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Thursday, May 8, 2008
· 10-year-old gives birth in Idaho; Suspected illegal immigrant charged with rape. A 37-year-old man is charged with raping a 10-year-old girl who gave birth last month in Idaho. KIDK-TV says Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez, a suspected illegal immigrant, is being held at the Fremont County Jail. 
· Cindy McCain says she'll never release her tax returns. Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady. "You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue," Cindy McCain said.
· New York Congressman admits he has love child. Rep. Vito Fossella today admitted he fathered a love child in a longtime secret affair with the woman who rescued him from the drunk tank. Fossella, who is married and has three children in New York, did not say if he would step down or seek re-election.
· Topless Protester Awarded $15K. A 45-year-old woman who has shown her breasts publicly many times in recent years in protest of Daytona's public nudity ordinance was awarded $15,000 for claims of damage due to her arrests.
· Conservatives are happier than liberals. Individuals with conservative ideologies are happier than liberal-leaners, and a new study funded by the National Science Foundation pinpoints the reason: Conservatives rationalize social and economic inequalities. Regardless of marital status, income or church attendance, right-wing individuals reported greater life satisfaction and well-being than left-wingers, the new study found. Conservatives also scored highest on measures of rationalization.
· Star Jones blasts Walters for contents of memoir. Nearly two years after Star Jones left "The View" on rocky terms, the 46-year-old TV personality has criticized former boss Barbara Walters for writing about her. In Walters' new memoir, "Audition," she discusses how Jones wouldn't acknowledge her gastric bypass surgery on the air. She also writes about Jones' lavish wedding, which wound up alienating viewers as Jones accepted gifts in return for promotion. "It is a sad day when an icon like Barbara Walters, in the sunset of her life, is reduced to publicly branding herself as an adulterer, humiliating an innocent family with accounts of her illicit affair.
· Dan Rather resubmits lawsuit against CBS. Dan Rather fired off a new lawsuit against his former network Tuesday, charging that CBS News labeled the anchor "too hot to handle" and prevented him from being hired by other networks after his acrimonious departure. Rather was rebuffed in an earlier lawsuit, when many of his claims were knocked down by a New York state judge.
· Idaho student says teacher tossed his Mexican flag in trash. A high school student says he may file a lawsuit against a physical education teacher who took a Mexican flag he had brought for Cinco de Mayo and put it in the garbage. "I said, 'What's the problem?'" Froylan Camelo, speaking in Spanish, told The Times-News of Twin Falls. "He said, 'The problem is that we are in the United States and not in Mexico.' He grabbed it from me. He threw the flag in the garbage can."
· Country music legend Eddy Arnold dies. Country music star Eddy Arnold has died at the age of 89. Arnold, the Tennessee Plowboy, sold more than 85 million records, with 37 singles charting on the pop charts and many more impacting the country charts.
· Hillary, Barack, want my vote? Just $20 million, please. What will it take for a Democratic presidential candidate to win the support of California superdelegate Steven Ybarra? Say, $20 million. The Democratic National Committee member doesn't parse his words when it comes to what he wants from Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton - an ironclad promise to spend that heady amount to register Mexican-American voters and get them to the polls in November.
· Illegal-immigrant crackdowns have Arizona churches on edge. A camper recently complained that a spiritual retreat group was making too much noise. Yavapai County sheriff's deputies arrived, questioned the church members about their citizenship and called federal immigration officials. Nine church members, including the pastor, Maldonado, were detained; seven were later deported to Mexico. The deportations have sent a shock wave through the large and fast-growing network of Latino evangelical churches in Arizona and across the nation, many of which are filled with undocumented immigrants.
· Papa John's raking in the dough online. In the past seven years, Louisville-based Papa John's International Inc. has made a lot of dough from online ordering - over $1 billion to be exact.
· R. Kelly child sex tape trial looms. Six years after R. Kelly was slapped with child pornography charges over a homemade sex tape, the rhythm and blues superstar's long-delayed trial is set to begin Friday. The scandal over accusations that Kelly filmed himself having sex with a girl as young as 13 seems to have little impact on the Grammy-award winning artist's popularity.
· Sharpton Arrested In Citywide 'Slowdown' Protests. The Rev. Al Sharpton and more than 200 others were arrested Wednesday amid a series of protests throughout the city, part of a response to the acquittals of three New York City undercover detectives in the 50-shot killing of Sean Bell.
· DMX arrested for speeding, reckless driving. DMX was arrested after speed-enforcement cameras captured him in his bright yellow 1966 Chevrolet going 114 mph on a suburban Phoenix freeway. The rapper/actor was taken into custody Tuesday at his north Phoenix home without incident.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
· D.C. sniper: 'Murder this innocent Black man.' John Allen Muhammad, who is on Virginia's death row in connection with the 2002 Washington-area sniper spree, has written to Virginia prosecutors saying he wants to waive all rights to appeal. In the letter dated April 23, Muhammad professes his innocence, but says he wants to waive appeals so the state "can murder this innocent Black man."
