Friday, March 5, 2010

Texas police warn spring breakers


Texas police warn spring breakers: Stay out of Mexico border towns

The Texas Department of Public Safety took the unprecedented step Thursday of telling college students not to visit Mexican border cities during spring break because they are just too dangerous.

Several universities issued similar warnings last year, but this was the first time the Texas law enforcement agency had issued the specific advisory against travel, said spokeswoman Tela Mange. In the past, she said, Texas authorities had just urged students to be careful.

"Because of the increased violence, we decided to step it up a little bit and say, 'Parents, bad idea,'" Mange said.

DPS Director Steven C. McCraw said, "Parents should not allow their children to visit these Mexican cities because their safety cannot be guaranteed."

The State Department renewed a travel alert to Mexico last month, citing increased violence in the country -- border areas in particular.

"Recent violent attacks have caused the U.S. Embassy to urge U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to parts of Michoacan, Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua ... and to advise U.S. citizens residing or traveling in those areas to exercise extreme caution," the alert says.

More than 16,000 people have died in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels shortly after assuming office in December 2006. Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua state across the border from El Paso, Texas, is the most violent city in the nation.

"The situation in the state of Chihuahua, specifically Ciudad Juarez, is of special concern," the alert says.

Two U.S. citizens were abducted and killed in Chihuahua, the State Department said.

"Mexican authorities report that more than 2,600 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez in 2009," the report states. "Additionally, this city of 1.3 million people experienced more than 16,000 car thefts and 1,900 carjackings in 2009. U.S. citizens should pay close attention to their surroundings while traveling in Ciudad Juarez, avoid isolated locations during late night and early morning hours, and remain alert to news reports."

But the problems are not limited to Juarez, the State Department says.

"Mexican drug cartels are engaged in violent conflict -- both among themselves and with Mexican security services -- for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border," the report says. "In order to combat violence, the government of Mexico has deployed military troops throughout the country. U.S. citizens should cooperate fully with official checkpoints when traveling on Mexican highways.

"Some recent Mexican army and police confrontations with drug cartels have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey. During some of these incidents, U.S. citizens have been trapped and temporarily prevented from leaving the area."

A number of areas along the border continue to experience a rapid growth in crime, with robberies, homicides, petty thefts and carjackings increasing during the past year nationwide, the alert says. The State Department reports notable spikes in Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and northern Baja California.

"Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana and Nogales are among the cities which have experienced public shootouts during daylight hours in shopping centers and other public venues," the alert says.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Man charged with killing California teen pleads not guilty


Man charged with killing Cali

fornia teen

pleads not

guilty

A registered sex offender was charged Wednesday with rape and murder in connection with the disappearance of a California girl.

John Albert Gardner III, 30, pleaded not guilty to all charges, which stem from last week's disappearance of Chelsea King, 17, of the San Diego, California, area.

The charges against Gardner make him eligible for the death penalty, the San Diego County district attorney's office said Wednesday. The office said it has not yet determined whether it will seek capital punishment.

Gardner, of Lake Elsinore, California, will not be allowed to post bail.

Gardner was also charged Wednesday with assault with intent to commit rape in connection with an attack on a jogger in December 2009.

Searchers found a body Tuesday that they believe to be King's. Police arrested Gardner on Sunday.

Gardner is a registered sex offender, according to Steve Walker, a spokesman for the San Diego County district attorney.

King has been missing since February 25. Investigators say she was last seen at her school in Poway, about 15 miles north of San Diego. Her car, with her cell phone inside, was found at Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

On Tuesday, searchers found remains in a shallow grave at that park; they were found along the shoreline of a tributary south of a lake, authorities said.

"There is strong likelihood that we have found Chelsea," San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said at a news conference Tuesday. He said he expected a positive identification of the body to come Wednesday.


The body was found in a heavily wooded area not visible from nearby homes. A shoe had been found earlier in the same area, the sheriff said.

"Now that we have filed charges, our primary focus is obtaining justice for Chelsea King and her family," San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis said Wednesday. "I also want to acknowledge the dedication of all the volunteers who helped in the search for Chelsea."

Police said Wednesday that the garage door of the home of Gardner's mother was spray-painted with a message saying that King's blood is on her hands. "Chelseas (sic) blood is on you move out," the message said, according to San Diego police spokesman Gary Hassen.

Gardner's next court appearance, a status hearing, is scheduled for Tuesday. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 18.

Friday, February 19, 2010

NIU Shooting


NIU Shooting

According to the university's Web site, the campus was originally on lock down, but is now open and classes will be held as usual.

A suspect is in custody, but no name has been released, according to the Sun-Times.

