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Monday, July 31, 2006
· Mom tracks down toilet-tissue pranksters. Teenagers who toilet-papered and damaged a home now face felony vandalism charges because of a mother's extraordinary sleuthing. Katja Base, mother of six, was unwilling to let the teens get away with it, saying she tracked them down to teach her kids about accountability. 
· Motorists turning to nitrogen to save gas. Many motorists seeking to improve their mileage as gas prices soar this summer are examining everything — right down to the air in their tires. And for a growing number, plain old air isn’t good enough. Nitrogen has been used for years in the tires of race cars, large commercial trucks, aircraft and even the space shuttle. But it is finding its way into the mainstream at a growing number of tire dealers — including Costco Wholesale Corp.
· Scientist thinks invisibility possible in future. It's unlikely to occur by swallowing a pill or donning a special cloak, but invisibility could be possible in the not too distant future, according to Dr. Ulf Leonhardt, a theoretical physicist at St Andrews University. Invisibility is an optical illusion that the object or person is not there. Although the devices are still theoretical, Leonhardt said scientists are making advances in metamaterials - artificial materials with unusual properties that could be used to "bend light," thus making invisibility possible.
· Mass. Gov. Romney apologizes for "tar baby" remark. Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet.
· Churches Putting Town Out of Business. Stafford, Texas has 51 tax-exempt religious institutions and wants no more: 'Somebody's got to pay for police, fire and schools,' said the mayor. Nilda Martinez, who owns a flower shop between two churches, has had enough. "The churches, they're everywhere here," she said. "There are too many; the city should control it. It hurts the city when you don't have enough businesses paying taxes."
· Christina Aguilera tones down look. Unveiling her new 1940s-style "Blonde Bombshell" image, Christina Aguilera said she has had all but one of her peircings taken out. She has ditched her old style of sexy corsets and bumless chaps, which her grandmother told her made her look "like a whore", plus her tattoos and her piercings - in her right nipple, bottom lip, left nostril and a diamond sparkler between her legs.
· Mel Gibson: Malibu's Finest. Amid rumblings that Mel Gibson received preferential treatment from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, a public service announcement that Gibson taped on their behalf has surfaced. In the spot, Gibson, dressed in a sheriff's uniform, pulls over Scott Baio to thank him for supporting LASSO. He implores viewers, "Give back to those who give so much."
· Man Killed, Twin Sister Shot Over $11. A 22-year-old man in Orange County, Fla., was shot and killed Saturday and his twin sister was seriously injured in a robbery over $11, police said.
· Danny Glover Helps Union in Puerto Rico. Danny Glover helped launch a campaign to rally Puerto Rico's 2,100 hotel workers to join the local branch of a large U.S. labor union in a bid to gain better pay and benefits.
· First labor union formed at Chinese Wal-Mart store. The first labor union at a Wal-Mart store in China has been formed following a lobbying campaign by the country's official union group. Wal-Mart opened its first Chinese outlet in 1996 and says it has 28,000 employees in China.
· Photos reveal Hezbollah's strategy for attacks. The images, obtained exclusively by Australia's Sunday Herald Sun, show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons. Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with a cannon.
· Woman Dies During Liposuction at Home. A man was arrested on charges of practicing medicine without a license after a woman died during a liposuction procedure performed in the basement of a home, authorities said Monday.
· Lindsay Lohan's mommy comes to her defense. A studio executive was "way out of line" for scolding Lindsay Lohan for her absences from the set of her new movie, the teen actress' mother said. Dina Lohan acknowledged that Lindsay has been late to the set on occasion and that the production once had to be scheduled around her to accommodate her lateness. But she defended her daughter's most recent absence. "Lindsay was in 105 (degree weather) saying, 'Mommy, I feel sick; like I am going to faint.' She took herself to the hospital. She has asthma and in extreme cold or heat you can't breathe."
· Gibson Skated Twice Before. Mel Gibson had been stopped for reckless driving two other times in Malibu but he was allowed to leave without a ticket or arrest. TMZ has confirmed that approximately three years ago, Gibson was driving 74 miles per hour on Pacific Coast Highway, one mile from his house. The deputy was suspicious of Gibson's sobriety, but let him go. Approximately one year ago Gibson was stopped again, after driving 64 miles an hour on Pacific Coast Highway - where the speed limit is 45. The deputy decided to let him go without giving him a citation.
· Jews Upset Over Mel Gibson's Remarks To Officer. Jewish groups are fuming over what Mel Gibson admits were "despicable" remarks when he was arrested Friday in California for alleged drunken driving. Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said, "If that's what he said, even under intoxication, it clearly shows that Mel Gibson has a problem with Jews." Drunken or not, the words came from somewhere and one media consultant said, "It's a nuclear disaster for him."
· Finally, Twiggy looks her age. Sixties model Twiggy may have sparkled in her advertisements for Marks and Spencer, but even icons age when they reach 56 years old.
· 25 kidnapped from Baghdad cell phone shop. Gunmen wearing military fatigues on Monday kidnapped 25 employees and customers from a mobile phone store in the main shopping area of the capital, Baghdad, police said. The gun-wielding kidnappers barged into the shop around noon and bundled the staff and employees into 15 cars they had arrived in, said police Lt. Thair Mahmoud. The whole operation lasted 10 minutes, he said.
· Michael Moore says he gets lots of Republican hugs. Michael Moore - gadfly filmmaker, liberal activist and political lightning rod - says he finds himself being hugged by a lot of Republicans these days.
· Boy George to begin garbage detail. Boy George will perform his court-ordered community service by picking up trash on city streets in the August heat, a sanitation spokesman said.
· Hi-tech ink perfects egg boiling. The age-old argument over the best way to cook the perfect boiled egg could be a thing of the past thanks to a new hi-tech ink logo going on shells. After cooking begins, an invisible, temperature-sensitive thermochromic print appears in black to indicate when an egg is soft, medium or hard-boiled.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
· Fox News' discrimination suit near settlement. Fox News Channel is close to settling a sex discrimination suit filed by four former female employees. Sources said Fox will pay a nominal sum - less than $250,000 - to the four women involved, but admits no wrongdoing. The suit alleged that Fox marketing veep Joe Chillemi sexually harassed the women using such seemingly innocuous expressions as "useless as tits on a bull" and referred to the women in his promotions department as "Promo Girls."
· Willie: Dixie Chicks 'got a raw deal.' Willie Nelson says the Dixie Chicks "got a raw deal" from a disapproving public following their criticism of President Bush.
· Katie Couric has airline pilot delay flight. Katie Couric had fellow passengers aboard a New York-bound Delta jet on the warpath this week when, as their plane was about to taxi to the runway, she got out of her seat and begged the pilot to allow one of her late-arriving producers to board. "It was like, 'Who the hell does she think she is?' " fumed one passenger who observed Couric's diva-like antics. "If you or I attempted something like this, we'd be cooling our heels at Guantanamo."
· Lohan returns to 'Georgia Rule' set. After a highly publicized absence this week from the set of Morgan Creek's "Georgia Rule," Lindsay Lohan has returned to work. Lohan made up for her Wednesday absence by working Thursday, a day she was originally scheduled to be off. This is not a first for Morgan Creek's CEO. He also sent a similar letter to Sharon Stone in 1996. "It was not a nasty letter," James G. Robinson recalled. "It was, 'Come on, be a professional,'" referring to Stone's letter. "We're halfway through and there's no turning back. I wrote the letter; it was from me, not some damn attorney. She showed up. That's all I cared about."
· 'Miami Vice' takes $25.2M, sinks 'Pirates.' The "Miami Vice" speedboat overtook the "Pirates of the Caribbean" juggernaut to capture the top spot at the weekend box office. "Miami Vice" took in $25.2 million compared to $20.5 million for "Pirates."
· Man charged with setting girlfriend on fire. A man was charged early Saturday with an attack on his girlfriend that left her with second- and third-degree burns on her upper body.
· Illegals burying Arizona in garbage. Authorities estimate the 3.2 million-plus illegal immigrants caught by the Border Patrol have dropped nearly 25 million pounds of trash in the Southern Arizona desert. Cleanup crews have hauled out about 250,000 pounds of trash, but its piling up faster than it can be cleaned up.
· The skateboard that cost Amazon.com investors $4.5 billion. That's how much the online retailer's market capitalization has fallen since March 6, when a judge voided Amazon.com's distribution agreement with retailer Toys-R-Us.
· Fire Erupts on New James Bond Movie Set. A blaze erupted Sunday on the set of the latest James Bond movie west of London, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said. The fire broke out just before 11:30 a.m. at Pinewood Studios, where the new James Bond movie "Casino Royale" was filmed featuring actor Daniel Craig.
· New Orleans Cops Probe 6 Killings in 1 Day. Police were investigating six fatal shootings that occurred within 24 hours, the latest round of killings as the city struggles to rein in violence that has shadowed the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.
· Cuban oil renews embargo debate. America will pay a price for maintaining its 45-year trade ban with the communist nation - a strategic and economic price that will have negative repercussions for the United States in the decades to come. What has changed the equation? 4.6 billion to 9.3 billion barrels of crude oil.
· Man Sentenced To Life For 2002 Killing Of 1950s TV Actress. A man convicted of slaying former model and actress Barbara Jean Laney was sentenced Saturday to life in prison. Gary Michael Cloud, 49, was convicted in June of strangling, stabbing and beating Laney, 67, at her Bradenton condo in August 2002. The two were family friends, according to relatives. Prosecutors said Cloud robbed Laney, who acted in the 1950s TV western series "Sky King," because he wanted drug money.
· Mel Gibson's statement on his DUI arrest. The following is the complete text of Mel Gibson's statement regarding his arrest for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol: "After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person.
· Anderson, Kid Rock Marry in St. Tropez. She was once Pamela Anderson Lee. Now actress Pamela Anderson is Mrs. Kid Rock. The former "Baywatch" babe wed the rock star Saturday in St. Tropez, Anderson's spokeswoman, Ann Gurrola said. She said more details on the wedding would be available Monday.
· World's fastest man tested positive. Another American champion was hit with a shocking positive drug test Saturday — Olympic and world 100-meter titlist Justin Gatlin. Gatlin said he has been informed that he tested positive for testosterone or other prohibited steroids — the same violation that, only two days ago, threw Floyd Landis' victory in the Tour de France into question.
· Friedman rallies supporters at beer garden stop. Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman mixed gladhanding, wisecracks and suds Saturday at a sweaty informal meet-and-greet session with supporters at a Houston beer garden. "You know I have no political experience whatsoever," the 61-year-old entertainer and author-turned-candidate told a small but appreciative crowd packed in the cramped bar area of Hans' Village Bier and Vino Haus. "I'm too young for Medicare and too old for women to care."
· Suspect ticketed before Jewish center shootings. A man accused of killing one woman and wounding five others at a Jewish center Friday was ticketed for a minor traffic violation a half hour before the shootings, the Seattle police chief said Saturday. Three of the shooting survivors were in serious condition, according to Harborview Medical Center; the other two victims were in satisfactory condition, including a woman who is five months pregnant. Police said she was shot in the arm while covering her abdomen.
· Children Found In Home With 68 Pit Bulls. Two Kansas children are in protective custody after authorities found 68 pit bulls living in their home. Police said the children - an 11-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl - were found living in deplorable conditions. The dogs were living inside and in the back yard. Many of the dogs have scars and were probably used for fighting, authorities said.
· Artist Builds Vegas Sign With Cards, Dice. Take 500 decks of playing cards, 1,800 poker chips, 800 dice and more than a few tubes of Super Glue. Add an artist who likes to stack things and mix in some Vegas glitz. "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas," or at least welcome to a life-size replica of the famous sign made out cards, dice and poker chips.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
· Police: "Simple mistake" caused elderly driver to mow down Starbucks' customers. An 85-year-old man who drove a car onto a patio at a Starbucks coffee shop and injured 10 people - two of them critically - isn't likely to face charges, police said Saturday. "It sounds like it's just a simple mistake by an elderly man," said police Sgt. Richard Williams, adding he "seriously doubts" charges will be filed.
· Update: Mel Gibson apologizes for DUI arrest. Mel Gibson issued a lengthy statement Saturday apologizing for his drunk driving arrest and saying he has battled alcoholism throughout his life. Gibson also apologized for what he said were "despicable" statements he made to the deputies who arrested him early Friday morning on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
· Astronaut Chuck Brady kills himself. Astronaut Charles E. Brady has died of a self inflicted gunshot wound in the woods surrounding his home. He was 54. Brady was an Eagle Scout, an athlete, a doctor, a Blue Angel, and a space traveler. His space flight 10 years ago remains the longest such mission to date.
· Perry campaign to change "ass" check code. Texans who make mocking donations to Gov. Rick Perry's campaign no longer have to worry about how their canceled checks will be labeled. Perry's campaign said Friday it will likely stop using the code "ASS 06" - short for "A Small Supporter" - on the canceled checks of small-change contributors who donated mere pennies in protest of the governor's support for a new business tax.
· Silicon Valley Takes On Detroit. At a glittering Los Angeles party, an ambitious new car maker declared the electric car alive and well. He let a privileged few experience its power. The Tesla Roadster, which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds doesn't come from Detroit, but from high tech Silicon Valley. The company claims it runs on 1 cent per mile.
· Illegal Mexican who lied to get Border Patrol job sentenced. An illegal immigrant from Mexico who lied about his citizenship to become a U.S. Border Patrol agent and admitted to helping more than 100 illegal aliens to enter the country was sentenced Friday to five years in federal prison.
· Police spies chosen to lead war protest. Two Oakland police officers working undercover at an anti-war protest in May 2003 got themselves elected to leadership positions in an effort to influence the demonstration, documents released Thursday show.
· Sheriff charged with stealing $120,000. An Iowa sheriff was charged Friday with stealing $120,000 from bundles of cash seized when deputies stopped a suspicious vehicle in March. Sheriff Brian Gilbert, 43, was charged with felony theft and released from Polk County Jail in Des Moines after posting a $13,000 bond. Gilbert says he plans to continue serving as sheriff.
· Mel Gibson's Anti-Semitic Tirade - and Alleged Cover Up. Mel Gibson went on a rampage when he was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, hurling religious epithets, according to TMZ.com. TMZ obtained the initial police report that indicates the LA County Sheriff's department had doctored it to keep the real story under wraps. In the original report, Gibson allegedly told the deputy, "You mother f****r. I'm going to f*** you," adding 'I own Malibu.' The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews... The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?"
· Muslim man shoots six women at Seattle Jewish center. One woman was killed and five others were wounded, three critically, in a shooting at the Jewish Federation in downtown Seattle. Police have detained Naveed Afzal Haq who is a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent. All of the shooting victims - including the one killed - were women. The Seattle Times reports that one of the victims is described as 17 weeks pregnant.
· Connecticut priest leads life of luxury. A priest who resigned from a church in an affluent Connecticut community misspent up to $1.4 million in parishioner donations to lead a life of luxury. The Rev. Michael Jude Fay shopped at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, drove a Jaguar, attended a sports club, bought jewelry from Cartier, spent $130,000 for limo rides, stayed at hotels such as the Ritz Carlton, Hotel De Paris and the Four Seasons, and bought himself a luxury Florida condo, the auditors found.
· Police encounter another friendly fire incident over pit bull. A Hollywood, Florida police officer is recovering after one of his colleagues, who was aiming at three pit bulls, accidentally shot him while serving a search warrant. One dog was fatally shot, another was shot multiple times but survived and the third ran back into the house unharmed, police said. "It's tough to anticipate a charging pit bull - and in this case three of them." In the midst of the gunfire, a sergeant was struck in the shin area of his leg. A second officer was also injured when a bullet grazed his lower leg.
· Secret Service Agent Tasered Then Arrested. A Secret Service agent faces public intoxication and other charges after an incident at a Waco bar. Police say 30-year-old John Scott Lewis argued with a bar manager and became so unruly he had to be shocked with a stun gun to be arrested.
· Cities, schools cash in on naming rights. A growing number of cash-strapped U.S. cities and schools are making some quick cash by selling naming rights to just about everything. Names for donations are posted in parks, gyms, locker rooms, classrooms, even the principal's office, USA Today said. Kitchens at two high schools in Sheboygan, Wis., soon will be the Kohler Credit Union kitchens, thanks to a $45,000 donation.
· Durham D.A. Nifong Regrets Publicly Discussing Duke Lacrosse Rape Case. The district attorney prosecuting three Duke lacrosse players charged with rape acknowledged Friday that he erred by openly discussing some aspects of the investigation, but he urged voters not to judge him by one case alone.
· Officers accused of assaulting suspect to remain on force. Jackson Mayor Frank Melton said he will not fire three Jackson police officers caught on camera allegedly assaulting a handcuffed suspect. “I’m not going to ruin their careers for a thug,” Melton said.
· Mistrial Declared in Swallowed Cell Phone Assault Case. A judge declared a mistrial Friday after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case of a man accused of shoving a cell phone down his girlfriend's throat.
· Bottle rockets ruffle chicken's feathers. A man accused of shooting bottle rockets at another man in a chicken suit was arrested on Wednesday and charged with assault in the second degree and with discharging fireworks in the city limits.
· House Approves Minimum Wage Increase. Republicans muscled the first minimum wage increase in a decade through the House early Saturday after pairing it with a cut in inheritance taxes on multimillion-dollar estates. The GOP package would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour, phased in over the next three years, and would exempt $5 million of an individual's estate, and $10 million of a couple's, from estate taxes by 2015.
· Bogus Names Feared on New Jersey Sept. 11 Monument. A 100-foot-tall bronze sculpture evokes the twins towers that once soared from the Manhattan skyline across the Hudson River, but some question whether all the names etched into the base are of people who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks. The memorial lists 3,024 names, according to the artist's attorney. That's 45 more than the official list, which includes six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the 2,973 killed on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Friday, July 28, 2006
· Woman in doghouse over Jehovah's Witness sign. A British woman has been ordered by police to take down a sign on her garden gate which read "Our dogs are fed on Jehovah's Witnesses." Janet Grove, who owns a terrier puppy called Rabbit, insisted the sign was a gentle joke to discourage callers at her front door.
· Al Franken getting celebrity support. The list of contributors to comedian Al Franken's political action committee reads like a celebrity who's who: singer Barbra Streisand, writer-director Nora Ephron, actor-writer Larry David and actor Jimmy Smits. Franken, who hosts a radio show on the liberal Air America Radio network, is considering challenging Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., in 2008, and has so far raised $500,000 according to campaign finance reports.
· Woman killed by own car. A 26-year-old driver was run over and killed by her own car in suburban Chicago after she fell out an open door while backing up in the middle lane on Lake Cook Road. Police speculated she might have been backing up because she may have missed a turn.
· Canadian Mounties admit they're outgunned. Despite banning hanguns and the registration of all rifles, Canadian Mounties are being wounded and killed in increasing numbers, and yesterday said the force is simply "outgunned" by the bad guys. "They've got the big guns and they're not afraid to use them," said Const. Rip Mills. "So you go to a gunfight with a pistol and the bad guy has a rifle. What do you do with a pistol - duck and take cover."
· Self-proclaimed psychic gets probation for scam. A palm reader and self-proclaimed psychic has been put on probation for a year for trying to scam a Slidell business owner out of $5,000. Police said Lecia Urich told four customers that their enemies had put curses on them and offered to dispel the hexes for a total of $7,100, which she said she would bury in a church or cemetery.
· The Fortunate 50. Here's Sports Illustrated's list of the top 50 sports moneymakers. [Yes, Tiger still holds the top spot]
· Mel Gibson arrested for DUI. Actor and director Mel Gibson was arrested Friday in Malibu, and charged with driving under the influence, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office.
· Hollywood movie boss blasts Lohan. Lindsay Lohan's hard-partying antics and recent bout of "heat exhaustion" has left one Hollywood big shot steamed. In a blistering July 26 letter to the 20-year-old actress, James G. Robinson, who heads the L.A. firm producing Lohan's current movie, calls her recent erratic behavior "discourteous, irresponsible and unprofessional." Robinson notes that while Lohan's aides have chalked up her lateness and absences to illness, he is "well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so called 'exhaustion.'" Noting that Morgan Creek refuses to "accept bogus excuses for your behavior," Robinson warns Lohan that she will be held "personally accountable" for losses caused by her actions.
· Poisoned Pigeons Create Hazmat Incident. An attempt to control pigeons at a hospital escalated into a hazardous material incident as sick and dying birds falling from the sky forced a temporary shutdown of the emergency room. "Birds were coming down like dive bombers," said Fire Chief Robert Farstad.
· Chess prodigy death plunge mystery. A promising young woman British chess player taking part in a chess tournament in the Czech Republic has died after a mystery fall from her hotel room. Jessie Gilbert, 19, fell Wednesday from the eighth floor of her hotel amid conflicting reports that she could had been sleepwalking and had suffered from depression.
· U.S. beats Canada at toxic pollution cuts. A new report by the NAFTA environmental agency shows that the United States has been doing a better job than Canada in cutting toxic pollution.
· Canadian government shopping for stronger pot. Health Canada's five-year, $5.75-million contract with its current supplier of medicinal marijuana, Prairie Plant Systems, is winding down and the department is preparing to seek proposals from all potential dealers that can supply fresher and stronger marijuana.
· Sheehan's Crawford purchase involved elaborate ruse.
More details are now emerging on Cindy Sheehan's Crawford property purchase. Sheehan stated on her website that she had purchased five acres in Crawford, Texas, and County records indicate she is acquiring the property through a third party. Longtime Crawford resident Bobby D. Ramsey sold a little more than five acres to Gerald T. Fonseca, who told Ramsey that he was displaced by Hurricane Katrina last fall and wanted to build a home on the property. Fonseca turns out to be another war protester in Sheehan's group, and confirmed he never indicated to his new neighbors that the land would be transferred to Sheehan, but aded "that was always the plan." According to the Waco Tribune, Fonseca said the $52,500 used to pay for the property — a spread of rustic, wooded prairie with no houses — came from Sheehan and her Gold Star Families for Peace.