· 100,000 may have died in cyclone. The death toll from the cyclone that ravaged the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar may exceed 100,000, the senior U.S. diplomat in the military-ruled country said Wednesday.
· Feds arrest illegal immigrants who are trying to leave USA. The government has a new approach to border enforcement. Instead of just focusing on people who are entering the country illegally, the Los Angeles Times says federal agents are also arresting undocumented foreigners who are trying to leave the U.S.
· Incest dad upset at media 'monster' image. The man accused of imprisoning his daughter for 24 years, fathering her children and keeping them locked in a cellar agreed Wednesday to further questioning, prosecutors said. His lawyer said Josef Fritzl was bothered by the fact that he was being made out to be a monster. He said Fritzl told him: "I'm only being portrayed as a monster and not as someone who committed monstrous acts."
· Teen With Blood-Alcohol Content of 0.578 Survives After Weekend Party. Rohnert Park, California police say the 15-year-old girl's blood-alcohol content was 0.578 — seven times the level for drunken driving — when she was hospitalized last weekend.
· Philly officers taken off street after videotaped beating. More than a dozen police officers will be taken off the street as authorities investigate a video showing three suspects being kicked, punched and beaten after they were pulled out of a car during a traffic stop, the mayor's office said.
· Police chief shoots self during firearms safety meeting. It's unclear exactly how Riverdale Police Chief Dave Hansen handled a loaded gun while teaching a firearms safety course - accidentally shooting himself in the ankle.
· Weather Channel In Sex Storm. As The Weather Channel's owner negotiates a multibillion-dollar sale of the cable outlet, the network's lawyers are angling to keep secret the details of a blistering arbitration ruling in favor of a former anchorwoman who charges that she was subjected to unrelenting sexual harassment by her male co-anchor, who was "romantically obsessed" with her and frequently made crude remarks like, "Will you lick my swizzle stick?"
· More Parents Arrested For School Absences. Parents of more than a dozen Florida children authorities describe as habitually truant were arrested Tuesday by deputies in Duval, Clay and Nassau counties. Every child whose parent was arrested in this sweep had at least 20 unexcused absences from school this school year.
· Feds raid gun store tied to Mexican drug cartels. Federal agents swooped down on a north Phoenix gun store Tuesday in the biggest weapons bust in years, highlighting Arizona's major role as an arms conduit to violent drug cartels in Mexico. Authorities said the store was a source for at least 650 high-powered weapons, including 250 AK-47 automatic weapons, smuggled to drug cartels for use in the escalating Mexican drug war. That war left 2,500 dead last year, and Arizona weapons were used to assassinate police and battle army squads near the border, authorities said.
· Britney all smiles after custody hearing. Britney Spears has won the right to spend more time with her two children, according to her ex-husband's lawyer. The singer, 26, left Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday without commenting following a closed hearing where her lawyers were believed to have asked for increased visitation with her sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.
· Federal Agents Raid Office of Special Counsel. Nearly two dozen federal agents yesterday raided the Washington headquarters of the agency that protects government whistle-blowers, as part of an intensifying criminal investigation of its leader, who is fighting allegations of improper political bias and obstruction of justice.
· Business-Suit Wearing Women Stealing Gas In Central Florida. Women dressed in suits are stealing gas in Central Florida in the latest example of criminals finding creative ways to target gas stations. Citgo owner Maurice Noujaum said thieves who have hit his gas station in Orange County are not stereotypical criminals.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
· 12-Year-Old, Man Found Naked In Tent. A 21-year-old man was arrested after he was found sharing a tent in some Florida woods with a 12-year-old girl reported missing more than a week ago, police said. According to police, Daniel Rollins admitted to having sex with the girl at least three times and knowing that she was 12.
· Girl, 15, In Amber Alert, Boyfriend Charged With First-Degree Murder. North Florida authorities charged a 15-year-old girl, who was the subject of an Amber Alert, and her boyfriend with fatally beating, stabbing and suffocating an older man.
· Drug bust nets 96 at San Diego State University. Authorities have arrested nearly 100 people and seized guns and drugs in a sting operation at San Diego State University in California, the Drug Enforcement Administration said Tuesday. Among those arrested were 75 students, some of them working toward criminal justice or homeland security degrees. One criminal justice major was charged with possession of guns and cocaine, authorities said. One student sent a mass text message offering a "sale" on cocaine, the DEA said in a news release.
· Judge Closes Doors Of McGreevey Divorce Trial. After a separation lasting more than three years now sparked by former Gov. James McGreevey's admission on national television that he was a gay American, he and his estranged wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, arrived for divorce proceedings Tuesday. The former governor claims she knew of his sexual orientation during their marriage, and even participated in three-way sexual encounters with his former driver, Teddy Pederson.
· Burglary Suspect Trapped Over Restaurant Grill Nearly Cooks Self. A human leg spotted dangling over a Florida restaurant's grill led to a burglary suspect trapped in an air vent and about to fall into hot oil.
· Priest gets 4 years for sex with inmates. A Roman Catholic priest was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for having sex with two inmates while a chaplain at a women's prison. Vincent Inametti, 48, worked at Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth for seven years until last fall. He pleaded guilty in November to two counts of sexual abuse.
