Today's Tabloid News

Cop Gets 7-day Paid Vacation for Tasering Child

A police officer who used a stun gun on an unruly 10-year-old girl after he said her mother gave him permission has been suspended — not for using the weapon but for not having a video camera attached when he used it. [More]

The Internet Weighs 550 Million Tons

For the first time, somebody has spent the time to precisely and scientifically calculate the weight of the Internet. [More]

Bankrupt Diocese Fights to Keep Paying Pedophile Priests' Benefits

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington is obligated to pay retirement benefits to six priests who are confirmed pedophiles, church officials argued in a bankruptcy court filing seeking permission to keep making the payments. [More]

Hacked E-Mails Fuel Global Warming Debate

A trove of e-mails stolen from a leading climate-research group in Britain has sparked an online debate over global warming data. Bloggers claim the e-mails reveal that scientists colluded and manipulated data to support global warming theories. [More]

Closing arguments start in Amanda Knox trial

An American student and her Italian boyfriend staged a burglary in the apartment where they had just killed a British student in an attempt to sidetrack the investigation, prosecutors said Friday in closing arguments at their murder trial. [More]

Miley Cyrus tour bus overturns, killing one

Virginia State Police say one person was killed when a tour bus belonging to Miley Cyrus overturned, but the 16-year-old "Hannah Montana" star was not on board. [More]

Hasan E-Mail to Radical Imam: 'I Can't Wait to Join You'

The Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people in the Fort Hood massacre told a radical Muslim imam, "I can't wait to join you" in the afterlife, in one of several e-mails exchanged between the two men, ABC News reported on Thursday. [More]

Political correctness and Ft. Hood killings

The reluctance of some in the media to confront what so many viewed as obvious questions concerning the gunman's real motives has caused many to question whether we have, as a culture, become too politically correct. [More]

Environmental Groups Biting Hand That Feeds Them

The U.S. government hands out millions of dollars each year to various environmental organizations to help protect fish, wildlife and other aspects of the environment. And every year, those same groups spend millions (of taxpayer dollars) suing the government over everything from forest policy and carbon emissions to water quality and wolf habitats. [More]

Botax? Nip/tuck levy to help fund health plan

They call it the "Botax." The White House and Senate Democrats have turned to a proposal to tax breast implants, tummy tucks, wrinkle-smoothing injections and other procedures as they search for ways to pay for costly health care overhaul plans. [More]

Insurance Mailer Exposes ID Numbers

Thousands of Medicare recipients in Pennsylvania and beyond may be at risk for identity theft after an insurance company mailed postcards that included the recipients' names and Social Security numbers. [More]

Obese man dies after 8 months in home recliner

When an ambulance brought Daniel Webb home from the hospital after he hurt his knee in March, paramedics warned the then 550-pound man he probably wouldn't be able to get up from his recliner if they put him there, his wife said. Webb told them to leave him there anyway. He would sit in that recliner, slowly dying, for the next eight months. [More]

New Orleans mayor hails Katrina ruling

Calling the ruling "huge," New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on Thursday reacted to a federal judge finding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' failure to maintain a shipping channel led to catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina. Nagin said he hopes the court decision will "open up the floodgates" for others to file lawsuits against the federal government, including his Louisiana city. [More]

NY court OKs out-of-state gay marriage benefits

New York state's top court ruled on Thursday that public officials have the authority to recognize out-of-state gay marriages and pushed state lawmakers to decide whether to legalize same-sex marriage. [More]

Union ramps up efforts to organize T-Mobile

Union officials in the United States are teaming up with their German counterparts in a bid to organize workers at wireless carrier T-Mobile USA. [More]

'I want my mammograms!'

A government task force says women in their 40s don't need annual mammograms, but Sara Fought would beg to differ: She says she's alive today because a routine mammogram found cancer when she was 42. [More]

Group recommends less-frequent Pap tests

Only days after a federal panel scaled back on breast cancer screening recommendations for many women, another organization -- the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - has done the same for a screening credited with drastically reducing the rates of cervical cancer in the U.S. [More]

Missouri Girl Said Hobby Was 'Killing People'

On an Internet site, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante listed her hobbies as "killing people" and "cutting." It may have sounded like a teenage exaggeration, but authorities say she fulfilled her words. [More]

Philip Morris ordered to pay $300 million to smoker

A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by emphysema. [More]

Recovery.gov Correcting Errors Regarding Stimulus Job Numbers

Government officials are responding publicly to the recent discovery by ABC News that the stimulus job reporting website Recovery.gov contains numerous errors and reporting inconsistencies. [More]