· 71-Year-Old Mauled To Death While Gardening. A 71-year-old woman died Thursday when she was attacked by a pit bull in Kansas City, Kan., officials said. Jimmie May McConnell was in her garden about 11:30 a.m. when the dog jumped the fence and attacked her. Firefighters had to hit the dog with an ax and a pole to get it off McConnell, officials said. Neighbors said McConnell was so badly injured they could hardly recognize her when she was pulled from the garden.
· Neighbors' complaints shut off air conditioning to poor. The low-income residents of the Pauline Downs Apartments are sweltering in silence so their neighbors in "The Club" luxury apartments can enjoy quiet nights. As an unrelenting heat wave grips most of the nation, a nonprofit agency in charge of hundreds of affordable housing units in Salt Lake City is shutting off the air conditioning at one of its sites from 8 p.m. until 11 a.m. daily.
· Do you have an annoying co-worker at your office? Every office often has at least one irritating office pest. Here's a list of the worst offenders.
· To serve and protect. Investigators say a woman called 911, saying a car had followed her home and was now sitting outside her house. Police responded and found Jason Nosal, 28, a fellow police officer passed out in his personal car in her driveway. Nosal was cited for misdemeanor DUI, and resigned from the police department.
· Deadbeat Pete's Shut for Not Paying Taxes. A Mexican restaurant named Deadbeat Pete's was closed Thursday by state revenue agents because its taxes have not been paid, officials said. The popular restaurant in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains mostly serves tourists passing along the town's main thoroughfare to the national park.
· Politics as usual: "Bite Me." Rep. Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Mississippi said Michael Brown is "an incompetent fool, and everyone in South Mississippi knows it." In response, "He said I didn't recognize the death and suffering that was going on," Brown said of Taylor. "For that little twerp to claim I didn't recognize death and suffering - he can just bite me, for all I care," Brown said.
· Norwegian May Do Hard Time for Cake-Toss. A student who last October threw a cake at Norway's new finance minister may face up to 15 years in prison for assaulting a government official, a state prosecutor said Friday.
· In case you missed it. "HeadOn: Apply directly to the forehead. HeadOn: Apply directly to the forehead. HeadOn: Apply directly to the forehead."
· Glut of unsold new homes across US hits record high. The glut of brand new unsold homes for sale across the United States hit a record high in June, a government report showed, as some economists warned of a worsening market in coming months. The government said the inventory of unsold new homes on the market rose 0.7 percent in June to a record 566,000, representing a 6.1-month supply of brand new homes at the June sales pace.
· Update: Publicist claims Hasselhoff was sick, not drunk. A spokesperson for David Hasselhoff denied a report Thursday that the former "Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" star had been turned away from a British Airways flight because he was drunk. Judy Katz, the actor's publicist, called the story by the tabloid Sun "totally untrue." Katz said Hasselhoff had not been drinking, but felt unwell after taking some medication for a recent arm injury and wasn't able to get on a flight Wednesday. The airline said only that a male passenger had been refused boarding after he was deemed unfit to travel.
· Montana Senator Blasts Firefighters. Sen. Conrad Burns confronted members of a Virginia firefighting team at an airport and told them they had done a "poor job" battling a southern Montana wildfire, according to a state official's report obtained Thursday.
· Scientist: Inject Sulfur into Air to Battle Global Warming. Injecting sulfur into the second atmospheric layer closest to Earth would reflect more sunlight back to space and offset greenhouse gas warming, according to Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen. Crutzen suggests carrying sulfur into the atmosphere via balloons and using artillery guns to release it, where the particles would stay for up to two years. The results could be seen in six months.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
· Officials Raid Texas Monastery. A bishop said he was troubled by seeing a boy dressed as a monk at a Central Texas monastery where five men have been accused of child sexual assault charges, but he was told the boy's presence was "our tradition." Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church Bishop Michael Jachimczyk said he visited the Christ of the Hills Monastery near Blanco once or twice a year in the 1990s and sometimes saw the boy roaming the grounds. "It was something that always bothered me," said Jachimczyk.
· Update: Landis found - tested positive for Tour De France. Floyd Landis' Tour de France victory was thrown into question Thursday when his team said he tested positive for high testosterone levels during stage 17, when the 30-year-old American champion began his stunning comeback with a gritty charge into the Alps.
· Station changes format from God to sex. KFYE-FM hasn't budged from the Fresno-area dial, but it's about as far as you can get from the Christian music, sermons and Bible stories it was broadcasting until about a week ago. Now it calls itself "Porn Radio" - "all sex radio, all the time," with a suggestion that people under 21 not listen.
· Student with no arms sues university. A man with no arms wheeled into the executive offices of the University of Houston today to serve officials with a lawsuit accusing them of failing to provide him someone to help him take notes. Gary Bradford, 42, of Baytown, who also suffers from rickets, watched from his wheelchair as his lawyer handed university General Counsel Dona Hamilton a copy of a lawsuit.
· Seattle stunned by 'bizarre' killings. A 3-year-old boy and his family are killed while the father serves in Iraq. A librarian and her daughter are found shot to death along a trail. Three young men are gunned down. The crimes left nine people dead in the past nine days.
· Scarlett Johansson Denies Diva-like Demands. Scarlett Johansson has denied claims that diva-like demands cost her the lead role in a big-budget revival of "The Sound of Music," a spokesman for the actress said Thursday. Lloyd Webber was quoted as saying Johansson's representatives "couldn't understand why she would want to appear in the West End for $18,500 a week when she could be earning $10 million for a movie." Webber added that he was also told that Johansson would need two assistants stationed backstage at all times, according to the report.
· Cindy Sheehan Buys Property in Crawford. War protester Cindy Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot down the street from President Bush's ranch in Crawford with some of the insurance money she received after her son was killed in Iraq.
· Tori Won't Inherit the Earth. In the history of poor little rich girls, Tori Spelling may be the poorest. At least that's the way her story is told in the new Us Weekly, which quotes sources as saying the daughter of Aaron Spelling will inherit just $800,000 of the TV legend's estimated $500 million fortune. "She was never banking on getting a lot of money," the "pal" tells the magazine. "[But] she thinks it's weird that an interior designer would get almost as much as her."
· Former Governor Criticized For Comments About Blacks, Hispanics. Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm (D), gave a speech in Vail stating that blacks and Hispanics should take responsibility for their "underperformance" and follow the example of Jewish and Japanese-Americans.
· Doctor Charged in Drive-By Shooting. A doctor at the University of Texas in Galveston has been charged in the drive-by shooting of a bicyclist, who was hit in the chest and shoulder and is now recovering at the same hospital where the physician works.
· Tour De France Winner Missing. Tour de France winner Floyd Landis failed to show up for a one-day race in Denmark today, a day after missing a scheduled event in the Netherlands.
· Money stolen from vending machine - in courthouse. Sheriff's officials say a man who began removing money from a vending machine outside a circuit courtroom in Casper, Wyoming "looked like he knew what he was doing" and didn't raise anyone's suspicions.
· Liquor license denied to prison inmate. Officials in Springfield, Vermont have denied a liquor license for a man who wanted to run a bar out of his “home.” Home, it turns out, is the state prison.
· 34 illegal immigrants rescued from tunnel. Nearly three dozen illegal immigrants spotted clinging to the sides of a flooded drainage tunnel in Arizona were rescued Thursday morning by U.S. Border Patrol agents and police, but at least two others are believed to have been swept away, officials said.
· Daytona Officer Reprimanded For Calling Prostitute 82 Times. A Daytona police officer has been reprimanded for associating with a prostitute and calling her 82 times over a three-month period. Officer Thomas Lopez said he called prostitute Tara Price to collect information from her for his cases.
· Hasselhoff Too Drunk to Fly. David Hasselhoff was turned away from a British Airways flight because he was drunk, a British newspaper reported Thursday. The former "Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" star was told he could not board the flight Wednesday from Heathrow Airport to Los Angeles.
» David Hasselhoff last Monday: `I don't drink anymore.' After press reports that an intoxicated Hasselhoff had to be removed from Wimbledon, Hasselhoff responsed: "The tabloids make so much stuff up," he says. "I was at Wimbledon, and they said I was escorted out drunk. ... Absolutely not. I don't drink anymore."
· Barney Fife Statue Toppled. Mayberry will have to find another way to honor its favorite deputy. The North Carolina man who commissioned a statue of Don Knotts in full-on Barney Fife mode to put in the town that served as inspiration for The Andy Griffith Show's Mayberry has ordered for the half-finished work be destroyed after one too many obstacles got in the project's way.
· $10,360,000,000. Exxon, the world's largest public oil company, saw net income for the second quarter climb 35 percent to $10.36 billion, a near-record profit for a publicly traded U.S. company.
· Pantless policewoman nabbed for DUI, using "training device." A Florida Police Academy DUI instructor was charged with drunken driving after she was clocked doing 90 mph and found to be lacking any pants. Officer Laurie Primeau also had an open bottle of Southern Comfort in her car when she was arrested, but her lawyer said the booze was merely a training device for cadets.
· Woman Accused of Stealing From Blind Boss. A woman is accused of stealing at least $14,000 from a blind attorney who hired her as assistant last year. Marissa Renee Wren, 24, of Medford was charged with theft and forgery and was scheduled to be arraigned this week.
· Lawyer group afraid of lawsuits. The nation's lawyers are coming to Hawaii, and some of them apparently have no fear of sharks - unless they're the kind that file lawsuits. About 40 lawyers have signed up so far for a surfing contest scheduled during the Aug. 3-8 American Bar Association annual meeting in Honolulu. But the ABA has pulled out of sponsoring the surfing competition, saying that the lawyers are afraid of being sued.
· Anderson, Kid Rock to wed numerous times. Pamela Anderson confirmed Wednesday she's ready to tie the knot with Kid Rock in France. And California. And Michigan. And Tennessee. Asked how she's coping with her nerves before the big event, she replied: "I have two words for you: champagne."
· Billionaire In Palm Beach Sex Scandal. Jeffrey Epstein, the billionaire financier, has been arrested for soliciting sex from a teenage masseuse at his Florida mansion. In a New York magazine profile of Epstein, Donald Trump called the moneyman a "terrific guy" who "likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
· 7-year-old memo gave Big Dig warning. Seven years before falling concrete crushed a motorist to death inside one of Boston's Big Dig tunnels, a safety officer warned that the bolts could not possibly hold the heavy ceiling panels, according to a bluntly worded memo that came to light Wednesday. John Keaveney wrote the memo in 1999 to one of his superiors at contractor Modern Continental Construction Co., saying he could not "comprehend how this structure can withhold the test of time." "Should any innocent State Worker or member of the Public be seriously injured or even worse killed as a result, I feel that this would be something that would reflect Mentally and Emotionally upon me, and all who are trying to construct a quality Project," he wrote.
· Former teacher pleads guilty to sex-with-student charge. A former San Diego history teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday to five criminal charges for having sex with a 16-year-old male student two years ago. Danielle Marie Walls, 27, faces a maximum prison sentence of 5½ years in prison.
· Losing Mexican candidate declares himself president. The leftist contesting Mexico's July 2 election on the grounds of vote-rigging declared himself president on Wednesday and said his supporters would step up a campaign of civil disobedience next week. "I am already president. I won the presidential election. I am president of Mexico," Lopez Obrador said.
· Howard Dean compares Katherine Harris to Stalin. Democrat leader Howard Dean called the Iraqi prime minister an "anti-Semite" during an address before party loyalists on Wednesday, drawing a swift rebuke from Republicans. The Democratic National Committee chairman also called Republican Senate candidate Katherine Harris a "crook" and compared her to Stalin.
· Woman involved in fatal DWI crash sought help. Eight days before she allegedly killed a priest while driving drunk, Karen Fisher contacted an East Hampton alcohol abuse treatment center for help but was told it was relocating and couldn't process any admissions. "Your name is on a waiting list," a substance counselor said.
· 'Girls Gone Wild' bus pins cyclist. A male cyclist may change his opinion of the video series "Girls Gone Wild" after a bus run by the nudity-driven enterprise hit him in Iowa City.
· Lindsay Lohan Overcome by Heat. Actress Lindsay Lohan was overcome by the heat on a movie set and required hospital treatment, her publicist said.
· Teen sues Spokane fire department, police. A $1 million claim for “wrongful conduct” was filed Friday against Spokane’s Fire and Police departments by attorneys representing the 16-year-old girl who now contends she was raped by an on-duty firefighter.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
· English-Only Bill Decried As Racist. Congress' standoff over immigration legislation flared into emotional rhetoric Wednesday over a House proposal to make English the nation's official language. Hispanic lawmaker Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, said that was "code for official discrimination." Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., said "If you are going to come to America then learn our language."
· Chicago City Council OKs 'living wage.' Brushing aside warnings from Wal-Mart and the Mayor, the City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday that makes Chicago the biggest city in the nation to require big-box retailers to pay workers at least $10 an hour in wages plus $3 in fringe benefits. As a result of the new ordinance, Wal-Mart, who already pays almost $11 an hour, will scratch plans to build in the poorer downtown area, and redirect their focus to suburban areas outside Chicago's city limits.
· Pam Anderson Grilled over Pate. The foie gras is flying. Pamela Anderson, who as a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activist has called out fur-wearers and fast-food giant KFC, now stands accused of peddling the "delicacy of despair." A PETA adversary says Anderson is a partner in a Hollywood restaurant called BlackSteel and "earning a second income with a menu that includes ham-hock ravioli, lamb chops, lobster tails, and the vegetarian sin-of-sins, foie gras." Pam Anderson is trying to have it both ways," Andrew Porter, spokesman for the Center of Consumer Freedom said. Anderson said, "I'm not really involved with it, I just gave Chef Jay $25,000 to help start it" but a BlackSteel press release describes Anderson as "a partner."
· Yates not guilty of murdering her kids. Andrea Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday in her second murder trial for the bathtub drownings of her five young children. Yates, 42, will now be committed to a state mental hospital, with periodic hearings before a judge to determine whether she should be released. An earlier jury had found her guilty of murder, but the verdict was overturned on appeal.
· Ohio court stops greedy city from seizing homes. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that a Cincinnati suburb cannot take private property by eminent domain for a $125 million project of offices, shops and restaurants, finding that economic development isn't a sufficient reason under the state constitution to justify taking homes.
· Teen Hides Dead Newborn In Entertainment Center. A 17-year-old Colorado girl is facing a first-degree murder charge, accused by police of hiding her newborn baby in an entertainment center. Police believe Cheyenne Corbett hid her pregnancy from her parents and delivered the baby in a shower early Sunday.
· Red-faced spellcheck firm corrects own spelling. A company that sells software to correct irritating Internet spelling mistakes has reissued its latest news release to correct a minor snafu. The company re-released its announcement to correct a mistake that listed the most common spelling errors on "the 16 million we (sic) pages it has spell checked over the past year."
· Baby Shiloh in wax. Sculptors at Madame Tussaud's are recreating Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's baby Shiloh in wax to join her parents' likenesses in the famous museum.
· Relative says New York philanthropist abused. Philanthropist Brooke Astor, the 104-year-old society queen who gave away nearly $200 million to New York charities, is now sleeping on a filthy couch in torn nightgowns while her son withholds money and proper medical care, her grandson charged in court papers.
· Music cartel strong arms Syracuse bar. Karaoke night sounded a sour note for a Syracuse bar that is being sued in federal court for using unlicensed songs. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) claimed that the bar violated copyright laws for a small portion of the songs it played. An ASCAP investigator said the bar allowed at least five songs to be played that it didn't have a license to use. In the lawsuit, ASCAP attorneys requested that the pub stop hosting karaoke nights and pay up to $30,000 for each violation.
· It's official: 'N Sync's Lance Bass Reveals He's Gay. Former 'N Sync member Lance Bass has revealed that he's gay. Bass said that he kept his sexuality under wraps during his 'N Sync days because he was afraid it would derail the band's success.
· New York councilwoman Finds Horse Head in Her Pool. A councilwoman found a severed horse's head in her swimming pool Tuesday, state police said. "We're looking at a threat as a possible angle," Lt. Pierce Gallagher said.
· Instead of building classes, school donates $1 million to zoo. At a time when Florida says Seminole County needs more money to build classrooms, the School Board has been dipping into its construction funds to give $1 million to the Central Florida Zoological Park. The money could have paid for six or seven new classrooms, which would reduce the crowding in several dozen classes.
· Woman sues Bacardi over flaming rum. A woman who says she was severely burned at a Miami night club four years ago is suing Bacardi, claiming the company's rum is dangerous and defective. The lawsuit says a bartender was pouring shots when a customer lit a menu on fire and placed it in the stream of alcohol. A bottle of Bacardi 151 that was being used to pour the shots turned into a flame thrower.
· MPAA finally sues the wrong guy. A wealthy american software developer is set to make a stand against the MPAA and it's controversial use of the legal sytem by going to court over it's claims that he downloaded a film from bittorrent.
· Woman Stole Money From Dying Man. Authorities are searching for a woman accused of stealing money from a 80-year-old man who was dying in a hospital at the time of the crimes.
· Reporter tracks down Karla Homolka. Karla Homolka has resurfaced.
The notorious sex killer has not been seen in public since last summer, when a Toronto Sun reporter found her working in a hardware store in Longueuil, Montreal.
· 84-Year-Old Beats Mugger With Cane. An elderly North Carolina man has shown that the cane can be mightier than the shotgun. Police say 84-year-old Robert Flynn used his cane to fight off a mugger.
· Web site reveals your inner celebrity twin. According to MyHeritage.com, everyone has a little celebrity inside. Largely meant for charting family trees, the Web site also boasts an addictive face recognition technology that blurs the boundary between the great unwashed and the thoroughly groomed.
· Three Men Convicted of First-Degree Murder in Xbox Slayings. Three men accused of orchestrating a revenge killing of six people over an Xbox video game were convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday.
· Sheriff Impersonated In New Scam. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a scam with a new twist that involves a man impersonating the sheriff to steal money from residents. The report featured Cocoa resident Ann Mumby who received a call telling her she won $350,000 in a lottery she did not remember playing. "It sounded awfully good to me until they told me I had to pay $1,200 duty tax on the money." They wanted me to tell Western Union that it was money I was sending to a relative in Canada."
· New bikini beeps to warn of sun dangers. As the bikini turns 60, it's entering the electronic age with a new model featuring a built-in alarm to warn wearers to get out of the sun - and ease concerns that the scanty swimsuits damage the health.
· '70s sex case is shocker. A popular teacher at the Roeper School in Birmingham is charged with child abuse, a felony, for having sex with a former student in the early 1970s when he taught in Baltimore, police said Tuesday.
· Hagman, O'Donnell to Appear on 'Nip/Tuck.' Larry Hagman, Brooke Shields and Rosie O'Donnell are among the celebrities set for guest roles on "Nip/Tuck" this season.
· Honda to Enter Aircraft Business With Small Jet. Honda Motor Co. announced plans Tuesday to start accepting sales orders this fall for the small jet it debuted last year. The company also said it has formed a business alliance with Piper Aircraft.
· Teen admits to Indiana highway shootings. A 17-year-old confessed Tuesday to committing a series of highway shootings that killed one man, wounded another and damaged at least four vehicles, authorities said. Zachariah Blanton was arrested earlier in the day and was jailed in Jackson County.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
· Many Americans too fat for X-rays, scans. More and more obese people are unable to get full medical care because they are either too big to fit into scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate, radiologists reported on Tuesday. With 64 percent of the U.S. population either overweight or obese, the problem is worsening.
· Update: Good news for homeless man that returned bonds. A homeless Detroit man who returned $20,738.88 in savings bonds he found in a dumpster to their rightful owner has been rewarded with additional cash and a job. After a meager $100 reward for turning in the bonds, another $4,000 have been pledged so far, along with a shopping spree at a men's clothing store and a lead on a job.
· Hezbollah Says Israeli Response a Surprise. A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrilla group did not expect Israel to react so strongly to its capture of two Israeli soldiers. Mahmoud Komati, deputy chief of Hezbollah's political arm said "The truth is we didn't even expect (this) response.... that Israel would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati. He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel to the July 12 cross-border raid, in which three Israelis were killed.
· Teenager Being Held as Suspect in Indiana Highway Shootings. A 17-year-old from Delaware County was being held Tuesday as a suspect in the weekend sniper shootings along two Indiana highways, a prosecutor said. Indiana State Police also recovered a rifle they believed was used in both shootings.
· Leading "Desperate Housewives" Character to Get Killed. We know Wisteria Lane is not safe. Several people have already died there, including Mary Alice in the first episode. Now the creator of "Desperate Housewives" tells TV Guide he's "building up to a huge hostage situation in a supermarket" for the upcoming third season. And, a leading character will be murdered.
· Stars of 'Crash' not getting paid well. The Oscar winning movie cost about $7.5 million to make and it took in $180 million world wide, so it would seem logical to think that the people who created and starred in the film would have to be making a lot of money, but that's not the case with "Crash."
· Teacher fired in tape incident to get $40,000. School officials will pay $40,000 to an elementary teacher wrongfully fired over a disciplinary incident in exchange for her leaving the district. The school board will pay Jennifer Silva who was fired for putting adhesive tape over some of her pupils' mouths to remind them to work quietly.
· No clowning around in threatened lawsuit. Happy the Clown is sad - and looking for a good attorney. A New York law firm is threatening to sue Happy and other clowns if they don't stop dressing as purple dinosaurs or red dogs in their shows at children's birthday parties. Those characters, the firm alleges, are too much like Barney and Clifford the Dog. Calls to the law firm and its "Costume Litigation Hotline" were not returned.
