Monthly Archives: September 2012

13 September 2012 Last updated at 15:18 ET

Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft has been awarded the freedom of the Borough of Calderdale.

Large crowds cheered as Cockroft returned to her hometown of Halifax, West Yorks, to receive the honour.

Earlier the 20-year-old joined fellow West Yorkshire Paralympians David Stone, Claire Cashmore and Ali Jawad at a special ceremony in Leeds.

Wheelchair racer Cockroft won two gold medals in the women's T34 100m and 200m wheelchair sprints.

Cockroft said: "Seeing all these people it is just amazing. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me."

She added she was "honoured" to become a Freewoman of the Borough.

A crowd of more than 300 had greeted Cockroft and other Paralympians in Leeds earlier.

Lord Mayor of Leeds Ann Castle said the event in Millennium Square was "the perfect way to mark" their achievements.

Cyclist David Stone, 31, from Rawdon, West Yorkshire, won gold in the cycling mixed T1-2 road race.

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Freedom honour for Paralympian

BY JEN ARMSTRONG Contributing Writer

Eleven years after the tragedy that prompted the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, twelve soldiers who answered the call and sacrificed all have been permanently memorialized.

Family and friends were in attendance on Sunday afternoon in Camden where Freedom Park was dedicated to the twelve men from throughout Oneida County who lost their lives in combat since 9/11.

We are who we are because of their sacrificethey died so that might live and carry on the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, said Vincent Thompson during a moving address that paid homage to the brotherhood of protectors which included his son, Army Specialist Blair Thompson, who died in 2010 in Afghanistan at age 19. The loss of a soldier is a loss for us all, Thompson added, his thoughtful words prompting a standing ovation from the audience which included family members who traveled from as far as Michigan and Florida to attend.

County Executive Anthony Picente said the new Freedom Park will serve as a constant reminder of what each soldier and family sacrificed for the sake of freedom.

State Sen. Joe Griffo also spoke, reflecting on the events of 9/11 and echoing the words of former President John F. Kennedy. They attacked the symbols of America, but they could not defeat the essence of America, Griffo remarked, and after that day, these brave young soldiers answered the call.

Members of the New Hartford Color Guard played Taps before an audience that included veterans and Gold Star families from across Oneida County.

Theresa Oleski, mother of Marine Lance Corporal Blaise Oleski from Holland Patent, said even before the location of the park was announced, she had often visited the creek side site while in Camden working, reflecting on the life and sacrifice of her son while overlooking the water. Her sons name is now among the 12 etched into the granite monument in Freedom Park.

Local officials were in attendance, including town Supervisor Dan Yerdon and County Legislator Mike Waterman, along with U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna.

Camden Cycle Riders; the organization responsible for constructing the park; began a comprehensive fundraising campaign last summer, hosting memorial rides and a paver drive that brought in thousands in monetary donations. Chairman Frank Bergin said he was overwhelmed with the support and generosity.

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Freedom Park officially opens

A group that advocates for government transparency has filed a complaint with B.C.'s information commissioner, pointing to a significant increase in cases where the province responds to freedom-of-information requests by claiming it couldn't find any documents.

The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association suggests the trend is either a reflection of a government that avoids keeping records to skirt the law or a sign the province isn't releasing all the information it could.

"We've seen examples where you'd expect records to exist and they don't exist," the association's executive director, Vincent Gogolek, said in an interview Thursday.

"The phenomenon is clear. The records are not coming out."

The group used data posted to the government's website to track cases in which the government determined it could not find any records to satisfy a freedom-of-information request.

The numbers indicate such cases accounted for nearly a quarter of all requests in 2011-2012, compared with less than half a per cent in 2002-2003.

For requests from the news media, that number jumps to 34 per cent, when there were no such cases in 2002-2003.

Gogolek wrote the province's information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, asking her to launch an investigation. Denham's office declined to comment but confirmed she had received the letter.

Last year, Premier Christy Clark promised a new era of accountability, saying her government would release more information without the need for freedom-of-information requests, distribute documents released through such requests through its website, and post a host of government data online.

On Thursday Citizens' Services Minister Ben Stewart repeated the government's previous claim that much of the increase in requests that do not generate records is due to requesters using a centralized online form to send the same request to multiple ministries.

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Freedom-of-information requests coming up empty, B.C. group complains