm that their legacy will always burn bright — whether in the memory of those who knew them, the spirit of service that guides our men and women in uniform today, or the heart of the country they kept strong and free." The Navy and park service will resume taking visitors to the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits atop the sunken battleship, after the ceremony. More content from NBCNews.com:
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'Blindsided': Iowa girls' loved ones reel over bodies
 Charlie Neibergall / AP Kelly Borel, of Waterloo, Iowa, puts an ornament on a tree during a vigil for missing Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins. By David Pitt and Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press EVANSDALE, Iowa -- The families of two young cousins missing for five months still were hoping the girls would come home, maybe even for Christmas, until the sad news arrived that two bodies had been found. Autopsies by the state medical examiner's office are under way, but the remains are believed to be those of Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins, who were 10 and 8 when they vanished July 13 while riding their bicycles, Black Hawk County sheriff's Capt. Rick Abben said. "This 100 percent blindsided us and it absolutely did them as well," said Sara Curl, a friend of the girls' families and organizer of several community events to support them. She said the families were spending time with each other Thursday trying to cope with the news. The Collins family put up a tree and decorated it for Elizabeth, she said. Curl helped put together a vigil for the girls Thursday night, one of many community activities that will be needed to help people heal in the days ahead, she said. "I think everybody just needed to be together," she said. "Everybody was just wandering around going about their day not knowing how to handle things." The vigil was held around a Christmas tree set up to honor the girls — with the hope they would be home for Christmas to see it — said Tammy Marvets, whose husband, Randy, came up with the idea. She said her 7-year-old son went to school with Elizabeth and rode the same bus. "He's pretty upset. He says, 'Mom, I just want to cry.' I said, 'It's OK to cry, honey,'" Marvets said. Hunters found the bodies Wednesday in a wildlife area in northeastern Iowa, about 25 miles from Evansdale where the girls were last seen. Authorities found their bikes and a purse near a recreational lake in the city, and their disappearance sparked a massive search and kidnapping investigation involving the FBI, state and local police. Abben said Thursday at a news conference that investigators are "confident" the bodies are those of Lyric and Elizabeth, based on evidence found at the scene and a preliminary investigation. He noted that the bodies are small in stature and authorities "have no one else that's missing in this area." Abben said investigators were leaning toward reclassifying the case as a homicide investigation but would wait for the results of the autopsies before proceeding. He declined to say whether the bodies had been concealed or how long investigators thought they had been there. Relatives have not gone to see the bodies, and "there's no reason for them to do so," Abben said. Officers from several agencies scoured fields, woods and ditches near the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area for any possible evidence in the case. Deer hunters apparently stumbled on the remains Wednesday in the secluded area, which is intersected by the Wapsipinicon River and is a popular spot for hunting and fishing. Abben said investigators would continue combing the area for clues for several days and the park would remain closed to the public until at least Monday. "We will gather whatever is out there," he said. The news of the girls' likely deaths hit hard throughout northeastern Iowa, which had rallied behind them and their families in the five months since they disappeared. Some residents in Evansdale, which is 90 miles northeast of Des Moines, had been holding out hope that they would be found alive. "We are all grieving. We hurt for the families, and believe me it touches the community deeply because it is a small community," said Jeff Rasanen, pastor of the Faith Assembly of God Church in Evansdale. "It's a sad time. We were just praying for a much better outcome." In a posting on her Facebook page Thursday, Heather Collins, Elizabeth's mother, said it was not the outcome the family wanted but now "we know our girls are dancing up with our savior." Collins thanked the community for an outpouring of support.  Charlie Neibergall / AP Micayla Weber, of Waterloo, Iowa, holds a candle during a vigil for missing cousins Lyric Cook and Elizabeth Collins. When Zuhra Hodzic, 25, of Waterloo, saw that Facebook message, she was heartbroken. Hodzic was a volunteer on searches for the girls and other community activities. "You're left with a blank," she said searching for the words and fighting back tears. "It's heartbreaking. It's devastating." For her and many others at the vigil Thursday, the focus turns now to finding who is responsible. "Our community deserves justice, and I hope our FBI agents and cops and everybody involved gets for us what we deserve and that's justice for the whole family and all of us," she said. At the girls' schools, additional counselors were available Thursday for students and others, according to Sharon Miller, the Waterloo schools spokeswoman. Lyric would have been in fifth grade at Kingsley elementary in Waterloo and Elizabeth would have been in fourth grade at Poyner school in Evansdale. The two were being watched by their grandmother at Collins' home in Evansdale when they went for a bike ride on that summer afternoon. Surveillance footage and witnesses have confirmed that they were riding nearby. Hours later, after they didn't return, relatives reported the girls missing. A firefighter soon found their bikes near Meyers Lake, and a search that involved hundreds of volunteers and several police agencies ensued. An FBI dive team brought in special equipment to search the lake days later, and the case was reclassified as an abduction after no sign of the girls emerged. Months passed — as did each girl's birthday — without any news as police chased thousands of tips and explored theories about what could have happened. Volunteers held prayer vigils and hung pictures of the girls. An anonymous donor last week pledged $100,000 for information leading to their return and the conviction of those responsible for their disappearance, on top of the $50,000 authorities had announced. Authorities had asked hunters to look for the girls in remote woods and fields this fall. More content from NBCNews.com:
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