World War II veteran from Joliet receives awards decades after service

CREST HILL – Through hearing World War II stories from her grandfather over the years, Jody Woodley learned there was one particular medal that U.S. Army veteran Robert Barcus never received for his service.

It was the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon – presented to servicemen who served five campaigns or major battles over the course of service.

Barcus, now 96, talked about it often – so often that he brought it up to Woodley on Saturday on his way to a surprise awards ceremony at the Willow Falls Senior Living Community in Crest Hill.

“Every time I see my grandpa, he asks me, ‘Do you think we’re going to get that medal?’ Just before we came down here, he asked me, ‘Do you think we’re going to get that medal?’ ” Jody Woodley said. “Well, grandpa, with a little bit of research, letter-writing and help from a senator, I’m proud to finally tell you that we did it.”

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Illinois, presented Barcus with the medal Saturday surrounded by Barcus’ many family and friends. Even Barcus’ wife, Sylvia, who was in the hospital at the time, was able to watch him receive his medal of honor through live video stream on FaceTime.

“Bob, I’m here to honor your service because you saved America. You hit the beach at Omaha and fought at the Battle of Hürtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge,” Kirk said. “Like many in your generation, you didn’t collect all your medals. ... We looked up your record, and it’s outstanding.”

Kirk pinned the medal to Barcus’ badge and thanked him for his service.

Barcus, who donned his WWII uniform Saturday, is a longtime Joliet resident. For more than 50 years, Barcus worked on the Rock Island railroad before retiring from Metra.

Barcus has two children, Mary Ann Fabbre and BJ Barcus, according to his family. He also has seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Before the ceremony, Kirk and Barcus talked about his time in World War II. Barcus said he lost friends in combat and misses the men he fought with the most.

“You miss the guys you were with. You lived and died together,” Barcus said.

On Saturday, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room when Barcus finally received the award he had waited years to receive.

“We got that medal that you’ve been waiting for,” Woodley said.

Arizona man kills parents, siblings, shot dead by police

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A 26-year-old man shot his parents and two sisters to death at a house in Phoenix early on Tuesday before he was killed by police who entered the residence as it was on fire, law enforcement officials said.

Alex Buckner was shot and killed after he raised a weapon at a special assignment unit officer in the split-level home, said Sergeant Trent Crump, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.

Shooting victims found at the home were identified as Buckner's parents Vic Buckner, 50, and Kimberly Buckner, 49, and his sisters, Kaitlin Buckner, 18, and Emma Buckner, 6.

"We have no idea what the motive is, or what sparked this," said Crump, adding that neighbors heard an argument between the alleged suspect and his father about 30 minutes before the shootings.

Crump said police were called to the scene at about 4:45 a.m. (0645 ET) after receiving a 911 call from a female inside the home about a shooting. Arriving officers saw heavy smoke and heard gunfire, he said.

Officers donned fire gear and breathing apparatus as they entered the still-burning home believed to have been set ablaze by the alleged gunman, Crump said. They were able to remove the 18-year-old sister, who later died at the hospital.

Officers then fatally shot Alex Buckner and removed the parents’ bodies before officers were forced to flee the house after it re-ignited, Crump said.

The six-year-old girl was found after the blaze was extinguished and she was later pronounced dead at a local children’s hospital, he said.

Crump said that three officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Images from the scene showed firefighters on the roof of the residence as thick gray smoke billowed out and then as a fireball erupted through an opening in the structure. Three firefighters were forced to flee from the flames.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton lauded the heroic efforts of police and firefighters in responding to an “unspeakable domestic violence tragedy” as it unfolded on the city’s northwest side.

Apple is losing the PR war with the FBI

The tech giant’s intensifying standoff with the FBI, over whether to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino man who, along with his wife, is accused of killing 14 people last year, has an unmistakable element of theater. The government, which is investigating hundreds of crimes involving locked iPhones, apparently chose the San Bernardino case as its stalking horse against Apple (AAPL) because it believed the public would be sympathetic to its argument. Apple, normally secretive about its plans and strategies, posted a detailed response to the FBI online. Both sides will have their say in court on March 22.

