the president was illicitly targeted for removal from office for doing his job in asking questions about Ukraine corruption and its ties to Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden and Burisma.
Day: December 21, 2019
Quote
“she posted a favorite quote (from Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the saucy daughter of Theodore Roosevelt): “If you haven’t got anything good to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”
Excerpt From
Busted
Wendy Ruderman & Barbara Laker
https://books.apple.com/us/book/busted/id660471355
This material may be protected by copyright.
Archbishop Chaput\’s Message: Christmas 2019
In his Christmas message of 1944 – the fifth year of a Second World War that spanned the globe with its suffering – Pope Pius XII offered these words:
The Church has the mission to announce to the world . . . the highest and most needed message that there can be: the dignity of man, the call to be sons of God. It is the powerful cry which, from the manger in Bethlehem to the furthest confines of the
earth, resounds in the ears of men at a time when that dignity is tragically low.
The holy story of Christmas proclaims this inviolable dignity of man with a vigor and authority that cannot be gainsaid. – an authority and vigor that infinitely transcend that which all possible declarations of the rights of man could achieve.
Christmas, the great feast of the Son of God who appeared in human flesh, the feast in which heaven stoops down to earth with ineffable grace and benevolence, is also the day on which Christianity and mankind, before the crib, contemplating “the goodness and kindness of God our Savior,” become more deeply conscious of the intimate unity that God has established between them.
The birth of the Savior of the world, of the Restorer of human dignity in all its fullness, is the moment characterized by the alliance of all men of good will. There to the poor world, torn by discord, divided by selfishness, poisoned by hate, love will be restored, and it will be allowed to march forward in cordial harmony, toward the common goal, to find at last the cure for its wounds in the peace of Christ.
Today, a lifetime of 75 years later, the world is infinitely different and implacably the same. Different in its marvels of medicine, technology, and science. Different in its deliverance of many millions of people from illness, illiteracy, and poverty. But the same in the millions more who are homeless, or persecuted, or refugees, or locked in poverty, or killed casually on an industrial scale by abortion. Times and circumstances change. Human nature doesn’t. The world still needs –
urgently
needs – “the birth of the Savior” and “the cure for its wounds in the peace of Christ.”
This will be my last Christmas as the serving Archbishop of Philadelphia. Ministry in this archdiocese is one of the great gifts and joys of my life. My memories of Philadelphia’s priests, deacons, people, and religious are and always will be a treasure to me. I thank you for welcoming me among you — I arrived as a stranger, and you made Philadelphia my home — and I hope that all of us will remember throughout this season to thank God for our baptism, for the Church, and for each other.
May God bless all of us and our families on this wonderful Christmas feast of life. And may he grant us a happy and holy new year.
Shannon M. Soroka Sentenced to Prison for Medford Armed Home Invasion
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a 25-year-old Philadelphia man was sentenced to 13 years in New Jersey state prison for an armed home invasion earlier this year in Medford Township during which he pointed a gun at the head of a babysitter who was caring
for the homeowners’ 2-year-old child before locking her in a basement bathroom and threatening to kill her if she exited.
Shannon M. Soroka, (photo) of Ontario Street, must serve 11 years before becoming eligible for parole. The sentence handed down yesterday by the Hon. James J. Morley, J.S.C. was in accordance with an agreement between the Prosecutor’s Office and the defendant. Soroka pled guilty in July to Robbery (First Degree), Burglary (Second Degree) and Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree).
On the afternoon of March 31, he entered the home with a handgun as the babysitter, 19, was in the kitchen area with the child. Soroka pointed the gun at her head, then put it in the middle of her back and directed her around the house at gunpoint looking for cash.
She was able to place the child in a bedroom and close the door before being taken to the basement and locked in the bathroom. She escaped through a window and ran to a neighbor’s house to call police.
Soroka was charged a day after committing the crime. The investigation revealed that he had accumulated tens of thousands of dollars in gambling and drug debts, and entered the home with the hope of finding money.
“We admire the courage displayed by the victim and her determination to protect the child under her care,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “This is one of the most frightening situations anyone could encounter, and I commend the investigators who identified and quickly apprehended this dangerous defendant.”
Soroka was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Julian A. Harris. The investigation was conducted by detectives from the Medford Township Police Department, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police.
Murder Suspect John Jacobs of Millville Apprehended
John Jacobs (image courtesy of Salem Jail)
WOODBURY, NJ (Dec. 21, 2019)–Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles Fiore is pleased to announce the expedient arrest on December 20, 2019 of John Jacobs (DOB: 10/21/1992) of Millville, N.J.
Jacobs is charged with First Degree Murder, Arson, Hindering Apprehension, and Obstruction of Justice, in connection with the Murder of Sahlena Blackwell-Jacobs.
On Thursday December 19
th
, 2019, at approximately 3:30 pm, the Monroe Township Police Department was dispatched to 1920 South Black Horse Pike, Williamstown, NJ for the report of a 2002 Black Chevy Trail Blazer, registered to John Jacobs, which displayed evidence of recent fire damage. This vehicle was sought in connection with the suspected murder of
Blackwell-Jacobs.
The Monroe Township Police Department, in conjunction with the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office arrived at the scene and confirmed that Blackwell-Jacobs was deceased in the vehicle.
An autopsy conducted by Gloucester County Medical Examiner, Dr. Gerald Feigin, determined that the cause of death for Ms. Blackwell-Jacobs was “blunt neck trauma” and he ruled the manner of death as a “homicide.”
An exhaustive and relentless investigation was conducted into the initial disappearance and subsequent murder of Blackwell-Jacobs, leading to the prompt identification of Jacobs and the filing of the noted charges.
Multiple law enforcement agencies contributed to the investigation and efforts to apprehend Jacobs, culminating with Jacobs’ arrest by the Millville City Police Department during the evening of December 20, 2019. Efforts to locate and arrest Jacobs over several days spanned multiple jurisdictions within Gloucester, Camden, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties.
“Prosecutor Fiore extends his heartfelt appreciation to the Millville City Police Department, Atlantic and Cumberland County Prosecutors’ Offices, New Jersey State Police, US Marshal’s Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, NJ Transit Police Department, and the Atlantic City, Vineland City, Franklin Township, Woodbury City and Gloucester Township Police Departments. These local/county/state/federal partners, teaming with the GCPO and Monroe Township Police Department, ensured a seamless investigation which smoothly transitioned and maintained a rapid pace across geographical and jurisdictional boundaries. This was an exemplary effort grounded in the tenacity and commitment of a wide array of professional law enforcement officers who share a common goal to serve and protect their fellow citizens. I am also extremely proud of the lead investigators in this case, Detective Brian Lloyd of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and Detective Kevin Bielski of the Monroe Township Police Department.”
Subsequent to his arrest, Jacobs was transported to the GCPO for processing, and then lodged in the Salem County Jail pending a Detention Hearing.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of his rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State Law.