Two Employees Wrestle Gun Away From Man
SEASIDE, Calif.-A former employee at Monterey CU was arrested last week and charged with threatening to kill his former co-workers at the credit union. Douglas Adam Chase entered the credit union at 9:30 am armed with a loaded shotgun and threatened to shoot everybody, police said. Chase was disarmed by two employees, Bruce Din and John Thich, who jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground. Adam is being held in jail on $1 million bail.
Fund Established For Two Firefighters Killed
PITTSBURGH-Pittsburgh Firefighters FCU is accepting donations to help the families of two firefighters killed battling a blaze at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Firefighter Richard Stefanakis, 51, and Battalion Chief Charles Brace, 55, were killed when the bell tower collapsed on them. Donations can be sent to Pittsburgh Firefighter's FCU, 500 S. Main Street, P.O. Box 8577, Pittsburgh, PA 15220-0577.
Wash. CU Foundation To Partner On Financial Ed
FEDERAL WAY, Wash.-The Washington CU Foundation said it signed an agreement this week with the state's Office of Minority and Women Business Enterprises to provide free financial education and access to financial services to minority and women business owners through credit unions. The deal expands the Foundation's current participation in the multi-state Economic Power Project, which provides free financial education and access to financial services to the underserved, Hispanic, and low-income people in seven western states. The foundation is an affiliate of the Washington CU League.
No Action Against Website
SHAWNEE, Okla.-The board of Bison FCU decided against taking further action to shut down a website skewering the credit union's management, hoping that the authors of the site, a disgruntled former employee and her husband, decide on their own to take it down. "We're just going to let it go," said Tony Thompson, president of the $22-million institution. "At this time, we're just going to hold off and see if anything transpires." A state judge refused two weeks ago to force the couple to remove the site, which proclaims, "Bison Federal Credit Union SUCKS,' ruling the couple were exercising their constitutional right to free speech. But the judge also said the site, which attacks Thompson by name, could expose Suzon Putman, a former Bison teller, and her husband Bill Putman, to a slander or libel suit by the credit union. Thompson said the site has apparently had no negative impact on business. "It's been kind of good advertising for us. Business has never been better," he told The Credit Union Journal.
Help For Laid-Off Teachers
SANTA ANA, Calif.-Orange County Teachers FCU is offering special concessions and financial assistance to workers affected by layoffs and paycuts being made by three California school districts. Two programs have been developed to help educators affected by budget cuts: A two-year, 0% interest COBRA healthcare loan; and the option to defer OCTFCU loan and credit card payments up to three months, or reduce payments up to 50% for six months.
Corrections & Clarifications
* In several recent reports in The Credit Union Journal, Lloyd Marbett, who is helping lead the fight against converting Columbia Credit Union, was identified as being with The Nature Conservancy. Marbett is with the Oregon Conservancy Foundation. The two groups are not related.
* A story in the March 15 issue should have stated that PSECU's Upost@Home conducted about 22,000 UPOST transactions in January, up from an average 15,000 transactions per month last year.
Visit www.cujournal.com today!
