Entries by Attorney Gordon Johnson

Milder wind helps firefighters in Texas, Okla.

Date: 4/10/2009 SEAN MURPHYAssociated Press Writer MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — Firefighters mopped up hot spots Friday from wind-driven wildfires that injured at least 34 people in western and central Oklahoma and destroyed more than 100 homes. Three people were killed across the state line in Texas. The fires began Thursday afternoon along the Interstate […]

Investigator: Teen admitted setting 9 Pa. fires

Date: 3/13/2009 WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — An investigator says a teenager accused of setting nine fires in an arson-plagued Philadelphia suburb led them to several of the scenes and confessed to the crimes. Nineteen-year-old Roger Leon Barlow was held for trial after a court hearing Friday. He’s charged with arson and aggravated assault in […]

The Roots of Hope

Yesterday, as I browsed the internet for headlines, I tuned into CNN for some background noise and by the end of the day my mood was as dark as the news. I have made it a habit to not tune into news channels for that very reason. Don’t take me wrong. My job entails absorbing […]

Teen arrested in 7 arsons in fire-ravaged Pa. town

Date: 2/19/2009 COATESVILLE, Pa. (AP) — A 19-year-old was charged Thursday with setting at least seven fires in an arson-plagued steel town, including a block-long blaze that displaced dozens of people last month. Roger Leon Barlow Jr., of nearby Downingtown, was charged with arson, aggravated assault and related counts. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and […]

Australian wildfire survivors seek help to rebuild

Date: 2/19/2009 By KRISTEN GELINEAUAssociated Press Writer WHITTLESEA, Australia (AP) — The electrician’s tools were incinerated, the trucker’s rig reduced to a useless, burned shell. The deadly wildfires that swept southern Australia destroyed more than lives — they destroyed livelihoods. As the days since the Feb. 7 blazes wear on, the needs of the survivors […]

Australian churchgoers mourn wildfire victims

Date: 2/15/2009 By TANALEE SMITHAssociated Press Writer WHITTLESEA, Australia (AP) — Australians mourning the lives lost in horrific wildfires last week sought comfort at churches Sunday even as firefighters continued to battle a dozen blazes still burning in the state. Fire engines raced past the small, 140-year-old Christ Church in Whittlesea while the Archbishop of […]

Campfire group won’t face charges for Calif. blaze

Date: 2/14/2009 SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Ten people who built a campfire won’t be charged with igniting a wildfire last fall that destroyed more than 200 homes in Santa Barbara and neighboring Montecito, prosecutors said Friday. Santa Barbara County District Attorney Christie Stanley said investigators could not prove who caused the wildfire that blackened […]