This is the second shooting at NIU; last week marked the two-year anniversary of a shooting

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Obama's nuclear power push faces obstacle: Waste




Obama's nuclear power push faces obstacle: Waste

President Obama's announcement Tuesday of loan guarantees for nuclear power plants may encourage new construction, but a problem still remains that has plagued atomic energy for decades: what to do with nuclear waste?

On the left, opponents of nuclear power say the president should not be using taxpayer money to help build more power plants that will produce even more radioactive material, so long as the government has not figured out where to put it all.

"We haven't found a solution for the 100 nuclear power plants operating," said Stephen Smith of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. "And waste is building up on-site, with no solution."

On the right, critics fault the president for leaving the country without a plan for disposing of the waste, when he decided to pull the plug on the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada. The government spent billions of dollars studying the location.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, said the president's decision was "spectacularly misguided, and breaks a promise" made "decades ago" by the federal government to handle the waste.


Sanford accused Obama of making a "Chicago-style" political play to help Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, who faces a tough re-election bid in a state where the Yucca Mountain plan was unpopular. But the White House points out that the president opposed the site since he was campaigning as a candidate, on the grounds of scientific and security questions.

Reid echoed those security concerns, saying any transportation of nuclear materials across the country could open a vulnerability.

"Leave it on-site where it is," he said last year. "You don't have to worry about transporting it. Saves the country billions and billions of dollars."

Currently, 70,000 tons of radioactive waste are stored at more than 100 nuclear sites around the country, and 2,000 tons are added every year.

After uranium has been used in a reactor, the spent fuel remains radioactive for thousands of years. It is taken out and put into a pool of water, or above ground in canisters made of concrete, steel, and lead. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the canisters are currently certified for up to 90 years of use, but that term may be extended.

During a visit to the Dresden nuclear plant in Illinois a few years ago, Christopher Crane of Exelon Nuclear stood next to a storage cask and showed CNN how little radiation escapes.

"If you stood here for an hour," he said, "you would pick up the same amount of radiation as you did by flying from Washington to Chicago to visit us today."

But both supporters and opponents of nuclear power largely agree that storing the material in casks at nuclear plants is no long-term solution.

"This generation was responsible for creating the waste," says Jack Edlow, whose Washington-based company transports nuclear material, "and this generation should make the decision to focus on it."

In January, the Obama administration announced a blue-ribbon panel would take a new look at the problem, headed by former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton and former Republican National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.

Commercial flights to Haiti to resume Friday


Commercial flights to Haiti to resume Friday

American Airlines announced Tuesday it will resume commercial flights into Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday, making it the first airline to do so.

Commercial flights ended on January 12, when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and damaged many of the country's buildings, including some at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in the capital.

The first flight will depart Miami International Airport in Florida at 6:40 a.m., arriving at 8:35 a.m. in Port-au-Prince, American Airlines said in a news release.

"This is that crack in the dam that we so badly needed and our passengers so badly wanted, to start moving regularly scheduled traffic into and out of Haiti," spokesman Tim Smith told CNN Radio.

"We'll start out with three main flights a day from south Florida, two from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale. Then we'll also fly a JFK New York flight into Haiti four days a week."

Smith said that, despite damage to the airport, the airline was prepared to deal with passengers.

"One of the things we did very soon after the earthquake is that, as we were going in carrying relief supplies, we also sent in some American employees and folks from a construction firm that we worked with on the mainland to actually begin working to repair our facilities there at the Port-au-Prince terminal."

Haitian customs officials will work out of a cargo facility because of damage at the main terminal, Smith said.

"These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild," Peter Dolara, American's senior vice president for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, said in the news release.

"With commercial air service restored, we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti."

Also beginning March 12, American Eagle will commence new service into Port-au-Prince from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and daily flights from the Dominican Republic cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago.

"We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake, but with support from companies like American Airlines, we hope it won't be nearly as long," said Ralph Latortue, consul general of Haiti in Florida.

American has served Haiti since 1971 and employs more than 100 people in Port-au-Prince, according to the airline.

Since the day after the earthquake, American Airlines and American Eagle have continued flying into and out of Haiti -- carrying relief workers, medical personnel, humanitarian aid and evacuating hundreds of people.

A spokeswoman for Spirit Airlines, which had a daily flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, said the company was working to gain approval to resume its flights beginning Friday.

"We're awaiting the response from the airport," said spokeswoman Misty Pinson.

A spokesman for Delta Air Lines said it was working with Haitian authorities to reinstate service "as quickly as possible."

The work on the American Airlines terminal was carried out by Odebrecht, a Sao Paulo, Brazil-based construction company that built American's terminal at Miami International Airport, said spokeswoman Renata Pinheiro.

