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Rezko Guilty on 16 Counts of Fraud, Corruption | (Jun 4, 2008 4:56 PM CDT) Chicago developer Tony Rezko was found guilty today of 16 federal counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, corrupt solicitation and money laundering, WLS-TV reports. Rezko, whose links to Barack Obama have brought the Democrat some controversy, also has fundraising ties to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich; witnesses said Blagojevich OK'd giving state contracts to key donors. |
One Cain Accuser Paid $35K | (Nov 2, 2011 4:40 AM CDT) One of two women who accused Herman Cain of sexually harassing them while he was head of the National Restaurant Association received a year's severance pay, the New York Times reports, citing sources with direct knowledge of the $35,000 payment. The woman left the lobbying group in the late '90s after an encounter with Cain left her feeling uncomfortable, according to media reports. The woman's encounter with Cain occurred during a work outing in which there had been heavy drinking, the sources say. She had already been unhappy at the organization because of other issues but the Cain problem contributed to the unusually large size of the settlement, they say. The other woman who left the organization after accusing Cain of sexual harassment is seeking release from a confidentiality agreement that was part of her settlement. |
Poll: 10% of Grads Think Judge Judy Is on SCOTUS | (Jan 20, 2016 3:19 AM) A ridiculous proportion of American college graduates believe that daytime TV's Judge Judy is actually Justice Judy of the US Supreme Court, according to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The nonprofit group, which pushes for high standards in education, says a poll of 1,000 grads found that 10% identified Judith Sheindlin as a Supreme Court justice, only 28.4% could identify James Madison as the father of the Constitution, 40% didn't know Congress could declare war, and 60% were clueless about how a constitutional amendment is ratified, CNN reports. ACTA says the problem is that colleges and universities are doing almost nothing to ensure that graduates leave knowing anything about civics. The group says it surveyed 1,100 liberal arts colleges and universities and found that just 18% required even a single course in American history or government, and too many institutions confuse community service and student activism with civic education. According to ACTA, the problem has been getting worse over the years, CBS New York reports. The group says its survey found that almost all grads over 65 know that the president can't establish taxes, but only 73.8% of graduates ages 25 to 34 got that question right. (Earlier research found that a third of US citizens would flunk the civics section of the naturalization test.) |
Exotic Dancers Fight Over $1 Bill | (Jan 22, 2013 5:15 PM) The weird crime-blotter item of the day comes from Wisconsin's Appleton Post-Crescent, which reports that police had to break up a nasty, hair-pulling fight between two dancers at an exotic dance club over who should get a customer's tip. Bad: The tip was all of $1. Worse: One of the exotic dancers is pregnant. |
2M Vehicles Recalled Over Air Bags | (Jan 31, 2015 12:01 PM) More than 2 million Toyota, Chrysler, and Honda vehicles are being recalled for a second fix for faulty air bags that may inadvertently inflate while the car is running. The recall includes some Acura MDX, Dodge Viper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Honda Odyssey, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Avalon models made from 2002 to 2004. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says all of the vehicles covered in today's announcement had already been under a recall for the faulty air bags, but the carmakers' original attempts to fix the defects worked only about 85% of the time. The new recall will fully replace the faulty electronic control unit, which is made by TRW Automotive Holdings Corp of Livonia, Mich. In the previous recall, the unit was only partially replaced. The new remedy will be available to all affected vehicles by the end of the year. However, the NHTSA is urging consumers with cars under the first recall to have the partial unit installed, even if they have to return to the dealer under the second recall. About 39 air bags have inadvertently deployed that had been remedied under the previous recall. The agency says about 1 million Toyota and Honda vehicles involved in the new recalls are also subject to a separate recall related to defective air bags made by Takata Corp. of Japan. Those air bags can deploy and rupture with enough force to cause injury or death. |
Rangers Rein In Giants, 4-2 | (Oct 31, 2010 7:24 AM CDT) The Rangers last night showed San Francisco that even their scores are bigger in Texas, notching their first victory in the World Series 4-2, after taking two beatings in California. Egged on by Rangers' royalty George W Bush and Nolan Ryan, the AP reports, Texas quickly slid into its comfort zone. We wanted to get back home, Texas manager Ron Washington said. We knew we could finally put a good game together, and we did. The game was the franchise's first Series win, and launched on a three-run homer in the second by rookie Mitch Moreland, batting ninth. Josh Hamilton later sealed the deal with his own homer, and closer Neftali Feliz—who never took the field in San Francisco—ended it with a perfect ninth. |
Hayward to Get $18M Golden Parachute | (Jul 27, 2010 4:51 AM CDT) Booted BP boss Tony Hayward will be getting a compensation package worth more than $18 million to soften the blow of having to step down amid heavy criticism. Hayward, who is leaving by mutual consent in October after 28 years with the firm, has a contract which includes a $930,000 annual pension the 53-year-old will be able to receive immediately, sources tell the BBC. That pension pot is worth around $16.5 million. He'll also receive a year's salary upon leaving, and retain share options potentially worth millions more—if the company recovers. And that's not all he's getting, reports the New York Post: Seems Hayward does get to keep some sort of job with BP...in Siberia. He'll be paid $55,000 a year for the part-time gig, which has him overseeing the development of oil fields as part of BP's joint British-Russian venture there. |
East Coast Sea Levels Rising 4 Times Global Rate | (Jun 26, 2012 1:00 AM CDT) It might be time to escape from New York. Scientists have discovered that the sea level along America's East Coast is rising as much as four times faster than the global average, reports the National Geographic. The findings mean places like Manhattan, Boston, Philly, and Baltimore could be in for a very wet future. A hike in sea level is expected as global warming continues and ice melts, but various coasts will be affected differently, depending on things such as ocean currents, local sea temperatures, salt levels, topography, and the shape of the Earth. US Geological Survey scientists found that sea levels from the 600-mile stretch of coast from Cape Hatteras in North Carollina to the Boston area climbed about 2 to 3.8 millimeters a year between 1950 and 2009. That compares with an average 0.6 to 1 millimeter increase annually over the same period globally. Researchers believe that level could rise by 7.8 to 11.4 inches by 2100—on top of the roughly 3 feet rise expected globally. If you talk with residents of this hot spot area who've lived there all their lives, they'll tell you water is coming higher now in winter storms than it ever did before, says study co-author Peter Howd. What does it mean? The first thing people will see from this is an increase over the next few decades in the low-level coastal flooding, Howd said. Eventually, you'll see coastal flooding events three to four times a year instead of once every three or four years. And the impact will be felt inland, said another scientist. Even gradual sea level rise could cause rapid retreat of shoreline and significant loss of wetland habitats, he warns. |
200 Firefighters Have Spent 10 Hours Battling NYC Warehouse Blaze | (Jan 31, 2015 5:15 PM) A fire took hold at a Brooklyn warehouse at 6:20 this morning, and as of late afternoon, the seven-alarm blaze is still going strong, the New York Times reports. Smoke can be seen from outside the city. Some 200 firefighters have been at the scene; none have been injured in the lengthy effort. But the contents of the warehouse—loads of New York City records—might not have fared so well. The company in charge of the facility, CitiStorage, hosts some four million boxes of records on hospitals, courts, and children's services in two warehouses, the New York Daily News reports. To make matters worse, the firefighters are dealing with terrible cold. They’re extremely, extremely exposed, says the department chief. The cold can be painful; it’s going to hurt you. The conditions are as bad for the firefighters as they are good for the fire, he tells the Times. Teams will likely be needed in the area for weeks. The fire comes after an earlier small blaze at the same building, which firefighters were able to put out quickly. The causes of both fires are under investigation, the Times notes. |
TV's Rhoda Has 3 Months to Live: Doctors | (Mar 6, 2013 8:37 AM) Valerie Harper, the actress best known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the ensuing Rhoda, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, reports People in a cover story. Doctors say the 73-year-old Harper, who fought lung cancer just four years ago, is suffering from leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and likely has as few as three months to live. I don't think of dying, says Harper. I think of being here now. |
1 Dead in Athens Protests | (Oct 20, 2011 11:48 AM CDT) An Athens anti-austerity demonstration turned violent today when rioters attacked peaceful protesters, and one ended up dead. Rioters threw firebombs and chunks of marble at the tens of thousands who had turned out in the Greek capital hours before lawmakers were scheduled to vote on the unpopular austerity measures creditors are demanding before releasing additional bailout funds to the struggling country. But initial reports suggest the 53-year-old who died may have had a heart attack rather than succumbing to violence, the AP reports. |
Oldest Working CEO Dead at 107 | (Aug 14, 2008 5:30 PM CDT) Jack A. Weil, the Henry Ford of Western shirts who was thought to be the oldest working CEO, died yesterday at age 107, the Denver Post reports. Papa Jack, as he was known in the Denver community, popularized the Western shirt as we know it. The sawtooth pocket and diamond snap design of his Rockmount Ranch Wear apparel is the longest continuous style produced in the country. Weil’s store was patronized by commoners and celebs alike, from the Killers to Bob Dylan, and all celebrated his down-home friendliness. He started the company in 1946 after emigrating from Indiana at the behest of a garter company he worked for, the Rocky Mountain News reports. He always greeted you by standing up, giving a firm handshake and looking you in the eye, and that's part of Western culture, and a big part of who Jack was, said a friend. |
Stimulus-Backed Solyndra Goes Bankrupt, Leaves Uncle Sam on the Hook for $535M | (Sep 1, 2011 7:47 AM CDT) One of the showpieces for President Obama’s green jobs push is going under—and leaving the federal government on the hook for $535 million worth of guaranteed loans in the process. Solyndra, a California-based solar cell manufacturer, told workers yesterday that it would be closing its remaining plant, laying off its 1,100 workers and declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The company’s cylindrical cells were innovative, but proved unable to compete with cheaper offerings from China. Solyndra was given government-backed loans as part of the stimulus, and both President Obama and Arnold Schwarzenegger toured its facilities. Now, critics are livid. House Republicans had already questioned the loan guarantees, subpoenaing related documents in July, the Washington Post reports. In an apparent rush to push stimulus dollars out the door, the Obama administration wasted $535 million, complained Rep. Cliff Stearns. The Energy Department responded by saying not all startups will succeed, but we can’t stop investing in game-changing technologies. |
Pin-Up Pioneer Bettie Page Dead at 85 | (Dec 12, 2008 1:45 AM) Pin-up queen Bettie Page died yesterday from a heart attack she suffered earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reports. She was 85. The secretary-turned-model shot to fame in the 1950s through thousands of saucy photographs, many of which featured her nude or in bondage gear. Page, credited with helping usher in the sexual revolution of the '60s, quit modeling at 35 to become a born-again Christian and later battled mental illness. In her later years Page was happy to discuss her modeling career but never allowed herself to be photographed. I want to be remembered as I was when I was young and in my golden times, she said. I want to be remembered as the woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form. Page had been on life support at a Los Angeles hospital. |
