The Daily Blog

Oct 27

Driver in Fatal Crash Sentenced to 15 Years … of Writing.

(Oct. 26) — Unless he’d rather go to prison, Andrew Gaudioso will be doing a lot of thinking — and writing — in the next 15 years about the young soldier he killed in a car accident.

A Florida judge this month ordered Gaudioso to send a postcard to the family of Sgt. Thomas Towers Jr. once a week for 15 years as part of his probation agreement.

Thomas’ father said he approves of the unusual sentence.

“At first I thought I wanted prison,” Thomas Towers Sr., 56, told The Orlando Sentinel. “Then I thought it would be better to force him some way to remember — at least once a week — what he did. I think this does that.”

Lake County Circuit Judge G. Richard Singeltary said Gaudioso will have to show stamped postcards to his probation officer once a week, or risk jail.

Authorities say Gaudioso, 22, was high on drugs in 2008 when he veered onto the wrong side of a road in Eustis, Fla., at more than 80 mph, killing the 28-year-old Iraq war veteran.

Gaudioso would not discuss the sentence, the newspaper said.

Oct 19

Obama’s African Relatives Think His Father Was Murdered.

(Oct. 18) — Perhaps the president can add this one to his list of myths to bust in December when he appears on the Discovery Channel show “MythBusters”: His father was not killed in a car accident in 1982, as was reported, but was murdered.

So goes a family theory investigated by Peter Firstbrook in his history of President Barack Obama’s African side of the family, “The Obamas,” and dissected by Obama biographer David Remnick in a post today on the New Yorker’s website.

Barack Obama Sr. was “a thwarted politician and bureaucrat,” outspoken in his criticism of the Kenyan government’s acceptance of corruption among its ranks, according to Remnick.

He was also a heavy drinker, nicknamed “Mr. Double-Double” after his usual Scotch orders. On the night of his death he was found inside his car, which had hit a tree.

Firstbrook talked to Charles Oluoch, a cousin of the president, who related the family’s suspicions. Obama Sr. had been in a number of accidents before and had survived them all. His body appeared to be fairly unharmed — no broken bones and only a small amount of blood.

“Although it looked like an accident, our family suspected that there must have been foul play. I am not a medical doctor, but the way we saw Barack lying there, he didn’t look like somebody who was involved in an accident,” Oluoch said.

Sarah Obama, the president’s step-grandmother, told the author a similar story.”We think there was foul play there, and that is how he died, and they covered it up [by saying] that he had an accident,” she said. “But we just had to leave it like that because the government then was very ruthless.”

Remnick talked to Caroline Elkins, a historian at Harvard, who said she doesn’t buy it. Obama Sr. was a “serious, fall-down alcoholic” and his family is probably trying to restore his reputation now that they have one of their own in White House, she said.

But as Firstbrook points out 25 years later, we will probably never know the truth …

Sep 9

Tom Brady was involved in a car accident Thursday morning, but was not hospitalized and told the Patriots he was OK, the team confirmed in an announcement.

Brady did not speak to reporters, though he did take part in the walkthrough prior to practice. Boston Herald beat writer Ian R. Rapoport said that Brady participated in the full practice Thursday afternoon as expected.

“He’s here, he’s ready to go,” Patriots tight end Alge Crumpler said after the walkthrough.

Brady was reportedly “shaken” by the accident, but ESPNBoston.com said that Brady didn’t go to the hospital and traveled to Gillette Stadium after he was picked up by another vehicle. According to the WEEI report, Brady’s Audi struck a Ford minivan, but Brady was able to walk around after the accident. “I saw [Brady] a little while ago and he looks OK. I saw him walking in, he had a smile on his face, no abrasions,” linebacker Tully Banta-Cain said. “I think he’s fine. That was my first reaction.”

Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald told the Globe that a sedan and a passenger van collided at 6:34 a.m. at Commonwealth Avenue and Gloucester Street. According to the Globe report, one witness said that Brady had a green light at Commonwealth when the minivan went through a red light and the two vehicles collided.A man in the back of the minivan got stuck and had to be removed with the Jaws of Life, then was transported to an area hospital, according to MacDonald. Fire officials told the AP that a passenger in one vehicle sustained injuries not considered life-threatening. There were at least two people in the passenger van, according to MacDonald.

MacDonald told the Globe a traffic light was hit during the accident and Boston police were currently investigating.

“I want to thank the safety personnel for their service, and express our concern and support for the well-being of the occupants of the other vehicle,” Brady’s agent, Don Yee, said in a statement.

Brady, entering his 11th season with the Patriots, had been reportedly close to finalizing a big contract extension, with an expected value between $18 million and $20 million per season.

The Patriots are scheduled to face the Bengals on Sunday in their season opener.