A cargo building that was undamaged by the earthquake was transformed into a terminal, and immigration and customs services were located there, she said.

A terminal that suffered only minor damaged was fixed. "It wasn't a reconstruction of the airport itself, it was really making it operational," she said about the effort.

The company's workforce of 75 included 30 Haitian baggage handlers who "became construction helpers," she said. "Odebrecht's people trained them to do welding and painting. The really cool thing that we're super happy about is the fact that the whole thing came about in just three weeks."

Among the toughest challenges was finding construction supplies, the company said in a news release. Odebrecht solved that by obtaining materials in Puerto Rico and sending them by barge to the Dominican Republic, then moving them by truck to the Haitian capital.

"This has been a genuine labor of love, but also one of absolute commitment," said Antonio Pinto, Odebrecht's project executive in Haiti. "In the most basic human terms, it is essential to reopen this airport and to reconnect the people of Haiti with their families and friends abroad."

The company's other projects include rebuilding and fortifying levees in New Orleans, Louisiana, under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Bail decision delayed for 10 Americans in Haiti


Bail decision delayed for 10 Americans in Haiti

A decision on whether bail would be granted for 10 American missionaries detained in Haiti may have been delayed Monday because of quake-related electrical problems at the courthouse.

Prosecutors said they couldn't print out their recommendation for the judge to review as scheduled for Monday.

Haiti's Deputy Attorney General Jean Serge Josephon on Saturday said he had decided whether to recommend bail be granted for the Americans, who are charged with trying to take dozens of children out of the country without proper documentation. He said he would return the case file and his recommendation on Monday to Examining Judge Bernard Saint-vil, whose decision about whether to grant bail will be final.

Officials said the decision would likely be delayed until Wednesday.

The Americans face charges of kidnapping and criminal association for trying to take 33 children out of Haiti after the nation's January 12 earthquake.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Saturday that the United States was still waiting to hear from Haitian authorities.

"The Haitian legal system continues to evaluate the charges against the 10 Americans," he said. "And we have received no formal notification from the Haitian government as to resolution of this case."

"So to the extent that the judge in the case might have something to announce, I would expect that would be early next week," Crowley added.

"We're anxious to see the case resolved as quickly as possible," Crowley said.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Deep South braces for rare, deep snow


Deep South braces for rare, deep snow

A rare but powerful winter storm marched across the southern tier of the United States early Friday, spreading rain, sleet, ice and snow from Texas to Georgia.

The Southern states were getting a smaller dose of what their northeastern and mid-Atlantic counterparts have had to put up with this past week, digging out from a pair of record-setting blizzards.

Hundreds of Atlanta flights were canceled for Friday as snow began to bear down on the area.

Delta Air Lines canceled about 800 flights into and out of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and AirTran Airways canceled 32 flights ahead of the storm, according to representatives of the airlines.

The new storm was taking a more southerly route than the previous two. Accumulations of up to 5 inches were predicted for parts of southeast Mississippi and southwest and south-central Alabama overnight Thursday into Friday.

Downtown Atlanta could get as much as 5 inches of snow Friday, beginning at mid-morning, according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport had recorded 9.4 inches by Thursday night. It was the most snow recorded at the airport since 7.8 inches fell on January 15, 1964, and the same amount on January 14, 1917, the National Weather Service said.

Louisiana closed state government offices in 42 parishes for Friday because of the storm.

In Washington, more than 250,000 federal workers were told to report to work on Friday, after having the first four days of the week off because of a pair of winter storms.

"Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than two hours later than they would normally arrive, and employees who cannot report for work may take unscheduled leave," said a statement from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

The first storm dumped more than 30 inches of snow in some places last weekend, while the latest part of the one-two punch dropped 22.5 inches on Baltimore, Maryland; 15.8 inches on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and about 10 inches on Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia; Central Park in New York; and Atlantic City, New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.

Records for total snowfall for the season have been set at Dulles International Airport west of Washington, with 72 inches; Philadelphia, with 70.3; Baltimore, with 70.1; Reagan Washington National Airport, with 55.6; and Atlantic City, with 48.7, according to the weather service.

In the aftermath of what some are calling "Snowmageddon," most power had been restored. Potomac Electric Power Co. said nearly all of its customers in metropolitan Washington will have had their power restored by early Friday evening.

"We're cautiously optimistic," PEPCO spokesman Bob Hainey said Thursday. "Our goal is to get everyone back on as soon as possible."

Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport reopened Thursday, after closing to flights Wednesday afternoon.