Crotchety Inventor, 88, Wants DEA to Stuff It | (Nov 23, 2011 3:18 PM) An 88-year-old tinkerer in California who invented a nifty water-purification product for hikers or disaster survivors is effectively out of business, all because of a DEA crackdown on meth dealers. As the San Jose Mercury News explains, Bob Wallace's Polar Pure bottles contain iodine crystals, and the feds think meth-makers have been using them for their drugs. Now he can't get a necessary state permit, and a distributor won't sell him any more iodine after a warning from the DEA. All of which makes the story interesting, but the best part is that Wallace says things like this: This old couple, barely surviving old farts, and we're supposed to be meth dealers? This is just plain stupid. These are the same knotheads that make you take your shoes off in the airport. Maybe better: When the DEA demanded proof of a security system, he sent them a photo of his old dog, Buddy. An agency spokesperson says Wallace may be collateral damage, but it's the fault of meth dealers, not the agency. Full story here. |
Battered Markets Crawl Into 2009 | (Jan 1, 2009 9:22 AM) Weary relief that 2008 was finally over greeted the final bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, but shaken investors worry about what 2009 holds, the New York Times reports. The final tally confirmed that the year was the worst for stockholders since the Great Depression. Stock plunges across the board wiped out the gains of the previous 6 years, erasing $7 trillion in wealth. Analysts say the financial crisis has shifted the epicenter of the financial world from Wall Street to Washington. Investors desperate for a safe haven are snapping up secure but low-yield Treasury securities. Money managers—even ones usually firmly against state intervention—are looking to government policymakers to turn things around, although many fear recovery could take years. |
Net Worth of US Households Sinks Another $1.33T | (Jun 11, 2009 12:56 PM CDT) The net worth of US households—assets minus debt—fell $1.33 trillion in the first quarter to $51.71 trillion, the Wall Street Journal reports. The 2.6% drop is smaller than the 8.6% of 2008’s fourth, a Fed report says. The first-quarter data don’t include the recent market rally. Household debt crept up 1.1% after a 2% drop in last year’s fourth quarter. Businesses appear to be handling their debt well. The financing gap—cash companies need to raise to pay for expenditures—settled at negative-$89.6 billion after rising to positive-$108.5 billion in the previous quarter. Federal debt continued to balloon—up 22.6%—as the government enacts business-rescue and stimulus plans, but that followed a 37% surge in the fourth quarter. State- and local-government debt rose 4.9% in the first quarter. |
$2B in Lottery Winnings Unclaimed Last Year | (Nov 4, 2014 3:31 AM) Who buys lottery tickets and then doesn't bother to check if they won? A huge number of Americans, according to the creator of a new app that lets people know if they have winning tickets. LottoLotto creator Brett Jacobson tells CNN that he filed public-records requests around the country and found that just over $2 billion in lottery winnings went uncollected last year—which works out to more than $38 million a week, or enough to create five new millionaires every day. The app records the numbers when a user takes a photo of a lottery ticket, lets them know which old ones are winners, and alerts them when a ticket wins. Some huge prizes go unclaimed—somebody missed out on a $16.6 million Powerball jackpot in Florida last year, according to the Tampa Tribune—but most of the unclaimed winnings are amounts as low as $2 or $4, says Jacobson. He says the app has had plenty of support from retailers, and with more lottery tickets sold every year, the amount of unclaimed cash is likely to keep growing. The retailers and even the state lotteries want people to cash in secondary prizes, he says. You're not going to take $4 and go home. You're going to buy more tickets. |
Police in China Nab 10 in Killing of Giant Panda | (May 14, 2015 5:53 PM CDT) There is now one less giant panda in the world. China Central Television reports that police have arrested 10 people suspected in the killing and dismemberment of a protected wild panda, including two brothers said to have been the ones who actually killed the animal. Acting on a tip, police in Yunnan province raided a home and found panda meat, bones, and fur. They say the brothers sold about 77 pounds of meat and all four of the animal's paws to one merchant for $800, who then sold the parts to other buyers, reports AP. The brothers told police they were hunting for a wild animal that had killed one of their goats, NBC News reports. After spotting what they claim they thought was merely a large animal in a tree, the brothers shot and injured the bear. Police say they then fatally shot the wounded female, despite knowing it was a panda. If convicted, the suspects—both the hunters and the merchants—could face years in prison. Only about 1,800 giant pandas exist in the wild, making the black market for them lucrative. |
US CO2 Emissions Dive to 20-Year Low | (Aug 17, 2012 2:44 AM CDT) America's carbon emissions have, amazingly, dropped to levels near where they would be in an alternate reality where President Al Gore signed the Kyoto Protocol. Emissions of the greenhouse gas are at their lowest in 20 years and government officials say the dramatic fall is thanks to cheap natural gas, which has caused a big switch away from coal, the AP reports. Coal was used to generate around half the electricity used in the US in 2005 but now generates only around a third, and the wholesale price of natural gas has gone from $7 or $8 a unit to around $3 over the last four years. The market-driven change, which has surprised climate scientists, is cause for cautious optimism about dealing with climate change, says the chief of Penn State's Earth System Science Center. It shows that ultimately, people follow their wallets on the issue, he says. But there is still plenty of cause for concern, environmental groups warn. The fracking responsible for the boom in cheap gas comes with its own environmental issues, and there's no guarantee that coal will stay more expensive than gas in the years to come. |
9-Year-Old Completes Record-Breaking Swim | (Jun 15, 2016 12:19 PM CDT) Nine-year-old James Savage may have a new Guinness World Record under his belt. The California boy swam from the shore of San Francisco to Alcatraz Island and back on Tuesday, becoming the youngest swimmer to complete the two-mile trip, per NBC News. A 10-year-old boy previously held the record after completing the swim last year. Savage—whose swim was streamed online—says he wanted to give up 30 minutes into the two-hour swim as the waves kept hitting him in the face. But his coach and a fellow swimmer who kayaked alongside him kept yelling, 'I believe you can do it,' James tells KSEE. I was so happy for him, James' mom says. I'm most proud of what it took for him to get here. James had previously completed one leg of the journey but trained six hours a day to complete the full swim. His dad promised him $100 when it was all over, but handed over $200 because of his son’s effort. The waves were a lot bigger than I expected, James says. At first, I was kind of scared. A Guinness World Records rep says there's no official world record for the swim but the group will review James' feat, per the Merced Sun Star. Meanwhile, James' next swim will be easier, but only slightly. He plans to swim the 1.7-mile length of the Golden Gate Bridge. |
Gates: After 2014, US Should Stay Involved in Afghanistan | (Mar 7, 2011 6:46 AM) Both the US and Afghanistan agree that the US military should maintain its involvement with Afghanistan past 2014 by continuing to train and advise Afghan troops, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're willing to do that, Gates told troops in Afghanistan today during a two-day visit. The defense secretary expects to hear that US and NATO troops are making major progress against Taliban fighters, said a Pentagon rep. Officials expect an upcoming Taliban counteroffensive to regain very, very valuable territory lost over the past six to eight months, says a general; Gates sees the coming months as key to President Obama’s strategy in the region, the AP reports. Meanwhile, Afghan president Hamid Karzai has called a US apology for the accidental killing of Afghan boys insufficient, saying civilian casualties are not acceptable any more. |
1B Around World Defecate in Public, Warns UN | (May 8, 2014 2:50 PM CDT) A new UN report warns of an under-the-radar health risk: It estimates that 1 billion impoverished people around the world still have no access to toilets, reports Reuters. While that number is down from 1.3 billion in 1990, it still leaves far too many who defecate in gutters, behind bushes or in open water bodies, with no dignity or privacy, says the study. The practice puts them at risk for a wide range of health problems, including cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, and typhoid, and it's especially dangerous for young children. India is the worst offender, with an estimated 600 million public defecators, but the report also singles out sub-Saharan Africa because it has 26 nations where the practice is increasing. In Nigeria, for instance, the UN estimates 39 million public defecators, up from 23 million in 1990. The report says a big part of the problem is that people don't understand the health risks, as evidenced by unused latrines put into place by UNICEF in various poor nations. Along those lines, India's UNICEF recently unveiled an animated character named Mr. Poo to spread the word, reports the Wall Street Journal. There's even a song. |
How the Drudge Report Could Sway 2016 | (Feb 3, 2015 1:04 PM) Some Republicans might question the continued relevance of the conservative Drudge Report in the era of Twitter and a crowded blogosphere—but the site is likely to play a major role in the 2016 election, writes Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post. Not only does Matt Drudge score some three-quarters of a billion page views each month, as the Daily Beast notes; he's also a key driver of the political conversation. For one thing, politicians can head to the Drudge Report to find out what their opponents are digging up on them: Drudge is more likely to simply take (material) and post it rather than looking for where the holes are—as a more mainstream site would do, Cillizza notes. Those reading the site include political power players: reporters, cable TV bookers, and other campaigns. And Drudge sticks to one or two storylines for weeks or months. Right now, he's into Scott Walker, and if that continues, it will boost Walker's national profile among party leaders. When it comes to the Democrats, Drudge has long had a fascination with the Clintons, publishing key stories on Bill's affair in the 1990s and running somewhat positive articles about Hillary around the end of the last decade. But recently, he's gone negative, and he could put the national spotlight on stories that don't look good for her. All of the Republican campaigns (and maybe even the Clinton campaign) will fear him—and have a strategy on how to deal with him. That, in my book, is real influence, Cillizza notes. Click for the full piece. |
5 Hurt by NC State Fair Ride | (Oct 25, 2013 12:55 AM CDT) Five people, ages 14 to 39, were hospitalized following injuries caused by a ride at the North Carolina State Fair, WRAL reports. The ride operator was among the injured. Two were critically hurt, and some of those hurt were members of the same family, says the Wake County sheriff, per WNCN. The ride, called the Vortex, reportedly consists of a main hydraulic arm and cars with individual rotating arms. It had stopped, and they were fixing to offload when the ride started off again, but that is preliminary, says the sheriff. Witnesses report having heard a crashing sound. It just sounded like a bunch of stuff hitting metal. And that was it. There was no screaming, one tells WNCN. Another says two people were lying face down, while the operator was on his knees in tears. |
10K Syrian Refugees? We Once Did 80 Times That | (Sep 11, 2015 5:24 PM CDT) The US will accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year, and that's great—but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the 800,000 Southeast Asian refugees we accepted after the Vietnam War. That's the argument in Mother Jones today, as writer Max J. Rosenthal quotes experts and activists who want to see the US do more. Even if the US doesn't accept a large number of refugees—the 10,000 that will now be allowed into the US is about half the number of refugees who arrived in Munich from Hungary last weekend—merely taking action could help convince other nations to pitch in, Rosenthal writes. Click for his full piece. |
