Announcement
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-03-27 00:01 1 Lake Wylie, SC, couple survives Brussels attacks The Georges family in Lake Wylie, South Carolina, routinely travels to Belgium, and was
(2.00/3) in a Brussels airport when it came under attack March 22 from two bombs. John Marks/Lake Wylie Pilot 2016-03-26 13:41 2KB www.heraldonline.com 2 Brussels cancels peace march amid fears ISIS could launch an attack
(2.00/3) Authorities cancelled the march on the Place de la Bourse (pictured) over fears it could not properly police it without drawing resources away from the manhunt for those responsible for the attacks. 2016-03-26 19:57 6KB www.dailymail.co.uk 3 Video: Man Arrested in Murder of California Family The victims were a Santa Barbara doctor, his wife and their 5-year-old daughter. (2.00/3) 2016-03-26 23:37 1KB abcnews.go.com
4 Rolling Stones in Cuba: Band unleashes rock and roll on massive Havana crowd
(2.00/3) The Rolling Stones unleashed two hours of shrieking, thundering rock and roll on an ecstatic crowd of hundreds of thousands of Cubans and foreign visitors Friday night, capping one of the most momentous weeks in modern Cuban history with a massive celebration of music that was once forbidden here. 2016-03-26 22:55 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 5 A year of war that has set Yemen back decades A year after a Saudi-led coalition waded into Yemen's war, the country's president is still (2.00/3) out of sight and the Houthi rebels remain in control of the capital Sanaa. 2016-03-26 19:46 5KB www.bbc.co.uk 6 North Korea warns of strike on Seoul’s presidential palace PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea warned Saturday that its military is ready to attack Seoul's presidential palace unless South Korean President Park Geun-hye (2.00/3) apologizes for 2016-03-26 21:28 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 7 Egypt prosecution detains four linked to Regeni case Egyptian prosecutors have ordered the detention of four people in relation to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, a prosecution official says. 2016-03-26 20:39 3KB www.news24.com (2.00/3)
8 Apl.de.ap honored for saving babies from blindness LOS ANGELES—As premature babies fight for life, many of them also face the risk of losing their eyesight if they don’t get proper diagnosis and treatment. Apl.de.ap, the 2016-03-27 00:01 3KB globalnation.inquirer.net 9 Courageous Caitie’s story of pain, hope THE BRUISES and wounds on 3-year-old Caitie Lucas’ frail hands and arms are more than just signs that she is fighting a disease that requires countless needle pricks and frequent trips to the 2016-03-27 00:01 9KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 10 K-12 won’t guarantee good education–Romulo TWO MORE years of senior high school would not guarantee quality education for more than a million students unless the Department of Education (DepEd) admits the inadequacies in the preparation 2016-03-27 00:01 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 11 Crying scenes therapeutic for broken-hearted Jessy Mendiola Jessy Mendiola said crying her heart out on the set has helped speed up the healing of her broken heart. As her character Grace Fontanilla in the recently concluded Kapamilya 2016-03-27 00:01 3KB entertainment.inquirer.net
12 Ex-drug users turn to art for healing A small group of women in uniform white shorts and shirts with name tags sat at a table, hunched over sketchbooks as they worked on improving their drawing skills in a nondescript room in Taguig 2016-03-27 00:01 6KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 13 Local races on; PNP alert level up THE PHILIPPINE National Police stepped up its alert level as the campaign period for local elections kicked off Saturday. “We know local elections tend to get more heated. So we have 2016-03-27 00:01 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 14 Seized North Korean ship released SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The impounded North Korean cargo ship MV Jin Teng set sail on Maundy Thursday after it was removed from the list of vessels subjected to asset freeze by the United 2016-03-27 00:01 2KB globalnation.inquirer.net 15 Cebu mayor faces graft raps for nepotism ANOTHER member of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) has been charged in the antigraft court Sandiganbayan. Incumbent Mayor Teresito Marinas of Barili, Cebu province, has been indicted in the 2016-03-27 00:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 16 The Huey news: Singer hangs with Cubs MESA, Ariz. — How do you follow baby bears? With Huey Lewis, of course. 2016-03-27 00:01 1KB chicago.suntimes.com
17 Pope decries terrorists profaning God’s name ROME—Pope Francis at the traditional Good Friday cross procession denounced those committing “terrorist acts” while profaning God’s name and lamented what he called “anesthetized” 2016-03-27 00:01 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 18 Heavy Russian airstrikes as Syrian army fights IS in Palmyra Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported Saturday. 2016-03-27 00:01 6KB mynorthwest.com 19 Risen Lord changes story of evil–Tagle JESUS’ Resurrection should give people hope that God’s triumph is sure amid local and international events that tempt them to be cynical and pessimistic, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio 2016-03-27 00:01 3KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 20 Hot-headed hunk meets match in beleaguered bully Fans are largely unaware that Handsome Hunk has a nasty temper. Well, HH met his match in Troubled Bully. TB previously attacked another Successful Stud. Perhaps someone is bitter 2016-03-27 00:01 3KB entertainment.inquirer.net 21 Melissa Manchester, David Pomeranz at the Big Dome American singer-songwriters David Pomeranz and Melissa Manchester will perform some of their enduring love ballads in a back-to-back concert on April 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum (call 2016-03-27 00:01 1KB entertainment.inquirer.net 22 Car drives into Dollar Tree in Portage Park A customer was injured when a car drove into a Dollar Tree store in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. 2016-03-27 00:01 1KB chicago.suntimes.com
