Here are the top stories for the week of Nov. 16, 2020, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

Gary Sinese Foundation Helps Gold Star Family

In September, a Gold Star Spouse of 13 years, Gale Renteria, was facing financial hardships. Her new husband was laid off because of COVID-19, and her hours had been cut. Facing the inability to pay her basic living expenses, she applied for assistance from the Gary Sinese Foundation. The Foundation had come alongside Ms. Renteria, formerly Johnson, and her two children, Isaiah and Rya, through other events and services. She wasn’t sure if she would qualify for financial assistance but applied anyway. The Gary Sinese Foundation offers many ways to support our military and first responders, and through the H.O.P.E. initiative, they were able to provide support to the Renteria/Johnson family, even 13 years after losing their servicemember.

Tricare Tests Physical Therapy Pilot

Tricare is testing a free physical therapy program in ten states, according to Military.com. Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, Tricare beneficiaries can receive up to three free physical therapy sessions for new onset lower back pain. “Physical therapy is a proven treatment for lower-back problems and their accompanying pain, and is less invasive and costly than surgery or medications, which carry side effects and can affect quality of life during recovery and in the long-term,” reported Military.com. The pilot program hopes to determine if the physical therapy treatments will be used by beneficiaries. Participating states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Yoga Pants Approved for Commissary and Exchange

Yoga pants are officially allowed at the commissary and exchange. A memo signed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper has made it official. No more commissary fashion police to stand in your way of grabbing those milk and eggs on your way home from a workout. There are a few stipulations that Military Times laid out for us: First, this does include both service-issued PT uniforms and their civilian equivalents. However, your clothing must be “clean, serviceable and in good condition, and appropriately modest.”

This Week in History

On Nov. 17, 1842, escaped slave, George Latimer, was captured in Boston, Massachusetts. An attempt to free Latimer from slavery in Boston was overturned. “Latimer’s arrest resulted in an uproar so great that “Boston was, without a doubt, the most potentially violent city in America. The case brought about an immense public response in the state of Massachusetts.” (source: Wikipedia). Eventually, Latimer’s freedom was purchased and his first child was born free. His youngest son, Lewis Howard Latimer, became an inventor and worked with prominent inventors, including Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. George Latimer’s experience and the role his case played changed the future for countless others who were enslaved.