4 Arrested in Fatal Mall Carjacking in New Jersey | (Dec 21, 2013 10:16 AM) Police have made four arrests in a high-profile carjacking in New Jersey during which a young lawyer got fatally shot in front of his wife, reports the Daily News. The four men were picked up overnight and charged with murdering Dustin Friedland, 30, in a parking garage of the Mall at Short Hills. Police say the assailants confronted Friedland on the upper level of the garage as he loaded gifts into his Range Rover last Sunday night. Friedland got shot in the head, and his wife was forced from the vehicle at gunpoint, reports the Star-Ledger. She wasn't harmed. The carjackers sped off, and police recovered the vehicle in Newark on Monday. Those arrested last night are Hanif Thompson, 29; Karif Ford, 31; Basim Henry, 32; and Kevin Roberts, 33. In addition to murder charges, they face carjacking and conspiracy charges as well. |
Elderly Couple Called Fire Dept. 1.1K Times | (Aug 15, 2016 8:47 AM CDT) Residents of Virginia Beach, Va., are asking how much is too much after reports that an elderly couple called firefighters 1,100 times in the past three years, WTKR reports. Shirley Niemiec says she has no choice but to call firefighters daily to help her husband George get out of bed. The fire chief estimated that each visit cost about $65, WTKR reports. But the firefighters union puts that total much higher: between $250,000 and half a million dollars, according to WTVR. We wanted to keep him at home and the only help he needs is getting in and out of bed, Shirley Niemiec told WTVR. She said they thought they found a solution when they bought a lift to help George get out of bed. But, she said, I thought I could do it myself but I couldn't. So she started dialing up the fire station 1.8 miles from her house. The couple can’t afford the $25 an hour to hire a home health care aide, Shirley Niemiec said, and they don’t qualify for free social services. The situation poses a dilemma for fire officials who say more and more elderly call asking for help. Fire Chief Kenneth Pravet said enough is enough. We are not in the home healthcare business, he told WTVR. We are not here to provide non-emergency support. But City Manager Dave Hansen said the firefighters will keep answering calls like Shirley Niemiec’s until they find another solution. |
Deutsche Bank Opens 200-Ton Gold Vault | (Jun 10, 2013 3:24 PM CDT) Big gold-dealing Deutsche Bank has opened a 200-ton gold vault in Singapore, a move that reflects the city-state's rising status as a tax haven to rival the likes of Switzerland, Quartz reports. Gold has traditionally been stored in London, Zurich and New York, but there is a serious shift in dynamics going on as the global financial crisis continues to evolve, says a Deutsche rep. With instability in Europe's markets, Singapore is becoming an increasingly safe and stable option for investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. It also scrapped its 7% goods-and-services tax on gold last year, making it an especially attractive destination to stash any spare precious metals you have lying around. |
Woman's Lost Bible Returned After 40 Years | (Sep 16, 2014 2:45 PM CDT) A little sleuthing and a little luck has resulted in a Tennessee woman getting back a Bible she lost in 1972. But as the Tennessean explains, it wasn't just any Bible to Deborah Savely. Her dad had given it to her as a girl a decade previously, and he died the year before she lost it. Savely carried it with her as a freshman to Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin and says she read from it every day—until the day it apparently slipped out of her backpack and went missing. Daddy died in October of 1971, she tells jrn.com. I started at Vol State as a student in September of 1972. So, this was all I had of Daddy. The keepsake remained lost until a retired staffer at the college was cleaning out her basement last month and found it in a box, one she had filled with debris while cleaning up the campus after a powerful tornado in 2006. How it ended up in there is a mystery, but Betty Gibson noticed the Bible's inscription and enlisted the help of other staffers at the school. After a long search, they located Savely in Lebanon, Tenn., and she returned to the school with her 87-year-old mother last week to retrieve the book. My Daddy’s infused in that Bible, says Savely. Whenever I lay my hand on the page, I can feel that big old hand of his come over mine. |
Comedian: I Lied About Harrowing 9/11 Escape | (Sep 16, 2015 10:16 AM CDT) Comedian Steve Rannazzisi moved to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career after escaping Merrill Lynch's offices on the 54th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower minutes before it was hit on Sept. 11, 2001. Rannazzisi says he realized life was too short and he better make the most of it, per the New York Times. I still have dreams of like, you know, those falling dreams, he said in a 2009 interview, in which he described his escape in detail. He failed to mention that it was all a lie. I was not at the Trade Center on that day, Rannazzisi now says. I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry. The Times reports the comments came after Rannazzisi, who stars on the FXX show The League, was confronted with evidence contrary to his account, including that Merrill didn't have offices in the Twin Towers. Rannazzisi—who adjusted his story last year to say he was simply downtown when the planes hit—was actually working in Midtown on Sept. 11, the Times reports. For many years, more than anything … I have wished that, with silence, I could somehow erase a story told by an immature young man, he says. It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones, he adds. It was an early taste of having a public persona, and I made a terrible mistake. All I can ask is for forgiveness. The Times uncovered another falsity on Rannazzisi's website: It says he graduated from the performing arts State University of New York at Purchase, when he actually graduated from SUNY Oneonta. His publicist attributed this to an error. Buffalo Wild Wings, which has featured Rannazzisi in ad campaigns, says it is re-evaluating our relationship with Steve pending a review of all the facts. |
Missing 64-Year-Old Hiker Found Tied to Tree | (May 15, 2016 9:25 AM CDT) Park rangers in North Carolina are looking for a man described as unwashed and scruffy after a missing hiker was found tied to a tree, WRAL reports. An hour after a friend reported the woman missing on Thursday, rescuers found her barely alive on a trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe County. She's not deceased at this time but she is tied to a tree, a caller said to emergency dispatchers. This is the one we've been looking for. Rangers say they think she was assaulted on the Mountains to Sea Trail, just four miles from Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. The 64-year-old woman's name and condition haven't been released, WLOS reports, but Rangers with the National Park Service say they're looking for a white man who's about 50, unshaven, with salt-and-pepper hair. He was said to be wearing baggy blue pants and a light gray T-shirt. The subject may appear and smell of a musty odor of being unwashed in several days, says the parks service. (These lost hikers survived by spelling h-e-l-p with branches.) |
3 Women Pass Marines' Endurance Test | (Oct 3, 2014 5:58 PM CDT) Three women have a chance at making history in the US military after passing the Marines' grueling endurance test for infantry officers, reports the Washington Post. This was just the first step, however, explains the Christian Science Monitor. Their passing grade in the Combat Endurance Test merely allows the women to move on and try to complete the rest of the Infantry Officer Course. So far, 24 women have tried to do so and failed. Only one has previously made it beyond the initial endurance test, in 2012, but she had to drop out of the course a week later because of a stress fracture in her foot. Another big hurdle: Passing the IOC doesn't necessarily mean the women will be allowed to become front-line infantry officers. As the Post explains, the military is allowing women to take the course on an experimental basis, but the job itself remains closed to women. All branches of the military, however, are being ordered to open up more combat jobs to women, so that could change. The Navy, for example, today announced that enlisted female sailors will be able to serve on submarines for the first time, reports the Hill. |
Federer Earns Final, Will Face No. 23 Seed | (Jun 5, 2009 3:28 PM CDT) Striving to complete a career Grand Slam, sentimental favorite Roger Federer came from behind twice in the semifinals to beat big-serving Juan Martin del Potro 3-6, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a French Open semifinal today in Paris. Playing in his fourth consecutive Roland Garros final, Federer will try for his 14th major title to match Pete Sampras' record. There's still one more step, Federer said. I was a bit lucky but I fought well. His opponent Sunday will be No. 23-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden, who extended his improbable run by beating No. 12 Fernando Gonzalez 6-3, 7-5, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4. With nemesis Rafael Nadal eliminated in the fourth round, Federer faces a less daunting path to the elusive championship. He's 9-0 against Soderling. |
What Made Us Happy in 1938—and 7 Decades Later | (May 5, 2015 10:07 AM CDT) The world used to be a simpler place—and what we said made us happy then isn't what we think makes us happy now. That's the conclusion of a small new study that was a restaging of a previous one. As Science Direct explains, in 1938 an ad in a British paper invited Bolton Evening News readers to respond to the question, What is happiness? The 226 respondents were then asked to organize 10 factors by their happiness importance. Their top three, in order: security, knowledge, and religion. Last year, psychologist Sandie McHugh also asked Bolton residents, via the News, to fill out a questionnaire that mirrored the one used in 1938. Some 76 years later, things have certainly changed, at least according to the 489 people the News reports responded to the survey: Religion now occupies the 10th slot. While security holds on to a place in the top 3, it is joined by leisure and good humor, which the survey defined as more smiling and laughter for myself and those around me. McHugh observes that the overall impression from the correspondence in 1938 is that happiness factors were rooted in everyday lives at home and within the community, and that, too, has changed: While a majority once reported being happiest in their town, 63% of 2014 respondents said they were happier away from Bolton. What hasn't changed: more leadership and more politics ranked near the bottom in both years. (Click to read about an equation for happiness, or find out the world's happiest country.) |
Europe Cuts Rates Less Than Expected to 1.25% | (Apr 2, 2009 7:18 AM CDT) The European Central Bank cut interest rates today by 25 basis points, less than expected, to 1.25%. Economists had widely expected a cut double that size, reports the Financial Times, and financial markets soared on the news this morning. The ECB has been more hesitant to cut rates than central banks in the US, Britain, and Japan; bank president Jean-Claude Trichet has said that zero interest rates would be dangerous. |
80 Homes Burn in Hills Over Santa Barbara | (Nov 14, 2008 3:19 AM) A wildfire ripped through the wealthy enclave of Montecito in Santa Barbara County last night, destroying some 80 homes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Firefighters were overwhelmed as the wind-driven brushfire spread out of control. Much of the area, home to dozens of celebrities, was evacuated as the blazes spread toward the city of Santa Barbara and firefighters scrambled to stop it. Close to 1,000 firefighters were battling to control the still-raging blazes. I have so many concerns, said the operation chief for the Montecito Fire Department. It's moving so fast right now. We're having trouble rounding up enough resources. One resident packing to flee said the fire above her neighborhood looked like lava coming down a volcano. |
Bus Driver Catches Autistic Girl Who Fell 3 Stories | (Jul 17, 2012 1:05 PM CDT) A New York City bus driver is being hailed as a hero for saving a 7-year-old girl who fell three stories from an air conditioning unit outside a Brooklyn building. I just prayed that I'd catch her, Stephen St. Bernard recalled after rescuing the child yesterday. He did. St. Bernard said he was walking home from work when he observed a commotion outside the Coney Island housing complex. He saw the girl standing on the air conditioning unit, seemingly unafraid and moving about. An amateur video shows St. Bernard yelling up to the girl, telling her to go back inside, when she suddenly falls—and he catches her in his arms. The girl was taken to a Coney Island hospital with minor injuries. St. Bernard, a father of four, suffered a torn tendon in his shoulder. Media reports say the girl has autism, and no charges were filed against the parents. |
