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Friday, November 23, 2007
· Shamed Marion Jones' Olympic glory erased. All of Marion Jones' results dating to September 2000, including her Olympic and world championship titles, were annulled Friday because of doping. Track and field's governing body also told her to return her estimated $700,000 in prize money from that period. 
· Bullet Meant For Dog Kills Owner. Police said a southeastern Indiana woman chasing her dog was fatally shot by a neighbor after the dog ran through the neighbor's property. Nicole Stroud, 29, of Wadesville was pronounced dead Thursday at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville.
· Study: Democrats party of rich. Democrats like to define themselves as the party of poor and middle-income Americans, but a new study says they now represent the majority of the nation's wealthiest congressional districts. A key measure of each district's wealth was the number of single-filer taxpayers earning more than $100,000 a year and married couples filing jointly who earn more than $200,000 annually.
· Sex offender mayor barred from City Hall. The mayor of small Texas town pleaded guilty to indecent conduct toward two girls and is barred from going to City Hall because it is near a youth center. But he still doesn't plan to resign. Mayor Lino Donato entered the pleas October 31 to three counts of indecency, cutting short a trial on accusations that he exposed himself to two girls between 1996 and 2000 and improperly touched one of them.
· Drunk Driving Prosecutor Arrested On DUI Charge. A Shasta County deputy district attorney who specializes in prosecuting drunken driving cases now faces DUI charges herself. A California Highway Patrol pulled over Patricia Jean Haley, 28, early Saturday for a routine traffic violation and gave her a breath test that showed a blood alcohol level of 0.10. The legal limit for driving in California is 0.08.
· $100K Violin Reported Stolen From Unlocked Car. For Nicolas Orbovich, losing his violin was like losing a member of the family. A concert violinist, Orbovich said he left his instrument, made in 1892 and worth $100,000, in its case and on the backseat of his car Saturday in a parking lot in this northwestern Indiana city. He left the doors unlocked.
· Skydiver Dies Practicing for Record Jump. 100 skydivers linked together after opening their parachutes during a jump, apparently setting a record for their type of formation, but another skydiver died after being injured in an earlier practice run.
· Woman Accused Of Dealing Drugs From Hospital Bed. Police said a woman who checked herself into a hospital earlier this month was dealing drugs from her bed. Quincy police confiscated seven small bags of heroin, a scale used to weigh the drug, marijuana, and $344 from the room of 39-year-old Jonna Marks at Quincy Medical Center.
· 15-year-old girl jailed with 20 men. A 15-year-old girl was put in a Brazilian jail cell with more than 20 men, and for a month was raped relentlessly and forced to have sex for food, human rights groups say. "She was raped from day one'' at the jail in Para state, a Children and Adolescent Defence Centre (Cedeca) spokeswoman said. The number of men in the cell varied from 20 to 34 while the girl, a robbery suspect, was there.
· Worker Crushed in Arizona When 747 Landing Gear Collapses. A man working on a Boeing 747 at an airstrip near Marana was critically hurt when the landing gear collapsed and he was trapped under the plane, authorities said.
· Boy With Toy Gun Robs Man. A boy with a toy gun and a man robbed another man in front of his apartment on Monday, according to officials. The boy, described as about 14 years old, was holding what the victim believed was a real gun and the duo took the man's wallet and cell phone, deputies said.
· Sony Ordered to Pay $5M in Logo Dispute. Sony Music must pay the founder of a small record company $5 million for failing to put his company's logo on reissues of Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" album, a federal appeals court ruled.
· Football Team Gives Up 15 Yards For Dance. An Oregon football team starts almost every game with a 15-yard penalty, and the home fans in Portland love it. The referees drop the flag because the Jefferson High School team performs a dance known as a haka before each game.
· Family of girl hurt in pool sues club, drain-cover manufacturer. The family of a 6-year-old Edina girl injured in a freak wading pool accident filed suit Thursday against the pool manufacturer and the Minneapolis Golf Club. The suit blamed both the club, located in St. Louis Park, and Sta-Rite Industries, a pool equipment manufacturer owned by a Golden Valley company, for the accident, in which 21 feet of Abigail Taylor's small intestine were sucked out when she landed on an uncovered suction outlet in the kiddie pool in June.
· Mauling by pit bull critically injures boy, 1. A 1-year-old boy suffered severe injuries today when a pit bull mauled him in a Wichita apartment, police said. Doctors at Wesley Medical Center said the boy was in critical by stable condition and that although the injuries were serious, they were not life-threatening, said police Sgt. Bruce Watts. Doctors said the boy lost about 30 percent of his scalp in the attack.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
· 3 charged with causing Natalee Holloway's death. Authorities have re-arrested three men in connection with the disappearance of an Alabama teenager in Aruba in 2005, based on new evidence in the case, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Bothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe were arrested in Aruba at the same time authorities in the Netherlands picked up Joran Van der Sloot at the request of the Aruban government.
· Dennis Quaid twins recovering from medical overdose. The two-week-old twins of actor Dennis Quaid were recovering in a Los Angeles hospital on Wednesday after mistakenly being given a massive overdose of a blood thinning drug. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one of the United States' leading hospitals, apologized on Wednesday for what it called the "preventable error" that led to the twins and another unidentified child being given 10,000 units of the anti-coagulant Heparin, instead of the normal 10 units given to babies.
· King on walkoff: 'I have seen it all now.' It was a moment tailor-made for live television: The plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mother agrees to talk to Larry King but then walks off the set almost as soon as the interview starts. The bizarre turn of events had even CNN's King scratching his head. In his 50-plus years in broadcasting, King has never had a guest agree to appear but then disappear while still on the air. "It was as crazy a night as you can imagine," King said Wednesday from New York. "I have seen it all now."
· Wanted: tall, thin women to present Olympic medals. Beijing is seeking women presenters for medals ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics - but only those who are tall and thin need apply. Hundreds of young women will be recruited as volunteers to present medals and raise flags at ceremonies for the Games.
· License Suspended for Hogan's Son. The driver's license of wrestler Hulk Hogan's son has been suspended because of a street racing crash that left a passenger friend critically injured, state officials said Wednesday. Nick Bollea, 17, was arrested Nov. 7 on reckless-driving charges stemming from the August crash. Earlier in November, his license was suspended for six months for allegedly having a blood alcohol level of 0.055 percent as a minor at the time of the accident.
· Sheriff: Ban new deputies from smoking. The Volusia sheriff has a new idea on how to keep deputies fit: Ban them from smoking. Sheriff Ben Johnson proposed barring new hires from lighting up while on the job or at home. Johnson said it's important for his deputies to be in good shape for their physically demanding jobs. He is also proposing routine physical fitness tests.
· Convicted Lawyer Wants to Teach Morality. A lawyer known for his high-profile cases against the police and President Bush asked a judge on Wednesday to spare him jail time for federal tax evasion and fraud conviction. Prosecutors said Stephen Yagman, 63, should serve a minimum of nine years in prison. Yagman's lawyer argued the punishment would be too harsh, calling it ``vindictive prosecution."
· Congressman Accuses Police Of Racial Profiling. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-7th District) said Wednesday he was the victim of racial profiling. CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, the congressman insists the only reason he was pulled over by Chicago police is because he is black.
· Designer to the stars faces rape charges in NY. An award-winning fashion designer to the stars who is accused of sexually assaulting 18 young models in California has been charged with assaulting nine more women in New York, prosecutors said on Wednesday. A Manhattan grand jury indicted Anand Jon Alexander, 33, with sodomy, rape and other charges involving young women and girls as young as 14 between 2002 and 2006, prosecutors said.
· McCartney's Estranged Wife Berates Rich. Heather Mills McCartney, who is reportedly seeking millions of dollars in her breakup with Paul McCartney, denounced the world's rich as misers and snobs Wednesday.
· Swiss Army Knife Sets Record for Tools. A Swiss Army knife that weighs nearly three pounds has been inducted into the 2008 edition of Guinness World Records for "most functions on a penknife." At the time, the knife had 85 tools; the latest version has 87 tools and at least 115 uses.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
· Update: San Francisco to give illegal aliens ID cards. San Francisco will give resident identification cards to illegal immigrants under a plan approved on Tuesday amid a fierce nationwide debate on granting privileges to undocumented aliens. In a 10-1 vote, the city's board of supervisors approved giving identification cards to all residents, including illegal immigrants.
· Man Kills Suspects While On Phone With 911. The 911 call came from a Pasadena, Tex., resident, who alerted police to two burglary suspects on a neighbor's property. Before he hung up, two men were dead. Joe Horn, 61, told the dispatcher what he intended to do: Walk out his front door with a shotgun.
· Sober California drivers to get turkeys. Sober drivers passing through a DUI checkpoint in Salinas will be getting the bird. Up to 300 turkeys will be given to drivers who successfully pass through the sobriety checkpoint Tuesday. The location for the DUI checkpoint isn't being disclosed.
· 81-year-old woman charged with punching police officer. An 81-year-old Greensboro woman was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly punching a police officer in the face. Greensboro police were investigating an assault at 2700 Buchanan Road about 7 p.m. when Mildred Richardson Morris, of the same address, allegedly assaulted officer Sheila A. Lennox-Spaulding by punching her twice in the face, according to arrest warrants.
· Donda West's plastic surgeon walks off 'Larry King Live.' The plastic surgeon who operated on hip-hop star Kanye West's mother the day before she died abruptly walked off the set of CNN's "Larry King Live" Tuesday, saying he was honoring a request from her family.
· Police smelled trouble with teenagers. Two teens who went to the Leicester police station to apply for door-to-door sales permits were arrested after officers say they smelled burned marijuana on them. Police detected the smell on Garrett St. Cyr after he came into the station last Friday. The officers went outside to talk with his companion, Joshua Kephart, after a computer check and a surveillance video showed he'd driven St. Cyr on a suspended license. Police said Kephart also smelled of marijuana and had several cans of beer in the car.
· Mother jailed for letting daughter play truant because she had 'a bad hair day.' A mother who let her teenage daughter skip school if she was having a 'bad hair day' was jailed. Dawn Joyce, 40, also allowed 14-year- old Carrie-Ann to stay at home if she needed to tidy her bedroom, had cat hair on her trousers, was too tired - or had dyed her hair and did not like the color.
· Nude Man Accused of Causing I-95 Crashes. Delaware State Police have arrested a Chester, Pennsylvania, man who they said was running naked and drunk on Interstate-95 and caused three accidents.
· Ex-Alabama football star involved in fatal wreck. A van driven by former University of Alabama football star Siran Stacy was struck by a pickup at an intersection and six people were killed, including Stacy's wife and four of his children, state troopers said Tuesday.
· Robbed pilots saved from a swampy fate. Having stolen $2 million, the thieves handcuffed the Australian pilots to a mangrove in a Papua New Guinea swamp as the tide rose, and covered their faces with mud. "That was so their white skin could not be seen from the air," Senior Inspector Reuben Giusu told the Herald yesterday. Two armed security guards hijacked their light aircraft in mid-flight to steal money being delivered to an isolated bank branch.
· Polygamist 'prophet' to serve at least 10 years in prison. A Utah judge Tuesday sentenced polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs to two consecutive prison terms of five years to life for his conviction on two counts of being an accomplice to rape, a court spokeswoman said.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
· Sex scandal hits Atlanta-area megachurch. The 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood at the pulpit of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church a few Sundays ago and revealed the secret exposed by a recent court-ordered paternity test.
· CBS News Writers Authorize Negotiators to Call Strike. CBS news writers voted to give their union negotiators authority to call a strike, threatening news broadcasts at a network already struggling with a walkout by entertainment writers. A strike by news writers puts additional pressure on New York-based CBS, whose ``Evening News with Katie Couric'' lags behind ABC and NBC in ratings.
· Update: Child-on-child rape case stuns small Georgia town. They could barely see over the courtroom table, and their legs were too short to reach the floor: An 8-year-old and two 9-year-old boys, accused of raping an 11-year-old neighbor.
· 'Mr. Whipple' Dies. Dick Wilson, the actor and pitchman who played the uptight grocer begging customers "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin," died Monday. He was 91.
· Stem Cell Breakthrough Uses No Embryos. Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy.
· New York DMV Bans 'GETOSAMA' License Plates. Retired New York City police officer Arno Herwerth, a 21- year veteran of the NYPD, wanted to add vanity license plates reading "GETOSAMA" to the 1993 Ford Aerostar he had already hand-painted red, white and blue. But New York's DMV red-lighted the anti-Usama bin Laden plates, banning them under an agency regulation that prohibits anything "derogatory to a particular ethnic or other group."
· Concrete billboard stirs controversy. A business owner is standing his ground, and the women in his family are standing with him, after a YWCA of Niagara official charged his company’s advertising is gender insensitive. On a billboard over the image of a wrapped gift, the solicitous catchline, “Wife need new shoes?” is accompanied by the American Concrete logo.
· Brothers behind bars. The brother of a man recently charged with a 24-year-old San Jose killing was arrested after a DNA sample he provided to tie his brother to the crime linked him to the rape of an 81-year-old woman, authorities said today. David Leonard Holland, 46, was arrested Friday in Salinas for the 2001 rape after his DNA sample matched evidence from the attack, authorities said. "We have to assume he didn't expect this to happen," said David Tomkins, assistant deputy district attorney.
· Bogus lawyer bilks clients out of thousands. A man who never finished college passed himself off as a Harvard Law School graduate and bilked clients out of more than $50,000, Broward County authorities said Monday. Robert Brady, 26, was charged with six counts of unlicensed practice of law and organized fraud, according to the sheriff's office.
· Heather Mills: 'Why don't we drink rats' milk?' During another typically bizarre day for Heather Mills, the former model yesterday urged people to try drinking milk from rats and dogs to help save the planet.
· War Of The Roses. A late-night flower bed raid has prompted Bill Nye the Science Guy to obtain a temporary restraining order against a California woman whom the television personality appeared to have married last year. Nye, 51, last week secured the TRO against Blair Tindall, who admits that she poured weed killer in the garden of the Los Angeles home she once shared with Nye.
· Huge yawn locks jaw, chokes man. A British man was rushed to the hospital after his monster yawn locked his jaw, blocking his ability to breathe or swallow. Ben Shire, 34, was making a cup of tea to keep awake when he yawned, dislocating his jaw. He fell to the floor, unable to breathe or swallow.
· Protesting Gas Station Owner Dies On Hunger Strike. The longtime owner of a gas station in the town of Marina in Monterey County lost his battle with Shell Oil when he passed away last week after going on a hunger strike to protest the oil giant.
· Rogue cell phone has 911 on redial. A rogue cell phone is not accepting calls, but it sure likes to dial 911 operators in eastern Iowa. Operators at the Black Hawk County Consolidated Communications Center said that they received about 400 calls from the same cell phone last week and that no one seems to be on the other line.
· Donny Osmond apologizes to Larry King. Donny Osmond has apologized to Larry King for criticizing the CNN talk-show host after he revealed that Marie Osmond's 16-year-old son had entered rehab. "I was very upset about it," the 49-year-old singer said in an interview that aired Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "I thought it was very unfair for Larry King to throw that question at Marie the way he did."
Monday, November 19, 2007
· Vick surrenders early to begin dogfighting sentence. Michael Vick turned himself in to authorities on Monday to get a head start on serving his sentence for running a dogfighting ring, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10 on a federal conspiracy charge of bankrolling the dogfighting operation.
· Mike Tyson gets day in jail for cocaine, DUI. Mike Tyson was sentenced Monday to 24 hours in jail and three years' probation for drug possession and driving under the influence. The former heavyweight champion had pleaded guilty to a single felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor DUI count.
· Cop accused of letting stumbling drunk behind wheel to later arrest for DUI. A judge in Gillette has suppressed evidence in a drunken driving prosecution after ruling that the arresting police officer endangered the public by waiting for a man who was reportedly stumbling to get into his car and drive off before stopping him. The man's lawyer charged that officer Chad Trebby waited for the more severe offense in order to pump up drunken driving arrest numbers.
· Boys, 8 and 9, charged with raping girl. Police say they've arrested three young boys on charges they kidnapped and raped an 11-year-old girl in the woods near an Acworth, GA apartment.
· Fake speed signs garner speeders real tickets. After speeders on Townfield Drive ran over two of Granville Hogg's lambs, he asked for the speed limit to be lowered from 55 miles per hour, to 35. When VDOT declined the request, he bought some very realistic speed limit signs and posted them along the road. The signs were so professional looking that state troopers starting writing tickets because of them.
· Smith Judge No Longer Facing Pot Charge. A retired judge who briefly heard arguments in cases involving the death of Anna Nicole Smith no longer faces a misdemeanor marijuana charge. Prosecutors dropped the charge against retired Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda on Thursday after he passed six months of random drug tests.
· Nancy Pelosi tries to force the Salvation Army to hire people who can't speak English. It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.
· Woman who falsely cried rape EIGHT times is spared jail. A woman who has cried rape eight times has been spared a jail sentence. Gemma Gregory, 28, claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by seven different men over a six-year period.
· Detroit 'most dangerous city.' In another blow to the Motor City's tarnished image, Detroit pushed past St. Louis to become the nation's most dangerous city, according to a private research group's controversial analysis, released Sunday, of annual FBI crime statistics.
· Orlando prep school sues mother for criticizing it on blog. Unhappy with her daughter's private school, Sonjia McSween created a blog to warn other parents. The unexpected result: The New School of Orlando Inc. slapped McSween with a defamation lawsuit to stop her from publishing and talking about the school and force McSween to pay damages.
· Sheriff launches pro-Christmas decoration plan. To heck with white lights and an all-inclusive "holiday" celebration as touted by a Fort Collins citizens group, the Larimer County sheriff said this week. Sheriff Jim Alderden believes such a secular event runs counter to what most people in America and Larimer County hold to be true - Christ and Christmas. So Alderden is putting up his own Christmas - "not a holiday" - tree outside the county sheriff's administration building and is asking people to decorate it Dec. 1.
· Religious Order Reaches $50 Million Sex-Abuse Settlement With Alaska Natives. A Roman Catholic religious order has agreed to pay $50 million to more than 100 Alaska Natives who allege sexual abuse by Jesuit priests, a lawyer for the accusers said Sunday. The settlement with the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus is the largest one yet against a Catholic religious order, said lawyer Ken Roosa, who called it "a great day" for the 110 victims.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
· Attorney says Bonds 'set up.' His attorney claims Barry Bonds was set up by a "perjury trap" by federal prosecutors. Michael Rains told the San Jose Mercury News baseball's home run king did not lie to a federal grand jury probing the BALCO steroid ring.
· Judge threatens jail time for parents of unvaccinated children. Scores of grumbling parents facing a threat of jail lined up at a courthouse Saturday to either prove that their school-age kids already had their required vaccinations or see that the youngsters submitted to the needle. The get-tough policy in the Washington suburbs of Prince George's County was one of the strongest efforts made by any U.S. school system to ensure its youngsters receive their required immunizations.
· Saudi Rape Victim Gets 200 Lashes. A Saudi court sentenced a woman who had been gang raped to six months in jail and 200 lashes - more than doubling her initial penalty for being in the car of a man who was not a relative, a newspaper reported Thursday.
· Jurors reject claim of discrimination. Federal jurors determined that the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin did not discriminate against a disabled softball umpire when it reduced the number of games she worked and eventually did not rehire her. Jurors heard witnesses testify that in 2003 Joan Schmitz made confusing calls during games, misunderstood a rule regarding the number of men who could compete on a co-ed team and took off her uniform pants at home plate during a game.
· Cheerleaders Fight Suspension After Risque Routine. Six cheerleaders are fighting suspensions after they flashed football fans a message on their underpants.
· Volunteer in California fires has arson rap. A volunteer firefighter who helped battle one of last month's wildfires in San Diego County pleaded guilty years ago to setting several destructive wildfires. Steven Santos Robles Jr. has been returned to prison because he violated parole by failing to tell his parole officer he had joined the Ranchita Volunteer Fire Department.
· Burglary suspect shoots self in arm. A burglary suspect in Port Jefferson, N.Y., was arrested at a hospital emergency room after he accidentally shot himself in the arm. Investigators said Steven Holmes of Rocky Point on Long Island was one of three intruders who entered a home in Port Jefferson Friday.
