News
- Created on 29 April 2013
Atlanta Sailor is Recruiter of the Year
Navy Career Counselor Chief Petty Officer Dewayne C. Scott is an Atlanta resident and outstanding sailor in the United States Navy, who has helped hundreds of young men and women achieve their dreams through missions at home and abroad. His efforts have culminated in being named one of the Navy's 2012 Recruiters of the Year.
After graduating from Southern University and working as a print billboard manager in Baton Rouge, Scott desired a change in his life. He reached out to a Navy recruiter, and found not only an organization he could be proud to be a part of, but also realized he would be given opportunities he didn't realize were possible.
Scott first began his Navy career at age 22, as a Yeoman on theUSS Nimitz (CVN-68) homeported in San Diego, Calif., where he performed administrative work. He was aboard the USS Nimitz on deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, where he was able to experience new cultures and build camaraderie with his fellow Sailors.
While becoming a Yeoman was a great way to begin his Navy career, Scott knew he wanted to be a recruiter from the moment he entered the service. He saw recruiting as a way to change people's lives and open up career paths for those who may have never realized the opportunities the Navy provides, especially in areas where a large military presence doesn't exist.
Upon returning to shore duty, Scott began pursuing his goal of becoming a recruiter by shadowing his own recruiter to get a glimpse of what the job entailed and served as a Navy Counselor for Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Jacksonville. "My recruiter took a true interest in me.
He helped direct my career path and listened to me and answered all of my questions and helped shape the man I am today," said Scott.
"I still have former recruits come to me with different issues they're having a hard time with," says Scott. "It's so rewarding that even after they've joined the Navy, I can continue to share my experience and knowledge with them."
Now with nine years of recruiting under his belt, Scott currently serves as the Lead Chief Petty Officer for Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Atlanta, where he trains other recruiters to find the next generation of Navy leaders.
- Created on 29 April 2013
Dream Scholarship Essay Contest Winners Announced
Local law firm Holland & Knight announced the winners of its annual Dream Scholarship Essay Contest: A Call for Tomorrow's Leaders.
The contest challenges high school seniors to examine the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and share their dreams for advancing his legacy of equality and leadership. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," students were given a passage from the letter and asked whether or not his words still hold true today.
Pictured here, from left, are Lura Battle, Holland & Knight paralegal; Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church; contest winners Chassidy Mitchel, Evan Daniels, and Summer Duffy; with Caroline Tanner, Holland & Knight partner.
- Created on 29 April 2013
Former GOP Hopeful Arrested For Sending Ricin Laced Letter To President Obama
U.S marshals arrested Everett Dutschke, 41, of Tupelo, Mississippi, Saturday morning for mailing letters laced with the poison ricin to President Barack Obama and two other public officials, report Reuters.
According to the DJ Journal, Dutschke was charged with “knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and p
...- Created on 29 April 2013
Birmingham’s ’4 Little Girls’ May Receive Congressional Gold Medals
(AP) — Four young victims of a deadly Alabama church bombing that marked one of the darkest moments of the civil rights movement are one step closer to receiving Congress’ highest civilian honor.
By a 420-0 vote, the House on Wednesday passed a measure that posthumously would award the Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins,
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- Created on 28 April 2013
Grady Hospital Slapped With $17.5 Million Malpractice Verdict
The Cochran Firm Atlanta attorneys Jane Lamberti Sams, Shean Williams and Edtora Jones recently obtained a $17.5 million verdict on behalf of clients, Patrick and Angela Merritt, in a medical malpractice lawsuit against The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority d/b/a Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory University. The case was tried in DeKalb County State Court before Judge Wayne Purdom.
The Merritt family sued anesthesiologist Dr. James Richardson and physician's assistant Richard Nardi on behalf of their 24-year-old son, Sheriod, who was left with a severe brain injury after elective surgery went wrong on April 11, 2008.
On April 9, 2008, then 19-year-old Sheriod was struck in the jaw by a stray bullet as he was leaving a Lovejoy, Ga., Wal-Mart with friends. While the wound was not life-threatening, Sheriod was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment. By April 11, doctors decided to repair Sheriod's broken jaw even though they were aware their patient's airway remained partially obstructed and swollen.
As Sheriod was being moved from the OR table post surgery, the anesthesia team did not follow a proper extubation plan, allowing Sheriod to become uncontrollable, flip over on the bed and dislodge his endotracheal (breathing) tube. Sheriod was without oxygen for approximately 7-8 minutes as doctors tried unsuccessfully to re-intubate his obstructed swollen airway. As a result, Sheriod suffered a severe brain injury.
Testimony during the trial was very emotional. Sheriod's father, Patrick Merritt, talked about how anxious his son was prior to surgery. He recalled, through tears, the last thing his son said to him was, "I love you, dad."
Attorney Jane Lamberti Sams told jurors, "Sheriod walked into Grady Hospital with a minor gunshot wound to the jaw and left with a severe brain injury. Sheriod's combative behavior was foreseeable and if the anesthesiologists followed their own plan, Sheriod would have been fine."
In his closing argument, attorney Shean Williams told the jury, "Grady tried to run from their own records. The notes created by the doctors at the time of treatment clearly showed there was time to safely care for Sheriod's airway after the surgery. With proper attention, Sheriod would be able to walk, talk, play with his son and do all the things a 24-year-old should be doing."
The jury deliberated a day-and-a-half before reaching its verdict late last month.