· San Francisco dictates more affordable housing from developers. Housing developers in San Francisco will be required to sell or rent more new units at below-market rates or pay higher fees to the city to comply with a new law expected to win approval from the Board of Supervisors today.
· Granny re-creates Crocodile Dundee scene to see off knife-wielding burglar. An 80-year-old woman said how she re-created a famous scene from the film Crocodile Dundee to tackle a knife-wielding burglar. Winifred Whelan woke up to find a man in a hooded coat standing over her bed brandishing a knife and demanding money. The terrified pensioner managed to run downstairs where she grabbed a 14-inch carving knife from the kitchen and shouted at the thug: "That's not a knife, this is a knife."
· George's 'wedding is off.' George Michael and his American lover Kenny Goss have called off their gay 'wedding' after the pop star was discovered having an illicit encounter with a stranger in a London park. The couple had been looking forward to an Elton John-style 'wedding' ceremony followed by a lavish party to mark their 10th anniversary. But plans for the nuptials have been called off after the singer was seen emerging from bushes following a sexual encounter with a pot-bellied, jobless van driver.
· Ken Jennings Blasts Jeopardy. All-time "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings has emerged from the "Where Are They Now?" shadows to bite the hand that fed him $2.5 million just a short time ago. He calls the show's categories "effete, left-coast c—- nobody's heard of" and even snipes at show host Alex Trebek. "I know, I know, the old folks love him," Jennings writes about Trebek. "Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000.
· Missing 5-Year-Old Found Dead In Neighbor's Home. A missing 5-year-old Utah girl has been found dead. Destiny Norton's parents said she disappeared from her front porch July 16. Her body was found Monday night in the basement of a neighbor man's home - about 150 feet behind the Norton's home. The neighbor, Craig Roger Gregerson, 20, who lived alone in the home, was arrested on suspicion of murder.
· Brinkley's Husband Says He Was Stupid. The estranged husband of Christie Brinkley has until now kept silent about recent reports that he had an affair with a teenage employee while married to the supermodel. Now his reportedly desperate apology is receiving a very public airing. "This is an aberration," Peter Cook said through a lawyer. "I'm sorry. I'm contrite. I'm stupid. Foolish. No excuse." Cook said he is hoping for a reconciliation with Brinkley.
· Farrell Stalking Case Goes Federal. Dessarae Bradford, who unexpectedly approached Farrell during a Tonight Show taping Thursday and left a copy of her self-published tell-all on Jay Leno's desk before being escorted out of the building, announced Monday that she had been trying to serve the 30-year-old Irishman with court papers.
· Snake Bites Man At Central Fla. Wal-Mart. A man was treated with anti-venin after he was bit by a snake in the garden department of a Central Florida Wal-Mart. Officials said a man was reaching into a plant Monday at a Wal-Mart in Sanford, Florida.
· Mayor's assault on sign goes national. Bogota, New Jersey Mayor Steve Lonegan has been a fixture on the national talk show circuit since he demanded two weeks ago that McDonald's replace a Spanish-language billboard in his town with an English version.
· Man Gets 8 Months for Taping Jackson. A private jet executive was sentenced yesterday to eight months in federal prison for secretly videotaping Michael Jackson as the pop star flew to Santa Barbara with his attorney to surrender in a child-molestation investigation.
· Wake-up call almost fatal. A man who crashed his car into a sleeping couple's bedroom allegedly cracked open a beer after freeing himself from his crumpled sedan and declared: "I'm going to jail for sure."
· Chicago passes new restrictive ordinances. If you're a cell phone-using, goose liver-eating, cigarette-smoking, fast food-loving person, Chicago might not be your kind of town.
· Fox News Calls Olbermann 'Over the Line.' Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes responded to Keith Olbermann's latest critical volley against Bill O'Reilly on Monday, saying the MSNBC host's behavior "is over the line." Ailes, appearing Monday at the summer meeting of the Television Critics Association, was referring to a weekend incident at the gathering in which Olbermann whipped out a mask of O'Reilly and gave a Nazi salute. "Clearly he has no viewers except those he gets when he attacks Fox News," Ailes said.
· PBS Kids' Show Host Fired for Video. The PBS Kids Sprout network has fired the host of "The Good Night Show" after learning she had appeared in videos called "Technical Virgin." The host, Melanie Martinez, had alerted network officials about one of the videos late last week and she was immediately taken off the air. "PBS Kids Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character's credibility with our audience," said Sandy Wax, network president.
· Doc's wife charged with helping his killer. The details read like a juicy romance novel: A wealthy physician is said by authorities to have been killed by the other man - a handsome, young lover who'd been in and out of trouble. The killing purportedly caps a highway robbery staged by the adulterous couple, who prosecutors say dreamed of getting their hands on the doctor's millions.
· Another ship on its side, crew start leaving. The crew of a cargo vessel listing virtually "on its side" off the coast of Alaska have begun to abandon ship, Coast Guard officials have said. The vessel is carrying 4,813 cars from Japan to Vancouver, Canada.
· Man arrested for firearms and explosives. Authorities stopped a man for parking in a handicapped space and later found him to be in possession of three guns and several explosive devices.
· NYC Private Eye Accused of Impersonation. The private investigator who was the inspiration for the fictional detective in Kinky Friedman's crime novels was charged Monday with intimidating a witness by impersonating an FBI agent. Steve Rombom denied the charge at his arraignment in Manhattan federal court and was released on his own recognizance. Rombom was arrested at a New York hotel Saturday as he was about to give a lecture at a computer hacking conference. The FBI handcuffed him and led him away in front of a stunned audience.
· Lubbock, Texas, plans to pray for rain. Public officials in Lubbock, Texas, are organizing a day to pray for rain. "Nobody is going to tell God what to do and what not to do, but we are in a serious drought in West Texas and since he is the man who controls the rain clouds, we're asking him for his mercy and his help," Mayor David Miller said.
· Drought-stricken Australia considers drinking recycled sewage. Residents of a drought-stricken Australian town will vote this week on whether they're prepared to drink water recycled from sewage - the first such scheme in the country and one of only a handful in the world.
· Oil-rich Kuwait gives citizens $690 each. The one million citizens of Kuwait, where government financial assets have topped $166 billion, are to receive a grant of $690 each, the government has announced.
· Dishwasher Accused of Killing Boss. A restaurant worker fatally stabbed his boss after she repeatedly reprimanded him for putting pans through the dishwasher, prosecutors said Monday.
· Jockey sorry for butting horse. Jockey Paul O'Neill has apologized for the headbutt on a horse which could see him punished by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority. O'Neill said: "I would like to say to the public that I'm very sorry they had to see such a thing. I've never done it before and it will never happen again."
· Killer Who Sparked 3-Strikes Law Survives Overdose. Death row inmate Richard Allen Davis, whose 1993 kidnap and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas led to California's three-strikes law, overdosed on opiates in his San Quentin Prison cell but was revived, officials said Monday.
· As Many as 540,000 New Yorkers at Risk for Identity Theft After Security Breach. The names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 540,000 injured workers have been lost, and the state and a contracted company are trying to protect the workers from identity theft.
· Hillary Clinton: 'It's the American dream, stupid.' New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible White House contender in 2008, said Monday the Bush administration had hurt working Americans, and Democrats must offer new ideas to strengthen the middle class. Clinton said President Bush and Republicans had "made a mess out of the country's finances." Rewriting her husband's famous 1992 campaign slogan, "It's the economy, stupid," she declared: "It's the American dream, stupid."
Monday, July 24, 2006
· Congressman Jokes About Cocaine on TV. Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler says he was just playing along with the joke when comedian Stephen Colbert prodded him in an interview to say: "I enjoy cocaine because it's a fun thing to do."
· Space, the final frontier for "Star Trek's" Scotty. The remains of actor James Doohan, who played the starship Enterprise's chief engineer "Scotty" on "Star Trek," will be blasted into space in October, the company organizing the flight said on Monday.
· Man Accidentally Drives Over Wife On The Beach. A woman was accidentally run over on the beach by her own husband late Monday morning. The accident happened in Daytona Beach Shores. Police said the man's vehicle got stuck in an area of soft sand on the beach. His wife got out to push the car when her husband put the vehicle in reverse, mistakenly running over her.
· Boston Woman Slain at Same Spot As Brother. On the fourth anniversary of her brother's slaying, a woman lighting candles at a makeshift shrine to him was gunned down, killed at about the same spot, on the same day and at nearly the same hour as her older sibling.
· Man Hits Elderly Woman With Car, Steals Her Purse. Police are searching in several neighborhoods off U.S. 192 Monday morning for a man who hit an elderly woman with his car, then got out and took her purse.
· Nobel peace prize winner to school children: 'I would love to kill George Bush.' Nobel peace laureate Betty Williams lashed out at President George W. Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren. "Right now, I would love to kill George Bush." Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.
· Long-awaited sunscreen approved for sale. Americans are now going to be allowed to buy a sunscreen that has been available elsewhere for quite a while. The Food and Drug Administration has put its seal of approval on a sunscreen that blocks the type of ultraviolet radiation linked to some cancers.
· AOL founder says he is 'sorry' for Time Warner merger. Steve Case, co-founder of the one-time biggest online service AOL, apologized for the company's merger with media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. in an interview with U.S. journalist Charlie Rose. The deal, known as one of the worst corporate mergers in history, destroyed some $200 billion in shareholder value.
· Judge Who Told Illegal Immigrant To Leave Court Is Dismissed. A judge who threatened deportation to Mexico for an illegal immigrant seeking a restraining order against her husband has been dropped from the roster of part-time judges used by the Los Angeles County Superior Court. During the hearing in Pomona, Judge Pro Tem Bruce R. Fink asked Aurora Gonzalez if she was an illegal immigrant. Gonzalez, who accused her husband of verbal abuse and threatening to report her to immigration authorities, acknowledged being in the country illegally.
· Strange Tax Exempt "School Supplies." Its tax free week in Florida and parents are packing the isles to buy what’s on the back to school list. The list includes aprons, bowling shoes and lingerie. The list might make parents of little ones too young for school happy. They’ll save seven percent on receiving blankets, bibs, diaper bags and diapers. And for the sportsman, fishing and hunting vests are included.
· Teen Uses Discovery Channel Tip To Escape Alligator Attack. A 16-year-old being dragged into a Florida lake by a large alligator used a tip he watched on the Discovery Channel to break free and likely save his life. "If he was every bitten by a shark, he (learned) to put his hand in its gills and if he was ever attacked by a gator, to take his thumb and poke his thumb all the way in his eye and the gator released him," mother Elisa Badger said.
· Miss Universe dons crown, collapses minutes later. Forty minutes into her reign as Miss Universe, Miss Puerto Rico Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza collapsed during a post-pageant news conference and was rushed offstage Sunday night.
· Boy, 3, Killed By Falling Mirror At Wal-Mart. A mirror at a store fell on a 3-year-old boy, killing him, officials said. Christopher Antonio was apparently playing near the 5-foot-tall floor-mounted mirror in the children's section of a Wal-Mart when it fell Saturday. The toddler was likely killed by the blunt force of the crash, said Marion County Sheriff's Lt. Michael DeHart.
· Protest meets Shriver's visit. Hundreds of people welcomed first lady Maria Shriver during a visit to the City Plaza on Friday before a rowdy group of protesters drove her out. Shriver came to encourage low-income families to use food stamps to buy healthy fruits and vegetables. But about a dozen Watsonville Brown Berets shouted "You're not welcome here" and "racist."
· American stem cell researchers heading to Singapore. For a serial kidnapper, Philip Yeo looks harmless enough. But to hear some people tell it, he's a dangerous man. Over the past six years, Yeo has been roaming the world, trailing talented scientists in Washington; San Diego; Palo Alto, Calif.; Edinburgh and elsewhere, and spiriting them back to his home country of Singapore. What distinguishes Yeo from other kidnappers, of course, is that his targets go willingly. They happily relocate to Singapore's new 2 million-sq.-ft. Biopolis research center, where they can concentrate on one thing they can't always study so easily back home: stem cells.
· Spanish interpreters in demand at clinics. Interpreters trained in medical terminology, especially those speaking Spanish, are in high demand as the country's population becomes more and more diverse, said Cindy Roat of the American Translators Association. The boom in Hispanic population has led to the Spanish demand, but there's short supply of speakers of other languages as well
· 40% of weight-loss surgeries develop complications. About 40% of patients who have weight-loss surgeries develop complications such as a hernia, abdominal cramping or pneumonia in the six months after the procedure, a study shows. Researchers say such complications often add thousands of dollars to patients' medical bills.
· Man Chokes Ex-Girlfriend Through Hole Punched In Windshield. A man in Orange County, Fla., was arrested after he allegedly punched a hole in the windshield of a sport utility vehicle and began to choke his ex-girlfriend as she sat in the vehicle.
· The Eagle has broken - first men on Moon used pen to fix lander. In a new documentary to be released, it was learned that Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr, his fellow astronaut, accidentally snapped off the switch of a circuit breaker, and found they could not take off without it. Aldrin then jammed a ballpoint pen into the hole where the switch had been, allowing the astronauts' lunar module Eagle to leave the surface of the Moon.
· An Emotional Tiger Woods Celebrates Third British Open Win. The emotions had been trapped in Tiger Woods since he stood at his father's grave two months ago, set loose only after he tapped in his final putt Sunday to win the British Open.
· Cell Phone Deflects Bullet. Police in New York said a cell phone may have saved a 25-year-old Brooklyn man's life. Rashawn Blake and two friends were shot at by a gunmen over the weekend. The two friends were hit and hospitalized. Both were in stable condition Sunday.
· 'Pirates' sequel rides wave of success. Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" remained the top movie for the third straight weekend, hauling in $35 million and lifting its total to $321.7 million after just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
· 3 NYC cops shot in friendly fire in pit bull incident. Three police officers were accidentally shot Sunday as one or more officers took aim at a pit bull attacking another officer, police said. With all the bullets flying, fortunately one of them finally hit the dog. The three officers remain hospitalized, but are in stable condition.
· What happens in Vegas, stays quarantined in Vegas. A section of the Las Vegas airport was closed for several hours after a flight arrived from Denver with 11 sick people on board, officials said Sunday. Passengers and crew members on United Airlines Flight 1491 were quarantined for several hours Saturday night at McCarran International Airport while the plane, passengers and luggage were checked by hazardous materials experts.
· Kansas Church Sues On Funeral Picket Law. A Kansas church group that protests at military funerals across the nation filed suit in federal court on Friday. The group claims a Missouri law banning such picketing infringes on religious freedom and free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City on behalf of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church. Members of the church show up at soldiers' funerals with anti-homosexual signs. The church and the Rev. Fred Phelps claim God is allowing soldiers, coal miners and others to be killed because the United States tolerates homosexuals.
· Flaming dog meat sets Chinese school on fire. A Chinese headmaster, who tried to buy off colleagues by cooking dog meat for them after secretly selling off trees around the school, ended up setting fire to classrooms when the meal burst into flames, a Chinese newspaper said on Friday. Ten classrooms containing televisions, computers, printers and textbooks burned down.
· IRS may cut lawyers who audit the rich. The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts of their fortunes to their children and others.
· 1996 allegations still painful for Richard Jewell. Richard Jewell's fortunes changed in a split second. The security guard was initially hailed as a hero for spotting a suspicious backpack in a park and moving people out of harm's way just before a bomb exploded during a concert at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Then the media called him a suspect and he became a public spectacle. As the 10th anniversary nears of the July 27 blast that killed one and injured 111 others, the episode is still fresh in Jewell's mind.
· "Black" budgets are loophole for shady politicians. An independent investigation has found that imprisoned former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham took advantage of secrecy and badgered congressional aides to help slip items into classified bills that would benefit him and his associates. Cunningham's case has put a stark spotlight on the oversight of classified — or "black" — budgets. Unlike legislation dealing with social and economic issues, intelligence bills and parts of defense bills are written in private, in the name of national security.
· State arbiter restores job for fired chemistry teacher. A teacher fired for dousing two students and a colleague with liquid nitrogen has been returned to his job by a state arbiter. Scott Griffis was accused of pouring liquid nitrogen, which has a temperature of minus-320 degrees Fahrenheit, on colleague Lois Schneider, and two 16-year-old students.
· Reports of big fortune a "huge lie" Salma Hayek says. "With things as they are in Mexico, it bothers me that they put me in a group of millionaires with $100 million I don't have when there are so many people dying of hunger," Salma Hayek said, pausing the interview in a brief panic to scoop a drowning rat out of her swimming pool.
· If one doesn't kill you, the other will. A successful cancer-fighting drug called Gleevac can lead to heart failure in some patients, according to researchers.
· Angry bank customer calls police, claims bank robbed him. A disgruntled man having problems with his checking account was arrested Saturday and accused of falsely reporting a bank robbery in progress, Reno police said. William McHaney, 57, told police he placed the call because he thought the bank was robbing him.
· Back By unpopular demand. Live 8 promoter Bob Geldof has been forced to cancel two concerts in Italy because of lack of public interest, after only 45 people turned up to see him perform in Milan's 12,000-capacity Arena Civica on Friday.
· Court bans lawyer ads containing misleading content. Lawyers who practice in New Jersey should stop advertising their inclusion as "Super Lawyers" in an annual magazine supplement or their listings in a "Best Lawyers in America" directory because such designations could be potentially misleading, a New Jersey Supreme Court committee has determined.
· Florida teacher convicted of having sex with student. A 25-year-old former Escambia County teacher was convicted of having sex with an underage student at a private school where she taught before working at the public Escambia High School.
· Sons kill man after he kills their mom. A Brooklyn woman was shot to death Friday night by her live-in boyfriend, who was then immediately attacked and killed by the woman's two sons, police said.
· For turning 50, Hanks takes buds to ballparks. Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Dennis Miller turned a two-hour rain delay during a Reds-New York Mets game into a media event. Cincinnati was the third stop on their hush-hush ballparks tour. Hanks, who turned 50 on July 9, decided to visit seven ballparks as a birthday present to himself. “Tom is so influential that he’s arranged a St. Louis Browns game,” Miller joked, referring to the defunct team.
· Police detonate package sent to golf legend Nelson. A package sent to the home of golf legend Byron Nelson was detonated by a bomb squad after his wife and police believed the parcel looked suspicious. The contents turned out to include golf banners and a letter, Roanoke Fire Department Chief Mike Duncan said. Nelson, 94, won five majors in his career had one of the greatest years in golf history when he won 18 tournaments in 1945.
· Anti-Israel rally underway in New York. Among the controversial signs carried by members of the "Islamic Thinkers Society" in New York last week: "Allah will destroy the terrorist state of Israel" and "God will send a mushroom cloud from the sky on Israel."
· Family Vows to Battle Anna Nicole Smith. A month after the death of E. Pierce Marshall, who feuded for years with Anna Nicole Smith over his father's oil fortune, his family says they are more committed than ever in their legal battle against the former Playboy playmate. "Nothing has changed from the family's standpoint as to how this case should end up and we will handle it as Pierce did, in his honor," the family told The Dallas Morning News.
· Pentagon garage sale offers shoulder-fired missile launcher accessories to the public. Undercover U.S. government investigators purchased sensitive surplus military equipment such as launcher mounts for shoulder-fired missiles and guided-missile radar test sets from a Defence Department contractor. Much of the equipment could be useful to terrorists, said a report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
· Horse Race Cut Short By Gate Left on Track. A Nebraska horse race was cut short because the starting gate was still on the track. The horses pulled out of the gate and started down the Omaha track, but the gate didn't move out of the way. As the horses came around the final turn, the gate caused a backup as they tried to jockey around it.
· Illegal Workers Arrested on Air Force Base. Twenty-five illegal immigrants employed as contract workers at this Air Force base were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
· Women too late to sue over stolen embryos. A group of women anguished over having their eggs and embryos stolen and placed in other women were told by a judge it is too late to sue. Orange County Superior Court Judge Stephen J. Sundvold on Friday dismissed eight lawsuits sparked by the University of California Irvine fertility clinic scandal of the 1990s, saying the cases should have been filed within three years of myriad newspaper articles that began appearing in 1995.
· Kansas Police Find Two Starving Girls in Parents' Basement. Two emaciated girls who told police they ate only when their father wasn't traveling on business, were hospitalized Friday after police found them in an advanced state of starvation.
· Partially Paralyzed Woman Pursues Dancing Dream. Briana Walker's routine for the Laker Girls squad tryouts Saturday included the energy and rhythm expected from a performance dance team. But Walker, who is partially paralyzed, performed her routine from a wheelchair.
· Kim Jong Il shacking up with his secretary. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has been living with his former secretary, who is virtually acting as the communist nation's ``first lady,'' South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Sunday.
· Colorado Man Convicted of Trying to Have Ex-Wife, Girlfriend Killed. A jury convicted a man of trying to persuade his girlfriend to kill his ex-wife, then trying to hire a hit man from behind bars to kill both. Stuart Shader, 35, was found guilty Friday of three counts of soliciting to commit first-degree murder and two counts of attempting to commit murder.
· NBC wants to keep Leno for other projects. Contrary to popular perception, NBC is not putting Jay Leno out to pasture. "Jay is a workhorse," said NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly. "He is tireless." Conan O'Brien will inherit the stewardship of the network's vaunted "Tonight Show," now hosted by Leno, in 2009.
· Latinos poised for pivotal role in U.S. elections. Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country, accounting for more than 14 percent of the population and about half the annual growth. But about four in 10 adult Hispanics are not citizens, which means they are ineligible to vote.
· Unique bottle of tequila sold for $225,000. Forget the salt and lime, you'll need a mint to enjoy this tequila. Producer Tequila Ley .925 announced Saturday that it has sold a bottle of Mexico's best-known beverage in a gold and platinum casing for a whopping $225,000.