· Katrina-ravaged cars being sold in Bolivia. Tens of thousands of cars were damaged or destroyed by Katrina, which submerged much of New Orleans in a corrosive broth of saltwater and mud. U.S. officials warned Americans to beware of buying the drowned cars. But many “Autos Katrina” were shipped overseas, often sold through Internet salvage auctions now globalizing the auto recycling industry.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
· Woman wants church as part of her divorce. The estranged wife of a pastor claims her husband blended his professional and personal finances so thoroughly that his church should be counted as an asset in their divorce. A judge agreed in a decision published this week to hear arguments on the claim, and he ordered a financial appraisal of the church.
· Mom: Web hoax led girl to kill herself. Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her. Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel. The next day Megan committed suicide.
· 36 million drivers would flunk drivers tests. If a test administered by GMAC Insurance is any indication, one in six people cruising our highways and byways - roughly 36 million licensed drivers - would flunk their driver's test if they had to take it today. And based on the 2007 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test data the state with the most road-going dummies is New York, while the most knowledgeable ones are out West to Idaho.
· Death of Ex-Cop's Wife Called a Homicide. A nationally known pathologist has examined the remains of a former police officer Drew Peterson's third wife at her family's request and determined her death was a homicide, according to a published report. Former New York City chief medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden examined Kathleen Savio's remains on Friday and determined that she died after a struggle and her body was then placed in the bathtub where she was later found, Savio's family said.
· Woman stabs pit bull that attacked her cat. Authorities said a woman stabbed a pit bull that got into her house and attacked her cat. The Otter Tail County sheriff's office said the woman's daughter and a friend were walking into the house on Wednesday evening when the neighborhood dog made it past them and got into the home.
· FAA reassures travelers after near-miss. Air traffic control errors like the one that almost caused two airliners to collide near Chicago this week remain extremely rare and staffing levels are adequate despite controllers' complaints of fatigue and overwork, a federal aviation official said Friday.
· Costume Flap Imperils Immigration Post. Just when it appeared Julie Myers had cleared every hurdle in her quest to officially become the nation's top immigration official, a dreadlocked wig and a prisoner's outfit could cost her the job. Myers, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ran into trouble earlier this month after she and two other agency managers gave the "most original" costume award to a white employee who came to the agency's Halloween party dressed as an escaped prisoner with dreadlocks and darkened skin.
· Spears driving incident entered as evidence. The video of Britney Spears apparently running a red light with her children in the car was submitted into court Friday, a week after anyone with an Internet connection could judge it for themselves.
· Army Desertion Rate Highest Since 1980. Soldiers strained by six years at war are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980, with the number of Army deserters this year showing an 80 percent increase since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
· Atty: Woman wasn't told donor was a risk. A woman in her 30s who is one of the four organ transplant patients infected with HIV and hepatitis was not told that the infected donor was high risk, and had previously rejected another donor "because of his lifestyle," her attorney said.
Friday, November 16, 2007
· Teacher Suspended for Alleged Racist Rhyme. A River View, Wisconsin middle school teacher accused of using a racist rhyme in class has been suspended. The teacher allegedly used the rhyme - "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" - Monday while trying to pick a student to do a task.
· Detroit Station Owner Kills Rival in Gas Price Fight. Detroit police say a war between two gas stations took a shocking and tragic turn with a station owner shooting his rival who was irate over a gas-price cut.
· Hooters Girls Pose with SWAT Team. A SWAT team leader in Hoboken, New Jersey has some explaining to do after pictures of Hooters girls holding SWAT issued assault weapons surfaced. Lieutenant Angelo Adriani is in several pictures with some Hooters girls.
· Retailer denies sign is a slur. A Casa Furniture and Bedding store in Alexandria, Virginia has been advertising easy credit with a twist: “no gringo papers” necessary.
· Wounded warriors face home-front battle with VA. Marine Sgt. Ty Ziegel was attacked by a suicide bomber in Iraq. He lost part of his skull, his face was badly scarred and a portion of his brain was damaged. But when he returned home, the VA rejected his brain damage claim.
· Controversy Over London Tourism Ad. An advertisement depicting a tattooed skinhead urinating into a china teacup is being used to promote tourism to London.
· Historic Whiskey Could Go Down Drain. Here's a sobering thought: Hundreds of bottles of Jack Daniel's whiskey, some of it almost 100 years old, may be unceremoniously poured down a drain because authorities suspect it was being sold by someone without a license. Officials seized 2,400 bottles late last month during warehouse raids in Nashville and Lynchburg, the southern Tennessee town where the whiskey is distilled.
· Southwest flyer told to change outfit poses for Playboy. A 23-year-old college student who was told by a Southwest Airlines employee that her outfit was too revealing to fly is wearing even less on Playboy's Web site. Kyla Ebbert appears in photos — some in lingerie, some nude — under the heading, "Legs in the Air."
· Rare robbery case brings cries of racism. Three young black men break into a white man's home in rural Northern California. The homeowner shoots two of them to death — but it's the surviving black man who is charged with murder. In a case that has brought cries of racism from civil rights groups, Renato Hughes Jr., 22, was charged by prosecutors under a rarely invoked legal doctrine that could make him responsible for the bloodshed.
· Woman crashes into salon, has hair done. Police say one customer was knocked across the room when 73-year-old Della Miller failed to stop her vehicle before it crashed through the windows of a hair salon. A customer who was sitting just inside the windows waiting for her appointment was struck and thrown six feet. Miller, who was not injured, proceeded with her hair appointment.
· Man Charged With Toad-Licking. A 21-year-old man in Kansas City was charged with possession of a venomous toad with the intent of licking its body to get high, according to police. David Theiss, 21, was arrested after police said he was trying to get high with the Colorado River toad. Officers in Clay County said it is the first time they've ever charged someone with toad-licking.
· New Study Says Some Alcohol OK For Pregnant Moms. British researchers say it might be okay for pregnant women to occasionally indulge in a night of drinking. The researchers reviewed 14 studies and could not find much evidence that a once-in-a-while binge harms a fetus. But the researchers also said more study is needed.
· Well Done: a food company annual report that has to be cooked first. Croatian creative agency Bruketa & Zinic have designed an annual report for food company Podravka that has to be baked in an oven before it can be read. Empty pages become filled with content after being baked at 100°C for 25 minutes.
· Woman sues boxer over racy photos. A New York woman sued Olympic boxer Oscar de la Hoya for $100 million on Thursday, saying she was coerced into agreeing not to sell photographs of him dancing around a hotel room in women's clothing.
· CBS "Mystified" by Dan Rather's "Bizarre Allegations", Files Motion to Dismiss. Yesterday, in New York Supreme Court, in response to Dan Rather's civil lawsuit, CBS filed a lengthy 30-page motion to dismiss the case. CBS executives also released a statement today, noting that they are "mystified" by Rather's "bizarre allegations" but will "vigorously" defend themselves in court if need be.
· Off Goes the Power Current Started by Thomas Edison. Con Edison ended 125 years of direct current electricity service that began when Thomas Edison opened his Pearl Street Manhattan power station on Sept. 4, 1882. Con Ed will now only provide alternating current, in a final, vestigial triumph by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, Mr. Edison’s rivals who were the main proponents of alternating current in the AC/DC debates of the turn of the 20th century.
· GPS Helps Cities Catch Goof-Offs. GPS tracking devices installed on government-issue vehicles are helping communities around the country reduce waste and abuse, in part by catching employees shopping, working out at the gym or otherwise loafing while on the clock.
· Lohan Freed After 84 Minutes in Jail. Lindsay Lohan was a jailbird for just 84 minutes Thursday, becoming the latest celebrity to serve less than a day for a drunken driving offense.
· Britney Hits 'Em, One More Time. Paparazzi have felt Britney Spears' ire. They seem to be getting familiar with her tire as well. The beleaguered, steering-challenged pop star appeared to run over her third foot in less than a month while pulling into the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills Wednesday night.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
· Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women. Santas have been told not to use Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday. Sydney, Australia's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
· The State Department has decide to not issue "death sentences" to it's diplomats. The State Department is backing down for now from forcing diplomats to serve in Iraq this summer because enough have volunteered to work in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and in outlying provinces, officials said today. At a recent town hall meeting, hundreds of diplomats applauded when one likened a forced tour in Iraq to a "potential death sentence."
· Federal Grand Jury Indicts Barry Bonds. Baseball superstar Barry Bonds was charged Thursday with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying when he said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs.
· 68-year-old stuntwoman still loves her occupational hazard. Age means nothing to 68-year-old veteran stuntwoman, Sandy Gimpel. A fourth-level black belt in karate – a sport she also teaches – she routinely falls down stairs, jumps from high cliffs, and takes more than a few bruises from some of Hollywood's leading men.
· Secret ingredient of $25,000 dessert revealed: Mouse droppings? While serendipity may be the art of finding pleasant things by chance, what health inspectors found at celebrated eatery Serendipity 3 was not very agreeable. Officials closed the restaurant Wednesday night after it failed its second inspection in a month. An inspector spotted a live mouse and mouse droppings, fruit flies, house flies and more than 100 live cockroaches. People (used to) stand in line for hours outside the Manhattan restaurant, known for its Guinness World Record $25,000 Haute Chocolate dessert.
· Boy, 15, gets 60 years for sex attack of girl, 6. A judge sentenced to 60 years in prison this morning a teenager who had pleaded guilty of kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting a neighbor in Spanish Lake, MO on Nov. 11, 2005, when he was 13 and she was 6.
· Man's taser death caught on tape. A video showing the last moments of a Polish immigrant, who died after Canadian police shot him with a stun gun at Vancouver International Airport, has been made public.
· Body found at scene of Houston building implosion. Authorities in Houston believe they have located a body among the rubble of a building implosion. Crews began digging through the debris of the Old Crowne Plaza Hotel Wednesday morning to search for someone who may have been inside when the building came down.
· Chicago city workers: 22 convictions? Not a problem. Fired for lying about his decades-long criminal past, a city worker claims bad memory - and gets his job back. When he applied for a part-time job as a truck driver for the city of Chicago, Jerome Felske admitted he had a criminal past. He acknowledged having six criminal convictions - one burglary and five thefts. At the time, three years ago, City Hall had an unwritten policy against hiring ex-cons. But Felske had clout: He was helping register voters for the Hispanic Democratic Organization, then a powerful patronage army delivering votes for Mayor Daley.
· Male teacher gets 30 years for having sex with 17-year-old. A Bainbridge, Georgia high school teacher is sentenced to 30-years in prison for having a sex with a 17-year-old student. Thirty-four-year old Richard Dennis Whitehead was found guilty on 9 counts of sexual assault.
· Atlanta inmates may get DirectTV. The 226 inmates in the Clayton County Correctional Institution may get something that many of their free neighbors don't have: "Monday Night Football" on satellite TV. Warden Frank Taylor is asking the Clayton County Commission to let him order in direct-broadcast satellite service. Taylor says it's a bargain tool for prison management.
· Bomb parts smuggled past airport security. Investigators with bomb-making components in their luggage and on their person were able to pass through security checkpoints at 19 U.S. airports without detection, according to the Government Accountability Office.
· LAPD shelves Muslim mapping plan. A police plan to map out Muslim communities, a proposal that civil rights groups sharply criticized as racial and religious profiling, has been shelved, a police spokeswoman said Wednesday.
· Clinton opposes driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor. Clinton stumbled when asked about the issue during a Democratic debate two weeks ago, and her new position comes the day before another debate in Nevada where opponents are expected to raise the issue again.
· Foreclosures Hit a Snag for Lenders. A federal judge in Ohio has ruled against a longstanding foreclosure practice, potentially creating an obstacle for lenders trying to reclaim properties from troubled borrowers and raising questions about the legal standing of investors in mortgage securities pools.
· O.J. Simpson to Face New Criminal Trial. More than a decade after his acquittal on murder charges, O.J. Simpson will again stand trial in a case certain to capture the national spotlight. The former football star said he wasn't surprised when a justice of the peace ordered him on Wednesday to defend himself against charges including kidnapping and armed robbery in a suspected sports memorabilia heist.
· Penn State Student Falls 8 Stories, Lives. A Penn State freshman is in critical condition after falling eight stories from her dorm room Tuesday. Tyrone Parham, a university police spokesman, said it was not clear if the 18-year-old girl fell from the window or jumped. Police said they have also not ruled out a criminal act.
· Matt Damon Named 'Sexiest Man Alive.' Matt Damon has been named the "sexiest man alive" by People magazine, an honor that has been bestowed twice on his pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The 37-year-old actor is featured on the cover of People's annual issue, on newsstands Friday.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
· Utah Highway Patrol crosses could be coming down. The fate of more than a dozen crosses honoring fallen Utah Highway Patrol troopers was left in the hands of a federal court judge on Tuesday. The issue was taken to court after a group of atheists sued the state claiming the crosses violate the constitutional separation of church and state.
· California will not charge 10-year-old arsonist. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office has decided not to file charges against a 10-year-old boy accused of playing with matches and starting the Buckweed fire, which charred 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes in the Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita areas last month.
· McCain supporter: "How do we beat the bitch?" Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was posed a question at a South Carolina presidential rally that he hadn't heard before. An older woman stood and asked him, "how do we beat the bitch?"
· Update: Judge Who Sued Over Pants Loses Job. A judge who lost a $54 million lawsuit against his dry cleaner over a pair of missing pants has lost his job, District of Columbia officials said. Roy Pearson's term as an administrative law judge expired May 2 and the Commission on Selection of Administrative Law Judges has voted not to reappoint him. He had held his position for two years.
· San Francisco supervisors approve ID cards for illegals. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to issue municipal identification cards to city residents - regardless of whether they are in the country legally. Under San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, it is city policy that no municipal government personnel or resources be used to assist federal immigration officials in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants.
· N.Y. governor abandons driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will withdraw a controversial plan that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, a spokeswoman said. Seventy-six percent of Americans oppose giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, according to poll conducted in October for CNN by the Opinion Research.
· Man successfully escapes police - killed by alligator. A man who jumped into a Florida lake to escape police has been found dead with alligator bite marks on his torso, police said today. While it is yet to be determined that the man was killed by an alligator, a suspected long reptile culprit has been identified and killed.
· Jury awards $2.3 million in gynecologist abuse suit. A King County jury has awarded $2.3 million to three women who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by disgraced gynecologist Charles Momah. Momah, who operated several clinics in South King County, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2005 after being convicted of rape and other sex crimes. At trial, former patients testified that he got them hooked on painkillers before sexually assaulting them.
· West Doctor Sought Hollywood Limelight. The doctor who performed a tummy tuck and breast reduction on the mother of Kanye West is a plastic surgeon to Hollywood's elite and something of a celebrity himself, with a TV show of his own and a host of appearances on programs from "Extra" to "Oprah." What Dr. Jan Adams hasn't publicized, however, is that the state medical board is investigating whether to revoke or suspend his license over alcohol-related arrests; that he has been the target of malpractice lawsuits; and that he's paid out nearly $500,000 in civil settlements.
· Real Estate Lock Boxes Add Panic Button. Entering an empty, unfamiliar house with a stranger is all in a day's work for real estate agents, most of them women. "You're on your own," said Nicholle D. Dagata, a real estate agent in Berlin, Conn. Cell phones are an obvious tool but cannot be used inconspicuously and can drop out of range in a basement, she said. "Sometimes you feel queasy." Now, GE Security's new wireless lock boxes, already designed to quickly notify a seller's agent that a house is being shown, are being outfitted with a "panic button" agents can use in an emergency.
· Domestic Spying Inquiry Restarted at DoJ. The Justice Department has reopened a long-dormant inquiry into the government's warrantless wiretapping program, a major policy shift only days into the tenure of Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
· CIA agent faked marriage for citizenship. A former agent for the FBI and CIA with ties to the popular Detroit area Lebanese restaurant chain La Shish, pleaded guilty Tuesday to faking a marriage to win U.S. citizenship, clearing the way to being hired and given security clearances by the two intelligence agencies.
· Regan Files $100M Suit Against Publisher. One-time book publishing powerhouse Judith Regan filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit Tuesday saying her former employers asked her to lie to federal investigators about Bernard Kerik, the former police commissioner who was once her lover, and tried to destroy her reputation.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
· Washington Post Critic Apologizes for E-Mail. A Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic for The Washington Post has apologized for sending an angry e-mail in which he called District of Columbia Council member Marion Barry a "crack addict."
· Saudi Prince Buying 'Flying Palace' Jet. In the annals of excess, it could be a new high: a more than $300 million dollar, super-sized luxury airplane, bought and outfitted solely for the private comfort of a Saudi Arabian billionaire. Once done, the Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, will be a "flying palace" for Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the manufacturer announced Monday.
· NYC Taxpayers May Soon Be Funding 'Pigeon Czar.' Don't feed the pigeons … or else. A new pigeon plan is in the works that includes the creation of a pigeon czar. New York City is a smorgasbord for pigeons, but something could break that bread line. "We hope people who are spending their time collecting old bread from bakeries to feed pigeons to poop on your head will stop," Councilman Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, said. Felder wants pigeon feeders to pay. His plan is modeled after one in London where the fine is $1,000, to minimize the fluttering and flinging of filth.
· Student describes how she became a Clinton plant. The college student who was told what question to ask at one of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign events says "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted.
· Man Found Dead, Stuck In Cat Door. St. Johns County Florida deputies recently launched an investigation into what they called one of the strangest accidents they've ever seen when a man was found dead after getting stuck in a cat door. Investigators said 32-year-old Charles Tucker Jr. was using the cat door early Saturday morning as a way to get back into his girlfriend's St. Augustine home after the woman kicked him out.
· Great Grandmother Strip-Searched At N.Y. Casino. A great-grandmother from Mount Vernon is filing suit for allegedly being strip searched at the Yonkers Raceway casino. As CBS 2 HD has learned, the angry woman says it was over a winner's slip that was missing. "They kept me down there for two and a half hours. Then they came and said they found the ticket. I said where was the ticket? He said it was in the machine."
· Officer Accidentally Uses Taser On Self. Adding insult to injury, the Madison Police Department issued a letter of reprimand after an officer was injured in the hand from accidentally discharging a Taser during a standard checkout procedure.
· Dr. says he operated on Kanye West's mom. A plastic surgeon who claimed to have operated on Kanye West's mother before she died said he did nothing wrong, and that her death could have been caused by other medical problems. Dr. Jan Adams told celebrity Web site TMZ that he performed a tummy tuck and breast reduction on Donda West, but that she might have died from a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or massive vomiting.
· 'Anonymous Friend' gives $100 million to town. Mike Batchelor invited the heads of 46 charities into his downtown office for one-on-one meetings to personally deliver the news. Nearby, on a small table, sat a box of tissues. And then he proceeded: A donor had given a staggering $100 million to the Erie Community Foundation, and all of the charities would receive a share.
· Lawyer: Bay pilot didn't realize damage. A lawyer for the ship pilot under investigation in San Francisco Bay's biggest oil spill in nearly two decades said his client didn't immediately realize the severity of the crash that led to the leak.
Monday, November 12, 2007
· Candidate Apologizes For 'Buckwheat' Remark. A state representative in a Louisiana runoff election infuriated civil rights leaders after she ended a conversation with the mother of the NAACP's president by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat."
· Debt collection agencies sink to new lows. "Dear Sh*t" read the letter a New York man received from a debt collection company trying to collect a $16.39 debt. The letter from Nationwide Collections was addressed to "Sh*t Face" and threatened to take the customer to court over the debt, owed to Columbia House, a music subscription company.
· Car Company Considers Vehicle for Exclusively for Muslims. A national automaker is considering an Iranian proposal to design a car exclusively for Muslims. Among the features on the proposed vehicle are compasses that point toward Mecca and compartments for the Koran and prayer scarves. Proton, a Malaysia-based car maker, may agree to develop the “Islamic Car.”
· Man Hurts Himself Trying to Loosen Lug Nut - With a Shotgun. A 66-year-old man shot himself in both his legs Saturday afternoon while trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut with a 12-gauge shotgun.
· Alabama man on riding mower drowns in swimming pool. A 46-year-old man died after a riding lawn mower he was operating fell into a swimming pool at a north Mobile County home, a sheriff's spokeswoman said.
· Burger King sued over Bronx slaying. The family of a Bronx 16-year-old shot dead outside a Burger King, allegedly by its manager, is suing the fast-food giant - charging that officials should have known their employee was murderous.
