Northeast
Wes Moore praises Walz for military service, completing 'mission' despite retirement outrage
![Wes Moore praises Walz for military service, completing 'mission' despite retirement outrage Wes Moore praises Walz for military service, completing 'mission' despite retirement outrage](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/wesmoore.png)
CHICAGO – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, during his Democratic National Convention speech Wednesday, praised Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military career and for completing the “mission,” despite ongoing criticism over Walz retiring from the Army National Guard before his unit deployed to Iraq.
“My fellow veteran, my brother and the next vice president of the United States, Tim Walz,” the Maryland Democrat said from the Chicago stage at the United Center Wednesday evening.
“Tim knows that in the military, you count the days towards mission completion,” Moore, an Army veteran, continued. “So guess what, y’all? We have got 75 days and a wake up until Election Day. Seventy-five days and a wake up for us to prove what Americans can do when the pressure is on.”
VETERANS INCREASINGLY CALLING OUT WALZ’S MILITARY RECORD: ‘SHAMEFUL’
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks on stage during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 21, 2024 in Chicago. Delegates, politicians, and Democratic Party supporters are in Chicago for the convention, concluding with current Vice President Kamala Harris accepting her party’s presidential nomination. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“Patriots do not whine and complain. We put our heads down, and we get to work.”
Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005, when he launched a successful congressional campaign and served as a member of the U.S. House representing Minnesota from 2007 until 2019. Walz left the House upon his 2018 election as the Gopher State’s governor.
WALZ ACCUSATIONS OF ‘STOLEN VALOR’ PROMPT BATTLE BETWEEN HOUSE VETERANS
![Doug Emhoff and Tim Walz at DNC](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Wes-Moore-praises-Walz-for-military-service-completing-x27missionx27-despite.jpg)
Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz greets second gentleman Doug Emhoff during Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid)
Criticisms have mounted that Walz retired just months before his battalion deployed to Iraq as war raged in the Middle East following the 9/11 attacks. Walz put in his papers for retirement at least five months before his battalion received deployment orders, according to the Minnesota National Guard.
FORMER LEADER OF WALZ’S BATTALION PUBLISHES SCATHING MESSAGE AIMED AT GOVERNOR’S MILITARY CAREER: REPORT
![Harris and Walz campaign bus](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724581585_573_Wes-Moore-praises-Walz-for-military-service-completing-x27missionx27-despite.jpg)
The campaign bus for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz waits ahead of a kickoff bus trip at Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh on Aug. 19, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
“He subverted the chain of command, and he went around the chain of command. The brigade [sergeant] major had no clue. These are all important facts, and he did it to continually feather his own bed… That was the shameful part of it,” retired Command Sgt. Maj. Paul Herr told Fox News earlier this month.
Following Harris naming him as her running mate, Walz has been slammed by a number of veterans for allegedly misrepresenting his service in the military, including identifying himself to the public as a retired “Command Sergeant Major.”
Walz was promoted to the command sergeant major rank following a deployment to Italy in 2004, but he did not complete coursework with the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy to retain the rank in retirement. Walz instead retired as a master sergeant, one pay grade below command sergeant major.
![Tim Walz in closeup shot](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/1724581585_177_Wes-Moore-praises-Walz-for-military-service-completing-x27missionx27-despite.jpg)
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military career has been scrutinized since he was announced as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
“For 20 years, they let this guy go by with a lie that he deployed to Iraq, which he didn’t, and that he retired as a command sergeant major, which he did not. I mean, that’s just blatant lies,” Republican Virginia Senate candidate Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain, told The New York Post this month of Walz.
Walz also took the DNC stage on Thursday evening, when he spoke to the arena about his small town roots in the Midwest and his career as a teacher before diving into politics in the early 2000s.
“I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people. I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale. But I’ll tell you what. Growing up in a small town like that, you’ll learn how to take care of each other. That that family down the road, they may not think like you do. They may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do. But they’re your neighbors. And you look out for them, and they look out for you. Everybody belongs and everybody has a responsibility to contribute,” he said.
Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver her acceptance speech before the DNC on Thursday evening, following three nights of other high-profile Democrats such as former President Barack Obama, President Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton celebrating her candidacy.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Pennsylvania
Suspects in North Canton bank robbery arrested in Pennsylvania
![Suspects in North Canton bank robbery arrested in Pennsylvania Suspects in North Canton bank robbery arrested in Pennsylvania](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/18/NREP/74460288007-north-canton-police-logo.jpg?auto=webp&crop=1637,922,x0,y245&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Three Canton-area residents who are accused of robbing a bank in Pennsylvania last week are believed to have been involved in robbing the Citizens Bank last month in North Canton, North Canton police said Saturday.
North Canton police listed the suspects as Matthew D. Smith, 32; Christopher Lucius, 36 and Latoya Young, 43, all with Canton addresses.
