Obama, top leaders remember Beau Biden
WILMINGTON, Del. – Politicians, military leaders and celebrities from across the country came to bid farewell Saturday to former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, whose death at age 46 opened yet another chapter of grief for his father, Vice President Joe Biden.
Calling himself part of the Biden clan, President Barack Obama remembered Beau Biden as a selfless son and consummate public servant in a eulogy delivered at Biden’s funeral.
“He did in 46 years what most of us couldn’t do in 146,” Obama said. “He left nothing in the tank.”
Addressing the vice president and his wife, Jill, Obama reflected on their friendship: “Michelle and I thank God you are in our lives. Taking this ride with you is one of the great pleasures of our lives. Joe, you are my brother.”
Beau Biden, the vice president’s oldest son, died a week ago after a two-year battle with brain cancer that played out mostly in private, in contrast to the intensely public life that the Bidens have lived for decades. An overflow crowd of more than 1,000 packed St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Wilmington to pay their respects.
Two brothers pardoned for murder in N.C.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Two brothers will receive more than $1 million from the state of North Carolina after they wrongfully were imprisoned for three decades in the killing of an 11-year-old girl, but for one of them, the windfall isn’t the issue.
“It ain’t about money,” said Henry McCollum, 51, who, along with his 47-year-old brother Leon Brown, was pardoned by Gov. Pat McCrory. “It was about just being able to see that I was innocent of a crime I was charged with. It was just a blessing to be out here, to live a normal life.”
The pardon qualifies each of the brothers for $50,000 from the state for every year they were imprisoned, with a limit of $750,000 each. The compensation still needs to be approved by a state agency, but it is considered a formality. It’s not clear exactly when they could get the money.
McCrory’s office announced Friday that he had signed the pardons.
No physical evidence connects them to the crime, a judge and prosecutor said last fall.
Associated Press
