Army Cpl. Robert Bob Dunston, whose iconic shoe repair shop on Eustis Street was the stuff of which hometowns are made, was spotlighted in the June 18, 2019 issue; and Leesburg s Sword Heating and Air Conditioning owner Eric Sword, an aviation Leatherneck, grabbed the SALUTE headlines in the edition of Dec. 6, 2020.
We introduced you to combat-wounded Marine Sgt. Sebastien Lajeunesse in the April 25, 2020 paper, as the Afghanistan vet continues to grab attention throughout Central Florida with St. Johns Hops, up Umatilla way.
And, in the spring of this year, it was our sad but honored duty to note the passing of Leesburg Undersea Adventures owner Jim Calvin.
Operation Midland saw lives ruined, homes ransacked and reputations trashed
Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe was ennobled Gold commander Steve Rodhouse is now at the National Crime Agency
Senior investigating officer Diane Tudway is now retired
Met assistant commissioner at the time, Patricia Gallan, is also retired
Dame Cressida Dick had oversight of Operation Midland and is now Met chief
Alison Hepworth authorised applications used to raid homes and is now retired
Eric Sword made the applications for search warrants and is also retired
Officer James Townly is still serving after playing key role in Brittan case
Dame Cressida Dick will go gracefully in 2022 as the Met continues to be hammered over its handling of the botched VIP paedophile scandal, it was claimed today.
The Met Commissioner is in the firing line after Lord Brittan s widow said Scotland Yard lacked a strong moral compass and had a culture of cover up and flick away .
Diana Brittan has not pointed the finger directly at Dame Cressida, Britain s most senior officer, but said the buck stops with the force s leadership as they blindly followed the false claims made by fantasist Carl Beech - better known as Nick - to pursue her husband as he was battling cancer.
He turned 18 the same week he qualified with the M16A1 Rifle at Parris Island; then he skipped a rank by becoming class honor grad at Navy electrician school in Millington, Tenn.
Now 44, former Marine Sgt. Eric Sword of Leesburg has been feeding his appetite for learning ever since – with no visible signs of slowing down. He parlayed his G.I. Bill education benefits into a bachelor of arts degree in information technology, followed by a masters in cyber security.
The married father of three makes his family the priority, so the hunting and fishing he loves is less frequent these days. But as an in-demand Lake County business owner (Eric Sword Heating and Cooling), the Leatherneck s time management skills are off the charts. Plus he carves out space for flying lessons (and expects to be awarded his private pilot s license within the next month or so).