Police did not disclose what evidence they had linking the three to the July 18 bank robbery.
The department said a man wearing a dark medical mask and wearing a hooded sweatshirt showed a gun at the Citizens Bank at 1000 N. Main St. on July 18. He took an undisclosed amount of money and fled as a passenger in a stolen Honda Civic, according to witnesses.
Police: Masked, armed man robs Citizens Bank in North Canton
Canton trio accused of bank robbery in Pennsylvania
At 12:40 p.m. Wednesday, Center Township police in Beaver County along with officers from the nearby police departments in Aliquippa and Monaca, Pennsylvania, responded to a report of a bank robbery. The heist took place at the First Commonwealth Bank branch at 80 Wagner Road, Center Township Police Chief Aldo Legge told Beaver County Radio.
The bank is a roughly 96-minute drive from North Canton.
The three Canton residents were arrested after the robbery. Legge told Beaver County Radio that $80,000 was stolen from the bank.
According to Beaver County online court records, the three, were arraigned in Magisterial District Court on Wednesday night. They are being held in the Beaver County Jail each on $1 million bond. They have a preliminary court hearing scheduled for Sept. 11. The three have been charged with felonies of robbery with the threat of immediate serious harm; robbery with the demand of money from a financial institution; and conspiracy to commit robbery with the threat of immediate serious harm. Lucius and Young have also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery with the demand of money from a financial institution.
The North Canton police’s statement said officers expect the U.S. Attorney’s Office will file federal charges against the defendants “along with other local cases.”
North Canton police said it worked with the FBI to locate the suspects and that investigators had the three under surveillance Wednesday. And its statement said the FBI and the Pennsylvania State Police were involved in taking the three into custody.
As of Saturday, no federal charges against the three had appeared in the federal court docket, and no local charges related to bank robberies could be found on any Stark County online court docket.
Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP.
Rhode Island
Inside Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Party With Travis Kelce and Friends
![Inside Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Party With Travis Kelce and Friends Inside Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Party With Travis Kelce and Friends](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/taylor-swift-performs-onstage-during-taylor-swift-the-news-photo-1724582983.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.747xh;0,0.0453xh&resize=1200:*)
On Saturday, Taylor Swift reportedly threw a party at her Rhode Island beach house and she invited a big crew. Pictures of Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce at the house were shared by TMZ, showing that the NFL player reunited with the Eras Tour star as soon as she returned from abroad.
Actress Blake Lively was there and photographers snapped a picture of her kissing her husband, Ryan Reynolds, just outside the mansion. Lively wore floral bathing shorts over a pink bikini and Reynolds was also dressed for the pool in a pink short-sleeved shirt and baseball cap.
In pics shared by the Daily Mail, actor Bradley Cooper was seen with his daughter, Lea. Cooper seems to have befriended Swift and Kelce through his girlfriend, model Gigi Hadid. The foursome even traveled together earlier this year in California and Hadid and Cooper joined Kelce in the audience at one of Swift’s shows in France at the start of her European Eras Tour leg. But it does not seem Hadid was in attendance this weekend.
Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, were also at the event with their children. Swift and Brittany have become fast friends, spending many of the Kansas City Chiefs games side-by-side in the VIP box.
Swift’s home in Rhode Island is famous for hosting parties, though she has historically put on big gatherings for the Fourth of July. Since she was out of town, this was likely the first opportunity for that kind of event. Kelce and Swift were last seen together in July before he flew back to the United States from Europe for training camp as the Chiefs enter the 2024/2025 NFL season. He is expected to play a game the first week of September, so it is a narrow window for beach weekends.
![Headshot of Aimée Lutkin Headshot of Aimée Lutkin](https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/b7ba1d4c-584e-46fc-b415-881872f46c03_1631740640.jpeg?fill=1:1&resize=120:*)
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
Vermont
‘They’re asking: Why me?’ Volunteers respond to mental health concerns after Vermont floods. – The Boston Globe
![‘They’re asking: Why me?’ Volunteers respond to mental health concerns after Vermont floods. – The Boston Globe ‘They’re asking: Why me?’ Volunteers respond to mental health concerns after Vermont floods. – The Boston Globe](https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/1ueMsMgcqIU_UQwEJhh7Rmrgnc0=/506x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/KWLK55O7HAH7CMSYXVVWLO7QTI.jpg)
“Every time there is rain in the forecast, there is the fear of another flood,” said Terri Lavely, co-chair of Northeast Kingdom Human Services’ suicide prevention effort.
The nearly back-to-back flooding and severe storms hit Vermonters the second week of July and then again on July 30, with some communities flooded more than once.
First it was the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. Then flash flooding just three weeks later due to heavy rainstorms. And, little more than a week after those storms, Hurricane Debby arrived on Aug. 9, bringing rain, wind damage, and at least 21,000 power outages.