· Mexican boy allegedly abused by teacher could return to U.S. A 13-year-old illegal immigrant who fled to his native Mexico amid a sex scandal with his schoolteacher could be eligible to return to the United States under a new visa the government started granting the week before he disappeared.
· Online first dates lead to sex. One third of women who meet someone online have sex on the first date, and three quarters of these do not use a condom, according to a new survey.
· Police: Man sold hallucinogens in Easter candy. A 20-year-old man was arrested for allegedly selling hallucinogenic mushrooms hidden inside chocolate bunnies and ducks and other drugs, authorities said.
· Au Revoir, Armoire. America's obsession with flat-panel TVs has been a boon for sports nuts and videogame addicts. But it's sounded the death knell of the entertainment armoire, that bulky living-room fixture that has been used for decades to hide mammoth old-school sets.
· Thai serial killer says he 'hated those who take naps at work.' Police in Thailand said Sunday they have charged a security guard with murder after he admitted beating to death eight co-workers he discovered sleeping on the job.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
· L.A. Teachers Asked To Pay Back $53 Million. Teachers in the nation's second-largest public school system have been told to return an estimated $53 million they were overpaid because of a faulty payroll system.
· Thieves Nabbed Trying To Sell Painting Called 'An Honest Living.' Police say it took a painting called "An Honest Living" to catch a pair of crooks. The oil painting, which depicts a blues band, was one of 250 works that burglars stole from the Laguna Beach home of artist John Cosby in April. The paintings were valued at $750,000.
· Sex Offender Crawls Under Bathroom Stall To Fondle Boy. A registered sex offender was arrested on Friday morning, accused by police of climbing under a Volusia County park restroom stall and molesting a 15-year-old boy while masturbating.
· Texas Skydiver Found Dead 2 Days After Fatal Jump. A missing skydiver thought to have gone home after not returning from a jump was found dead two days after his parachute apparently failed to open, authorities said. Scott Bell, 35, was found Friday in an overgrown field about a mile from the Skydive Spaceland hangar where he worked.
· Police find mob's "Ten Commandments." Never look at the wives of your friends, says one rule. Avoid pubs and nightclubs. Always keep your appointments. And, of course, never be seen with a cop. Members must also "hold to moral values," but there's not a single "Thou shall not kill" in the bunch.
· Student's costume wasn't Klan outfit, dad says. The Halloween garb worn by a Westview student last week was a ghost costume, not a Klan outfit, the boy's father said yesterday. “My son is not racist. He was more naive than malicious,” said the father, whose name is not being used because he said he feared his son could be subject to harassment.
· Teacher sex abuse cases reveal patterns. Back in August, the rumor around Lexington Middle School was that 25-year-old math teacher Kelsey Peterson had a boyfriend — a 13-year-old former student. People had complained to administrators three months earlier that Peterson spent too much time hanging out with the kids. When new complaints reached administrators linking her to the student in August, her principal gave her a verbal warning, but that was it.
· DNA test proves Gipp wasn't father. DNA from the recently exhumed body of college football hero George Gipp shows he was not the father of a child born shortly after his death, quelling longstanding rumors, relatives said Saturday.
· Vick fires lawyer in dogfighting case. Michael Vick has fired one of the attorneys representing him in his dogfighting case. Daniel R. Meachum of Atlanta will no longer represent Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback who pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
· Clinton campaign admits staffer planted question at forum. An aide for Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a Grinnell College student a question to ask the Democratic presidential candidate during a forum this week in central Iowa. The campaign did not mention at the event that the question had been planted, and it initially denied the incident occurred until last night.
· Sex Offender's Body Burned, Beheaded. Residents along a cul-de-sac told police they saw a small fire near the spot where the burned and beheaded body of a convicted sex offender was found. "Who would do something like this to my son? It's not real to me right now," said the victim's father.
· Update: Rep. Bob Allen Found Guilty Of Soliciting Prostitution. A jury Friday convicted state Rep. Bob Allen of soliciting prostitution from an undercover male officer in July. The Merritt Island Republican was accused of peering over a stall in a men's public park restroom, then agreeing to pay $20 to perform oral sex on a Titusville police officer.
· Update: Aide confesses she beat Linda Stein to death with yoga stick. In a stunning end to a sensational whodunit, Linda Stein's assistant confessed she bashed in the Realtor's head with a yoga stick after she blew pot smoke in her face and made a racial crack, police said. During the interrogation, which began Thursday night and ended at 6 a.m. yesterday, Natavia Lowery, 26, presented herself as a victim who snapped under abuse. Lowery's family charged cops targeted her because she's black and said Stein's daughters should be suspects.
· Congress aims to put out cigarettes. Congress is taking new whacks at the cigarette industry, banning tobacco sales in Senate buildings and — more importantly — seeking a significant federal tax increase on cigarettes.
· O.J. Simpson co-defendant takes stand against him. One of the men who took a plea deal in exchange for his testimony in the O.J. Simpson armed robbery case said Friday that he saw another co-defendant pull a gun when the two accompanied Simpson into a hotel room.
· Clooney 'in restaurant bust-up.' George Clooney and international romance icon Fabio caused quite a stir in Los Angeles' swanky Madeo when the pair had to be physically broken up after becoming embroiled in a feud over a photo opportunity.
· China halts export of bead toys tainted with toxic drug. China has suspended exports of the Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a chemical that can convert to a powerful "date rape" drug, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. The toys have caused some children who swallowed the craft toys to vomit and lose consciousness.
Friday, November 9, 2007
· Celebrity Realtor's assistant charged with her murder. The personal assistant of "Realtor to the stars" Linda Stein was arrested Friday in Stein's beating death and charged with second-degree murder, said New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly. The assistant, Natavia Lowery, gave detectives a written and verbal confession, Kelly said.
· Cop now a suspect in wife's disappearance. Authorities probing the disappearance of a police officer's wife say he's now a suspect and the case has shifted to a potential homicide. Authorities also said that they now have court approval to exhume the body of a previous wife of Bolingbrook Police Sgt. Drew Peterson.
· M.E.: 'Intoxication' contributed to woman's airport death. The death of a woman in custody at the Phoenix airport in September was an accidental hanging, with contributing factors including "acute ethanol and prescription medication intoxication," according to a report released Friday.
· Update: Priest Arrested For Stalking Conan O'Brien. According to New York police, Rev. David Ajemian, 46, was nabbed November 2 outside the NBC studios in Rockefeller Center as he tried to enter the building for a taping of O'Brien's late-night talk show. In his notes to O'Brien, Ajemian allegedly referred to himself as "your priest stalker," and when he was denied entry to a taping, Ajemian wrote, "Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans?"
· O.J. part of 'military-style invasion' of hotel room, witness says. With O.J. Simpson looking on from the defense table, a sports memorabilia dealer testified Thursday that the former football star helped lead a September "military-style invasion" of a Las Vegas hotel room.
· DUI sobriety checkpoint: 21 drivers get tested, four get arrested, one deputy' wife gets driven home. The wife of a Manatee County Florida sheriff's deputy was given a ride home from a DUI checkpoint last month even though a deputy smelled alcohol, according to a report released Thursday.
· Tallest US man is 7-foot-8 Va. deputy. To all those people who blurt out "Wow, you're tall!" as they stare up at George Bell: He knows. And now, the world will know, too. The lanky, 7-foot-8 Norfolk sheriff's deputy is being recognized by Guinness World Records as the Tallest Man in the United States. Bell wears size-19 shoes, pants with a 43-inch inseam and shirts with 45-inch sleeves - and is 2 inches taller than the NBA's current tallest player, Yao Ming.
· Brooklyn bar learns how to serve a Corona. A Brooklyn bar that was written up last month by the city Health Department after one of its bartenders used his bare hand to place a lime inside a bottle of Corona is now using tongs to stay on the right side of the law, even as its customers call it a sell-out to the bureaucrats.
· Former NY police commissioner indicted. A federal grand jury has returned a sealed indictment against former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, sources familiar with the investigation said Thursday. Prosecutors had been looking into allegations against Kerik that include bribery and tax evasion, sources said earlier this week.
· School report card leads deputies to burglary suspects. Deputies arrested two teens in connection with a home burglary that happened on Wednesday in North Naples. Authorities say a school report card that was left behind at the scene in a book bag led them to one of the suspects.
· FBI warns of uncorroborated threat to malls. In what one FBI spokesman described as "almost an annual ritual," the bureau has obtained uncorroborated intelligence indicating al Qaeda would like to strike shopping malls during the holiday shopping season, two law enforcement sources said Thursday. Those sources confirmed there is intelligence dating back to August that al Qaeda would like to attack malls in Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois.
· Texas border agents find man in suitcase. A man hiding in a suitcase and a driver have been detained by Customs and Border Protection officers after a failed smuggling attempt. Authorities believe both men were headed for Denver.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
· Georgia Plans Service to Pray for Rain. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will host a prayer service next week to ask for relief from the drought gripping the Southeast. "The only solution is rain, and the only place we get that is from a higher power," Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said.
· U.S. smoking rate stalled at 21 percent, CDC says. Nearly 21 percent of Americans smoke, or 45 million, a number that has been stalled since 2004, federal researchers reported on Thursday in a study they said means governments must spend more to persuade people to kick the habit.
· New York's $25,000 dessert sets Guinness record. A day after New York City came up with a $1,000 bagel, a local restaurateur unveiled a $25,000 chocolate sundae on Wednesday, setting a Guinness world record for the most expensive dessert.
· Priest Accused of Stalking Conan O'Brien. A priest has been arrested on charges of stalking late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien by writing him threatening notes on parish letterhead, contacting his parents and showing up at his studio, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Rev. David Ajemian, a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston, was arrested last week while trying to enter a taping session of NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."
· Rosie's yapping quashes possible MSNBC deal. Negotiations for a one-hour MSNBC talk show hosted by Rosie O'Donnell has collapsed, the comedian said on her Web site late Wednesday. The onetime moderator on "The View" revealed the potential deal at a Miami book fair during the weekend. She blamed herself for the collapse, saying that her letting it slip in Miami caused "panic."
· Toy with 'date rape' drug pulled. U.S. safety officials have voluntarily recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a powerful "date rape" drug that has caused some children to vomit and lose consciousness upon ingesting the contents.
· Too much passion. A woman bit off her ex-boyfriend's lower lip as they were kissing in bed, likely disfiguring him permanently, authorities said. The Seattle man and the woman had kissed several times Monday night when, without provocation, she bit off his lip and spat it out, he told King County sheriff's deputies.
· PSA: Police station no place to smoke weed. A man is facing drug charges after he allegedly walked into the Danbury police station puffing on a marijuana-filled cigar.
· 23 charged in O'Hare immigration bust. Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested, accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac. The 23 illegal workers were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager also were arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state and Chicago authorities.
· Man Calls 911 to Request Beer. It may have seemed like an emergency at the time, but a Connecticut man is now regretting his call to 911. 35-year-old Brian Poulin of Hebron was arrested Sunday after police said he called 911 several times and asked them to bring him beer. Hebron was charged with disorderly conduct.
· Los Angeles City Council To Vote On Ban Of The 'N' Word. City Councilman Bernard Parks introduced a resolution symbolically banning the "N" word in Los Angeles. On Friday, the City Council will vote on the resolution, which is similar to a ban called for by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles.
· Leno's green room. Jay Leno likes anything that rolls and explodes and makes noise, and his Big Dog Garage offers proof. Its 17,000 square feet are packed with rolling, exploding and noisy things - most of them four-wheeled, rare and expensive. But lately, the 57-year-old host of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" is showing an interest in things that act quietly. Things such as solar panels and wind turbines and grease-eating microbes. He's systematically taking stock of his garage and greening it, with self-generated power, energy-efficient heating and nontoxic cleaners.
· Plane lands in South Africa after engine falls off. A plane carrying more than 100 people made an emergency landing in South Africa after an engine fell off during takeoff from Cape Town on Wednesday, officials said. No injuries were reported.
· Costume leads to 'hold' on Myers' Senate confirmation. A Halloween party where a Department of Homeland Security worker won praise for a costume of darkened skin and prison garb may stall Senate confirmation of the party's host for a second time. Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill said Wednesday that she has placed a temporary "hold" on Julie Myers' nomination for the job of assistant homeland security secretary for immigration and customs enforcement until Myers answers questions.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
· Denver Voters Again Tell Police To Back Off On Pot. Denver voters told authorities to back off from enforcing marijuana laws for the second time in as many years, passing an initiative to make the drug the "lowest law enforcement priority."
· Judge rejects ‘Roe v. Wade for Men’ lawsuit. A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit nicknamed “Roe v. Wade for Men” filed by a men’s rights group on behalf of a man who said he shouldn’t have to pay child support for his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. Matthew Dubay, 25, had said ex-girlfriend Lauren Wells knew he didn’t want to have a child and assured him repeatedly she couldn’t get pregnant.
· Hulk Hogan's Son Arrested After Crash. The son of celebrity wrestler Hulk Hogan was arrested on charges stemming from a crash in Clearwater that left his passenger critically injured. Nick Bollea, 17, turned himself in to police and was being booked at the Pinellas County Jail. He faces charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury.
· Will a Child Be Charged in the Fires? The 10-year-old boy who accidentally started one of the worst California wildfires last month could face stern consequences, should prosecutors decide to bring charges. Though too young to be charged as an adult, the boy could still face millions of dollars in fines, removal from his home and possible detention as a ward of the state.
· Container Ship Gashed In Collision With Bay Bridge. A 920-foot container ship Cosco Busan, heading out of the San Francisco Bay from the Port Of Oakland, collided with a support tower of the fog-shrouded Bay Bridge early Wednesday, leaving it with a 70-foot gash in its side and leaking oil into the bay.
· Senate To Investigate Six Televangelists. The ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee is investigating the financial dealings of six TV evangelists. They include Joyce Meyer, one of America's wealthiest and most powerful TV preachers who has built a $124-million-a-year empire. Among other things, the letter asked for a "detailed accounting" of all her and her husband's expense-account items, including a $23,000 marble-topped commode and an $11,219 French clock.
· Mayor Voted Out Of Office Hours After Molestation Accusations. The mayor of Mascotte, Florida lost a bid for re-election Tuesday, hours after he was arrested on molestation charges involving several teens. "I don't know if it affected the election but I would say there's a pretty good chance that it had a bearing," Mayor Jeff Krull said.
· Danger: Beware of Falling Cows. Charles and Linda Everson were driving back to their hotel when their minivan was struck by a falling object—a 600-pound cow. The Eversons were unhurt but the cow, which had fallen off a cliff, had to be euthanized. The year-old cow fell about 200 feet from the cliff and landed on the hood of the couple's minivan, causing heavy damage.
· Indian girl has extra limbs removed. An Indian toddler born with four arms and four legs was recovering in the intensive care unit early Wednesday after surgeons in India successfully completed a mammoth 27-hour operation to remove her "parasitic twin," head surgeon Dr. Sharan Patil said.
· Britney Ordered to Foot the Legal Bills. Britney Spears has been ordered to pay the majority of her ex-husband's legal fees in the couple's custody dispute. The American pop star has been told to pay $120,000 in legal fees to Kevin Federline, the father of her two young sons.
· Writers' Strike Halts Some TV Production. The impact of a strike by television and film writers was becoming more evident as the walkout entered its third day. Production on at least six sitcoms was halted because of the strike, and the hit ABC drama "Desperate Housewives" was scheduled to finish filming its latest episode Wednesday because it had run out of scripts.
· Online Fossett Searchers Ask, Was It Worth It? Looking back, Diana Francis says she should have known it would be a big waste of time. She sat for hours each day in her husband's home office in Houston scouring little digital snapshots of the Nevada desert on Amazon.com, in hopes that she'd help locate vanished millionaire aviator Steve Fossett. Finally, though, she decided the exercise was tedious and unproductive.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
· Prince threatens to sue his fans over online images. He's a singer who has made some odd career moves in his time, but industry experts yesterday warned that Prince's latest decision might be the most controversial of all. He has threatened to sue thousands of his biggest fans for breach of copyright, provoking an angry backlash and claims of censorship. His lawyers have forced his three biggest internet fansites to remove all photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to the artist's likeness.
· Child porn cops arrest Children's Musem exec. The chief operating officer of the National Children's Museum was arrested Tuesday and is charged with distributing child pornography over the Internet, authorities said. Robert A. Singer is accused of sending images depicting child pornography to people he believed to be a 12-year-old girl and her 33-year-old mother.
· Chicago Police Tasered 82-Year-Old Woman. Chicago's Police Department is investigating an officer's use of a Taser last month on an 82-year-old woman who was swinging a hammer when police arrived. Officials with the city's Department on Aging went to Lillian Fletcher's home to make a welfare check, and called police when they saw Fletcher in a window swinging a hammer back and forth.
· Most Fans Paid $0 for Radiohead Album. Radiohead let its fans decide how much to pay for a digital copy of the band's latest release, "In Rainbows," and more than half of those who downloaded the album chose to pay nothing, according to a study by a consumer research firm. Some 62 percent of the people who downloaded "In Rainbows" in a four- week period last month opted not to pay the British alt-rockers a cent. But the remaining 38 percent voluntarily paid an average of $6.
· Murfreesboro Man Finds 4.38-Carat Diamond At State Park. Chad Johnson has found about 80 diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park since moving to Murfreesboro, Ark. in February. But the former Iowa resident nearly threw away his largest find yet. A cube-shaped rock plucked out of his sifters turned out to be a 4.38-carat, tea-colored diamond. Crater of Diamonds State Park, which opened in 1972, is the world's only diamond-producing site open to the public. Visitors can keep the gems they unearth.
· Sheriff: Mom, not carjacker, killed boy. The Greenville County Sheriff's Office said Monday that murder charges have been filed against the mother of a 7-year-old boy, who told investigators that her child was smothered by a carjacker.
· Teen Receives Detentions For Hugging Classmate. A teenager in Mascoutah, Ill., is serving two detentions for hugging a fellow classmate. Megan Coulter, 13, violated the Mascoutah Public School District's policy banning public displays of affection.
· Rattlesnakes apparently don't bite idiots. Another day, another bizarre world record for Jackie Bibby, the "Texas Snake Man." Bibby spent about 45 minutes in a see-through bathtub with 87 venomous rattlesnakes Monday.
· Copperfield document on how to select women surfaces. Illusionist David Copperfield's problems have worsened following the discovery of a document that reportedly outlines how his assistants were to gather women he found attractive at his shows. According to the document, titled Show Participation, Copperfield's employees had to gather a clipboard, a camera and brochures of his islands in the Bahamas when they went out to find good-looking women.
· Man Sets Up Sting, Catches Political Sign Thief In The Act. A Salt Lake City man is sick tired of people stealing his political signs from his yard. So he decided to set a trap and it paid off. Darrin Walkenhorst said he used fishing line, a cow bell and a home video camera to set up a little sting operation of his own.
· Suspect In Philadelphia Officer's Death Caught. A man suspected of fatally shooting a Philadelphia police officer has been apprehended in South Florida. Authorities apprehended John Lewis, 21, at a Miami homeless shelter. Philadelphia police Officer Chuck Cassidy walked inside a donut shop during an armed robbery. Investigators believe Lewis got startled and shot Cassidy in the head before making off with the slain officer's gun.
· Poll finds nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults go online. Four out of five U.S. adults go online now, according to a new Harris Poll. The survey, which polled 2,062 adults in July and October, found that 79 percent of adults - about 178 million - go online, spending an average 11 hours a week on the Internet.
· Rosie O’Donnell in Talks to Join MSNBC. Rosie O’Donnell, who abruptly left “The View” on ABC last spring after drawing attention and ratings for her opinions on everything from the Iraq war to her co-hosts, is in serious discussions to return to television atop a new soapbox: a prime-time show on the cable news channel MSNBC, according to executives on both sides of the negotiations who have been briefed directly.
· Md. Student Charged with Assault After Postgame Knife Attack. A 17-year-old Blake High School football player cut a Magruder High School player Friday night as players of the dueling teams were shaking hands during the postgame lineup, Montgomery County police said. The Blake student pulled a small folding knife from his pocket, cut the hand of a rival team member and attempted to cut a second player, said Cpl. Jimmy Robinson, a police spokesman.
· World's top supermodel dumps US dollar over other currency. Gisele Bundchen wants to remain the world's richest model and is insisting that she be paid in almost any currency but the U.S. dollar.