· Judge Who Filed $54 Million Lawsuit Over Pants Now Suing for Job. A former judge who lost a $54 million law suit against a dry cleaners over a missing pair of pants is suing to get his job back and at least $1 million in damages.
· Lindsay Lohan's mother, Dina, named a "Top Mom." Let's face it - if a group can score Dina Lohan at an event, chances are celebrity-crazed Long Islanders will attend just for the chance to see her. Such is the case with Mingling Moms, an organization that has named the 45-year-old Merrick resident and mother of actress Lindsay Lohan a "Top Mom."
· Fla. Teacher Accused Of Wizardry. A substitute teacher in Pasco County has lost his job after being accused of wizardry. Teacher Jim Piculas does a magic trick where a toothpick disappears and then reappears. Piculas recently did the 30-second trick in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes. Piculas said he then got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he'd been accused of wizardry.
· Chrysler has a deal for buyers: $2.99-a-gallon gas cards. As presidential candidates spar over how to roll back gasoline prices, Chrysler on Monday said that it has come up with its own plan to bring back $2.99 gas, which it hopes will spur lagging sales. Chrysler announced a month-long "Let's Refuel America" program that will give buyers of most of its vehicles a card good for purchases of gasoline or diesel fuel that locks in the price at $2.99 a gallon for three years.
Monday, May 5, 2008
· Medical pot user dies after transplant denied. A man who was denied a liver transplant largely because he used marijuana with medical approval to ease the symptoms of hepatitis C has died.
· D.C. Madam: 'There was no way out.' Convicted "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey railed against what she called a "modern-day lynching" in notes to her mother and sister before hanging herself at her mother's Florida home, police disclosed Monday. "I cannot live the next 6 to 8 years behind bars for what you and I have both come to regard as this 'modern-day lynching' only to come out of prison in my late 50s a broken, penniless and very much alone woman," she wrote.
· Injured EMT Sues 84-Year-Old Woman After Emergency Call. A Lake County emergency medical technician-firefighter has sued an 84-year-old woman for getting injured while responding to her call for help. Jennifer Roland seeks unspecified damages of more than $15,000 in her lawsuit. Roland claims she hurt her back and neck at Elizabeth Baker's home.
· Barbara Walters puts life on display with book `Audition.' No one doubts she's hard-driving. But she has never learned to drive, Barbara Walters reveals in her new memoir, "Audition."
· PETA requests that Eight Belles jockey Gabriel Saez be suspended. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is seeking the suspension of Eight Belles' jockey after the filly had to be euthanized following her second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Gabriel Saez was riding Eight Belles when she broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track. PETA faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish" and asked that Saez be suspended while Eight Belles' death is investigated.
· Analysts say BofA may lower Countrywide deal price. At least two analysts said Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) will likely lower its purchase price for Countrywide Financial Corp (CFC.N), with Friedman, Billings Ramsey analyst saying the bank may bring down its deal price to the $0 to $2 level or completely walk away from the deal.
· At 107, Livermore lightbulb is still a real live wire. At 107 years and counting, the low-watt wonder with the curlicue carbon filament has been named the planet's longest continuously burning bulb by both Guinness World Records and Ripley's.
· Boca police officer under investigation found dead. A Boca Raton police officer who was being investigated in an alleged sexual battery case has been found dead in his home, authorities said.
· 'Iron Man' makes $100 million debut. "Iron Man" was pure gold at the box office. The Marvel Comics adaptation, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the guy in the metal suit, hauled in $100.7 million over opening weekend.
· Husband 'murdered wife before killing himself' after she confessed on Facebook she was leaving him. A husband is believed to have murdered his wife before killing himself after she told friends on Facebook they were splitting up, it emerged yesterday. Tracey Grinhaff's body was found in a shed in the back garden of the family home she shared with her husband, Gary, and their two young daughters, aged 14 and four.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
· Girl carries baby to hospital - still attached. A 17-year-old girl gave birth secretly at home, then walked four blocks to a hospital with the baby still attached by its umbilical cord.
· Opponents Criticize Flight 93 Memorial for Using Islamic Symbols. Opponents of the proposed United Airlines Flight 93 memorial say they're outraged by a proposed design they say looks like Islamic symbols to commemorate victims in Shanksville, Pa. on September 11th.
· Man accused of trying to cash check for $360 billion. A man has been accused of attempting to pass a $360 billion check, which he claims was given to him by his girlfriend’s mother to start a record business, Fort Worth police said.
· Student Accused Of High-Fiving Teachers With Tacks. A 15-year-old Central Florida middle school student was arrested on charges of high-fiving two teachers and six students with tacks hidden between his fingers. The student is now facing felony charges over the incidents.
· Read all about it… before it disappears. A team of experts from the same company that gave us the laser printer and the computer mouse is making another major change to the workplace with reusable paper which erases itself after 24 hours so it can be used again. The sheets are coated with special chemicals which turn white on their own or by being run through a special printer, meaning text will disappear and allow the paper to be used again. Designers at Xerox believe that their reusable paper could save the world's offices at least seven trillion pages a year which would otherwise be printed once and then thrown away.
