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Officers Seize Meth Lab at Washington Home, Daycare
March 18, 2011 www.emissourian.com_________________________________________________________________________
Franklin County task force investigators raided a home Friday afternoon in the 1600 block of Third Parkway where they seized a meth lab and arrested one suspect. The female suspect, who was not identified because she had not been charged, was operating a child day care center in the home, investigators said. "We developed information that meth was being manufactured at the home and obtained a search warrant," said Detective Sgt. Jason Grellner, commander of the Franklin County Narcotics Enforcement Unit. "What we didn't know was that the home was being used as a day care center," Grellner said. "It was an unregistered, unlicensed day care." When officers entered the home, they found five children ranging in age from an infant to three or four years old, Grellner said. The couple has two children of their own, who were in school when the raid occured, according to Grellner. They have been turned over to the Division of Family Services. The children attending the daycare, including three additional kids who arrived as officers were on the scene, were turned back to their parents, and will "be monitored by their personal physicians" for possible health effects, Grellner said. Grellner said based on the amount of meth lab trash and precursor chemicals, many batches of meth had been cooked there. "The main part of the lab was in the driveway and the garage under the home. It appeared it (cooking meth) was going on for quite some time," Grellner told The Missourian. The woman's husband, who was not home when the search warrant was served, currently is on probation for meth possession, Grellner said. He said investigators will be applying for state or federal warrants charging the couple.
MONTGOMERY CITY - Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Lee Elliott was barred from serving in that position today by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Keith Sutherland. That move came after Attorney General Chris Koster filed a petition to remove Elliott from his elected post for "violation of his duties as prosecutor."
KOMU obtained a letter sent by the Attorney General's office to Elliott on February 25, 2011. In that letter, Assistant Attorney General Theodore Bruce writes, "I am sad to say that our paths cross under unpleasant circumstances again. Our office was appointed special prosecutor for Warren County to investigate possible criminal conduct that involves you in your role as prosecutor...I've essentially completed the investigation I think necessary to determine how to proceed."
On Thursday, a call to the Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney's office uncovered that staff learned just that morning of Elliott's suspension and were told Mike Wright, prosecuting attorney from neighboring Warren County, will serve as special prosecutor for Montgomery County until further notice.
On March 7, 2011, Elliott entered an appearance in the Montgomery County Circuit Court as the defense attorney for Jarod Hazel in a traffic case. Hazel recieved a speeding ticket for travelling 15 miles per hour over the speed limit.
"Normally, part-time prosecuting attorneys can, in fact, represent defendants in traffic cases in jurisdictions where they are not serving as prosecutors," said Mike Wright. "And under no circumstances can a prosecuting attorney serve as a defense attorney in criminal cases for any defendants, regardless of jurisdiction."
That is just the latest in a string of questionable behavior by Elliott. In December, sources said he rendered legal advice to Lenny Gott, an alderman from Bellflower, Mo., in a felony drug case. Elliott also served as the city attorney for Bellflower. During that time, Elliott was also a prosecutor. READ MORE
Former Montgomery County Prosecutor Lee Elliott resigned December 14, 2010 and an interim prosecutor took his place. Elliott will return to the prosecutor's job January 1, 2011.
Prosecuting attorneys are not allowed by state law to represent an accused person while holding the county prosecutor position.
Michael Wright, prosecuting attorney for Warren County, had taken over Elliott's position until the beginning of the year. . Click Here for more info.
Exposed: this shots shows a gaping hole in the building of reactor number four. The green crane, circled, is normally used to move spent fuel rods into a 45ft deep storage pond, just out of shot. But the pool has now boiled dry and the spent rods are heating up and releasing radiation
Officials admit they may have to bury reactors under concrete - as happened at Chernobyl
Government says it was overwhelmed by the scale of twin disasters
Japanese upgrade accident from level four to five - the same as Three Mile Island
We will rebuild from scratch says Japanese prime minister
Particles spewed from wrecked Fukushima power station arrive in California
Military trucks tackle reactors with tons of water for second day
The boss of the company behind the devastated Japanese nuclear reactor today broke down in tears - as his country finally acknowledged the radiation spewing from the over-heating reactors and fuel rods was enough to kill some citizensJapan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency admitted that the disaster was a level 5, which is classified as a crisis causing 'several radiation deaths' by the UN International Atomic Energy. Officials said the rating was raised after they realised the full extent of the radiation leaking from the plant. They also said that 3 per cent of the fuel in three of the reactors at the Fukushima plant had been severely damaged, suggesting those reactor cores have partially melted down. After Tokyo Electric Power Company Managing Director Akio Komiri cried as he left a conference to brief journalists on the situation at Fukushima, a senior Japanese minister also admitted that the country was overwhelmed by the scale of the tsunami and nuclear crisis. He said officials should have admitted earlier how serious the radiation leaks were. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said: 'The unprecedented scale of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, frankly speaking, were among many things that happened that had not been anticipated under our disaster management contingency plans. 'In hindsight, we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster.' Nuclear experts have been saying for days that Japan was underplaying the crisis' severity. It is now officially on a par with the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania in 1979. Only the explosion at Chernobyl in 1986 has topped the scale. Deputy director general of the NISA, Hideohiko Nishiyama, also admitted that they do not know if the reactors are coming under control. He said: 'With the water-spraying operations, we are fighting a fire we cannot see. That fire is not spreading, but we cannot say yet that it is under control.' But prime minister Naoto Kan insisted that his country would overcome the catastrophe
'We will rebuild Japan from scratch,' he said in a televised speech: 'In our history, this small island nation has made miraculous economic growth thanks to the efforts of all Japanese citizens. That is how Japan was built.'