23 Arroyo, Imee lead unopposed bets DETAINED former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is certain to be reelected Pampanga representative. So are reelectionists Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Baby” 2016-03-27 00:01 8KB newsinfo.inquirer.net 24 Police: waiter stole credit card from customer Idaho Falls police say a waiter at an Ammon restaurant kept a customer’s credit card and used it to make purchases at Home Depot. 2016-03-26 23:59 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 25 Ohio hotel to undergo asbestos removal before demolition Some $217,000 in taxpayer money will be used to remove asbestos from a northwest Ohio hotel, set to be demolished later this year. 2016-03-26 23:59 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 26 2 Indiana bakeries feud over 4-sided doughnuts Two Indiana bakeries share a love for four-sided doughnuts but one of them believes there is room for only one square doughnut-maker. 2016-03-26 22:47 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 27 Woman dies in a single-vehicle wreck in suburban Atlanta Police say a woman has been killed in a single-vehicle wreck in suburban Atlanta. 2016-03-26 23:58 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 28 High court rejects appeal of man filmed having sex with teen A central Pennsylvania man convicted after he was caught on a hidden camera having sex with a 14-year-old girl will not be able to argue his case before the state’s highest court. 2016-03-26 22:47 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 29 Man dies after being struck by cement truck in Columbia Authorities have released the name of a man who died after he was hit by a cement truck in downtown Columbia. 2016-03-26 23:50 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 30 Organization seeks to shield scientists from public scrutiny The group has been a fierce advocate for transparency, regularly championing investigations that rely on public documents to hold government officials accountable. 2016-03-26 23:48 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 31 Alaska Democrats to hold caucuses Alaska Democrats planned to meet Saturday to pick their candidate for president, with caucus sites set up around the state. 2016-03-26 23:48 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 32 Drone racing’s thrills, spills draw pilots of all ages It was just another morning in the park for Chris and Cadence Haskins. Chris arranged his 11-year-old daughter’s flying station - lawnchair, video goggles, controller and antenna. 2016-03-26 23:48 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 33 Changes in bus service markedly different in Dallas, Houston A Dallas public transit agency plans a dramatic overhaul of its bus service, but is taking a far different approach in implementing the changes than how public transportation officials in Houston did so last year. 2016-03-26 23:48 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 34 Ride-hailing service Uber launches service in Montpelier The ride-hailing service Uber is now operating in Montpelier. 2016-03-26 23:48 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 35 Some conservatives don’t plan a run after 2016 session Some Republican lawmakers don’t plan to seek re-election after leaving the 2016 legislative session, which yielded disappointing outcomes for a faction of conservatives. 2016-03-26 23:48 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 36 Motorcyclist killed in collision with vehicle in Chandler A motorcyclist is dead after a collision with a vehicle in Chandler. 2016-03-26 23:48 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 37 Services for developmentally disabled adults in jeopardy For 18 years, school has been a savior for Jessica Zangrillo. Aside from the love of her family, it has been the linchpin that has kept her out of the abyss, or from falling in so far that she couldn’t climb out. 2016-03-26 23:47 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 38 Ashton Carter, Pentagon chief, used personal email account until December Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used his personal email account for government business for nearly a year, until December 2015, when news reports revealed the practice, according to hundreds of Carter emails released by the Defense Department. 2016-03-26 23:47 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 39 Analysis: Obama stirs calls for change in Cuba. Can it last? For a few short days, President Barack Obama was America’s man in Havana, his challenges to President Raul Castro stunning Cuban citizens who mused openly in the streets about the possibility of political change. 2016-03-26 23:45 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 40 Belgian nuclear facility guard shot dead; his security badge was stolen Just two days after terrorists attacked the Brussels airport and subway system, a security guard for a Belgian nuclear facility was murdered and his security access badge was stolen, Belgian media reported Saturday. 2016-03-26 23:45 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 41 Eastern Panhandle cheerleaders to compete in championship The All-Star Legacy WV’s eXplicit Small Coed 5 2015-16 all-star cheerleading team made history recently as the first in the Eastern Panhandle to qualify for the United States All Star Federation Cheerleading and Dance World Championship. 2016-03-26 23:41 4KB www.washingtontimes.com 42 Team reflects on 42-game winning streak 60 years later At the Hopkins Academy graduation of 1956, 10 girls and 11 boys received diplomas. 2016-03-26 22:01 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 43 No signs yet from state on exit-conversion launch Unlike other states, Massachusetts may well have been planning to roll out a major project to change exit numbers on highways without first informing the public, according to public records obtained by the Telegram & Gazette. 2016-03-26 22:02 6KB www.washingtontimes.com 44 Child death in Gwinnett apartment pool accident leaves questions Emotional reaction was the norm after a 4-year-old boy died Friday after being found unresponsive in an apartment swimming pool in Gwinnett County. 2016-03-26 22:24 930Bytes www.ajc.com 45 Uttarakhand row: Rebels' sting claims CM 'horse-trading', Harish Rawat rejects charge Congress' rebel legislators in Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat which, they alleged, showed him indulging in horse-trading to save his government, prompting BJP to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention for his dismissal 2016-03-26 22:21 4KB www.mid-day.com