· Oprah Vows Shake-Up Over Abuse Scandal. Oprah Winfrey said Monday she wept for half an hour when she heard a dorm matron was accused of abusing students at her school for disadvantaged South African girls. She promised to "clean house" starting with the headmistress.
· Bush administration threatens Senate farm bill veto. The Bush administration threatened to veto the U.S. farm bill under debate in the Senate because it raises crop support rates and does not reform farm subsidy limits, Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner said on Monday.
· Ron Paul Raises More Than $4 Million in One Day. On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the entire last quarter — through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com, a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted bombing.
· Top Mafia Don Arrested in Sicily Raid. Police raided a summit of Mafia dons in Sicily, arresting a longtime fugitive authorities say was revitalizing Cosa Nostra's ties with U.S. mobsters and vying to become the crime syndicate's next "boss of bosses."
Monday, November 5, 2007
· Minn. Woman Shoots Albino Deer During Opener. On this season's deer opener, a Minnesota woman shot one of the rarest kinds around; an albino deer. Mary Rakotz of Avon got the 6-point buck on Saturday in Mille Lacs County. She said it was thrilling to see the rare animal, but 100 times more exciting to be able to actually take it home.
· Florida teen uses ax on friend who was dating his mother. Police say a 17-year-old used an ax to beat a friend who was dating his mother. Dayne Simons has been arrested and charged with beating 19-year-old Jody Ross in the head with the ax.
· Bank Robber Steals Police Cruiser, Escapes. It sounds like something out of a movie script, but a bank robber managed to steal two cars - including a police patrol car - before escaping with an undisclosed amount of money.
· Passengers revolt after being told to fly on jet with its wing tip missing. An airline crew faced a rebellion when they told passengers they were going to fly on a jet that had lost its wing tip in a runway crash. The SriLankan Airlines customers had been on the Airbus A340 a day earlier when it sliced through a wing of a stationary British Airways 747 at Heathrow.
· Skateboarder Killed While Trying To Cross Freeway. Los Angeles was hit by a vehicle and killed, a California Highway Patrol officer said. The accident took place around 1:20 a.m. on the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway.
· Man arrested for DUI three times in 24 hours. A 46-year-old man first arrested on Saturday evening driving with a blood alcohol reading of 0.194, almost four times the legal limit. He was caught an hour later driving along the same road and his car was confiscated by Police. Police say the man then broke into the Boddington Police Station in the early hours of Sunday morning, retrieved his car, and drove away.
· Thompson Adviser Has Criminal Past. Republican presidential candidate Fred D. Thompson has been crisscrossing the country since early this summer on a private jet lent to him by a businessman and close adviser who has a criminal record for drug dealing.
· Teen Hit By Car Walks Into Traffic, Hit Again. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 19-year-old who was hit by a car jumped over a barrier on the Dames Point Bridge and was then hit by another vehicle Saturday afternoon.
· Suspected Cop Shooter's Accomplice Captured After Visit To Police Station. A woman accused of helping a man charged with shooting a New Jersey police officer was captured Sunday when she went to a police station to see the suspect.
· Hollywood Writers Announce Strike. Writers and studios broke off talks late Sunday after East Coast members of the writers union - many of them in New York - declared they were officially on strike, the group representing producers said. Last-ditch negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended after about 11 hours.
· Egypt Puts King Tut on Public Display. King Tut's buck-toothed face was unveiled Sunday for the first time in public - more than 3,000 years after the youngest and most famous pharaoh to rule ancient Egypt was shrouded in linen and buried in his golden underground tomb.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
· Man Accused Of Attacking Body In Open Casket During Funeral. A Central Florida man is accused of punching and attacking a body inside an open casket during a funeral. Police said Timothy Cleary of Apopka walked into the Harvest Baptist Church located in the Parramore neighborhood in Orlando and attacked the body.
· Transsexual fights for her lesbian rights. A transgender psychotherapist has taken a gay association to an equal opportunities tribunal, alleging she was discriminated against by being refused entry to a lesbian event.
· Ozzy Angered by ND Sheriff's Sting. Ozzy Osbourne wants an apology from the Cass County sheriff for staging a sting operation in the rocker's name without his permission. Osbourne claims his reputation was tarnished when Sheriff Paul Laney invited 500 people with outstanding warrants to a phony party at a Fargo nightclub before the rocker's concert with Rob Zombie at a nearby arena. More than 30 showed up and were arrested.
· DUI Driver Charged In Massive 100-Vehicle Pileup on California. A man was arrested Saturday on a drunken driving charge after two people were killed and dozens more injured in a massive morning pileup in dense fog that involved more than 100 cars and trucks, the California Highway Patrol said.
· Carey Defends Medical Marijuana Online. Bob Barker famously closed each episode of "The Price Is Right" with a pitch to spay and neuter pets. His successor is taking a stand on a more controversial subject: marijuana. Drew Carey won't tout toking up on "Price," but he defends the use of medical marijuana in a video posted online.
· Church Youth Minister Allegedly Paid Children For Sex. Police said a youth minister was arrested for allegedly having sex with more than one child.
· Killed because he couldn't give time. A man stabbed an amateur footballer to death because he could not give him the time, a court heard yesterday. Barry Gavin, 20, confronted Damian Muir with a knife as he made his way home in July. Gavin demanded the time and when the 34-year-old replied: "How the f*** do I know?" stabbed him eight times with such force the knife snapped and became lodged in his pelvis, the High Court in Glasgow was told. Gavin, who has two previous convictions for carrying knifes, told detectives: "I bumped into some guy, I've no idea who he was. I just lost it with him. "The guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He added: "I sometimes take my anger out on other people."
· Update: Refund offered at strip club. Club 10’s owners recently offered a $39,000 refund to a man who said his son was defrauded in tallying a $53,000 bill in one night. The owners said the partial refund was for alcohol served after the county’s 4 a.m. cutoff — a violation of ordinance. Sam Farkas, spokesman for the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco said even if the ABT did act on the case, Club 10 would probably only face a fine of $250.
· Laughs for Brian Williams Hosting 'SNL.' Newsman Brian Williams unleashed his inner comic for all to see. As host of this week's "Saturday Night Live," the NBC News anchor displayed some solid comedy chops - and a readiness to laugh at himself.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
· 'Million Little Pieces' refund claimed by only 1,700. Millions of readers who bought James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" were sold something less than the truth. After the best-selling "memoir" was found to be laced with fabrications, in the end, only about 1,700 people asked to be reimbursed. Random House paid $27,348 for 1,729 claims - and another $783,000 in attorney fees.
· Illegal immigrant sues immigration service over loss of penis. A Salvadoran man with terminal cancer is suing the U.S. government, claiming he was denied proper medical treatment when he was detained at an immigration facility. Francisco Castaneda, who is facing deportation, filed suit in federal court, accusing federal and state agencies of providing negligent medical care.
· FBI Agents Find Nebraska Teacher, Student In Mexico. A Lexington, Neb., teacher wanted by federal agents was found with her 13-year old student in Mexico Friday night. Kelsey Peterson is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old student. Peterson was a 6th grade math teacher and basketball coach at Lexington Middle School.
· Oklahoma targets illegal immigrants with tough new law. Weeks of protests, rallies, lawsuits and candlelight vigils failed to stop a new state immigration bill - HB 1804 - from becoming the law in Oklahoma. The new law restricts the ability of illegal immigrants to obtain government IDs or public assistance. It also gives police authority to check the immigration status of anyone arrested, which can lead to deportations. It doesn't stop at illegal immigrants. The law also makes it a felony for U.S. citizens to knowingly provide shelter, transportation or employment to illegal immigrants.
· Evidence in Nowak case thrown out. A judge Friday handed a legal victory to a former astronaut accused of assaulting a romantic rival, ruling evidence found in her car and statements she made to police after her arrest were inadmissible at trial.
· A&E Pulls 'Dog' Series From Schedule. Television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman's show has been pulled from the air indefinitely by A&E, two days after a private phone conversation in which the reality star used a racial slur repeatedly was posted online. "In evaluating the circumstances of the last few days, A&E has decided to take 'Dog The Bounty Hunter' off the network's schedule for the foreseeable future," the network said yesterday.
· 70s TV Actor Arrested In Fort Lauderdale. An actor known for his guest appearances on some of the biggest TV shows of the 1970s has been arrested. Dennis Cole was arrested Thursday on charges of obstructing justice. He was being held at the Broward County main jail.
· FBI Knew of O.J. Simpson Plan in Advance. Federal agents learned three weeks in advance that O.J. Simpson and a memorabilia dealer planned an operation to retrieve personal items Simpson said were stolen from him, according to FBI reports obtained Friday by The Associated Press. Dealer Thomas Riccio said he reported to the FBI on Aug. 21 that a collector claimed to have belongings taken from Simpson, but he said agents dismissed his report, telling him "they didn't want to be involved in another weird celebrity case."
· Larry King claims unscrupulous brokerage hatched $15 million insurance scheme. Larry King claims that an unscrupulous insurance brokerage swindled him in connection with his sale of $15 million in personal life insurance policies.
· Composite sketches released of girl stuffed in box. Authorities are hoping composite sketches will help them identify a child whose body, stuffed in a large plastic storage box, washed ashore this week on an uninhabited island in Texas. The sketches, released Friday, show a girl with long blond hair, in a pink shirt and a matching skirt -- clothes she was reportedly wearing when she was found. A forensic dentist has narrowed her age to between 2 and 3, the Galveston County Sheriff's office said.
Friday, November 2, 2007
· TSA Exposed Own Undercover Operation. The Transportation Security Administration touts its programs to ensure security by using undercover operatives to test its airport screeners. In one instance, however, the agency thwarted such a test by alerting screeners across the country that it was under way, even providing descriptions of the undercover agents.
· Teacher, Student May Have Fled to Mexico. A female teacher and a 13-year-old boy believed to be on the run may have crossed the California border into Mexico, a police investigator said.
· 2 a.m. campaign call irks 3,000 Westchester, New York voters. That question confronted 3,000 voters across Peekskill, Cortlandt and Yorktown who were jarred awake by a campaign call for Democrat Domenic Volpe. Volpe is seeking to unseat county Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, in Tuesday's election. "First of all, I hate those recorded messages," said registered Democrat Eileen Curinga of Montrose. "But secondly, I didn't know whether this was sabotage or just stupidity. Either way, its not right that somebody calls at 2 o'clock in the morning."
· Nuclear plant employee stopped with explosive device. A contract employee of an Arizona nuclear plant was stopped at a plant entrance Friday with an explosive device in his truck, officials told CNN. There was no threat to the public, said Jim McDonald, spokesman for Arizona Public Service Company, which owns the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in Wintersberg, Arizona, 34 miles west of Phoenix. The employee works for the plant -- the largest nuclear plant in the nation.
· Pilots slept on overnight flight. Two commercial pilots allegedly fell asleep on a flight between Baltimore and Denver, with one pilot waking up to "frantic" calls from air traffic controllers warning them they were approaching the airport at twice the speed allowed.
· Lawyer: Son of TV bounty hunter sold 'N-word' tape. Television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman's son taped a private phone conversation in which the reality star used a racial slur repeatedly, then sold it to a tabloid for "a lot of money," Chapman's lawyer said Thursday.
· Ohio man jailed after sex sting arrest. A former children's services lawyer was in jail Thursday, a day after authorities allege he went to the Ohio Statehouse to meet someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl he had met online.
· Britney Spends Big, Court Papers Reveal. Court papers released Thursday in Britney Spears' custody dispute with Kevin Federline show she spends lavishly on clothes and entertainment, and doesn't save or invest any of her roughly $737,000 monthly income. Spears' monthly expenses include $49,267 in mortgage for two houses, $16,000 for clothes and $102,000 on entertainment, gifts and vacation, according to her financial declaration. She has to pay her ex-husband $15,000 per month in child support and $20,000 in spousal support. Spousal support will end Nov. 15.
· Millions of frozen pizzas recalled. General Mills on Thursday recalled about 5 million frozen pizzas sold nationwide under the Totino's and Jeno's labels because of possible E. coli contamination. General Mills on Thursday recalled about 5 million frozen pizzas sold nationwide under the Totino's and Jeno's labels because of possible E. coli contamination.
· US scientists engineer 'mighty mice.' US researchers have engineered a line of "mighty mice" whose human equivalent would have similar abilities to the bicycling champion Lance Armstrong, according to research published Thursday. The breed of mice can run four miles at a speed of 20 yards per minute for up to six hours without stopping, according to Richard Hanson, a biochemistry professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The genetically engineered mice can eat 60 percent more than wild mice in a control group but remain slim and fit. The "mighty mice" live longer, and some females were able to reproduce much later in life than other mice.
· Device created for 'red wine headache.' The effects are all too familiar: a fancy dinner, some fine wine and then, a few hours later, a racing heart and a pounding headache. But a device developed by University of California, Berkeley, researchers could help avoid the dreaded "red wine headache."
· Judge Mathis: S.C. Man Can Keep Amputated Leg, But Must Pay $5K. That's according to television show host Judge Greg Mathis, who ruled a South Carolina man whose amputated left leg ended up inside a smoker that was then auctioned off should be able to keep his appendage. "You're not getting that leg. I'm not giving you the man's leg," Mathis told Shannon Whisnant in issuing his decision on an episode of the "Judge Mathis" show that aired Thursday. The judge did order John Wood, whose left leg was amputated after a plane crash, to reimburse Whisnant $5,000. Whisnant, of Maiden, N.C., told Mathis he wanted to build a museum and charge people $10 to look at the limb.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
· Shock Jock Don Imus Returns to Airwaves. Don Imus will return to the airwaves Dec. 3 on New York's WABC-AM, only nine months after the cantankerous shock jock's career seemed doomed over his racist, sexist remark about a women's college basketball team.
· Pilot of plane that dropped A-bomb dies. Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday. He was 92 and insisted for six decades after the war that he had no regrets about the mission and slept just fine at night. Tibbets had requested no funeral and no headstone, fearing it would provide his detractors with a place to protest.
· Maria Sharapova sues over photos. A top advertising executive who allegedly enjoyed photographing the crotches of unsuspecting females, snapped a close-up shot of Maria Sharapova's nether region as the tennis star posed for a Canon camera ad, according to a new lawsuit.
· Stephen Colbert denied South Carolina primary run. It may be the shortest U.S. 2008 presidential campaign yet - comedian Stephen Colbert's requests to be on the South Carolina Democratic and Republican primary ballots were rejected on Thursday.
· Update: Officer shot in doughnut shop robbery dies. A police officer shot in the head by a doughnut shop robber died this morning, the Philadelphia police commissioner announced. Charles Cassidy, 54, was the third city officer shot in the span of four days.
· Westboro church members smile after verdict, promise to picket future funerals. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church ordered to pay nearly $11 million in damages to a grieving father smiled as they walked out of the courtroom, vowing that the verdict would not deter them from protesting at military funerals. Members promised to picket future funerals with placards bearing such slogans as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."
· Teenagers Arrested After They Paintball a Police Car. Perhaps it was meant to be a Halloween prank, but police say three teenagers weren't smart about choosing a target. Police say the 17-year-old and two 15-year-olds peppered a marked police car with paintballs - and were promptly arrested on reckless endangerment and weapons charges.
· Actor gets 40 months in jail for deadly crash. Actor Lane Garrison has been sentenced to 40 months in a California prison for a drunken driving crash that killed a teenage student.
· Update: Mother of baby found dead in car is arrested. A woman whose 17-month-old son died in her hot, stuffy car while she worked a seven-hour shift as a waitress told friends and family she was unhappy about being a mother, police said Wednesday. People close to Ashly Duchene, 22, told investigators that the mother made statements over the past few weeks that she thought parental responsibilities encroached on her freedom. "Caring for a child was not a top priority. It may or may not have played a role (in her son's death)," police Sgt. Joel Tranter said.
· A Day Later, Clinton Embraces Spitzer’s License Effort. A day after she appeared to struggle to give her views on the subject, Hillary Rodham Clinton offered support today for Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s effort to award New York driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, as her campaign sought to contain potentially damaging fallout from what her own supporters saw as a tense and listless debate performance.
· 'Dog' Chapman Sorry for Using N-Word. Television bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman apologized Wednesday for repeatedly using a racial slur in a profanity-laced tirade during a private phone conversation with his son that was recorded and posted online.
· Update: GOP State Rep Resigns Amid Sex Scandal. A state lawmaker who has voted against gay rights resigned Wednesday, days after he was quoted in police reports as saying a man he had sex with after they met at an erotic video store was trying to blackmail him. Rep. Richard Curtis, 48, said he was resigning immediately to spare his wife and children more public embarrassment.
· New Iraq policy prompts angry words at the State Department. Calling it "a potential death sentence," several hundred diplomats expressed their resentment Wednesday over a new State Department policy that could force them to serve in Iraq or risk losing their jobs. The sharpest comments came from Jack Croddy, a 36-year veteran of the Foreign Service. To loud applause from his fellow workers, he said "It is one thing if someone believes in what is going on over there and volunteers," he said, "but it is another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment. And I'm sorry, but basically that is a potential death sentence and you know it. Who will raise our children if we are dead or wounded?"
· Texas town put on sale on eBay for $2.5 million. Bobby Cave, owner of a Texas town called Albert, decided this year to sell. Then a friend mentioned the online auction site eBay Inc. Now, with the click of a mouse - and at least $2.5 million - Albert could be yours.
· Lawn-watering spat leads to death. A 66-year-old man was beaten to death while watering his lawn in an argument over Sydney's water restrictions, police and media said Thursday. A 36-year-old man approached the older man, as he watered his lawn in southern Sydney with a hose at 5:30 p.m. The victim was complying with Sydney's water restrictions when he was killed. Watering with hand-held hoses is allowed on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
· Update: Westboro Baptist church ordered to pay $10.9 million for funeral protest. A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals in the belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned later in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.
· 'Realtor To The Stars' Found Beaten to Death. Linda Stein, the former manager of the Ramones and "realtor to the stars," was found dead, lying in a pool of blood in her multi-million-dollar Fifth Ave. Manhattan apartment. Stein helped clients like Madonna, Sting, Billy Joel, Steven Spielberg, Calvin Klein, and Angelina Jolie find fancy homes throughout New York.
·
11 of 18 in San Diego burn unit are illegal immigrants. The fact that 11 of the 18 wildfire victims lying in UCSD Medical Center's burn unit are illegal immigrants with no apparent health coverage highlights the daunting financial challenge hospitals face in providing long-term, intensive care for all those who need it.
· Man Who Caused JFK Airport Scare Went to Smoke. A passenger who caused an evacuation at John F. Kennedy International Airport has told law enforcers that he breached security after going outside to smoke.
· Officer shot in head at Dunkin' Donuts. A Philadelphia police officer was shot in the head at a Dunkin' Donuts shop Wednesday morning. The injured officer was taken to a hospital, but his condition was not immediately known.
· Toddler Dies After Hooters Mom Forgets Child in Hot Car. A 17-month-old boy left unattended inside a hot car for at least seven hours in a Phoenix Hooters restaurant parking lot was found dead Tuesday afternoon.
· Thieves beat cancer patient for pills. Police said two brothers tipped off by a friend that a woman dying of cancer was taking painkillers broke into her home and beat her with a golf club when she refused to turn over her medications.
· Boy With Matches Started Fire That Destroyed 21 California Homes. A prosecutor will be asked to consider the case of a boy accused of starting a massive wildfire by playing with matches. Fueled by ferocious desert winds, the fire quickly spread, burning more than 38,000 acres and destroying 21 homes.
· Supermodel Naomi Campbell Visits Chavez. British supermodel Naomi Campbell met privately with President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a series of celebrities hosted by the Venezuelan leader. The Venezuelan President also has hosted recent visits by Hollywood stars including Sean Penn, Danny Glover, and Kevin Spacey.
· I should pay more tax, says billionaire Warren Buffett. The United States' second-richest man has delivered a blunt message to the Bush administration: he wants to pay more tax. During a recent interview with NBC, Mr Buffett brandished an informal survey of 15 of his 18 office staff at his Berkshire Hathaway empire. The billionaire said he was paying 17.7% payroll and income tax, compared with an average in the office of 32.9%.