Miss Calif. pageant gives ad time to gay group

The Miss California USA pageant director who became embroiled in a war of words with former title holder Carrie Prejean has donated 30 seconds of free ad time to the state's largest gay rights group. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

feckless [feck·less] adj.  1. Careless and irresponsible. "The kids were feckless during spring break."  2. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective - unlikely to be successful. "It was a feckless attempt to make the company a success." [More]

Arizona Couple Indicted in Airport Luggage Thefts

Authorities say an Arizona couple has been indicted in the theft of nearly 1,000 pieces of luggage from baggage claim carousels at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. [More]

Osama Bin Laden's son wants to work for United Nations

Omar Bin Laden, son to September 11, 2001 mastermind Osama Bin Laden, wants to join the United Nations as a peace campaigner. [More]

California Requires More Energy-Efficient TVs

California regulators have adopted the first energy-efficiency standards for televisions in the U.S., a move that will eventually ban power-hungry sets from the state's store shelves. [More]

Chaz Bono: Sex change is his 'best decision'

Chaz Bono says beginning the sex-change process to turn him from a woman to a man is "the best decision I've ever made." [More]

Students arrested after 32% tuition hike sparks protests

Authorities arrested dozens of angry students at the University of California, Davis, campus late Thursday after they refused to vacate the school's administration building in protest of a 32-percent tuition hike. [More]

Man who was Tased on buttocks sues city of Boise

Gerald Amidon is suing several Boise police officers for compensatory and punitive damages, claiming his civil rights were violated when he was shocked and threatened with a stun device last winter. [More]

Movie popcorn, soda = 3 burgers, 12 butter pats

New laboratory tests conducted by the non-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest reveal that a $12 medium-popcorn-and-soda combo sold at Regal, the country’s largest movie-theater chain, contains 1,610 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat — the equivalent of three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter. [More]

Police: Attempted robber was too quiet

Authorities in Florida said they arrested a man whose whispered demands for money went unanswered at a Deltona dollar store. [More]

Stars who have Lost Fortunes

Nicolas Cage has become the latest celebrity to have his financial woes made public. Recently forced to sell his prized comics and castles after a 2008 financial collapse, Cage is putting the blame on his former business manager, charging in a law suit (going to court in 2010) that Samuel Levin "lined his pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin." [More]

Son-in-law pushed under Jeep

Authorities in West Virginia said a mother's argument with her daughter culminated in the mother shoving her son-in-law in front of an oncoming Jeep. [More]

Dad accused of killing son over sex abuse claim

A 37-year-old father irate over hearing his 15-year-old son had sexual contact with a 3-year-old girl made the teen strip at gunpoint, marched him to a vacant lot and shot him to death despite pleas from the boy and his mother, a relative said. [More]

Oprah ending show after 25 years

Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air. [More]

Army fears anti-Obama politics at Palin event

The U.S. Army plans to prevent media from covering Sarah Palin's appearance at Fort Bragg, fearing the event will turn into political grandstanding against President Barack Obama, officials said Thursday. [More]

Gotti jury deadlocked, could lead to fourth mistrial

The Teflon Son heard familiar good news from a federal jury on Thursday: They're deadlocked. [More]

Top Model Found Dead at Paris Apartment

A top South Korean model who was a fixture at fashion week in Paris and London was found dead at her apartment in Paris, an official said Friday. [More]

Mom Begs Burglars to Return Dead Son's Ashes

An Arizona mom is begging the burglars who terrorized their home to return the one item they can't put a monetary value on — her dead son's ashes. [More]

Kellogg warns: Brace for an Eggo shortage

Kellogg Co. says there will be a nationwide shortage of its popular Eggo frozen waffles until next summer because of interruptions in production at two of the four plants that make them. [More]

Customs Agents Seize 316,000 Bongs Disguised as Christmas Ornaments

Customs officials say they got a surprise when they found 316,000 glass bongs disguised as Christmas ornaments at the Los Angeles harbor. [More]

Thursday, November 19

Kate Moss criticized after skinny-is-good remark

Eating disorder experts criticized Kate Moss on Thursday after the supermodel cited as her motto a phrase used on Web sites that encourage girls to avoid eating. [More]

Stimulus job creation data flawed

The government watchdog overseeing economic stimulus spending said Thursday that, in its rush to take credit for saving hundreds of thousands of jobs, the Obama administration was overly confident in its job-counting and did not acknowledge significant errors in the figures. [More]

Pastor in plastic surgery, Botox case ‘very sorry’

A New York pastor accused of using church funds to pay for plastic surgery has been ordered to serve five years probation. [More]

Obama Has Little to Show From His Trip to Asia

President Obama returns from his four-nation tour of Asia with few concrete accomplishments in hand. Even so, the White House defended the trip as an important step toward changing America's image overseas. [More]

