New evidence prompts "forensic dig" for Maryland sisters missing since "75 - FBI ups reward in case of Mississippi girl burned to death

Katherine Lyon (left) and Sheila Lyon (right)

BEDFORD, Va. –  Armed with what one official described as new information, federal and state authorities searched a site on a Virginia mountain Monday for the remains of two Maryland sisters who disappeared 40 years ago.

Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown said at a news conference that the “forensic dig” on Taylor’s Mountain could take a couple of days. He said a Federal Bureau of Investigation evidence recovery team, a Radford University forensic pathologist and state and local authorities were involved in the search for the remains of 10-year-old Katherine Lyon and 12-year-old Sheila Lyon.

Brown said new information prompted the dig, but he declined to be specific.

Asked if it appears human remains will be found, Brown said: “We would hope so.”

The Lyon sisters disappeared in 1975 after walking to a shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland. A search for clues has been ongoing since September on Taylor’s Mountain in the Thaxton area of Bedford County.

Authorities have named Richard Allen Welch Sr. and his nephew, Lloyd Lee Welch, as persons of interest in the case. Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Chief Russ Hamill said in October that authorities believed that Richard Welch was a security guard in the Wheaton area at the time of the disappearance and that the family owned property in Bedford County. Lloyd Welch is a child sex offender in a Delaware prison.

Neither man has been charged in the Lyon case, but Richard Welch’s wife, Patricia Jean Welch of Hyattsville, Maryland, was indicted last month on a charge of lying to a grand jury.

Bedford County Commonwealth’s Attorney Randy Krantz urged any residents with information about the case to come forward.

“Our mission focus is to bring these children home if at all possible,” Krantz said.

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New evidence prompts "forensic dig" for Maryland sisters missing since "75 - FBI ups reward in case of Mississippi girl burned to death

Germany balances budget for first time since 1969

BERLIN, Germany (AFP) – The German government managed to balance its books for the first time since 1969 in 2014 and a year ahead of target, the finance ministry said yesterday.

Originally, the government had been pencilling in a small budget deficit of 6.5 billion euros (US$7.7 billion) for 2014.

But thanks to higher tax revenues and lower interest rate payments on its debt, Berlin has now managed to finish the year without any net new borrowings, achieving Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s long-cherished goal of a “black zero” on its accounts ahead of target.

Schaeuble had pledged to achieve that goal in 2015 and for a balanced budget to become the norm for Germany.

Budgetary rigour was one of the issues which the conservatives under Angela Merkel campaigned on in the 2013 elections.

But the opposition parties and many economists believe the “black zero” is being fetishised and actually makes no economic sense because it curbs much-needed investment in growth.

Taking the federal budget as well as the regional state and municipal budgets as well, Europe’s biggest economy already achieved balanced its books in 2012.

In terms of overall debt, Germany is still in breach of the European ceiling of 60 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

At the end of 2013, the country’s overall debt amounted to 2.15 trillion euros, equivalent to 78 per cent of GDP.

Schaeuble hopes to bring the debt ratio down below 60 per cent by 2024.

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Germany balances budget for first time since 1969

S.C. woman woman files missing person report for Deadhead son missing since 1995

A South Carolina mother’s belated decision to file a missing person report on her Deadhead son could help investigators in Virginia identify a car crash victim from 1995. 

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported that a report had been filed Tuesday by 63-year-old Margaretta Evans. She told police that her son, Jason Patrick Callahan, had not been seen or heard from since June 1995, when according to Mytle Beach Police Lt. Joey Crosby, “he left to follow the band Grateful Dead.”

Callahan, who would be 38 today, is described as standing between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet in height, weighing approximately 160 pounds, and having wavy brown hair and brown eyes. 

Crosby told the Sun News that DNA samples had been collected and sent for evaluation to determine whether Callahan is the unidentified victim of a fatal car crash known as “Grateful Doe.” The case has been featured on the social media site Reddit in recent days. 

According to National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, “Grateful Doe” was a passenger in a Volkswagon van when it crashed in Emporia, Va. on June 26, 1995. The driver, who was also killed in the crash, was identified, but his family did not know the passenger. Investigators did not find any identification on the passenger’s body or in the van.

According to reports at the time, the victim was carrying two scalped tickets to Grateful Dead concerts in Washington D.C., and was wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt from the band’s ongoing tour. “Grateful Doe” was also carrying a lighter and four quarters, while a note found at the crash site was addressed to “Jason” and signed by two girls named Caroline. 

In 2012, officials released a composite image of what “Grateful Doe” might look like. The release sparked fresh interest on social media. Virginia authorities have not commented publicly on the latest investigation into the case. 

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S.C. woman woman files missing person report for Deadhead son missing since 1995

St Vincent gas prices lowest since 2011

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | 4:11 PM    

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) – The state-owned St Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) has announced a drop in its fuel surcharge for this month, resulting in consumers paying the lowest fuel surcharge on their electricity bills since 2011.

 “The 40.65 cents per unit is the lowest since March 2011,” Communications Consultant in the office of the Prime Minister, Elson Crick said in a brief statement, announcing also a reduction in the price of gasoline at the pumps.

