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Monday, April 30, 2007
· Inmates Take Swipe at Toilet Paper Cuts. Toilet paper is becoming a sought after commodity at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility after officials began limiting inmates to one roll at a time to trim costs. Officials say the prison has long had a limit, but they learned recently that it hadn't been enforced. Increased enforcement began this month. 
· N.J. governor says he set 'very poor example' by not wearing seat belt. An emotional Gov. Jon S. Corzine was discharged from a hospital Monday and begged forgiveness for not wearing a seat belt during a crash 18 days earlier in which he was critically injured. “I understand that I set a very poor example for a lot of young people, a lot of people in general,” a teary-eyed Corzine said.
» N.J. governor caught speeding on return to mansion. Gov. Jon S. Corzine left the hospital today where his motorcade was caught driving 70 miles per hour on Interstate 295 where the posted speed limit is 55.
· Spector trial delayed after defense lawyer falls ill. The murder trial of Phil Spector hit a fresh snag on Monday after a defense attorney representing the legendary music producer fell ill, court officials said. The trial will now resume on Wednesday after Spector's flamboyant lawyer Bruce Cutler was forced to seek medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.
· Woman hit, killed by Legoland coaster. A 21-year-old employee at the Legoland amusement park was killed in a roller coaster accident, police and park officials said Monday. The woman, who was not identified, died immediately Sunday after being hit by a coaster car, police said. She had apparently jumped over a security fence to pick up a wallet that a passenger had lost near the track when the accident happened. "We're shocked," Legoland manager Henrik Hoehrman said. Nothing like this has happened before."
· Carson's Foil Tommy Newsom Dies at 78. Tommy Newsom, the former backup bandleader on "The Tonight Show" whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson, has died.
· Police say man may have "stumbled" in front of squad vehicle. An unidentified man is dead after being struck by a Lafayette police cruiser. Sgt. Mark Francis said the victim may have "stumbled" in front of the police car, which resulted in him being struck by the right front panel of a squad vehicle. It is unknown how fast the police cars were traveling at the time of the fatality, but Francis said they may have exceeded the speed limit.
· ABC News to name names in DC Madam scandal during sweeps. "As the old saying goes, 'I need to dance with the guy who brung me,' " Deborah Jeane Palfrey wrote in an e-mail to a Washington Post reporter. "I have promised ABC News that the '20/20' interview will be an exclusive one." ABC is expected to air a report on Palfrey and her clients on "20/20" on May 4, during sweeps.
· Trembling Spector, shrunken shadow of former genius. Pale, gaunt, his hands trembling, Phil Spector sits silently in a Los Angeles courtroom, a shrunken shadow of the man who revolutionized pop music 40 years ago.
· FDA Approves Beef-Flavored Prozac for Dogs. Millions of Americans take Prozac to treat depression, but now a new pooch-friendly version of the antidepressant is available for dogs who suffer from separation anxiety. The FDA has approved a chewable, beef-flavored tablet called Reconcile. It's designed to minimize a dog's distress from being left alone.
· Swimmer drowns in posted 'no-swimming' area. Police say a man who drowned Sunday afternoon at Eagle Creek Park went under in 10 to 12 feet of water after moving from a shallow area. Authorities were treating the death as an accident and looking into whether alcohol might have been involved. The sanctuary is posted as a no-swimming area.
· Do you take this drunk guy’s brother? Villagers at a wedding in eastern India decided the groom had arrived too drunk to get married, and so the bride married the groom's more sober brother instead, police said Monday.
· Salvation: Just click and confess. Confession websites have become popular places to post your sins - or to read about the transgressions of others. Lust, pornography and a litany of sexual transgressions top the sinners' hit parade. Theft, lying and alcohol abuse also make frequent appearances. One person confesses: "I have done enough drugs to make Keith Richards envious!!" Another admits wishing death on her enemies.
· NAACP to Bury "N" Word. The NAACP is going to hold a symbolic funeral for the "N" word, the Rev. Wendell Anthony said Sunday. Anthony, president of the civil rights organization's Detroit branch, said members and supporters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will conduct services and a "eulogy" for the racial slur. The mock funeral will be held during the NAACP national convention July 7-12 in Detroit.
· Vegas ‘flipping’ boom ends up like most bets. The foreclosure rate in Nevada leads the nation as owners unable to sell became saddled with unbearable debt payments. In Clark County, which encompasses Las Vegas, one of every 30 homes began the process toward foreclosure last year.
· Hillary drops her maiden name. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has dropped the use of her maiden name "Rodham" in her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton identifies herself as "Hillary Clinton" in her campaign press releases and on her campaign website. The lone mention of her maiden name is in a campaign biography that says "Hillary's father, Hugh Rodham, was the son of a factory worker from Scranton."
· 4 dead after violence in Kansas City. The chaos began with police finding an elderly woman dead and her car missing. It ended when officers fatally shot the man driving the car — but only after he fired on a police officer and later people at a shopping center, killing two of them.
· Law Will Force Teams Playing in New Jersey to Take 'New York' Out of Names. Normally it is Jersey fans who gripe that they don't get any respect from pro sports teams that play at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford but have "New York" in their names. But three New York assemblymen recently sponsored a bill to stop football's Giants and Jets and soccer's Red Bulls from using the Empire State's name or abbreviation because they don't play their home games in New York.