Federer Wins 1st French Open | (Jun 7, 2009 10:46 AM CDT) The fans at Roland Garros got what they were cheering for today: not a nail-bitingly close French Open finals match, but a definitive win by Roger Federer. After years of falling just short on clay, Federer finally can claim a career Grand Slam with his 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 triumph over Sweden's Robin Soderling, MSNBC reports. Federer has now drawn even with Pete Sampras with 14 Grand Slam tournament wins. Under a light rain and a torrent of Roger, Roger! chants from the stands, he maintained a dominating serve against the upstart who toppled world No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Federer is the fifth man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. |
1 in 3 Americans Poor or 'Near Poor' | (Nov 19, 2011 12:03 PM) More bleak census numbers: About 100 million Americans, or 1 in 3, are either living in poverty or not too far above the official level, reports the New York Times. Specifically, 51 million people have incomes less than 50% above the poverty line, and this group described by the newspaper as near poor surprised even the Census Bureau's chief poverty statistician. These numbers are higher than we anticipated, she says. There are more people struggling than the official numbers show. Among the stats to describe the demographics of the group: Roughly half are white people living in the suburbs, and 28% have full-time jobs. These estimates defy the stereotypes of low-income families, says the census official. Meanwhile, the ranks of the poorest of the poor also are swelling. |
Cafe Customer Leaves $1M Stuffed in Suitcase | (Nov 23, 2011 12:46 AM) Sydney police don't know why a man left a suitcase stuffed with cash in an upscale cafe—but they're pretty sure it wasn't a tip. The customer at Caffe Marco ordered a coffee but walked out after spending less than five minutes in the eatery, and left his suitcase behind. Workers fearing the abandoned suitcase contained a bomb called police, who discovered that it contained some $1 million in cash, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Police tracked down a 49-year-old Hong Kong man who matched the description of the case's owner, but he became ill and was hospitalized before they could interview him. Our friend has some questions to answer once he is released, said a police spokesman. If he's the customer and can prove the money rightfully belongs to him, he'll get it back. If the stash is from a crime, it will likely be forfeited to the government. If the money's owner can't be found within three months, some cafe workers could be in for a big payday. |
Need a Mom? Now You Can Rent One for $40 an Hour | (Nov 12, 2015 7:28 AM) Nina Keneally has been there, done that. The 63-year-old mother of two who recently relocated from suburban Connecticut to Brooklyn has been everything from a drug and rehab counselor at a methadone clinic to a Tony-winning theater producer. All while making dinner, going to soccer games, serving on the PTA, planning birthday parties, and the myriad of other things mothers somehow find time to do. So, after meeting many millennials in the Bushwick art and yoga scene who sought her advice on and help with everything from landlords to resumés, she launched Need a Mom two weeks ago and already has six clients, reports the Daily Beast. Keneally charges $40 an hour to do anything from cook a meal to sew buttons, reports a sponsored piece in the Bushwick Daily that notes she's a mom, not a maid—so she won't clean your apartment. So why not just use one's own mother's (presumably free) services? Keneally says what she is offering is for those in need of a mom, just not their mom—a mom, she writes on her site, who will make that pecan pie that you really really love but won't question your lifestyle choice or compare you to your sister Maggie or your cousin Jake. Keneally adds that she offers an understanding of what the world is like for younger people living here that parents in Dubuque, Iowa, might not have. The younger people part is key: Keneally's services really are for millennials, and she says she's declined requests from people in their 40s and up. Even with just her handful of clients, she's already getting calls from talent and production agencies who want to turn it into reality TV. Just like a sage mother would advise, however, she says she isn't rushing into anything. (This guy waits in line for a living.) |
3 Tourists Stabbed in Egypt Attack | (Jan 9, 2016 5:37 AM) Two suspected militants stabbed and wounded three foreign tourists—two Austrians and a Swede—at a hotel in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Hurghada on Friday, the Interior Ministry said. Security forces opened fire at the two assailants, killing one and seriously wounding the other, according to a ministry statement. The wounded attacker was arrested, according to security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Officials tell the BBC that the attackers, who raised the ISIS flag, were trying to kidnap tourists. Hospital officials say the victims—Renata and Wilhelm Weisslein, both 72, and Sammie Olovsson, 27—are in stable condition and only suffered shallow wounds. The Hurghada attack was the second attack on a hotel frequented by foreign tourists in Egypt in as many days, an ominous development for the country's already battered tourism industry. The attack came just hours after the local affiliate of ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack a day earlier on a hotel in Cairo near the Giza Pyramids. No one was hurt in the Thursday attack, in which a group of over a dozen men fired flares and birdshot at a security post outside the hotel where Arab Israeli tourists were staying. |
Get Ready for Another Black President in 2016 | (Jan 4, 2013 12:27 PM) Historically speaking, the next president will probably be the same race as the current one; after all, it's happened 42 of the last 43 times. That's a joke, of course, but Ben Smith at BuzzFeed thinks there's actually a pretty good chance the next president will be black. Certainly in a Democratic primary, assuming there's no true white liberal champion, a la Howard Dean, a black candidate would be most likely to unite the party's core demographics: well-educated voters and voters of color. What's more, two of the Democrats' best candidates—Cory Booker and Deval Patrick—are black, and both are Obama allies, a potential advantage. Pundits like to pretend things that just happened won't necessarily happen again, but in fact, politics is the sport of repetition and of copycats. Republicans, meanwhile, lack an obvious black candidate, assuming Condoleezza Rice is out. But the Romney-Ryan debacle did probably guarantee one thing: That the Republican Party will never again present a ticket with two white men on it, Smith writes. Click for his full column. |
7.5 Quake Rattles Alaska | (Jan 5, 2013 5:28 AM) A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Alaska about midnight local time, though authorities canceled a tsunami warning for southern parts of the state and coastal Canada. The quake was centered about 60 miles west of Craig, Alaska, said the US Geological Survey. No reports of damage or flooding were initially reported. The warning area included coastal areas from Cape Fairweather, Alaska, to the north tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, more than 700 miles. |
Girl Killed by 5-Year-Old Looking for His Toy Gun | (Apr 15, 2014 11:40 AM CDT) A 7-year-old girl was killed at a birthday party in South Carolina Saturday night after a 5-year-old boy accidentally fired a gun while looking for his own gun —a toy, authorities say. Lexington County Sheriff James Metts says the boy's mother gave him permission to retrieve a toy gun out of a car's trunk at a home in Gaston; except a real gun was also in the trunk, and he picked it up by mistake. When he was fooling around trying to get his toy gun out, he accidentally pulled the trigger of the real gun while it was in the trunk, Metts tells WLTX. Deputies say the bullet went through the car, and fragments hit Juliet Lynch in the chest. She died a short time later; another 5-year-old was hit with fragments in the arm. Metts says the real gun belonged to the boyfriend of the boy's mother and she did not know it was in the trunk. The sheriff says charges could be filed in the shooting. |
Church Hands Each Member $500—With Instructions | (Sep 24, 2014 1:14 PM CDT) After landing big money in a real estate transaction, a Chicago church opted to give a tenth of it to attendees—to the tune of $500 each. That money, the church suggested, should be donated to a cause of the congregant's choice, the Chicago Tribune reports. In the 1970s, LaSalle Street Church backed a housing development for people of various ethnicities and incomes. Now it's in a rich neighborhood, and the church earned $1.6 million from its sale. It gave 10% of that money to some 320 members and churchgoers who attend regularly. We had this amazing opportunity to invest in the kingdom in a big way, says senior pastor Laura Truax. We asked people what they feel they've been called to do. They're answering that question on a wall in the church's basement filled with donation ideas, including fights against Ebola and gun violence. At first, Truax was worried, WLS-TV notes. She tells DNAinfo: Holy crap, we might just be squandering 160,000 bucks, which is a big deal because we're not even meeting our budget this year, she says. But eventually it felt super bold, and it felt good. (In other donation surprises, this summer, a house sitter renovated his deployed Marine friend's place to the tune of $70,000.) |
JCPenney Cuts 2K Jobs, 33 Stores | (Jan 15, 2014 6:42 PM) Struggling JCPenney will cut 2,000 jobs and close 33 stores as it tries to get back on the path to profitability. The news raises concerns that Penney's holiday season sales were weaker than expected and that the chain needs to do even more to recover from a turnaround plan that has had disastrous results. The cuts announced today should save more than $65 million annually. Penney has 116,000 staffers and operates more than 1,100 stores. Penney is trying to recover from massive losses and plummeting sales drops that occurred under former CEO Ron Johnson, who was ousted in April after being on the job for 17 months. The company then brought back former CEO Mike Ullman. Penney has since reinstated the frequent sales events that Johnson ditched. It's also restored basic merchandise, particularly store brands like St. John's Bay, which were either phased out or eliminated in a bid to attract younger, more affluent shoppers. |
Dutch Police Nab 16-Year-Old in Hacking Attacks | (Dec 9, 2010 3:41 PM) The first suspected hacker arrested in the coordinated cyberattacks on MasterCard and Visa is 16 years old. Dutch police say the teen has admitted taking part in so-called Operation Payback, in which hackers worldwide wreaked havoc on the websites of perceived enemies of WikiLeaks. Sarah Palin's website and PayPal also got hit. The unidentified teen is due in court tomorrow, reports the Wall Street Journal. See AP for the latest on the cyberbattles. |
SC's Confederate Flag Comes Down at 10am Tomorrow | (Jul 9, 2015 10:41 AM CDT) The place was already established; now the time has been as well. More than 50 years after South Carolina raised a Confederate flag at its Statehouse to protest the civil rights movement, that flag will come down—at 10am tomorrow. Then, the banner will be shipped to the Confederate Relic Room for display. Gov. Nikki Haley will sign the bill, which passed the state's House early today after 13 hours of debate, at 4pm today in the Statehouse lobby. The measure requires that the flag come down within 24 hours of her signature. It was done in a way that was a win to everyone, says Republican Rep. Rick Quinn, who secured a promise that lawmakers would find money for a special display at the Relic Room for the flag. After the Civil War, the Confederate flag was first flown over the dome of South Carolina's Capitol in 1961 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the war. It stayed as a protest to the Civil Rights movement, only moving in 2000 from the dome to its current location. The flag that flew over the dome will also head to the Relic Room. Read about the now-viral speech that helped the vote pass. |
5-Minute Hypersonic Flight Planned for Tomorrow | (Aug 13, 2012 1:02 PM CDT) Tomorrow, a hypersonic aircraft will zip above the Pacific Ocean at Mach 6 for 300 seconds—twice as long as any previous flight at that speed. Just how fast is Mach 6? A blazing 3,600mph—meaning it could get you from Los Angeles to New York in 46 minutes, the Los Angeles Times reports. Scientists have long aimed to sustain hypersonic flight for more than just a few minutes, and tomorrow's flight is a key test for an experimental aircraft called the X-51A WaveRider, housed at the Mojave Desert's Edwards Air Force Base. Attaining sustained hypersonic flight is like going from propeller-driven aircraft to jet aircraft, says one expert, and it's important for the future of everything from spacecraft and military aircraft to missiles and passenger planes. But, though NASA and the Pentagon are both financing research into hypersonic flight, results so far have been less than promising. One 2011 test flight ended with the aircraft's skin peeling away. And, though a 2010 WaveRider flight was successful, a subsequent flight last year ended prematurely. |