46 Anti-Trump double agents undermining election process Contact WND (POLITICO) – Donald Trump triumphed in South Carolina’s primary last month. Now, the state could be ground zero for his undoing. Ted Cruz and John Kasich are aggressively mobilizing allies to recruit and elect their own South Carolina loyalists to the national Republican convention – scheduled for late July in Cleveland. All 50 of South […]... 2016-03-26 21:49 1KB www.wnd.com 47 The man who proved Christian slaves were not slothful Contact WND Richard Allen was born to slave parents in Philadelphia and sold with his family to a plantation in Dover, Delaware. As a young man, Richard’s master, Stokley Sturgis, gave permission for him to attend Methodist religious meetings where he learned to read. In the... 2016-03-26 21:49 4KB www.wnd.com 48 GOP senator breaks ranks to meet with SCOTUS nominee Contact WND (NBC News) Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk broke against his party and is set to become the first Republican senator to meet with Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, on Tuesday, his office confirmed with MSNBC on Friday. The announcement comes a week after Kirk took a shot at his Republican colleagues for refusing […]... 2016-03-26 21:49 1KB www.wnd.com 49 Hillary leads to more war: Her latest speech on Israel is just the newest horrific example She just gave a clear statement of her foreign policy agenda — and it isn't a pretty picture for the world 2016-03-26 16:38 2KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 50 Yahoo - Introducing Fair Play on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy Yahoo Launches Key Changes in Daily Fantasy to Help Level the Playing Field for Fans Including Entry Limits, Labeling of Veteran Players and No... 2016-03-26 20:36 2KB investor.yahoo.net 51 Transgender to take on Mamata Banerjee in Bengal polls Adding a 'third' dimension to the West Bengal assembly polls and aspiring to be the voice of the society's 2016-03-26 21:46 3KB www.mid-day.com 52 Yahoo - Yahoo Appoints Two New Board Members --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that its board of directors has increased its size from seven to nine directors and appointed the following two new independent directors, effective. With the additions of Cathy and Eric, the board returns to the size it was on , prior to the resignations of and Charles Schwab..... 2016-03-26 20:36 3KB investor.yahoo.net 53 Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base - CNN.com Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at California's Edwards Air Force Base after NASA waved off two opportunities for a Florida landing because of poor weather. 2016-03-26 21:11 3KB rss.cnn.com 54 BC-SOC--Italian Standings Empoli 0, Palermo 0 Roma 1, Inter Milan 1 Atalanta 2, Bologna 0 Frosinone 0, Fiorentina 0 Sampdoria 0, Chievo 1 Sassuolo 1, Udinese 1 Torino 1, Juventus 4 Ve... 2016-03-26 20:25 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk
55 Black Hawk helicopters deployed for Kansas wildfire Firefighters trying to snuff out the biggest wildfire in Kansas history are getting help from military helicopters - and a potential assist from looming rain or snow. 2016-03-26 21:38 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 56 It wasn’t “politically correct” when W. said it: Why Trump’s Islamophobia is a dangerous American bellwether The right has called Obama weak for preaching tolerance toward Muslims. What about when Bush did the same? 2016-03-26 18:37 3KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 57 Election Rundown: The ‘Stab v. the Grassroots KMorgan 1172 posts 2016-03-26 20:03 12KB www.thetribunepapers.com
58 Roy Hodgson: Dele Alli can become my Bryan Robson for England Roy Hodgson believes Dele Alli can become the new Bryan Robson and will give the Tottenham teenager another chance to shine when inexperienced England face w... 2016-03-26 21:33 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 59 Mo Farah takes bronze as Kenyans dominate in Cardiff Double Olympic champion Mo Farah had to be content with third place at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff as Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor recovere... 2016-03-26 21:32 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 60 Amsterdam ArenA salutes Johan Cruyff - and could soon bear his name An emotional tribute to Johan Cruyff on Friday night saw play stopped in Holland's friendly against France for a minute's applause at a stadium that could so... 2016-03-26 21:32 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 61 Rock Hill church members carry cross to re-enact Christ's journey Members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Rock Hill and a few friends gathered at Cherry Park on Good Friday to re-enact Christ carrying the cross more than 2,000 years ago. The nearly two-dozen people took turns carrying the cross down Cherry, Mt. Gallant... 2016-03-26 19:46 3KB www.heraldonline.com 62 “She was the kind of New York person I hate!” : This couple met IRL and stayed together despite a rocky first impression Remember when people dated in real life? VIDEO 2016-03-26 18:37 1KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 63 Ailing Nadal retires from Miami Open as Wawrinka, Kvitova fall Ailing Rafael Nadal, struggling to cope with heat and humidity, retired from his second- round match on Saturday at the ATP and WTA Miami Open, handing 94th-r... 2016-03-26 21:17 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 64 Probing the cosmos: Is anybody out there? - CNN.com From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe. 2016-03-26 18:56 6KB rss.cnn.com 65 Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years - CNN.com NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington. 2016-03-26 14:03 5KB rss.cnn.com