· N.H., Iowa could have company on caucus calendar. Nevada and South Carolina will likely join Iowa and New Hampshire as kickoff states for the Democratic presidential nominating process in 2008 after a panel voted to recommend the measure to the party's national committee Saturday.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
· Jury acquits man of 'handshake' assaults. A jury acquitted a man who had been charged with assault after authorities said an assistant prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff got sick after shaking hands with him.
· Homeless man finds $21,000 in bonds, gets $100 reward. A homeless man searching for returnable bottles in a trash bin found 31 U.S. savings bonds worth nearly $21,000 in a bag of clothes. "What a good Samaritan," said Neil Lehto, who picked up the bonds and left behind a $100 reward.
· Disgraced former Spokane mayor dies. Former Mayor James E. West, recalled from office over an Internet sex scandal, died at a Seattle hospital Saturday. He was 55.
· Plane Rented for Marriage Proposal Crashes. A plane that was chartered to help a man propose to his girlfriend crashed, injuring the Georgia couple and the pilot, authorities said. Relatives holding a sign with "Erica, will you marry me?" painted on it watched from the ground as the Cessna 127, circling low over the airport, stalled and then crashed into the ground Friday evening.
· Grounded teen killed family before going to prom. A jury convicted a man Friday of killing his father, stepmother and two stepsisters 17 years ago inside their church parsonage home so he could attend some high school prom events. The jury found Jeffrey Pelley, now 34, guilty on four counts of murder.
· New York taxes lap dances in strip clubs. Richard Snowden is fed up with New York's taxes, and is moving to a more business-friendly environment. He says New York wants him to pay $216,000 in sales taxes on private lap dances provided by the nearly nude performers in his Rick's Tally-Ho gentleman's club.
· Judge Rules in Jordan's Favor in Paternity Payment Battle With Ex-Lover. A judge ruled Friday for Michael Jordan in a legal battle between the former NBA star and a woman who claimed Jordan reneged on a promise to pay her $5 million in hush money when she claimed she was pregnant with his child. Judge Stuart E. Palmer ruled in Cook County Circuit Court that any alleged agreement between Jordan and Karla Knafel would be invalid, pointing to definitive tests that showed Jordan is not the child's father.
· Diana coroner quits over pressure. The inquest into Princess Diana's death is likely to be delayed after the royal coroner quit, blaming the work load of his main job as the coroner for the county of Surrey in southern England, newspapers said on Saturday.
· Man acquitted of molestation after judge accepts doughnut. A man has been found not guilty of child molestation at his second trial. The verdict from his first trial was overturned because the judge had improper contacts with the jurors, which included accepting a doughnut from one of them. The jury originally convicted James DeGroff of molesting the 6-year-old girl.
· Congress to spend $750 million to promote marriage. For the next five years, Congress is setting aside up to $100 million a year to promote marriage and $50 million a year to produce committed fathers.
· Sorkin quickly rues 'crack' TV metaphor. Aaron Sorkin, the acclaimed wordsmith behind "The West Wing" and the upcoming "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," was left wishing Friday he could reclaim one public remark. "I do think television is a terribly influential part of this country and when things that are very mean-spirited and voyeuristic go on TV, I think it's bad crack in the schoolyard," Sorkin told a meeting of the Television Critics Assoc. He paused briefly, then asked: "Why did I use that word?" In 2001, Sorkin was arrested at a Southern California airport and charged with possession of cocaine, mushrooms and marijuana.
· Religion prof arrested on sex charges. A minister who chairs the religious studies department at a private university was arrested in an Internet child-sex sting, state authorities said. David B. Eller, 61, was arrested Thursday and charged with unlawful contact with a minor and criminal use of a computer, both felonies, the state Attorney General's Office said.
· Charlie Sheen Feeling Worthy. Apparently, Charlie Sheen takes career advice from Friends. The Two and a Half Men star, who recently earned his first Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, is seeking a hefty pay hike to the tune of a million dollars per episode, or $24 million a year, the Los Angeles Times reports.
· Former 'Ally McBeal' star returns to TV. Calista Flockhart says it's time to get back to work. The former "Ally McBeal" star, who has spent the last five years at home with boyfriend Harrison Ford and her 5-year-old adopted son, returns to TV this fall as a right-wing radio host turned pundit in the new drama "Brothers & Sisters." The show, which co-stars Sally Field and Rachel Griffiths, debuts Sept. 24 on ABC.
· Stamos to join cast of 'ER' this fall. John Stamos will become a regular on "ER" this fall, when Sally Field, Andre Braugher and John Mahoney will make guest appearances during the NBC medical drama's 13th season.
· Update: Teen loses fight to use alternative cancer treatment. A judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family's attorney said.
· Virginia firm offers spacewalks for $35 million. A private Virginia firm that already has sent three super-rich men to the international space station for $20 million each announced Friday it would offer an even rarer adventure: A stroll outside the space station for an extra $15 million.
· Couple Sells Penny for $660,000. Denis Loring and Donna Levin bought the 1792 copper penny at auction last year for $437,000. They sold it in May for $660,000. The coin originally was owned by descendants of Oliver Wolcott, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Connecticut's governor in the 1790's.
· Zippo fanatics gather in small Pa. town. Derrick Stainton can't stop talking about his old flames. He's got more than 1,000 of them at home in Scotland. "My daughter thinks I'm crazy," the 54-year-old welder said. The objects of his affection: Zippo lighters, 1,056 of them to be exact. And he's not alone in his hobby. Thousands of fellow fans, dealers and curiosity-seekers are gathering this weekend here to celebrate the shiny, rectangular windproof lighters that flick open with a distinctive clicking sound. "So simple. So basic. The design is so nice," Stainton said. "I eat, sleep and drink Zippos."
Friday, July 21, 2006
· Tyra Banks' show shut down by union demands. A behind-the-cameras battle is emerging on the set of Tyra Banks' hit reality show America's Next Top Model. A dozen writers and producers for the model search competition walked off the job Thursday and staged an hour-long protest outside the show's Los Angeles offices. They vowed to walk out again if the executive producers do not agree to their demand for union representation.
· Man in chicken suit cries foul over abuse. To Steven Turnage, it was bad enough to dress up in a chicken suit and stand along a city street in 105-degree heat. Having passers-by shoot bottle rockets at him has him crying foul. "People don't take this costume seriously," said Turnage, who wears the suit to promote a restaurant.
· Teacher under fire for his Cheney-9/11 theory. More than 60 state lawmakers are urging the University of Wisconsin-Madison to fire an instructor who has argued that the U.S. government orchestrated the September 11 terrorist attacks.
· "Heaven Can Wait" star Jack Warden dies at 85. Oscar-nominated character actor Jack Warden, best known for starring alongside Warren Beatty in "Shampoo" and "Heaven Can Wait," has died.
· Driver's license fees to go up. Applying for a drivers' license is expected to skyrocket once federal standardizing laws go into effect. In Texas, a license could jump to more than $100 from the current $24 when the federal government begins requiring states to issue uniform drivers' licenses in 2008.
· Minister Won't Be Tried On Sex Charges. The state attorney's office decided Friday not to pursue trial against a church leader accused of multiple counts of sexual battery involving a congregation member. Jesse French, a 43-year-old Cocoa resident who leads Solid Life Ministries in Rockledge, was accused in late June of as many as 25 counts of sexual misconduct. After a careful review, we decided the case could not successfully be prosecuted beyond a reasonable doubt," said Julia Lynch, assistant state attorney.
· Creator of the Philly Cheesesteak Dies. Harry Olivieri, who with his brother Pat was credited with inventing the Philly cheesesteak in 1933, had died. He was 90. Despite a heart condition, Olivieri had showed up at Pat's King of Steaks almost every day until about three years ago.
· Congresswoman refuses to return cash. U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said Thursday she will keep the money she received from former Rep. Tom DeLay's fundraising committee even though the organization has been fined for campaign finance violations and is shutting down.
· Famous Paint Sniffer Arrested Again. The West Virginia man whose spray-painted face became a national icon synonymous with paint huffing has been arrested once again. Patrick Eugene Tribett, 42, was arrested last week on charges of being a fugitive from justice, public intoxication and carrying a concealed weapon.
· Driver Goes 2 Miles With Dead Woman On Car. The body of a pedestrian killed early Friday was carried on the roof of a car for more than two miles before the driver, apparently impaired by drugs or alcohol, was pulled over by police, authorities said.
· W.R. Grace lawyers don't want victims to testify. Allowing people with lung disease caused by asbestos exposure to testify in the case against W.R. Grace & Co. would risk "extraordinary prejudice" to jurors, defense attornies argued Thursday.
· Judge says 'no ashes' in courtroom. A white plush teddy bear containing the ashes of a slain little girl will be sequestered during her father's murder trial. Judge Timothy Kenny ruled that Lori Lemons cannot bring the bear with the remains of her 2 1/2-month-old daughter NaKita into the courtroom where her husband, Milton Lee Lemons, 32, faces first-degree murder charges.
· 8 Grocery Store Employees Stabbed In Tennessee. Police said a grocery store employee in Tennessee stabbed eight co-workers with large kitchen knives Friday morning, critically injuring four before a witness tackled him. By the time he was apprehended, six women and two men were bleeding from stab wounds.
· World’s Fastest Car. The 1005hp Barabus TKR is now the world’s fastest car — rocketing from 0-60 in just 1.67-seconds with a top speed of 270mph. Price tag? Only $500,000.
· Same-sex marriage pioneers separate. The lesbian couple whose lawsuit led to legal same-sex marriage in Massachusetts have announced they have separated. "Julie and Hillary Goodridge are amicably living apart," Mary Breslauer, a local political consultant, said Thursday night on their behalf. Breslauer declined to comment on how long they had been separated or whether the couple planned to divorce.
· Nissan Pulls Raunchy Ad in New Zealand. Japanese carmaker Nissan said Friday it has pulled a raunchy commercial starring "Sex and the City" actress Kim Cattrall from New Zealand television after complaints over its content. "Why didn't you tell me it was so big, I just wasn't prepared for it?" she gushes in the ad. "The all-new Nissan Tiida makes you feel really, really, really good inside."
· Think 100 degrees is hot in Tulsa? Temperatures soared past the century mark again Thursday. Many Tulsans say they've never seen anything like it. That may be true, but they just weren't born early enough. The hottest that Tulsa "ever" got was 70 years ago, back in 1936, when the temperature hit 115 degrees. It also saw 26 days in a row where it was above 100.
· Tens of Thousands in New York Without Power for Fifth Day. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers were still without power Friday, the fifth day of a mysterious electrical problem that has been blamed for subway delays, flight cancellations and dead air conditioners during the hottest week of the year. Power company Con Edison estimates 25,000 customers are affected.
· Hard At Work? The power problems had New York's Mayor Bloomberg promising swift action by Con-Ed. He said they're doing all they can, but CBS 2 caught Con Edison workers on video, sleeping and reading newspapers.
· Dad Breathes Air Into Son Trapped Underwater For 7 Minutes. A 14-year-old who was sucked to the bottom of a hotel hot tub and kept under water for at least seven minutes was likely saved by air his father breathed into his mouth during the ordeal. Aljuwon Pipkin, who was visiting Walt Disney World from New Jersey, became stuck at the bottom of the hot tub last Thursday at the Radisson Parkway Hotel. Officials said a grate at the bottom of the tub apparently broke and created a strong suction that pulled the teen underwater.
· Cynthia McKinney Missing In Action. Rep. Cynthia McKinney was a no-show this week in the U.S. House, as WSB Washington Correspondent Jamie Dupree reports that the Georgia Democrat missed all four days of legislative business and all 19 votes on the House floor as well. Her absence also affected an attempted override vote of President Bush's veto of a bill dealing with embryonic stem cell research.
· Fred and Barney pushing smokes in 1961. Apparently the Flintstones was meant to be an early 1960s adult cartoon and not for kids, thus the advertising for Winston cigarettes. [video]
· 72-Year-Old Leads Police On 2-County Chase. A 72-year-old Lake County, Fla., woman was arrested on drunken driving charges after leading police on a two-county chase.
· Colin Farrell confronted by woman on "Tonight Show." Irish actor Colin Farrell was confronted by a woman who leapt up from the audience as he was taping an episode of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on NBC in Los Angeles, a police spokesman said on Friday. When it became clear that her intentions were less than friendly, the woman was hustled away by the show's security staff. Quoting an audience member, the woman shouted at Farrell, "I'll see you in court," and Farrell replied, "You're insane."
· Man Dies After Saving Wife In Ocean. A 52-year-old man died Thursday after he lost consciousness in the water after saving his wife from rough ocean waters along St. Augustine Beach.
· 5-Year-Old Tells Neighbor 'Mommy Is Dead.' Police in Philadelphia may have a 5-year-old murder witness. A youngster who picked up the phone when a neighbor called Wednesday night told her, "Mommy is on the chair dead." The neighbor called police when she was unable to get into the house, and investigators found 25-year-old Tiffany Bond dead on the couch. She had been stabbed in the chest.
· Paintballers told to target their own cars. A judge ordered two paintball shooters to take aim at their own cars in order to stay out of jail. Joshua Breeding, 20, and 19-year-old Christopher Lyons were found guilty on Thursday of splattering up another man's vehicle with paintballs in May. They each got a sentence of 60 days in jail. Municipal Court Judge Michael Cicconetti gave them the option of shooting their own cars with paintballs and then cleaning up the mess - or go to jail.
· Man impersonates road kill to get car help. A driver stranded on a remote stretch of Australian highway Wednesday tried to summon help by playing dead in the middle of the road, a police officer said. A woman who was driving with her two children spotted the man and had to swerve to avoid hitting him. Local police arrived with an ambulance and found the man alive and well, but with car troubles.
· No food for Richie. Nicole Richie, 24, was browsing through the clothes at the Los Angeles boutique Kitson when she fell to the floor, according to Life & Style magazine. An onlooker says, "She was looking through a rack of clothes when she suddenly fainted and hit the floor. The staff helped her to a chair and offered her something to eat. She shot back, 'No!' and mumbled something about it being 'so hot.'"
· Spanish firm claims it can make oil from plankton. A Spanish company claimed on Thursday to have developed a method of breeding plankton and turning the marine plants into oil, providing a potentially inexhaustible source of clean fuel.
· Some men have their priorities. Romie L. Days III who expects to be sentenced to five years in prison next week was on his way to pay his lawyer when he stopped for a quickie with a woman he thought was a prostitute, according to Syracuse Police.
· Motorized scooters for the disabled are finding a lucrative new market: People just sick of walking. On a recent afternoon at Walt Disney World, Dennis Robles was cruising around on an electric "mobility scooter" that the park usually rents out to people with disabilities. Mr. Robles doesn't have a problem walking - he says he was simply saving up energy for late-night dancing. "I'm pretty healthy," says the 37-year-old truck driver from Brooklyn, N.Y. "Just lazy, I guess."
· Internet baby gear hits nerve with Damon. A Red Sox fan angry that Johnny Damon defected to the New York Yankees has fought off an attempt by his high-powered agent to stop her from selling baby bibs with a very grown-up insult. Tucked among the "I Love My Mommy" bibs and "Pregnant Princess" maternity clothes, Ann Sylvia also offers bibs and onesies adorned with the ballpark epithet "Damon Sucks."
· Fugitive Child-Rape Suspect Found Working at Tennessee Carnival. A video-game store worker who fled authorities while he awaited trial on child rape charges was returned to Nashville Thursday. Jeremy Duffer, 35, of Nashville, was captured Wednesday night while working at a traveling carnival. Duffer has been missing since February after he cut off an electronic monitoring device while he was awaiting trial on charges of child rape and aggravated sexual battery involving a boy who was 12 years old at the time.
· Naomi Campbell Was Reportedly Detained. Naomi Campbell was detained after allegedly causing a disturbance outside a former boyfriend's home, a British newspaper reported Friday. Police were called after Campbell, 36, arrived at the house in the early hours of July 10 seeking the return of some belongings. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a 36-year-old woman had been detained for breach of the peace after "reports of a woman causing a disturbance" in London's Belgravia district.
· Daniel Craig to Return for 2nd Bond Movie. The new James Bond hasn't even had his first martini yet and he's already got another job. The producers behind "Casino Royale," this fall's return to action for agent 007, said Thursday that new star Daniel Craig will reprise the role in a second Bond flick due out May 2, 2008.
· Police: 'Band-Aid Bandit' Captured. A 50-year-old man believed to be a serial Florida bank robber known as the "Band-Aid Bandit" was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI agents Thursday. More than $500,000 in cash was stolen from the banks. Authorities believe that Rondon used a Band-Aid to apparently cover up a mole on his face.
· Prosecutors Seek to Deter Gay Panic Defenses for Violent Crimes. Prosecutors said they want to limit the use of "gay panic" defenses — where defendants claim their crimes were justified because of fear or anger over their victims' sexual orientation.
· Doggie hotel opens. Washingtonians can now drop their pooches off at a pet hotel that cares for their friendly canines in a five-star environment - pet-themed television shows optional.
· Superman, Wonder Woman Coming To Mailbox Near You. From Superman to Wonder Woman, the Postal Service is paying homage to America's most beloved cartoon heroes with new postage stamps released Thursday. The new 39-cent stamps and 24-cent postal cards include tributes to Batman, Supergirl and a half-dozen lesser known heroes like Hawkman and the Green Arrow.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
· Ex-Teacher Gets 'Confinement' For Sex With Student. A former junior high school teacher who had sex with a 15-year-old boy, has been sentenced to three months of "home confinement." Brandy Yates, 30, pleaded no contest to third-degree attempted forcible sexual abuse with the teen.
· Woodpecker halts project. A federal judge halted a $320 million irrigation project Thursday for fear it could disturb the habitat of a woodpecker that may or may not be extinct.
· Julia Roberts pumps up alternative fuel. Dallas-based Earth Biofuels announced that Julia Roberts will become a spokeswoman for the company and chair its new advisory board. "It's very important that we expand our use of clean energy and make a long-term commitment to it. Biodiesel and ethanol are better for the environment and for the air we breathe," Roberts said.
· Board Recommends Ex-Adult Film Actress Not Be Hired. An attorney for the McCracken County school board says a recommendation has been made that a former science teacher who appeared in an adult film not be re-hired. Tericka Dye was suspended with pay in April after the surfacing of an 11-year-old adult film in which she appeared.
· Ice Chunk Falls From Sky Into Teen's Bedroom. It may seem far fetched but an Illinois teenager thought the sky was falling when he woke up Wednesday morning to a loud bang. Jeremy Lindstedt found a basketball-sized chunk of ice on the floor and a hole in the roof just a few feet from his bed. The FAA says the ice came from a commercial airliner flying at high altitude.
· Man Sues Over Sperm Bank Hidden Camera. Claiming that he found a video camera hidden in the ceiling of a sperm bank's "donation room," a Los Angeles man is suing the firm for negligence and emotional distress. Ken Rigberg, 27, charges that he discovered the pinhole camera during a visit to Pasadena's Pacific Reproductive Services.
· Family beats would-be thief trying to rob father. Craig Mack approached Mateo Perez in his yard as the man returned home from an exhausting 12-hour day at work. Perez called out for his family, who rushed from the house to help. Perez's wife beat on the man as his 13-year-old daughter hit him with a chair and his ten-year-old son whipped the attacker with a stick. Perez continued to wrestle the man on the ground. Authorities arrived and found a bloodied and bruised Mack lying face down in the back yard, his legs bound by jump-rope. Perez was sitting on top of him.
· Schwarzenegger OKs Stem Cell Research Loan. A day after President George W. Bush vetoed expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday authorized a $150 million loan to fund California's stem cell institute, which has been stalled by lawsuits.
· Report Finds Drug Errors Hurt 1.5 Million. More than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices, a count that doesn't even estimate patients' own medication mix-ups, says a report that calls for major steps to increase patient safety. Perhaps the most stunning finding of the report was that, on average, a hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day.
· Power Outage Sends Guard to St. Louis. The governor sent in the National Guard to evacuate people from their sweltering homes Thursday after storms knocked out power to nearly half a million St. Louis-area households and businesses in the middle of a searing 100-degree heat wave that has killed at least 17 people across the country.
· Vegas City Council bans feeding the homeless. The Las Vegas City Council has taken its most aggressive action yet as it tries to clean up the homeless problem. They've passed an ordinance that forbids people from feeding the homeless in public parks.
· New Suit Filed in Janklow Case. The family of a motorcyclist killed when former Rep. Bill Janklow ran a stop sign has filed a new $25 million wrongful death suit against the U.S. government.
· Lawsuit: Starbucks Coffee Was Too Hot. Starbucks may pride itself on serving its coffee hot, but a woman from Chicago has filed a lawsuit saying her drink was too hot. The lawsuit claimed Carrie Hernandez suffered suffered "severe and permanent injuries" from the coffee spill, the suit says, which have caused her "great pain and suffering, both physical and mental."
· Connecticut Chef Arrested in Beating Over Cold Canapes. The executive chef at Stew Leonard's was arrested after police said he beat a fellow chef at a private party because her appetizers were cold. George Llorens, 60, turned himself in, and was charged with third-degree assault and released on $10,000 bond.
· Convicted crack dealer: 'Feels good to make lots of money.' Self-confessed crack dealer Eric Coughlin acknowledged to a judge that selling drugs can hurt people, but added "At the time, I felt good because I had lots of money."
· Spanish PM in scarf scandal. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has come under criticism for posing with a Palestinian scarf on his shoulders after accusing Israel of using force "abusively" to defend itself, press reports said on Thursday.
· Update: Barry Bonds won't be indicted today. Federal prosecutors said they would not seek an indictment Thursday against Barry Bonds, but that a grand jury investigating the baseball star for perjury and tax evasion charges would continue its work.
· Blind man tries unsuccessfully to balance fried chicken and a pistol. A blind man accidentally shot and killed his wife while trying to balance a plate of fried chicken and a 38-caliber pistol, authorities said.