Wednesday, February 10, 2010


Deadliest Catch Captain Dies

Deadliest Catch Captain Dies

Capt. Phil Harris, one of the signature personalities that made the reality series "The Deadliest Catch" such a gigantic breakout hit for the Discovery Channel, died Tuesday (February 9) at the age of 53. Harris died of complications from a stroke he suffered on January 29.

"Discovery mourns the loss of dear friend and colleague Captain Phil Harris," a statement from the channel said. "He was more than someone on our television screen. Phil was a devoted father and loyal friend to all who knew him. We will miss his straightforward honesty, wicked sense of humor and enormous heart. We share our tremendous sadness over this loss with the millions of viewers who followed Phil's every move."

Harris was the captain of the Cornelia Marie, one of several crab-fishing boats upon which "The Dealiest Catch" was focused, and one of the few to be featured in every season of the show. Through five seasons, the show depicted the extreme conditions that fishermen face while hunting for crab off the coast of Alaska. Harris' gruff personality, no-nonsense work ethic and acerbic sense of humor made him a fan favorite on the program.

Jake and Josh Harris, the captain's two sons, also issued a statement regarding their father's passing. "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad — Capt. Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end. For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."

The Discovery Channel will air the sixth season of "The Deadliest Catch" some time in 2010.

illinois earthquake

illinois earthquake

The Chicago Tribune reports a medium-sized Illinois earthquake of 4.3 on the Richter Scale hit 48 miles north of Chicago near DeKalb, and was felt by residents in Southern Wisconsin and Iowa early Wednesday.

The USGS reports "a magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 60 miles from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source. A magnitude 5.5 eastern U.S. earthquake usually can be felt as far as 300 miles from where it occurred, and sometimes causes damage as far away as 25 miles."

Earthquakes are rare in the midwest, but do happen. The strongest reported one was 7 on the Richter scale below St. Louis 200 years ago.

Other than shaking dishes in homes, there's no word of major damage.



Tuesday, February 9, 2010

milwaukee school closings

milwaukee school closings


Yesterday on Monday, the city of Milwaukee called a meeting and discussed how they should handle the snowstorm. The Director of Public Works and the regional directors were also invited in the meeting. The team discussed about plans to keep the roads on track as snow falls.

This was the story of last day and now, today’s story says, the city is facing a heavy snowstorm. They have their road crews on roads that are fully prepared to deal with the snowstorm. The trucks are on the line and they know how to clean the city from the snow and how to keep their roads clean. Today, manager Jim Strehlow visited a garage and watched city employees repairing snow equipments like snow plows. He says, they are ready to tackle snowstorm. Their equipments are in good condition.

The Milwaukee County Transit System is also fully prepared. Jackie Janz says they are looking towards the condition of snow. He thinks a long-term snowstorm may help them.

The schools of the city have been closed and city is expecting 4-6 inches of snow. The snow will remain continue to fall till night.

sleeping beauty syndrome

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome


sleeping beauty syndrome

When 15-year-old Louisa Ball takes a nap, she doesn’t mess around. She sleeps for days on end, and no amount of shaking or prodding can fully wake her up.

The British girl has a rare condition called Sleeping Beauty Sickness, but there’s no Prince Charming on the way to rescue her. Doctors don’t know what causes it or how to cure it — only that it strikes teenagers and goes away by itself after eight to 12 years.

Until it goes away, life is groggy ever after.

brooklyn decker




brooklyn decker

For Brooklyn Decker, the next few months will bring a series of firsts.

The North Carolina-raised model, 22, is celebrating her first-ever time as the cover girl on the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue – a spot she landed after five years of posing for the magazine.

"It's shocking and a dream come true!" Decker told PEOPLE shortly after learning that her photo would grace this year's cover.

Another first? Doing a round of talk show interviews to promote her prestigious job. "I've never been on one! I'm kind of freaking out," she said before appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman Monday. "I've done news shows, but I've never done a big talk show."

Monday, February 8, 2010

steve phillips

steve phillips



ESPN.com reports: Former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips said Monday that he knew he had a sex-addiction problem last August, two months before he was fired after having an affair with an ESPN production assistant.

"What I want to do is take ownership," he told Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show. "I made some mistakes ... I'm fully responsible for what I did."

Phillips spoke publicly for the first time since leaving the same clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., that golfer Tiger Woods reportedly attended. He called it a facility for people who are "broken" and "struggling to find answers." He said his focus is "moving forward, trying to save my family."



top super bowl commercials 2010

top super bowl commercials 2010


Let the record show that 2010 was the year of older women being viciously tackled in Super Bowl commercials. It’s about time: These old biddies have been getting away with far too much lately.