66 Yahoo - Yahoo to Participate at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) CFO will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Morgan Stanley in. The session is scheduled to begin on , at /... 2016-03-26 20:11 1KB investor.yahoo.net 67 Trumped again: The diabolical GOP frontrunner slimes Cruz, shames Fox & controls the news cycle Did Trump plant the Enquirer's sleazy Cruz story? Who knows? It served his cruel, clownish genius either way 2016-03-26 19:44 7KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 68 Brussels attack victims came from Belgium and around world BRUSSELS (AP) — Victims of the attacks on Brussels' airport and subway included commuters heading to work and travelers setting off on long-anticipated vacat... 2016-03-26 21:06 9KB www.dailymail.co.uk 69 Turkish soldier killed in N. Iraq after Islamic State fires rockets - army ISTANBUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in northern Iraq on Saturday when rockets fired by Islamic State during clash... 2016-03-26 21:05 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 70 A new treatment for head trauma: Inducing deep sleep may protect our brains A study out of Zurich could improve the way we treat concussions and neurological disorders like Alzheimer's 2016-03-26 19:44 4KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 71 “Donald Trump is like ebola, Ted Cruz is like Zika”: Bill Maher breaks down the GOP’s horrifying choices On last night's "Real Time," Maher hilariously examined how Republicans ended up the two worst candidatews VIDEO 2016-03-26 19:53 1KB salon.com.feedsportal.com 72 CCTV footage released of Briton's 'brutal' murder in San Francisco Police in San Francisco have released footage of the "brutal" murder of a 44-year-old Briton assaulted in a street robbery. Paul Tam was walking with his nie... 2016-03-26 20:46 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 73 Threats continue following Oregon wildlife refuge takeover SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Officials say threats against police and public officials that started within hours of the Jan. 26 death of ranching standoff leader Rober... 2016-03-26 20:45 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 74 Shock departures hit The Voice ahead of live show The Voice has been rocked by the shock departure of two contestants just before Saturday night's first live show. As the BBC One talent series got under way,... 2016-03-26 20:44 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 75 Teachers set for strike ballot over academies proposal Teachers will ballot for strike action after outright rejecting the Government's controversial academies plan. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT... 2016-03-26 19:37 5KB www.dailymail.co.uk 76 1 million Texans with guns Contact WND (KRLD-AM) The latest spike in License to Carry gun applications is expected to take Texas past a significant milestone. CHL Licensed Instructor Michael Cargill owns Central Texas Gun Works. He says the 140 percent jump in applications from December 2015 through February is caused by a combination of fears of terrorism brought on by the […]... 2016-03-26 20:38 1KB www.wnd.com
77 Sunday deadline to register for Rhode Island primary Sunday is the deadline to register for the Rhode Island presidential primary. 2016-03-26 20:33 1KB www.washingtontimes.com 78 Chinese flags defaced in Prague ahead of Xi visit Chinese flags hoisted in the Czech capital Prague ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping are defaced. 2016-03-26 19:46 1KB www.bbc.co.uk 79 After bleak week, Pope Francis offers Easter message of hope VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was wrapping up a bleak week in Europe by presiding Saturday night over a solemn vigil service and ushering in Easter celebr... 2016-03-26 20:29 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 80 "Do not drink" water advisory lifted in Louisiana town BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana health officials Saturday lifted a notice advising people in the small town of Donaldsonville not to drink the water after ... 2016-03-26 20:25 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 81 Tacoma family keeps up search for downed Korean War pilot As a boy, Albert Paffenroth Jr. walked to the edge of a fence around the runway at Johnson Air Force Base in Japan to watch his dad and other pilots lift into the sky in their B-26 bombers. 2016-03-26 19:15 3KB www.washingtontimes.com 82 Man appears in court charged with murder of Paige Doherty, 15 A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of 15-year-old Paige Doherty. John Leathem, 31, made no plea during a private hearing at Dumbarton Sherif... 2016-03-26 20:23 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 83 President pleads for 'a new Ireland' as country marks 1916 Easter Rising President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has called for Irish people to take responsibility for building a true Republic. In a keynote address to descendants o... 2016-03-26 20:21 6KB www.dailymail.co.uk 84 TIPPING OFF: The ACC makes quite a statement in Sweet 16 That was quite a show by the Atlantic Coast Conference. 2016-03-26 19:12 2KB www.washingtontimes.com 85 Brussels Terror Attacks Put Europe on High Alert Security tightens as officials search for clues in deadly bombing. 2016-03-26 19:41 740Bytes abcnews.go.com 86 Miami women's singles round 3 results March 26 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Miami Women's Singles Round 3 matches on Saturday 5-Simona Halep (Romania) beat Julia Goerges (Germany) 6-4 6... 2016-03-26 20:11 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 87 Spieth ousted at Match Play in Texas as Day, McIlroy move on AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jordan Spieth never found his swing and never had a chance Saturday in the Dell Match Play. Louis Oosthuizen didn't trail or make nearly... 2016-03-26 19:57 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk
88 Charged Brussels suspect may be mystery 'man in the hat' bomber By Foo Yun Chee and Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - "The man in the hat" is how Belgium has come to know the country's most wanted suspect i... 2016-03-26 19:49 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk 89 Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise - CNN.com Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft. 2016-03-26 14:03 2KB rss.cnn.com 90 Heavily-pregnant Emma Willis looks sensational The much-loved television presenter looked nothing short of sensational in a business- ready trouser suit as she served up a lesson in maternity glam for all expectant mothers on Saturday. 2016-03-26 19:42 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 91 Hungary's captain fantastic Dzsudzsak denies Croatia BUDAPEST, March 26 (Reuters) - A late free kick by captain Balazs Dzsudzsak earned Hungary a 1-1 friendly draw with fellow European Championship finalists Cr... 2016-03-26 19:41 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 92 Helicopter crew, patient killed in southeast Alabama crash GOODMAN, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Emergency Management Agency says four people were killed in a helicopter crash in southeast Alabama. Alabama EMA spokesman G... 2016-03-26 19:38 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 93 Cargo ship reaches space station on resupply run An unmanned cargo ship packed with science experiment materials plus food, water and clothes successfully docked at the International Space Station on Saturd... 2016-03-26 19:37 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 94 Weatlhy widower found strangled to death in Upper East Side apartment Christopher Cooley (pictured), 78, was seated on a living room couch with a necktie wrapped twice around his neck when the building's super found him in his apartment in New York's 64th Street. 2016-03-26 19:31 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 95 Lewis Hamilton gears up for Bahrain Grand Prix pumping iron in the gym Lewis Hamilton has hit the weights-room in a bid to kick-start his defence of the Formula One title, after the British world champion failed to make a winning start at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend. 2016-03-26 19:26 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk 96 Prosecutors: Man lured kids into making child porn videos TRENTON, N. J. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a New Jersey man created a website that tricked children into committing sexually explicit acts in front of webc... 2016-03-26 19:24 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 97 France players expect emotional evening on return to stadium PARIS (AP) — France's players expect an emotional evening when they return to the Stade de France for the first time since the Nov. 13 bombings at the nation... 2016-03-26 19:23 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk 98 Top US Navy officer jailed over massive bribery scandal A high-ranking US Navy captain is sentenced to nearly four years in jail for passing classified information to a Malaysian defence contractor. 2016-03-26 19:46 2KB www.bbc.co.uk
99 Yemen conflict: 'IS bombings' kill at least 22 in Aden At least 22 people have been killed by three suicide bombings targeting checkpoints in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, officials say. 2016-03-26 19:46 2KB www.bbc.co.uk 100 Brewers RP Smith tears ligament taking off shoe Brewers reliever Will Smith suffered a torn ligament in his right knee while standing on one leg to take off his other shoe when he lost his balance. 2016-03-26 19:18 2KB espn.go.com Articles
Total 100 articles, created at 2016-03-27 00:01
1 Lake Wylie, SC, couple survives Brussels attacks (2.00/3) C. D. Collins of Belmont fixes donated boats then sells them to benefit Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. John Marks/Lake Wylie Pilot 44 fourth and fifth graders at Crowders Creek Elementary School in Lake Wylie were part of the Feb. 29 Black History Wax Presentation sharing important achievements and contributions of notable African-Americans. Catherine Muccigrosso/Lake Wylie Pilot Steele Creek Elementary School STEAM night Feb. 26 exposes grades k-5 to science, technology, engineering, arts and math with hands on activities and demonstrations. By Catherine Muccigrosso/Lake Wylie Pilot Dozens of Carolina Pad Students at Crowders Creek Elementary School gathered around a book tree to celebrate Christmas, but also as a reminder to keep reading. “I’m giving them the gift of words,” said Dorothy Guthrie, media specialist. Video by John Marks Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC, includes touring the garden and outdoor light displays, visits with Santa 6-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday through Dec. 20 and daily 6-9 p.m. Dec. 21-23, holiday crafts nighly through Dec. 24, live entertainment and music through Dec. 24, and more. The garden is open 5-9 p.m. through Jan. 3; closed Christmas Day. Video by John Marks Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce's 27th annual Lights on the Lake Holiday Boat Parade was held Dec. 12 on the main channel, launching from T-Bones on the Lake. By Catherine Muccigrosso The second annual Christmas at the Lake was held in conjunction with the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce's annual Lights on the Lake Holiday Boat Parade Dec. 12, 2015. Christmas at the Lake is held on the lawn of T-Bones on the Lake with warming tents set up by local churches offering treats and drinks, live entertainment, a live nativity scene and visits with Santa Claus. Video by Catherine Muccigrosso Annette and Tim Cooper's front yard Christmas lights display is brightening the path for drivers along Highway 274 into Lake Wylie, SC.