· Police: Tracking device for Alzheimer's patients "a no-brainer." The Greenfield Police Department is buying tracking devices that use radio signals to locate people with Alzheimer's disease, autism or other conditions making them prone to wander and become lost. "It's almost a no-brainer," Greenfield Police Chief Clarke Mercer said.
· Designer spills J.Lo's secret. Roberto Cavalli has confirmed, perhaps inadvertently, that Jennifer Lopez is pregnant. Asked what types of clothing he designs for celebrities, the fashion designer told People magazine: "Well Jennifer Lopez, at this moment, she requests something very special because she is waiting for the baby."
· Center Treats Wrong Side Of Patient's Brain. A patient undergoing treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit received a dose of radiation on the wrong side of the brain, according to a report filed with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The patient went through a routine MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan of the brain just before the procedure, but went into the scanner "feet first," rather than the standard practice of head first.
· Merrill Lynch chief loses $8 billion - gets $160 million parting gift. Merrill Lynch on Tuesday boosted Stan O’Neal’s departure package by almost $90m – taking it to $160m – by letting him retire as chairman and chief executive rather than sacking him. Mr O’Neal’s departure follows the company’s admission last week that it had lost almost $8 billion on mortgage-backed securities.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
· Entertainer Robert Goulet dies at 73. Robert Goulet, the handsome, big-voiced baritone whose Broadway debut in "Camelot" launched an award-winning stage and recording career, has died. The singer died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital while awaiting a lung transplant.
· Feds fine missionary $28,000 for shipping a few cans of motor oil. The Pennsylvania missionary operates an orphanage for victims of the war in Sudan's Darfur region and Rev. Sam Childers is in a fight with federal aviation officials over a $28,000 fine they imposed for his shipping three quarts of motor oil and a can of WD-40 spray lubricant to operate a power generator for his children in Africa.
· Tax dollars may go for mule museum. In tiny Bishop, California, five hours north of Los Angeles, Rep. Buck McKeon, R-California, wants to build a museum honoring the mule. McKeon has requested funds for studying the feasibility of building the museum and providing support for operations.
According to the Congressional spending watchdog group, Americans for Prosperity, House members this year alone seek to spend $13.7 million in tax dollars on 63 museum-related expenses.
· Spears Seeks Changes in Drug-Test Order. Britney Spears wants to change a court order requiring her to undergo random drug testing in her custody battle with Kevin Federline. Spears filed a request Friday to "terminate or modify" the order, according to court records released Tuesday.
· Driver threatens officer for taking too long to write ticket. A Cincinnati police officer pulled over Teresa Walker, 44, for speeding. While the officer was writing the ticket, Walker called the police department to complain that the officer was taking too long, police said. She allegedly threatened to shoot the officer if he didn't write the ticket faster, according to Cincinnati police. She was charged with aggravated menacing and booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center.
· New York propose crackdown on plastic bags. New York City officials propose a crack down on plastic shopping bags, seeking to cut their use with a plan officials hope will be a model for other cities. Environmentalists have targeted plastic bags as a scourge that take years to biodegrade and contaminate soil and water.
· NBC Exec Says Leno Out As Planned in '09. If "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is having second thoughts about surrendering his job as planned, NBC doesn't share them - at least not publicly. "Conan O'Brien will take over 'The Tonight Show' in 2009," NBC Universal President and CEO Jeff Zucker said Monday.
· Detectives investigating attempted blackmail against state lawmaker. State Representative Richard Curtis (R-La Center) was in Spokane last week and reportedly had consensual sex with another man at a downtown hotel that later led to blackmail. However Curtis says there was no sex and he isn't gay. Now Spokane police are trying to determine if Rep. Curtis did in fact have a sexual encounter here that made him a target for extortion.
· North Carolina Woman Admits to Scamming QVC out of More Than $412,000. A woman pleaded guilty to scamming the QVC home-shopping network out of more than $412,000 by exploiting a glitch in its Web site. Quantina Moore-Perry, 33, of Greensboro, North Carolina, did not pay for more than 1,800 items she received from QVC between March and November 2005, authorities said. Moore-Perry ordered handbags, housewares, jewelry and electronics, then immediately canceled the orders and received credit for them. But the glitch caused the items to still be delivered to Moore-Perry, who subsequently sold them on eBay, authorities said.
· Fires boost Schwarzenegger's image. The crowd roared its approval over the weekend as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger tossed the coin to start the San Diego Chargers game at Qualcomm Stadium, which just days earlier had been an emergency shelter for thousands of people driven from their homes by raging wildfires. Schwarzenegger appears to have gotten a powerful boost in public approval from his reassuring and highly visible handling of the biggest crisis to hit his administration. Disasters, both manmade and natural, are a leader's ultimate testing ground. They can remake someone's image — as the Sept. 11 attacks did for Rudy Giuliani — or destroy it, as Hurricane Katrina did to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.
· 668-Page Texas Report: State Issues Too Many Reports. Texas state agencies issue too many reports, a new 668-page report says. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission spent 18 months and canvassed more than 170 agencies and public colleges, checking on all the reports they are assigned to do.
· China Arrests 774 in Product Crackdown. China said Monday that it had arrested 774 people in a crackdown on substandard goods, part of ongoing efforts to calm international worries over the quality of the country's products. The General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the arrests were the result of 626 criminal investigations nationwide into the manufacture and sale of fake or substandard food, medicine or agricultural products.
· Suicidal Blond Found Guilty, Mentally Ill. A suicidal ex-model from Illinois was found guilty but mentally ill for killing three beloved local musicians in an attempt to end her own life.
· N.C. Beach House Fire Kills 7 Students. A fire at a vacation house where college students went to take advantage of the last good beach weather may have started on a deck, officials said, as two campuses waited to find out the names of the seven dead.
· "$100 laptop" hits $200. A computer developed for the world's poor children, dubbed "the $100 laptop," has reached a milestone: It is now selling for $200.
Monday, October 29, 2007
· Woman killed after responding to babysitting ad on Craig's List. A 19-year-old is being held in the murder of a woman discovered in a Burnsville, MN park Friday night. The police investigation has revealed that Olson came to Savage for a babysitting job she had applied for through Craig's List. The 19-year-old suspected of being involved in the homicide was arrested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where he works.
· Dogs step on gun, bag hunter. Police said when James Harris, 37, shot a pheasant and went to retrieve it, he put his gun on the ground and crossed a fence. After crossing the fence, hunting dogs stepped on his gun causing it to fire. Harris was shot in the lower left leg and treated at Grinnell Medical Center.
· Oprah Winfrey 'so sorry' for abuse nightmare at academy. A tearful Oprah Winfrey begged for forgiveness Sunday as she met the parents of students at her all-girls academy, which is reeling from lurid allegations of sexual abuse.
· Man Commits Suicide over Foreclosure. A 12-hour standoff ended this morning with a north Houston man lobbing Molotov cocktails at Houston Police before taking his own life rather than vacate a home he'd lost to foreclosure.
· Edwards: "Americans must make sacrifices, pay higher taxes." John Edwards says if he's elected president, he'll institute a New Deal-like suite of programs to fight poverty and stem growing wealth disparity. To do it, he said, he'll ask many Americans to make sacrifices, like paying higher taxes.
· Bystanders Collar Rape Suspect. A battered rape suspect is behind bars, thanks to some bystanders who came across the scene and tackled him. It happened early Saturday morning, near the Liberty Road Bar & Grill. Salem police say the victim, a 22-year-old woman, was having drinks inside the bar with a friend. Shortly before one a.m. she left, and started walking home. She had to use crutches, so the going was slow. Police say the suspect, 27-year-old Paul Landingham, was also in that bar. He saw her get up and leave, and followed her. Then, he grabbed her, threw her into some bushes, and raped her. [with battered mug photo]
· Country Star Porter Wagoner Dies at 80. Porter Wagoner was known for a string of country hits in the '60s, perennial appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in his trademark rhinestone suits, and for launching the career of Dolly Parton.
· French president shows his temper to U.S. audience. French President Nicolas Sarkozy showed flashes of temper and abruptly terminated a television interview aimed at introducing him to U.S. audiences. In the interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" broadcast on Sunday, the French president sparred with the U.S. correspondent, called his press secretary an imbecile, said he was too busy to make time for a "stupid" interview and ended the whole conversation abruptly when asked about the state of his marriage to Cecilia.
· 'Saw IV' Slays in $32 Million Debut Weekend. The killer of the "Saw" franchise may be dead, but his sadistic spirit lives on. Lionsgate's "Saw IV" led the weekend box office with $32.1 million, maintaining the horror franchise's position as a Halloween perennial, according to studio estimates Sunday. A high-profile documentary, Sony Pictures Classics' "Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains," had a poor debut, taking in just $10,573 in a limited release.
· NBC, Fox to Launch Online Video Site. NBC and Fox are set to launch an advertising-supported online video site that hosts programming from varied entertainment companies in a bid to seize viewers from Google's YouTube. A test version of the site, Hulu.com, goes online Monday, with plans to premiere a final version in a few months, company officials said.
· Evacuations raise deportation fears. Flames were only one worry for some illegal immigrants in the fire zone. Equally scary were the crowded roads and evacuation centers, heavy with law enforcement officers, including U.S. Border Patrol agents. Some wondered if they would be deported if they went to shelters.
· Walgreen to add movie-burning DVD kiosks at stores. Walgreen plans to put kiosks that can make DVDs of popular movies in drugstore photo departments next year, using a new system that would increase selection while avoiding piracy.
· Holy cow! 103 hamburgers in 8 minutes. A competitive eater who has already triumphed at a famous hot dog eating contest swallowed 103 small hamburgers in 8 minutes Sunday to take home $10,000.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
· Piles of Old Money Found in Pa. Home. Piles of old coins worth as much as $200,000 were found in a long-abandoned home, including scores that the owner had apparently thrown down a hole in the wall. Some were minted as early as 1793 and worth about $8,500 each.
· Man charged with battery for throwing cake at girlfriend. A woman’s boyfriend was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after he hit her with a birthday cake at close range, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report.
· Brunswick candidate explains his criminal record. A 21-year-old Brunswick Maine High School graduate with 18 criminal convictions in the past two years, including five theft charges, is trying to convince voters he's changed enough to represent them in an at-large seat on the town's School Board.
· Father says son was exploited, charged $53,000 in one night of partying. Two months after a recent college graduate incurred $53,000 in charges at a gentleman’s club in Florida, investigators are reviewing allegations of fraud and larceny. Joe Salter said 24 of the 30 receipts he received from American Express were printed after 4 a.m. — when the club should have been asking patrons to leave.
· Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' Goes Online. Can't get to Milan to see Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper?" As of Saturday, all you need is an Internet connection. Officials put online an image of the "Last Supper" at 16 billion pixels - 1,600 times stronger than the images taken with the typical 10 million pixel digital camera.
· Grand Jury Probing Copperfield. A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that magician David Copperfield raped and threatened a Washington state woman at his estate in the Bahamas, a newspaper reported. The Seattle Times reported Saturday that at least three federal law-enforcement officials confirmed the grand jury investigation. No indictment or criminal charges have been filed.
· Ten Excuses for Missing Work. The feeling ill excuse is a short-term solution that won't win you any fans at the office - someone else will have to pick up the slack, or you'll miss deadlines. And it won't help your career any. Here are 10 excuses -- five smart and five not-so-smart - to help you save face and your sanity.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
· Blind Man Shoots Home Intruder. A Gainesville man's lack of sight didn't stop him from defending his home from an intruder. According to police, Cevaughn Curtis Jr., 28, knocked on the door, asked to be let inside but Arthur Williams refused. Curtis then tried to force his way into the home. The 75-year-old retired taxi dispatcher, who's been legally blind for the past 61 years, opened fire on the would-be-thief who kicked down his door, police said.
· Woman charged in 'Internet Revenge' case. A 34-year-old woman has been charged with using the Internet to try to get revenge on an old boyfriend by breaking up his marriage. Pilar Stofega has been charged with second-degree harassment.
· Craig arrest unconstitutional: ACLU says senator’s foot-tapping in stall was "protected speech." Idaho Sen. Larry Craig will argue before an appeals court that Minnesota's disorderly conduct law is unconstitutional as it applies to his conviction in a bathroom sex sting, according to a new court filing. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that Craig's foot-tapping and hand gesture under a stall divider at the Minneapolis airport are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech.
· FEMA Workers Play Role of Reporters. The White House scolded the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday for staging a phony news conference about assistance to victims of wildfires in southern California. The agency — much maligned for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina over two years ago — arranged to have FEMA employees play the part of independent reporters Tuesday and ask questions of Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the agency's deputy director.
· Britney's Mom to Write Parenting Book. Lynne Spears is planning to write a book about raising her family in the glare of the media spotlight. The memoir could be a gossip lover's delight, providing maternal insight into the life of her daughter Britney, who has gone from child star to tabloid train wreck.
· Inmate Allegedly Leaves Jail, Kills. Several Milwaukee correctional officers could soon be off the job after an inmate is accused of killing a man while he was supposed to be in jail.
· Judge Nominee: 'You Need Me in Traffic Court.' A pastor running for judge told potential donors they should give him $20 because "you're all going to need me in Traffic Court." Willie Singletary, who made headlines earlier this year for having his license suspended and owing more than $11,000 in unpaid traffic tickets, made the comment to a crowd of fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.
· Miss England told to fatten up. A British beauty queen says she was told to pack on pounds for the upcoming Miss World competition — an unexpected request, considering she's not rail-thin. "I was a little bit shocked," Miss England Georgia Horsley said Friday in an interview on NBC's "Today" show.
· Renewed Shoe Bombing Threat? The FBI is issuing a new warning about shoe bombs. The alert follows the discovery of a pair of hollowed out shoes with bomb detonators inside on a bus in Europe last month. Intelligence analysts say the shoes were being used to smuggle blasting caps across a border.
· Justice Department 'dismayed' over release of USS Cole bombing leader. U.S. law enforcement officials Friday blasted Yemen's release of one of the leaders of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 U.S. soldiers. "We have communicated our displeasure to Yemeni officials," a Justice Department statement said. The statement pointedly referred to al-Badawi as one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists and noted prosecutors in New York City want to get their hands on him.
· Wal-Mart employee charged with taking woman's picture with cell phone. A Wal-Mart employee was arrested Monday after he took cell phone pictures of a shopper's bottom, Round Rock police said.
· Wright-designed fountain works — finally. The giant water fountain Frank Lloyd Wright designed here is no longer the unworkable dud it was for decades. Thanks to computers and extensive restoration, the "Water Dome" finally produces the three-story dome of water Wright envisioned 70 years ago as the centerpiece of his architectural design for Florida Southern College's campus.
Friday, October 26, 2007
· Man charged with arson in small California fire. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed arson charges Friday against a 41-year-old Sun Valley man who witnesses said set a fire in the West Hills neighborhood and walked away. Catalino Pineda is one of five people who have been arrested in arson investigations this week.
· Man arrested for eating jelly beans in store. A man was charged with petty theft after being caught on a surveillance camera taking jelly beans out of a bin and eating them before he got to the cash register. The 34-year-old Fort Walton Beach man was buying groceries at Albertson’s when he stopped at a bin of candy and put an unspecified number of jelly beans in his mouth, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office report.
· If Your House Is On Fire, Save Your Satellite Dish. AT&T has slapped San Diego area residents Matt and Danelle Azola, who were on their honeymoon in Mexico while the fires were getting underway, with a $300 bill. Their crime? Failing to rescue their satellite dish receiver from their burning home before they fled.
· Toying with doll lands man in hoosegow. A man was arrested after a government agent allegedly found him in an office building restroom lying next to an inflatable, anatomically correct doll with his pants down.
· After King Middle School moves to offer birth control to 11 year olds, the District Attorney says schools must report anyone under age 14 who's having sex. Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson questioned the health centers' reporting practices after the Portland School Committee decided last week to offer prescription birth control at the King Middle School health center. The King Student Health Center has offered comprehensive reproductive health care, including providing condoms and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, since it opened in 2000. The school serves students in grades 6 to 8, ages 11 to 15. Maine law prohibits having sex with a person under age 14, regardless of the age of the other person involved, Anderson said.
· Marine's father sues church for cheering son's death. The father of a Marine killed in Iraq took the stand in his invasion of privacy suit against a fundamentalist church that pickets soldiers' funerals, saying protesters carrying signs at his son's burial made him sick to his stomach.
· Court orders Wilson freed in teen sex case. The Georgia Supreme Court ordered that Genarlow Wilson be released from prison, ruling 4-3 that his sentence for a teen sex conviction was cruel and unusual punishment. Wilson, 21, was convicted in 2005 of having oral sex with a consenting 15-year-old girl when he was 17.
· FBI forces false confession. The FBI interviewer allegedly gave Abdallah Higazy a choice: Admit to having a special pilot's radio in a hotel room near the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, or the security service in his native Egypt would give his family "hell." Higazy responded by confessing to a crime he didn't commit.
· Death sentence mulled in baby theft case. Prosecutors say a woman who killed an expectant mother and cut the baby from her womb is a cold-blooded predator who deserves to die. Defense lawyers say their client is a victim of sexual abuse who should be treated mercifully.
· Illegals applying for New York licenses risk being arrested. Illegal immigrants who try to apply for driver’s licenses in Erie and Niagara counties will be subject to arrest — and deportation — under a plan being developed by the two county clerks and law enforcement officials. The move is the latest — and potentially most serious — challenge to Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer’s new policy to permit illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
· Man Arrested After Rescuing 2 From Fire. A Concord man who helped an elderly couple escape from their burning home was arrested shortly afterward because of a scuffle with emergency workers.
· Halle Berry Apologizes for Joke on Leno. Halle Berry, who showed host Jay Leno photos of herself that she had distorted by using computer software, remarked that one snapshot — in which her nose appeared cartoonishly large — made her "look like my Jewish cousin." After she made the comment, Leno quipped: "I'm glad you said it."
· CNet Sells Webshots for $45 Million. Online technology news provider CNet Networks Inc. has sold photo-sharing site Webshots to American Greetings Corp. for $45 million - substantially less than the service cost to acquire three years ago. Webshots founder Narendra Rocherolle and his business partners first sold the site to ExciteAtHome for $82.5 million in 1999, near the height of the dot-com boom. After ExciteAtHome went bankrupt, Rocherolle and his partners bought Webshots back for just $2.4 million in 2002 and subsequently sold it to CNet for $70 million in 2004.
· Man arrested for fondling 79-year-old Alzheimer's patient. An 87-year-old man was arrested on a warrant Wednesday for fondling a 79-year-old Alzheimer's patient at a nursing home. Morris Rosenberg, of west of Delray Beach, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation. He told detectives he was aware of the compliant and told detectives he was checking the patient because he thought she was dead.
· 6 Burned Bodies Found in California. Border Patrol agents found four bodies in a wooded area near a major corridor for illegal immigrants who often walk hours or even days to cross into the United States from Mexico. Two bodies were also discovered in the rubble of a burned home in San Diego County. The pair had been urged to evacuate.
· What to save from a fire. Imagine getting a knock on the door in the middle of the night. You have 10 minutes to leave, says the sheriff's deputy, and you don't doubt him. You close the door and consider the question that is becoming an existential ritual for hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year: What do I take?
Thursday, October 25, 2007
· Sexual abuse probe at Oprah's South African school. There are allegations of abuse at the African school built by Oprah Winfrey. A member of the faculty is being charged with physical assault of one student and sexual assault of another.
· Abortion doctor wants grand jury stopped. One of the nation's few late-term abortion providers is asking Kansas' highest court to block a grand jury investigation of him and his Wichita clinic that was initiated by anti-abortion groups. Kansas is one of the few states where citizens can petition to impanel a grand jury. Anti-abortion groups collected nearly 7,900 signatures, more than three times the number required.
· 22,000-acre fire was set. One of the larger fires in Southern California is a suspected arson, a fire official confirmed Thursday. The FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Orange County Fire Authority are investigating the Santiago Fire, which has burned more than 22,000 acres.
· Protestor painted in 'blood' accosts Condoleezza Rice. A woman with her hands painted blood-red confronted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the US Congress Wednesday, shouting "war criminal" before being hauled away by Capitol security.
· Illegals arrested for stealing food and water at San Diego evacuation center. Six undocumented Mexican immigrants were arrested today by U.S. Border Patrol agents at Qualcomm Stadium, after a report that they were stealing food and water meant for evacuees.