· Student Set Dorm Fire To Meet Women. A student at the University of Central Florida is accused of setting a fire on campus as a way to meet women. Police said Matthew Damsky admitted to lighting a couch on fire at the Academic Village Dorms last week. Damsky told officers he hoped he would be able to meet women as the building was being evacuated.
· Michigan teen fails driver test. A 16-year-old boy taking his driving test hit four vehicles, then rolled over before going airborne and crashing into a fifth car that was pushed through the front window of a rug store. The teen and other drivers were treated at a hospital after the crash. The driver's license examiner, Gregory Desmet, 59, was hospitalized overnight with a broken arm. "Based on what Mr. Desmet told us, it appears the driver may have suffered some kind of seizure," Dearborn police Sgt. Doug Topolski said.
Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney, and activist Medea Benjamin share a laugh at McKinney's primary gala.
· Machine Vote-Flipping Claimed in McKinney Primary. "You’ve got electronic voting machines. They pushed the button for Cynthia McKinney and Hank Johnson came up," says Karen Fitzpatrick, who has been monitoring elections for US Rep. McKinney’s re-election campaign. To show their support for Cynthia McKinney during her primary election, Cindy Sheehan and activist Medea Benjamin attended McKinney's primary gala.
· Backlash emerges against Latino culture. People are realizing how much illegal immigration is costing them... they watched the May 1 demonstrations, and they are mad," says former Colorado governor Richard Lamm. In a 2002 study, illegal immigrants living in the US used $2,700 worth of government services per person more than they paid in taxes.
· Autopsy of Enron's Lay shows severe artery blockage. Enron's founder Kenneth Lay had severely clogged arteries when he died in Colorado earlier this month. The autopsy showed that three of Lay's arteries were 90 percent blocked. Lay had awoken at about 1 a.m. on July 5 at the rented vacation home in Old Snowmass, Colorado, and spoke to his wife, Linda, before going into the bathroom. He was found dead on the bathroom floor.
· Porn star's fundraiser far from typical political event. Republican gubernatorial candidate Melody Damayo couldn't decide what karaoke song to sing. "Oh, I know - 'She Bangs! She Bangs!' " the former adult film star said, laughing. "Just kidding." Damayo, also known by her stage name, Mimi Miyagi, says her run for Nevada's top office is not a stunt or a joke, but the consequence of a passion for politics.
· Kate Hudson wins 'skinny' lawsuit. Actress Kate Hudson accepted libel damages on Thursday from a magazine that printed a photo making her look too skinny, alongside an article that said her movie star mother Goldie Hawn wanted her to eat more.
· Top Stars Donate to Sen. Hillary Clinton. If Hollywood has a "Da Vinci Code," Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has cracked it. Top stars such as Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson donated to the New York senator in recent months, generating the kind of cash usually associated with a major box office opening — or a potential presidential bid in 2008.
· Haley Joel Osment in car crash. Actor Haley Joel Osment was hospitalized early Thursday after he apparently lost control of his car while heading to his Los Angeles-area home, authorities said. Osment, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as a boy who could see dead people in "The Sixth Sense," was driving a 1995 Saturn about 1 a.m. when the car collided with a brick pillar and flipped.
· Biel Charity-Auction Date Raises $30,000. A date with Esquire's "The Sexiest Woman Alive" and "7th Heaven" star Jessica Biel raised $30,000 to help a teenager who lost her leg in a prom night limousine accident.
· Plymouth politician arrested in Web sex sting. A newly elected Plymouth city manager was arraigned on charges of soliciting sex from minors on the Internet after he was arrested along with 10 other people in a far-reaching sting operation. Sean Dodgson, 45, later told investigators that he knew he was talking to undercover officers and that he was just conducting his own investigation to see how a police sting works.
· Famous Geneticist Guilty of Molestation. A renowned geneticist was convicted Wednesday of molesting a colleague's daughter, starting at age 10 when the girl took martial arts classes at his home. William French Anderson, 69, is widely credited as the "father of gene therapy."
· MySpace Served Spyware to more than 1 million users. An online banner advertisement that ran on MySpace.com and other sites over the past week used a Windows security flaw to infect more than a million users with spyware when people merely browsed the sites with unpatched versions of Windows.
· Producer Jon Peters wants ex-wife evicted. It's been nearly 20 years since former Sony Pictures chief and "Superman Returns" producer Jon Peters split with ex-wife Christine Forsyth Peters. He now feels it's time for her to leave the Bel-Air mansion where he says she's been living rent-free since 1993.
· 3-Year-Old Locked In Room for Month as Punishment for Swearing. A man and his girlfriend were arrested after his 3-year-old son was found locked in a room with a broken arm as punishment for swearing, authorities said. The boy and seven other children in their apartment were taken into state custody.
· A few choice words in parting. Nobody wanted to read Fred Clark's obituary when he wrote it last December. Now, after his death on June 18th, it's a big online hit. A few lines from his obituary: He had a life long love affair with bacon, butter, cigars and bourbon. You always knew what Fred was thinking much to the dismay of his friends and family. His sons said of Fred, "he was often wrong, but never in doubt." He was deprived of his final wish which was to be run over by a beer truck on the way to the liquor store.
· Barry Bonds faces indictment today. Baseball superstar Barry Bonds could face a criminal indictment on Thursday on charges he lied to a federal grand jury about steroids, his lawyer said in an interview on Wednesday.
· Yahoo drop erased about $10.4 billion in shareholder wealth. Yahoo's stock price plunged by nearly 22 percent Wednesday, marking its largest one-day drop ever after the Internet powerhouse postponed a pivotal change to the advertising formula that propels its profits.
· Bush's Veto of Stem Cell Research Risky. After waiting 5 1/2 years to make good on a veto threat, President Bush used his first to underscore his politically risky stand against federal funding for the embryonic stem cell research that most Americans support. The veto puts some Republicans in the uncomfortable position of having to chose between the wishes of their conservative backers who consider embryonic stem cells to be early human life and those in greater numbers who want to use the cells for research that could one day save lives.
· Probe: Black Chicago suspects tortured. Chicago police beat, kicked, shocked or otherwise tortured scores of black suspects in the 1970s and 1980s to try to extract confessions from them, prosecutors reported Wednesday. However, the prosecutors — appointed by a Cook County judge four years ago to look into torture allegations — said that the cases are too old or too weak to prosecute anyone now.
· Serial killer chats up victims, police say. A suspected serial killer striking in the Phoenix area often contacts victims just before he attacks, a police spokesman said Wednesday.
· Police Say Rap Song Sparked Deadly Shooting. Dallas police are blaming a profanity laced rap song for inciting a fight that eventually led to bloodshed. ‘Put Yo' Hood Up’, by Lil John and the Eastside Boyz, tells the listener to get up in the face of those from a different gang than they are.
· Poker players sue WPT over use of likeness, name. Seven professional poker players filed an antitrust lawsuit Wednesday against the operator of the World Poker Tour over the use of their likeness and their access to play in televised tournaments.
· Cruise ship leaned less than NTSB first thought. Federal investigators were examining a recently launched cruise ship Wednesday to try to determine why the 951-foot vessel rolled to its side at sea. The Crown Princess rolled 15 degrees to its right Tuesday afternoon. This is significantly less than the 38 degrees that the National Transportation Safety Board estimated yesterday.
· Jellyfish slow nuke plant. A mass of jellyfish forced a Japanese nuclear power plant to slow part of its output this week after the slimy creatures blocked up the plant's seawater cooling system.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
· 2nd Woman Claims Cook Seduced Her at 19. A second woman has come forward to claim she had an affair with Peter Cook when she was 19, but before his marriage to Christie Brinkley. Samantha Cole, now 29, said that Cook proposed marriage to her in a last-ditch bid to win her back after she broke up with him in 1996. She refused, and Cook became engaged to the supermodel a month later.
· Wife Of Slain Pastor Tricked In Nigerian E-Mail Scam. A woman accused of shooting her preacher husband to death after they argued over money may have been taken in by a swindle known as an advance-fee fraud, or "Nigerian scam," that strained their finances and their marriage. Bogus checks totaling almost $20,000 from Nigeria and Canada were deposited by Mary Winkler before she shot her husband in the back with a 12-gauge shotgun as he slept.
· Daniel Baldwin Injured in L.A. Car Crash. Daniel Baldwin was hospitalized Wednesday after his speeding car crashed into two vehicles parked on a Los Angeles street, police said. Police saw Baldwin's car weaving in and out of traffic shortly before 1 p.m. today, driving at about 80 mph in a 35mph zone.
· Jury acquits country singer McCready. Mindy McCready was found not guilty Wednesday of driving under the influence in May 2005. But a jury found her guilty on the charge of driving on a suspended license.
· House Debates Pledge of Allegiance Bill. House debate on a bill to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from legal challenges because of the "under God" phrase erupted in heated rhetoric Wednesday with lawmakers from both parties using religious references to support their side.
· Yates latest excuse. Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the bathtub because she thought she had ruined them so much that one would grow up to be a serial killer and another would become a mute gay prostitute, a forensic psychiatrist testified Wednesday.
· Boy, 5, Takes Off in Grandma's SUV. A 5-year-old boy hopped behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle and drove it several blocks looking for his mother following an argument with his grandmother, authorities said.
· Tax On Orange Growers Raised 19 Percent To Pay For Advertising. Citrus officials raised taxes on orange farmers by 19 percent Wednesday, hoping to support a more aggressive marketing campaign to halt decreasing juice consumption.
· Project to protect airliners in doubt. "Any two-bit terrorist can buy a shoulder-fired missile for $5,000 and fire it tomorrow at a plane," says Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., an authority on the issue in Congress. "More than 750,000 of these (missiles) are proliferating around the world in the hands of 27 separate terrorist organizations, and we're still studying the complexity of the problem."
· Ship Was 5 Degrees From Flipping. The Crown Princess cruise ship tilted 38 degrees during a steering malfunction near Port Canaveral - which was reportedly five degrees from flipping over and sending 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew into the sea.
· Texas Man Catches Fish With Human-Like Teeth. A fish caught in Lubbock, Texas, with teeth that look like they belong to a human has baffled wildlife officials in the area. The rare fish may be a pacu, which originated in South America.
· WRKO suspends show host after homosexual slur. Boston radio station WRKO suspended talk-show host John DePetro yesterday for using a slur for homosexual in reference to Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello. After uttering the slur, DePetro added: ``I don't mean gay [slur]. I mean like he's a sissy boy. He's a little sissy boy."
· Judge Overturns Wal-Mart Health Care Law. A federal judge on Wednesday overturned a Maryland law that would have required Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to spend more on employee health care, arguing the retail giant "faces threatened injury" from the law's spending requirement.
· ABC Dropping 'Tonight' From World News. On July 19 ABC will officially change the name of World News Tonight to World News With Charles Gibson.
· Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Bill. As expected, President Bush cast the first veto of his 5 1/2-year presidency Wednesday, rejecting legislation to ease limits on federal funding for research on stem cells obtained from embryos.
· Ark. gov. to pardon Keith Richards' ticket. The state of Arkansas is prepared to pardon Keith Richards for being a reckless driver, 31 years later. Richards was arrested July 5, 1975, as he, bandmate Ron Wood, a security guard and a fan traveled from Memphis, Tenn., to Dallas.
· County OKs Reality TV Shows With Deputies. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and cadets will be allowed to take part in two proposed reality television shows. Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who had expressed reservations about the projects, warned that he didn't want the shows to interfere with the deputies' work. "No Dick, Tom or Harry can come in there and get in the way," Yaroslavsky said. "Either a detective is out there trying to solve a crime, or he's trying to look pretty for a reality show."
· Airline Putting Ads On Barf Bags. It's enough to make you sick - barf bags with ads. U.S. Airways will start selling advertising on its air-sickness bags. Airline spokesman Phil Gee said the company is looking for new ways to counter rising jet fuel and labor costs.
· Thief Tries To Buy Gas With Stolen Police Fuel Card. A customer tried to pay for gasoline with a fleet fuel card stolen from a police officer in Charlotte, police said Tuesday night.
· Elderly woman runs over elderly man - three times. An 84-year-old woman backing up her car ran over and killed an 87-year-old tenant who was sitting in a lawn chair in a grassy area at the base of her driveway Tuesday morning. Iola DeSanto did not know Milton Katz was there, said Gerry DeSanto, her daughter. She backed over him, and then while horrified witness yelled for her to stop, she ran over him a second time, then a third.
· Jaclyn Smith, queen of merchandising. Before Jennifer Lopez began hawking frocks and perfume, before Sean "Diddy" Combs and his Sean John threads, before Kathy Ireland led the charge into supermodel merchandising, there was Jaclyn Smith.
· Owens Signs Bill Banning Child Brides. Gov. Bill Owens signed a measure banning child brides on Tuesday, ending an uproar over a court ruling that 12-year-old girls could enter common-law marriages in Colorado.
· Customer subdues robber with applesauce. A customer at a city grocery tackled an armed robber and beat him with a can of applesauce when he refused to drop his gun, police said.
· Sports-Betting Operation Shuts Web Site. An offshore sports-betting operation targeted by U.S. prosecutors shut down its Web site Tuesday night, a day after a federal judge ordered the company to stop letting Americans place wagers.
· Unknown artist has huge following. Dennis Hwang may be the most famous unknown artist in the world - his work doesn't hang in galleries or museums, but hundreds of millions of people have seen it. The 28-year-old webmaster designs the whimsical logos that decorate Google.com's website.
· DHS wasted funds on dog booties, beer. The Homeland Security Department wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars last year on iPods, dog booties, beer-making equipment and designer jackets, congressional investigators have concluded. More than 100 laptop computers and a dozen boats also bought by Homeland Security employees are missing, the investigators found.
· Unpaid Taxes Could Be Bonds' Downfall. The easy money Barry Bonds made by aggressively selling his name, likeness and sports equipment through his Web site and brief autograph sessions in hotel conference rooms could prove to be the embattled slugger's legal undoing. A federal grand jury is probing whether he paid taxes on some of that fortune, and key government witnesses include a scorned business partner and a jilted lover who profited from the name "Barry Bonds." He also is being investigated for allegedly lying to another federal grand jury about his steroid use.
· What's up with this photo? Reuters: Athlete Kathy Brennan of Washington, D.C., helps to apply tanner to another contestant before the Physique competition during Gay Games VII in Evanston, Illinois. 
· San Francisco OKs Universal Health Plan. San Francisco moved closer Tuesday to becoming the nation's first city to provide health care coverage for all its residents. The city's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan that would give adults access to medical services regardless of immigration or employment status. The plan's estimated cost is $200 million a year.
· United States to Israel: you have one more week to blast Hizbullah. The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources. US strategy in allowing Israel this freedom for a limited period has several objectives, one of which is delivering a slap to Iran and Syria, who Washington claims are directing Hizbullah and Hamas militants from behind the scenes.
· U.S. family: Get us out of Lebanon. The Esseily family was winding up a vacation in Lebanon when the airstrikes began. A week later, they're still looking for a way to get back to California.
· Newspaper Revolt Angers Calif. Community. Mass resignations, rallies and charges and countercharges of newsroom meddling and biased coverage have rocked the Santa Barbara News-Press. The reason they gave: Owner and co-publisher Wendy McCaw was telling them what to print and what not to. McCaw shot back with a front-page note to readers saying those who quit were upset they could no longer inject their personal opinions into the newspaper's coverage. The tumult is the talk of this sunny Pacific playground where Oprah Winfrey, Michael Douglas and others from the rich-and-famous set have multimillion-dollar homes.
· CinemaNow to Sell Movie Downloads. CinemaNow Inc. will begin selling mainstream movies for download that can be transferred to DVD and watched on standalone players, marking a first for Hollywood films bought and distributed over the Internet. The online movie provider's "Burn to DVD" service was to debut Wednesday with more than 100 movies available, including "Scent of a Woman,""About a Boy,""Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Barbershop."
· Faulty Thermostat Causes Homeowner's Power Bills To Skyrocket. A man in Central Florida discovered that a newly purchased thermostat was faulty after several major spikes in his power bills. When he was unable to collect compensation for the faulty product, he called the Problem Solvers.
· Meth still No. 1 drug problem, study finds. Meth abuse continues to fuel an increase in crimes like robbery and assault, straining the workload of local police forces despite a drop in the number of meth lab seizures, according to a survey released Tuesday. Nearly half of county law enforcement officials consider methamphetamine their primary drug problem, more than cocaine, marijuana and heroin combined, the survey of the National Association of Counties found.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
· Man Accused of Blinding Wife With Carrot. A 46-year-old man is accused of assaulting his wife with a carrot, causing her to lose sight in one eye. Roderick Vecsey is charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
· Lesbian Couple Files Malpractice Suit. A lesbian couple filed a medical malpractice lawsuit Tuesday claiming cancer treatments damaged their sexual relationship. Their attorneys said it is the first lawsuit of its kind under Connecticut's new law allowing civil unions for gay couples.
· Iran's Hizbollah says ready to attack US, Israel. Iran's Hizbollah said on Tuesday it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. "We have 2,000 volunteers who have registered since last year," said Iranian Hizbollah's spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli. "They have been trained and they can become fully armed. We are ready to dispatch them to every corner of the world to jeopardise Israel and America's interests. We are only waiting for the Supreme Leader's green light to take action. If America wants to ignite World War Three ... we welcome it," he said.
· Why motorcycle riders should always wear a helmet. A clip of various motorcycle riders having a little "fun." [Video]
· Family Dog Saves Toddler Playing On Rooftop. A Philadelphia family's dog is being called a hero after sounding the alert when he saw their toddler playing on the roof. As the child’s parents slept Sunday night, two-year-old Philip Redman Jr. crawled out of bed and on to the roof of the family’s home with Alfie, their dog, in tow.
· Pamela Anderson, Kid Rock to Tie the Knot. Next week, Pamela Anderson will make an honest man out of Kid Rock. The couple, now vacationing in St. Tropez, France, will marry July 29 on a yacht near the glamorous hotspot, Us Weekly magazine reported. Anderson confirmed the good news in an entry in her online diary: "It's been a whirlwind ... spontaneous but well thought through."
· The youger woman in the Cook-Christy Brinkley scandal. An interview with Peter Cook's lust interest - 19-year-old Diana Bianchi. [video]
· As stocks sank after attacks, some companies rushed to issue options. On Sept. 21, 2001, rescuers dug through the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center. Across town, families buried two firefighters found a week earlier. And boards of directors of scores of American companies were also busy. They handed out millions of bargain-priced stock options to their top executives.
· Woman Killed By Pet Wolves. A woman has been killed by her pet hybrid wolves that she kept in a pen in her back yard. The county coroner said 50-year-old Sandra Piovesan was alive when she was attacked and she bled to death. Piovesan was found mauled Wednesday morning inside the pen. The canines were part wolf and part dog.
· States stepping up to tackle immigration laws. State lawmakers are offering more than 500 bills this year targeting state-mandated services, illegal aliens and the employers who hire them, responding to a growing chorus of public opinion nationwide calling for stricter enforcement of immigration laws. Lawmakers have focused on constituency concerns regarding an estimated 10 million to 12 million illegal aliens now in the country, resulting in rising costs for education and medical care, higher crime rates and exploitation by employers.
· 79-year-old man trashes girlfriend's carport with golf cart. Edmund Gaston, 79, is facing a felony rap for allegedly using his golf cart to destroy his girlfriend's carport. According to a Lady Lake Police Department arrest affidavit, Gaston backed his "Club Car" golf cart into a support pole before driving forward and knocking down an entire wall of the structure, causing approximately $2000 in damage.
· McCready takes stand in her DUI trial. Country singer Mindy McCready testified Tuesday that she thought police were pulling her over to "give her a hard time" — not because they thought she was driving under the influence. She said she used to live in the area where she was stopped and knew some of the officers well. "Way back when — when I used to have hit records 10 years ago — I would get pulled over a lot and had officers ask me to do the strangest things.
· Kill-the-penny bill introduced. Representative Jim Kolbe wants to do away with the penny - and for a second time has introduced legislation that would effectively kill it.
· Judge ordered to watch 'Jerry Springer Show.' A British Court of Appeal judge on Tuesday ordered a trial to settle a dispute between distributors of "The Jerry Springer Show" and a company claiming the program is too racy for British TV.
· Lawyer Allegedly Stole Inheritance, Lost It In Scam. A former South Florida lawyer has pleaded guilty to stealing $300,000 from a client, saying she lost the money in a Nigerian e-mail scam. Knovack Jones said a Nigerian doctor contacted her in 2001. "He had a contract with the government for $38.6 million, and he needed my participation," Jones said.
· Self-described drunk who wrecked car sues bar that sold him drinks. A lawsuit representing a man who wrecked his car while drunk accuses a Gulf Coast strip club of serving drinks to the 50-year-old patron even though employees should have known he was a habitual drunk. The lawsuit says "club employees knew that Johnny Smith was a drunkard, but continued to serve him alcohol and after getting him intoxicated helped him into his car."
· General Electric CEO bounces check. General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt, who received $15.5 million in 2005, and has nearly $190 million in GE stock, bounced a check to the campaign of New York gubernatorial candidate William Weld. It was apparently the result of an administrative error. "He has replaced it," Gary Sheffer, a spokesman for G.E. said.
· City Pledges To Toughen Dangerous Dog Rules. City commissioners have pledged to toughen up a city rule so that dangerous dogs can be removed from neighborhoods after just one bite. A week ago, a 3-year-old poodle was mauled and killed by a neighborhood pit bull terrier. The pet's owner was issued a citation and the dog was returned to him. A state law allows city officials to remove a dog immediately - but it takes two attacks to do so.