He said that as of Monday, the price of gasoline moved from EC$14.42 to EC$13.81 (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cent) per gallon, a reduction of EC$0.61 cents.

It was the third reduction in gasoline prices over the last three months, as fuel prices continue to tumble internationally.     

In October, consumers saw a reduction of EC$0.40 cents per gallon and in November, the price per gallon fell by a further EC$0.46 cents, bringing the total reduction over the three-month period to EC$$1.47.

“The reductions are in keeping with the government’s policy of using a three-month moving average for the price of fuel and reflect a downward movement in the price of oil on the international market,” Crick said.

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St Vincent gas prices lowest since 2011

Atletico go top in Spain for 1st time since "96

MADRID, Spain (AP) — Atletico Madrid took full advantage of Barcelona’s rare slip-up as they pummelled Real Sociedad 4-0 yesterday to take sole possession of the lead in the Spanish league for the first time this season.

David Villa, Diego Costa, Miranda, and the newly arrived Diego scored the goals that put Atletico clear at the top of the standings, having shared the lead with Barcelona for much of the campaign.

Atletico hold a three-point advantage over Barcelona and Real Madrid after Athletic Bilbao rallied to draw 1-1 against Madrid, who finished without Cristiano Ronaldo after he was red carded.

Substitute Ibai Gomez’s volley cancelled out Jese Rodriguez’s opener for Madrid, who played the final 15 minutes a man down after Ronaldo was sent off for swiping his hand across Carlos Gurpegi’s face following a shove from his opponent. The contact seemed light, but Gurpegi fell to the ground as if he’d been hit hard.

Atletico honoured former player and coach Luis Aragones before the match and fed off the emotion at the Vicente Calderon Stadium to boost their attempt to break the Barcelona-Madrid monopoly with a first championship since 1996.

Barcelona lost 3-2 to Valencia on Saturday, and Atletico did not waste the opportunity to go top by themselves for the first time since that championship-winning season. Not since Valencia’s league title a decade ago has a club other than the big two won the Spanish league.

Diego Costa was lively from the start, and the Brazilian-born Spain striker fed Villa inside the box in the 38th minute to finish off a quick break by scoring the opener.

Villa sustained a leg injury moments later and had to be replaced by Raul Garcia.

With the home fans chanting Aragones’ name throughout, Atletico came alive in the second half as Garcia found Diego Costa racing free between defenders in the 72nd and the forward beat goalkeeper Claudio Bravo with a right-footed shot for his 20th league goal of the season.

Two minutes later, Miranda headed home a corner kick out of Bravo’s reach for 3-0 before Diego, who came on in the 58th for his first appearance in his return to the club, marked his return to Atletico by dribbling into the box to unleash a rising shot into goal with three minutes remaining.

Atletico lead with 57 points, while Barcelona and Madrid share 54 points.

Jese lunged to guide Ronaldo’s cross into the area beyond goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz for the 65th-minute opener in a game that was dominated by Bilbao up to that point.

Gomez made up for earlier misses by Aritz Aduritz and Ander Herrera when he ran onto a cleared ball outside the area to rip an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Diego Lopez in the 73rd.

The intensity boiled over moments later when Ronaldo and Gurpegi tangled, the Ballon d’Or winner’s straight red card means he will miss Madrid’s next game.

Gomez nearly scored the winner in the 85th from another volley, but Lopez tipped it over as Bilbao improved to 43 points in fourth.

Earlier yesterday, Cristian Herrera’s second-half goal gave Elche a 1-0 victory against Almeria to lift the club above its relegation adversary, while Ruben Castro scored two goals as last-placed Real Betis beat Espanyol 2-0 to end a four-game losing streak.

Elche improved to 24 points, two more than Almeria who are 17th. Valladolid are 18th with 20, Rayo Vallecano have 17 and Betis 14.

All games held a minute’s silence in honour of Aragones, the former Spain coach who died on Saturday at age 75.

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Atletico go top in Spain for 1st time since "96

Over 6000 people convicted in the Corporate Area RM court since January

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is reporting that just over 6000 people have been convicted in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s (RM) court with fines totalling $37 million since the start of the year.

Statistics compiled by the Criminal Records Office of the JCF for the period January to July 2013 show that a total of 6150 people were convicted in the Court and sentenced to serve a total of 1,254 years and/or fines amounting to $37.5 million, the police said in a release Saturday.According to the police the figure from the Corporate Area RM court brings the total number of people convicted in the country to 10,512, sentenced to serve a total of 6,214 years and/or monetary fines amounting to $90.5 million taking the Home Circuit Court and the other parishes into consideration.The offences included ganja smoking, possession of ganja or cocaine, dealing in, trafficking and attempting to export ganja or cocaine, wounding, assault, larceny, malicious destruction of property and fraud related offences. Analysis of the figures reveal that 71 per cent were convicted for drug related offences, 14 per cent for assault and wounding offences, five per cent  for larceny and the remaining two per cent covered break-ins, robberies and malicious destruction of property, the police said.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

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Over 6000 people convicted in the Corporate Area RM court since January