Lake Wylie Boutique expands heraldonline.com Organisers cancel Brussels attacks march news24.com 2016-03-26 13:41 www.heraldonline.com
2 Brussels cancels peace march amid fears ISIS could launch an attack (2.00/3) Brussels has cancelled a peace march on Easter Sunday amid fears that ISIS will use it to launch another brutal attack on the city. Authorities cancelled the march as it would be difficult to properly police without drawing resources away from the manhunt for the dangerous terrorists responsible for the attacks on the Metro and airport that killed 34 and injured more than 300. It had been planned to go through the central Place de la Bourse, which has become a shrine to those who were killed and hurt in the attack, and has been flooded with flowers and tributes to the victims of the attack. Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said: 'Let us allow the security services to do their work and that the march, which we too want to take part in, be delayed for several weeks.' March organisers said: 'The security of our citizens is an absolute priority. We join the authorities in proposing a delay and ask people not to come this Sunday.' The postponement of the Easter Sunday rally underscored the tension in Belgium as police track members of an Islamic State group cell linked to both Tuesday's attacks and the assault on Paris in November. Police are still searching for Mohammed Abrini, who is believed to have played a major role in organising this week's terror attacks. It comes amid fears that ISIS intend to attack a nuclear powerstation after it emerged that a security worker had been shot several times and his clearance pass stolen. Didier Prospero was found in the bathroom of his home in the Charleroi region of Belgium, and while prosecutors have denied a connection, evidence has emerged that the group had planned to target power stations. Senior employees had even met with ISIS members and other employees had had their security passes revoked over alleged ISIS connections. The Brussels terror attacks on Tuesday saw 31 people killed at both Brussels Airport and on the city's Metro at Maalbeck station. Ibrahim El Backraou blew himself at the airport and his brother, Khalid died when he set of the suicide bomb on the crowded Metro train killing 20 people. A total of 11 victims have been formally identified and come from eight different countries. Among those injured are people from 19 different countries. Police arrested the airport suspect officially identified as Faycal C and named by local media as freelance journalist Faycal Cheffou on Thursday night and investigators believe he could be the man pictured in airport surveillance footage alongside two other suicide bombers. The third bomber, wearing a distinctive dark hat and white jacket, has been the subject of a massive manhunt after his device failed to go off in the attack at Zaventem airport. Brussels airport said it will not reopen before Tuesday at the earliest as it implements new security measures and repairs the departure hall wrecked by the bombers, believed to be from the Islamic State group. Ministers insist they did everything possible to prevent Tuesday's attacks and track a network also linked to November's Paris attacks, but the Belgian government is facing a torrent of criticism at home and abroad. Many believe it failed to do enough to stop young Belgian fighters going to Syria, and two senior ministers have offered to resign after it emerged airport bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui had been deported from Turkey as a 'terrorist fighter'. 'It is an endless nightmare for a country turned upside down,' said Le Soir daily in a front-page editorial. Pop diva Mariah Carey on Friday cancelled a show in Brussels, saying she was advised to do so 'for the safety of my fans, my band, crew and everyone involved with the tour.' In contrast, veteran French rock star Johnny Hallyday was going ahead with two planned concerts in Brussels over the weekend. Heavily armed soldiers and police patrolled Brussels and the airport on Saturday, underlining the tense atmosphere in the city that is home to the EU and NATO headquarters. Prosecutors on Saturday charged three people, including Faycal C, who is the first person formally accused over the suicide attacks on the airport and the Maalbeek metro station. He was arrested on Thursday night outside the federal prosecutor's office with three other people and 'has been charged with taking part in a terrorist group, terrorist murder and attempted terrorist murder,' the prosecutor said. Asked if he was the suspected third bomber dubbed the 'man in the hat' alongside bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, a source close to the inquiry said: 'That is a hypothesis the investigators are working on.' Another man arrested in Belgium named as Rabah N was also charged Saturday over a new plot to hit Paris, deepening the connections in what French President Francois Hollande has described as a single terror cell straddling both France and Belgium. French police said Friday they had foiled a terror strike in France by 34- year-old Reda Kriket - previously convicted in Belgium in a terror case alongside Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud - and discovered explosives at his home. A third man, Aboubakar A, was charged with taking part in terrorist activities but prosecutors gave no further details. A suspect shot in the leg Friday at a tram stop in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels is being held for another 24 hours as investigations into the French plot continue. The Franco- Belgian links deepened on Friday when it emerged airport attacker Laachraoui's DNA was found on bombs at the Bataclan concert hall and Stade de France sites in the Paris attacks. Belgium's ageing nuclear power plants meanwhile came under scrutiny as a possible terror risk, with the EU's anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove telling La Libre Belgique newspaper they face the threat of a terrorist cyber-attack over the next five years. Prosecutors confirmed Saturday that a security guard at a medical research facility that used radioactive isotopes had been murdered in Thursday but denied there was any terror link. Officials said Saturday that 24 of the victims from Tuesday's attacks have been formally identified and 101 injured people are still in hospital.
