A new home for a "dangerous" dog
When Baltimore police Officer Dan Waskiewicz received a call about a dangerous dog in May 2012, he expected it would have to be put down. But when he arrived at the scene, he found a nervous pit bull/terrier mix being threatened by frightened locals. Waskiewicz decided that the canine, which had been abused by its former owner, posed no serious threat and adopted it. Today, “Bo” is happily living with Waskiewicz and his two other dogs. “I was actually looking for a dog,” he said, “and it just turned out great that he found me.”
World War II vet receives medals
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A World War II veteran has finally received his service medals, decades after he survived a Japanese POW camp and the infamous Bataan Death March. Phillip Coon, 94, was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Combat Infantryman Badge in Tulsa this week, having been overlooked by the military after the war ended. Coon carried out forced labor in Kosaka, Japan, and underwent the punishing, 65-mile trek through the Philippines in 1942 without food or water. Coon, a member of the Creek Nation, recently traveled to Kosaka to promote peace. “I’ve been blessed to come this far in life,” he said.
Grateful ex-convict endows law school scholarship
A man wrongfully convicted of murder has rewarded the lawyer who helped him get off death row by founding a scholarship in her name. Anthony Graves spent 18 years in jail before Houston attorney Nicole Cásarez helped prove his innocence in 2010. The Texas legislature awarded him $1.45 million for his wrongful conviction, and Graves has used part of it to create a University of Texas Law School endowment in her name. Graves said he hoped students would emulate Cásarez: “Nicole exemplifies what everyone should try to be: someone who fights against injustice.”