College students arrested for not paying tip

College students Leslie Pope and John Wagner and four of their friends went to the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The bill came to $73, which they paid, but they refused to pay the mandatory $16.35 tip, because they said the service was lousy. So they were arrested. [More]

Virginia College Student Mistaken for Deer, Shot to Death

A Virginia college student was shot to death while collecting frogs for biology class by a hunter who mistook her and her classmates for deer, officials say. [More]

Accountant stole money to buy dolls

A former accountant and trustee was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing more than $500,000 in trust fund money and using it to buy a doll collection, county prosecutors said today. [More]

Liquor Store Clerk Shoots, Kills Gunman in Botched Robbery

A liquor store clerk who was quick on his feet prevented three masked and armed robbers from holding up the Delaware establishment during his shift Tuesday night, MyFoxPhilly.com reported. [More]

Alabama Boy, 13, Nabbed in Prostitution Sting

An undercover officer posing as a prostitute in Alabama tried more than once to run off a 13-year-old boy who asked her for sex, but police say the teen insisted and had to be arrested. [More]

Awards honor top 10 Internet moments of the decade

The explosion of Craigslist's online classifieds. The death of Napster. The "Twitter Revolution" in Iran. All big moments on the Internet. In fact, they're among the 10 biggest of the past decade, according to the Webby Awards. [More]

Teen calls police when parents take Xbox

Police in suburban Chicago said a 15-year-old called 911 to ask authorities whether his parents had the right to confiscate his Xbox video game console. [More]

15-Year-Old Missouri Girl Indicted in Murder of Neighbor, 9

Blessed with a Friday off school, 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante dug two holes in the ground to be used as a grave, authorities said. For the next week, she attended classes, all the while plotting the right time for a murder, they said. [More]

Woman used stun gun, hammer to discipline children

Deputies arrested a 31-year-old woman on charges she used a variety of items, including a stun gun, hammer and belt, to discipline seven children, one less than a year old, during the last five years. [More]

Man brought baby to drug deal

A Florida man robbed while allegedly trying to buy drugs with his 18-month-old daughter in tow was himself arrested, police say. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Myriad [myr·i·ad] adj.  Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable: "The myriad snowflakes in the winter." [More]

7 strange plastic surgery procedures

Offbeat procedures designed to fine-tune those near-perfect features – are starting to attract consumer interest. [More]

Stars Without Makeup

The 'Will & Grace' star tries to hide her bare face with her phone while out shopping at Fred Segal in Santa Monica on November 11. Hopefully she was calling her stylist. [More]

Cop in Fatal Crash Was Driving 94 MPH

An arrest affidavit says a Milford police officer charged with manslaughter for a car crash that killed two teenagers was driving 94 miles per hour and was not on an emergency call. [More]

Robber got only $2 from crimes

Chicago police said they arrested a man who had only $2 to show for a string of four apparently unarmed robberies. [More]

Man Who Plowed Into New Jersey Cyclist Was Texting About Drug Deal

Police say a man who drove his car into a New Jersey cyclist had been sending a text message about a drug deal. [More]

Jury Awards $100K in Naked Torso Case

A jury has awarded $100,000 to a woman whose doctors supplied photos of her naked torso for a newspaper article without first obtaining her permission. [More]

$40,000 left at holy site — for safekeeping

Operators of a Catholic shrine in Maryland thought they had been blessed with a big donation this month when a worker found $40,000 worth of rare coins on the grounds. [More]

Pennsylvania Woman Killed by Stray Bullet That Burst Through Wall During Gunbattle

Police say a suburban Philadelphia woman lying in bed was struck by a bullet that came through a wall, killing her. [More]

Wednesday, November 18

Forbes: Will Ferrell is Hollywood's most overpaid star

Funnyman Will Ferrell and British actor Ewan McGregor on Wednesday headed a Forbes.com list of Hollywood's most overpaid stars when looking at the financial returns of their movies. [More]

Sheriff's officer who took lawyer's paperwork might go to jail

A Maricopa County Sheriff's detention officer has been found in contempt of court for walking up to an attorney's desk in a Phoenix courtoom and removing a document from files sitting on the desk. [More]

Father of Michael Jackson Molestation Accuser Commits Suicide

The father of the boy who once accused Michael Jackson of molestation has committed suicide, authorities said. [More]

Man selling marijuana door to door

A teenager who had been going door to door trying to sell marijuana was arrested after he went to the residence of a Brownsville police officer, police said. [More]

Johnny Depp is the sexiest man alive, again

"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp is the sexiest man on the planet, according to People magazine Wednesday. [More]