Organisers cancel Brussels attacks march news24.com 2016-03-26 19:57 James Dunn www.dailymail.co.uk
3 Video: Man Arrested in Murder of California Family (2.00/3) Now Playing: Man Arrested in Murder of California Family Now Playing: Ted Cruz, Donald Trump's Campaign Spat Continues to Drag in Spouses Now Playing: Experience the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin Now Playing: Bail Denied for JetBlue Flight Attendant on Cocaine-Possession Charge Now Playing: Lion Cannot Sleep Without His Blanket Now Playing: Eighth-Grade Athlete Already Commits to Penn State Now Playing: Former Colorado Corrections Deputy on Trial for Wife's Death Now Playing: Flight Attendant Accused of Trying to Smuggle Cocaine Turns Herself In Now Playing: Watch a Cat Build an Igloo in the Snow
Canadian man arrested under anti-terrorism law dailymail.co.uk 2016-03-26 23:37 ABC News abcnews.go.com
4 Rolling Stones in Cuba: Band unleashes rock and roll on massive Havana crowd (2.00/3) HAVANA (AP) — The Rolling Stones unleashed two hours of shrieking, thundering rock and roll on an ecstatic crowd of hundreds of thousands of Cubans and foreign visitors Friday night, capping one of the most momentous weeks in modern Cuban history with a massive celebration of music that was once forbidden here. The week opened with the arrival of President Barack Obama in Air Force One, accompanied by more than 1,000 employees of a government that waged a cold war against Cuba for more than 50 years. This time, U. S. forces were armed with briefing books and press invitations, here to seal the president’s 2014 opening to Cuba with a string of expertly crafted public events that saw Obama call for democracy live on state television, then attend a Major League Baseball exhibition game with Cuban President Raul Castro. The week ended with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts firing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” ”Sympathy for the Devil” and “Satisfaction” into a jubilant crowd from 3- story-tall high-definition television screens and thumping towers of speakers. From Sunday evening to late Friday night, it felt as if the full force of the 21st century had landed with bone-rattling impact on an island that still feels mostly cut off from the modern world. “ Havana , Cuba , and the Rolling Stones!” Jagger cried. “This is amazing! It’s really good to be here! It’s good to see you guys!” The Stones romped through 18 of their classics, picking up force as the crowd in the open-air Ciudad Deportiva, or Sports City, jumped and chanted “Rollings! Rollings!” The Rolling Stones were the biggest mainstream rock act to play in Cuba since its 1959 revolution brought a communist government to power and isolated the island from the United States and its allies. At its heyday, Cuba ’s communist government frowned on U. S. and British bands. Fans had to hide their Beatles and Stones albums in covers borrowed from albums of appropriately revolutionary Cuban groups. But times have changed. Former supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Richard Gere and singer Jimmy Buffet partied in the VIP section of the concert. Castro’s son Alejandro, one of the driving forces behind Cuba ’s declaration of detente with the United States, greeted friends and relatives after the show. Far from the Cuban and international elites, ordinary Cubans said they felt shot through with energy, reconnected with the world. “After today I can die,” said 62-year-old night watchman Joaquin Ortiz. “This is like my last wish, seeing the Rolling Stones.” Rivers of spectators flowed north and south from the concert site after the show, watched over by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of security officials. Few were willing to comment on the connections between the concert and Obama’s visit earlier in the week, but many said the concert had implications beyond simple entertainment. “The Rolling Stones being in Cuba at this time is like several steps up the ladder,” said Jennifer Corchado, a 23-year-old biologist. “It’s like three steps up the staircase toward global culture, toward the rest of the world.” Among the spectators was a large contingent of foreign tourists, for whom seeing Cuba was as novel as seeing the Rolling Stones is for Cubans. Ken Smith, a 59-year-old retired sailor, and Paul Herold, a 65-year-old retired plumber, sailed to Havana from Key West, Florida on Herold’s yacht. Story Continues →
Cuba: Rolling Stones rock Havana with landmark gig bbc.co.uk 2016-03-26 22:55 Fans wait www.washingtontimes.com
5 A year of war that has set Yemen back decades (2.00/3) Ahmed Sharif stood on top of a mound of rubble, waving a dinner plate. "The Saudis attacked this," he said. "There was no weapons facility. There was no military site. This was a tourist attraction. " He descended from the wreckage of a house that had stood for 1,400 years to gave me a tour of Kawkaban - an ancient citadel perched on a cliff top. Locals say this Yemeni treasure was hit by Saudi airstrikes in February, killing seven civilians. Mr. Sharif's brother-in-law was one of them. He pointed to fragments of clothing in among the rubble. "That's what's left of him," he said. The dead of Kawkaban are among at least 3,200 civilians killed here in the past year. The United Nations says most were victims of airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. A UN panel has accused the Saudis and their allies of bombing schools, health facilities, wedding parties and camps for the displaced. Saudi Arabia says it makes every effort to avoid hitting civilian targets, but that's little consolation to the burn victim we met in hospital in Sanaa. Abdel Bari Omar survived an airstrike outside the city last month, but only just. The van driver lay in bed, bandaged from the chest down. He was transporting gas cylinders when the fighter jets struck. "The pain is so intense only God can understand," he said, through trembling lips. "Whatever way I turn I am in agony. I'm afraid this pain will stop my heart. " His