Why a Christmas Eve 1955 Death Still Matters | (Dec 24, 2015 9:07 AM) In the 1950s, when abortions were rarely sanctioned and only when a committee of doctors approved them, somewhere between 200,000 and 1.2 million illegal abortions were performed every year. One such case in particular grabbed grim headlines across the country: A young woman by the name of Jacqueline Smith—who wanted to keep her baby—was given a messy illegal abortion in her boyfriend's apartment on Dec. 24, 1955. Sixty years later, there are still lessons to learn from her gruesome death, writes Gillian Frank on Slate. The details captured the attention of many: A hospital attendant gave Smith, who was positioned on a couch covered in blankets and newspaper, 50 times too much anesthesia via an IV drip made from a broomstick and a bottle. When she died, he and Smith's boyfriend cut her body up into small pieces, covered them in Christmas wrapping paper, and placed the packets in Upper West Side trash bins. In her death, the Lebanon, Pennsylvania-born Smith was vilified as an easy woman by some and painted as a lamb in a rough town by others. Lost in the headlines was the larger plight of unwed mothers, the laws impeding access to contraception for both sexes, and the dearth of good sex education, notes Frank: On Christmas Eve 1955, Jacqueline Smith was 20 years old and had her whole life ahead of her. The men who killed her went to jail, but there was no indictment of a society and policies that were also culpable. For too many Americans, Jacqueline Smith’s past is still all too present. Read Frank's full piece, which relies on old newspaper accounts and court records, here. |
Emergency Alert System Test Will Be Tested Nationally Tomorrow at 2pm Eastern | (Nov 8, 2011 2:49 PM) Turn on the tube or radio tomorrow at 2pm Eastern time, and you’ll be witness to the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. It's expected to last about 30 seconds. Though the system has been used locally for concerns like weather alerts, this is the first time it will be tested at the national level, ABC News reports. Homeland Security and the FCC want to examine how the system functions and make sure it’s clear to people who are hard of hearing or don’t speak English fluently. Because of the system design, not all of you will see the crawl that says this is a test, says FEMA chief Craig Fugate. It will say this is an emergency alert. But we want you to understand this is a test. FEMA has more information and videos here. |
Obama Approval Slumps Below 50% | (Dec 17, 2009 2:10 AM) President Obama's approval rating held steady for most of this troubled year but it has now slumped below 50% for the first time in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. His approval rating now stands at 47%, with 55% of respondents believing the country is heading in the wrong direction. Other polls have placed his approval near or just below 50%, but support seems to be eroding percentage point by percentage point over time. Only 35% of those polled in the most recent survey were positive about the Democratic Party, although their disenchantment didn't translate into higher numbers for the GOP. The sagging economy is beginning to drag him down, said Republican pollster Bill McInturff. This is increasingly becoming President Obama’s economy. Particularly troubling for the Democrats is that their ratings were down sharply among core voter groups that backed them last year, including young voters and Hispanics. |
Jacko 'Has 6 Months to Live' | (Jan 8, 2009 1:36 AM) Michael Jackson is terminally ill and has only 6 months to live, claims the National Enquirer. The supermarket tabloid reports Jackson is suffering from gastro-intestinal bleeding, as well as emphysema caused by a rare genetic condition made worse by the singer’s longtime addiction to painkillers. Anonymous sources say his condition is rapidly deteriorating. A spokesman claims Jackson is in good health. The nameless informants say Jackson’s health has been on a downward spiral for six to eight months and that the King of Pop is almost entirely bedridden. On good days, Michael is able to take his kids to a bookstore, says one source. But he's never out for more than an hour. He has very little strength...It's ultimately in God's hands. |
Feds Want to Destroy 45K Wild Horses | (Sep 13, 2016 7:33 AM CDT) There are 45,000 horses no one wants, and the US government is suggesting destroying them all, the Verge reports. In what an exec for the Humane Society calls a complete abdication of responsibility for their care, the Bureau of Land Management's National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board has recommended euthanizing the horses, removed from public land and placed in holding pens over the years so there'd be more room for cattle. The horses are available for adoption, but the pens are now crammed and the costs have ballooned, per the BLM: $49 million last year alone, or almost half of the board's annual budget. A Humane Society press release calls it long-term mismanagement at the hands of the BLM, which the Humane Society says could more effectively use birth control to manage the horse population. Still others point out the unseemliness of removing wildlife from its natural habitat to make room for profit-generating cattle. But not everyone is critical of the plan. RT.com notes that the horses trample on and kick up the protective layer of topsoil that lies over the country's grasslands. And per a December 2015 Slate article, these horses aren't technically natives: They're the feral descendants of animals brought by Europeans in the past few hundred years, and that timespan has been too short for US plants and wildlife to acclimate to the equine intruders. The horses can be adopted for $125 a pop, but RT.com notes that even if all 45,000 horses were scooped up, that would total just under $6 million—not even close to the $49 million spent on them just last year alone. (Abused horses are finding new life helping veterans.) |
Post Office Lost $1B in 3rd Quarter | (Aug 6, 2008 4:21 PM CDT) The Postal Service recorded a net loss of more than $1 billion in the third quarter of the fiscal year, the agency said today. Officials blamed reduced mail volume in the slowed economy, coupled with rapidly rising transport costs because of high fuel prices. For the quarter ended June 30, the loss was $1.1 billion, with operating revenue at $17.9 billion, a drop of $437 million. Operating expenses totaled $19 billion, an increase of $178 million, or 1%, from the third quarter last year. Total mail volume was 48.5 billion pieces, a 5.5% drop from the same period last year. |
GOP Support Hits 20-Year Low | (May 1, 2008 3:54 AM CDT) Voters are poised to embrace John McCain on a personal level even though their regard for the Republican Party has plummeted to an all-time low, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Only 27% of the electorate have positive views of the GOP—the lowest level in the poll's 20-year history. Yet voters nevertheless identify with McCain's background and set of values 54% to 35%. His support positions him in a virtual dead heat with the Democratic candidates, Democrats, meanwhile, remain evenly divided over Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the poll finds. But some 30% of Clinton voters won't vote for Obama and 22% of Obama supporters won't vote for Clinton if their rival wins the Democratic nomination, according to the poll. |
Every 40 Seconds, Someone Commits Suicide: WHO | (Sep 4, 2014 1:21 PM CDT) With the suicide of Robin Williams still painfully fresh, the World Health Organization released a startling statistic today: Someone takes his or her own life every 40 seconds—which equates to about 800,000 deaths a year, reports the BBC. Other findings in the WHO study: Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in people ages 15-29; 75% of suicides take place in lower-income countries; and people over 70 are the most likely to die this way. Suicide kills more than conflicts, wars, and natural catastrophes, says WHO's mental health director in Yahoo News. Calling this often-stigmatized death a major public health problem, WHO says its goal is to cut the suicide rate by 10% by 2020. Some of the challenges in combating suicide are sensationalized media reports when a celebrity dies this way and people who are afraid to seek help for an issue that's been shrouded in taboo for too long, according to WHO's director general. One WHO scientist says countries can simply start at [the] local level with small-scale programs, including services for at-risk people who have already attempted suicide. Others say more education is needed, including in schools. There needs to be much more public awareness around suicide—too few of us know how to react when they see someone who may be at risk of taking their life, a suicide campaigner tells the BBC. |
With 11.3K Dead, Ebola Outbreak Is Officially Over | (Jan 14, 2016 9:29 AM) The World Health Organization declared an end to the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever on Thursday after no new cases emerged in Liberia, though health officials warn that it will be several more months before the world is considered free of the disease that claimed more than 11,300 lives over two years. Thursday's success comes after a harrowing toll: Nearly 23,000 children lost at least one parent or caregiver to the disease. Some 17,000 survivors are trying to resume their lives though many battle mysterious, lingering side effects. Liberia, which along with Sierra Leone and Guinea was an epicenter of the latest outbreak, was first declared free of the disease last May, but new cases emerged two times—forcing officials there to restart the clock. (A country is considered free of the disease when it has passed two incubation periods of 21 days without any more cases. Studies continue to uncover new information about how long Ebola can last in bodily fluids; it is now known that Ebola is present in the semen of some male survivors up to a year later. While this is an important milestone ... we have to say that the job is still not done, said Rick Brennan, WHO director of emergency risk assessment and humanitarian response, at a news conference in Geneva. That's because there is still ongoing risk of re-emergence of the disease because of persistence of the virus in a proportion of survivors. The most recent flare-up in Liberia confounded scientists as it was not initially clear where the new cases had come from. WHO now says those cases are likely the result of the virus persisting in survivors even after recovery. |
Jazz Icon Hubbard Dead at 70 | (Dec 29, 2008 9:02 PM) Grammy-winning jazz giant Freddie Hubbard died today in Sherman Oaks, Calif., a month after having a heart attack, the AP reports. He was 70. Revered among trumpet players, Hubbard collaborated with legends like John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins as he established a blazing, hard-bop style that influenced a generation. His playing is exuberant, said Wynton Marsalis, who admired Hubbard's big sound and sense of rhythm and time. Moving from Indianapolis to New York in 1958, Hubbard blossomed in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and became a top player alongside Herbie Hancock in the mid-1960s, the Guardian reports. He also excelled on avant-garde albums like Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz. His style slowed and softened in later years, but musicians still admired him. The sound he gets on just one note, said trumpeter Chris Botti. |
China Snooping in Top US Officials' Emails Since 2010: NSA | (Aug 10, 2015 2:15 PM CDT) For those who've been wondering why such a big deal has been made about Hillary Clinton's private email server, this could add some context. A senior US intelligence official, as well as a top-secret NSA document from 2014, indicates that China has been reading the private emails of many top US administration officials for more than five years—and that this high-level snooping is still going on, NBC News reports. The senior official tells NBC that government email accounts weren't among those infiltrated, but the NSA briefing shows that private emails sent through Gmail and other providers were hacked, with targets including all top national security and trade officials, per the official. The email surveillance—first given the code name Dancing Panda, then Legion Amethyst —was first discovered in April 2010, the briefing notes, though neither the anonymous official nor the NSA document provide the names or ranks of those whose emails were taken. And Dancing Panda/Legion Amethyst wasn't the only hacking operation going on during this time: The NSA briefing says that scheme was just one of more than 30 intrusion sets set off by China and IDed by the NSA and other agencies last year, a wide-scale initiative that ended up causing more than 600 successful hack attacks, NBC notes. There's been no comment yet from the NSA. (The American public doesn't seem too upset about these Chinese hacking reports.) |
