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Israel bombarded the southern Gaza town of Rafah today as troops searched for an officer they believe was captured by Hamas in an ambush that shattered a humanitarian cease-fire and set the stage for a major escalation of the 26-day-old war.

Hamas acknowledged responsibility for a deadly Gaza Strip ambush in which an Israeli army officer may have been captured, but said the incident likely preceded and therefore had not violated a U.S.- and U.N.-sponsored truce.

Defense Department personnel are on the ground in West Africa and in U.S. laboratories fighting to control the worst outbreak in the African history of the Ebola virus, which a senior Army infectious disease doctor called a "scourge of mankind."

The Army will send notices to 500 majors next week that they must leave the service, the outgoing Army vice chief of staff said.

The House late Friday sent a measure to the president that would provide Israel with funding for its Iron Dome missile defense system.

President Obama said in blunt terms the United States "tortured some folks" - describing a forthcoming report on now-defunct U.S. interrogation techniques he called "contrary to our values."

The Pentagon announced the U.S. wants to send troops to train Ukrainian forces next year as the country faces continued aggression from pro-Russia separatists. 

North Korea has asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to protest upcoming U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Former President Bill Clinton told an audience in Australia just hours before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that he passed on the chance to kill Osama bin Laden with a military strike, according to an audio tape just released.

U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell will preside over the precipitous drawdown of U.S. forces and material from Afghanistan, falling from about 22,000 US troops to 9,800 by December.

Units of the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions deploying to Afghanistan in the fall will stay on into 2015.

The initial down-select for the technology demonstrator phase of the U.S. Army's ambitious Joint Multi-Role helicopter program has missed its original July deadline, and Army officials are now saying they'll inform industry teams about who is moving forward sometime this month.

A new Defense Health Agency policy allows Tricare patients to get therapy from certain mental health specialists who otherwise would have been dropped from the military's list of approved providers this year.

Army officials released a statement on its long-waited camouflage decision, and it left a lot of questions unanswered.

Witness the power of water, carrying boulders of all sizes in this impressive video filmed at the Illgraben-Bhutan Bridge, in Switzerland.

The week in music: J Mascis, Tori Amos, Vaselines and others ...

Tiny - a little movie about a couple that builds a tiny house in Colorado.

Did you know there's a robot hitchhiking across Canada?

Following a six-day-old kitten through 12 weeks of growing up. Seriously.

LINK: Original photo by Sgt. Vincent Byrd, 2nd BCT, 1st AD, Public Affairs

California chicken producer Foster Farms is recalling an unspecified amount of its chicken products because the products may be contaminated with a strain of salmonella Heidelberg, according to a Department of Defense All Food and Drug Activity message sent July 9.

The U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture said Thursday it has found evidence directly linking Foster Farms boneless-skinless chicken breast to a case of Salmonella Heidelberg, an antibiotic-resistant strain of the disease that has sickened more than 500 people in the past 16 months and led to pressure from food safety advocates for federal action against the company.

As a result, Foster Farms issued a recall for 170 different chicken products that came from its Fresno facilities in March.

The Defense Commissary Agency has publicized this recall to all its stores. Whenever a commissary has a recalled or withdrawn product in its inventory, the product is immediately removed from store shelves.

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Bless his gracious heart: Mike Mitchell is bringing back Tacoma's Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival. He has put Tacoma on the musical map for years, bringing bona fide festivals and concerts here, always attached to a beneficial charity. In his mind, it's charity first; the rest is music to his ears.

Permission To Start Dreaming Foundation has Mitchell's full attention this year. P.T.S.D. Indeed, the foundation's mission is to raise awareness for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury and related issues and to support organizations that provide services for returning soldiers to help them re-adjust to the country they served. As a Vietnam War veteran, Mitchell knows the importance of Permission To Start Dreaming Foundation's mission.

"This wonderful organization works with the young men and women who return from war with trauma to help heal them," explains Mitchell. "It's a grassroots organization and I know the money raised from the Old Town festival will go directly to these men and women."

Mitchell won't produce or lend a hand with any event unless there's a local charity benefitting from the proceeds. It was his number one request 22 years ago when he founded the Tacoma Old Town Blues Festival with Ted Brown.

Mitchell was approached by Brown to create a musical festival after Brown witnessed Mitchell's impressive musical tribute for former Wailers' singer and sax-playing songwriter Ron Gardner who passed away after an accidental fire in 1992. Mitchell was a huge fan of The Wailers, sneaking into the now-legendary teen dances of the time before reaching his teens. Mitchell also relied on music to help heal from the atrocities he witnessed in Vietnam.

Partnering with blues enthusiast Brown, who died last year at age 61, the two created the Tacoma Old Town Blues Festival. The partnership fell apart after the 2012 festival.