· Blind pilot flies halfway round world. A blind British pilot landed his microlight aircraft in Sydney Monday to complete a record-breaking flight halfway around the world. Miles Hilton-Barber left London on March 7 and flew more than 21,000 kilometres (13,500 miles) to raise funds to fight blindness in developing countries.
· Ex-'Idol' Finalist Charged With Battery. Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was arrested early Sunday on felony battery charges for allegedly hitting a man on the head with a heavy glass at a cafe, police said. Sierra, 21, was booked in the Hillsborough County Jail on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. She was also charged with possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility after officers found a small amount of the drug while searching her.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
· Minorities fare worse in traffic stops. Black, Hispanic and white drivers are equally likely to be pulled over by police, but blacks and Hispanics are much more likely to be searched and arrested, a federal study found.
· Tenet Faces Backlash Over Memoir. The backlash has built up even before the official release of former CIA Director George Tenet's memoir, with criticism about his version of the run-up to the Iraq war, interrogation techniques and other events.
· Edwards: Roll back tax cuts, increase taxes on rich. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards said on Sunday he would consider raising taxes on the wealthy in addition to his earlier proposal to roll back tax cuts ushered in by President George W. Bush.
· Tanker truck explodes, melts Bay Bridge. A section of freeway that funnels traffic off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge collapsed early Sunday after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and caught fire, authorities said. The heat from the fire was intense enough to melt part of the freeway and cause the collapse, but the truck's driver walked away from the scene with second-degree burns.
· French outpace Americans in French-bashing. The French dislike themselves even more than the Americans dislike them, according to an opinion poll published on Friday. The survey of six nations, carried out for the International Herald Tribune daily and France 24 TV station, said 44 percent of French people thought badly of themselves against 38 percent of U.S. respondents who had a negative view of the French.
· 82 inmates cleared but still held at Guantanamo. More than a fifth of the approximately 385 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been cleared for release but may have to wait months or years for their freedom because U.S. officials are finding it increasingly difficult to line up places to send them. In many cases, the prisoners' countries do not want them back.
· Prostitution scandal has Washington in new 'shock and awe.' The demise of a call-girl ring and pending trial of an alleged madam claiming thousands of clients has the capital riveted by the chance powerful men may now be caught with their trousers down. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 50, dubbed the DC Madam, has a list of 10,000 to 15,000 customers from 2002 to 2006.
· Senator aide's gun charge dropped by prosecutor. Authorities dropped charges yesterday against an aide to Virginia Sen. Jim Webb who carried a loaded gun into the U.S. Capitol complex.
· Box of condoms leads to evacuation. Several classrooms at Des Moines Area Community College were evacuated after college officials became nervous about a suspicious package. College officials called police and postal inspectors after the box was delivered Thursday. What they found inside wasn't a bomb — it was a box containing 500 condoms.
· Lawyer rebuked for delaying case to go shopping. A lawyer has been disciplined by the Virginia State Bar for telling a judge she had to postpone a case because of a commitment in another court when in fact she went shopping instead.
· Joey Buttafuoco ends Calif. jail term. Joey Buttafuoco, whose 17-year-old lover shot his wife in the face more than a decade ago, was released from jail after serving three months for illegally possessing ammunition, authorities said.
· Several Cars Hit Pedestrian, None Stop. Authorities in Orange County, Fla., are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man crossing a road Saturday night, according to police. Florida Highway Patrol officers said several other vehicles possibly hit the man and did not stop.
· Trump gives donation to Schwarzenegger. Billionaire Donald Trump gave $10,000 to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to help pay off his campaign debts, a little more than a month after the governor guest-starred on Trump's TV show "The Apprentice: Los Angeles," according to a campaign filing. "He's clearly using his personal friendships and his celebrity to pay off his campaign debt, and that's just wrong," said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a group that tracks campaign donations.
· Man arrested for allegedly stealing 26 cars to see girlfriend. Whenever Antonio Moreno wanted to see his girlfriend, police say, he'd jump in a car and drive right over. But there was a problem. The 26 cars Moreno jumped into all belonged to someone else, according to authorities who arrested the 31-year-old Inglewood man near his home.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
· Man finally arrested in mugging of elderly New York woman. She was brutally mugged in a crime that outraged New Yorkers, but the 101-year-old victim said the attack hasn't intimidated her. "I'm not fearful at all," Rose Morat said Friday as police made an arrest in the case. "Whatever is going to happen is going to happen." Jack Rhodes, 44, was arrested on charges of robbery, grand larceny, burglary and assault, police said.
· Ex-Jersey gov talks marriage to boyfriend after winning joint custody of daughter. It's divorce, gay American style. Fresh from winning Round 1 of an already ugly divorce fight, Jim McGreevey, the gay former governor of New Jersey, gushed yesterday about plans for a civil union to live-in lover Mark O'Donnell.
· N.J. gov. crash shows travel practices. The high-speed automobile accident that critically injured Gov. Jon S. Corzine has focused attention on the practices of governors' official drivers across the nation. According to an Associated Press survey of travel policies nationwide, governors' drivers — who are state law enforcement officers — are expected to obey traffic and safety laws and not to speed or use warning lights just because their bosses are running late or want to get somewhere quicker.
· Former Mets employee admits selling steroids to "dozens" of players. In a new steroids bombshell, a former New York Mets clubhouse employee has admitted distributing various performance-enhancing drugs to "dozens of current and former Major League Baseball players." Kirk Radomski, 37, pleaded guilty today to distributing anabolic steroids and laundering the proceeds of the illicit business, which operated from his New York home.