· Kentucky Derby: Victory, Death Mark Race. Big Brown galloped across the finish-line to a decisive victory Saturday as his nearest competitor, Eight Belles, was struck by injury. Denis of Cork was third. The lone filly in the field, Eight Belles broke both of her front ankles in the race. She collapsed on the track and was euthanized.
· Hillary's Horse. Tragedy struck the first filly in the Kentucky Derby since 1999, as Eight Belles went down on the track after her second-place finish today, broke two ankles, and was euthanized. Showing a sisterhood with the female horse, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., during a trip to Louisville this week had said she was going to bet on Eight Belles to win, place, and show.
· 20 ways to live to be 100. An estimated 73,674 Americans were 100 or older in 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read on for tips on how to live to 100.
· Warren Buffett embraces Erica of "All My Children." It's part of Warren Buffett's job not just to answer questions from many of the 31,000 people at the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. He also has to entertain. Especially if the entertainment involves Susan Lucci, one of America's best-known soap opera stars.
· Warrant dropped against man named in polygamist retreat raid. An arrest warrant has been dropped for a man thought to be the husband of a teenage girl whose report of abuse triggered a raid on a polygamous sect's Texas compound, authorities said Friday. A Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman would not say why the warrant was dropped for Dale E. Barlow, 50, who lives in Colorado City, Ariz. Barlow has denied knowing the 16-year-old girl who allegedly called a crisis center.
· Microsoft withdraws offer for Yahoo. Microsoft Corp withdrew its offer for Yahoo Inc on Saturday as negotiations fell through on price, even after the software giant raised its bid by about $5 billion to $47.5 billion.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
· Wife convicted after husband fatally shoots lover. A Texas woman who caused her lover's shooting death by falsely crying rape was convicted Friday of involuntary manslaughter. Tracy Denise Roberson, 37, cried a bit when the verdict was announced. The punishment phase was set for Monday, and she faces two to 20 years in prison. Tracy Roberson was with her lover but cried rape, and her husband fired four shots into the truck as Devin LaSalle drove off, killing him.
· Deputy Accused Of Having Sex With Inmate. A Central Florida deputy accused of having sex with a female inmate has resigned. Investigators said detention Deputy Donald Kurns admitted to having sex with an inmate in a bathroom at the Polk County Jail.
· Update: Scout who returned wallet with $800 gets own wallet returned. An 11-year-old Boy Scout who found and returned a wallet containing more than $800 has received some good karma for his good deed. Thanks to publicity about his action, J.R. Bouterse (rhymes with "doubters") has gotten his own lost wallet back.
· Man Stuck In Machine Dials 911 With Toe. Even with his arms stuck in a piece of machinery, one northwest Florida man was able to call 911 using his big toe. Police said the unidentified man was at the DRS Technologies building early Thursday morning when he became trapped in a press-like machine that resembles an elevator. The employee was alone.
· Lindsay Lohan's mugshot used in liquor industry ad. Lindsay Lohan is not exactly toasting her latest public appearance. A mugshot of the 21-year-old actress, who has been in and out of rehab after two arrests last year on drunken driving and cocaine charges, was prominently featured Friday in an advertisement attacking legislation for devices that measure a driver's blood alcohol level before their vehicle can start.
Friday, May 2, 2008
· Border Patrol lets some illegals go — over and over again. Josefa Gonzalez Loya has sneaked across the Mexican border at least 128 times in the past eight years. And each time, the Border Patrol has been nice enough to give her a lift home. Gonzalez and a group of other women and children panhandle outside El Paso, Texas businesses, using the children as lures. At the end of a productive day, they wait for the Border Patrol to come pick them up and drive them back to the border. Gonzalez has never been jailed.
· Man suspected impregnating 11-year-old. An 18-year-old man has been accused of having sex with a 11-year-old girl and getting her pregnant, authorities said Friday. The suspect, Enrique Jacobo-Valdez, has been booked in a Phoenix jail on two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, said Capt. Paul Chagolla, a sheriff's spokesman. He is an apparent acquintance of the girl's family.
Miley Cyrus makes Time Magazine's Most Influential List. Tween idol 15-year-old Miley Cyrus and former Prime Minister Tony Blair have joined Time magazine's "100 most influential people" list alongside other world leaders, celebrities and sports stars.
· U.N.'s World Food Program Cried Poverty While Sitting on Cash Stockpile of More Than $1.22 Billion. Just weeks before it announced the onset of a global food crisis and the urgent need for donors to provide at least $775 million in additional funding, the World Food Program was sitting on a cash and near-cash stockpile of more than $1.22 billion.
· Man Wrongly Jailed For Carrying Aleve. A Florida man was arrested and jailed 22 hours after his over-the-counter Aleve painkiller pills wrongly tested as amphetamines during a traffic stop. Villis Sanders was stopped in late March for a broken taillight.
· Arizona State University Cuts Cheerleading Squad After Racy Photos Surface. After racy photos of members of the university’s cheerleading squad were spotted on a campus blog called “The Dirty,” the school cut the squad completely.