Seized tanker's captain dies, Alabama attacked again

The captain of a Virgin-Islands owned chemical tanker hijacked this week has died from gunshot wounds sustained when the ship was attacked, a Somali pirate said on Wednesday. [More]

White House reports billions of improper payments in 2009

The federal government made $98 billion in improper payments in fiscal 2009, and President Obama will issue an executive order in coming days to combat the problem, his budget director announced Tuesday. [More]

Police hunt armed gunmen who held 15 people

Police were searching for two gunmen at a T.J. Maxx in a Venice, Fla., shopping mall early Wednesday morning after they took a total of 15 people hostage, NBC News reported. [More]

Obama spends five minutes with half-brother in China

U.S. President Barack Obama took time out of his busy diplomatic schedule in China to meet with his half-brother, who lives in the southern part of the country - but only for five minutes. [More]

Nicolas Cage caused his own financial ills, ex-business manager says

Nicolas Cage brought about his own financial ruin with a spending spree that included two castles, 15 palatial homes, a flotilla of yachts and a squadron of Rolls Royces, his former business manager said. In 2007 alone, Cage's "shopping spree entailed the purchase of three additional residences at a total cost of more than $33 million; the purchase of 22 automobiles (including 9 Rolls Royces); 12 purchases of expensive jewelry; and 47 purchases of artwork and exotic items," Levin's filing said. [More]

Arkansas Police Use Taser on 10-Year-Old Girl

Ozark Police Chief Jim Noggle says one of his officers used a Taser on a 10-year-old girl who was combative when the officer tried to get the girl into a patrol car to be taken to a youth shelter. [More]

Brazil miniskirt student enjoys fame

Fresh from an appearance on one of Brazil's most popular TV shows, the young woman whose short, pink dress got her kicked out of college is enjoying her newfound fame, yet has her eye on getting back to class. [More]

Billionaire’s divorce could be lucrative for U.S.

The U.S. government could collect billions of dollars in court-ordered restitution under a new divorce decree between imprisoned former Cendant Corp. chairman Walter Forbes and his wife of 27 years. [More]

NJ clerk sells winning lottery ticket by mistake

No one is complaining about a $100,000 mistake made by a southern New Jersey store clerk. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Pervasive [per·va·sive] adj.  Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate: "the pervasive odor of garlic." [More]

11-Month-Old Arizona Girl Dies After TV Falls on Her

Authorities say an 11-month-old girl injured when a television fell on top of her inside her family's north Phoenix apartment has now died. [More]

Madoff yacht, boats sold at auction

Bernard Madoff's yacht "Bull," two smaller boats and a Mercedes-Benz convertible have been auctioned in Florida for over $1 million combined. [More]

Wisconsin Man Charged With Killing 14-Year-Old Stepson

A Wisconsin man strangled his 14-year-old stepson with a necktie in a minivan in a Walmart parking lot, telling investigators he wanted to get revenge on his wife and her relatives for interfering in his business, prosecutors said Tuesday. [More]

Jury indicts suspect in Orlando office shooting

A man accused of shooting one worker to death and wounding five others in an engineering office where he used to work has been indicted by a grand jury. [More]

Biden's Security Detail Crashes, Again

A police car working ahead of Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade was involved in a minor traffic accident Tuesday evening. Vehicles linked to Biden have already been involved in two accidents in a week. Last Thursday, two armored Secret Service vehicles struck and killed a man as he was crossing a parkway in Maryland. [D] [More]

First U.S. trial of 9/11 case was full of surprises

Zacarias Moussaoui was a clown who could not keep his mouth shut, according to his old al-Qaida boss, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. But Moussaoui was surprisingly tame when tried for the 9/11 attacks — never turning the courtroom into the circus of anti-U.S. tirades that some fear Mohammed will create at his trial in New York. [More]

Tuesday, November 17

Gaddafi tries to convert 200 women to Islam

Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, in Rome for a U.N. food summit, spent several hours in the company of 200 Italian women recruited by an agency and tried to convert them to Islam, Italian media reported Monday. [More]

90-Year-Old Ex-Member of Nazi SS Charged With 58 Counts of Murder

A former SS sergeant who worked unnoticed for decades as a train-station manager was charged with 58 counts of murder Tuesday after a student doing undergraduate research uncovered his alleged involvement in a massacre of Jewish forced laborers. [More]

Suspect in Custody in Oklahoma Murders of 4, Including Pregnant Reality Show Prostitute

A former Marine turned himself in to authorities on Tuesday after being named a suspect in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in a burning home, including a prostitute featured on the HBO reality series "Cathouse," police said. [More]

Sexiest Mag Covers of '09

From Aniston to Alba to Fergie, it's been one sexy year for magazines. Check out our top picks for the hottest female covers of the year. [More]