· Ashes of Star Trek's Scotty finally fly to space. The cremated remains of actor James Doohan, who portrayed engineer "Scotty" on "Star Trek," and of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper soared into suborbital space Saturday aboard a rocket. It was the first successful launch from Spaceport America, a commercial spaceport being developed in the southern New Mexico desert.
· Deputy secretary of state resigns after name found on D.C. madam list. Randall Tobias, the deputy secretary of state responsible for U.S. foreign aid, abruptly resigned Friday after his name surfaced in an investigation into a high-priced call-girl ring, U.S. government sources said. His name was on a long list provided by the alleged prostitution service run by the so-called D.C. Madam. Tobias, 65, who is married, told ABC News there had been "no sex" during the women's visits to his condo.
· Spector's ex tells of gun threats. A former girlfriend of music producer Phil Spector has told his murder trial that she was threatened with two guns after he became drunk. Dorothy Melvin told the Los Angeles court she fled Mr Spector's house when he brandished a pistol and shotgun after a night's drinking.
· Boyfriend charged in killings of 2 boys. A man who told police he was disciplining his girlfriend's sons over chores when the situation escalated pleaded not guilty Friday to fatally stabbing the boys and sexually assaulting their 13-year-old sister.
Friday, April 27, 2007
· Video Exposes Woman Who Claimed She Was Paralyzed. A Florida woman who sued a hospital for malpractice after she claimed a medical mistake left her paralyzed was caught walking on camera. Wanda Davis Johnson claimed her life was forever altered following surgery at Mercy Hospital when she was allegedly left paralyzed from the waste down, unable to walk or stand. After viewing the tape, the judge threw Johnson's lawsuit against the hospital and the doctors out of court.
· Chicago officer faces new charges in bartender beating. Prosecutors announced 14 additional felony charges Friday against a Chicago police officer whose videotaped beating of a female bartender made international headlines. Anthony Abbate, a 12-year department veteran, was charged with seven counts of official misconduct, one count of communicating with a witness, three counts of intimidation and three counts of conspiracy.
» Above The Law: Chicago Cops Out Of Control. CBS2 reporters obtained an Internal Affairs document that shows 7,175 complaints filed against the Chicago police last year. Confidential records and sources reveal in 99 percent of cases no officers were suspended. That raises questions about how Internal Affairs handles abuse complaints. Craig Futterman, a University of Chicago law professor, said "They can abuse civilians with absolute impunity.” “A brutality complaint is 94 percent less likely to be sustained in Chicago than anywhere else in the nation, unless the crime is caught on tape," Futterman added.
· Clinton says her southern twang a virtue, "America is ready for a multilingual president." Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she sees her sometimes Southern accent as a virtue. "I think America is ready for a multilingual president," Clinton said during a campaign stop at a charter school in Greenville, S.C.
· Gay N.H. bishop to make union official. The Rev. V. Gene Robinson became the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop. Now, he and his partner want to be among the first gay couples in New Hampshire to officially unite under a soon-to-be-signed civil unions law.
· N.J. governor will pay for medical costs of crash. Multimillionaire Gov. Jon S. Corzine will forgo his state health insurance and spend hundreds of thousands of his own money to pay for his medical care from a serious car accident, a spokesman said Friday.
· Detroit cop accused of forcing couples to have sex. A police sergeant is accused of pulling couples over with his cruiser and forcing them to engage in sex acts while he watched, threatening them with penalties if they refused. Detroit Sgt. Roosevelt Tidwell, 39, pleaded not guilty Thursday and has been suspended from his job with pay.
· TV producer accused of racism, sexism. A Hollywood union has accused an executive producer of "Law & Order: SVU" of making racist and sexist remarks, claiming he often refers to Asian-Americans as "Chinamen."
· AT&T announces $158.5 million going away present. AT&T Chief Executive Edward Whitacre, whose contract was set to expire next year, unexpectedly announced today that he will retire in less than two months. According to the Wall Street Journal, Whitacre is looking at a sweet retirement package valued at $158.5 million.
· Man Charged for Spending Money Deposited By Mistake. A Nebraska man has been charged with felony theft after he spent $80,000 his bank deposited by mistake in his account. George J. Costa, 45, was charged with theft of lost or mislaid property.
· Woman Slain at Funeral for Shooting Victim. A woman linked to a weekend shooting death was gunned down Thursday afternoon outside a local mortuary while attending the first victim's funeral, police said.
· Pit Bull Attacks Man Walking His Chihuahua. A man is in stable condition at Baptist Hospital of Miami after he was attacked by a pit bull while walking his Chihuahua on Thursday night.
· '$100 Laptop' to Cost $175. The founder of the ambitious "$100 laptop" project, which plans to give inexpensive computers to schoolchildren in developing countries, revealed Thursday that the machine actually costs $175, but it will be able to run Windows in addition to its homegrown, open-source interface.
· Economy weakest in 4 years. Economic growth slowed to the slowest pace in four years in the first quarter, as the government's key measure of the U.S. economy came in far weaker than expectations. Among the biggest factors in the weak growth was a slumping U.S. housing market, which subtracted almost a percentage point from growth.
