Supreme Court Narrows Standard in Veterans’ Benefits Disputes Washington, D.C. — In a 7–2 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Bufkin v. Collins that federal courts must defer to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) unless a “clear error” is shown in its determinations. The ruling marks a significant shift away from the long-standing “benefit-of-the-doubt” principle, which previously allowed veterans to prevail when the evidence for and against their claims was evenly balanced. Case Background The case centered on veterans Joshua Bufkin and Norman Thornton, both of whom were denied disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They argued that…
Author: Kelly Whitewood
Suspect in Charlie Kirk Assassination Ordered Held Without Bail Utah — A 22-year-old man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been ordered held without bail after a court appearance Friday. Suspect Identified Court documents identify the suspect as Tyler Robinson, who has no prior criminal history. He now faces charges of aggravated murder, discharge of a firearm, and obstruction of justice. Evidence Recovered Investigators say Robinson fled into a wooded area, where they later recovered a high-powered bolt-action rifle believed to have been used in the attack. Unusual ammunition was also found nearby, etched with references to video…
Release of 911 Audio Intensifies Debate Over Charlie Kirk Assassination Utah — Authorities have released the chilling 911 emergency call tied to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a disclosure that has fueled national discussion about safety, accountability, and media ethics. The audio, accompanied by video footage from the scene, provides the public with a closer look at the moments of chaos that followed the attack, which claimed the 31-year-old’s life as he addressed a student audience. The 911 Call: Urgency and Fear The recording, now made publicly available, captures the panic of a…
Grieving Parents Mourn Charlie Kirk as His Coffin Departs Utah Salt Lake City — The parents of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk clung to each other in anguish Thursday as they stood before their son’s mahogany coffin, a moment that captured the heartbreak of a family and movement in mourning. The emotional scene followed a solemn ceremony at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, where Vice President JD Vance assisted National Guard members in carrying Kirk’s casket onto Air Force Two. The 31-year-old’s body is now being flown back to Arizona, accompanied by his wife Erika, their two young…
Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who came to North Carolina in search of peace and was killed in a senseless, unprovoked attack, is a tragic loss that America is grieving. She texted her boyfriend on August 22 that she would be returning home shortly while she was in Charlotte boarding a train. She didn’t make it. Her unexpected passing shocked the community and devastated her loved ones. Iryna was working full-time at a pizzeria and attending a community college to learn English after she and her family fled war-torn Ukraine in 2022. Her family and friends characterized her as…
Patrick Wayne: A Hollywood Legacy Built on His Own Terms Patrick Wayne has spent more than eight decades shaping a career that stands firmly on its own merits, even as he carried the name of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons. Born into the Wayne family dynasty, he made his first screen appearance as a child in Rio Grande—not as a product of simple nepotism, but as an early introduction to discipline, craft, and the demanding nature of acting. Mentorship Under John Ford Guided by legendary director and family friend John Ford, Patrick absorbed lessons that would stay with him…
BREAKING: In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting, investigators and online communities are scrutinizing every frame of available footage. One detail is drawing particular attention: the shirt worn by the person of interest. In still images, the man appears to be wearing a dark T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Land of the Free, Home of the Brave” alongside the emblem of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF). For many, the design carries significant meaning, symbolizing service, sacrifice, and solidarity with America’s veteran community. The DVNF is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting disabled and at-risk military veterans through programs focused…
He left a box on my pillow. No tag. No occasion. Just silver wrapping and a smile that said, “This is you.” Inside was a gold locket with a tiny sapphire. Delicate. Vintage. My breath caught—because I’d seen it before. Two years ago, at a flea market, my best friend Surya fell in love with that exact locket. She debated buying it for twenty minutes before walking away. I never forgot it. And now… here it was, on my side of the bed. I flipped it open. Empty inside, but the hinge carried the same tiny scratch. Identical. “Where did…
We were supposed to leave for Japan the next morning. Our honeymoon, the trip we had been planning for a year, down to capsule hotels and cherry blossom walks. But the night before, his mother had a car accident. At least, that’s what I was told. My husband said he couldn’t come. “She needs me more,” he said. I begged him, “I’m your family too.” He didn’t budge. So I boarded the plane alone. Two days later, scrolling on my phone in a Tokyo hotel, I found out the truth. His mother wasn’t fighting for her life. She wasn’t even…
Tim and I had been married for more than a decade, and in that time we’d survived unemployment, grief, and even a few close calls where I thought we might break. But nothing compared to the constant storm that was his mother, Eleanor. From the very beginning, she made it clear I was never good enough for her son. She specialized in those sharp little digs that leave no bruise, just an ache that lingers. I thought becoming a grandmother might soften her. I was wrong. On the night of her 60th birthday, I dressed our daughter Ivy in her…