It comes after pictures emerged showing overheating fuel rods exposed to the elements through a huge hole in the wall of a reactor building at the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant.
Japan somewhat admits to deception with this handout image released by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on March 17, shows the Damage to TEPCO's No.1 Fukushima nuclear power plant's fourth reactor building. A few hours earlier news reports were claiming the walls were intact!
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. Nuclear And Industrial Safety Agency says water cannons failed at Fukushima
FoxNews.com
March 17, 2011
Japanese officials are at odds over whether water dumps on the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant Thursday has worked as high radiation levels have been detected 19 miles away from the plant.
A spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Company told Japan news agency NHK that “it appears the mission was successful,” while a spokesman for the Nuclear And Industrial Safety Agency says the water cannons failed in their attempt to cool the unit when the water failed to reach its target from safe distances.
Japanese military helicopters dumped water onto the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant’s damaged reactors and emergency crews tried unsuccessfully to douse the reactors with water cannons.
Digital Globe, March 16, 2011 Satellite Image of Nuclear Reactors (left to right) #4, #3, #2, and #1 at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. Note the heavy damage of #4.
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Graphic by Japan TV of Reactors #2, 3 & 4 on March 16, 2011 shows damage not as bad as reality. The Video below at 1:53 minute mark they claim the walls of Reactor #4 are more or less intact!
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Status of the Nuclear Reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant
None of the six reactors at the plant have operated since the earthquake. But explosions have damaged four of the buildings, and fuel in the reactors and spent fuel stored in the buildings is in danger of melting and releasing radioactive materials.
Reactor 1
Outer building is damaged and it is presumed that there was a partial meltdown. Small amounts of radioactivity have been vented. Reactor has 400 fuel assemblies, the spent fuel pool has 292.
March 12, 8:20 PM Workers start flooding the reactor with seawater in a desperate effort to cool it.
MARCH 12, 5:00 PM Radioactive materials, including an isotope of iodine, are detected.
March 12, 3:36 PM An explosion blows the roof and top walls off the reactor building. The reactor containment vessel is not significantly damaged.
March 12, 5:22 AM The pressure-suppression pool stops working properly.
March 12, 3:48 AM Operators start injecting water into the reactor to cool it.
March 11, 3:41 PM Backup diesel generators for running the plant's cooling systems fail.
March 11, 2:46 PM An earthquake sparks a tsunami. The reactor shuts down automatically, though its fuel continues to produce large amounts of heat.
Digital Globe, March 16
Reactor 2
Partial meltdown is presumed to have occurred. The containment vessel may have been breached and some radioactivity has vented. Reactor has 548 fuel assemblies, the spent fuel pool has 587.
MARCH 15, 6:14 AM An explosion near the pressure suppression pool damages the containment vessel around the reactor.
MARCH 12, 3:48 AM Operators start injecting water into the reactor to cool it.
March 11, 3:41 PM Backup diesel generators for running the plant's cooling systems fail.
MARCH 11, 2:46 PM An earthquake sparks a tsunami. The reactor shuts down automatically, though its fuel continues to produce large amounts of heat.
Digital Globe, March 16
Reactor 3
The reactor used uranium and plutonium, which may produce more toxic radioactivity. The spent fuel pool may have become uncovered. Reactor has 548 fuel assemblies, the spent fuel pool has 514.
MARCH 17, 7:00PM Water cannon trucks spray water on the reactor building for an hour, though it is unknown if it has any effect.
MARCH 17, 9:48AM Helicopters make four passes to dump water on the building in an effort to cover the spent fuel, which may have been exposed to the air.