· LA Times sports writer says he is transsexual. A veteran sports writer for the Los Angeles Times said in his column Thursday that he is a transsexual. Mike Penner told readers of his struggle to embrace his gender, and said when he returns from vacation in a few weeks he will be known as Christine Daniels. He did not say whether he was having surgery or why he's changing his last name.
· Saudi Arabia arrests 172 in anti-terror sweep. Police have arrested 172 militants who were plotting to attack Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, storm its prisons to free the inmates and use aircraft in their attacks, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The militants planned to carry out suicide attacks against “public figures, oil facilities, refineries ... and military zones,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement, adding that some of the military targets were outside the kingdom, but it did not elaborate
· Man On Crusade To See Corzine Pay For Belt Flap. Gov. Jon Corzine was riding in the front passenger seat of a chauffeured SUV without a seat belt. Now, Larry Angel has made it his mission to make sure Corzine pays for violating the law. At worst, Angel's lawsuit could lead to a $46 fine. But it shows that some residents aren't totally sympathetic to the governor's plight. And it highlights the fact that the state police have yet to file their own complaint against Corzine.
· Sandra Bullock's husband attacked by stalker. An obsessed fan tried to run over the husband of Sandra Bullock in an attack at the couple's home in California, police said Thursday. Police said that a woman, Marcia Valentine, attempted to mow down Jesse James during the incident at the couple's home as Bullock and James' 10-year-old son Jesse Jr looked on.
· Explosive found at Austin women's clinic. A package left at a women's clinic that performs abortions contained an explosive device capable of inflicting serious injury or death, investigators said today. "It was in fact an explosive device," said David Carter, assistant chief of the Austin Police Department. "It was configured in such a way to cause serious bodily injury or death."
· Spector to rely on 'invisible witness.' Phil Spector's defense will rely on an "invisible witness" to prove that he did not shoot actress Lana Clarkson, one of his lawyers said yesterday: science. Science will show that Clarkson shot herself, that Spector was not standing close enough to shoot her, that his DNA was not on the gun and that his clothing bore no trace evidence to prove guilt, the defense told jurors.
· Baldwin makes TV apology, consults with Dr. Phil. Actor Alec Baldwin will apologize to his daughter on national television on Friday for calling her a "thoughtless little pig," according to excerpts from a pre-taped ABC interview released on Thursday.
· Plaintiff claims $69k in damages for $6,300 bad check. Debbie Herzog filed suit against Rhino Solutions Group of Alton and its owners in Madison County Circuit Court April 18, seeking to collect damages in excess of $69,000 for a $6,300 bad check.
· Immigration-related cases swamp courts. Immigration-related felony cases are swamping federal courts along the Southwest border, forcing judges to handle hundreds more cases than their peers elsewhere. Judges in the five judicial districts on the border carry the heaviest felony caseloads in the nation. Each judge in New Mexico, which ranked first, handled an average of 397 felony cases last year, compared with the national average of 84.
· Dems Fault Bush Over Iraq in 1st Debate. Democratic presidential hopefuls flashed their anti-war credentials Thursday night, heaping criticism on President Bush's Iraq policy in the first debate of the 2008 campaign. "The first day I would get us out of Iraq by diplomacy," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, one of eight rivals on the debate stage. "If this president does not get us out of Iraq, when I am president, I will," pledged Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
» 2008 Democratic Candidates Rely on Private Jets. A flock of small jets took flight from Washington Thursday, each carrying one of the eight Democratic presidential candidates to South Carolina for the first debate of the political season. For Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, it was wheels up shortly after they voted in favor of legislation requiring that U.S. troops begin returning home from Iraq in the fall. No one jet pooled, no one took commercial flights to save money, fuel or emissions. The campaign expense for each candidate was between $7,500 and $9,000.
· Film Lobbyist Jack Valenti Dies at 85. Jack Valenti was not just Hollywood's top lobbyist. He was one of its biggest stars. The 85-year-old Valenti, who died Thursday of complications from a stroke in March, led the movie industry out of the prudishness of old Hollywood and into an age of freer expression with the creation of the film rating system that has endured nearly 40 years.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
· MIT dean quits in resume padding scandal. The dean of admissions at MIT, a vocal critic of students who pump air into their college applications, has been forced to quit after she was busted for lying on her own resume.
· Two police officers plead guilty in 92-year-old woman's killing. Two police officers pleaded guilty Thursday to manslaughter in the shooting death of a 92-year-old woman during a botched drug raid. A third officer still faces charges in the woman's death.
· Baldwin: 'If I never acted again I couldn't care less.' Divorced dad Alec Baldwin, caught yelling at his daughter on a voicemail message, said Wednesday he asked NBC to let him out of his "30 Rock" contract so he can devote his time to the issue of "parental alienation." "If I never acted again I couldn't care less," Baldwin said in a pre-taped appearance for ABC's "The View."
· Heinz plays ketchup with green gang. Teresa Heinz has a $35 million Gulfstream V, speed boats - including hubby John Kerry’s 42-foot-long Scaramouche that gets less than one mile per gallon - and a fleet of fuel-sucking SUVs. Ta-raaaaay-za’s now the covergirl for N magazine’s upcoming green issue where she lectures about how the rest of us can save Mother Earth. And even though the ketchup heiress and her spouse jet between five energy-sucking megamansions, Heinz puts her foot down when it comes to the environmentally safe chemicals she insists be placed on her Nantucket lawn.