Of course until kickoff, 2010 was known as the Year of the Tim Tebow Pro-Life ad, in which the ex-Florida quarterback and his mom teamed to bring America a message funded by that conservative Christian fun bunch, Focus on the Family. The commercial was kept strictly under wraps until Sunday morning, when CBS released what turned out to be a rather timid, benign message which had Mrs. Tebow talking about her “miracle baby.”

But in the version that actually aired during the game, a strange thing happened. As Pam Tebow finished her little spiel, Tim suddenly flashed in from stage left and took her out with a rather aggressive tackle. Well, that’s gratitude for you.

Anyway, it would have been a pretty funny moment, had pretty much the same thing not occurred moments before. In the previous commercial, Betty White — 88 years old and one of the two surviving Golden Girls — is featured in a Snickers commercial, in which she is ruthlessly tackled during a game of pickup football. We then learn that it turns out to be a guy who is just playing like Betty White, until he gets a bite of Snickers.
It kind of took the steam out of the following Tebow ad “surprise,” turning a potentially humorous commercial into a “why does CBS hate older women?” moment. All in all, however, all the hand wringing over the Tebow spot turned out to be for nothing: It seemed to feel more like an FTD spot than something decrying abortion. Final verdict: $2.5 million not well spent.

But the same cannot be said for Coca-Cola, Doritos and Budweiser, who scored big with multiple ads, turning up the creativity meter after a couple of years of Super Bowl ad blandness. Doritos rolled out four spots and asked viewers to vote for their favorite, and Coke presented us with no less than The Simpsons (Mr. Burns loses all his money, and is cheered up by soft drink-wielding Springfield residents). Budweiser probably hit for the highest average of all, including the return of the Budweiser Clydesdales. Folks love their Clydesdales: Two ads featuring the lumbering horses finished second and third, respectively, in a USA Today Super Bowl reader survey last year.

Oh, and CBS reunited Leno and Letterman, with a dash of Oprah, in what will probably be the most talked-about moment of the commercials. Details below.

Here are all the ads in case you for some reason were watching the game and went to the bathroom during the commercials (I mean really, what’s up with that?).

In case you have a sudden desire to attend a movie tonight, it’s no wonder: CBS unfurled ads for upcoming releases "Shutter Island," "Robin Hood," "Prince of Persia," "The Backup Plan" and, most interestingly, "The Last Airbender;" the new M. Night Shyamalan film that actually looks like it might not suck.

Our favorite Super Bowl commercial? Glad you asked. We’ve created a top 5, followed of course by a bottom five, in descending order:

5. Budweiser, "Lost." How to make the show much less confusing and much more awesome.

4. Snickers, "Betty White." Any time you have Betty White getting demolished in game of pickup football, then talking smack, AND Abe Vigoda, that’s pure win right there.

3. Bridgestone, "Orca." I didn’t think anything could one-up the tiger in the hotel room in "The Hangover," but this does. Bridgestone Killer Whale > Free Willy.

2. CBS, "Dave, Oprah and Jay." Only Oprah could get Letterman and Leno to watch the Super Bowl on the same sofa. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the late-night hosts was inserted via CGI. (Editor's note: We thought so too, but it turns out it actually happened.)

1. Coke, "Simpsons." Mr. Burns loses all his money, but the people of Springfield cheer him up with a Coke and a smile. Noteworthy for: Cameo appearance by Spider-Pig, a TV news broadcaster who isn’t Kent Brockman, and only one regular cast member doing a character voice — Pamela Hayden as Milhouse. That saved some bucks, I'll reckon.

drew brees son

The Cutest Saint at Superbowl XLIV 2010 Drew Brees Son Baylen (with Video)

drew brees son

When I thought of all the moments of the Superbowl two come to mind. One the incredible interception in that clinched the game as the Saints took a two touchdown lead over the Colts. The other is the final moment as the cameras caught Quarterback Drew Brees talking to his infant son named Baylen.

I just had to write about it. For the little guy who doesn’t understand the significance yet of what happened can claim he was there the day he’s daddy won the Superbowl. I can’t imagine a day in Drew Brees life in which he will feel prouder and the bond of the emotional moment of bringing his son out onto the field.

I really hope they post an image of his son with the headphones on over his ears, as he was looking taking in the excitement of the crowd. All the while his father is talking at him and the poor kid can’t hear a thing. At least someone thought ahead to put the headphones on him on the first place so his hearing wouldn’t be damaged.

I wanted to relive that moment with Drew Brees and his son Baylen at the Superbowl victory. The closest thing I could find on the internet was the video of that moment. Watch below as a father shares a triumphant moment with his son.