· Councilman refuses to take oath of office. Elected for a third term to the Tequesta, Florida city council, Basil Dalack refused to take the oath, saying he could not swear to "support, protect and defend" the U.S. government because of President Bush and the war. He is suing the city claiming its oath violated his right to free speech.
· Immigrant labor dilemma hits California beach town. Laguna Beach's day labor center for immigrants is a place where the deepening division over the tide of illegal workers in the United States is on display. "I don't think these people should be here because they are illegal, they are breaking the law," Jeff Hillman said as he picked up a day laborer to dig a hole for $12 an hour, almost twice California's minimum wage.
· Louisiana develops animal evacuation plan for hurricanes. A statewide plan to evacuate pets during hurricanes is being worked out by state and local officials, who are required to map the procedures under a new animal protection law enacted to avoid the problems that erupted after Hurricane Katrina struck. No word yet on an evacuation plan for people.
· Mike Hammer Creator Mickey Spillane Dies. Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-'em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88.
· Carmen Electra, Dave Navarro to Split. "'Til Death Do Us Part" - not quite. Actress Carmen Electra and musician Dave Navarro are "amicably separating," Electra's publicist, Brit Reece, said.
· 11 Including Gambling Web Site CEO Charged. Federal officials on Monday charged 11 people, including the CEO of a big gambling Web site, alleging they committed conspiracy, racketeering and fraud in taking sports bets from U.S. residents. The indictment charges Kaplan with failing to pay federal wagering excise taxes on more than $3.3 billion in U.S. wagers. Authorities also charged that Kaplan's group fraudulently claimed that Internet and phone wagering on sporting events was legal and licensed.
· NAACP chief wants some companies boycotted. Even companies that make an effort to work with minority-owned businesses typically spend barely 5 percent of their contracting dollars with them, the NAACP president said Monday as his group released report cards on several industries.
· Arabs look to U.S. for diplomatic solution. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East crisis are unlikely to prove successful until Israel feels it has crippled Hezbollah or President George W. Bush pressures Israel to halt the offensive, Arab diplomats said.
· Massachusetts Gov. Romney Says 1,100 Big Dig Bolts 'Unreliable.' Gov. Mitt Romney on Monday dramatically raised the number of potential trouble spots identified by engineers and investigators in a Big Dig connector tunnel where the ceiling collapsed.
· Brinkley separation explodes in scandal. The recent separation of Christie Brinkley and her fourth husband, Peter Cook, exploded in scandal Monday when a 19-year-old former employee of Cook's claimed he seduced her with lavish gifts while married to Brinkley. On Monday, 19-year-old Diana Bianchi emerged in press reports as a central figure in the separation. Bianchi's attorney, Joseph Tacopina, said that Cook "first lured this girl into his web by employing her ... and then showering her with gifts." He described their relationship as consensual, but claimed Cook's role as employer and his gifts of a car, money and jewelry could possibly constitute sexual harassment.
· Rap artist freed from home confinement. The rapper who once went by the stage name of C-Murder has been released from home confinement as he awaits a retrial on a second-degree murder charge. Corey Miller's participation in a home-monitoring program was a burden on the Gretna Police Department, which runs the program in Jefferson Parish, State District Judge Martha Sassone said.
· Power and Light Commissioners in the dark over rate increase. Henderson Municipal Power and Light's Commissioners were told Monday that they may have to increase rates by 22-percent just to keep their business in the black. The Commissioners were forced to consider a 22-percent rate increase in the dark, after the power went out 15 minutes into their meeting.
· Top 10 Dumbest Online Business Ideas That Made It Big. From the Million Dollar Homepage - to antenna balls, who would ever think these websites would actually generate huge profits.
· Man Fights Aliens, Then Pops the Question. Ross Savedra fought aliens to rescue his girlfriend, then popped the question in an out-of-this-world proposal. Savedra, 32, staged his elaborate proposal Sunday afternoon for Ariana Ash, 23, with the help for family members and Roswell's UFO Museum.
· Three arrested in Katrina hospital deaths. Three arrests were made late Monday in connection with the alleged deliberate deaths of some patients at New Orleans Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Monday, July 17, 2006
· Lawyer who sued airlines crashes plane. An attorney specializing in lawsuits related to aviation disasters has died after crashing his plane in Portland, Oregon. Robert Guilford's law firm was employed in the cases of more than 55 airline crashes, including the 1996 wreck of TWA Flight 800 near East Moriches N.Y.
· Dallas man electrocuted trying to steal copper. A man who was electrocuted while on a telephone pole allegedly was trying to steal copper from it, police said.
· 3-Year-Old Dies After Locking Self In Hot Car. Police in Indiana said it's too early to determine if any charges will be filed in the death of a 3-year-old boy who apparently locked himself in a hot car in South Bend over the weekend.
· S.C. Legislator Arrested After Shooting. A state lawmaker was arrested after his pistol fired as he confronted two utility workers checking for storm damage outside his parents' home. Rep. Wallace Scarborough, 47, was charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill after he pointed a pistol at utility workers and then fired it Saturday night. "I don't think it's against the law to fire a pistol into your own back porch," his attorney said.
· Teen Crashes Car Into Roseville DMV Office. A teenage girl preparing for her driver's test crashed her car into a Roseville Department of Motor Vehicles building over the weekend.
· Teen Sues L.A. After Decade in Foster Care. A teenage girl reunited with her father last year after a decade in foster care is suing LA County for taking so long to bring them together.
· Keira Knightley's Breasts Digitally Enlarged for Publicity Photos. From SUVs to Double Whoppers, Americans believe bigger is better - and that includes Keira Knightley's breasts. She said this week she was dismayed when movie marketers decided her natural A-cup chest could be no less than a bouncy C.
· Mexican army rolls into Gulf state of Tabasco. Hundreds of soldiers patrolled three cities in the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco in Mexico on Monday to restore security. The soldiers also looked for presumed drug traffickers who engaged in a shootout with police that left two officers dead and seven people injured.
· Dutch Court OKs 'Pedophile' Political Party. A Dutch court refused Monday to ban a political party whose main goal is to lower the age of sexual consent from 16 to 12. The judge said it was the voters' right to judge the appeal of political parties. "We expected this result," said party treasurer Ad van den Berg, 62. "We are not doing anything illegal so there is no reason to ban us." Van den Berg was fined and given a suspended prison sentence for molesting an 11-year-old boy in 1987.
· Oprah: Gayle And I Are Friends, Not Lesbian Lovers. In the August issue of "O" magazine, Oprah Winfrey opens up about those gay rumors involving her and best friend Gayle King. She said she can see why people think they're an item, because they're always together. Winfrey added that if they were gay they'd admit it, "because there's nothing wrong with being gay."
· Al Gore describes life as a movie star. Al Gore has met the Dalai Lama, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Lech Walesa, and Nelson Mandela. But now - at a special star-studded screening of An Inconvenient Truth — he's about to step up to a whole other level. The former Vice President of the United States will shake hands with Denise Richards.
· Firefighter Accused Of Groping Kids In Pool. A 27-year-old South Florida firefighter is accused of groping children in a hotel swimming pool near SeaWorld Orlando.
· Senate poised to pass stem cell bill. The Senate is poised to debate legislation promoting embryonic stem cell research, a bill all but certain to draw President Bush's first veto.
· Don't call the fire department to fill your pool, unless you're the mayor. Georgetown Mayor John Jandes recently had the fire department fill his pool a short time after two fire department employees made the same request and were denied. Taxpayers are upset because of the way the situation was handled. "It's more than wrong," said one Georgetown resident. "It's outrageous."
· This is no yolk: CBS lays an egg with new ad idea. In September, CBS plans to start using a new place to advertise its fall television lineup: your breakfast. The network plans to announce Monday that it will place laser imprints of its trademark eye insignia, as well as logos for some of its shows, on eggs — 35 million of them in September and October. CBS’ copywriters are referring to the medium as "egg-vertising."
· Dallas Cowboys player shot twice. Dallas Cowboys safety Keith Davis was shot twice while driving on a Dallas highway early Sunday and was hospitalized in stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove bullet fragments. This is the second time in three years that Davis has been shot.
· Mission Accomplished: U.S. may stay in Iraq until 2016. Commanders think U.S. military forces in Iraq may not be completely withdrawn before 2016 but their presence will have the support of a majority of Iraqis.
· Manilow tunes annoy residents. It could be magic for some, but the use of loud Barry Manilow music to drive away late-night revelers from a suburban Sydney park is getting on the nerves of nearby residents.
· MSNBC Aims to Get Edgy 10 Years Later. Since MSNBC switched on a decade ago, the question has hung over its executives' heads: Is there really a need for three all-news networks? "I have no interest in being anything like CNN," said new general manager Dan Abrams. "The biggest weakness of CNN is I often find myself dozing off as I am watching. I rarely find CNN's coverage to be compelling." As a contrast, Abrams said he's determined to make MSNBC's programming "a little edgier, a little faster and more urgent" than before.
· Mayor defends strip-club job. Mayor Dale Sparks defended himself Sunday against allegations that he interfered with an undercover police investigation into a strip club where he worked as a doorman. But his critics are talking about trying again to recall Sparks.
· Space Shuttle Discovery Lands Safely. Space shuttle Discovery and its crew of six returned to Earth through thick clouds Monday, ending an impressive mission that put NASA's space program back on a solid, safer course. Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center at 9:14 a.m. in only the second shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster.
· Hooters chairman found dead in home. Robert Brooks, the chairman of Hooters of America, Inc. who made his fortune selling chicken wings served by scantily clad waitresses, was found dead at his home Sunday, officials said. He was 69. It was unclear how Brooks died, but the Horry County coroner's office told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News that an autopsy would be performed Monday.
· Man Shoots Attacking Pit Bulls Off Neighbor. A man in Leesburg who heard screams for help from his neighbor during an attack by two pit bulls grabbed his shotgun and opened fire, killing one dog and possibly saving the man's life. The dead dog's owner was fined $50. The second dog involved in the attack was spotted again on the victim's property later Sunday.
· Grandmother, 97, left in sweltering car at Wal-Mart. A 97-year-old woman is recovering in a Burlington hospital after she was left alone in a sweltering vehicle for almost an hour during the worst heat wave of summer while her family went shopping. With criminal charges laid against her daughter and granddaughter, Phyllis Arnott can't return to her home.
· Banned lighters might fly again. Momentum is building to lift the ban on lighters, which took effect in April 2005. Since then, security screeners have confiscated 16 million lighters, which typically cost $1 to $2 each unless they are luxury models. It costs the government $6 million to dispose of the lighters, about $4 million more than it cost to get rid of all confiscated items before the lighter ban, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
· Lights, camera, confession. Eyes closed and head swaying, George Griller tells detectives he didn't kill the man police dug up in his back yard. I couldn't have, he claims, I'm blind. But when investigators leave the room, Griller opens his eyes, pulls a paper from his pocket and begins reading. A video camera captures Griller's interrogation-room blunder. Jurors later convict him of second-degree murder.
· Mideast crisis drives Bush to colorful language. Not realizing his microphone was on, President Bush was talking privately to British Prime Minister Tony Blair during a lunch at the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg, "What they need to do it to get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this sh*t." Shortly afterwards Blair noticed the microphone and hastily switched it off, but not before the recording had reached news media.
· Three University of Wyoming Students Found Dead Near Campus. Three University of Wyoming students were found dead in a home near campus Sunday in what police said appeared to be a triple murder or murder-suicide. A fourth student, who lived at the house, suffered superficial wounds and had yelled for neighbors to call for help, police said.
· Officers Dressed As Gas Workers Trick Drug Suspects. Police officers in Daytona Beach, Fla., dressed up as gas company workers to trick and then nab several people in a unique sting to rid the area of drug activity. The officers warned people in homes located on and near Pelican Drive in Daytona Beach this weekend that their gas line was going to explode and ordered them to evacuate the area. When the people fled their homes, other officers in uniforms took them into custody.
· Dozens Of Illegals Targeted In 'Operation Return To Sender.' A federal task force swept through Tulsa, netting dozens of illegal immigrants. Dubbed 'Operation Return To Sender', it's being run by the Department of Homeland Security.
· News Online Seems to Have Long Shelf Life. A new research paper seeks to answer a riddle for publishers, editors and even readers: when does new news become old news? In the case of a news article on the Internet, the answer is surprisingly long: 36 hours on average, according to the paper, “The Dynamics of Information Access on the Web.”
· Knotts' hometown won't get Fife statue. An unfinished statue of Barney Fife apparently won't be heading to Don Knotts' hometown after all. Knotts' widow endorses a statue but says the monument should be of her husband, not of the bumbling deputy he made famous on "The Andy Griffith Show." Knotts died in February at age 81.
· Food Network Star Becomes Daytime Hostess. Rachael Ray is everywhere with her Food Network shows, best-selling cookbooks and lifestyle magazine. Now, she's adding daytime talk show hostess to her crowded resume. The high-energy cook who shows America how to whip up inexpensive meals in 30 minutes promises her hour-long syndicated show, debuting Sept. 18, will present "can-do" advice about cooking, travel, relationships and pop culture trends.
· Yahoo to Launch New Finance Features. Yahoo Inc. is beefing up the finance section of its Web site with more interactive stock charts and other features to help it maintain its longtime lead over rival financial information sites.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
· Florida Sex Offender Kills Teen, Himself. A registered sex offender fatally shot a 17-year-old girl he had been harassing, then killed himself after an hourlong standoff with police Saturday. "Unfortunately this mad man was not kept behind bars where apparently he should have been kept, and unfortunately we have a young girl who is now dead," police spokesman Rob Vega said.
· Homeland Security arrests 154 illegal immigrants in Ohio. Homeland Security agents took to Ohio streets the past week, arresting 154 illegal immigrants. The agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement came heavily armed and loaded with files and warrants for deportation. They took in immigrants from 30 countries and every continent except Antarctica. Among those arrested, 82 were from Mexico, followed by 19 from El Salvador and seven from the African country of Mauritania.
· 9/11 Families Want More Thorough Search. Scores of people rallied at ground zero Saturday to remember the fallen, and call for a more thorough search for the bone fragments still being found at the World Trade Center site.
· Man celebrates 100th birthday at Hooters. A Roanoke, VA man held his 100th birthday party at Hooters. Nat Back said it wasn't his idea, but they didn't have to drag him to the restaurant kicking and screaming either.
· A crackdown on Halliburton. Could it be that the days of $100 laundry bags and $45 cases of soda are at an end? The St. Petersburg Times says it's nice to hear that Halliburton, the company that charged the U.S. taxpayer such outrageous fees, will soon have to competitively bid on some of the billion-dollar government contracts that it had previously been handed.
· Christie hubby cheated with teen assistant? Glamour gal Christie Brinkley kicked fourth husband Peter Cook to the curb after she found out he was cheating on her with his 19-year-old assistant, according to the New York Daily News.
· NYC Doctor Suspected in Building Collapse Dies. The doctor suspected of blowing up his Upper East Side town house rather than allowing his ex-wife to benefit from its sale has died nearly a week after suffering critical injuries in the blast, a hospital spokeswoman said Sunday. Dr. Nicholas Bartha, 66, died late Saturday.
· Judges allowed to pack gun under robes. The New York state Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics has ruled that it is permissible for judges to pack a pistol beneath their robes while on the bench. And though it ruled in favor of pistol-packing jurists, the committee warned that judges must "be patient, dignified and courteous" to those appearing before the bench.
· Katherine Harris pulls out cash to fix house. Katherine Harris gave her campaign more than $3-million to run for Senate, but then took back $100,000 to finish renovating her "historic home in Washington, D.C.," her campaign said. "I have never heard of a candidate taking money out of a campaign coffer like it's an ATM. It absolutely boggles my mind," said former Harris campaign manager Jim Dornan. "You don't take your campaign contributors' money, whether it's yours or not, and spend it to renovate your house," he added.
· Students who paid for trip feel taken for a ride. Java Umarov didn't get the American experience he was looking for when he doled out nearly $3,000 as part of a work-exchange program for foreign college students. The Uzbekistan native says he might have reconsidered his travel plans if he had known he would be sent to the site of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, where workers are still clearing debris 10 months after Katrina. "I can't say it's beautiful here," said Umarov, 20, who earns $8 an hour at McDonald's.
· Foreign companies buy U.S. roads, bridges. Roads and bridges built by U.S. taxpayers are starting to be sold off, and so far foreign-owned companies are doing the buying. On a single day in June, an Australian-Spanish partnership paid $3.8 billion to lease the Indiana Toll Road. An Australian company bought a 99-year lease on Virginia's Pocahontas Parkway, and Texas officials decided to let a Spanish-American partnership build and run a toll road from Austin to Seguin for 50 years.
· Hollywood stars meet the real world. It's pay cuts all round. Hollywood stars are being forced to take pay cuts as the major studios are pulling the plug on big-budget projects. With last year's box office takings down 5.2 per cent and the cost of making movies ballooning because of added expenses for digital enhancement and global marketing, studios are refusing to meet stars' financial demands.
· Rocker Avril Lavigne wed in California. Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne, famed for her feisty anthem "Sk8er Boi," married fellow musician Deryck Whibley in California on Saturday, according to People magazine.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
· Visiting pervert priest arrested in Florida. A Roman Catholic priest from India visiting the Florida Panhandle has been arrested on charges of sexual abuse involving a minor, officials said. Father Vijaya Bhasker of the Diocese of Cuddapah in India was charged Thursday with lewd and lascivious battery against a minor.
· Update: Beer baron loses license after DUI arrest. Beer baron Peter Coors' driver's license has been revoked after his arrest for drunken driving following a wedding celebration. Hearing officer Scott Garber ruled Friday that Coors did not stop at a stop sign and was driving impaired on May 28. Coors, 59, said he had consumed a beer about 30 minutes before leaving the wedding, the Rocky Mountain News reported Saturday.
· Rights groups sue Pennylvania town on immigrant law. A Pennsylvania town that passed one of the toughest immigration laws in the United States this week overstepped its authority, said a civil-liberties group which announced plans on Friday to sue. The city council of Hazleton passed a measure that will deny a business permit to anyone hiring illegal immigrants. It also imposes a $1,000 fine on any landlord who rents to illegal immigrants, and establishes English as the town's official language.
· Pickup driver, 82, arrested in deaths of 2 road workers. An 82-year-old man drove his pickup through a road construction zone in Southern Indiana, killing two workers holding a stop sign.
· If you see it on TV, it must be true. Our love affair with the car is no longer a cheap date considering today's high gas prices. But are there secrets out there that would allow you to get more miles for your money? Plenty of companies claim if you just buy their fuel-saver products, you'll save on gas.
· Scientists: Hunley's hatch was unlocked. Scientists say they may have found an important clue in the mystery of why the Confederate submarine Hunley sank 140 years ago after making history by sinking an enemy warship in battle.
· Heat-stricken Michelle Wie pulls out of PGA event - on stretcher. Missing yet another PGA Tour cut was the least of Michelle Wie's worries. The 16-year-old phenom was treated for heat exhaustion at a local hospital after withdrawing from the John Deere Classic with nine holes left Friday. She struggled to keep herself from getting sick on a hot, steamy afternoon, and left the course in an ambulance with an IV in one arm.
· Eminem Accused of Assaulting Man at Strip Club. A man named Miad J. says he was punched in the face by rapper Eminem early Thursday. He says he was hit 4 or 5 times while using the men’s room at a local strip club.
· Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund Director Quits. The head of a Katrina charity established by former Presidents Bush and Clinton resigned Friday under duress, a day after the exodus of seven members of one of its committees. In a statement, the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund announced that "in the best interests of the mission of The Fund," its executive director, Mary Ann Wyrsch agreed to step down. Her resignation comes after the abrupt departure of seven out of nine religious leaders serving on a committee charged with disbursing $20 million to hurricane-damaged churches.
· Dog leaps in, stops bullets, saves owner. Except for one small detail, Jet, a 5-year-old Australian shepherd mix, is like any other dog, enjoying squeaky toys and swimming. Jet is enjoying these pastimes again only a few weeks after he heroically defended his owner, who was being held at gun point, and took three 9mm bullets meant for her.
· 'South Park' guys still upset. The creators of "South Park" lambasted Comedy Central for removing an episode that lampooned Scientology and Tom Cruise from the network's repeat schedule and for blanking out the image of Muhammad during another episode. "So there are two things we can't do on Comedy Central: show Muhammad or Tom Cruise," creator Trey Parker said.
· Religious valedictorian sues Nevada school. A high school valedictorian who had the plug pulled on her microphone as she gave an address referring to Jesus Christ has filed a lawsuit against school officials, claiming her rights to religious freedom and free speech were trampled.
· Thanking Jesus in Court Lands Man in Jail. Junior Stowers raised his hands and exclaimed, "Thank you, Jesus!" in court last month when he was acquitted by a jury of abusing his son. But his joy was short-lived when Circuit Judge Patrick Border held him in contempt of court for the "outburst" and threw him in jail.
· Caught on Tape: Police say man stole dead man's cell phone. First came the tragic suicide of a 19-year-old, who jumped to his death from a parking garage in Lincoln, NE Wednesday about 3:50 a.m. But it was what followed, in the minutes after, that Lincoln’s police chief described as one of the lowest things he’s seen in his 32 years on the police force. Someone, later identified as 24-year-old Stephen Moon, circled Vincent Head’s body three times before stealing his cell phone.
· ATLA wants to drop 'trial lawyer' from name. To spiff up its image, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America is considering changing its name to the American Association for Justice. "The discussion has arisen because we want to make it clear about what's at stake," ATLA spokeswoman Chris Mather said Thursday. "People's rights, their safety, their health, their well-being are on the line. Big corporations are fighting for bigger profits, and trial lawyers are fighting for people," she said.
· Web site comparing shipping rates launches. The inspiration struck Bill Van Wyck while he drove around one day trying to find a good deal on a package he was sending to Australia: What if a Web site could offer side-by-side comparisons of shipping rates, just like travel sites do with airfares?