MARCH 14, 11:01AM An explosion damages the reactor building and the primary containment vessel. Eleven workers are injured.
MARCH 13, 9:00AM Plant operators detect increasing levels of radioactive material.
MARCH 13, 6:00AM Injection of water fails and officials warn that an explosion is possible.
MARCH 12, 8:25PM A safety valve is opened to reduce pressure and seawater containing boric acid is injected in the reactor.
MARCH 12, 3:48AM Operators start injecting water into the reactor to cool it.
March 11, 3:41PM Backup diesel generators for running the plant's cooling systems fail.
MARCH 11, 2:46 PM An earthquake sparks a tsunami. The reactor shuts down automatically, though its fuel continues to produce large amounts of heat.
Digital Globe, March 16
Reactor 4
Spent fuel rods in a water pool may have become exposed to air, emitting radioactive gases. An explosion and fire have damaged the building. No fuel assemblies in reactor; 548 were removed for maintenance and are part of 1,479 in spent fuel pools.
MARCH 17, 5:00AM The chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the water covering the spent fuel rods may have boiled off.
MARCH 16, 5:45AM A fire is reported in the building. An inspection 30 minutes later finds no sign of a fire.
MARCH 15, 7:0PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 183 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 15, 6:00AM A hydrogen-gas explosion created by chemical reactions with the spent fuel rods damages the building. A fire also breaks out.
MARCH 14, 7:08PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 183 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 11, 2:46PM An earthquake hits just off the coast, sparking a tsunami. The reactor was already shut down for maintenance.
Digital Globe, March 16
Reactor 5
The reactor is shut down and the building is not damaged. But there is concern that spent fuel in the building may become exposed to air. Reactor has 548 fuel assemblies, the spent fuel pool has 826.
MARCH 16, 12:00PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 145 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 15, 7:00PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 141 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 14, 7:08PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 139 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 11, 2:46PM An earthquake hits just off the coast, sparking a tsunami. The reactor was already shut down for maintenance.
Digital Globe, March 16
Reactor 6
The reactor is shut down and the building is not damaged. But there is concern that spent fuel in the building may become exposed to air. Reactor has 764 fuel assemblies, and there are 1,136 in spent fuel pools.
MARCH 16, 12:00PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 140 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 15, 7:00PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 137 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 14, 7:08PM Temperature in the spent fuel pool is 136 degrees Fahrenheit (normal is 77 degrees).
MARCH 11, 2:46PM An earthquake hits just off the coast, sparking a tsunami. The reactor was already shut down for maintenance.
Digital Globe, March 16
What Is Happening at Reactor No. 4
The spend fuel pool includes 548 fuel rod assemblies that were removed from the reactor just three months ago and may be emitting more heat than the older ones, perhaps contributing to faster water evaporation. U.S. officials affirmed on Thursday that there is little or no water left in the pool.
Radiation doses from a completely drained pool could be as high as 3,000 millisieverts per hour at the top of the pool and would drop to 100 millisieverts per hour about 300 feet away, according to estimates by the Nuclear Energy Institute. If all the fuel were to melt, the radiation level released from this pool would raise health concerns up to five miles away, which is still within Japan’s evacuation zone. But other experts said more than 10,000 millisieverts per hour of radiation, a lethal dose, may be emitted directly above the pool, posing graver concerns.
Government attack on Libya's Misrata kills 25: doctor
By Tarek Amara, writing by Silvia Aloisi
TUNIS (Reuters) - Twenty-five people, including several children, were killed during heavy bombardments by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on the western city of Misrata on Friday, a doctor in the city told Reuters. The doctor and another resident said government tanks were still shelling the city, despite an earlier claim by rebels that the attack had been defeated.
"Gaddafi's forces are bombing the city with artillery shells and tanks. We now have 25 people dead at the hospital, including several little girls," the doctor said by satellite phone.
(Reporting by Tarek Amara, writing by Silvia Aloisi)
CLINTON SAYS NOT AT ALL CLEAR IF LIBYA CEASEFIRE ANNOUNCEMENT BEING MATCHED BY ACTIONS ON GROUND
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Mar 18, 9:21 AM EDT
Libyan declares cease-fire after UN vote
By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and RYAN LUCAS Associated Press
RIPOLI, Libya (AP) -- Libya declared an immediate cease-fire and promised to stop military operations Friday in a bid to fend off international military intervention after the U.N. authorized a no-fly zone and "all necessary measures" to prevent the regime from striking its own people.
The announcement by Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa followed a fierce attack by Gadhafi's forces against Misrata, the last rebel-held city in the western half of the country. A doctor said at least six people were killed.