· Man Sues Over $1.6 million Jackpot. Gary Hoffman was playing the nickel slot machines at the Sandia Resort and Casino on an Indian reservation in New Mexico when he appeared to hit the jackpot: the machine said he won nearly $1.6 million. His excitement was short-lived. Hoffman says in his lawsuit that Sandia refused to pay, claiming that the machine malfunctioned. Instead, he said, they gave him about $385 and a few free meals at the casino.
· Bus Driver Blames Students For Her Failed Drug Test. A Bradenton, Florida bus driver might be losing her job for failing a urine test, which showed that she had smoked marijuana. And she's blaming the students. Rosemary Pevy says that any marijuana in her system could only have come from students who were smoking at the bus stop or on her bus.
· Dad having second thoughts over his Dumbledore tattoo. Paul Croft got a tattoo of Harry Potter wizard Albus Dumbledore on his back but is now being teased by pals after he was outed as gay. Croft, 36, spent a year having the Hogwarts headmaster etched into his skin as a surprise for his five kids. But the factory worker has been the butt of jokes ever since Harry Potter author JK Rowling revealed last week that Dumbledore was in love with a fellow male sorcerer. Croft said: "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
· Mom helps cheerleaders grab boys' beer. A woman has been charged with letting her 15-year-old daughter lean out of a school van on a highway to get beer from an SUV full of boys, authorities said Wednesday. Terry Kisling, 47, was driving a van of Norris High School cheerleaders to a football game in Nebraska City.
· Drink or Two a Day May Help Lungs. When it comes to your lungs, a couple of drinks a day may help keep the doctor away, researchers report. Though considerable evidence has mounted that a daily dose of alcohol helps the heart, this study suggests the same may be true for lung function - even for smokers.
· U.S. terror 'watch list' may be getting too long. A new government report says there are now more than three quarters of a million names on the U.S. government's terrorist "watch list," raising concerns the list may be becoming too large. A Government Accountability Office study out Wednesday said the Terrorist Screening Center's watch list contained approximately 755,000 names.
· Gary Collins arrested in DUI case. TV host and actor Gary Collins was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence after a crash that police blamed on another driver, an 89-year-old man. Collins, 69, was booked after the crash Tuesday in the San Fernando Valley, Officer April Harding said. He was later released on $40,000 bond, authorities said.
· Iraq, Afghan wars could cost $2.4 trillion by 2017. The total cost, including debt servicing, of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could reach $2.4 trillion by 2017, a report by the Congressional Budget Office found.
· 50 DUI cases dropped over cop's improper procedure. Dozens of drunk driving cases in Chicago have been dropped as the police officer who wrote the tickets is investigated for failing to follow proper procedures. That officer was honored several times in the last five years for writing the most drunk driving citations in the state of Illinois.
· Ex-Kmart worker sentenced for poisoning. A disgruntled Kmart employee who said she put rat poison in ground beef packages to get back at the retailer was sentenced to a year of house arrest. Karen L. Wyndham, 45, pleaded guilty this summer to one count of tampering and agreed to pay about $4,400 in restitution.
· Maria Shriver won't return to NBC News. Maria Shriver says she won't resume her TV news career, citing media coverage of the late Anna Nicole Smith. Shriver, speaking Tuesday at a women's conference, noted the media circus surrounding Smith's accidental drug overdose death in February. "It was then that I knew that the TV news business had changed and so had I," she said. "I called NBC News and told them I'm not coming back."
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
· Ambulance with dying runner got lost. An ambulance that rushed a dying Chicago Marathon runner from the race to the hospital apparently got lost on the way, authorities said.
· Judge Who Sued Dry Cleaners Set to Lose Job. Roy L. Pearson Jr., whose $54 million lawsuit against a Northeast Washington dry-cleaning shop was rejected in court, is about to lose his job as an administrative law judge.
· TV Reporter Arrested While Covering Story. A Local 10 reporter was arrested at Miami Central Senior High School while he was on assignment covering a story about school violence. On Tuesday, Miami-Dade Schools Police told WPLG-TV's Jeff Weinsier he was trespassing and that he needed to leave. He was not inside the school or inside the fenced-in area that surrounds the school. School board police told him to leave and go across the street from the school, but Weisnier said he was on a public sidewalk.
· Pit bulls kill miniature horse given to child with cancer. A miniature horse given to a boy with brain cancer by the Make-A-Wish Foundation was killed by a pair of pit bulls who were found roaming in his yard, authorities said.
· 3-year-old's ride in traffic results in neglect charge. A baby sitter was arrested Monday after police said they found a 3-year-old boy in his care riding a bicycle more than a mile from his home in the middle of traffic.
· Soccer mom charged in assault on coach. An East Rockaway, New York soccer mom angered over being dropped from the team e-mailing list for game-day directions was arrested after slamming a metal folding chair across the face of her daughter's coach, police said Tuesday.
· Woman "never meant to hurt anyone." A woman who repeatedly stabbed her tied-up lover so she could drink his blood has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tiffany Sutton told Superior Court Judge David Udall that she was sorry for the incident and said she never meant to hurt anyone, but received the stiff sentence anyway after he called the crime especially heinous.
· Cops say woman wanted ex's coffee spiked. A woman bitter over her divorce asked her ex-husband's girlfriend to try to kill him by spiking his drink with cocaine, state police said. Patricia A. Reiman knew her ex-husband, David, had a heart condition and believed spiking his drink with cocaine would cause "his heart to possibly explode and kill him," state Trooper Brad Eisenhower said.
· Candidate Calls for Raid on Immigration Bill Event. Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a Republican presidential candidate whose fierce opposition to illegal immigration is the center of his campaign, contacted the immigration service yesterday demanding that agents raid a senator’s news conference. The afternoon event on Capitol Hill was held by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and the leading sponsor of a bill that would give legal status to illegal immigrants who are high school graduates, if they attend college or serve in the United States military for two years.
· Cops ordered to stop visiting brothels. Police patrolling the red-light district of the Belgian capital have been ordered to stop visiting brothels and drinking in bars when on duty. "There was no concrete evidence to substantiate any wrongdoing by police officers," said spokesman Roland Thiebauld.
· Painting found in trash may fetch $1 million. painting stolen 20 years ago was found lying in trash along a street, and now it could fetch up to $1 million at auction.
· The next battle for wildfire victims: Insurance. Right now, thousands of dislocated Southern California homeowners are fretting about the fate of their residences, but the biggest headaches could come months after the wildfires ravaging the area are extinguished. Consumer advocates warn that insurance firms could take a hard line with their policyholders in the wake of the wildfire disaster, by skimping on claim payments or going so far as to refuse to write new policies altogether.
· Boy, 11, focus of police investigation. Kenneth City, Florida police say an alert campus monitor at Lealman Intermediate School found a suspicious device Tuesday afternoon. Police say they found two similar devices at the student's Kenneth City home, which include writing pens filled with a suspicious substance.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
· Thief Gets Stuck In Store Vent For 10 Hours. A man attempting to break into a Central Florida pharmacy through an air-conditioning vent on the store's roof ended up getting stuck in the ceiling above the women's restroom for about 10 hours, according to officials.
· Wrongly Convicted Man Sued for Child Support. A man who was pardoned after spending 18 years behind bars for a rape he didn't commit has been sued for back child support. Gov. Mike Easley pardoned Dail two weeks ago, making him eligible to receive $360,000 from the state – $20,000 for each year he spent in prison. Dwayne Allen Dail, 39, was served Tuesday with a lawsuit by Lorraine Michaels, the mother of his son, who is seeking back child support. The suit asks for $360,000 to pay the child support Dail didn't provide while he was in prison.
· No hand over heart from Obama during national anthem. Weeks after coming under fire for his refusal to wear an American flag pin, Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama is again facing questions about his patriotism from some conservative blogs - this time for apparently failing to put his hand over his heart during a rendition of the national anthem at an Iowa campaign event. A video of the event in question, obtained by ABC News, shows Obama with his hands firmly clasped in front of him during the song. Meanwhile, rival Democratic candidates Gov. Bill Richardson (D-AZ) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) strike a traditional anthem pose beside him, holding their right hands over their hearts.
· Preppie killer Robert Chambers, girlfriend in coke bust. Preppie Killer Robert Chambers and his longtime girlfriend were busted Monday night on charges of selling enough cocaine from their swank East Side apartment "to levitate Central Park," police sources said. Chambers was freed from prison in February 2003 after serving 15 years for the August 1986 murder of Jennifer Levin in the infamous "rough sex" case.
· Looking for attractive people? Don't go to Philadelphia. Philadelphia is home to the least attractive people in the United States, a survey of visitors and residents showed on Friday. The city of more than 1.5 million people was also found to be among the least stylish, least active, least friendly and least worldly. Philadelphians have also been undermined by national surveys showing they are among the fattest people in America.
· Prankster reddens Rome fountain. A man threw a bucket of red paint or dye into Rome's Trevi Fountain on Friday, coloring the waters of the 18th-century monument bright red in front of a crowd of astonished tourists and residents. The man escaped, leaving the fountain, which normally runs on a closed cycle, spouting red water. Police arrived and technicians briefly shut off the water before restoring a clear flow.
· Stern Files Claim Involving Smith Estate. Howard K. Stern, the companion of Anna Nicole Smith and executor of her will, has filed court papers seeking 6 percent of whatever the model's estate might recover from her late husband's fortune.
· Jury Awards $4 Million To Teen Injured During Football Game At School. A 16-year-old Tampa boy, who suffered permanent damage in his arm during a recess period, and his parents were awarded $4 million by a Hillsborough County jury on Monday afternoon. The family claimed that, as a result of a schoolyard football game in which the ball is thrown up and the person catching it is tackled, Danny Heidenberg had his left arm broke.
· Boy's calls to 911 lead to mom's arrest. An 8-year-old boy riding in a car with his mom called 911 several times to report that she wasn't "acting normal," leading to her arrest for investigation of drunken driving and other charges, authorities said. Paulette Lynn Spears, 33, was arrested Saturday after she drove to a fire station and said she had a medical problem.
· Marie Osmond Collapses On 'Dancing With The Stars.' Marie Osmond collapsed during the taping of Monday’s “Dancing With the Stars.” After she finished the samba with partner Jonathan Roberts, Marie was listening to judge Len Goodman’s critique when she passed out and hit the floor. The show immediately cut to commercial.
· Video Of Women Lead To Suspension Of City's Chief Of Police. The acting chief of police in Sanford, Florida has been suspended over lewd video and photos of women in public that some might consider indecent exposure.
· Cookbook Author Says Seinfeld Book 'Deceptively' Similar. After the wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld appeared Oct. 8 on Winfrey's show to discuss her cookbook, Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food, online message boards erupted with questions about the originality of the book's premise.
· Spector still lacks new lawyer. Music legend Phil Spector told a judge Monday that he's seeking a new attorney to defend him for the retrial of his murder case but has yet to find the lawyer he wants. The 67-year-old Spector was accompanied in court by Christopher Plourd, the only lawyer remaining from his six-attorney defense team. Spector already has tried unsuccessfully to hire two new lawyers.
· Wash Your Hands, and Don't Shave Your Legs. As a virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spreads beyond hospital walls, some communities are taking extreme measures such as closing schools for disinfection. But getting adults and children to pay better attention to a few simple personal-hygiene rules, and taking precautionary measures such as getting a flu shot, may be a far more effective weapon against the bugs.
· Canada's Sex Party alleges postal discrimination. A tiny Canadian political party that promotes sexual freedom complained in Federal Court on Monday it was discriminated against by the country's postal service. The Sex Party is upset that Canada Post refused to distribute a flyer during the 2006 federal election that outlined the group's philosophy, after deeming some its contents to be pornographic.
· Unmasking D.B. Cooper. On a rainy night in 1971, the notorious skyjacker jumped out of a 727 and into American legend. But recently, a chance lead to a Manhattan P.I. may have finally cracked the case.
· Mayor Bloomberg safe as madman attacks transit cop. Not one to forget a debt, a transit cop wrestled a wild man to the ground when he went nuts just feet from Mayor Bloomberg Monday afternoon. Bloomberg and his security detail were waiting for the No. 4 Monday when a straphanger on the Fulton St. platform attacked one of the officers.
Monday, October 22, 2007
· Online AIDS dating. Jeanette is seeking the ideal man. Someone sensitive. Funny. Sexy. And, most of all, HIV-positive. That's why she turned to The Positive Connection, an online dating agency that offers HIV-positive South Africans looking for love a way to get around the stigma of the disease. "Everything goes well until a guy learns about my problem and dumps me," said Jeanette.
· 5 Confess To Toothpick Prank On Football Field. Michigan state police said five students are responsible for planting five thousand toothpicks in a high school football field.
· NASA won't disclose air safety data. Anxious to avoid upsetting air travelers, NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized.
· Paul McCartney: "Memory Almost Full." Paul McCartney says the inspiration for the title of his latest album, "Memory Almost Full," came from a phrase he saw on his cell phone. "It seemed symbolic of our lives today," the 65-year-old ex-Beatle said Monday. "Your messages are always full. And your mind is full. And it doesn't matter if you're my age or 20. I think that we all need to delete stuff every so often."
· Ellen Degeneres, serial dog dumper? Ellen DeGeneres' latest doggy dealing wasn't the first time she'd passed along a pup she'd adopted, says a Los Angeles producer who gave the talk-show queen a pooch she quickly got rid of. Kerri Randles says she gave DeGeneres a male mutt named Stormy two years ago, only to find out less than two months later that fickle Ellen had re-gifted him to a member of her staff.
· Bulldozer Used To Rob Central Florida Bank. Investigators said at least one person stole a bulldozer from a Seminole County construction site early Monday and used it to smash through the side of the Bank of America.
· Iowa airport rejects GAY - embraces SUX. City leaders have scrapped plans to do away with the Sioux Gateway Airport's unflattering three-letter identifier — SUX — and instead have made it the centerpiece of the airport's new marketing campaign.
· Warning to abusive bloggers as judge tells site to reveal names. Disgruntled football fans who vented their dissatisfaction with the club's bigwigs in anonymous internet postings may face expensive libel claims after the chairman, chief executive and five directors won a high-court ruling last week forcing the owner of a website to reveal their identity.
· Suspected Drug Dealer Hid Heroin In Baby's Car Seat. A Drug Task Force said it found heroin in the car seat of a 1-week-old infant during a traffic stop involving a suspected drug dealer.
· Waffle House brawl lands Kid Rock in jail. Kid Rock was arrested early Sunday after a brawl at a restaurant and spent about 12 hours in jail before being released, police said. The musician stopped at the Waffle House restaurant shortly after 5 a.m. after his performance at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, authorities said.
· Home-made helicopters hit northern Nigeria. Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria, takes old cars and motorbikes to pieces in the back yard at home and builds his own helicopters from the parts.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
· Medical marijuana sting targets doctor. When an undercover San Diego police officer asked Dr. Robert Sterner to prescribe marijuana for his dog, the doctor joked that only two-legged patients were covered by the state's medical marijuana law. So the officer suggested Sterner appoint him caregiver for the dog. The police officer then walked out of the doctor's office with signed authorizations that allowed him to buy marijuana for his dog, as well as for himself.
· FBI: No $2 million taken from Copperfield's warehouse. The FBI is denying reports that it took millions in cash during a search last week of a Las Vegas warehouse belonging to illusionist David Copperfield. A Las Vegas television station reported that agents seized $2 million in cash from a safe in Copperfield's warehouse. "No currency was seized during our investigating activity in Las Vegas," said Seattle FBI Special Agent Robbie Burroughs. "Media reports to the contrary are false."
· 7-year-old suspended from school for drawing stick figure with gun. A 7-year-old's drawing of a stick figure shooting a gun earned him a one-day school suspension. Kyle Walker was suspended last week for violating Dennis Township Primary School's zero-tolerance policy on guns, his mother, Shirley McDevitt, told The Press of Atlantic City.
· Subway "surfer" killed in New York. A 21-year-old man was killed playing the dangerous game of "surfing" atop a moving subway train, from which he was thrown to his death, local media reported Tuesday. In 2003, three people including a 14-year-old were killed trying similar stunts.
· Pavarotti dies $26 million in debt. Italian opera legend Pavarotti died with $25.7 million of personal debt, an Italian newspaper reported on Saturday.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
· Illegals OK'd to drive in N.Y. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has started a major political fight over immigration by ordering state officials to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens, prompting at least one county legislature to defy the executive order and pushing toward a showdown in court.
· Maher Boots Protester From Audience. Bill Maher can add "security guard" to his job description alongside comedian and political commentator. Maher was talking science during one of his weekly panel discussions when a protester in his audience stood up, held up a smuggled-in sign reading "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and shouted comments to the same effect. "Do we have some (expletive) security in this building," Maher yelled, "or do I have to come down there and kick his (expletive)?"
» Bill Maher video with audience protestor.
· Actress Hunter Tylo's son drowns in Las Vegas pool. The teenage son of actress Hunter Tylo, who once won a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the late TV mogul Aaron Spelling after she was fired for being pregnant, has drowned in his mother's swimming pool.
· Amid uproar, county attorney drops charges against 'New Times' newspaper. A criminal case against Phoenix New Times fell apart Friday amid a crush of public outrage and admissions that a special county prosecutor made serious mistakes. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas dismissed all charges against the free weekly newspaper less than 24 hours after two New Times owners were arrested for publishing details of a grand-jury subpoena that demanded the Internet records of any person who had visited the newspaper's Web site since 2004.
· Falling object not from a plane, FAA says. In Stanton, Deleware on Monday, a sizzling hot 16-inch piece of metal fell from the sky and tore through a parked SUV;s roof "like butter." The Federal Aviation Administration examined the object and spokesperson Jim Peters claims that it's not part of an airplane.
· Mystery surrounds cemetery mix-up. Willie Hayes was a Vietnam veteran who proudly served his country, won several medals and earned himself a plot at a veterans' cemetery upon his death two weeks ago. But there was one problem: As far as the U.S. government was concerned, it buried Willie Hayes nearly four years ago.
· Scathing Limbaugh letter nets $2.1 million. A letter from Democratic senators blasting conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh for using the phrase "phony soldiers" on his program was sold Friday on eBay for a record $2.1 million.
· Questions remain about housing secretary. During an investigation of his conduct last year, Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson defiantly defended his interaction with federal contractors doing business with the Housing and Urban Development Department. The FBI and HUD's inspector general are examining Jackson's ties to a friend who was paid at least $392,000 in federal money after Jackson passed along the man's name for a job as post-Katrina construction manager at the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
Friday, October 19, 2007
· 75-year-old woman smashes up local Comcast office with hammer. Mona Shaw says she has no regrets about using a hammer to vent her frustration at a cable company. After several days of waiting for service, and several hours at the Comcast office waiting to talk to a manager that never appeared, Shaw took matters - and a hammer - into her own hands. Police arrested Shaw for disorderly conduct. She received a three-month suspended sentence, was fined $345 and and is barred from going near the Comcast offices for a year. The Shaws did eventually get phone and television service — with Verizon and DirecTV.
· Update: David Copperfield Investigated for Sexual Misconduct. The FBI investigation of David Copperfield involves a sexual misconduct claim against the magician, a Las Vegas newspaper reported Friday. A Las Vegas warehouse operated by Copperfield was raided by 12 agents Wednesday night, TV station KLAS reported earlier. A computer hard drive, digital camera system, and nearly $2 million in cash were seized, the station reports.
· Air Force officers relieved of duty over loose nukes. Four Air Force officers, including at least one colonel, have been relieved of duty in connection with the mistaken flight of nuclear warheads across the country, two U.S. military officials told CNN Friday.
· Scout leader admits taking cookie money, police say. A Girl Scouts leader admitted to stealing $1,880 from Troop 1117's 2007 cookie sale proceeds in March, according to Middletown police. Heather Merritt, 26, was charged Wednesday in city Municipal Court with felony theft.
· Scientist apologizes for hurtful remarks. James Watson, the 79-year-old scientific icon made famous by his work in DNA, has set off an international furor with comments to a London newspaper about intelligence levels among blacks.
· Couple make burglar clean up at gunpoint. A burglar in Montgomery, Alabama chose the wrong family to mess with, literally. Adrian and Tiffany McKinnon returned home on Tuesday after a week away to find that thieves had emptied almost everything the family of five owned, Tiffany McKinnon said, adding "We made this man clean up all the mess he made, piles of stuff, he had thrown out of my drawers and cabinets onto the floor." When police arrived, the 33-year-old suspect Tajuan Bullock complained about being forced to clean the home at gunpoint.
