Saturday, October 6, 2007
BREAKING NEWS – Air Ambulance crew of three found dead in mountain crash – names released
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** Former Connecticut EMT pleads guilty to mail fraud and falsifying tax returns
** Yukon health minister promises progress on EMS volunteer crisis
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UNITED STATES NEWS
** A former Connecticut EMT, convicted in 2002 of second-degree manslaughter, is facing the law again, this time on charges of stealing nearly $2 million dollars from his employer. The Courant (Katie Melone/October 4) said Simsbury resident Jeffrey Bourke, 32, apparently committed mail fraud and falsified tax returns to obtain the money. He pleaded guilty to the crimes Tuesday in New Haven’s US District Court. According to the newspaper, Bourke, who was working in the budgeting and purchasing department of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield stole the money between October 2003 and August 2006. In 2002, he was handed a one year suspended sentence in the shooting death of his roommate. He had previously been an EMT with the Simsbury volunteer ambulance corps.
CANADA NEWS
** Yukon Health Minister Brad Cathers has promised progress in the EMS volunteers’ dispute by later fall. That is the word from CBC (October 4) which quoted Cathers as saying an update on the situation would be forthcoming in the very near future. Cathers’ comments come after increasing criticism for his silence on the matter. After mass resignations at the services in Watson Lake and Dawson City in July, Cathers said at the time he would be revamping the prehospital system. Details, however, were not forthcoming.