· Lawyer's Price For Missing Pants: $65 Million. When the neighborhood dry cleaner misplaced Roy Pearson's pants, he took action. He complained. He demanded compensation. And then he sued. Man, did he sue. Two years, thousands of pages of legal documents and many hundreds of hours of investigative work later, Pearson is seeking to make Custom Cleaners pay a whopping $65,462,500.
· India court orders Gere's arrest for "obscene" kiss. An Indian court ordered the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere on Thursday for kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS campaign event this month saying it was an obscene act committed in public.
· Men get lost trying to steal copper in mine. Emergency crews say they believe two men went into a Massey mine in Hughes Creek on Tuseday and now may be lost. Deputies say they're told several men actually went into the mine to steal copper - two never came out. Massey has sent a mine rescue team in to see if they can locate them.
· Man sues railway company after truck hit by train. A Colchester County man whose truck collided with a passenger train in March 2005 is suing Via Rail Canada Inc. and Canadian National Railway Co. for alleged negligence and improper conduct. His lawyer, Gerard Scanlan of Truro, said in a telephone interview Wednesday his client is claiming he was not given sufficient warning of the approaching train.
· Snoop Dogg Denied Entry Into Australia. Snoop Dogg has been refused entry into Australia because of his extensive criminal record, the immigration minister said, the second time this year the rapper has been barred from entering another country.
· Man arrested with 68 driver's licenses. A Kansas man faces arraignment next month on charges stemming from the discovery of 68 driver's licenses in the car he was driving when he was stopped on a suspected traffic violation. Asked for his license, the Kansas City, Kan., man produced three of them, along with two Social Security cards, the patrol said. The trooper became suspicious, and a search of Fletcher turned up nine more driver's licenses.
· Hugh Grant arrested over "baked beans attack." Hugh Grant has been arrested and questioned by police after a photographer accused the actor of attacking him with a tub of baked beans.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
· Alec Baldwin leaving the country - again. Actor Alec Baldwin, who has been heavily criticized for leaving his 11-year-old daughter an insult-laced voicemail message, has reportedly decided to leave the country - and the TV business for good.
· Federal raid triggers Chicago protest. Residents of a predominately Hispanic Chicago neighborhood took to the streets in protest after heavily armed U.S. immigration agents raided businesses. "Soldiers bombarded our neighborhood," Baltazar Enriquez told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It looked like they were marching into Iraq."
· "Girls Gone Wild" founder charged with sexual battery. "Girls Gone Wild" video mogul Joe Francis was charged with sexual battery in Los Angeles on Wednesday, two days after being jailed in Florida in the fallout of another sexually-charged case. Francis, 34, has built a $100 million empire selling videos of young women baring their breasts in public and engaging in alcohol-fueled sex acts.
· What happens in Vegas, doesn't stay in Vegas. San Mateo County, California's two "top cops" — Sheriff Greg Munks and Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos — were detained by Las Vegas police Saturday night during a raid at a suspected brothel off the Las Vegas strip. The cops said they thought they were at a legitimate massage parlor, and shocked to learn they had actually visited an alleged brothel.
· Woman Attacked By Dogs Wants Breed 'Exterminated.' A woman who was a victim of a pit bull attack on Monday has said enough of the attacks and enough of the dogs. Joann Jungmann is in the hospital after two pit bulls jumped her. Jungmann's arm is bitten to the bone and her legs are punctured. The dogs' owner said he's sorry about the attack.
· Girl Hit By Car While Running From Pit Bull. Police said a car hit a 13-year-old girl after she ran into traffic while running from a pit bull Tuesday night. Witnesses said friends of Shalika Scott were taunting her and threatening to sick the pit bull on her. Pernell Taylor said she ran, but the dog bit her on her neck and stomach.
· Homeland security officer arrested after raid. When federal agents raided Buffalo, New York massage parlors last month, they were shocked to find a Department of Homeland Security law enforcement officer’s gun and uniform in an apartment linked to one of the parlors. Officer David J. Wolkiewicz, 51, appeared before a federal magistrate judge Tuesday, where court papers indicate he has admitted that he helped run a parlor where prostitution allegedly took place.
· Roseville, Ca. to get $115 million school thanks to 11 voters. A $115 million bond measure for a new high school in Roseville, California was passed Tuesday in an election involving only 12 voters. Eleven of the 12 voters cast ballots in favor of the new high school. Only a dozen voters were eligible because they are the only ones who live in the westside neighborhood where the school will be built.
· O'Donnell Leaving 'The View.' ABC has been unable to come to a contractual agreement with Rosie O'Donnell. As a result, her hosting duties on "The View" will come to an end mid-June. Despite controversy — or maybe because of it — O'Donnell was good business for ABC, owned by the Walt Disney Co. Ratings for "The View" during February sweeps were up 15 percent in key women demographics over the same time in 2006.
· Threatening notes complain of cheerleader coverage. The FBI offered a $5,000 reward Tuesday for help tracking down whoever mailed dozens of threatening letters - including some containing a potentially harmful insecticide - complaining about too much TV coverage of college cheerleaders.
· Teacher has sex with 16-year-old at church. School officials placed a Jackson Middle School teacher on paid administrative leave on Tuesday after she was found in a van with a 16-year-old student. Janet Lea Hughes, 32, of Viera, was arrested Monday night after two undercover Titusville police officers found her with a student in a van parked at First Presbyterian Church.