This year, Mitchell, with the help of T Town Apparel owners Pat and Gail Ringrose, has taken back the reigns of the festival after several alterations the past two years, including Mitchell's absence last year. Mitchell truly missed bringing music to Old Town, and his introduction to Permission To Start Dreaming was the kicker.

"It's a rebirth, if you will," says Mitchell. "I'm keeping last year's name change - Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival - and the music will be more than just blues."

The show must go on. The Old Town Rhythm and Blues Festival moniker remains, as does a more eclectic show, staged in Old Town Park as well as The Spar and Slavonian Hall. The Mountaineers building's renovations eliminated its popular garden court space for intimate blues performances, such as those legendary performances by Little Bill and Jerry Miller.

The event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with the traditional Bluesberry Pancake Breakfast, a flapjack feast that will feature acoustic folk and classic rock musician Rick Gonzales and percussionist Ike Sutton on the Slavonian Hall's first floor. Guitarist Steve Stefanowicz will lead the opening ceremonies at noon at nearby Old Town Park, kicking off an afternoon of free, family-friendly sets there with cheers from the adjacent beer garden. I can't stress enough the importance of being there exactly at noon. This year's opening will be a jaw-dropper.

Following Stefanowicz's set on the main stage in the park are Tacoma blues guitarist legend Little Bill; bushy-bearded, curly-haired ultra-talented singer-songwriter James Coates; B-3 jazz/blues trio ButterBean; blues rockers The Jr Hill Band; and veteran blues musicians James King and the South Siders wrapping up the park shows with Texas roadhouse blues at 6 p.m.

Tacoma's nine-piece R&B band The High Rollers will headline the evening showcase, which will start with an opening set by blues band Burnham Drive (hopefully with guitarist Tim Hall) at 8 p.m. upstairs at Slavonian Hall.

Over at The Spar, That's What She Said will take over at 8 p.m., at least that's what he said.

Tickets are $20 for the night shows, and available at T-Town Apparel, Metropolitan Market, and The Spar and ParkWay taverns. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the event in the Old Town Park, The Spar and Slavonian Hall.

There you have it. Leave it to Mike Mitchell's big heart and love for music to continue the tradition in Old Town Tacoma. There will be vendor areas for food, clothing and a beer garden run by Tacoma's adorable bartenders, who donate their time. It's going to be a memorable event. See you somewhere at the festival. If I miss you, there's always next year.

FESTIVAL LINEUP

Here's the full lineup, with more details available at tacomaoldtownrhythmandbluesfest.com.

Bluesberry Pancake Breakfast

9-11 a.m. Lower level of Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th

Rick Gonzales and Ike Sutton

Tacoma Old Town Park, 2305 N. 30th

Noon to 12:45 p.m. Steve Stefanowicz

1-2:45 p.m. Little Bill

3-3:45 p.m. James Coates

4-4:45 p.m. ButterBean

5-5:45 p.m. The Jr Hill Band

6-7 p.m. James King and the South Siders

Evening Performances

>>> Main Stage Upstairs Slavonian Hall, 2306 N. 30th

8 p.m. to midnight The High Rollers

>>> Downstairs Stage Slavonian Hall

8 p.m. to midnight Burnham Drive

>>> The Spar Tavern, 2121 N. 30th

8 p.m. to midnight That's What She Said

Farrelli's Wood Fire Pizza is all about family, and the popular local restaurant chain is doing its part to help military families living at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fisher House feel a little more at home.

In the next few weeks, volunteers from Farrelli's will install a new play set in the backyard of the home, which is located just down the street from the Madigan Army Medical Center on JBLM.

Since Fisher House families reside at the house while an ill or injured servicemember undergoes treatment at Madigan, it is understandably a very stressful time in their lives. They stay at the home from a few days to several months, and staff and volunteers do what they can to help make it a "home away from home."

There is a cozy living room complete with a TV, toys and books as well as a spacious kitchen, laundry facilities and backyard grill and gazebo area. There is also a beautifully landscaped garden and a fenced play area so the littlest residents can burn off some steam.

A few weeks ago, several members of the Farrell family and its management team visited the home to formalize a fundraising partnership with Harmon Brewing Company. While on a tour with Manager Jodi Land, they noticed that the play area in the backyard was in desperate need of new equipment.

The company - which in 2010 won the National Restaurant Association's National Neighbor Award - knew what it needed to do. "We saw an opportunity to lend a hand," said Clayton Krueger, Farrelli's director of marketing and communications.  So Margaret "Mama" Farrell went out and purchased a large new playground, which staff will install and assemble in the coming weeks.

"This new playground will give children staying at the Fisher House an outlet and an opportunity to get outside in a safe, secure environment," said Land. "The new equipment was badly needed, and we are thankful that the Farrell family not only donated the materials, but also that they are going to install and assemble it for us."