Massive 2013 Fertilizer Plant Blast Was Caused by Arson | (May 11, 2016 2:26 PM CDT) An intentionally set fire caused the 2013 explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant that killed 15 people, federal officials said Wednesday, calling the fire a criminal act. Federal and state investigators said no arrests have been made, but that they are investigating who was responsible for causing the fire at the West Fertilizer Co. facility in the town of West on April 17, 2013, the AP reports. The fire caused ammonium nitrate to ignite, triggering a massive explosion that also injured hundreds of people and left part of the small town in ruins, and marked one of Texas' worst industrial accidents. ATF special agent Robert Elder said investigators came to the conclusion after ruling out other reasonable causes, but he didn't release specifics or a possible motive. Inspectors have previously said three possible scenarios caused the fire: faulty electrical wiring, a short circuit in a golf cart stored at the plant, or arson. We have eliminated all reasonable accidental and natural causes, Elder said during a news conference. This was a criminal act. The ATF also released a statement saying the fire had been ruled incendiary, or intentionally set, after investigators reviewed more than 400 interviews, a fire-scene examination, witness photos and videos, and extensive scientific testing at an ATF fire research laboratory. Federal regulators had previously issued a report that found inadequate emergency response coordination and training and careless storage of potentially explosive materials contributed to the blast, which left a crater 90 feet wide and 10 feet deep. Among those killed in the explosion were 12 emergency personnel, primarily ones with the West Volunteer Fire Department who responded to the initial blaze. Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the 2013 blaze, the Houston Chronicle reports. |
Global Population: 7.2B Next Month | (Jun 14, 2013 2:00 AM CDT) The world's population was 7 billion in 2011, and it's already set to hit 7.2 billion next month, the UN says in a new report. If that seems like a lot, wait a few more decades: By 2100, the population is projected to be 10.9 billion, AFP reports. Most of the growth is centered in the developing world. In the least-developed countries, population is likely to double from a current 898 million to 1.8 billion in 2050 and 2.9 billion in 2100. In developed countries, the outlook is much different: The UN expects the population to climb from 1.25 billion to 1.28 billion by 2100. In fact, that figure would actually decline without immigration from poorer areas, likely about 2.4 million people per year from now until 2050, the report says. Half of the world's population growth will be focused on only eight countries: The US, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. Meanwhile, seniors' numbers are growing rapidly. There will be some 3 billion people at least 60 years old by 2100, the report says, more than triple the current figure. The AP adds that life expectancy at birth for the world, which has risen from 47 years in 1950-55 to 69 years in 2005-2010, and is projected to hit 82 years in 2095-2100. Head to AFP for more. |
'Fake' Rembrandt a Real $40M Self-Portrait | (Jun 19, 2008 3:05 AM CDT) A self-portrait formerly considered a Rembrandt knockoff has been deemed a genuine early work of the Dutch master—and valued at $40 million. Rembrandt Laughing, executed on a small copper plate, was examined by Holland's leading Rembrandt experts. A British art collector purchased the work late last year for $4.5 million from an auction house that had appraised it at $3,100. It has an incredible presence, said a Rembrandt authority. The light has the most natural quality you can think of—and I love the naturalness of the laughing. |
Pentagon Late Fees for Storage Boxes: $720M | (Aug 29, 2011 3:45 AM CDT) The Pentagon has racked up a few late fees for metal containers it has rented and failed to return on time. Nothing serious—just a little more than $720 million during the past 10 years. Used for storage, building material, and shelter in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 20-foot containers can generate more than $2,200 each in late fees. These are the kinds of things that happen when people are asleep at the wheel, a defense analyst tells USA Today. Why the tardy returns? Because officials thought these wars would end sooner, says defense policy analyst John Pike. Late fees for the containers cost the Pentagon $128 million in 2004, then dropped to $17 million four years later, and rebounded to $30 million last year due to the surge in Afghanistan. Under budgetary pressure, the Pentagon has at least made deals for lower late fees. But this is real money, says Pike. And we've spent a lot of it on what amounts to fines for overdue library books. |
Mob Wives Star 'Big Ang' Dies at 55 | (Feb 18, 2016 7:04 AM) The Mob Wives star known as Big Ang succumbed to stage 4 cancer early Thursday. Angela Raiola, 55, died at 3:10am EST in a NYC hospital, her rep said in a statement, per TMZ, which notes it confirmed her death with family. On her Twitter page, a friend posted: It is with sad regret that we inform you … Angela Raiola peacefully ended her battle with cancer, and was called home. She was surrounded by nothing but love from her immediate family, and closest friends. Raiola, a niece of Genovese crime family captain Salvatore Lombardi, had been diagnosed nearly a year ago with throat cancer, which spread to her brain and lungs, per People. Raiola's rep noted that her fans were some of the most special people in her world, and she loved you immensely. Thank you for your love, prayers, and unconditional support of Angela right to the very end. She's survived by two children and six grandchildren; funeral arrangements are pending, per the AP. |
After 23 Years, NYC Shooting Becomes Homicide | (Jan 2, 2016 8:19 AM) A woman who was shot after being sexually assaulted in 1992 became a homicide victim when she died in November, the New York City Medical Examiner’s office has decided. Charlene Thomas, who was 65 when she died, was 41 years old when she was attacked in her home by then-23-year-old Eric Shaw. He was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison for attempted murder and sodomy but served additional time because of prison contraband offenses and state inmate records show that he was released on parole in March of 2015, reports the New York Daily News. Police say Thomas died as a result of her gunshot wound, and the crime is now considered a homicide. It's not clear whether Shaw will face additional charges, reports the Daily News, which notes that in recent days, NYC authorities have decided that two other decades-old crimes were homicides because of deaths in 2015. The August death of a man shot in a nightclub in 1979 was ruled a homicide, as was the March death of Roy Evans, who was stabbed outside a Harlem bar in 1969. CBS New York reports that the medical examiner concluded that spinal cord injuries and sepsis from the stab wound contributed to the 75-year-old's death. (Last summer, a Pennsylvania man died from injuries he suffered in a car crash 50 years earlier.) |
US Man to Face Trial for 1997 Murder in S. Korea | (Sep 23, 2015 10:47 AM CDT) An American man is about to face trial in South Korea for a murder he says he didn't commit. Arthur Patterson, 35, was just 17 when he and a Korean-American friend, Edward Lee, challenged each other to kill a man with a pocketknife in 1997, according to prosecutors. Both have admitted to being in the restroom of a Seoul Burger King where college student Cho Choong-pil was found with multiple stab wounds to his neck, but the two friends each blamed the other for the killing, reports the New York Times. In an initial trial, Lee was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder, while Patterson got 18 months for possessing a dangerous weapon and destroying evidence, reports the AP. He was released in an amnesty in 1998. That same year, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial and Lee was let off for lack of evidence. Patterson, the son of an American military contractor, returned to the US in 1999 as the main suspect in the killing; he fled while authorities were trying to renew a travel ban that would keep him in the country. Yonhap News reports he was detained in the US and formally indicted for murder in May 2011, two years after a popular movie about Cho's murder led to fresh calls for justice. The AP notes crimes in South Korea linked to the US military are a long-running source of anti-American sentiments. Upon his arrival at Incheon International Airport yesterday, Patterson expressed sympathy for Cho’s family but denied he committed murder. It's not right that they have to keep going through this pain over and over and over, but it's not right that I'm here either. I'm still shocked that I'm even here, he said. A trial date hasn’t been set. |
Vatican Offers Pilgrims Abortion Forgiveness for 6 Days | (Aug 17, 2011 2:33 AM CDT) The Vatican is marking World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid by offering women who have had abortions an easy way to become Catholics again, reports the Guardian. Abortion is punishable by instant excommunication and normally, only certain priests have the power to lift such an excommunication, but the local diocese has decided to give all the priests taking confession at the event this power, explains a spokesman for Pope Benedict XVI. Some 200 confession booths have been set up in central Madrid for the 6-day event, which is expected to attract well over a million pilgrims as well as plenty of protesters. The Spanish government will be covering some of the costs of the $72 million event, which will include a visit from the pontiff tomorrow. Even some members of the clergy are questioning the wisdom of holding such a lavish celebration when Spain is in the midst of an austerity drive, and youth unemployment has reached 40%, the New York Times finds. |
Bank Robbers Hide AK-47s in Baby Carriage, Steal $800K | (Dec 28, 2010 6:16 PM) Russian police are on the watch for a unique band of robbers: a group that hid AK-47 assault rifles inside a baby carriage. Bandits pulled the rifles from their deceptive carrying case and robbed an armored car as it pulled into a bank. They opened fire, killing two guards and a bystander walking his dog while making off with over $800,000 in Russian currency, the AP reports. |
'Blood-and-Guts' Boxer Dies of Dementia at 64 | (Sep 8, 2016 12:00 AM CDT) Hall of Fame boxer Bobby Chacon has died under hospice care for dementia. He was 64. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005, the former WBC featherweight and super featherweight champion went 59-7-1 with 47 knockouts in a 16-year pro career, the AP reports. The California native engaged in numerous memorable fights, including victories over rivals Rafael Bazooka Limon, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, and Danny Lopez. One of the most exciting fighters in the history of the West Coast, an amazing blood-and-guts brawler who took on the best fighters in three divisions, says Ricky Farris, president of the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame. Chacon, nicknamed Schoolboy because he turned pro while studying at Cal State Northridge, endured horrible personal tragedies both during and after his career. His wife, Valerie, killed herself in March 1982, but he elected to fight the next day, stopping Salvador Ugalde in the third round. His son, Bobby Jr., was killed in 1991 in a shooting attributed to gang violence. After his career ended in June 1988, Chacon's memory, health, and fortunes all faded. He showed numerous signs of pugilistic dementia and struggled with substance abuse, but he still occasionally made public appearances at local boxing cards. Officials say he died with his family present at his bedside. |
Brits Plan to Boost Speed Limit to 80 MPH | (Sep 30, 2011 1:52 AM CDT) Britain's government—citing major advances in vehicle safety and the fact that half the country's drivers are ignoring the current limit of 70 miles per hour—is planning to raise the speed limit to 80 on the nation's highways. Britain's roads should be the arteries of a healthy economy and cars are a vital lifeline for many, the country's transport secretary said, slamming the previous administration's shortsighted and misguided war on the motorist. Highway deaths have fallen by more than 75% since the 70 limit was introduced in 1965, the transport secretary noted. Safety campaigners and environmentalists plan to fight the move, while motorist groups warn that the rise is likely to result in many drivers doing 90 mph, the Guardian reports. The new limit would be as high as any that can currently be found on American highways. Lawmakers in Texas recently approved a maximum speed of 85 miles per hour, but they have yet to identify any stretches of highway where the new limit can be applied. |