But public opinion matters too, and Apple may be heading for a setback before it ever gets to the courtroom. Some family members of the San Bernardino massacre victims, for example, are siding with the FBI in asking Apple to unlock the phone. A new poll by Pew Research shows 51% of Americans agree with the FBI on the matter, while just 38% back Apple. Prominent law-enforcement officials, such as New York police commissioner William Bratton, are mounting common-sense arguments for why Apple should give in. Even Donald Trump weighed in, calling for an Apple boycott until it assists the FBI.

The complicated case puts Apple in a position it’s not accustomed to: playing defense. Here’s why: The FBI’s argument is simple and straightforward. Syed Rizwan Farook, who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist group, was part of a husband-wife team that murdered 14 people at an office party on Dec. 2. Farook’s iPhone might contain information on how the team carried out the plot, and perhaps reveal other terrorists. The FBI needs Apple’s help to see what’s on the phone. Without it, the data will either be deleted or permanently locked away.

If it weren’t an encrypted smartphone, the government’s request would be uncontroversial. As a society, we’ve basically accepted the government’s right to access private information when it’s part of a criminal investigation, or necessary for national security. Law enforcement agents have been searching homes, pulling bank records and tapping phones for a long time. Objections arise when the government seems to exceed its authority, but not when it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.

Apple has decided to tackle the unenviable job of convincing the public that protecting the privacy of terrorists and criminals is somehow in the public interest. Apple might very well be right; there are many instances in which we tolerate problems because the rules required to prevent them would exact a cost we deem too high. That’s basically the argument gun-rights advocates make when they say banning guns would impede Constitutionally guaranteed rights, even if it would lead to a reduction in violence. A less provocative example might be the requirement for a unanimous jury verdict in federal court cases, which lets some crooks off the hook but also safeguards civil liberties.

The problem for Apple is that it’s relying on a nuanced technical argument in an era of blunt-force populism. In his public response explaining Apple’s choice to fight the court order instructing Apple to unlock the iPhone, CEO Tim Cook said, “We have no sympathy for terrorists.” Then he explained how encryption works and why it’s important—drifting way over the heads of most iPhone users--followed by an enlightening passage on the All Writs Act of 1789. His basic conclusion: The feds are asking Apple to “hack our own users.”

Let’s say Cook is right (even though a lot of people feel he’s not). Compare his argument with one made by Bratton in a New York Times op-ed, in which he referenced the case of a 29-year-old Baton Rouge woman who was murdered when she was eight months pregnant. Police think the identity of her killer might be contained on her iPhone, but Apple says it can’t unlock the phone, citing the same reasons it gives in the San Bernardino case.

Which story is more compelling? And how many more stories of crimes hidden on iPhones will surface as law enforcement gangs up on Apple, sensing now is the time to demand cooperation? Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance says his office has 175 locked iPhones seized as part of criminal investigations that it can’t access. That count seems sure to rise as other prosecutors join the fray.

It doesn’t help Apple that all this is occurring as fears of terrorism are hitting the highest levels since 2001, the year of the 9-11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 Americans. With attacks in Paris and Islamic State beheadings online for everyone to see, it’s not a fortuitous time to stick up for the privacy rights of terrorists with iPhones.

Apple has the money, the brand power and possibly the determination to see this case through to the end, if it fights the whole way. The case could end up at the Supreme Court, though that would probably take several years. If it got that far, that would be several years of Apple trying to convince people that the “greater good” principle applies to the cherished iPhone, that the benefit of airtight encryption for ordinary users outweighs the cost of a few missed criminal leads. Apple might win in the courts. Thing is, that’s not where people buy iPhones.

Nevada Entrance Poll Analysis: Trump Rides Wave of Anger to Projected Victory

 A new high in desire for an outsider candidate vaulted Donald Trump to a sweeping victory in the Nevada Republican caucuses, completing a three-contest hat trick for the New York billionaire – first New Hampshire, then South Carolina, now Nevada.

Six in 10 caucus-goers in entrance poll results said they were looking for someone from outside the political establishment, compared with about half in previous contests. And a smashing 71 percent of them voted for Trump, a record for his populist campaign among outsider voters.