The family owned and operated restaurant chain, which started in Lacey in 1995 and caters to families, has always supported and honored its military neighbors. "The military is the glue that holds our community together," Krueger said. As a show of the company's appreciation to its military neighbors, service members returning from deployment get a free meal at both of the family's Farrelli's and MacNamara's restaurants.

To learn more about Farrelli's, visit farrellispizza.com. For more information about Fisher House, visit fisherhouse-jblm.org, call 253.964.9283 or stop by the home, located at 9999 Wilson Ave. on JBLM.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Jodi Land (Fisher House), Jesse Holder (Harmon Brewing Co.), Clayton Krueger (director of Marketing & Communications), Jacque Farrell (founder & COO), James Mickelson (director of Project Management & IT), Rob Rasmussen (director of Design & Promotion), Margaret Farrell (founder), Lizz Farrell-Lewis (director of Guest Satisfaction) and on the bottom row — John Farrell (founder)

Yoga and live music are both renowned for their ancient healing and inspirational properties. Now, they can be experienced together at the first annual Olympia Yoga Festival. Experience harp, 12-string guitar, singing bowls and more paired with downward dogs, sun salutations and mountain poses.

Olympia Yoga Festival takes place Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to midnight at The Olympia Ballroom. It brings in several of the South Sound's best yoga teachers, accompanied by some of Olympia's best live musicians.

Featuring six sessions, the yoga portion culminates in laughter yoga, which is followed by disco yoga (OK class, everyone move into "The Hustle" position). Concert headliners Rag Dharma, a moving classical Indian duo, and Sara Tone, an energetic, soulful singer/songwriter from Portland who is a festival veteran, top off the night. Since 2006, Tone has played The Oregon Country Fair and more.

Co-coordinators Daniel Landin and Kristen Rubis are both active in the local music and yoga communities, and found the event a fitting way to cross over two of Olympia's biggest loves.

"Once the Yoga Fest was being conceived for the ballroom space, I knew that we had the ability to do a really great job producing these classes with great live music simultaneously," says Landin. "And the classical Indian/Northwest roots music concert will be incredible."

There will be plenty to check out if you're not interested in busting out those yoga pants, however. You can still learn about classes and services in Olympia as studio representatives and other health care professionals will have informational booths throughout the day. To keep you going, local healthy food options like baked goods, coffee and chai will be available.  A raffle with prizes from local businesses will be part of the fun.

As a way to give back to the community, Landin and Rubis decided to make the event a benefit for Gateways for Incarcerated Youth. The organization pairs Evergreen State College students with incarcerated youth to help provide more education and opportunity, including a dual credit system that allows students to get both high school and college credit. Funding for the program helps pay tuition costs for those that want continued education after rehabilitation.

"I love Gateways. I worked as a residential counselor at Maple Lane School, a state institution for incarcerated boys where the Gateways program did its work," explains Landin. "I saw firsthand that Gateways was a big highlight of the week for all the youth who participated. One-on-one tutoring and really fun groups were held at the institution, and the fact that they also direct funds to buy tuition credits for youth who have graduated high school while incarcerated makes me really excited to support this organization."

OLYMPIA YOGA FESTIVAL, 9 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, May 17, The Olympia Ballroom, 116 Legion Way, Olympia, $10, $12-$20 concert, $65-$100 full pass, website

FORT HOOD, Texas - My story isn't unique in the military. In fact, it's more common than people know.

This week has been a hard Army week for me. It's not about being deployed for the fifth time or recovering from the media event we conducted yesterday morning or even dealing with young Soldiers that don't quite seem to understand the concept of the term "professional development."

As I sit behind my desk, I look at the beautifully expensive photo of my wife from Glamour Shots and the tiny cotton teddy bear with the red bow tie next to it and realize that my son, Gabriel, would be born this week.

That is to say he would have been, if he hadn't died five months ago. My son died last November due to a premature labor. The teddy bear the nurses put next to his tiny body is all I have left to even know he ever existed.

Service members and their families sign up to support and defend our great country. It's an honorable profession and wonderful experience that many, myself included, wouldn't change for anything. But some Service members sacrifice more than others. Some sacrifice the time and effort to build families of their own.

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GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 4.16.14 >>>

JBLM soldier found dead in the woods near Olympia Tuesday was the nephew of two presumed victims of last month's devastating landslide in Washington state.

446th Airlift Wing reservist named Howard O. Scott Citizen-Airman of the Year.

Former Sgt. Kyle White will receive the Medal of Honor for heroism in 2007 while serving as a specialist in Afghanistan.

Defense Department officials released a report that documents the cuts to military forces, modernization and readiness that will be required if defense budgets are held at sequester-levels in the years beyond fiscal year 2015.