· Air marshals grounded in list mix-ups. False identifications based on a terrorist no-fly list have for years prevented some federal air marshals from boarding flights they are assigned to protect, according to officials with the agency, which is finally taking steps to address the problem. Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) familiar with the situation say the mix-ups, in which marshals are mistaken for terrorism suspects who share the same names, have gone on for years — just as they have for thousands of members of the traveling public.
· Slain Wisconsin Student Apparently Dialed 911; Help Not Sent. A college student apparently called 911 from her cell phone shortly before she was killed but a dispatcher hung up, failed to call back and never sent police to investigate, authorities said.
· New York congressman arrested for DUI during "Alcohol Awareness Month." Rep. Vito Fossella, facing a tough re-election bid this fall in his Staten Island district, was arrested for drunken driving early yesterday in a Washington suburb and briefly jailed. Fossella was arrested on the final day of Virginia's "Alcohol Awareness Month."
· Baseball star Canseco loses home to foreclosure. Former U.S. baseball star Jose Canseco said on Thursday he had lost his California mansion to foreclosure - one of the first celebrities to publicly admit being a statistic in the U.S. housing crisis.
· Track star reportedly indicted on heroin distribution charges. Former track star Tim Montgomery has been indicted on heroin distribution charges, the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported Thursday. The 33-year-old sprinter was arrested Wednesday on a sealed indictment, accused of dealing more than 100 grams of heroin in Virginia over the past year, according to the newspaper.
· Judge Holds Court In Parking Lot For 500-Lb. Man. A Long Island music shop owner accused of selling knockoff Gibson Les Paul guitars has been arraigned in a pickup truck in a courthouse parking lot after his lawyer said the 500-pound defendant couldn't walk into the courthouse.
· Police Chief 'SCUMBAG' T-Shirts In High Demand. T-shirts featuring a caricature of the Daytona Beach police chief dunking criminals in a toilet under the words "SCUMBAG ERADICATION TEAM" were so popular they sold out immediately after they were made available to the public.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
· Barbara Walters reveals affair with married black senator. After three decades of keeping mum, Barbara Walters is disclosing a past affair with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as “exciting” and “brilliant.” A moderate Republican from Massachusetts who took office in 1967, Brooke was the first African-American to be popularly elected to the Senate.
· Immigration-reform marchers gather in Los Angeles. Police officials, who admitted significant command failures last year and retrained officers in crowd control, promised things would be different for this May Day's marches by as many as 100,000 people in Los Angeles.
· Mom found 'D.C. Madam' hanged herself. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, known as the "D.C. Madam," was found dead in Florida today, according to police. Palfrey hanged herself in a storage shed and was found by her mother, police said. Palfrey was convicted last month on charges related to a high-end prostitution ring catering to Washington's elite. Prosecutors estimated she would have received a sentence of about six years.
· Schwarzenegger's Jet Commute May End as Santa Monica Seeks Ban. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's regular commute by private jet from the state capitol to his mansion in Los Angeles has hit turbulence. A federal judge will decide on May 15 whether the governor can land aboard a Gulfstream IV in Santa Monica, a 15-minute drive to his home in Los Angeles' wealthy Brentwood enclave. The governor's brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver, is among the Santa Monica city council members who voted unanimously to ban large jets at the municipal airport.
· Dennis Rodman arrested... again. Former professional basketball player Dennis Rodman has been arrested for hitting a woman at a Los Angeles hotel, police said on Thursday. Rodman, 46, a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was booked on suspicion of domestic violence.
· Nevada To Bill Steve Fossett's Widow For Search. Gov. Jim Gibbons plans to bill the widow of adventurer Steve Fossett for the unsuccessful recovery search. Last year, the state spent $687,000 over a month looking for the multimillionaire adventurer after his plane disappeared in northern Nevada. During a month-long search, ground crews, the Nevada National Guard and the Civil Air Patrol scoured a 20,000 square-mile area, but turned up no sign of Fossett or his plane. Fossett was declared legally dead Feb. 15 by an Illinois judge.
· Memphis Principal Accused of Outing Gay Students. Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union say Daphne Beasley, the principal of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis, went way beyond her role as educator. The ACLU says Beasley asked her staff to give her the names of students who were couples, heterosexual and homosexual, because she wanted to keep an eye on them to cut down on public displays of affection.
· Italy posts income details on web. There has been outrage in Italy after the outgoing government published every Italian's declared earnings and tax contributions on the internet. The tax authority's website was inundated by people curious to know how much their neighbours, celebrities or sports stars were making.
· Chris Benoit Phone Calls Released. An Atlanta television station has obtained phone messages from pro wrestler Chris Benoit to his wife and son in the days leading up to their murder-suicide. The phone messages from Benoit, relatives and friends give new insight into what happened before and after the wrestling star killed his wife and young son before killing himself in their home.
· Pregnant Florida Woman Charged with DUI. In addition to the midnight cravings, morning sickness, and daily mood swings, a pregnant Lutz woman must also deal with criminal charges. Nicole Van Neil, 22, is accused of driving under the influence. Van Neil told deputies she is 8 months pregnant and should deliver her baby sometime in May.