Six in 10 also described themselves as angry at the way the federal government is working, compared with four in 10 in the previous three states to hold nominating contests this year. Trump won half of these angry voters in Nevada, slightly more than previously. That said, he also easily won voters who were dissatisfied rather than angry – a sign of his broad strength in the state.

Bolivian President Evo Morales 'loses' fourth term bid'

President Evo Morales of Bolivia has narrowly lost a referendum to allow him to stand for a fourth term in office, exit polls suggest.

One poll suggests 52.3% voted against the proposal to amend the constitution, while another suggests it was 51%.

However, Mr Morales's deputy has predicted Bolivia's first head of state of indigenous origin could still win, as official results trickle in.

The constitution change would have let Mr Morales remain in power until 2025.

Opposition supporters have been celebrating the referendum result in parts of the main city, La Paz.

Mr Morales, an indigenous Aymara and former coca leaf producer, took office in January 2006.

 

Taiwan quake kills at least 11, fells apartment block

A powerful earthquake struck Taiwan early on Saturday killing at least 11 people, most in a 17-storey apartment building that collapsed, with at least five people missing in the ruins of the complex as darkness fell, government officials said.

As rescuers searched for survivors, questions were raised about the construction of the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building in the southern city of Tainan, with its floors that pancaked down on each other when the 6.4 magnitude tremor hit at around 4 a.m. (2000 GMT), at the start of a Lunar New Year holiday.

Nine of the dead, including a 10-day-old girl, were from the apartment building. The baby was found in her dead father's arms, media reported.

Rescuers mounted hydraulic ladders and a crane to scour the ruins, plucking survivors to safety, with dozens taken to hospital.

An 18-year old man was found alive and conscious shortly after dark, and rescuers were working to get him free, Taiwan television said.

Buildings in nine other locations in the city of 2 million people had collapsed and five were left tilting at alarming angles, a government emergency center said.

But a fire department official said rescue efforts were focused on the apartment block, where a child's clothes fluttered from a first-floor laundry line and the smell of leaking gas hung in the air.

"I was watching TV and after a sudden burst of shaking, I heard a boom. I opened my metal door and saw the building opposite fall down," said a 71-year-old neighbor who gave his name as Chang.

A plumber, he said he fetched some tools and a ladder and prised some window bars open to rescue a woman crying for help.

"She asked me to go back and rescue her husband, child, but I was afraid of a gas explosion so I didn't go in. At the time there were more people calling for help, but my ladder wasn't long enough so there was no way to save them."

The quake was centered 43 km (27 miles) southeast of Tainan, at a depth of 23 km (14 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Earlier in the day, an elderly woman, wrapped in blankets, was strapped to a board and slowly slid down a ramp to the ground as the cries of those still trapped rang out. Rescuers used dogs and acoustic equipment to pick up signs of life in the rubble.

Authorities said there were 96 apartment units in the Golden Dragon Building and 256 registered residents. Late in the day, city mayor William Lai said 5 people were missing there.

Rescuers clad in red and yellow overalls pulled 250 survivors from the ruins and later inserted huge supports under slabs of leaning concrete to buttress the ruins as they searched for more.

The fire department said 115 people had been taken to hospital from around Tainan.

SEVERAL BUILDINGS DAMAGED

City officials said it was too early to determine if poor construction was a factor in the building's collapse.

Liu Shih-chung, city government deputy secretary general, said television footage of the ruins of the commercial-residential building suggested the possibility of structural problems related to poor-quality reinforced steel and cement.

The construction and engineering companies that built the complex are no longer operating, records showed.

Two neighbors said they had felt nervous about the construction when the building was going up in the early 1990s.

"I looked at it and thought, only people from out of town would buy there. We local people would never dare," said one of the neighbors, Yang Shu-mei.

A major earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed about 2,400 people and caused damage across the island, which lies in the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire".

President Ma Ying-jeou visited an emergency center and hospital in Tainan while President-elect Tsai Ing-wen canceled appointments to help coordinate rescue efforts.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which is in charge of Beijing's relations with the self-ruled island, said China was willing to provide help if needed, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said. Beijing regards Taiwan as a wayward province.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker and supplier to Apple Inc, said some wafers made in Tainan had been damaged, affecting no more than 1 percent of first-quarter shipments.