The U.N. Security Council resolution, which was passed late Thursday after weeks of deliberation, set the stage for airstrikes, a no-fly zone and other military measures short of a ground invasion. Britain announced that it would send fighter jets and France was making plans to deploy planes, but the U.S. had yet to announce what its role would be. NATO also held an emergency meeting.
With the international community mobilizing, Koussa said the government would cease fire in line with the resolution, although he criticized the authorization of international military action, calling it a violation of Libya's sovereignty.
"The government is opening channels for true, serious dialogue with all parties," he said during a news conference in Tripoli, the capital.
The attack on Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, came as the rebels were on the defensive in their eastern stronghold after Gadhafi vowed to launch a final assault and crush the nearly 5-week-old rebellion against him.
The opposition expressed hope the U.N. resolution would help turn the tide in their favor after days of fierce fighting.
"We think Gadhafi's forces will not advance against us. Our morale is very high now. I think we have the upper hand," Col. Salah Osman, a former army officer who defected to the rebel side, said. He was speaking at a checkpoint near the eastern town of Sultan.
The Western powers faced pressure to act urgently after weeks spent deliberation over what to do about Gadhafi as his regime gained momentum. The U.S. has positioned a host of forces and ships in the region, including submarines and destroyers and amphibious assault and landing ships with some 400 Marines aboard. It also could provide a range of surveillance assets.
In an interview with Portuguese television broadcast just before the U.N. vote, Gadhafi pledged to respond harshly to U.N.-sponsored attacks. "If the world is crazy," he said, "we will be crazy, too."
The Libyan government closed its airspace to all traffic Friday, according to Europe's air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol.
Government tanks rolled into Misrata, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, early Friday, shelling houses, hospitals and a mosque for several hours before pulling back to the city's outskirts, witnesses said. At least six people were killed, raising the total death toll in two days of fighting to nine, a local doctor said.
Misrata is the last rebel holdout in the western half of the country after Gadhafi recaptured a string of other cities that had fallen to the opposition early in the uprising that began Feb. 15. Its fall would leave the country largely divided, with the rebels bottled up in the east near the border with Egypt.
The city has been under a punishing blockade that has prevented aid ships from delivering medicine and other supplies, the doctor said.
"They haven't stopped shelling us for a week - we sleep to shelling, and wake up to shelling. They are targeting houses and hospitals," he said, adding the hospital had been overwhelmed.
"We have had to perform surgeries in the hallways using the light from our cell phones to see what we're doing. We are also using some clinics around the town, some only have 60 beds, which isn't enough," he said.
Another doctor claimed Gadhafi's forces had surrounded some neighborhoods and were shooting at people who ventured out of their homes. "Militias used two ambulances to jump out of and shoot at innocent people indiscriminately," he said.
The situation appeared to be calm in Benghazi.
Col. Osman said Gadhafi's forces had surrounded the nearby city of Ajdabiya, but rebels remained inside.
The shift toward international action reflected dramatic change on the ground in Libya in the past week. The rebels, once confident, found themselves in danger of being crushed by an overpowering pro-Gadhafi force using rockets, artillery, tanks, warplanes. That force has advanced along the Mediterranean coast aiming to recapture the rebel-held eastern half of Libya.
Gadhafi troops encircled the city of Ajdabiya, the first in the path of their march, but also had some troops positioned beyond it toward Benghazi, the second largest Libyan city, with a population of about 700,000.
A large crowd in Benghazi was watching the vote on an outdoor TV projection and burst into cheers, with green and red fireworks exploding overhead. In Tobruk, east of Benghazi, happy Libyans fired weapons in the air to celebrate the vote.
Libya's unrest began in Benghazi and spread east to Tripoli. Like others in the Mideast, the uprising started with popular demonstrations against Gadhafi, rejecting his 41 years of despotic and often brutal rule. The tone quickly changed after Gadhafi's security in Tripoli forcefully put down the gatherings there.
Soon rebel forces began arming themselves, quickly taking control of the country's east centered on Benghazi. Some Libyan army units joined the rebels, providing them with some firepower, but much less than Gadhafi's remaining forces.
There are no reliable death tolls. Rebels say more than 1,000 people have been killed in a month of fighting, while Gadhafi claims the toll is only 150.
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Associated Press writers Slobodan Lekic in Brussels and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Oil prices rose to near $103 a barrel Friday in Asia as traders worried the United Nations' authorization of military strikes against forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi could prolong the conflict and threaten oil exports.
Benchmark crude for April delivery was up $1.53 at $102.95 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $3.44 to settle at $101.42 on Thursday.
In London, Brent crude was up $1.11 at $116.01 a barrel on the ICE futures exchange.