· S.F. considers ‘shooting gallery’ for drug addicts. San Francisco health officials took steps Thursday toward opening the nation’s first legal safe-injection room, where addicts could shoot up heroin, cocaine and other drugs under the supervision of nurses. Hoping to reduce San Francisco’s high rate of fatal drug overdoses, the public health department co-sponsored a symposium on the only such facility in North America, a 4-year-old Vancouver site where an estimated 700 users a day self-administer narcotics under the supervision of nurses.
· FBI search Copperfield's warehouse. FBI agents searched a Las Vegas, Nevada, warehouse owned by illusionist David Copperfield, according to an FBI spokesman, adding that the Wednesday night raid was related to a case based in Seattle.
· Massage May Have Led To Professor's Killing. A massage may have led to the killing of a popular community college professor, sources said. Richard Urdiales, 53, was found beaten to death. Urdiales was an English professor at Blue River Metropolitan Community College in Independence, Mo., but he also made extra money as a masseuse.
· Find The Real Reason For Flight Delays. It can be hard to get a straight answer out of airlines sometime about the real reason a flight is delayed. For some reason, though, they're more straight up about their packages than their passengers. The airlines have special cargo websites which are supposed to be for people tracking packages they're shipping through the airline, and the real reason for the delays are generally disclosed.
· Pedophile suspect arrested in Thailand. A Canadian schoolteacher suspected of sexually abusing boys was arrested in rural Thailand on Friday after an international manhunt that relied on digitally unscrambled photos and tips from the public.
· Ellen cancels tapings after dog flap. Ellen DeGeneres' talk show was put on hold for a day because of her emotionally wrenching dog-adoption drama. "It's been a long week and a tough week and we decided to take a long weekend and be back on Tuesday," a spokeswoman said.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
· Trailer park becomes 'paradise' for sex offenders. The Palace Mobile Home Park is a place that welcomes sex offenders. 95 of these 200 residents are convicted sex offenders, including some pedophiles. The adults-only, nondescript, low-income trailer park near St. Petersburg, Florida has gained a reputation among sex offenders on probation as a good place to live.
· State Trooper Arrested For Sex With Porn Star. A Tennessee State Trooper - who resigned earlier this year after receiving oral sex from a porn star during a traffic stop - was arrested hit with a number of charges. Barbie Cummings said that she did not intend for Trooper James Moss to get into trouble and that he incriminated himself by "bragging" about the encounter to friends.
· NC Won't Help Nifong Fight Duke Lawsuits. The North Carolina Attorney General's office has refused former prosecutor Mike Nifong's request that the state represent him or pay his legal bills from a civil lawsuit against him filed by three Duke lacrosse players exonerated of rape.
· Middle school OKs birth control. After an outbreak of pregnancies among middle school girls, education officials in this city have decided to allow allow one school's health center to make birth control pills available to girls as young as 11.
· Curtains for Vanessa's High School Musical. Over a month after frisky nude photos of High School Musical starlet Vanessa Hudgens hit the Internet, OK! reports that Disney has made up its mind about what to do next and that the 18-year-old actress will not be asked to board the boat for the third HSM film.
· Mystery of the cat-napper who takes neighbors' pets... and dumps them 25 miles away. When their cats started to disappear mysteriously, the residents of Bramley Crescent were understandably puzzled and distressed.
· 'Rat Pack' member Joey Bishop dies. Joey Bishop, the stone-faced comedian who found success in nightclubs, television and movies but became most famous as a member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack, has died at 89. He was the group's last surviving member. Peter Lawford died in 1984, Sammy Davis Jr. in 1990, Dean Martin in 1995, and Sinatra in 1998.
· Britney's Visitation Rights Suspended. Britney Spears is losing contact with her kids again. The troubled pop star may not even visit with 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James—who are in the custody of Spears' ex- husband, Kevin Federline—until she complies with a court order, Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon ruled.
· Brooklyn 1st Grader Bound With Tape By 14-Year-Old. The mother of a Brooklyn first-grader is trying to transfer her 6-year-old son out of his school after a student more than twice his age allegedly bound the young boy with tape and threatened to throw him down a flight of stairs.
· Military inadvertently recruits gays. The Army, Navy and Air Force unwittingly advertised for recruits on GLEE.com, a networking website for gay professionals. Recruiters expressed surprise and said they would remove the job listings. "This is the first I've heard about it," said Maj. Michael Baptista, advertising chief for the Army National Guard, which will spend $6.5 million on Internet recruiting this year. "We didn't knowingly advertise on that particular website," which he said does not "meet the moral standards" of the military.
· TB-tainted man crosses border 76 times. A Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis crossed the U.S. border 76 times and took multiple domestic flights in the last year. The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency was warned by health officials on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected, but it took the Homeland Security officials more than six weeks to issue an alert to warn its own border inspectors.
· Screeners miss 75% of fake bombs at LAX. Security screeners at two of the nation's busiest airports failed to find fake bombs hidden on undercover agents posing as passengers in more than 60% of tests last year, according to a classified report obtained by USA TODAY. Screeners at Los Angeles International Airport missed about 75% of simulated explosives and bomb parts that Transportation Security Administration testers hid under their clothes or in carry-on bags at checkpoints, the TSA report shows.
· Woman digs up ex's grave. A woman accused of digging up her ex-boyfriend's grave and stealing his ashes pleaded not guilty to felony vandalism, prosecutors said. "I have a category of crimes that I like to refer to as 'aggravated stupid,"' County prosecutor David Warren said. "I have been doing this for almost 30 years now and I have never had anyone steal someone's ashes."
· Simpson co-defendant: Guns were O.J.'s idea. O.J. Simpson wanted armed men with him when he confronted two sports memorabilia dealers, according to a co-defendant who has agreed to a plea deal to testify for the prosecution in the armed robbery case. "O.J. said 'Hey, just bring some firearms,"' Walter Alexander told police in a transcript of his tape-recorded statement obtained by The Associated Press.
· Scripps lab tech gets year in jail for sex with boy, 14. She was a 22-year-old single mother living in a Singer Island efficiency, working as a lab technician at Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter. He was 14 and living with his parents in northern Palm Beach County, though his profile said he was 18. Colleen Grear eventually learned the boy's true age, but it didn't stop her from pursuing a sexual relationship.
· Man uses trap door trick to steal thousands of gallons of gas. Hobert Gibson was arrested Tuesday on grand theft charges of stealing thousands of gallons of gas from stations. Gibson rigged a trap door in the bottom of the trailer and parked over the underground fuel tanks at gas stations. Deputies said he would drop a hose into the tanks and use marine batteries to pump the gas into the trailer.
· High-res image uncovers 'Mona Lisa' mystery. The "Mona Lisa" has long been shrouded in mystery, including one long-standing question about the famous lady: What happened to her eyebrows and eyelashes?
· McCain Takes Mom on Campaign Trail. Dogged by suggestions he's too old to be president, John McCain often says he should bring his mother to campaign stops to demonstrate his good genes. On Wednesday he did. "I am so happy to be here. I think I'm going to cry," 95-year-old Roberta McCain said as she introduced her son to about 200 seniors at a retirement community.
· Children find body of a child in a suitcase in a park in Australia. A group of children playing in an Australian park Wednesday opened a suitcase they found floating in a pond and discovered the body of a youngster inside, police said.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
· Obesity is more dangerous than smoking. Obesity is more dangerous than smoking and will dramatically shorten the lives of millions, a landmark study has found. While smoking reduces life by an average of ten years, the research says being seriously overweight can cut life expectancy by as much as 13 years.
· Morgan Stanley Sells Entire New York Times Stake. Morgan Stanley, the second-biggest shareholder in New York Times Co., sold its entire 7.3 percent stake today, according to a person briefed on the transaction, sending the stock to its lowest in more than 10 years.
· Oral Roberts president to take leave. Oral Roberts University president Richard Roberts has asked the school's board of regents for a leave of absence amid accusations of lavish spending at donors' expense and illegal involvement in a political campaign.
· Oakland Restricts Smoking In Outdoor Areas. The Oakland City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that makes it illegal to smoke in outdoor dining areas, municipal golf courses, parks and bus stops.
· Poker Game Led to Pam's Latest Marriage. Pamela Anderson says she and Rick Salomon took their 17-year friendship to the next level during a poker game.
· 'Baby Jessica' waiting to collect $1 million. The 18-month old girl pulled from a backyard well two decades ago is now a young wife and mother - one waiting to collect donations given to her during her ordeal that are expected to total $1 million or more.
· Woman jailed for 50 days for possessing cat urine. 38-year-old Cynthia Hunter of Florida was jailed for 50 days when police found a vial containing a yellow substance in her purse. She said it was cat urine for her son's science experiment, but she was locked up for 50 days until the lab results confirmed that the substance was indeed cat urine.
· Girls drop lawsuit against "Girls Gone Wild" founder after video showing permission is found. Two young women suing "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis in federal court for allegedly reneging on a deal not to use footage of them dropped their lawsuit Monday, supposedly with no money exchanging hands, after a video posted on Francis' Website showed them giving permission for the show to go on.
· 'Mutts and Moms' Agency Will Keep DeGeneres' Dog. Ellen DeGeneres' doggy drama intensified Tuesday after her tearful plea on her talk show led to death threats against the rescue group that took back her adopted dog for violating the contract, according to a spokesman for the agency's owners. As a result of the publicity, Marina Batkis and Vanessa Chekroun received voice mail and e-mail threats of death and arson and were besieged by the media.
· Stabbing Victim Hits Attacker With Shovel. An argument between two men escalated with one getting stabbed and the other hit with a shovel, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office reported Tuesday night. Drinking may have been a factor.
· 21 schools being shut down for cleaning after student death. Virginia school officials say they are shutting down 21 schools for cleaning, after an antibiotic-resistant staph infection killed a high school student.
· TSA Laptops on the Lam, Again. Safeguarding personal information has been the law of the land since passage of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2004. But you wouldn't know it by the many stories about federal agencies accidentally letting Social Security numbers and other private, sensitive information slip away.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
· Verizon offers details on records releases. Verizon Communications says it has provided federal, state and local law enforcement agencies tens of thousands of communication and business records relating to customers based on emergency requests without a court order or administrative subpoena.
· Woman cited for yelling obscenities at toilet in her home. A Pennsylvania woman has been cited for disorderly conduct for allegedly shouting profanities at her overflowing toilet within earshot of a neighbor. The neighbor happens to be a police officer.
· Attack on Liberal Radio Host Was Not a Hate Crime, Air America Says. The blogosphere was abuzz Tuesday with reports that liberal talk-radio show host Randi Rhodes was the victim of an apparent street crime Sunday night, leading another of the network's hosts to speculate that she was targeted by "the right wing" for her political views.
· Man Gets Death For Leaving Girl For Alligators. The man accused of leaving a 5-year-old girl to be eaten alive by alligators in the Everglades has been sentenced to death.
· Four sue police, alleging "dirty tactics." Frank Waterhouse is suing for unlawful seizure with excessive force, alleging that police fired a Taser and bean bag rounds at him on May 27, 2006 because he was videotaping their search of a friend's property. Officers wrote in their reports that Waterhouse ran off, they chased and then bean-bagged and Tasered him. One officer wrote, "He had refused to drop the camera which could be used as a weapon."
· Woman Spying On Husband Gets Trapped Under SUV. Rescue crews freed a woman trapped under a sport utility vehicle in Brookline late Monday morning. Police said the woman feared her husband was cheating on her. They said she went to spy on him by crawling under an SUV outside her husband’s alleged girlfriend’s house. She apparently fell asleep under the vehicle and became trapped after someone let the air out of the tires.
· Suspect arrested in 3-year-old girl's videotaped sexual assault. A man wanted in the videotaped sexual assault of a 3-year-old girl has been arrested, according to police in Nevada. Chester Arthur Stiles, 37, was arrested following a routine traffic stop around 7 p.m. Monday night.
· Britney Spears booked on traffic charges. Pop star Britney Spears turned herself in to be booked on charges stemming from an August fender bender, police said.
· Family of teen killed in Indiana crash sues police. The family of Dominique Green, one of two teens killed in a car crash last month in Gary, Indiana, is suing police for $50 million, an attorney said Monday. Hours after police responded to the September 15 crash and failed to find Green's body and the body of his friend Brandon Smith, 18, Smith's father found both corpses in a nearby wooded area.
· DeGeneres Violates Deal With Pet Agency. Ellen DeGeneres is in the doghouse with a pet rescue agency after giving a pooch away to her hairdresser because it didn't get along with her cats. The talk show hostess and her partner Portia de Rossi adopted Iggy, a Brussels Griffon mix, on Sept. 20. But when things didn't work out, DeGeneres gave the dog to her hairdresser. "I feel totally responsible for it and I'm so sorry. I'm begging them to give that dog back to that family," she said. "It's not their fault. It's my fault," DeGeneres said.
Monday, October 15, 2007
· Wife of university president denies nights alone with 'underage male.' The wife of the president of Oral Roberts University is denying allegations in a lawsuit that she spent the night in a university guest house with an "underage male" on nine occasions.
· Second O.J. Simpson co-accused takes deal. A second co-defendant in the O.J. Simpson armed-robbery case on Monday agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge. Walter Alexander also said he will testify against O.J. Simpson and others.
· Grandmother Gets $5,000, Disney Trip For Turning In Cash. Debbie Cole won a trip to Walt Disney World and $5,000 as a reward for turning in $65,000 she first thought was trash on the side of the road. The 53-year-old found the money Oct. 4 in a bag at the county solid waste compound where she works. The money apparently fell off a Loomis armored truck and landed in the middle of a road.
· Political TV advertising to hit $3 billion. A wide-open presidential race and a willingness by candidates, interest groups, unions and corporations to buy TV time will lead to historic spending for political and issue-advocacy advertising in the 2008 election cycle, an analysis shows.
· Child’s chalk doodle draws graffiti citation. Chalk it up to New York City's crackdown on graffiti. A 6-year-old child's chalk sketches on her family's stoop brought her parents a graffiti-removal notice that threatened a $300 fine.
· Fake Officers Take Urine Samples From Boys. Authorities in Indianapolis have intensified the search for two men who forced six boys to give urine samples in a park. The impersonators took the boys one-by-one and demanded they submit to a drug test out in the open at the park. "They opened up the police car, handed them a cup and had them use it in the cup," the mother said.
· Alleged Rapist Claims He Was Arrested Because He's Black. A fugitive wanted in Tennessee on multiple counts of child rape and exploitation was captured Saturday near Matamoros, Mexico, and jailed in southern Texas. Donald Edward Lynch, 66, claimed his real name was Reynaldo Price and denied the charges. "It's `cause I'm black," he told reporters.
· Florida couple arrested for letting 14 teens drink at their home. A couple was arrested Sunday at their west of Boca Raton home for child abuse and other charges for allowing 14 teenagers to drink alcohol at their home. Debbie Louttit, 49, and her boyfriend, Kenneth Gopen, 35, told Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies that they would rather have the youths drinking beer at their home than on the street.
· Cop Charged With Assault. Five Atlanta police officers have been relieved of duty after authorities say one of them fired four shots at a truck oustide a Marietta restaurant.
· Man survives flight in wheel well, stuns workers. A Palestinian man managed to stow away in a wheel well of an airplane flying from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, prompting Malaysian officials to order a probe into how he breached security, reports said Sunday.
· Italians stop man with check for $500 million. That's one check you hope won't bounce. Italian authorities said Thursday that they had arrested a man who was trying to leave the country on his way to Switzerland with a check made out for $500 million.
· Fisherman Sets Record, Catches 844-pound Shark Off Florida Panhandle. Six friends went to a fishing tournament looking to catch some grouper. They caught an 844-pound shark instead. The fight by Adlee Bruner and friends to pull the 11-foot mako shark onto the boat from the Gulf of Mexico took more than an hour on Saturday.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
· Quixtar Sues 30 Over Web Remarks. Direct-marketing firm Quixtar Inc., a sister company of Amway Corp., has sued 30 people who anonymously posted what it considers disparaging remarks about Quixtar in blogs and online forums.
· Assault On Police Sends Teen To Jail. A Broomfield High School champion wrestler, who faced up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine for an Airsoft assault on an off-duty police officer, has been sentenced to a weekend in jail.
· Dentist claims breast rubs appropriate. A dentist accused of fondling the breasts of 27 female patients is trying to keep his dental license by arguing that chest massages are an appropriate procedure in certain cases. Mark Anderson's lawyer says dental journals discuss the need to massage the pectoral muscles to treat a common jaw problem.
· Vatican bars gay priest for "anonymous" TV confession. The Vatican has suspended a senior priest who acknowledged homosexual relations in a supposedly anonymous television interview, but was identified by superiors from background shots of his office.
· Rapper T.I. arrested on machine gun charge. Rapper T.I. was arrested Saturday as he allegedly tried to add three machine guns and two silencers to what authorities said was an "arsenal" of weapons that, as a convicted felon, he was not allowed to own.
· GOP: NASCAR is contagious, but its fans are not. Being around NASCAR fans requires no inoculation, according to Republican officials, after they learned that a congressional committee's Democratic staffers had advised aides to get vaccinated for hepatitis and other diseases before visiting NASCAR events in Concord, N.C., and Talladega, Alabama. "Democrats should know that there is no preventive measure yet designed to ward off the blue-collar values and patriotism that NASCAR fans represent."
· Report ranks jobs by rates of depression. People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers. Almost 11 percent of personal care workers — which includes child care and helping the elderly and severely disabled with their daily needs — reported depression lasting two weeks or longer.
· Banks to set up $80 bln fund to limit credit crunch. Major banks including Citigroup Inc are looking at setting up a roughly $80 billion fund to buy ailing mortgage securities and other assets, in a bid to prevent the credit crunch from further hurting the global economy, sources said.
· Idaho Hall Of Fame Honors Sen. Larry Craig. A smiling Craig, who served a decade in the House before his 1990 election to the Senate, arrived at the event with his family. "He ... is excited that at least some Idahoans have not forgotten his three decades of public service to Idaho," his spokesman Dan Whiting said.
· Deal May Turn Former Nuclear Facility Into Park. Boeing has reached a tentative agreement with the state to clean up its contaminated nuclear testing facility in the hills above the San Fernando Valley and hand it over for use as parkland.
· Roommate killed in 'stinky feet' dispute identified. A man allegedly killed by his roommate after an Oct. 6 argument about foot odor has been identified as Noel Quintanilla-Vaquero, 21.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
· No Rush to Fix Arkansas Marriage Law. Gov. Mike Beebe said Thursday that a flawed law that could let even toddlers marry doesn't yet require a special session of the Arkansas Legislature to fix. The law inadvertently allows Arkansas minors of any age to marry, if their parents approve.
· Coulter Says Jews Need To Be 'Perfected.' Jewish leaders condemned conservative commentator Ann Coulter on Friday for her comments this week that Jews need to be "perfected," denouncing her remarks as the rationale behind two millenniums of anti-Semitism. The assertion by the controversial pundit that Jews are inferior unless they convert to Christianity alarmed Jewish organizations and put the television networks that give Coulter a platform in an awkward position.
· Co-Defendant in Simpson Case to Plea. Accused of being one of five men who joined O.J. Simpson in a hotel-room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers, Charles Cashmore will plead guilty to a reduced charge and testify that guns were involved in the theft of sports collectibles. Cashmore will testify that two of the other men who entered the room with the former football star were armed, his lawyer, Edward Miley, said Friday. Miley said Cashmore will plead guilty to being an accessory to robbery, a felony that could get him up to five years in prison.
· Pets hurled off bridge in Puerto Rico. Animal control workers seized dozens of dogs and cats from housing projects in the town of Barceloneta and hurled them from a bridge to their deaths, authorities and witnesses said Friday. Mayor Sol Luis Fontanez blamed a contractor hired to take the animals to a shelter.
· Pattie Boyd Recalls Life With Rock Stars. Pattie Boyd is the A-list musicians' muse. A convent schoolgirl turned swinging London fashion model, Boyd was married to Beatle George Harrison, then to guitar god Eric Clapton - and the relationships live on in song.