Florida Police Search for Bank Robber With 'Notably Bad Breath'

Authorities in Broward County are searching for a man with "notably bad breath" who is suspected of robbing a South Florida bank branch. [More]

Cook goes on trial for spitting on police chief's hamburger

Image_8687271 A woman testified that Jaime Perez told her that he had put vegetables for the sandwich in his mouth before placing them on the hamburger and that he spit on the police chief's burger. [More]

Detroit man kills naked son with 'execution style' gunshot

One wonders what was going on in the head of Jamar Pinkney Senior yesterday when he marched his son out of his mother's house at gun point. We may never know the root cause for this senseless tragic crime. [More]

French woman marries dead partner

A French woman said she was granted a wedding to her fiance nearly a year after his death in a car accident. [More]

Newspapers raided in union corruption probe

The New York Police Department raided circulation offices at some of the nation's largest newspapers as part of a union corruption probe. The official says the offices of The New York Times, the New York Post, El Diario and the Daily News of New York were raided Tuesday. [More]

Georgia Teacher Accused of Putting a 'Hit' on Student

A Georgia teacher reportedly has been placed on paid administrative leave after being charged with making terroristic threats against a 16-year-old student. [More]

Cancer scientist reveals secret life as prostitute

An erotic blogger whose double life as a prostitute became a hit TV series has ended years of fevered speculation by revealing her most intimate secret - her true identity. [More]

Repo man struck by repossessed car

An Ohio man was accused of striking a repo man with his car when he tried to take it back after it was repossessed. Police said 41-year-old Charles Alexander was arrested late Saturday near his home in the small town of Silverton, near Cincinnati. [More]

Tobacco execs quickly find tax loophole

With a simple marketing twist, tobacco companies are avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars a year in taxes by exploiting a loophole in President Barack Obama's child health law. [More]

"Unfriend" takes word of the year honors

"Unfriend" is the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year. It means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking Web site such as Facebook. [More]

Slew of offshore tax evaders settle with IRS

More than 14,700 U.S. taxpayers came forward to disclose billions in offshore bank accounts in 70 countries under a voluntary Internal Revenue Service program allowing most to avoid criminal prosecution as long as they pay what they owe, IRS officials said Tuesday. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Avarice [av·a·rice] n.  Immoderate desire, greed for wealth: an unreasonably strong desire to obtain and keep money. [More]

Middle fingers cost Titans' owner $250K

A few seconds of exuberant finger-flipping cost Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams a quarter of a million dollars Monday. [More]

Man upset over ticket phoned trooper's mom

Police said a Long Island man upset about a speeding ticket tried to get even with a state trooper by making a prank phone call to his mother. Police didn't think it was funny. The 54-year-old was arrested Thursday and charged with second-degree aggravated harassment. [More]

Mass. judge tosses lawsuit against Hasselbeck

A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit accusing television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck of plagiarism. [More]

Bailed-out companies mute holiday parties

Caviar and cocktails are out, while casseroles and cookie trays are in as many employers scale back holiday party plans this year in recognition of an economy still struggling through a deep downturn. [More]

Monday, November 16

15 million will have to pay back some of Obama tax credit

More than 15 million taxpayers may owe the government $250 or more because of how the IRS last spring set up President Barack Obama's tax break that was designed to help consumers spend the economy out of recession. [More]

Union troubled by Eagle Scout project

In pursuit of an Eagle Scout badge, Kevin Anderson, 17, has toiled for more than 200 hours hours over several weeks to clear a walking path in an east Allentown, PA park. Little did the do-gooder know that his altruistic act would put him in the cross hairs of the city's largest municipal union. [More]

Man carrying $600 pinched for stealing a pencil

Police have arrested a man after he allegedly stole a pencil from a Bellingham store even though he was carrying $600 in cash. [More]

Oklahoma doctor held in death of son

A doctor in suburban Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was arrested Monday and accused in the early morning death of his 9-year-old son, police said. [More]

Rosie admits partner Kelli 'moved out two years ago'

Rosie O'Donnell may have said last month that she was done commenting on breakup rumors dogging her relationship with her partner of five years, Kelli Carpenter, but that changed Friday. On her Sirius Satellite radio show, O'Donnell suddenly admitted Carpenter had moved out of their home two years ago. [More]

Equalizer actor Edward Woodward dies

British actor Edward Woodward, best known for roles in 1973 cult classic "The Wicker Man" and U.S. television series "The Equalizer," died Monday aged 79. [More]

Man drives 840 miles for Chicago class

An Oklahoma man said he commutes 1,680 miles a week to take an improv comedy class at the famous Chicago school that trained his hero. [More]

