The bottom line is we take fraud seriously, and the Red Cross will prosecute.

People are getting more creative and sophisticated in their fraud schemes.

I don't know anything about it.

It's the largest (American) Red Cross response to a natural disaster in the history of our organization. We know it's going to cost in the millions, because we've already sheltered about 160,000 people and we have over 650 (Red Cross) shelters open in 17 states. But we don't have final figures because we're in the midst of trying to respond to this disaster and meet the immediate needs.

It's a case about fear and extortion. It's a case about lies and fraud,

The county executive believes this legislative agenda will address the multi-tiered level of fraud that is very much at the root of the high tax problem. What he is trying to do is to make one business official accountable for a district's money and to treat budgets as if it were their own. The only remedy now is for communities to vote down a school budget, and that ultimately hurts the children. Seventy percent of our tax bill is made up of school district costs, and those rising costs are crippling those who live here and sending them to more affordable pastures. Those who are elected would now be accountable at the end of their term.