· Shooter Reaches Out, Apologizes To Paralyzed Girl. Five years after a stray bullet left her paralyzed, a Boston girl received a videotaped apology from the shooter on Wednesday. Kai Leigh Harriott was just 3 when she was shot while playing outside her family's Dorchester home in 2003. The bullet severed her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
· Degree scandal costs university $2M donation of cash and art. A philanthropic group will no longer donate $2 million in cash and art to West Virginia University because of a scandal over a degree improperly awarded to Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter, an official said Wednesday.
· Inspection Cites Restaurant For Keeping Bread In Bathroom. Eyewitness News discovered a popular Sanford, Florida fast food restaurant that's accused of storing food on the floor inside the men's restroom.
· Web sites promote "hypermiling" to save on fuel. As U.S. gasoline prices hit records on almost a daily basis, an increasing number of motorists are following a radical driving technique designed to eke out every last mile from a tank of fuel. Promoted on a growing number of Web sites, hypermiling includes pumping up tires to the maximum rating on their sidewalls, which may be higher than levels recommended in car manuals; using engine oil of a low viscosity, and the controversial practice of drafting behind other vehicles on the highway to reduce aerodynamic drag - a practice begun a few years ago by truck drivers.
· 130-million-year-old poop sells for $960. A pile of dinosaur dung from the Jurassic era that is 130 million years old sold at a New York auction Wednesday for nearly $1,000.
· Families sue undertakers in body parts scandal. Families who claim the corpses of more than 1,000 relatives were dismembered and sold in an illegal body-parts scandal sued funeral directors and others on Tuesday. The class action suit represents hundreds of people who claim their relatives' body parts were harvested for medical use without their consent.
· Store Owner Accused Of Videotaping Worker. The owner of an Oviedo juice bar is accused of videotaping a female worker while she changed her clothes in a store office, police said.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
· Man Near Death After Pet Cobra Bite. A Central Florida man is in critical condition and fighting for his life after being bitten by a pet cobra at his home. Jack Eugene Hildreth, 50, was apparently feeding the cobra a mouse when he was bitten on the hand.
· Gossip site identifies celebrity's minor son as sex crime victim. The web's leading gossip outlet, TMZ.com, today published the name and photo of a 14-year-old boy whom the site reported has allegedly been the victim of a sex crime by a 22-year-old woman. The child is the son of a celebrity, which apparently makes his identification newsworthy for the site.
· Reusing Cardboard Postal Boxes Illegal. A Castle Rock man has been warned that reusing a United States Postal Service "Priority Mail" cardboard box is against federal law. Gary Adler said he was just recycling a box that was going to be thrown in the trash, but the Postal Service said that kind of repurposing is illegal.
· Dade principal's $1-a-year pay offer turned down. Miami-Dade School Board members were willing to pay Larry Feldman $120,000 a year to be principal of Devon Aire K-8 Center near Kendall. But when he offered to do the same job for $1 a year plus benefits, the district turned him down.
· 330-year payoff in scam. A 72-year-old man convicted in a multimillion-dollar high-yield investment scam was sentenced Tuesday to 330 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Blackburn also ordered Norman Schmidt to forfeit $38.4 million.
· Police: Out of beer, man stabs pal. A man is accused of stabbing his drinking buddy in the chest after becoming angry that they had run out of beer.
· Lip gloss can cause skin cancer. Some dermatologists say that slathering on shiny lip glosses can actually increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Of course, wearing any lip product without SPF doesn’t exactly shield the thin skin from sun damage. But the slick, shiny nature of the gloss could be making the sun’s UV rays hit harder, some experts say.
· Girl Pricked 35 Classmates With Needle, School Says. Nearly three dozen students and their teacher are being tested for blood-borne diseases after a classmate stuck them with the same sewing needle, school officials said. A 13-year-old girl stuck 35 classmates and her teacher April 23 "as a practical joke," officials said.
· Child Abuse Investigator Charged With Child Neglect. A Department of Children & Families child abuse investigator was fired after her arrest on suspicion of drunk driving with her 3-year-old child in the car, authorities said.
· 'Castle doctrine' likely will apply in fatal shooting. After his home was burglarized earlier this week, Thomas Thames decided to arm himself in case the intruder returned, police say. The following night, he heard another noise at his home and once again saw a young man in his kitchen. The back door was open. This time, Thames fired a gun at the man, who ran into the backyard, where Thames shot at him again, police said.
· Comedian-turned-candidate Franken to pay $70K in back taxes. Senate candidate Al Franken says he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states going back to 2003. The Minnesota Democrat has been under attack by Republicans for failing to file tax returns in California for several years when the comedian-turned-candidate earned money there.
· A Crushing Issue: How to Destroy Brand-New Cars. It all started about two years ago, when a ship carrying 4,703 shiny new Mazdas nearly sank in the Pacific. The freighter, the Cougar Ace, spent weeks bobbing on the high seas, listing at a severe 60-degree angle, before finally being righted. The mishap created a dilemma: What to do with the cars?