New Jersey Actor Who Played Santa Jailed for Sex With Boys

A small-time actor and former children's entertainer who was known for playing Santa Claus was sentenced Monday to nearly 20 years in prison for his role in an international sex tourism ring that preyed on young children. [More]

Firefighter Charged With Arson After Warehouse Fire

An on-call firefighter has been charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire that destroyed a warehouse in northern Maine where large rolls of paper, plastic bags and drums of ink were stored. [More]

Ohio chief's trial begins in Parker-Broderick case

Jury selection has begun in the trial of one of two Ohio police chiefs accused of snooping on the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. [More]

Broadcast pioneer NBC prepares for takeover by cable company

Cable TV operator Comcast Corp. is expected to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal, perhaps as early as this week, bringing the networks of NBC, USA, SyFy, CNBC and The Weather Channel under the corporate control of the company that owns the Golf Channel and E! Entertainment Television. [More]

Body believed school board chief found in Chicago River

A body believed to be that of Michael Scott, the president of the Chicago Board of Education, was found in the Chicago River near the Merchandise Mart this morning, police said. [More]

Park status for Billy Carter gas station?

A U.S. taxpayers group is objecting to giving national park status to a gas station once owned by Billy Carter, the brother of former President Jimmy Carter. [More]

Idaho boy kills bear that wouldn't leave porch

An 11-year-old Idaho boy fatally shot a black bear on his family's front porch after he said it wouldn't leave. [More]

Arrest at Walmart Leads to Charges of Racism

Nearly three years after Heather Ellis switched checkout lines at a southeast Missouri store and touched off what she calls a racially charged dispute with white customers and authorities, the young black schoolteacher faces a trial that could send her to prison for 15 years. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Synergism [syn·er·gism] n.  Interaction of discrete agencies or conditions where the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts.  "All the stockholders saw considerable synergism in the merger."  [also Synergy]. [More]

Police catch helicopter jailbird

Greek police have arrested a heavily armed fugitive, Alket Rijai, who embarrassed authorities by twice escaping from prison in a helicopter. [More]

Fla. suspect in Mo. child sex case 'devastated'

A sixth member of a family facing multiple child sex abuse charges in western Missouri said he is "devastated" and had "no idea" about the rape allegations against him. [More]

Sunday, November 15

Jackpot: Lawyers earn fees from law they wrote

Every lawsuit filed or threatened under a California law aimed at electing more minorities to local offices, and all of the roughly $4.3 million from settlements, can be traced to two people: a pair of attorneys who worked together writing the statute. The law makes it easier for lawyers to sue and win financial judgments, while shielding attorneys from liability if the claims are tossed out. [More]

Mexican Drug Lord Shows Up on Forbes Billionaire List

Joaquin Guzman Loera is listed as number 41 on Forbes list of the world's most powerful people. He's also a drug lord and Mexico's most-wanted man. [More]

Police Officer Resigns After Allegations He Had Sex While on Duty

Two police officers in Glendale, Arizona have resigned following accusations that one of the officers had sex with a female co-worker while on-duty. [More]

Man Dies After Being Tasered at Mother's Home

Police say a man who had locked himself and his mother in her Long Island home died after he tussled with officers and was zapped twice with a stun gun. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Specificity [spec·i·fic·i·ty ] n.  1. The condition or state of being specific rather than general.  "His input added a desirable note of specificity to the discussion." [More]

Tiger wins Aussie Masters

Tiger Woods gave record crowds at Kingston Heath what they wanted to see — exquisite shots and a closing round of 4-under 68 to win the Australian Masters on Sunday for his seventh victory of the year. [More]

Veteran's Ashes Stolen Day Before Funeral

An urn containing the ashes of a decorated Korean War veteran has been stolen from a van the soldier's family rented to attend his burial at Arlington National Cemetery. [More]

South Fla. man says he'll choose pet pig over town

Town officials have ordered a man to get rid of his 300-pound pet pig, but the owner says he'd rather leave town than give up the animal. [More]

Saturday, November 14

Govt: Medicare paid $47 billion in suspect claims

The government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient's condition, wasting taxpayer dollars at a rate nearly three times the previous year. [More]

Body parts sold to kebab stand, police say

Russian police have arrested three homeless people suspected of eating a 25-year-old man they had butchered and selling other bits of the corpse to a local kebab house. [More]

Wandering jet: FAA 'could have done better'

The government's reaction to an out-of-communication jet that flew past its destination last month was marred by poor communication and a failure to notify the military for more than an hour, officials said Friday. [More]

Obama to Congress: Put Off Hood Probe

President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to hold off on any investigation of the Fort Hood rampage until federal law enforcement and military authorities have completed their probes. [More]

