Author: liajuriansz

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Capt. Evita Mosqueda-Chapman, Lt. Col. Tiffany Harris, BGen. Helen Pratt, Maj. Amy Punzel, Capt. Allison Weeks, 1st Lt. Kanika Childers

About me

Lia Juriansz is a sophomore at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. She is a print and multimedia journalist with a love for investigative, solutions-based, and community reporting.

Lia’s work has been featured on the Downtown Devil, AZ Big Media, and other news organizations. She had a writing internship with the Cronkite Journal last semester, and spent the summer studying abroad in Costa Rica to further develop her Spanish.

Lia enjoys reading, hiking, and eating breakfast foods. She is a political science minor, and enjoys learning about history and politics.

The Bassoon That Romanced The Stage

A mere two blocks away from the mass hysteria of the screaming Arizona State University football fans, a small audience sat quietly in Katzin Concert Hall, at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, listening to the sounds of the romantic era of the 19th century.

Friday’s “Faculty Artist Series: The Romantic Bassoon,” featured the talents of ASU faculty members Albie Micklich, Andrew Campbell and Martin Schuring, playing bassoon, piano and oboe respectively.

The musicians began with a performance of “Up and Away: The Story of a Balloon,” composed by Alyssa Morris. Becky Porter, Gilbert native and mother of five, described the second movement of Morris’ piece as her favorite of the night.

“It was date night, and this was the best thing in town to come to,” Porter said. “I just love listening to the music, and how soothing it is. I come from a music background and this kind of thing is such a treat for me.”

For Dr. Micklich, associate professor of bassoon at ASU, performing songs from the romance era was nod to his years as a student.

“I had not played the Saint- Saëns sonata since the first year of my masters program at Julliard,” Micklich said. “This piece is notorious. Am I jinxing myself?”

The audience was filled with a diverse group of people, with a range of ages and ethnicities. The commonality between the bunch was an appreciation for music, and an understanding of musician lingo- they laughed at all the appropriate music jokes about high E’s and staccato. If not for the complaints about traffic, one would think the group had never heard of a game involving pigskin and shoulder pads.

The show continued with music from Gustav Schreck and Francisco Tárrega, allowing Director of ASU’s Collaborative Piano Program, Campbell; and oboe specialist Schuring a chance to shine. Throughout the event, the faculty members would provide insight as to what the audience was about to hear, and occasionally the history of the composer.

For eighth grade student, Liz Giroux, the history lesson gave her needed text for her paper assigned in music class, but the music was not modern enough for her tastes.

“I would rather be doing anything else right now, like watching television and sleeping,” Giroux said. “The music is okay, but it is no Taylor Swift.”

The romantic bassoon might not have been the pop-star that Giroux was looking for, but it delighted audience members into tears by the last song, “Concertpiece No. 1 in F Minor,” composed by Felix Mendelssohn. For the faculty members on stage, that was enough.

 

Man Arrested for Guns Found in a Stolen Car Denied Release

A judge denied the release of man arrested for the possession of two guns in a stolen car on Friday, due to concerns that the defendant is a flight risk.

Brandon Levi Griffith, 29, was arrested in late September for failing to return a car of a friend. Upon arrest, police found two guns in the car, one located in the console, and the other in the backseat of the vehicle in a duffle bag. The defendant also failed to appear in city court on three separate occasions.

Griffith’s Defense Attorney, George Peters, pleaded with the judge to release his client to pre-trial services or lower the bond amount. Peters said that the defendant manages several businesses, and needs to get back to work because his client has workers that are relying on him. He said that despite running multiple call centers, his client does not have any money to pay the bond.

“He has several businesses, but at this point he has no money. He has a place to live, and he has been there since June, with a roommate,” Peters said. “There is a child custody order in place, which I have proof of from the Attorney General’s Office. He is obligated to pay child support, and he certainly cannot do so if he is in custody.”

However, Peters’ arguments were not enough to satisfy Judge Kevin Wein concerns. Wein said that Griffith’s failure to appear in court in previous scheduled court dates are sufficient enough evidence to suggest that he would be a flight risk if released.

“In late of the multiple failures to appear, and I don’t know what the reasons were behind that, but I do find that the defendant is a flight risk and will deny the motion,” Judge Wein said.

Prosecutor Michelle Morgan said the defendant and did not support Griffith’s motion for a modified release or lessoned bond.

“Our objection is based upon his prior failures to appear before court, and that the defendant is being offered a DOC (Department of Corrections- a state prison facility) plea bargain,” Morgan said.

Prosecution argued that Griffith received previous felonies in Oregon in 2004, but Peters said these charges have not been proved as of yet, and if they do exist, are from too long ago to be considered relevant. He said it was presumptuous of Morgan to assume that his client would be offered probation if these charges had not been translated, and asked to hear the opinion of the victim regarding Griffith’s release. Morgan did not have this information as her client had not clearly stated whether or not they were neutral or against the motion.

Peters said that Griffith told him that he did not mean to miss previous court cases, but due to his previous lack of stable housing, did not receive the notices requesting his presence at the Municipal Court. The defendant is currently scheduled to appear in court on the 14th of October for a preliminary hearing.

The Mental Health Talk The Military Needs To Stop Veteran Suicide

John Ruocco was a father of two boys. A husband. A decorated Marine helicopter pilot. A student athlete.