Disasters like these, researchers have found, can have significant emotional and psychological consequences on survivors. For example, an average of 28 percent of disaster survivors develop symptoms of depression, according to a 2022 study that reviewed disaster health research. In another 2022 study, about a fifth of disaster survivors (analyzed across multiple studies) had symptoms of acute stress disorder, which can include symptoms of intrusive thoughts, a sense of detachment, trouble sleeping, and irritability.
President Biden on Tuesday declared a major disaster related to the storms in early July, which unlocks federal funds for temporary housing, home repairs, and other Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery programs. The declaration does not include assistance for damages caused by storms on July 30. Vermont Governor Phil Scott will make a separate request for a disaster declaration related to that storm, according to a statement by the governor’s office.
Patty Collins, a therapist who volunteered at a flood recovery center in Lyndon this month, said several survivors she has worked with are feeling “terribly compromised” and on edge.
“They’re asking: ‘Why me?’” Collins said.
Collins said she taught some residents about grounding techniques and stress reduction tactics. Grounding techniques can include practices such as closing your eyes, taking a deep breath, and counting to three and then exhaling. At the flood recovery center, she also provided them with phone numbers and websites where they can connect with a counselor.
Megan Mathers, 36, a volunteer relief coordinator for Kingdom United Resilience & Recovery Effort, a coalition of nonprofit organizations and grass-roots volunteers organizing disaster recovery efforts, said the sound of thunder is one of the most common triggers mentioned by survivors. Volunteers from the group have mucked out dozens of homes across the state’s northeast corner this summer.
“Not having that feeling of safety is really, really hard for people,” Mathers said.
Many, Mathers said, are also struggling with the loss of their personal belongings — particularly sentimental items such as family photos — and the uncertainty of whether they will qualify for federal relief.
Climate change heightens the sense in Vermont communities that a “new normal” is unpredictable and out of their control, Mathers said. “It’s the unknown: Is this going to happen again?”
At the same time, she’s also seeing the toll that witnessing the devastation is having on the emotional well-being of volunteers. Those who repeatedly sign up to help “get burned out really fast,” Mathers said. Others have volunteered once, seen very intense devastation, and not returned, she said.
“It can be really overwhelming for everyone [involved],” she said.
State agencies have upped mental health resources for Vermonters in the aftermath of the flood events. Last week, the Vermont Department of Mental Health announced it would extend its “Starting Over Strong Vermont” outreach program, an initiative that provides anonymous and free mental health referrals and education.
![James Bengston rakes the front of his home in the aftermath of his home after the flash flooding that occurred on July 30th in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.](https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/N6PYFFY4O5WXLYICR6Q3EOAJ3A.jpg?auth=fed357d96fb068eae4064aa982d991e1d63368c1b7534a3faed835080bf9b842&width=1440)
“We know that the impact [of flooding] extends beyond just physical damage,” said Emily Hawes, commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health, in a statement. “Folks are struggling with the fear, anxiety, and re-traumatization that comes from these recurring events and memories of last year’s flooding. We want our communities to know that we are here for them.”
Last summer, catastrophic flash flooding damaged thousands of Vermont homes and businesses, caused landslides, and compromised dams.
Betty Lai, an associate professor of counseling psychology at Boston College who has researched the impact of disasters, said the most common psychological responses are depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, which can include symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks.
The floods in Vermont, Lai said, could have been a traumatic event for residents depending on what they experienced during and after the storm. Stressful events after the initial storm – such as arguing with insurance companies, financial problems, or being forced to relocate – can also be traumatic.
Lai said survivors should be aware that even if they may not be struggling today, some people experience a delay of perhaps three to six months between the disaster and a psychological response.
She recommended that adults who care for children ask them how they’re feeling. Sometimes, parents and caretakers assume that a child is experiencing the event the same way that adults are, she said, but emotional responses to disasters vary widely.
Lai said survivors should reach out to friends and family for help and pay attention to their substance use. Drinking is a common way that some survivors cope, but it tends to worsen symptoms.
“People can become isolated after these events or feel cut off,” Lai said. “Lean on your social support.”
Lavely, of the Northeast Kingdom Human Services’ suicide prevention effort, said she emphasizes to survivors that what they’re going through is a normal response to a traumatic experience.
And when the rain comes again?
“What I’m encouraging people to do is close your curtain, and distract yourself with a movie or a book,” Lavely said. “We can’t control the weather; we can only control the way we respond to it.”
In Vermont, to be connected with a local mental health agency or a referral, call 211. For immediate and confidential crisis support by text message in Vermont, text VT to 741741. For confidential suicide and crisis support anywhere in the United States, call or text 988.
Erin Douglas can be reached at erin.douglas@globe.com. Follow her @erinmdouglas23.
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