The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized "all necessary measures" short of a ground offensive to stop Gadhafi forces from snuffing out a monthlong rebel uprising. This week, the government's superior firepower pushed rebels back to their eastern stronghold of Benghazi.
As his forces advanced to within 80 miles (about 130 kilometers) of the city, Gadhafi said there would be "no mercy or compassion" for those who resist.
Fierce fighting in Libya has damaged oil operations and cut most of the OPEC nation's 1.6 million barrels a day of crude output.
"The intensity of fighting and the targeting of oil facilities and installations has been a shock to many observers," Cameron Hanover said in a report. "This decision by the U.N. would seem to extend the fighting for a period of time."
Oil fell earlier this week to below $97 on investor concern last week's massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan would crimp crude demand as the world's third-largest economy struggles to recover. Attention then turned Thursday to Libya and a violent crackdown on anti-government protesters in Bahrain.
"The oil market is confused and in a state of roiling uncertainty," Cameron Hanover said. "As long as there is unrest in Bahrain, oil prices will find it hard to sell off."
In other Nymex trading for April contracts, heating oil was up 2.3 cents at $3.09 a gallon and gasoline added 2.8 cents to $2.98 a gallon. Natural gas gained 0.9 cent at $4.17 per 1,000 cubic feet.
A BIG wave surfer from Hawaii was killed surfing a huge swell at Maverick's - the legendary California surf spot that took the life of another Hawaiian surf star, Mark Foo, 16 years ago, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported today.
Sion Milosky, 35, appeared to have drowned while riding in high surf off the coast near Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, according to fellow surfers.
They said Milosky fell when the lip of a wave collapsed on top of him and was held under by the force of several huge waves that followed. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office has not determined a cause of death.
According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the wave faces at Maverick's on Wednesday were topping out at about 60 feet (18m). One of the world's biggest breaks, waves at Maverick's have been seen as high as 80 feet (24m).
An experienced and accomplished big wave rider from Kauai, Milosky was wearing a flotation device that did not save his life. Another surfer, Nathan Fletcher, went looking for Milosky on a Jet Ski when he did not surface after his fall. Fletcher found his body 20 minutes later about a mile (1.6km) from the surf.
Married father-of-two Milosky was recently named North Shore Underground Surfer of the Year. He had been featured in surfing magazines and was known among surfers for paddling into what many believe is the biggest wave ever seen, at Phantoms, Oahu.
HALF MOON BAY -- Sion Milosky was always in search of the biggest waves to surf. The Hawaiian native found those waves on Wednesday at the Mavericks surf break north of Half Moon Bay, but the swells were just too overwhelming.
Milosky, 35, was killed at about 6 p.m., said a fellow surfer who witnessed the incident.
Milosky had caught at least six waves before the accident, the surfer said. About a dozen surfers and three people on Jet Skis were out on the water at the time, he said.
Milosky was pronounced dead at Seton Coastside Hospital in Moss Beach. The San Mateo County coroner will determine the cause of death.
A big-wave surfer from Hawaii has died at the Maverick's surf break.
Fellow surfers tell the Santa Cruz Sentinel that 35-year-old Sion Milosky apparently drowned on Wednesday evening while surfing waves up to 60 feet at the break off the San Mateo County coast.
Surfer Ken Collins says the lip of a wave Milosky was riding collapsed on him around 6:30 p.m. Another surfer found his body floating about a mile from the break at the entrance to Pillar Point Harbor.
Felton Fire Capt. Loree Borelli says rescue crews responded to a report of a possible drowning around 6:51 p.m. and transported the patient to Seton Coastside Hospital in Moss Beach.
Milosky of Kauai, Hawaii was among about a dozen surfers who gathered Wednesday to surf the Maverick's break.
On Milosky's Facebook page, people posted their messages including this from Jonel Elias, "You were one of the best! Underground and very well respected, loved, and looked up to. Your spirit lives on and the love will continue."
The only other surfing death at Maverick's was in 1994.
The thrill of chasing big waves turned tragic at Mavericks when professional big surfer Sion Milosky was found unconscious in the water.
Cal fire says it responded to a drowning report around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Maverick's surfer Ken Collins told the Mercury News that Milosky was pulled down by something he called a "two-wave hold down."
Friends say he was in the Bay Area just to ride the legendary waves at Mavericks. He told surfing magazine in November one of his goals was to enter theMavericks’ contest.
Surfer Grant Washburn was in the water Thursday and said the waves were near 40 feet tall.
Other Witnesses tell NBC Bay Area News they saw Milosky wipe out on a wave and his surf board was ripped away from him.
Friends posted rest in peace messages on his Milsoky's facebook page Wednesday night.