WTC Developer Sues Airlines for 9/11 | (Mar 28, 2008 4:30 AM CDT) The developer of the World Trade Center is suing airlines and airport security companies for $12.3 billion to cover his 9/11 losses, CNN reports. Larry Silverstein signed a 99-year lease on the site just six weeks before the attacks. He holds the defendants responsible for failing to prevent the terrorist hijackings that crashed the planes into the buildings. United Airlines, Continental, American Airlines, Boeing, and the firm that runs Boston's Logan Airport are among the companies being sued by the developer, who has already collected $4.6 billion in insurance payouts. Others who lost property or loved ones in the attacks have filed similar claims, but Silverstein's is the biggest by far. If Silverstein is succesful, an award could push the totals beyond institutions' ability to pay. There ain't that much insurance, said a lawyer for the airlines. |
Royals Take Game 2 With 7-2 Win | (Oct 23, 2014 12:05 AM CDT) The first showdown of brilliant bullpens went to the Kansas City Royals. After Kansas City took the lead with a five-run sixth inning, the trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis, and All-Star closer Greg Holland shut down the hot-hitting San Francisco Giants. Kansas City cruised from there to a 7-2 victory last night, evening the World Series at a game apiece as it shifts to the Bay Area for the next three games. It's a huge luxury for me, Royals manager Ned Yost says. After the sixth inning, my thinking is done. I don't have to mix and match. Herrera's blistering 101mph fastballs kept the free-swinging Giants on their heels, and Davis breezed through a perfect eighth inning with his own heat. The hard-throwing Holland worked around a single in the ninth, punctuating the victory by punching the air. We've got a pretty good recipe for success with Herrera, Davis, and Holland, Yost says. Meanwhile, the San Francisco bullpen—which had the fifth-best ERA in the majors and had tossed 12 2-3 scoreless innings in its last four games—was lit up like the crown-shaped scoreboard in center field. The series now shifts to AT&T Park, a quirky ballpark that very few Royals have played in. Jeremy Guthrie will be on the mound for them in Game 3 on Friday night, while veteran Tim Hudson makes the first World Series start of his 16-year big-league career for San Francisco. Read more on the game, which included a shouting match. |
Democrats Could Lose 50-Plus House Seats | (Apr 9, 2010 1:57 PM CDT) The worst-case scenarios for the Democrats in the midterm elections are bad indeed, Nate Silver warns. He cites one reasonably well-informed translation of the generic ballot polls that forecasts a 51-seat loss in the House if the elections were held today. It's not too late to shift the momentum, but he says people are underestimating the magnitude of losses that might occur if momentum fails to change, or moves in the other direction. Scenarios that involve dozens of lost seats may not eventually play out, but they are frankly on the table, he writes for FiveThirtyEight.com. If Democrats were to lose 50, 60, 70 or even more House seats, it would not totally shock me. Nor would it shock me if they merely lost 15, or 20. But their downside case could be very far down. |
Since 2011, 12 Idaho Kids Have Died, Without Investigation | (Nov 18, 2014 11:17 AM) Thirty-two states have religious exemptions to some crimes against children; six of those allow a religious exemption in cases including manslaughter, negligent homicide, or capital murder. But Idaho has earned a disturbing distinction: In the past two decades, it's the only one of those six states where kids have died due to parents' adherence to healing by faith alone. The past three years have seen at least 12 children's deaths in faith-healing cases, Vocativ reports. All the deaths were of members of a religious group called Followers of Christ. In a Followers cemetery near Boise, almost 35% of the graves belong to children, says a former member of the group who's now fighting for change. Among the deaths since 2011 are infants who died of sepsis and teens who died of pneumonia; one 15-year-old died after an easily treatable case of food poisoning. According to Idaho's 1972 religious-exemption laws, prayer is a form of treatment. No criminal charges have been filed in such cases since the laws came into existence. Activists say such laws contradict a 1944 Supreme Court decision that notes that while parents may be free to become martyrs themselves … it does not follow they are free, in identical circumstances, to make martyrs of their children. The Vocativ report comes after parents in Oregon were convicted of first- and second-degree manslaughter in their daughter's death last year. A Followers of Christ member who lost a son defends the group's practices: I would like to remind you this country was founded on religious freedom, he told KATU last year, as Raw Story notes. It's not like you take 'a' freedom away. It's that you chip at the entire thing. |
Mike Huckabee Not Running for President in 2012 | (May 14, 2011 8:07 PM CDT) Mike Huckabee has officially pulled the trigger—and his presidential aspirations are dead, at least for 2012. Huckabee officially announced that he will not run on his Fox News show tonight. All the factors say go, but my heart says no, he said. I know that under the best of circumstances, being president is a job that takes one to the limit of his or her capacity. I can't know or predict the future, but I know for now my answer is clear and firm: I will not seek the Republican nomination for president this year. The decision will allow him to stick with a lucrative career as a television and radio personality rather than enter a race that would be both costly and caustic, reports the AP. |
Texas Boy, 7, Killed by Pit Bulls | (May 19, 2008 2:10 PM CDT) A 7-year-old Texas boy was apparently mauled to death yesterday by two pit bulls, writes the Abilene Reporter. Police responding to a 911 call discovered Tanner Joshua Monk’s body on the side of a road, with two dogs nearby. The deputies were forced to kill the dogs, which belonged to a neighbor of Monk’s family, when the animals attacked them. |
2012 Not Looking Good for Women | (May 17, 2011 2:47 PM CDT) The 2008 election brought us the first victory by a woman in a presidential primary, not to mention the first female GOP candidate for national office. But 2012 isn’t shaping up so nicely for women: Those making headlines are either provocative but unelectable or provocative but who may render their husbands unelectable, writes former Clinton press chief Dee Dee Myers at Politico. Sarah Palin leads the first camp; she can’t even be called a politician. ‘Politicians’ don’t quit their day jobs as governor to star in reality TV shows. Then there’s Michele Bachmann, who knows shockingly little about history and public policy, Myers notes. This is the woman who claimed that the Founding Fathers ended slavery. Callista Gingrich will need to show how her affair with Newt, which started while he was leading the charge to impeach a president over infidelity, isn’t just hypocritical but disqualifying. Cheri Daniels, meanwhile, left her husband and four kids, married another man, then returned to Mitch. Though things will evolve, I feel like my team is off to an 0-10 start, Myers writes. |
Behold, the 690-Mile Yard Sale | (Aug 3, 2012 2:05 PM CDT) Do you really, really like buying other people's used stuff? Then have we ever got the 690-mile stretch of highway for you. Yesterday, the 25th annual World's Longest Yard Sale kicked off, with shoppers looking for bargains along a stretch of Highway 127 that runs across six states—Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. The event lasts four days, and junk enthusiasts come from miles around to bargain-hunt, ABC News reports. We see a clear surge in hotel and motel tax revenue, said one local chamber of commerce. Some people, it added, rely on southern hospitality instead, staying in private homes. This year the vibe is a little different, however, thanks to the rise of trash-to-treasure shows like American Pickers. They're acting like they do on the show, you know, and it's a hurtin' our business, one seller told WBRC. But another ventured that the influence was positive. There 's a lot of people who used to didn’t' collect, and now they're collecting. |
Boulder Drenched by 'Proverbial 100-Year Flood' | (Sep 13, 2013 6:05 AM CDT) A third person has died as floods continue to ravage northern Colorado, driving some 4,000 people out of Boulder late yesterday. Rainfall in the city has obliterated a 73-year record, with 12.3 inches falling since Sept. 1—compared to 5.5 in September 1940. Floodwater is pouring from neighboring Boulder Canyon, Reuters reports. There's so much water coming out of the canyon, it has to go somewhere, and unfortunately it's coming into the city, says an official. The Denver Post shares these jarring numbers: Boulder Creek typically flows at between 100 and 300 cubic feet per second; it hit 4,500 cfs this week. Further, a rep for the US Geological Survey says there was just a 1% chance Boulder would see a storm like this in a year, meaning the storm is a proverbial 100-year flood, writes the Post. Nearby Longmont has seen 7,000 evacuated, while the National Guard brought supplies to the town of Lyons, which has been cut off from neighboring areas. Landlines and cellphones aren't working in Estes Park, where the only functioning way to communicate with the outside world is via ham radio. With rain likely to continue today, President Obama declared a state of emergency for the state last night, CNN reports. |
Tiger Is No. 1 for 1st Time Since 2010 | (Mar 25, 2013 1:06 PM CDT) Maybe it's the luck of Lindsey? Tiger Woods is back to No. 1 in the world with a game that looks as good as it ever has. He last held the top rank in 2010. Woods tied a PGA Tour record today by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the eighth time. He never let anyone closer than two shots in the final round at Bay Hill, closing with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Justin Rose. Next up is the Masters in two weeks, when Woods will try to end his five-year drought in the majors. Rickie Fowler tried to stay with Woods until hitting two shots into the water on the 16th and making a triple bogey. Woods tied the tour record of eight wins in a single tournament. Sam Snead won the Greater Greensboro Open eight times. Click for more on Sergio Garcia, who ended up hitting a ball out of a tree at the Arnold Palmer Invitational yesterday. |
Billionaire Buys Real Madrid 2 Soccer Stars —for $223M | (Jun 11, 2009 7:08 AM CDT) Cristiano Ronaldo is now the highest-paid soccer star in the world, after the Portuguese winger was traded from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a record-breaking $131 million. It's Real's second eye-watering acquisition; on Monday, the club signed Brazilian forward Kaká from AC Milan for $92 million. As the Times of London reports, the two new players mark a splashy entrance for Florentino Perez, the Spanish billionaire who took over the club last week. |
Borders Closing 30% of Stores | (Feb 16, 2011 6:58 AM) It's not exactly the most surprising news of the day: Borders is filing for bankruptcy protection and will shutter about 30% of its stores—or about 200 locations—over the next few weeks. The 40-year-old company, which has struggled in the face of competition from Amazon, the Kindle, and deep-discounters Walmart and Target, will receive $505 million in so-called debtor-in-possession financing from GE Capital and others to help it reorganize, reports the AP. |
Corrupt NY Dem Leader Gets 12 Years | (May 4, 2016 12:05 AM CDT) Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a backroom master whose name was synonymous with political power in New York for a generation, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison, destined to take his place atop the state's crowded lineup of crooked politicians behind bars. Silver, a 72-year-old Manhattan Democrat, lowered his head slightly and closed his eyes briefly as a stern US Judge Valerie Caproni announced his fate, the AP reports. I hope the sentence I impose upon you will make other politicians think twice until their better angels take over—or, if there are no better angels, perhaps the fear of living out his golden years in an orange jumpsuit, said Caproni, who also ordered Silver to forfeit $5.3 million and pay a $1.75 million fine. Silver led the Assembly for more than two decades before he became the centerpiece of one of New York's steepest political falls from grace. He was convicted last year in a $5 million corruption case alleging he traded favors to enrich himself and then lied about it. I believe in the justice system, and we will pursue all remedies that are available, Silver said as he left court. He's free on bail for now; he's scheduled to report to prison July 1. His sentencing was a marquee moment in Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara's quest to clean up a state government he has called a cauldron of corruption. Silver's former state Senate counterpart, Republican ex-Majority Leader Dean Skelos, is due to be sentenced later this month on his own corruption conviction. |