· Opening Statements Begin in Spector Case. More than four years after a beautiful actress was shot to death at Phil Spector's hilltop castle, a prosecutor told jurors Wednesday that at times the music producer is "sinister and deadly." Spector appeared tense during the televised proceeding as the prosecution laid out the murder case against him in opening statements. Prosecutor Alan Jackson said Spector is someone "who, when he's confronted with the right circumstances, when he's confronted with the right situations, turns sinister and deadly."
· Mexico City lawmakers legalize abortion. Mexico City lawmakers voted to legalize abortion during the first three months of pregnancy, a landmark decision likely to heighten church-state tensions in the Roman Catholic country and lead to a bitter court battle.
· 'Dancing With the Stars' Loses Mills. With a farewell speech tucked into the top of her sparkly costume, Heather Mills came prepared to be eliminated from "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday. "We knew we were going out," said the estranged Mrs. Paul McCartney when she learned her fate. "We were in the bottom two last week. We're not surprised."
· Alec Baldwin Leaves Talent Agency. Alec Baldwin has parted ways with his agents at a major Hollywood talent agency, his spokesman said Monday. Baldwin left Creative Artists Agency for personal reasons, said spokesman Matthew Hiltzik. He did not elaborate.
· Miss America Helps Cops in Sex Sting. Miss America can add crime fighter to her resume. Lauren Nelson recently went undercover with police in New York for a sting targeting sexual predators. Officers with Suffolk County's computer crimes unit created an online profile of a 14-year-old girl that included photographs of Nelson as a teenager.
· Hogs quarantined after eating tainted pet food. Salvaged pet food contaminated with an industrial chemical was sent to hog farms in as many as six states, federal health officials said Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if any hogs that ate the tainted feed then entered the food supply for humans.
· Lawmaker leaves panels after FBI raid. An Arizona congressman temporarily stepped down from two more House committees on Tuesday and got caught up in the probe of the firings of U.S. attorneys, less than a week after the FBI raided his wife's insurance business.
· CBS rejects ad showing Daly and beer. A television commercial featuring golfer John Daly singing in a honky-tonk bar amid reveling beer drinkers and later shown grabbing a beer from a friend while driving a golf cart has been rejected by CBS. "It did not meet the standards of the CBS network," spokeswoman LeslieAnn Wade said Tuesday.
· Apple’s Jobs ‘was warned’ on options. Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, was warned in 2001 about the accounting implications of backdating stock options for top executives at the company, Apple’s former chief financial officer said on Tuesday.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
· Kid takes "Show & Tell" to new heights. A Southlake elementary school was evacuated for more than an hour on Tuesday after a fourth-grader showed up with a hand grenade, authorities said. "The boy wasn't mad at anyone," Cpl. Mike Bedrichsaid, "He just thought it would be cool to bring it to school."
· Vatican: Gay marriage evil, abortion is terrorism. The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of "terrorism with a human face."
· 'Batman' Filming Site Catches Fire. Fire broke out on the roof of Chicago's vacant former post office Tuesday where a movie crew had been filming scenes for an upcoming "Batman" sequel.
· Knoxville father makes boy wear sign as punishment for using drugs. A father took extreme measures to discipline his 14-year-old son, who he claims was abusing drugs. The boy was forced to wear a large sandwich board sign that said "I abused & sold drugs," while standing in front of Cedar Bluff Middle School.
· Mexico's health czar seeks better care for Mexicans in California. Mexico's new secretary of health visited San Francisco on Monday to learn about the health needs of the millions of Mexican immigrants living in California. "Californians should care about the health of immigrant workers because the state's economy relies on their labor," said Mario Gutierrez. Almost 6 million of the estimated 11 million Mexican immigrants in the United States are uninsured.
· Lynch: Truth more heroic than hype. Former Pfc. Jessica Lynch today told a House panel how she was distraught at her hero status after returning from Iraq where two comrades died fighting. It added insult to injury, literally, to hear "the little girl 'Rambo'" version of events being portrayed in the media, she said. Lynch added: "The truth is always more heroic than the hype."
· Fat Workers Cost Employers More. Overweight workers cost their bosses more in injury claims than their lean colleagues, suggests a study that found the heaviest employees had twice the rate of workers' compensation claims as their fit co-workers.
· Machine guns stolen from SWAT van. Memphis police were looking Monday night for the thieves who stole seven weapons from a SWAT team van parked in South Memphis. Taken were three machine guns, two semi-automatic handguns, and two 12-gauge shot guns, Lt. Jerry Gwyn said.
· Teacher Caught Stripping at Club. Chattanooga detectives who busted an adult entertainment club for having an underage dancer found another surprise - a dancer who is also a teacher in Kennesaw. According to police, one of the dancers at Club Coffee was a 15-year-old runaway from Florida. They also arrested stripper Marquita Jett, after finding her with a gun. Then they found out that Jett is a teacher in Kennesaw.
· CBS Radio Show Hosts Suspended After Prank Call. CBS Radio suspended two hosts from a New York radio station today after an Asian-American advocacy organization complained about the broadcast of a prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant that was peppered with ethnic and sexual slurs. In the skit, the caller attempts to order “flied lice,” brags of his prowess in kung fu and repeatedly curses at several employees. The Organization of Chinese Americans, an advocacy group, demanded an apology from the show’s two hosts and from CBS Radio, and called for the firing of the hosts and their producer.