· Pro-Family Groups Oppose Bid to Buy Braves. Liberty Media's bid to buy the Atlanta Braves is facing new opposition from pro-family advocates because Liberty owns On Command, which sells adult movies in hotel rooms across the nation. Those opposed to the sale call Liberty chief John Malone a "white-collar pornographer."
· Post worker caught with thousands of letters. A Berlin postal worker who was caught with several thousand undelivered letters in his basement has admitted he was overwhelmed by the job but insisted he planned to deliver them soon. Police recently found 90 boxes of mail stacked in his basement.
· Girl Becomes Diamond After Her Death. Just before 8-year-old Hannah Rowley died of leukemia, she told her parents "I think the Lord is going to heal me, but just in case he takes me home, I want you to make me into a diamond." So her parents did.
· Democrats pull ad with flag-draped coffins. Democrats pulled an Internet ad that showed flag-draped coffins Friday after Republicans and at least two Democrats demanded it be taken down on grounds the image was insensitive and not fit for a political commercial. The ad by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called for a "new direction" and displayed a staccato of images, including war scenes, pollution and breached levees as well as a photograph of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay doctored to look like a police mug shot.
· Men Who Built Drug Tunnel Sentenced. Three men convicted of digging the first tunnel discovered under the U.S.-Canadian border were each sentenced Friday to nine years in prison. Prosecutors said Francis Devandra Raj, 31, Timothy Woo, 35, and Jonathan Valenzuela, 28, spent a year working on the 360-foot tunnel, which cost about $400,000 and was designed to smuggle Marijuana into the U.S.
· Man Dies Fighting Over Chicken. Fort Worth Police say a fight between two brothers over a piece of chicken ended when the older sibling fatally stabbed the other in the chest and temple.
· Comic and TV host Jan Murray dead at 89. Jan Murray, one of the fabled generation of comics who rose from the Catskills to prime time TV, tickling fans of the 1950s game show Treasure Hunt, has died. Murray, who appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, died at his home in Beverly Hills.
Friday, July 14, 2006
· Smoking with oxygen mask can be hazardous to your health. A patient who was wearing an oxygen mask tried to light a cigarette in his hospital room, sparking a fire that forced the evacuation of more than 100 patients, destroyed the room and melted medical equipment, officials said. "He somehow got the strength to smoke a cigarette with a nonremovable oxygen mask," Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Paul Martinez said.
· Update: "Last Photo" of Princess Diana. Although profoundly popular in life, Princess Diana's untimely death in 1997 continues to fuel controversy. Today, many in the mainstream media and tabloids - particularly in Europe - are doing their best to sensationalize the Italian Chi Magazine cover story. The truth behind the "Final Photo of Princess Diana" is far less ominous.
· Police sergeant charged with rapes in college town. A police sergeant was charged with four rapes dating back to 2002 Friday, two days after he was charged with stalking a woman who found him lurking outside her home. In addition to the rape charges, Bloomington, Illinois Sgt. Jeff Pelo, 41, faces two counts of home invasion and charges of aggravated stalking and attempted residential burglary.
· No Privacy for Lance Bass at Gay Bar. How much privacy should onetime *NSYNC star Lance Bass expect when he visits a prominent gay bar with a prominent gay star? It was reported Wednesday that Bass had been spotted with "Amazing Race" star Reichen Lehmkuhl at Atlantic House, a gay bar in Provincetown, Mass.
· Jackson jury reaches split decision. In a split decision Friday, a civil court jury awarded a former Michael Jackson adviser $900,000 — far less than he claimed in the money dispute — and awarded the pop star $200,000 in his cross-complaint.
· Hillary has more than $22 million in war chest. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has more than $22 million for her re-election run against two little-known New York Republicans, raising the possibility of plenty of leftover cash for a potential White House bid.
· Why is Al Gore grinning? The government reported Friday that the first half of this year was the warmest on record for the United States, with the average temperature for the 48 contiguous United States from January through June was 51.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 3.4 degrees above average for the 20th century. That made it the warmest such period since recordkeeping began, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
· Wal-Mart changes employee job descriptions. Officials are investigating complaints by Quebec Wal-Mart employees that they were forced to help police search for suspicious packages in their store after it received a bomb threat. One employee, Mailie Fournier said "I have a colleague who had a nervous breakdown, another who has heart problems - the beads of sweat were hitting the floor."
· Woman trapped in car wash. An Ocala, Florida woman who got trapped in a car wash remains hospitalized. Police say the woman was working at Soapy's Car Wash yesterday when she got tangled in a water hose. She was then pulled into a spinning brush that trapped her leg.
· Duke Sued Over Surgical Instruments. A man who says his surgery with instruments washed in used hydraulic fluid left him with fevers and fatigue on Thursday sued Duke University Health System over the incident. The lawsuit came more than 1 1/2 years after university medical officials admitted that a mistake in a Raleigh hospital it owns resulted in thousands of patients being exposed to the instruments.
· Miami-Dade detective nabbed on child porn charges. A Miami-Dade County detective who lives in Southwest Ranches has been arrested for allegedly posting videos of child pornography on the Internet. Franklin Smith, 38, was charged with one count of promoting the sexual performance of a child and five counts of possession of child pornography.
· Stem cell funding, a silver bullet for Democrats? Nancy Reagan supports federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. So does Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. So do 50 House Republicans. Last year the House passed a bill to permit federal funding. But President Bush is against it, and when the Senate votes next Tuesday on the House-passed bill, it will do so in the face of a likely veto.The House passed the funding bill last year by a vote of 238 to 194, well short of the two-thirds needed to over-ride a veto. Some Democrats gleefully predict that the veto will boost their chances in November elections.
· Disgraced Cunningham among honored lawmakers. Four months after being sent to prison, former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham is being honored for serving time – in Congress. Cunningham, who admitted to accepting more than $2.4 million in bribes, will be among 37 departing members of Congress honored for “hard work, service, time and sacrifices” by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society in a reception next week.
· City Passes Anti-Illegal Immigrants Law. The Hazleton, PA City Council approved a law Thursday night that makes this city among the most hostile places in the U.S. for illegal immigrants to live or work. The ordinance would deny licenses to businesses that employ illegal immigrants, fine landlords $1,000 for each illegal immigrant renting their properties, and require city documents to be in English only. "The illegal citizens, I would recommend they leave," Mayor Lou Barletta said after the meeting.
· Daughter Who Surprised Mom With Birthday Visit Sues Parents. An Illinois woman is suing her Wisconsin parents for maintaining an icy driveway that she blamed for a fall that broke her ankle two winters ago. Carriel Louah, 25, visited Darlington, Wis., to surprise her mother on her birthday in January 2005. But the next morning, she was injured when she slipped and fell on her parents' driveway. The daughter said that a letter from her mom apologizing months after the fall proves that her parents knew they had a defective gutter for years and did nothing about it.
· Family sues agencies over boot camp death. The family of a 14-year-old boy who died hours after being manhandled by guards at a juvenile boot camp sued two agencies Wednesday, seeking more than $40 million in damages. Even though a video shows seven guards punished Martin Lee Anderson by kicking, punching, kneeing, choking and slamming him while they jammed ammonia tablets up his nose and covered his mouth, "none of these officers set out to harm this young man in any way," a defense attorney said.
· Girl Dies After Sears Mirror Falls on Her Head. Maria Victoria Rocha, her mother and her grandmother were in a waiting area adjacent to the dressing rooms about 12:30 p.m. Saturday when the mirror, 2 feet by 6 feet, somehow came loose and fell on the young girl. The police department ruled the death of a three-year-old girl at the Sears store in Burbank was an accident.
· Woman calls 9-1-1 to hook up with cute cop. An Oregon woman was looking for love in all the wrong places when she called 9-1-1 wanting a "cute" sheriff's deputy to return to her house. Lorna Jeanne Dudash succeeded in getting a date - in court, that is. After her neighbors reported a noise complaint, two Washington County sheriff's deputies knocked on Dudash's door. When they left, Dudash dialed 9-1-1 in a desperate attempt to get the deputy she described to dispatchers as "a cutie pie" to return. The dispatcher repeatedly asked why Dudash needed the deputy to return. Dudash's response: "Honey, I'm just going to be honest with you, okay? I'm 45 years old and I'd just like to meet him again." The deputy returned and arrested Dudash for misusing 9-1-1. She now faces a $6,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
· Iraqi Parliament speaker accuses 'Jews.' The speaker of parliament Thursday accused "Jews" of financing acts of violence in Iraq in order to discredit Islamists who control the parliament and government so they can install their "agents" in power. Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani hinted that the Americans and Israelis did not want to see officials of Sunni and Shiite parties running Iraq because "this is not their agenda."
· Senate denies funds for new border fence. Less than two months after voting overwhelmingly to build 370 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, the Senate yesterday voted against providing funds to build it. "We do a lot of talking. We do a lot of legislating," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican whose amendment to fund the fence was killed on a 71-29 vote.
· Campbell sued by another former employee. Naomi Campbell was sued Thursday by another former employee, this one a young Florida woman who claims the supermodel abused her verbally and physically on three continents. Amanda Brack, 20, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., accused Campbell of assault, battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress in incidents that started a month after she began working for her in February 2005, court papers say.
· Rogers indicted on four new charges. Ex-teacher to meet with judge Friday. Pamela Rogers, the former elementary school teacher accused of sending sexually explicit images of herself to a male teen she'd had sex with, has been indicted on additional charges stemming from her communications with the boy, court records show. Rogers, 28, who pleaded no contest in 2005 to charges that she had a sexual affair with the student, has been indicted on four counts of sexual solicitation of a minor, related to events that prosecutors say occurred while she was on probation for the first offense.
· Man Crushed To Death By Pizza Oven. A tragic accident has claimed the life of a man who was delivering a new pizza oven to a Papa John's store.
· Most Americans plan to vote for Democrats. Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November. With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule.
· Fury over 'last photo' of Princess Diana. An Italian magazine has published what it claims is the “last photo” of Princess Diana – taken just moments after the Paris car crash which claimed her life in 1997. The black and white image shows the princess being given oxygen in the crashed Mercedes following the high-speed smash in the Pont de L’Alma tunnel.
· RIAA loses court case. The RIAA'S policy of accusing people of file sharing and then threatening them with court action if they do not come up with wads of cash has suffered a bit of a setback. Oklahoma mother, Debbie Foster, was accused by the RIAA of illegally downloading downloading music over Kazaa back in November 2004. The RIAA said that it would leave the single mother alone if she paid $5,000. However, Foster didn't have $5,000 and more to the point, she had not downloaded any music. In fact she didn't even own a computer.
· Man hands robbery note to teller, waits for police to arrive. A 37-year-old Mobile man walked into Coastal Waters Credit Union on Spring Hill Avenue about noon Thursday, handed a teller a note demanding money and promptly sat down inside the business and waited for officers to arrive to arrest him, authorities said.
· For Some Athletes, Courses With No Classes. A graphic popped up on James Gundlach’s television during an Auburn football game in the fall of 2004, and he could not believe his eyes. One of the university’s prominent football players was being honored as a scholar athlete for his work as a sociology major. Professor Gundlach, the director of the Auburn sociology department, had never had the player in class. He asked the two other full-time sociology professors about the player, and they could not recall having had him either. So Professor Gundlach looked at the player’s academic files, which led him to the discovery that many Auburn athletes were receiving high grades from the same professor for sociology and criminology courses that required no attendance and little work.
· Magazine names Ed McMahon top sidekick. Greatest sidekick of all time? According to Entertainment Weekly, in the issue hitting newsstands Monday, it's Johnny Carson's longtime couch-warmer, Ed McMahon. The magazine picked what it deemed an all-time top-50 of second bananas.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
· Pete Coors To Appear In Court On DUI Charge. Pete Coors, vice chairman one of the world's largest beer brewing companies, was arrested in Colorado on a drunken driving charge.
· Man on trial for theft robs judge. A 61-year-old man on trial for theft got himself into more trouble when he stole from the judge during his court hearing, police said. The man pocketed a bunch of keys from the judge. When confronted, he said he was "shocked to discover the keys in his pocket."
· French Lawyer wants Cup final replayed. A French lawyer plans to ask a court to intervene in the controversy over Zinedine Zidane's sending-off in the World Cup final. "If it is proved that the fourth referee used video evidence, FIFA can have the final replayed," he said.
· 'Band-Aid Bandit' Strikes Again. An unidentified man dubbed the "Band-Aid Bandit" who has robbed banks in several Central Florida counties struck again Thursday, according to authorities. Police said the suspect - who gets his name from the adhesive bandage he wears on his cheek - robbed bank tellers at gunpoint at a Pinellas Park bank Thursday. Authorities said it is his 39th bank robbery since 2000.
· Jews, Christians and Muslims finally agree on something. Christian leaders condemned it. Jewish radicals put a bounty on participants. Muslim clerics threatened to flood the streets with protesters. Conflicting religions have found rare common ground: Opposition to an international gay pride parade next month.
· Man barred from palace job for being white. A history graduate had been banned from applying for a post in a royal palace because he is white. Kieron Keenan, 23, said he was told he could not put his name forward to work as a trainee museum assistant at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton on the southern English coast because he is not of African, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian or Chinese descent. The Race Relations Act block whites from applying for the $16,500 a year job to help fill quotas for ethnic minority employees.
· Something else that might kill you. A Greek study suggests a relationship between high humidity and increased incidence of heart attacks, but the finding comes with a lot of "buts" and "maybes" attached.
· Woman's dime bet is $21,584 winner. A woman who placed a 10-cent bet at Sports Creek Raceway won $21,584 last week. The Michigan woman, whose name was not released, placed a dime wager on a horse race simulcast from Hollywood Park.
· Good News: Alabama petting zoo off list of potential terrorist targets. Sherry Lewis was baffled to learn that her Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo was on a federal list of potential terrorist targets and thankful it's no longer listed that way. "We've never had a bomb threat or anything that would possibly come close to terrorism," Lewis said Thursday.
· Valerie Plame sues Dick Cheney over leak. The CIA officer whose identity was leaked to reporters sued Vice President Dick Cheney, his former top aide and presidential adviser Karl Rove on Thursday, accusing them and other White House officials of conspiring to destroy her career. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby of revealing Plame's CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration's motives in Iraq.
· Actor Red Buttons dies. Comedian and actor Red Buttons, who made his name on the 1950s television variety show "The Red Buttons Show," has died at the age of 87, his publicist said on Thursday.
· Jolie, Pitt Producing Movie About Murder of Daniel Pearl. Actress Angelina Jolie will star in a movie about murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, while Brad Pitt, her longtime steady, will produce.
· Drunken Pilots To Remain Jailed After Losing Appeal. Two pilots who were drunk in the cockpit have lost an appeals court bid to overturn their convictions and prison sentences. The pair were about to fly an America West plane from Miami to Phoenix back in 2002. Thomas Cloyd of Peoria, Ariz., and co-pilot Christopher Hughes of Leander, Texas, were arrested before the jet took off.
· Wear nice panties when you're wasted. Police have warned women setting off for a night on the town to wear "nice pants." It's in case they fall down drunk in the street and "show off more than you intended." The advice comes in a Suffolk police safety campaign magazine which shows pictures of young women slumped on the ground. "If you've got it, don't flaunt it," they are urged.
· 'Bewitched' regular Kasey Rogers dies. Kasey Rogers, an actress who was a regular playing Louise Tate on television show "Bewitched," but was best known for an appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," has died. She was 80.
· Reverend compares fallen energy titan to Jesus. The Reverend Dr. Bill Lawson compared Lay with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesus Christ, and said his name would eventually be cleared.
· Oops! Need for safer panels was debated but dropped. The engineer who oversaw completion of the Interstate 90 connector said in an interview with the Globe yesterday that he questioned the need for heavy concrete panels in the tunnel's drop ceiling when he came on the job, but that he didn't press the issue with senior Big Dig officials, because the ceiling work was already well underway and he was persuaded it was being done safely.
· Man Survives 24 Hours In Ocean After Dog Knocks Him Off Boat. A New Smyrna Beach man survived about 24 hours stranded in the Atlantic Ocean without a life jacket after his dog knocked him into the water.
· Ex-wife #1 sues Michael Jackson. Debbie Rowe, the former Mrs. Michael Jackson, has sued the pop singer, seeking an immediate payment of $195,000 for attorney fees and $50,000 in living expenses so that she can continue suing for her child-custody case against him.
· "Vanity sizing" is latest trend for women's clothing. A recent national survey noted that in the past 50 years, the average woman's waist has gone from a 27 to a 34; yet, more and more women are miraculously fitting into smaller and smaller sizes. "Retailers don't want size 16 women coming in their store and saying, 'I need to lose some weight; I'll buy this later.' They want them to think they're a 12 and buy it now."
· Man who pistol-whipped wife is now new mayor. David Spellman, a former Black Hawk, Colorado councilman who pleaded guilty to pistol-whipping his wife, will be sworn in today as mayor of the casino town. Spellman was charged in 2005 with hitting Lynnette Hailey, his wife, repeatedly in the head with a .380-caliber handgun and firing at least three shots.
· Decision Day On Planned Fisherman's Wharf Pot Club. Fisherman's Wharf is packed with itinerants and iconography, from cable cars to postcard views of Alcatraz and the scent of sourdough. And now the fragrance of fresh marijuana? City planners will consider Thursday whether to issue a permit for a medical marijuana dispensary in the heart of the San Francisco's tourist hub, despite outrage from neighbors and businesses.
· Sex Offender Credited on Children's CD. Officials are distancing themselves from a state-sponsored CD of children's songs recorded by prison inmates after it was revealed a child sex offender helped put it together.
· Driver: 'Time of month' could help Danica in NASCAR. Fellow IRL driver Ed Carpenter says Danica Patrick has what it takes to succeed if she switches to the paint-swapping world of NASCAR and she's plenty aggressive in open-wheel racing when it's "the right time of the month." Carpenter later told The AP he didn't mean to be disrespectful of Patrick by using a female stereotype.
· Thieves Try To Cash Stolen Checks That Belong To Bank Employee. Three people accused of stealing checks in Worth County went to the wrong bank to cash them. Joyce Powell is a clerk at the Sylvester Banking Company and was at work when a co-worker in the drive-through window told her someone was trying to cash one of her personal checks.
· LA police corruption whistleblower arrested in baffling perjury case. Rafael Perez, the former officer who helped expose a misconduct scandal that shook the Los Angeles Police Department and resulted in scores of criminal convictions being thrown out, was arrested Wednesday on a felony warrant charging him with perjury. Prosecutors allege that Perez, 38, lied in his application for a California driver's license last June, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement.
· He exits in dog crate, she enters in cuffs. A woman who admitted helping a convicted murderer escape from prison hidden in a dog crate was sentenced to 21 months behind bars.
· Million-Dollar House Uninhabitable Due To Setback Spat. A million-dollar house in Hixson, Tenn. can't be occupied because city inspectors say the garage is 27" too close to the property line. The setback requirement for the homeowner's association is 25 feet and the corner of the garage is at 22 feet and nine inches.
· NYC reggae concert canceled after protests. Citing concerns about potential violence, an organizer on Wednesday canceled a reggae concert meant to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS after protesters complained two of the scheduled performers were anti-gay.
· Phoenix police hunt two potential serial killers. Phoenix police are trying to solve two separate strings of killings that have terrorized the community. Authorities say they are looking for someone who has shot 34 people at random in the past year as they walked or rode bicycles, killing four. Police say the other suspect is a serial killer and rapist who has struck 20 times, killing six of his victims.
· Mancow's vow: I'll be back. Chicago hasn't heard the last of Mancow. The outspoken radio host vows he will continue to make the city his home, despite being dumped by Q101 this week.
· Furor Over Sony Patent. Sony Corp. has patented technology that would prevent its PlayStation consoles from playing used, rented or borrowed video games — raising questions about whether the electronics and entertainment giant may attempt to redefine what it means to own something in the digital age.
· Microsoft Releasing Old-School Video Games for Xbox 360. Microsoft's Xbox 360 may exemplify the high-tech future of video game consoles, but the company is hoping some of its avid players still pine for the good old days of Pac-Man and Frogger.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
· Judge: Voter ID requirement discriminates against people who don't have ID. The same federal judge who threw out Georgia's voter ID law last year blocked the state Wednesday from enforcing its revised law during this year's elections. U.S. District Judge Harold Murphy said the state's latest attempt at requiring voter photo IDs discriminated against people who don't have driver's licenses, passports or other government IDs.
· Murderers Sue Prison Over Nudie Magazine Ban. Indiana prison officials are being sued by inmates who want their Playboys. The suit seeks to overturn a Department of Correction policy that bars girlie magazines. The policy went into effect July 1 and bars printed material that contains nudity or other sexual content. Two inmates said the ban is a violation of their civil rights.
· Airwaves Again Safe for "South Park" Scientology Spoof. One week after South Park's controversial "Trapped in the Closet" episode garnered an Emmy nomination, and nearly four months after it was abruptly pulled from rotation on the cable net, Comedy Central has finally acquiesced and will allow the Scientology-skewering episode back on the air. The episode reportedly ruffled some high-powered feathers upon its first airing. In addition to an accurate, if cartoon-depicted, primer on Scientology, the show featured a literally closeted Tom Cruise who refuses to come out, only to be joined in his hiding by fellow Scientologist John Travolta.
· A Picture Worth 1,000 Words - And $135 Million. Starting later this week at a new museum in New York, art lovers can see with their own eyes the painting that set a world record at auction. Gustav Klimt's gilded masterpiece, the portrait of Adele, cost Cosmetics tycoon Ronald Lauder a record-breaking $135 million.