D'Angelo Cuts Album for First Time in 14 Years | (Dec 15, 2014 10:15 AM) R&B icon D'Angelo released a new album last night—notable because it's his first album in 14 years. Questlove, who's one of the many contributors featured on the album, played Black Messiah at a Manhattan hotel bar listening party, telling the audience, It's a passion project, and it's everything. I don't really want to give a hyperbolic or grandiose statement, but it's everything. It's beautiful, it's ugly, it's truth, it's lies. It's everything. Rolling Stone says it's D'Angelo's most political album, and D'Angelo himself says, It's about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen. |
No Pets for 3 Years After Man's Puppy Drinks Vodka | (Jan 5, 2012 1:13 PM) Attention dog owners: Next time you're drinking vodka and Coke, don't leave your glass on the floor. Matthew Cox, 26, did just that, went outside to have a cigarette, and returned to find that his 6-month-old Labrador puppy, Max, had finished his drink for him. The Brit was too drunk to help the swaying puppy, and ended up leaving him with his roommate when he went out to DJ, the BBC reports. Now Cox has been banned from having a dog for three years, and Max has found a new home. Police were alerted to the situation by two girls who saw Max, staggering and falling, outside stores near Cox's home. Officers later found Max at Cox's home, the Daily Mail reports. They brought him to a vet for emergency treatment, where he was put on an IV drip for nearly a full day to recover. Cox pleaded guilty to failure to ensure an animal's welfare, and the judge who handed down the three-year ban called his actions just downright stupid. |
7 Injured in Folsom Prison Riot | (Aug 28, 2010 7:24 AM CDT) Seven Folsom State Prison inmates are in the hospital after guards last night fired shots to quell rioting that broke out about 7pm, reports the AP. It's not clear what prompted the 200 inmates to riot, but the disturbance broke out in the main exercise yard and lasted 30 minutes. The prison made famous by Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues is on lockdown as officials investigate. |
Biggest Gator Ever Caught Topped 1K Lbs., Broke Scale | (Aug 18, 2014 10:21 AM CDT) A group of Alabama hunters are celebrating the catch of a lifetime: A 15-foot-long alligator weighing more than 1,000 pounds. Al.com reports the monster gator was pulled from the water in south Alabama early Saturday during the state's alligator hunting season. Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries biologists were able to measure the gator at 15 feet, but weighing it posed a challenge. The first attempt completely destroyed a winch assembly used to hoist most average gators. So they had to use a backhoe to lift the animal. It weighed in at 1,011.5 pounds. The gator is the largest ever legally killed by an Alabama hunter. |
Fox Has Top 13 Cable News Shows | (Feb 3, 2010 12:55 PM) Fair and balanced might be cause for lively debate, but Fox News' status as the top dog in cable news isn't—the network scored the top 13 programs in total viewership and the key 25-54 demographic through January. Bill O’Reilly’s show tops the rankings, with Sean Hanitty and Glenn Beck behind him. In the entire cable spectrum, last month found Fox third in viewers, behind USA and ESPN, Mediabistro reports. Its competitors fell far behind: CNN's spot was 24, and MSNBC’s 29. |
1 Dead, 6 Hurt in Alabama Pipeline Blast | (Nov 1, 2016 12:09 AM CDT) An explosion along the Colonial Pipeline in rural Alabama killed one worker and injured six others Monday not far from where the line burst and leaked thousands of gallons of gasoline in September, authorities say. The blast, which sent flames and thick black smoke soaring over the forest, happened near Helena, south of Birmingham, about a mile away from where the pipeline ruptured in September, Gov. Robert Bentley said in a statement. That break led to gasoline shortages across the South. We'll just hope and pray for the best, Bentley said. Georgia-based Colonial said in a brief statement that it had shut down its main pipeline in the area, the AP reports. Bentley said the blast seems to have been an accident. The injured workers were taken to hospitals by helicopter and ambulance, the governor told WBRC; their conditions weren't immediately known. In September, the pipeline leaked 252,000 to 336,000 gallons of gasoline, which led to dry fuel pumps and price spikes in several Southern states—for days, in some cases. There was no immediate indication whether Monday's explosion will lead to similar shortages. Plagued by a severe drought after weeks without rain, the section of the state where the explosion happened has been scarred by multiple wildfires in recent weeks, and crews are working to keep the blaze from spreading across the landscape. |
Perry Tax Plan Would Cost Feds $1T: Study | (Nov 1, 2011 1:30 AM CDT) Under Rick Perry's flat tax plan, the rich will get richer, the federal government will get poorer, and the poor will stay pretty much where they are, according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. The center's study predicts that Perry's plan would cut government revenue by some 27%, costing it just under $1 trillion by 2015. The income of the top 0.1% of taxpayers would soar 37% under the plan, while the bottom 20% would be just 0.6% better off. The plan is exactly what you would expect out of a tax like this, a senior fellow at the center tells Reuters. The plan is really redistributing income greatly toward the top end, he says. A spokeswoman for Perry's campaign says the center's report confirms all income groups will be better off. Perry—who calls the plan Cut, Balance, and Grow —says the economic growth his plan would create would more than make up for government loss of revenue, leading to a balanced budget by 2020. |
GM Loses $9.6B in Q4, Guzzles $6.2B in Cash | (Feb 26, 2009 7:08 AM) General Motors burned through $6.2 billion in cash on its way to losing $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter, the company announced today, dragging its liquidity down to $14 billion. Analysts were expecting a loss, but not one this ghastly—the company’s stock is down nearly 24% in pre-market trading, the Wall Street Journal reports. The figures include $4 billion in federal loan money. |
$5M African Leadership Prize Goes to Nobody ... Again | (Oct 15, 2013 2:32 AM CDT) A Sudanese tycoon who created a $5 million prize to promote good governance in Africa is having a tough time giving his money away. For the second year in a row, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has decided none of the continent's leaders or governments are worthy of the prize, which has been awarded just three times since its inception in 2007, reports the Los Angeles Times. To win the prize—which pays out $5 million over 10 years followed by an annual $200,000 for life—leaders must have been democratically elected, have left office over the previous three years, and have displayed exceptional leadership. Ibrahim, who is not a member of the committee that awards the prize, says he has no intention of changing the criteria despite the lack of winners. It is up to the prize committee to decide whether people meet the standard, the billionaire tells Al Jazeera. We set a very high standard, of course. And we are proud of our prize committee for being credible and tough. His foundation has also released a report on governance in Africa since 2000 that finds most people in the continent's 52 countries are better governed now than they were 13 years ago, but the gap between the best-governed and the worst is getting bigger. |
'Godfather House' for Sale for $2.9M | (Nov 13, 2014 11:37 AM) If you would like to live as Don Vito Corleone lived, you (kind of) can, for just $2.89 million. The 6,248-square-foot Staten Island mansion whose exterior was used in The Godfather is up for sale for that much. As the Staten Island Advance explains, five homes on Longfellow Avenue were used to create the estate, with 110 Longfellow Ave.—the home that's now up for sale—being the principal house. It was surrounded by a faux brick wall and a gate, turning the street leading up to the house into part of a sprawling, well-guarded retreat. Only the exterior was filmed, but the owner has made improvements to the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom interior, some of which involved replicating the interior of the home from the iconic film. For example, there's an office designed to look like the office from the movie, and, a real estate agent says, a door on the first-floor by the dining room that looks like an old wooden 'speakeasy' door that leads down to the basement where there is a pub and a game room. Memorable scenes that show the house include Connie's wedding, and Don Corleone died in the home's backyard, the New York Post reports. |
Museum Pioneer Thomas Hoving Dead at 78 | (Dec 10, 2009 1:36 PM) Thomas Hoving, who helped transform the role of museum curator in his decade at the helm of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, died today. He was 78 and suffered from cancer. I'm a goner, he had told author Michael Gross, who broke the news on his blog this morning. But I have no regrets. I’ve had a terrific life. Hoving took over the Met in 1966, at 35 the venerable institution's youngest director ever. He vastly expanded the hidebound museum's collections, introducing contemporary art and overseeing the installation of the Temple of Dendur in its own glass-walled wing. But his longest-lasting legacy is the blockbuster touring exhibition, which Hoving and J. Carter Brown of the National Gallery of Art in Washington pioneered, the New York Times notes. |
US Hostages' Savior in Iran in 1980 Has Died | (Oct 16, 2015 8:36 AM CDT) Ken Taylor, the Canadian ambassador to Iran who helped smuggle six American hostages home from the country in 1980, died Thursday of colon cancer at the age of 81, his wife tells the AP. For three months, Taylor and his deputy, John Sheardown, hid at their Tehran homes the six US hostages who escaped from the American Embassy after it was overrun by Iranian student radicals on Nov. 4, 1979. Along with the CIA, Taylor helped arrange the hostages' escape by procuring plane tickets and fake Canadian passports. It was an incredibly risky operation that included passport foul-ups and a suspicious airport official, but the six hostages flew to safety from Tehran's airport on Jan. 28, 1980, the New York Times reported. Taylor's Iran exploits were chronicled both in the 2013 documentary Our Man in Tehran and in Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning Argo, though critics complained of the latter movie's inaccuracies, saying it minimized the Canadians' role in the rescue and gave most of the credit to the CIA. Canada was not merely standing around watching events take place, Taylor told the Toronto Star in 2012. The CIA was a junior partner. (Affleck later apologized and reworked the closing credits that mentioned Taylor's role, the Atlantic notes.) Meanwhile, Taylor's wife of 50 years, Pat, remembers one of her husband's most notable traits: his generous spirit. He did all sorts of things for everyone without any expectation of something coming back, she tells the AP. It's why that incident in Iran happened. There was no second thought about it. |
China Entrepreneurs Peddle US Citizenship for $1,475 | (Jul 17, 2010 3:32 PM CDT) US citizenship may be a priceless commodity to many, but it China it runs $1,475 (airfare not included). Entrepreneurs have set up a surprisingly efficient system to take advantage of the provision that babies born on US soil are entitled to citizenship, the Washington Post explains. Expectant moms are flown to the US a month before their due date to a Chinese baby-care center in California. There they get all the comforts of home, provided by a Chinese-speaking staff, plus shopping and sightseeing trips. The 3-month trip is entirely legal, say organizers, even if expectant moms usually fudge and say they're coming over on a vacation. Many Chinese parents who take advantage of the businesses are sold on the prospect of getting their kids a free education in US public schools. |
Berlusconi Admits Giving Teen $63K | (Apr 12, 2011 1:59 AM CDT) Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has admitted paying $63,000 to the erotic dancer he's charged with bedding when she was a minor. But he insists it wasn't for sex. He merely wanted to help her equip her planned beauty salon with hair removal equipment, says the 74-year-old leader. He's trying to reconcile the irreconcilable, scoffed a critic. He says he gave money to the the teen, nicknamed Ruby Heartstealer, because he worried she would become a prostitute unless she could establish some other business, reports the Telegraph. The girl told me a very sorrowful story, which moved me. So I gave her a chance to open a beauty clinic, he said. Outside the courtroom yesterday, the prime minister called the charges against him laughable, unfounded and demented. |