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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
