Beyond The Bricks

Local Boy Receives Firefighter Funeral

On January 20, eight year old Tyler Doohan gave his life to save his family in a house fire in East Rochester. When the fire broke out, Doohan ran to wake his family, saving six members. After noticing that his disabled grandfather had not made it out, he re-entered the burning house. His body was found with his grandfather’s on his bed. His position shows that he was trying to lift his grandfather out of the bed when the fire took their lives.

Doohan’s funeral was treated as a traditional firefighter’s funeral. This meant that multiple fire departments were represented. Firefighters stood at attention while bagpipers played during the service to commemorate Doohan. Once the service concluded on January 29, Doohan was pronounced an ‘honorary firefighter.’ According to CNN, Penfield Fire Chief Chris Ebmeyer presented the young boy’s family with a firefighter’s helmet with Doohan’s name. "The young man acted with a lot of courage and bravery to try to rescue his grandfather after rescuing other members of his family," Ebmeyer said. "He showed valor and strength, and paid the ultimate sacrifice."

Bombing Wave Hits Egypt

On the day before the third anniversary of the uprising that overthrew the government of Hosni Mubarak, a series of bombs hit Cairo, Egypt. According to BBC News, there were four explosions that occurred at Cairo’s police headquarters, Dokki district and the Giza pyramids. The blasts resulted in six fatalities and injured approximately 100.

Egyptian security has stated that the blast occurring outside the police headquarters is the fault of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, a young Islamist militant group. This group was also accused of a car bomb attack on a security building in December that killed 16 people, however the newly declared terrorist group denied these claims.

Cuomo Proposes Pilot Program for Medical

On January 8 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a plan to allow medical marijuana in up to 20 hospitals for patients suffering from serious illnesses. This plan will start out as a pilot program. This is a sway from Cuomo’s position in the past. In April, he stated: “"I do not support medical marijuana. I understand the pros and cons. I understand the argument. We are looking at it, but at this point, I don't support medical marijuana,” according to USA Today.

Despite a Quinnipiac University survey showing that 70 percent of New Yorkers favored medical marijuana, most efforts to legalize marijuana have failed. This research and the upcoming election has caused Cuomo to rethink his former stance. “Research suggests that medical marijuana can help manage the pain and treatment of cancer and other serious illnesses,” explained Cuomo according to the LA Times.