Friday, October 12, 2007
· Amid furor, DJ cancels party for 'light-skinned' blacks. A local DJ and party promoter retreated Thursday from a plan to sponsor a bash that would let "light-skinned" black women into a downtown club for free. "I didn't mean to offend anyone," promoter "DJ Lish" Barnes said. "I had planned a party for other shades (of black women). We were going to take a shade of color each week. Next week was going to be a party for 'Sexy Chocolate.'"
· Brokers snatch joy from Hannah Montana fans. Kids' sensation Hannah Montana is a heroine to millions of young fans and when Disney announced a U.S tour, tickets sold out in minutes. But not to the child fans. Ticket brokers swooped up thousands of tickets - and desperate fans found they would have to pay up to $2,000 for a $63 ticket.
· Top Brands of Lipstick Test Positive for Lead. The preparers of the study say they found that more than half of 33 brand-name lipsticks tested (61 percent) contained detectable levels of lead. The group says that the lipstick didn't list lead as an ingredient. The top brands testing positive for lead include L'Oreal, Cover Girl, and Christian Dior.
· Doctors' properties searched in Anna Nicole Smith probe. The California Department of Justice served eight search warrants Friday in its investigation into the circumstances of Anna Nicole Smith's death. The warrants were served at the homes of two doctors, a business owned by one of the doctors, four businesses owned by the other physician and a storage shed used by one of the doctors, the official said.
· Grandma, Granddaugther Team Caught Stealing. Call it a real -life Oliver Twist... A 42-year-old grandmother from Southeastern Pennsylvania has been caught on tape shoplifting - and also teaching her four-year-old grand-daughter how to steal.
· Update: Mom bought assault rifle for boy. The mother of a 14-year-old boy accused of planning a "Columbine" type event at a high school was arrested Friday morning, county prosecutors say. She is accused of buying a 9 mm assault rifle for her son several weeks ago at a local gun show, in violation of "straw purchase laws."
· Teen blamed in rape, killing of elderly woman, 99. A teenager is in jail on Friday charged in the robbery and battery of two elderly women. Detectives said Moise Opont, 17, raped and killed one woman and hurt her daughter as he fled a Florida home.
· Mother held child outside window of vehicle. A Pinellas Park mother remained in jail Thursday afternoon on $5,000 bond after police said she held her 5-year-old son outside of an SUV because he was causing a disturbance.
· School sends home obesity notices with students, parent upset. In an effort to combat the problem of childhood obesity, the Denver Public School District is sending home student health reports to keep parents informed. However, one parent says it should not have been sent home in her daughter's backpack because she read it.
· Gore Wins Nobel Peace Prize. Former Vice President Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Friday for their efforts to spread awareness of man-made climate change and lay the foundations for counteracting it. "I am deeply honored to receive the Nobel Peace Prize," Gore said. "We face a true planetary emergency.
· Size Matters, Condom Experts Told. Frank Sadlo, founder of TheyFit, which makes what he claims are the world's first custom-fit condoms, is pushing for updated standards to allow greater variation in condom size. When given a choice, he said many men prefer condoms smaller than the standard minimum 6.3 inches long, with more than half ordering those less than 5.12 inches.
· Former Mrs. New Jersey Arrested. Mrs. New Jersey 2005 is accused of writing bad checks to buy more than $70,000 of antique furniture. Essex County detectives arrested Heather "Hedy" L. Di Carlo on Wednesday.
· New Orleans unveils scaled-back rebuilding plan. After struggling for months to come up with $1.1 billion for stage one of New Orleans' hurricane rebuilding plan, city officials faced with growing public frustration intend to move ahead with a drastically scaled-back first step of $216 million.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
· Update: Officer Drops Lawsuit Against Child’s Family. The Casselberry police officer who was suing the family of a young boy who nearly drowned in a backyard pool has now dropped the legal action. "It doesn't mean anything because you can't take anything more away from us than what has been taken," grandmother Maggie Cosmillo said in reference to her grandson's condition.
· 'Bullied' Home Schooler Arrested After Cops Find Weapons Cache in Pennsylvania. A home-schooled 14-year-old who amassed a cache of weapons, including a hand grenade, and tried to recruit another boy for a possible school attack in Pennsylvania was charged with solicitation to commit terror, authorities said Thursday. The weapons found included a 9 mm assault rifle that the teenager's mother had recently bought for him.
· Documents: Qwest was targeted. The National Security Agency and other government agencies retaliated against Qwest because the Denver telco refused to go along with a phone spying program, documents released Wednesday suggest.
· Six-figure bonuses retain US commandos. The Pentagon has paid more than $100 million in bonuses to veteran Green Berets and Navy SEALs, reversing the flow of top commandos to the corporate world where security companies such as Blackwater USA are offering big salaries.
· 10 dumbest job-interview moves. Don't bring mom to the job interview, warns Fortune's Anne Fisher. Here are some of the goofiest things job seekers have done when meeting hiring managers.
· Ambulance driver charged with DUI. A West Virginia ambulance driver has been charged with driving under the influence of controlled substances after he ran two red lights with a patient in the back, Ashland police said.
· Federal judge rules illegals can work using fraudulent IDs. A federal judge in San Francisco blocked the Bush administration's attempt to enlist the nation's employers to banish illegal immigrants from the workplace. Saying the administration's plan "would result in irreparable harm to innocent workers and employers," U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer barred authorities from threatening to prosecute businesses that fail to fire employees whose Social Security numbers don't match government records.
· Woman seeks rich husband, banker says "crappy" deal. An online exchange between a woman looking for a husband who earns more than $500,000 a year and a mystery Wall Street banker, who responded: "Your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity ... in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won't be getting any more beautiful!" the banker wrote. "So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset," the banker said - "I'd rather lease."
· Public censure for judge who said lawyer had 'nice butt.' When a New York judge laughingly said in open court that criminal defense lawyer Ruth Boyer had "a nice butt," she was not flattered. The sexist comment by LaGrange Town Justice Edmund Caplicki, made in July 2005, was reported to the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, which yesterday publicly scolded the jurist for his "inappropriate" remark.
· Teacher's aide accused of stapling student. A fourth-grade teacher's aide resigned after he was accused of trying to staple a piece of paper to a student's forehead. When a student failed to remove a Post-It note, the aide approached her with a stapler and pushed it against her forehead, Natalie Wilson said. There were "two holes in her head," the mother said.
· Hefty deposits by city parking meter man raise a teller's suspicions. Police are investigating a St. Paul parking meter worker who tellers say brought in huge amounts of coins for about a year, deposited several hundred dollars each time into his personal account and took the rest in bills, according to search warrant affidavits filed Tuesday.
· N.Y. Pizza Man Accused of Making Fake 'Dough.' A pizzeria owner has been accused of making his own dough, counterfeit money, in a room behind the oven. Police said Wednesday that they found $6,000 in fake bills, along with printing equipment and cutting devices, in a back office at The Brick Oven Pizza Shop, near the village Police Department.
· Ejection of a Woman From a Women’s Room Prompts Lawsuit. A 28-year-old lesbian is filing a gender-discrimination lawsuit after being booted from a New York City restaurant by a bouncer who mistook her for a man in the women's restroom.
· Smoking ban looms for California apartment dwellers. Belmont Calfornia apartment dwellers who like to light up in their homes have 14 months to kick the habit, work out a compromise with their nonsmoking neighbors or get out of town. Under the city's new smoking ban, among the toughest in the nation, apartment residents whose secondhand smoke invades their neighbors' units will be subject to fines of as much as $1,000.
· Madonna to sign $120M record deal. Madonna intends to sign a $120 million recording and touring deal with live entertainment promoter Live Nation Inc. and leave her longtime record label at Warner Music Group Corp., a person familiar with the contract negotiations said Wednesday.
· Flying tire kills cop in freak incident. A Shelbyville, Indiana police officer was killed late Wednesday night when a set of the rear dual tires and wheels from a tractor-trailer struck him as he stood alongside the State Road 44 ramp to Interstate 74 eastbound, police said.
· Steve McQueen's Stunt Double Dies. Steve McQueen's place in movie history owes much to the incredible stunts in films like The Great Escape and Bullitt. When McQueen's character in the World War Two epic jumps a barbed wire fence to try to escape pursuing German soldiers, the man on the bike is Bud Ekins.
· GE to decide on fate of NBC after Olympics. The fate of NBC Universal, General Electric’s entertainment unit, will be decided only after the Beijing Olympics, with executives at the US conglomerate ruling out a sale before August’s showcase event, according to people close to the situation.
· Police find man asleep at the wheel. Police say a 26-year-old St. Louis Park man was asleep at the wheel of his pickup as it drove down the street before dawn on Sunday. He didn't wake when the truck crossed the centerline, or when an officer ran up and jumped on the running board, reached inside and put the truck in neutral.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
· Empire State Building to go green for Muslim holiday. New York's iconic Empire State Building is to be lit up green from Friday in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid, the biggest festival in the Muslim calendar marking the end of Ramadan, officials said.
· Racist language in deeds prompts questions. Some people want answers about illegal language in deeds on thousands of Charlotte, North Carolina homes. It says black people can't live in the neighborhood. Deeds, which is common for homes in the Myers Park neighborhood, lists restrictions that include, “The lot...shall be owned and occupied by people of the Caucasian race only.”
· Cop who fell on the job sues family of drowning baby. 1-year-old Joey Cosmillo wandered into the backyard and fell into the family pool. When his mother hauled him out, he wasn't breathing. Rescuers were able to bring him back to life, but he suffered severe brain damage. Now, one of the rescuers, Casselberry police Sgt. Andrea Eichhorn, is suing, alleging the family left a puddle of water on the floor that afternoon, causing her to slip and fall. "Of course there's going to be water in the house. He was sopping wet when we brought him in," the little boy's grandfather said.
· Thousands of Chrysler Workers Walk Out. Thousands of Chrysler LLC autoworkers walked off the job Wednesday after the automaker and the United Auto Workers union failed to reach a tentative contract agreement before a union-imposed deadline.
· Obama urges California to give tuition breaks to illegal immigrants. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign a bill that would make illegal immigrant students who graduate from high school eligible for college aid.
· Joe Cool Survivors Charged With Murder. Murder charges were filed Wednesday afternoon against two men in connection with the mysterious disappearance of four crew members from a Miami Beach fishing boat.
· Anna Nicole Smith's Former Nannies Sue Rita Cosby. Two women who once worked for Anna Nicole Smith are now suing former MSNBC journalist Rita Cosby for falsely using them as a source in her scandalous new book, Blonde Ambition, in which she claimed that Anna's lawyer, Howard K. Stern had video taped a sex act with her boyfriend, Larry Birkhead.
· AG: "Deputy likely shot himself 3 times in the head." A 20-year-old sheriff's deputy who killed six young people and wounded another was shot four times, including a fatal and apparently self-inflicted shot to the head, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said.
· Thou shalt not steal - especially the Bible. A Singaporean judge sentenced a man to four months in jail for stealing a Bible, admonishing him with Scripture before hauling him off to prison, The Straits Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.
· "Passionate" kiss lands art lover in French court. A self-professed art lover stood trial accused of kissing a $2-million painting while wearing red lipstick and damaging the canvas.
· 6-Year-Old Crashes Car On Way To Get Food. A small power outage in Broomfield was blamed on a 6-year-old boy who decided he was hungry and wanted to drive his grandmother's car to a nearby restaurant while sitting in his child seat. Officers questioned the boy and the 6-year-old fessed up in a manner that was very matter-of fact and yet very adorable, said Broomfield police spokeswoman Colleen O'Connell.
· Taco Bell is making a run for the border. It sounds like a fast-food grudge match: Taco Bell is taking on the homeland of its namesake by reopening for the first time in 15 years in Mexico. Defenders of Mexican culture see the chain's re-entry as a crowning insult to a society already overrun by U.S. chains from Starbucks and Subway to KFC. "It's like bringing ice to the Arctic," complained pop culture historian Carlos Monsivais.
· David Hasselhoff Relapses, Hospitalized. David Hasselhoff's publicist confirmed that the former Baywatch star was hospitalized Tuesday after falling off the wagon. "David had a brief relapse and immediately recognized the importance of addressing it with the assistance of his doctors," his rep Judy Katz said.
· 40 Hospital Workers Suspended For Leaking Clooney's Medical Info. Just weeks after George Clooney was injured in a motorcycle accident and taken to Palisades Medical Center, CBS 2 HD has exclusively learned that dozens of employees, including doctors and nurses, have been suspended for accessing Clooney's confidential information.
· Pets in America have $40 billion spent on them by doting owners. The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association recently released its 2007-08 National Pet Owners Survey, finding that expenditures on pets in this country will top an estimated $40 billion in 2007. This is almost double the $23 billion spent a decade ago. 63 percent of American homes include a pet, the highest level since the association began tracking statistics in 1988. Not surprisingly, cats and dogs are the most popular pet choices.
· Fiorina joins new Fox business channel. Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard Co., has signed on as a contributor with Fox News' soon-to-launch business news channel, the media company announced Tuesday.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
· Sutherland to do jail time on DUI charge. Kiefer Sutherland pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit and will serve 30 days in county jail under terms of a plea agreement.
· Politician busted for cheating in marathon. After a humiliating defeat in Mexico's presidential election last year, Roberto Madrazo appeared to be back on top: He'd won the men's age-55 category in the Sept. 30 Berlin marathon. But Madrazo couldn't leave his reputation for shady dealings in the dust. Race officials said Monday they disqualified him for taking a short cut. The world record for running 9 miles - the distance Madrazo covered in 21 minutes - is 41 minutes 29 seconds, by Felix Limo of Kenya.
· Lindsay Lohan: 'I hit rock bottom.' Lindsay Lohan admitted in an interview with a celebrity weekly that she had reached the lowest point in her career, after her July arrest for drunk driving and cocaine possession.
· Nixon tape: Fred Thompson is 'dumb as hell.' Thirty-year-old Oval Office recordings made of President Richard Nixon paint an unflattering portrait of GOP presidential hopeful Fred Thompson, then an upstart Watergate counsel the former president dismissed as "dumb as hell."
· Wisconsin cop snapped after being called a 'worthless pig.' A young sheriff's deputy who opened fire on a pizza party and killed six people flew into a rage when he was rebuffed by his old girlfriend - and others called him a "worthless pig." A longtime friend said that 20-year-old Tyler Peterson came to his door in the hours after the rampage and calmly explained what he had done. "He wasn't running around crazy or anything. He was very, very sorry for what he did," Mike Kegley said.
· Missing skydiver plane found, no apparent survivors. Wreckage of a plane carrying a skydiving team was found in dense forest in the center of the northwest US state of Washington with no sign of survivors, emergency officials said late Monday.
· Man Jailed For Trying To Pass Off $1 Million Bill. Change for a million? That's what a man was seeking Saturday when he handed a $1 million bill to a cashier at a Pittsburgh supermarket. But when the Giant Eagle employee refused and a manager confiscated the bogus bill, the man flew into a rage, police said. Since 1969, the $100 bill is the largest note in circulation.
· Armed Homeowner To Burglar: You're A Dead Man. After three break-ins in the three months, a Sacramento man had had enough. When a burglar showed up at his Sacramento home last night he pulled out a gun and started firing shots. “So I step out from behind the wall and say ‘you're a dead man.’ He screams as loud as he can, drives through the window and takes off running,” said Rob. He ran so fast he left his car in the driveway, with the engine still running.
· Utah Deputies Told to Watch Mileage. High gas prices are forcing deputies in Utah's third-largest county to watch the odometer. Officers in Davis County have been told to limit their driving to 75 to 100 miles during a 12-hour shift, through the end of the year, sheriff's Lt. Brad Wilcox said Monday.
· Hope fades that Fossett cheated death. With winter closing in, efforts to find aviator Steve Fossett have dwindled - along with hopes that his proven ability to cheat death enabled him to survive a plane crash in the rugged desert of northern Nevada.
Monday, October 8, 2007
· Marion Jones returns Olympic medals. Marion Jones has given up the five medals she won at the Sydney Olympics, days after admitting she used performance-enhancing drugs.
· Study: As many as 38 million illegal immigrants in the US. Californians for Population Stabilization released a study claiming there are 20 million to 38 million illegal immigrants in America, not the 12 million the federal government says. "Immigration is in a state of anarchy," organization member James Walsh, a former Immigration and Naturalization Service lawyer, fervently told the room.
· Sandy Berger now advising Hillary Clinton. Sandy Berger, who stole highly classified terrorism documents from the National Archives, destroyed them and lied to investigators, is now an adviser to presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Berger, who was fired from John Kerry’s presidential campaign when the scandal broke in 2004, has assumed a similar role in Clinton’s campaign.
· Houston Middle School Students Caught In Sex Act In Class. Some parents are outraged after their children said they witnessed a pair of eighth-graders engaged in a sex act, right in the middle of class. The principal reported that the students, a boy and a girl, made inappropriate sexual contact with each other while other students watched.
· Missing Atlantic City Mayor to Resign. Speculation is rampant that Atlantic City Mayor Robert Levy will resign this week. A city official said that Levy's departure could come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
· Scientologists have stronghold over Clearwater. Downtown Clearwater, Florida is an international Scientology stronghold and a destination for elite members — including celebrity devotees like Tom Cruise and John Travolta — who come from all over the world for the highest levels of the church's spiritual training.
· Interpol in rare global appeal for Web pedophile. Interpol on Monday launched an unprecedented worldwide public appeal to track down a man shown sexually abusing children in images posted on the Internet.
· 1,000-plus war protesters in Berkeley spell out opposition to Bush. Sarah Newsham, 9, asked her dad if he knew about Google Earth. Taking one look at the satellite images, Brad Newsham had an epiphany: The anti-war movement needed visuals. On Sunday, nearly one year later, Newsham directed more than 1,000 people to lie on the grass at the Berkeley Marina to spell out "IMPEACH!" while photos were taken from helicopters whirring above.
· Intruders punch hole in Monet work. Intruders, apparently drunk, broke into the Orsay Museum through a back door early Sunday and punched a hole in a renowned work by Impressionist painter Claude Monet, the French culture minister said.
· The Science of Knots Unraveled. Tangled telephone cords and electronic cables that come to resemble bird nests can frazzle even the most stoic person. Now researchers have unraveled the mystery behind how such knots form.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
· Off-duty deputy goes on shooting rampage. An off-duty sheriff's deputy shot and killed six people in Crandon, Wisconsin, early Sunday before dying himself under circumstances that remain under wraps, the town's police chief said.
· Man may get 30 years for stealing doughnut. Scott A. Masters, 41, is accused of shoplifting the pastry and pushing a store worker who tried to stop him. The worker was unhurt. But with that shove, his shoplifting turned into a strong-arm robbery. Masters, who appeared in court Friday, is stunned. The prosecutor shows no signs of backing down. In fact, because Masters has a prior record, he could get a sentence of 30 years to life.
· Atlantic City Mayor Drops Out of Sight. Under federal investigation for embellishing his Army service in Vietnam, a groggy-sounding Mayor Robert Levy called in sick at City Hall, climbed into his city-issued Dodge Durango and seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. A spokesman issued a 36-word statement saying the mayor was going on indefinite medical leave. That was a week and a half ago. Aides say he is in a hospital, but they won't say where, why or for how long.
· Embattled Idaho senator honored in state. Sen. Larry Craig has been chosen for induction into the Idaho Hall of Fame, despite his well-publicized arrest and guilty plea in an airport sex sting, officials said. The nonprofit Idaho Hall of Fame Association picked Craig in March, months before he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a Minneapolis airport police officer accused him of soliciting sex in the men's restroom, the organization's board chairman said.
· Pamela Anderson gets married. Television actress and pinup star Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon, best known as Paris Hilton's co-star in a widely distributed sex video, were married on Saturday in Las Vegas, according to media reports.
· Man Gets 5 Months for Killing Ostrich. A man has been sentenced to five months in jail and three years probation for killing an ostrich in San Mateo County. Timothy McKevitt will also have to pay $5,000 in restitution for killing Gaylord the ostrich.
· Charges dropped in sherry enema death case. Charges have been dropped against a Texas woman who was accused of giving her husband a sherry enema that killed him. The woman had given her husband two large bottles of sherry, which raised his blood alcohol level to 0.47 percent.
· Report: Lindsay Lohan Leaves Rehab. Lindsay Lohan has checked out of a drug and alcohol t