How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow

President Obama will receive a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference to a superior. [Click for Photo] [More]

Ex-congressman gets 13 years in freezer cash case

A former Louisiana congressman who famously hid $90,000 cash in his freezer was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for taking bribes, the longest term ever imposed on a congressman for bribery charges. [More]

No prison time for ex-judge

Appeals judge Thomas E. Stringer avoided any prison time for committing federal bank fraud to help a stripper he had known for years. Instead, he was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to forfeit $222,000 and fined $250. [More]

Man convicted of robbing mom at gunpoint

A 27-year-old Anchorage man has been convicted of robbing his mother at gunpoint because she didn’t give him money to help pay a $430 parking ticket. [More]

Update: Stripper ad campaign halted in Las Vegas

Live strippers on the back of a truck is too much — even for Sin City. A Las Vegas strip club has agreed to stop an advertising promotion in which it hauled bikini-clad exotic dancers around in a truck with clear plastic sides. [More]

Owner arrested after dog attacks woman

A 33-year-old Tampa man's pit bull got out and attacked a woman today, a Hillsborough County Animal Services spokeswoman said. [More]

Hasan had communications with Pakistan

The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people in a shooting spree at Fort Hood made or accepted wire transfers with Pakistan, a country wracked by Muslim extremist violence, a Republican congressman said Friday. [More]

Federal case threatens mosques, charity work

The organization that federal investigators say is a front for the Iranian government has spent millions of dollars over the years on philanthropy: buying property for four U.S. mosques, funding religious schools and language classes, and translating books on Islam. [More]

LA police arrest 74-year-old tagging suspect

A 74-year-old man said to be the oldest graffiti vandal ever captured in Los Angeles County was arrested Friday, authorities said. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Innocuous [in·noc·u·ous] adj.  1. Having no adverse effect; harmless.  2. Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.  [the seemingly innocuous e-mail actually contained a malicious virus]. [More]

Jon Gosselin sues TLC for $5 million

In the latest skirmish in his war with TLC, Jon Gosselin has filed a $5 million claim against the network, saying its representatives damaged his reputation and career by preventing him from working with other media outlets. [More]

Wal-Mart to keep stores open 24 hours to ease Black Friday

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) said Wednesday it will keep its stores open 24 hours and take new crowd-control measures Thanksgiving weekend after a temporary employee was trampled to death in a Black Friday rush last year. [More]

Woman charged with DUI after mistaking Tennessee police officer for Sonic drive-in car hop

A woman who mistook a police officer for a car hop at a Sonic drive-in was charged with DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia. A caller to 911 Saturday reported the woman nearly struck several vehicles before pulling into the drive-in. [More]

Illness Could Turn Little Girl to Stone

A 5-year-old English girl is battling a very rare illness that threatens to turn her body into a rock. [More]

Cooking school uses Viagra in dessert

A Colombian cooking school has concocted a "love dessert" made with passion fruit - and Viagra. [More]

'DJ AM' Goldstein estate sues for wrongful death

Court documents say the estate of Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein is suing several defendants for wrongful death. [More]

Friday, November 13

Balloon boy parents plead guilty

The Colorado parents accused of pulling a spectacular hoax by reporting their son was aboard a runaway balloon have pleaded guilty to charges that could bring some jail time and probation. [More]

Woman arrested after pretending to have cancer, using money from fundraiser for breast implants

Authorities say a Robinson woman told them she lied about having breast cancer and then spent $10,000 raised for her at a charitable benefit on breast implants in an attempt to save her failing marriage. [More]

Connecticut Doctor Accused of Inseminating Patient With Own Sperm

A Connecticut doctor is under fire after allegations surfaced that he substituted his own sperm for that of a patient's husband to conceive their twins. [More]

Update: NC principal leaves after cash-for-grades flap

A North Carolina principal is retiring after school district leaders halted a cash-for-grades fundraiser she approved. [More]

Cops Watched Ray Clark Scrub Floor Drain at Yale Murder Scene

Accused Yale murderer Ray Clark was seen by authorities moving a box of wipes to hide a blood spatter in the room where Yale lab tech Annie Le was killed, and he later got down on the floor in front of surprised investigators to scrub a drainage area with scouring pads. [More]

Arkansas evangelist gets 175 years for child sex

A federal judge on Friday sentenced Evangelist Tony Alamo to 175 years in prison for child sex crimes. [More]

Michael Jackson planned 'robot duplicate' of himself

Pop legend Michael Jackson intended to construct an eerily-lifelike robotic duplicate of himself, according to reports. Detailed three-dimensional scans of the deceased globo-celeb's body were made, and the super-accurate body maps are now said to be on sale for a million dollars. [More]