· Rosie to Sheryl Crow: "Have You Seen My Ass?" The answer, presumably, is no - but Rosie O'Donnell made her point, pooh-poohing Sheryl Crow on "The View" for suggesting that we all use just one square of toilet paper per trip to the loo.
· Judge and prosecutor admit sexual relationship. A Douglas County judge and a female prosecutor admitted having sex in his chambers, and on more than one occasion he slipped into the women's showers at the courthouse so they could be together.
· Captain America Arrested With Burrito In Pants. A Brevard County doctor dressed up in a Captain America outfit was arrested with a burrito in his tights. What he allegedly did at the police station got him into more trouble. Doctor Raymond Adamcik, 54, would probably rather forget about the weekend when he was arrested on charges of battery, disorderly conduct, drug possession and trying to destroy evidence. It's not what you would expect from a doctor or Captain America.
· Legal loophole gives mentally ill access to guns. When a judge deemed Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho a danger to himself due to mental illness in 2005, that ruling should have disqualified him from buying a handgun under federal law. It didn't. And his slaughter of 32 people last week has raised questions about the efficacy of instant background checks for firearms purchases by the mentally ill.
Monday, April 23, 2007
· Virginia Tech killer "creeps out" escort. Chastity Frye, who works for an escort service, says she spent an hour, all alone, with Virginia Tech killer Cho Seung-Hui last month. FBI agents questioned her this weekend. "Well, they asked me what happened, and then they asked me if anything stuck out," Frye said.
· Girls Gone Wild founder cries as he's sentenced to jail for contempt. Blowing his nose and wiping away tears, the multimillionaire founder of the ''Girls Gone Wild'' video empire pleaded guilty to contempt of court Monday and received a jail sentence of 35 days. Joe Francis, 34, is facing state charges for allegedly offering a jail guard $100 for a bottled water and having prescription sleeping pills in his Bay County Jail cell.
· Nurse convicted in suitcase murder case. A jury convicted a nurse Monday of killing her husband and placing his body parts in three suitcases she tossed into Chesapeake Bay. Melanie McGuire, who sobbed as she heard the verdict, was convicted of murder, desecration of a corpse, perjury and a weapons offense.
· Rapper killed during robbery attempt. Aspiring rapper Allen Hicks, 22, was killed by the owner of a popular Oakland pizzeria after Hicks armed with a pistol and accompanied by two other men, tried to rob store owner Catarino Piedra. "I was scared," Piedra told The Chronicle. "I had to defend my family. I was in fear for me and my kids." "The shooting has left two families traumatized," Officer Roland Holmgren, a department spokesman said. "This thing had potential - who knows where the suspects were going to take the situation? But by no stretch of the imagination are we agreeing with or justifying what the owner did."
· Did trooper's affair cause Corzine crash? A police officer says he sent a message confronting the trooper over an extra-marital affair just before the April 12 crash. New Jersey State Police are investigating an allegation that the trooper who was driving Gov. Corzine's SUV two weeks ago when it crashed going 91 m.p.h. may have been distracted by e-mails sent to his mobile phone.
· Fat models stay in Africa as West wants Size Zero. Skinny African girls may get to strut on Western catwalks but the fat ones have to stay at home. This is the message being delivered to the 500 or so Ghanaians who have registered with the country's only international modeling agency, Exopa. "A lot of them want to go. But not everyone has the chance to go because of the size the Europeans want them to be," said Exopa's director Sima Ibrahim.
· Professor fired over Va. Tech discussion. An adjunct professor was fired after leading a classroom discussion about the Virginia Tech shootings in which he pointed a marker at some students and said "pow."
· NYPD Sergeant Investigated For Imus-Like Slur. Taking his cue from fired radio host Don Imus, a police sergeant insulted three police officers by calling them "hos" during a recent roll call at a Brooklyn stationhouse, the women claimed Monday. "We felt violated and humiliated," Officer Tronnette Jackson said at a news conference.
· Wis. Man Pays Wrong Woman For Lap Dance, Calls 911. According to the Dodge County Sheriff's Department log, a man called the emergency 911 number early Saturday after he gave $20 to a woman at a Clyman, Wis. club. The woman did not work at the club and left with his money. Failing to get a lap dance, the man called the sheriff's department. Officers are trying to locate the woman.
· Couric an expensive, unfixable mistake. CBS executives deny it, but there's a growing feeling within the network that Katie Couric is an expensive, unfixable mistake. Despite her A-list celebrity, her $15 million salary, and a promotional blitz worthy of a Super Bowl, the former star of NBC's Today has failed to move the Nielsen needle on No. 3 Evening News since her debut seven months ago.
· Soldier: Honor troops like Va. Tech dead. An Army sergeant complained in a rare opinion article that the U.S. flag flew at half-staff last week at the largest U.S. base in Afghanistan for those killed at Virginia Tech but the same honor is not given to fallen U.S. troops here and in Iraq.
· Sheryl Crow: Wipe out global warming by limiting toilet paper usage. Singer Sheryl Crow intends to wipe out global warming by limiting the use of toilet paper. Crow recently said "One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting." "One square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required," Crow added.
» Crow's concert rider for parking her entourage. Sheryl Crow's contract for concert venues require amble parking for her touring entourage which includes sufficient room for three tractor trailers, four buses, and six cars.