The Pentagon's planned five-year spending plan for procurement and research-and-development projects, set forth in its 2015 budget proposal, would be cut by $66 billion if US federal spending caps remain in place.

More than $1 trillion in sequestration-related defense cuts, slated for now through 2021, "would significantly increase risks both in the short- and long-term," according to a report released Monday by the Pentagon.

Confidential U.S. assessments, which the State Department tried to hide from the public, show nearly all Afghan Cabinet ministries are woefully ill-prepared to govern after the U.S. withdraws its troops.

Is North Korea about to collapse?

A group of 11 lawmakers on Tuesday called for members of NATO to end all defense contracts with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.

Planning for withdrawal in Afghanistan may be smart, but it's not wise.

China has good reasons to remain secretive about its military.

The National Guard Association of the United States accused Army leaders of refusing to create a commission that could show reserve force are cheaper to maintain than the active duty.

Game of Drones: It will be tough to go into the big battle against drones without the irrepressible Goose.

U.S. military leaders have approved funding to develop a hybrid, stealth motorcycle to be driven by special operations teams in the not too distant future.

Russian missile system masquerading as innocent cargo container.

Patients at Veterans Affairs medical centers remain satisfied with the care they receive and complaints are down, a new survey released Wednesday by the American Customer Satisfaction Index found.

Tricare announced its plans for reinstating thousands of beneficiaries who lost eligibility for Tricare Prime last October, but by law, not all who were booted off Prime will be able to re-enroll.

General Dynamics says the Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle competition is stacked against its 8×8 Stryker.

Hollywood is going to war again, and this time, Brad Pitt is in charge.

The soldiers of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry aren't Navy SEALs, but now they've played them on TV.

The high-tech soldiers of the future are here.

List: 10 amazing discoveries that remain unexplained by science.

The Legacy of The Colbert Report: the joke's on you!

The X-Men: Days of Future Past trailer debuted on Conan last night.

Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss continue to morph into exact replicas of each other.

Yep, Nicolas Cage makes a good movie every five years. There's even a chart to prove it.

What beer are people really drinking?

Nice: Check out one dad's pop-culture lunches.

Kicked in the head by a train ...

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 3.14.14 >>>

Failings last spring by nuclear missile operators at an Air Force base in North Dakota were worse than first reported.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno unveiled what he called the Global Strategic Landpower Network.

How to stop - or slow - Putin.

North Korea 2014 meets Rome AD 65.

The real military game-changer: Hypersonic weapons 101.

Pentagon boosting its push for underwater drones.

U.S. troops in Afghanistan must destroy up thousands of their own vehicles to save money.

U.S. Army officials say defense spending cuts killed the Ground Combat Vehicle, but this latest modernization setback fits right into the service's growing portfolio of failed attempts to replace its Cold War vehicles and helicopters.

The Air Force is in the early phases of a fleet-wide technological upgrade to the F-15 fighter jet to keep it in the air through 2035 and beyond.

BAE builds Google Glass for combat.

The U.S. Air Force wants to get rid of its legendary A-10 Warthog tank-killers. Should Canada buy them?

TRICARE Prime would cease to exist within a few years under the "Consolidated TRICARE" plan proposed in the fiscal 2015 defense budget.

Budget, strategy dominate Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey's Facebook Town Hall.

Researchers claim that Facebook has the power to spread moods in a viral fashion.

In-car facial recognition detects angry drivers to prevent road rage.

Bill Gates explains how to save the planet.

Americans are the weirdest people in the world. Here's why.

Cynthia Lynn, one of the last surviving stars of Hogan's Heroes, has died.

Louie returns to FX May 5.

List: 10 awesome girl bands

Are you in this video?

For one group of TRICARE beneficiaries, life is getting a little easier and a little more affordable ... and they won't even have to wait in line at Madigan Army Medical Center.

A new pilot program will require TRICARE For Life (TFL) beneficiaries to use the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery or a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) pharmacy to fill prescriptions for select maintenance medications.

The pilot, which will begin March 14, will conclude in Dec. 2017, at which time the determination of whether to make it a permanent program or not will be made. However, after the end of the first year of the pilot, beneficiaries can choose to opt out of the program.

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It's 3:21 a.m. and you're awake.

You've already, unwillingly so, opened your eyes at 12:48 a.m. and 2:34 a.m. As it is, you had a hard time falling asleep because you couldn't get your mind to stop racing, moving through to-do lists things to remember for the next day. When you finally do fall asleep, it's often a fitful one, laden with frenzied dreams of drill sergeants, night sweats and, ultimately, long periods of waking up and lying in bed with nothing to do, but think ... and wait to, hopefully, fall asleep again.

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