· Fights, Arrests Follow Gas Giveaway. Two vehicles crashed and four people were arrested in excitement over a gasoline giveaway Wednesday to reward the city for its safe-driving record. For the most part, hundreds of drivers waited patiently for hours for about $30 worth of free gasoline each that Allstate Insurance provided at one station.
· US unveils emergency alert system for mobile phones, computers. The US government unveiled a communications system that in case of emergency should soon allow it to send SMS alerts to Americans' mobile phones and computers.
· 'Soup Nazi' Plans Franchises in Britain. New York chef Al Yeganeh, who inspired the brusque "Soup Nazi" character on television's "Seinfeld," is taking his recipes across the pond. Yeganeh and partners plan to open 50 Original SoupMan franchises in Britain during the next year, Original SoupMan CEO John Bello said Wednesday.
· FDA Approves First Once Daily, 3-in-1 HIV Pill. A once-daily pill that combines three drugs used to treat HIV received federal approval Wednesday, giving U.S. patients the first triple "cocktail" therapy that can be swallowed as a single dose. The pill, called Atripla, combines three Food and Drug Administration-approved AIDS drugs that already form one of the most widely prescribed AIDS "cocktails."
· 80-Year-Old Admits Dealing Crack For Sex. An 80-year-old man acknowledged Wednesday that he dealt drugs at his house in return for sex with prostitutes. Felix Cocco of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
· Homeland Security: Indiana leads all states in targets for terrorism. It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have crafted: Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo, the Mule Day Parade, Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified "Beach at End of a Street." But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list is not child's play: All these "unusual or out-of-place," sites "whose criticality is not readily apparent," are inexplicably included in the official federal anti-terrorism database.
· Ex-Houston Mayor Collapses at Lay Funeral. Former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier collapsed Wednesday as he arrived at the funeral of Enron Corp. founder Ken Lay.
· Pamela Anderson's A Soccer Mom. Don't Let The Stripper Pole In The Bedroom Fool You. Pamela Anderson may have a stripper pole in her bedroom, but she's a soccer mom at heart. "I go to every game!" says the 39-year-old actress, discussing her young sons' sports schedules in an interview in the August issue of House & Garden magazine.
· Alcohol may have been a factor III. A teenage girl is recovering in hospital after being mauled by a rare Amur Siberian tiger in Dublin Zoo, after scaling two fences and sticking her arm into the enclosure. The 19-year-old, who it is believed had been drinking, first climbed a solid 6ft timber barrier into a service area and then over a smaller 4ft wall.
· Man heads to trial for serving free alcohol. All Randy Barton wanted was for everybody to have a good time. But now he's being prosecuted for giving away wine and beer at a free concert. "I asked the sheriff if he knew of any law that precluded giving away alcohol," Barton recalled. "And he said he didn't know of any." The sheriff confirmed the discussion. Nonetheless, he recognized that in Utah, some see drinking as sinning. And for that, the Utah native is willing to go to court. "There's nothing like wasting taxpayer money on morality issues," he said.
· Judge hears 11 hours of testimony in case of Va. teen fighting to treat his cancer his way. A teen cancer patient fighting for the right to use alternative treatment on his illness told a judge Tuesday what it was like to go through chemotherapy and why he didn't want to relive that. "What it boils down to is does the American family have the right to decide on the health of their child or is the government allowed to come in and determine that themselves and threaten one way or the other to split our family up?" Jay Cherrix said Tuesday night.
· Jury Selected For Xbox Murder Trial. After six days, a jury was selected Wednesday for the trial of three men charged with the beating and stabbing deaths of six people over an Xbox video game system.
· Washington D.C. Declares Crime Emergency. Two groups of tourists were robbed at gunpoint on the National Mall, just hours after the police chief declared a crime emergency in the city in response to a string of violence that included the killing of a British activist.
· Bipartisan Political Strategists to Launch Web Site. A bipartisan group of prominent political strategists on Tuesday announced an Internet information venture designed to interact with America's opinion leaders and serve as an antidote to the right-left clash that typifies political discourse on the Web.
· Slain Rapper's Family Wants to Expand Suit. The family of Notorious B.I.G. has asked a judge for permission to expand its wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, contending police Officer Rafael Perez was on duty at Petersen Automotive Museum the night of the killing.
· Joey Buttafuoco gets a year in jail. Joey Buttafuoco, who gained notoriety in the 1990s when his teenage girlfriend shot his wife in the face in New York, was sentenced to a year in jail Tuesday after pleading no contest to possessing ammunition as a felon.
· Saudi prince selling Aspen getaway for $135 million. The getaway of Saudi Prince Bandar is up for sale for an asking price of $135 million, which could set a U.S. sales record. Bandar's 15-bedroom, 16-bathroom 56,000-square-foot mansion - complete with a racquetball court and indoor pool - is up for sale because the prince is too busy to enjoy his mountain palace.
· University of Wisconsin teacher: U.S. government behind 9/11 attacks. Controversial though it is, the decision by UW-Madison to let an instructor who believes the 9/11 terrorist attacks were orchestrated by our own government fits within the most conservative traditions of the university. Kevin Barrett will teach a course on Islam at the school. He apparently believes the twin towers of the World Trade Center were blown up by U.S. government operatives in order to provoke war in the Middle East.
· Rather boasts "absolute control" over HDNet show. Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather said on Tuesday his new boss, billionaire investor Mark Cuban, was giving him "total, absolute control" over the weekly news program that Rather will host on cable television.
· Sexual Predators Push To Overturn Law. A group of sexual predators in Jacksonville wants to overturn the city ordinance that requires them to keep their distance from places where children congregate.
· Novak: Rove Was a Source in Outing Plame. Now that Karl Rove won't be indicted, now that the president won't fire him, now that it really doesn't matter anymore, more details of the Valerie Plame leak investigation trickle out.
· Move around and live longer, study says. Elderly people who load the dishwasher, climb stairs or just keep moving are bound to live longer than their sedentary counterparts, a study said on Tuesday. 302 people aged 70 to 82 found those who engaged in more physical activity - not necessarily formal exercise - were much less likely to die than those who did not move as much.
· Duke Lacrosse Player Gets Probation. A Duke University lacrosse player charged with raping an exotic dancer during a team party was convicted of a misdemeanor Tuesday in a separate assault last year on a bar patron. Collin Finnerty, 19, of Garden City, N.Y., was sentenced to six months' probation after a two-day trial.
· Christie Brinkley separates from 4th husband. Supermodel Christie Brinkley and her fourth husband, Peter Cooke, have separated, her publicist said Tuesday. Brinkley, 52, was previously married to Frenchman Jean-François Allaux, singer Billy Joel and developer Richard Taubman.
· Fool Mother Nature, fix warming. It may be hard to imagine the world getting so hot that scientists and engineers would design a fleet of 55,000 mirrors, each bigger than Manhattan, and send them into space to deflect sunlight away from Earth. Or that they would mimic a major volcanic eruption in order to cool the melting Arctic, shooting dust and other particles into the upper atmosphere, where they would scatter the sun's light away from Earth.
· Lifting barriers to electing more women. Most Americans want a "change of scenery" in Congress, a Gallup poll finds. One possible reason? Recent scandals. With elections in November, it's time to really alter lawmaking - by removing stubborn barriers for women candidates.
· 'It's tough,' ex-wife says of destruction. The ex-wife of the doctor who blew up the couple's upper East Side home spoke out yesterday, saying of the blast that shook the city and nearly killed her former husband, "It's tragic."
· Teen riding on car roof injured in accident. An alleged drug-induced joyride left a 17-year-old Rockford man with severe head injuries and listed in critical condition. Police say Atmore was riding on the roof of a four-door Toyota with another teen.
· Jury Convicts Man Who Killed Woman Because She Was White. A homeless convicted rapist who told police he stabbed a woman to death because she was white was convicted Tuesday of murder as a hate crime. Jurors found Phillip Grant guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Grant, who is black, had admitted killing Concetta Russo-Carriero, 56, last June in a mall parking garage. "As long as she had blond hair and blue eyes, she had to die," Grant said on a videotaped statement to police, which was shown at the trial. "I have no remorse whatsoever because she was white."
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
· Update: Romney takes steps to remove Turnpike Authority chairman. Gov. Mitt Romney said Tuesday he's taking legal action to oust the head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority after a woman was crushed to death by falling cement in Boston's $14 billion Big Dig tunnel. Attorney General Tom Reilly said he is treating the collapse as a crime scene that could lead to charges of negligent homicide. His office has already begun issuing subpoenas to those involved in the design, manufacturing, testing, construction and oversight of the panels and tunnel.
· Former police officer prosecuted for taking $3 bowl. A former Lady Lake police officer has been prosecuted and acquitted for allegedly stealing a bowl valued at three-dollars instead of placing it in evidence storage.
· Alcohol may have been a factor II. A Westchester architect was nearly burned to death after he climbed atop an Amtrak Acela Express train linked to power lines and caught fire. Brian Hopkins, 24, had been bar-hopping with pals in Boston then decided to go home. He climbed up the side of the train to the roof, where he apparently came in contact with overhead electrical wires that sent 25,000 volts of electricity surging through his body, authorities said.
· University receives $200,000 grant to figure out Rubik's Cube. Gene Cooperman, director of the Institute for Complex Scientific Software at Northeastern University in Boston, just received a $200,000 National Science Foundation grant so he can play with Rubik's Cubes.
· Jesus beer billboard causing quite a stir. Someone covered up a billboard on La Branch at Winbern with a poster featuring a picture of Jesus Christ holding a Budweiser can. The company that leases the billboard believes vandals made the poster at home and then pasted it on top of the ad that's supposed to be there. It shows Jesus holding a Budweiser in between the phrases "Jesus, King of Jews" and "Jesus, King of Beers."
· Clerk Accused of Attacking Boy for Not Buying Yo-yo. A convenience store clerk is being held without bail for allegedly attacking a boy in Fort Pierce for not buying a yo-yo, according to police. Amar Shreiteh is charged with attempted murder and false imprisonment.
· Fox News Beats Up On Poor Keith Olbermann. In today's New York Times piece about MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, Fox News vice president Irena Briganti says: "Because of his personal demons, Keith has imploded everywhere he's worked," Ms. Briganti said. "From lashing out at co-workers to personally attacking Bill O'Reilly and all things Fox, it's obvious Keith is a train wreck waiting to happen. And like all train wrecks, people might tune in out of morbid curiosity, but they eventually tune out, as evidenced by Keith's recent ratings decline. In the meantime, we hope he enjoys his paranoid view from the bottom of the ratings ladder and wish him well on his inevitable trip to oblivion."
· Lecturer Quits After Blog Comments On JonBenet. An adjunct psychology lecturer at the University of Arizona has resigned after writing to a conservative blogger that she wouldn't care if his young son was killed in the same manner as JonBenet Ramsey. Deborah Frisch said she quit her $32,861-a-year part-time position because she regrets the university ended up in the middle of what was intended to be a "sick joke."
· Bartender's Toxic Peach Martini Sends Two to Hospital. A woman and her sister had to go to the hospital after a bartender mistakenly dipped their martini glasses in a caustic substance used to clean the restaurant's fryer.
· Mayor Nagin still doesn't have a rebuilding plan for New Orleans. Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, the city still does not have a plan for rebuilding. The delay has postponed delivery of billions of federal recovery dollars and has left many residents unsure of what to do with their flood-ravaged homes. After a series of false starts, Mayor Ray Nagin said last week he hopes to have a blueprint for reconstruction by December.
· Teen gets 45 years for dismembering classmate. A teenager accused of helping his ex-girlfriend kill and dismember a 16-year-old classmate last year was sentenced Monday to 45 years in prison. Cory Gregory, 18, had pleaded guilty in April to murder and concealment of a homicide in the death of Adrianne Reynolds. Gregory's ex-girlfriend will be sentenced August 18th.
· Stolen Body Parts Used On Patients. A bizarre scheme of alleged stolen body parts and illegally harvested tissue has a Texas man angry and frightened. He's one of an estimated 25,000 patients nationwide who are walking around with tissue or bones allegedly stolen from bodies at funeral homes in the northeast.
· "Silver Lining" in $1 Billion AOL Loss. Shares in Time Warner Inc. fell as much as 2 percent on Tuesday on a report that Internet unit AOL could lose nearly $1 billion in operating profit in the coming years with a strategy to rely more on advertising revenue.
· 9 facing unemployment in Indiana win $9 million. Nine auto parts workers whose factory is slated to close at the end of the year have something to celebrate: a $9 million Hoosier Lotto jackpot. For nearly 16 years, the men - all current and former Delphi Corp. employees - pooled their money to buy $50 worth of lottery tickets each week. After buying $41,000 in tickets, they finally matched all six numbers in the July 1 drawing.
· Materazzi: "I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is." FIFA will open a disciplinary investigation into Zinedine Zidane's conduct in the World Cup final, when he was sent off for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi. "I did insult him, it's true," Materazzi said in Tuesday's Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I categorically did not call him a terrorist. I'm not cultured and I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is."
· At least 145 killed in Indian train blasts. A series of seven explosions killed at least 145 people on crowded commuter trains and stations Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, police said. Officials said 250 to 300 people were injured in the blasts in the city's western suburbs as commuters made their way home. All seven blasts came within an 11-minute span.
· Yuck: Top 10 lines in language of love. "Was your father a thief? Because he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes." Equipped with that line, you can be certain to score in the universal language of love - so say the authors of a new top 10 of chat-up lines. Or maybe: "You must be tired because you've been running through my mind all day." [Can you beat this list?]
· Drunken Jackie Chan Disrupts Show. Jackie Chan disrupted a concert by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jonathan Lee and exchanged insults with the audience, a news report said Tuesday. Ming Pao Daily News quoted the 52-year-old action star as saying onstage that he was drunk.
· Woman killed when part of ceiling falls in $14 billion Big Dig tunnel. Three-ton slabs of concrete fell from the ceiling of one of Boston's Big Dig tunnels, crushing a woman in a car and again raising concerns about the integrity of the massive highway project that is the central artery through the city. The $14 billion Big Dig highway project, which buried Interstate 93 beneath downtown and extended the Turnpike to the airport, has been criticized for construction problems and cost overruns that state officials have said did not compromise safety.
· Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett dies. Syd Barrett, a founding member of Pink Floyd, has died aged 60, the BBC reported on Tuesday.
· Alaska judge's decision keeps pot legal. A judge on Monday struck down part of a new Alaska law criminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, saying it conflicts with past decisions by the Alaska Supreme Court. Under the ruling, people could legally possess less than an ounce of marijuana in their homes.
· Tax dollars at work. People who took an illegal drug made from mushrooms reported profound mystical experiences that led to behavior changes lasting for weeks — all part of an experiment that recalls the psychedelic '60s. Funded in part by the federal government, the research was published online Tuesday by the journal Psychopharmacology.
· Shell says biofuels from food crops "morally inappropriate." Royal Dutch Shell, the world's top marketer of biofuels, considers using food crops to make biofuels "morally inappropriate" as long as there are people in the world who are starving, an executive said.
· Marion County sheriff gets $50,000 boost. Marion County Sheriff Frank Anderson, who made more than $360,000 last year, was quietly handed a $50,000 boost to his salary this year. Anderson holds the most lucrative public job in the state because Indiana laws let him keep some of the money his deputies collect in overdue taxes - nearly $268,000 in 2005. That money comes on top of a salary that had been about $100,000 a year.
· Two Border Patrol agents plead guilty to helping smugglers. Two former US Border Patrol agents have pleaded guilty here to helping illegal immigrants cross into the United States in return for bribes from smugglers, US authorities confirmed. Mario Alvarez, 45, and Samuel McLaren, 44, were veteran agents who operated out of El Centro in the US state of California, across the border from the Mexican city of Mexicali. They acknowledged receiving a total of 186,000 dollars in bribes from smuggling groups ferrying illegal immigrants into US territory.
· Update: Witnesses Say Wife Accused of Poisoning Her Marine Husband Was a Chronic Overspender. A woman accused of poisoning her Marine husband and using money from his life insurance policy to get her breasts enlarged was a chronic overspender who refused to live within a family budget, witnesses testified Monday. Cynthia Sommer, 32, pleaded not guilty in March to charges of murdering Sgt. Todd Sommer, 23, in February 2002 for financial gain.
· Math Teacher Suspected In String Of Rapes. Police in Arlington said a high school math teacher is suspected in a string of rapes. So far, 32-year-old Nicholas Demont Wilborn has been charged with aggravated sexual assault, burglary of a habitation with intent to commit sexual assault and two counts of attempted burglary of a habitation with intent to commit sexual assault.
· Simpson dreaming about Pitt, but not dating. Jessica Simpson has been linked to several hunks lately, but the “Dukes of Hazzard” star insists she hasn’t dated anyone since her split from hubby Nick Lachey. Simpson says that exercise helps keeps her a “strong woman” — but she says she has no desire to lose weight. “There’s something empowering about curves,” she tells OK!. “You can’t strut when you’re skinny, you gotta have a little bit of bounce.”
· Group Sues Fletcher for Blocking Web Site. An advocacy group sued Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher and two of his top administrators, claiming they violated the constitutional rights of a political commentator by blocking access to his Web site on government computers. Fletcher spokeswoman Jill Midkiff previously said the state blocked numerous Web sites to boost employees' efficiency.
· $54 Million Lost for Atlantic City Casinos During State Shutdown. Gamblers stayed away, hotel occupancy rates plunged and casinos workers took a hit. Atlantic City's 12 casinos estimate they lost approximately $54 million dollars during the three days they were shuttered due to the budget impasse.
· Duct Tape Suggested As Quick-Fix To Spacewalking Problem. Astronaut Piers Sellers suggested using some of the multipurpose sticky material to fix a safety-jet backpack used during spacewalks after it almost came loose from him while he repaired the international space station.
· Freescale Unveils Magnetic Memory Chip Achieving a long-sought goal of the $48 billion memory chip industry, Freescale Semiconductor Inc. (FSL) announced the commercial availability of a chip that combines traditional memory's endurance with a hard drive's ability to keep data while powered down. "This is the most significant memory introduction in this decade," said Will Strauss, an analyst with research firm Forward Concepts. "This is radically new technology. People have been dabbling in this for years, but nobody has been able to make it in volume."
Monday, July 10, 2006
· Update: 'I Will Leave The House Only If I Am Dead.' The signs were ominous that Dr. Nicholas Bartha had no intention of selling his Upper East Side townhouse to settle a nasty divorce. The ex-wife claimed in court papers that he would "die in my house." Then came the dark e-mail from Bartha himself Monday morning. Hours later, a gas explosion ripped through the house, setting off a raging fire and turning the building into a pile of bricks.
· Actress June Allyson dies. June Allyson, the sunny on-screen "perfect wife" of James Stewart, Van Johnson and other movie leading men, has died, her daughter, Pamela Allyson Powell, said Monday. She was 88.
· American Paralyzed At Spanish Bull Festival. A North Carolina man's condition deteriorated Monday after being injured last week in an event connected to an annual festival in Pamplona, Spain.
· Syndicator Denies Coulter Lifted Material. The syndicator of Ann Coulter's newspaper columns rejected allegations that she had lifted material from other sources, saying a review of the work in question turned up nothing that merited concern. "There are only so many ways you can rewrite a fact and minimal matching text is not plagiarism," Lee Salem said.
· Jeb Bush: FBI Asked Me To Wait Before Firing Prison Head. On the day before former Florida prisons chief James Crosby turns himself into federal authorities on a kickback scheme, Gov. Jeb Bush said he wanted to dismiss Crosby in January, but the FBI asked him to hold off until it had a strong case against the prison official.
· Va. Governor Exonerates Convicted Witch. The Witch of Pungo is no longer a witch. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Monday exonerated Grace Sherwood, who 300 years ago became Virginia's only woman convicted as a witch tried by water.
· Dallas-area school district bans mouth "grills." The Arlington school district has expanded its dress codes to include bans on mouth jewelry known as "grills" and the earlobe-stretching practice known as gauging.
· Judge rules Capitol Hill raid was legal. An FBI raid on a Louisiana congressman's Capitol Hill office was legal, a federal judge ruled Monday.
· Online wagering under attack in Congress. Gamblers who prefer their laptops to blackjack tables won't like what Congress is doing. Tomorrow, the House plans to vote on a bill that would ban credit cards for paying online bets and could padlock gambling Web sites.
· Iowa Man Fired for Drinking Ethanol Fuel Denied Unemployment. A man who claimed discrimination after being fired from an ethanol plant for drinking "automobile fuel" has been denied unemployment benefits. According to Cory Neddermeyer, 42, hundreds of gallons of 190-proof alcohol were held in a holding pond, and curious about the taste, decided to drink 2 to 3 ounces. Later, at the hospital, medical workers said his blood-alcohol level was 0.72 - almost twice the lethal level for an adult.
· No 'Grandma' on Texas Ballot, State Rules. Carole Keeton Strayhorn won't get to be called "Grandma" on the November ballot, but fellow independent candidate for governor Kinky Friedman will get to use his nickame, the state's elections chief ruled Monday.
· Patrick may jump to NASCAR Danica Patrick could become the next high-profile driver to defect to NASCAR. "I'm trying to get her [into NASCAR]," said T.J. Patrick, father of the woman who dazzled the auto racing world last year by nearly winning the Indianapolis 500 but has struggled with a mediocre IRL car ever since.
· Building development opponents think outside the box. When the sudden appearance of an endangered flower halted a controversial housing project in the heart of California's wine country, the developer, Scott Schellinger, suspected he was the victim of a set-up. Now, after calling in experts from the state's fish and game commission, who have backed his findings, he is claiming that the "discovery" of rare and protected Sebastopol meadowfoam on the eight-hectare site near San Francisco was the work of opponents who transplanted the flowers from elsewhere.
· Jim Carrey & Jenny McCarthy Get Serious. From a romantic helicopter ride to a Radiohead concert date night, the goofball duo of Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy are getting serious.