Marathon sponsors donate to victims
Several sponsors of the Boston Marathon have stepped forward to donate money to those affected by the bombings near the finish line, hoping to help defray costly medical expenses and other needs.
Adidas is contributing the proceeds from online sales of limited edition T-shirts as part of its $750,000 donation, Boston Beer Co. is turning over all money raised from the sale of a special brew, and the John Hancock financial company and AT&T already have pledged $1 million each.
“You feel a little frustrated and powerless about a thing like this, initially,” Jim Koch, co-founder and chairman of the craft beer firm that makes Samuel Adams products, said Thursday. “Then you realize you can take action and you can do something and part of that is to come together as a community as Boston has to take care of the people who were so tragically impacted by those bombs.”
Teen on front page says he’s afraid
A Revere, Mass., teenager whose photograph appeared Thursday on the front page of the New York Post as a person of interest in the Boston Marathon bombings said he has been afraid to go outside because he worries people will blame him for the attack.
Salah Eddin Barhoum, 17, originally from Morocco, was photographed as he attended the marathon with another member of his running club. He said he felt he may have come under suspicion because he has dark skin.
Barhoum said he went to state police to clear his name after learning he was being described as a possible suspect on the Internet. The Post reported online later Thursday that he had been cleared. The FBI singled out two other men in photographs later in the day as potential suspects.
Newlyweds’ family thanks supporters
The families of a newlywed couple who both suffered a leg amputation below the knee as a result of the bombing thanked supporters Thursday for an outpouring of donations. The families of Patrick and Jessica Downes said the generosity from friends and strangers has restored their faith in humanity.
More than 4,400 people donated more than $246,000 to the couple through a Web page hosted by GiveForward.com. The families say they don’t want the couple to worry about paying for prosthetics and modifications to their home during the recovery process.
Governor addresses bombing costs
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has filed a bill to create a $5 million reserve fund to pay for state costs associated with the Boston Marathon bombing. The bill would also add $1.5 million to the current budget for the Massachusetts National Guard.
In addition to several hundred guardsmen who had already been assigned to the marathon race route on Monday, several hundred more were called up and sent to Boston following the attacks. The soldiers helped to secure the perimeter of the crime scene and also worked with transit officials on enhanced security at stations.
5-year-old out of critical condition
One of the youngest victims of the Boston Marathon bombings is improving and no longer in critical condition. Dr. Peter Burke, chief of trauma surgery at Boston Medical Center, said Thursday the 5-year-old boy is “is going to be OK.”
Burke said the boy, whose name had not been released, suffered significant soft tissue and pulmonary injuries. He said a blast can often compress a child’s chest, bruising the lungs and heart.
Lisa Allee, head of the hospital’s Community Violence Response Team, said the child’s mother also was injured and is at another hospital.
New mothers give healing tissues
Wound-healing tissues donated by women who recently gave birth in northwestern Indiana are headed to Boston to help victims from Monday’s deadly bombings recover from their injuries.
Terri Tibbot, CEO of Life Line Stem Cell in New Haven, Ind., said a processor for the company reached out to Boston-area hospitals, which accepted an offer for donated material from placentas to treat bomb victims. That material, called amnion, is used in breast reconstruction, eye resurfacing and treating burns and wounds.
Tibbot said “it’s neat to know there’s a little bit of Indiana” that’s going to Boston to help the survivors, adding that the amnion “does amazing things for wound care, especially on wounds that won’t heal.”
Famed racetrack tightens security
Louisville’s Churchill Downs has tightened security for the upcoming Kentucky Derby following the Boston Marathon bombings and is asking spectators to be observant of their surroundings during next month’s races. The Kentucky Derby is expected to draw close to 250,000 fans on May 4, making it the nation’s largest sports event since the marathon.
Coolers, cans, fireworks and camcorders are among the items banned from the infield. Fans will also be subjected to an electronic wand search and are encouraged to watch for unusual and suspicious behavior.
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