His widow and current Chief External Relations Officer of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Kim Ruocco, described him as the “life of the party,” a friend to many, but suffered from depression after losing multiple friends in the Marines.

In 2005, Maj. Ruocco committed suicide while on leave in preparation for deployment to Iraq. He was scheduled for a mental health appointment the day he took his life.

“The culture was such that it was really difficult to get help. He never told anyone that he was suffering and needed help,” Ruocco said. “When he came back from his deployment all of those things really built up to the point where he was really not okay.”

News21 reported that based on records from 48 states, one in every five suicides nationally is a veteran, and the suicide rate among veterans is nearly double the rate of suicide among civilians. They also reported that Arizona had a particularly high veteran suicide rate, with veteran suicide nearly tripling the civilian rate. In February, the Department of Veteran Affairs reported that 22 veterans take their own lives every day, but have said that the rate might be higher since California and Texas, the two states with the highest population rates, did not make their records available.

In April 2014, the Phoenix Veterans Health Administration was the key offender in a nationwide scandal, media outlets reported that more than 120,000 veterans did not receive care from hospital and that employees in charge of scheduling were providing false lists that did not accurately portray the waiting time. A Pew survey in 2014 revealed that the Department of Veteran Affairs had an approval rating of 52 percent, a sharp decline of 16 percentage points from 2013. Alexander Artus, a former Marine and current VA call center employee, said the scandal was a needed wake up call for Arizona, and an opportunity for Arizona Department of Veterans Affairs to make positive changes.

“The general disposition of the VA is hated right now because everyone is tired of getting the run around. People will call and be so grateful when they are talking to me just because they are talking to a live human instead of spending an hour with automated messages,” Artus said. “People are trying harder to please the general public, and the veteran population because they know what everyone thinks of the VA.”

As an employee at the call center, Artus said he regularly receives calls from suicidal veterans that he immediately transfers to the suicide hotline; he estimated that average one suicidal veteran a shift, but said there were days where he received four or more. However, for the combat veterans or veterans that qualified for trauma that were not in immediate danger seeking guidance or help with PTSD or depression, he suggested the Veteran Centers.

“They [Veteran Centers] are primarily a counseling service but they do a variety of things to get veterans involved with the community,” Artus said. “They go on camping trips, and I’ll get calls about how they can’t make the ski trip. There is such a strong camaraderie within the military, so being able to hang out with each other can be really helpful in getting through day-to-day life.”

As a former Marine himself, Artus said he understood the difficulties in returning to civilian life, especially if one lacks a support system. Artus reported that a significant problem with veterans is a tendency to avoid help, choosing instead to “soak in their misery.”

For family members who call seeking help providing assistance to former service members who aren’t ready or receptive, Artus recommends a newer program called “Coaching into Care,” or CIC. This program was originally piloted in Philadelphia in 2010, and when it was found to be successful, expanded nationally in 2011.

Lance Whitford, former VA Prescott employee, Air Force veteran and founder of new outreach program “Vets2Work,” has made it his mission to help veterans get back into the workforce.

He started a project called the 30/30 campaign, which has Whitford completing 30 different jobs, from helping bake gourmet granola to landscaping, in 30 days to raise money for veterans to go back to work. He originally started a program called “Prescott Vets Helping Vets,” but the service project ended before it could take off after Whitford’s good friend, and fellow veteran died in 2013. Whitford said they still don’t know if it was suicide or overdosed and he was touched by that.

“I don’t know what I could have done differently in his life, but if I could have had a full time job for him to go to, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have happened,” Whitford said.

He also said that readjustment for service members coming out of the military is difficult because they are not properly equipped to come back into civilian life. He said he believes that individuals within the military should receive training on how to be employable after ones military career is over, and on the differences in culture.

“There is a minimum of six weeks for basic training coming into the military. These soldiers should have basic training coming out of the military to learn how to be a civilian,” Whitford said.

Although there are many different resources for veterans suffering from the effects of war, Ruocco said she believes the greatest challenge for service members is overcoming the stigma within the military that if you ask for help, you will be perceived as weak.

As a nation, we have undoubtedly progressed from the days where Lieutenant General George Patton slapped PTSD suffering soldiers; Ruocco said she thinks that attitude hasn’t completely gone away.

She said that soldiers are afraid that if they report early signs of mental health issues, it will negatively impact their career. Such was the case with her late husband, who she said initially refused counseling in fear that he would not have security clearance to fly. These fears are not entirely unfounded, Ruocco said.

“There is a real aspect to it. There ARE times when it can negatively impact your career. There are pilot jobs, and other like minded jobs where if you have a certain diagnosis or are on certain types of medications, you can’t receive security clearance and you cannot fly,” Ruocco said. “But if you go get treatment at the early stages, when you first start to get flashbacks or sleeplessness, and you get help, it isn’t an issue.”

Now, through her work with TAPS, Ruocco is the ear who listens to the grief of spouses and other family members left behind. Through her own experience she is able to give comfort. She said family members are often plagued with feelings of guilt and shame that they were not able to save the one they love. This process is only the more difficult for surviving members of the families of service members because there is such an emphasis on honoring the deaths of soldiers killed in action.

“In the military, there is so much focus on how one dies. There’s memorials, medals, and pride over these individuals who have this heroic death,” Ruocco said. “When it’s a suicide, there’s this fear that everyone will remember them for how they died – and not how they served and lived.”