· Giant squid has biggest animal eyes in world. Marine scientists studying the carcass of a rare colossal squid said Wednesday they had measured its eye at about 11 inches across — bigger than a dinner plate — making it the largest animal eye on Earth.
· Obama Calls Wright's Remarks `Ridiculous,' Offensive. Obama's ``crucial goal'' is trying to connect with working- class voters and the Wright controversy is making that harder, said Glenn Totten, a Democratic political consultant who isn't affiliated with either presidential campaign. ``Every day he has to confront the issue of Wright's rhetoric, he inflames exactly that portion of the electorate he needs to draw to him,'' Totten said. ``It's a fiasco,'' said Michael A. Genovese, chairman of the Institute for Leadership Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. ``With friends like these, who needs enemies?''
· 'Father' of LSD dies at 102. Albert Hofmann, father of the mind-altering drug LSD whose medical discovery grew into a notorious "problem child," died Tuesday. Hofmann's hallucinogen inspired - and arguably corrupted - millions in the 1960's hippie generation.
· Update: New Video Shows Spitzer's Girl Agreeing to Filming. The founder of ``Girls Gone Wild'' released a video Tuesday that he said proved the call girl involved in a scandal that brought down New York's former governor agreed to be filmed in 2003. The release came one day after series founder Joe Francis and his companies were sued for $10 million in Miami federal court by Ashley Alexandra Dupre.
· Boy Scout finds $800 in wallet and promptly returns it. When an 11-year-old Boy Scout found someone’s wallet with $800 inside, he understood what the person who lost it was going through. Only a few weeks before, he had lost his own wallet and the $45 it contained.
· Newspaper carrier finds woman pinned by dead husband's body. Newspaper carrier Bruce Pitts knew the elderly couple only by the prayers the wife made for him while he was working at night and in bad weather, but he felt something was wrong when the papers piled up outside their home.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
· Raunchy Text Messages Released of Detroit Mayor. A judge on Tuesday allowed the release of raunchy text messages that a lawyer allegedly used to get Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to shell out $8 million in city money to make a police whistle-blower lawsuit go away. The messages are among the most embarrassing yet released, showing in explicit detail how the affair between Kilpatrick progressed from flirtation to raunchy descriptions of sex acts.
· Obama 'outraged' by Wright's remarks. Sen. Barack Obama said he is "outraged" by comments his former minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, made Monday at the National Press Club and "saddened by the spectacle." "I have been a member of Trinity Church since 1992. I have known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years," he said at a news conference in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "The person I saw yesterday is not the person I met 20 years ago."
· Cher tells Oprah of fling with Tom Cruise. In what has to be one of the oddest couplings in showbiz history veteran performer Cher has reportedly revealed on an upcoming Oprah Winfrey show that she had a brief fling with actor Tom Cruise. At 39, Cher was sixteen years Tom's senior when the couple met after the release of his hit film Risky Business, according to the Daily Mail.
· Man gets prison after hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails. A Colorado man accused of sending hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and falsifying e-mail headers to dupe stock investors. Authorities say Edward Davidson made at least $3.5 million sending the e-mails.
· Mindy McCready weeps as she confirms affair with Roger Clemens. Barricaded behind tightly drawn blinds at her Nashville home Monday, country singer Mindy McCready confirmed a long-term affair with embattled pitcher Roger Clemens.
· Woman Busted After Purse With Meth Found At Target. A woman was arrested after allegedly writing a bad check at Target, then leaving a purse full of meth behind. When police arrived on scene, they found Kristina Parker, who returned for her purse.
· Wright says criticism is attack on black church. In a defiant appearance before the Washington media, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright said Monday that criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church. "It is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright—it's an attack on the black church," he said to applause.
· Sect opens up to retrieve children, hasten heaven. It took an extraordinary event - the state's seizure of more than 400 children - for the polygamist Mormon sect to open its gates to outsiders after decades of seclusion. To parents, it's not a matter of mere custody, an expert explained. Their salvation is on the line. Members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have recently held news conferences, launched a Web site and allowed journalists into their formerly off-limits compound in Eldorado, Texas.
· NY cardinal criticizes Giuliani for taking Communion. Rudy Giuliani should not have received Holy Communion during the pope's visit because the former presidential candidate supports abortion rights, New York Cardinal Edward Egan said Monday.
· Vietnam to cut off U.S. adoptions. Vietnam announced Monday it would stop processing new adoption applications from U.S. citizens from July on, after allegations of baby-selling, corruption and fraud. The announcement came days after The Associated Press published details of a U.S. Embassy report that outlined rampant abuses, including hospitals selling infants whose mothers could not pay their bills.
· Disney Bomb Threat Suspect Claims To Be 'The Devil.' A 21-year-old accused of making a bomb threat at Downtown Disney that prompted the evacuation of a busy Planet Hollywood restaurant claims he is the devil. "I scared a lot of people but I think I did it for the better good," Davis said. "I think I'm the devil. I have a mindset as a devil but I mean I'm a good guy trying to make the world a better place."