· Mayor pledges to make San Francisco a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Mayor Gavin Newsom vowed Sunday to maintain San Francisco as a sanctuary for immigrants and do everything he can to discourage federal authorities from conducting immigration raids. The mayor cannot stop federal authorities from making arrests, Newsom told about 300 mostly Latino members of St. Peter's Church, but no San Francisco employee will help with immigration enforcement.
· Camel Tramples Florida Woman To Death. A Florida woman died after being trampled by a camel, according to authorities. Cathie Ake was the owner of Mini Acres Exotic Animal Farm.
· McGreevey's Wife Tells All in New Book. The wife of former Gov. James E. McGreevey describes him in her upcoming memoir as self-absorbed and controlling and says that, among other demands, he insisted she move out of the governor's mansion before his official resignation or it would make her "look like white trash."
· Crook wins damages for injury during theft. A Canadian man who admitted shoplifting C$106 in razor blades has been awarded C$12,000 ($10,645) for injuries he suffered when he was tackled by store security guards.
· Teacher pleads not guilty to rape of 13-year-old boy. A former Blackstone teacher accused of having sex with her student had a previous sexual relationship with a former student at another job and has a history of "grooming" young men to be her lovers, prosecutors said in court yesterday. Prosecutors allege the sexual relationship began when Giguere befriended a 13-year-old boy in her eighth-grade English class.
· Man Gets 5,000 Calls for YouTube Posting. Ryan Fitzgerald is unemployed, lives with his father and has a little bit of time on his hands. So, he decided to offer his ear, to anyone who wants to call. After posting a video with his cell phone number on YouTube on Friday, the 20-year-old told The Boston Globe he has received more than 5,000 calls and text messages. Fitzgerald said he wanted to "be there," for anyone who needed to talk. "I never met you, but I do care," a spiky-haired Fitzgerald said into the camera on his YouTube posting.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
· Illegal Mexican kills St. Louis woman, is charged with involuntary manslaughter. A suspected drunken driver was charged Saturday with involuntary manslaughter after his car plowed into the back of another vehicle, killing a young woman. The suspect, Pedro Santos, 27, was arrested about 3 a.m. Saturday, about three hours after the crash, hiding in woods not far from the scene. Santos admitted to police that he had entered the country from Mexico illegally.
· California's Mortgage delinquencies at 78% for prime loans. Investment bank Goldman Sachs is increasingly concerned about the health of California's real estate market. Delinquencies on prime and subprime adjustable-rate mortgages in California soared by 78% and 60% respectively, vs. 33% and 24% across the U.S.
· Cops: "We didn't know he was deaf." Harry Tessien, a pizza deliveryman who has been deaf for 25 years, saw flashing police lights. After pulling over, he was pelted with nylon beanbags, which contain 40 grams of lead shot and are meant to stun a suspect. Officer Michael Hicks deployed his Taser as well. "The police opened fire on me," said Tessien, 45, who was heading home after a few beers at a club. "I was unarmed and I put my hands out in front, saying over and over, 'I'm deaf, stop shooting.'"
· Imus Fallout Claims Show Producer. Don Imus' right-hand man is following his former boss into the radio ether. Longtime Imus in the Morning executive producer Bernard McGuirk was fired Thursday for what theoretically could be characterized as conspiracy to emit racist and misogynistic remarks.
· Prison releases felon after getting phony fax. Officials released a prisoner from a state facility after receiving a phony fax that ordered the man be freed, and didn’t catch the mistake for nearly two weeks. It contained grammatical errors, was not typed on letterhead and was faxed from a local grocery store. The fax falsely claimed that the Kentucky Supreme Court “demanded” Rouse be released.
· Student Candidate Lies About Va. Tech Cousin For Votes. A candidate for Southern Oregon University student body president has admitted she was lying when she claimed she had a cousin who was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings. Brandi Freeman spoke at a candlelight vigil with tears streaming down her face, claiming she had lost her cousin in the shootings that left 32 dead at Virginia Tech. By Friday, Freeman admitted to making up the story to appeal to voters for the student body election next week. She also said she suffers from bipolar disorder.
· Dad Wants $20K, Says Lesbian Book Disturbed Teens. A Bentonville, Ark., man is seeking $20,000 from the city after his two teenage sons found a book on lesbian sex on a public library bookshelf. He also wants the library director fired. Earl Adams said his 14- and 16-year-old sons were "greatly disturbed" after finding the book, titled "The Whole Lesbian Sex Book." Adams said the book caused "many sleepless nights in our house."
· Gore Team Told To 'Stand By' For Presidential Run. The more time that passes, the more it seems that former vice president Al Gore may indeed run for the White House next year. According to the Daily Telegraph, staff members who worked on Gore’s unsuccessful presidential bid in 2000 have been approached to work on a possible campaign for 2008. “I was asked whether I would be available towards the end of the year if I am needed,” one of Gore’s former campaign workers said.
· Virginia Tech Gunman Purchased Magazines on eBay. The Internet activities of the Virginia Tech gunman provided more insight Saturday into how he may have plotted for the rampage, with revelations that he bought two ammunition magazines on eBay.
· Texas jury awards $9 million to beating victim. A jury awarded $9 million to a black man who suffered permanent brain damage after being beaten and dumped in a field by four men in 2003. Billy Ray Johnson, 46, lives in a nursing home because of the injuries he suffered in the beating. In the criminal case, the men accused of assaulting him were fined and sentenced to probation and jail time, but none served more than 60 days behind bars.