News 6 Mashup: March 14, 2022

Here is this week’s News 6 mashup of stories for the week of March 14, 2022, straight from AWN News 6 Correspondent, Jolene McNutt:

DoD to Close Fuel Facility in Hawaii

The Department of Defense will permanently shut down the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii, which contaminated Pearl Harbor’s tap water, said AP News. Reports of skin rashes and illnesses began surfacing in November 2021, and residents are still unable to drink the water or use it for bathing. “The Pentagon said it will move to a more dispersed fueling system for military ships and aircraft in the Indo-Pacific.” The DoD expects the defueling process to take about a year and will also work to clean up contamination in the aquifer underneath the fuel tanks that supplies water to both the Navy’s water system and Honolulu’s municipal water.

VA Announces Proposed Changes to Disability Ratings

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on that it “is proposing changes to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities specifically pertaining to the respiratory, auditory, and mental disorders body systems.” These changes will not impact veterans who have already received a disability rating, but it could impact future ratings.

Three of the top updates include:

• Updates to the rating criteria for sleep apnea so that it’s “more closely in line with the stated purpose of the rating schedule”
• “Evaluating tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as a symptom of the underlying disease which causes it, rather than as a stand-alone disability.”
• “Evaluating mental health conditions based on a more robust and holistic approach that assesses how impactful the disability is to cognition, interpersonal relationships, task completion, life activities, and self-care.

$6.2B Global Household Goods Contract Moves Forward

The hotly contested $6.2 billion Global Household Goods Contract was awarded to HomeSafe Alliance, LLC, on Nov. 4, 2021. After reviewing the Government Accountability Office’s protests, the contract remains in place, and HomeSafe Alliance has begun its nine-month transition period.

US Transportation Command touts this contract as a single move manager to handle all military permanent change of station moves. According to TRANSCOM, the initial phase will be developing and testing interfaces with the government’s IT system.

According to TRANSCOM, “The GHC is expected to deliver quality, on-time packing, shipping, and delivery of customers’ household goods, along with modern digital tools to improve communication between the move manager and the customer through new, improved centralized management of the DoD’s approximately 325,000 annual household goods shipments.”

This Week in History

We’re heading back to March 17, 461, when it is believed that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died. What you might not know is that historians believe that St. Patrick was actually British, “born near the end of the fourth century, and at age sixteen, kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold as a slave to a Celtic priest.” History.com said that after six years serving as a shepherd, he escaped back to Britain, only to later return to Ireland as a Christian missionary.

With a last name like McNutt, you can bet we celebrate St. Paddy’s day. We love to celebrate with the Irish American favorite: corned beef and cabbage, a loaf of homemade Irish soda bread, and finish off the night with a glass of Guinness.

Arthur Guinness began his brewing business in 1759. Now I don’t follow the six official steps to pouring a pint of Guinness, which takes about 119.5 seconds to pour if you’re doing it right. I actually prefer it dessert-style: place a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a large glass, add about 4 ounces of cooled, strongly brewed coffee, and finally slowly top off the glass with an ice cold Guinness. You too can enjoy a rich, creamy stout float while hunting for four leaf clovers and leprechauns! I’ll leave you with this Irish blessing:

May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow.
May the soft winds freshen your spirit.
May the sunshine brighten your heart
May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you.
And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.