Monday, April 28, 2008
· D.A.: Parents pray as girl, 11, dies of diabetes. A couple who prayed as their 11-year-old daughter died of untreated diabetes will be charged with second-degree reckless homicide, a prosecutor said Monday. "It is very surprising, shocking that she wasn't allowed medical intervention," Marathon County District Attorney Jill Falstad said.
· Spitzer call girl sues 'Girls Gone Wild.' The call girl involved in the sex scandal with former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit Monday suing the founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" video series for more than $10 million. In the complaint filed in Miami, Florida, Ashley Alexandra Dupre says she was vacationing in Miami Beach when she was approached by agents of the defendant, Joe Francis, and offered alcoholic drinks. While intoxicated, Dupre was persuaded to expose her breasts and then told to sign a release form.
· Dad's video of run-down barracks sparks military response. The U.S. military is promising action to address conditions in a barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, after a soldier's father posted images on YouTube showing a building that he said "should be condemned." "This is embarrassing. It's disgusting. It makes me mad as hell," Ed Frawley said of the building where his son, Sgt. Jeff Frawley, had to live upon his return this month from a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan.
· Husband Accused Of Shooting In-Laws. Authorities are searching for a man accused of shooting or stabbing four family members in East Tennessee. Authorities said he fired a shot, which grazed his mother-in-law Loretta Dalton in the head. He then shot his father-in-law Jeff Dalton and stabbed him.
· Sources: Roger Clemens had 10-year fling with country star Mindy McCready. Roger Clemens carried on a decade-long affair with country star Mindy McCready, a romance that began when McCready was a 15-year-old aspiring singer performing in a karaoke bar and Clemens was a 28-year-old Red Sox ace and married father of two, several sources have told the Daily News.
· Wanted: Women to eat chocolate for a year. Scientists in the UK are seeking 150 women to eat chocolate every day for a year in the cause of medical research. The trial, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, eastern England, will test whether a natural compound found in cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate, could reduce the risk of heart disease among women with diabetes.
· Feds look at Wachovia in drug money probe. Wachovia Corp. is being investigated by Federal prosecutors as part of a probe into alleged drug money laundering by Mexican and Colombian money-transfer companies, according to a Wall Street Journal report Saturday morning.
· 'Hannah Montana' embarrassed by Vanity Fair photos. Teen superstar Miley Cyrus - better known as Hannah Montana - apologized Sunday after Vanity Fair magazine published provocative photos of her. "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said in a statement her publicist released.
· Woman Shot For $1. A robber who shot a 50-year-old Jacksonville woman during a weekend home invasion made off with just $1, according to police.
· Olympic sponsors are starting to fire back at activists. After taking criticism from activist groups over the last few months, some Olympic sponsors are starting to criticize right back. On Thursday, Mia Farrow's activist group, Dream for Darfur, issued a report card that roundly criticized most of the major Olympic sponsors.
· Carnival worker falls 40 feet off ride. A carnival worker was taken to the hospital after falling more than 40 feet from a ride. Officials said the worker was trying to secure the door when the ride - a single, long, rotating arm with a passenger cabin at each end - suddenly started moving.
· Obama's ex-pastor delivers spirited speech to NAACP. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor told an audience of thousands at an NAACP dinner Sunday that he was "descriptive" but "not divisive" when he talks about race relations in America.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
· Pickup carrying up to 60 illegals crashes near Arizona City. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office says a pickup truck carrying 50 to 60 people crashed early Sunday morning near the town of Arizona City, about 60 miles south of Phoenix. Police said the dozens of people, suspected of being illegal immigtants, were crammed into an older model Ford truck.
· Pilot's Missing Laptop Causes Airport Security Scare. A pilot's laptop, filled with top secret security information was reported missing at Dulles Airport and the ripple effects were felt across the country. The Mesa Airlines employee couldn't find the personal laptop he brought with him while co-piloting a United Express flight from Birmingham, Alabama to Dulles International Airport. 17 airports were forced to make emergency changes to access codes at Dulles, Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago's O'Hare and San Antonio.
· Captive woman had 6 children by father. Police believe a 73-year-old man held his daughter captive in his cellar for the past two decades and fathered at least six children with her, according to police. The woman, identified as 42-year-old Elisabeth F., has been missing since 1984 when she was 18 years old, police said at a news conference.
· Man Who Took Lampshade 'Lie Detector' Seeks Settlement. A mentally disabled man who was given a fake lie detector test is still waiting for a settlement after six years. Pearl police admitted that officers put a lampshade on Huey Granger's head.
· Sharpton vows to 'close this city' after officer acquittals. Hundreds of angry people marched through Harlem on Saturday after the Rev. Al Sharpton promised to "close this city down" to protest the acquittals of three police detectives in the 50-shot barrage that killed a groom on his wedding day and wounded two friends.
· Pirates were paid $1.2M ransom. Somali pirates freed a Spanish fishing boat and its 26-member crew after a ransom of $1.2 million was paid, a Somali official said. Suspected pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades had seized control of the tuna-fishing boat from Spain's Basque region last Sunday about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, a region where piracy has escalated recently. The pirates released the ship Saturday, authorities said.