Bank employee goes to class reunion in Marine uniform, faces charges

Steven Douglas Burton was a member of the marching band at Alhambra High School, where he struggled to fit in and wasn't known for being athletic. So when he showed up at his 20-year reunion with a buzz cut and dressed in a crisp Marine Corps uniform, fellow members of the class of 1988 were more than a bit surprised. [More]

Drunken Pa. man drove tractor on beer run

Pennsylvania State Police say a man was drunk when he hopped on a lawn tractor and drove it to buy more beer. Police say 63-year-old Ford Earl Broome's blood-alcohol content was about double the state's legal limit for drivers. [More]

Friday the 13th phobia? You have plenty of company

Friday the 13th is a day when people rearrange travel plans, delay surgery or just pull up the covers and stay in bed until Friday the 13th turns into Saturday the 14th, convinced that even stepping out of the house would cause bad luck to find them the way an anvil finds Wile E. Coyote. [More]

Indiana Principal on Leave After He Allegedly Drove Drunk Wearing Dress

An Indiana elementary school principal was placed on leave from work after police say they stopped him driving home from a Halloween party drunk - and in a dress. [More]

Man charged over Cindy Crawford extortion bid

A German man has been charged with attempting to extort 100,000 dollars from Cindy Crawford over a photo showing the former supermodel's daughter gagged and bound to a chair, federal prosecutors said. [More]

Fort Hood suspect kept for staff goals?

The military psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood was part of a medical psychiatrist corps stretched to its limits, raising questions about whether the Army kept him on to meet personnel goals. [More]

Who Shot Hasan During the Ft. Hood Massacre?

It was a feel-good hero story that for several days gave Americans some comfort after the murder of 13 soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. But like so many war stories — including the infamous rescue of Private Jessica Lynch during the 2003 invasion of Iraq — the exact details are growing more murky by the day. [More]

Fort Hood shooter is paralyzed, lawyer says

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood Army Post in Texas a week ago, is paralyzed, his lawyer said Friday. [More]

Pa. couple soaked after allegedly trying to steal working copper pipes

Police said the couple had tried to steal copper pipes from a vacant apartment building, not realizing that water service was still turned on inside. [More]

Lawsuit: Trip over dog ruined sex life

A New York octogenarian claims in a lawsuit against a bar that his sex life was ruined by an injury suffered when he tripped over a dog at the establishment. [More]

WordThink - Word of the Day

Autonomous [au·ton·o·mous] adj.  1. Independent in mind or judgment; self-directed.  2. Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent: "an autonomous judiciary." [More]

Missing N.C. Girl Seen With Man at Hotel

A missing 5-year-old North Carolina girl was seen with a man at a hotel, but not the same person charged in her kidnapping, police said late Thursday. [More]

Skydiver Killed After Hitting Plane

A skydiver was killed Wednesday when he struck the airplane from which he had jumped. [More]

Prospective groom drops ring from hot air balloon

A young Ohio pastor didn’t lose his nerve about asking his girlfriend to marry him — even after he accidentally dropped the diamond engagement ring overboard during their hot-air balloon ride. [More]

Contestant dies 2 weeks after competing on ABC's 'Wipeout'

A contestant who was hospitalized after competing briefly on the game show "Wipeout" died two weeks later of a stroke apparently caused by a rare condition, his father said. [More]

Top White House lawyer to be pushed out

In the first major shakeup among President Obama's senior staff, White House Counsel Greg Craig is being pushed out in favor of veteran Democratic lawyer Bob Bauer because of a dispute over plans to close the U.S. military prison in Cuba, CNN has learned. [More]

Trump puzzled by Prejean's 'Larry King Live' stand-off

Donald Trump expressed shock at former Ms. California Carrie Prejean's attempt to end the interview with host Larry King during her appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live." [More]

Man distracted by bird drives Bugatti into marsh

A man blamed a low-flying pelican and a dropped cell phone for his veering his million-dollar sports car off a road and into a salt marsh near Galveston. [More]

Man gets life without parole in Arkansas TV anchor's murder

A jury sentenced an Arkansas man to life in prison without parole for killing a television anchor, officials said Thursday. [More]

Former Marine Beaten To Death

A former U.S. Marine was beaten to death on Monday in Victorville, California while installing cable. Trevor Neiman, 25, served in the Marines from 2003 to 2008. [More]

Burger King Sued for Selling Cheap Burger

Burger King, a popular food chain is being sued by franchise owners for selling its double cheese burger for $1. The complainants say they are losing at least 10 cents for every burger that they sell. [More]

$52 parking ticket becomes $1,010

A Seattle man says he is paying a $1,010 parking ticket from Baltimore because he can't afford to fight it in court. [More]

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