THERE’S ANOTHER ROUND OF DRUG RAIDS UNDERWAY IN THE CITY OF MIDDLETOWN THIS MORNING, AND LOCAL AND STATE POLICE AGENCIES ARE CONDUCTING THE SWEEP IN CONCERT WITH THE LOCAL OFFICE OF THE F-B-I IN GOSHEN. WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THIS DEVELOPING STORY ONCE IT’S AVAILABLE.

ON WEDNESDAY THE U-N SECURITY COUNCIL HEARD A SPEECH BY SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON WHERE HE CALLED THE “APPALLING BRUTALITY” STILL BEING CARRIED OUT BY SYRIAN TROOPS AGAINST THE COUNTRY’S CITIZENS IN HOMS “A GRIM HARBRINGER OF THINGS TO COME.” THE TOTAL OF SYRIAN DEAD SINCE POPULAR UPRISINGS BEGAN AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD ELEVEN MONTHS AGO NOW EXCEEDS SIX THOUSAND.

IF GREEK OFFICIALS WERE GRADED AS A TEACHER WOULD DO FOR THEIR STUDENTS, THEY WOULD RECEIVE AN “I” AS IN “INCOMPLETE.” THE GOVERNMENT IN ATHENS HAS FAILED TO COME UP WITH A PROGRAM OF ECONOMIC REFORMS AND AUSTERITY MEASURES DESIGNED TO STAVE OFF A DEFAULT OF THE NATION’S SOVERIEGN DEBT. GREECE WAS TO HAVE HAD SOMETHING READY TO PRESENT TO THEIR PARTNERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, WHO HAVE INSISTED ON ACTION BY ATHENS IN ORDER TO MEET THE TERMS OF A BAILOUT THAT AMOUNTS TO 130 (B) BILLION EUROS, OR THE EQUIVALENT OF 172 (B) BILLION DOLLARS,

CITY HALL ON JAMES STREET IN MIDDLETOWN WAS NEW YORK CITY MEDIA CENTRAL FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY. WE WERE THERE TOO, AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA WERE ALSO GATHERED AROUND THE AREA CORDONED OFF BY POLICE AFTER GUNPLAY INSIDE THE VESTIBULE AT THE ENTRANCE TO CITY COURT THAT ENDED WITH 43-YEAR-OLD TIMOTHY MULQUEEN DEAD AND A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS REMAINING TO BE ANSWERED.
HERE’S WHAT WE DO KNOW; JUST AFTER NINE WEDNESDAY MORNING, AS PEOPLE WERE PREPARING TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE COURT, MULQUEEN ARRIVED ON A MOTORCYCLE WHICH HE PARKED IN THE NEARBY FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS LOT. WITH MULQUEEN WAS A 12-GAUGE SHOTGUN WHICH HE PRODUCED FROM A PADDED CASE. ENTERING CITY HALL WITH THE WEAPON, JACOB TAWIL, THE CITY’S PUBLIC WORKS COMMISSIONER AND A D-P-W
DEPUTY TOOK NOTICE AND THROUGH THEIR QUICK ACTIONS, PEOPLE INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE ALERTED, INCLUDING ARMED OFFICERS OF THE COURT. MULQUEEN THEN APPROACHED THE VESTIBULE CONTAINING THE ENTRANCE TO CITY COURT WHERE A METAL DETECTOR IS IN PLACE AND FIRED. COURT OFFICERS RETURNED FIRE, STRIKING AND KILLING MULQUEEN.

MULQUEEN WAS A CLIENT OF OCCUPATIONS, INC. WHICH PROVIDES EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TO THE DISABLED. ITS ALSO BEEN SAID THAT MULQUEEN WAS A SUFFERER OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, WHICH IN AND OF ITSELF DOES NOT RESULT IN A PREDISPOSITION FOR VIOLENT BEHAVIOR. BUT IN MULQUEEN’S CASE, HE ALSO HAD A RECORD OF PRIOR RUN-INS WITH THE LAW, HAVING BEEN JAILED FOR FAILING TO MAKE REPAIRS TO RENTAL PROPERTIES HE OWNED. A D-W-I OFFENSE HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED ON MULQUEEN’S RAP SHEET. MOST RECENTLY, MULQUEEN HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR MENACING FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT AUGUST 6TH AT THE HOME OF MAYOR JOSEPH DESTEFANO, WHO SOME HAVE SPECULATED MAY HAVE BEEN MULQUEEN’S INTENDED TARGET YESTERDAY. ON THAT DAY LAST SUMMER, MULQUEEN ARRIVED AT THE RESIDENCE LOOKING FOR THE MAYOR, WHO WAS NOT PRESENT. COURT DOCUMENTS OBTAINED BY 1340 WALL SAY NOTHING OF MULQUEEN BEING ARMED WITH A MACHETE AND A PIECE OF WOOD WITH NAILS ATTACHED, ALTHOUGH THIS CLAIM HAS BEEN MADE. COURT AND POLICE DOCUMENTS DO SAY THAT MULQUEEN WAS LOUD, VIOLENT AND ABUSIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF DESTEFANO’S DAUGHER NICOLE UPON DISCOVERING THAT THE MAYOR WASN’T HOME. LATER, A TEMPORARY ORDER OF PROTECTION FROM MULQUEEN WAS OBTAINED ON BEHALF OF NICOLE DESTEFANO.

MEDICAID, THE PROGRAM PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO THE EVER-GROWING RANKS OF THE EMPIRE STATE’S POOREST CITIZENS ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF THE BUDGET. GOVERNOR CUOMO HAS SO FAR MADE GOOD ON HIS PROMISE TO INCREASE MEDICAID FUNDING WHILE AT THE SAME TIME KEEPING THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO MEDICAID FROM THE STATE’S COFFERS WITHIN LIMITS. OFFICIALS WITH THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IN ALBANY HAVE SAID AS MUCH. BUT WITH BUDGET TALKS UNDERWAY IN THE ALBANY LEGISLATURE, LAWMAKERS ARE CONSIDERING A PROPOSAL BY THE GOVERNOR TO ASSUME THE RISING COSTS OF MEDICAID TO THE STATE’S 62 COUNTIES OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, EASING THEIR FINANCIAL BURDEN SOMEWHAT. AS THINGS NOW STAND, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS PAY A 15 PERCENT SHARE OF TOTAL MEDICAID COSTS; WASHINGTON COVERS 50 PERCENT. THE REMAINING 35 PERCENT IS THE STATE’S RESPONSIBILITY.

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Headlines provided by Bob Schaeffer for WALL Radio 1340 AM
Mark West in the Morning with Bob Schaeffer and Chris Mitchell

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