other fear is about the future of his children now their breadwinner has burns on more than 40% of his body. Saudi Arabia's bombing campaign was supposed to reinstate Yemen's ousted President, Abed Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and contain the Shia Houthi rebels who drove him out. Riyadh claims they are puppets of its regional rival, Iran. A year on, the president remains out of sight, and the Houthis remain in control of the capital. "We can keep fighting forever," said Mohamed Ali Al Houthi, the rebel leader who occupies the Presidency building, and has a traditional dagger in his waistband. "If they continue the war we are ready for that, and if they want peace we want it even more. " The Houthis too are accused of killing innocent civilians by indiscriminate shelling - something they deny. But the troubling questions here aren't only for the warring parties. Yemeni businessman Ghalib al-Sawary wants to know why Britain has played a role in ruining his life's work. He walked me through the wreckage of Radfan Ceramics, a factory outside Sanaa that employed 350 people before the war. Airstrikes last year - which reportedly killed one man - reduced the factory to a shell. "We built it over 20 years," he said, "but to destroy it took only 20 minutes. " Mr Sawary showed me hunks of mangled metal bearing the label of a British manufacturer - GEC Marconi Dynamics - which he says were recovered after the airstrike. He keeps plenty of them, under lock and key. The campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has identified the remnants are part of a British made cruise missile. For Mr Sawary the pain of loss was heightened by the origin of the weapon. "I studied in Britain in 1988. We respect the British people and we like them," he said, "but we are blaming them for supplying this weapon. " Campaigners say the attack on the factory - which appeared to be producing only civilian goods - was an apparent violation of the laws of war. They believe it may also have violated the UK's rules on arms exports. A British government spokesman denied there had been any breach and said the UK had robust controls for arms exports. At a police station in Sanaa, Yemeni security officials put a US made cluster bomb unit on display. They claim it was dropped in the Western suburbs in January scattering deadly bomb- lets over a civilian area. They produced several from a pink plastic shopping bag. The coalition has denied using the weapons, which have been banned by more than 100 countries. Much of the death and destruction here in the past 12 months has gone unseen - one more war in a troubled region. "Yemen was already forgotten, prior to the escalation of the conflict," said Johannes van der Klaauw, of the UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR. He believes the crisis has not had the attention it deserves in part because Yemenis aren't reaching Europe's shores. "I am afraid there is a link," he said. "I see that the international community and particularly Europe has now galvanised more support and also political action because the Syrians and the Iraqis are coming in large numbers to Europe. If the Yemenis would do the same I am sure there would be more attention for Yemen. " For most Yemenis there is no hope of escape, but more peace talks are planned for next month, to be accompanied by a ceasefire. Whatever the outcome, UN officials fear that one year of war has set the Arab world's poorest country back decades.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis mark a year of war, denounce Saudi-led offensive dailymail.co.uk 2016-03-26 19:46 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
6 North Korea warns of strike on Seoul’s presidential palace (2.00/3) In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, photo, missiles are paraded in Pyongyang, North Korea during the 70th anniversary celebrations of its ruling party’s creation. With tensions high and the United States and South Korea preparing to hold their massive annual wargames, Pyongyang is warning it will respond to any violations of its territory with merciless retaliation. AP Photo/Wong Maye-E PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korea warned Saturday that its military is ready to attack Seoul’s presidential palace unless South Korean President Park Geun-hye apologizes for “treason” and publicly executes officials responsible for what Pyongyang says are plans to attack its leadership. The warning, issued by state media in the name of a unit of the Korean People’s Army, is the latest in a barrage of threats against Washington and Seoul over joint military drills now underway that the North sees as a dress rehearsal for invasion. It also came shortly after a North Korean propaganda outlet posted a video depicting a nuclear attack on Washington, D. C. The joint military exercises are held annually, but tensions are particularly high this year because the drills are bigger than ever and come on the heels of North Korea’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch. Further angering Pyongyang have been reports in South Korean media that this year’s exercises include simulated training for a “decapitation strike” targeting North Korea’s top leaders. The warning Saturday said the South Korean presidential palace is within striking range of the North’s artillery units, and that if an order to attack is made it is “just a click away.” North Korea is believed to have artillery capable of striking Seoul with little or no warning and causing severe damage and casualties in the city of 10 million. A strike on Seoul, however, is highly unlikely, and Pyongyang has previously issued similar threats without following through. There were few signs Saturday of the heightened tensions in Pyongyang, where residents went about their daily routines as usual. Earlier on Saturday, the North Korean propaganda website DPRK Today posted a video depicting a nuclear attack on Washington. The four-minute video, titled “Last Chance,” showed a digitally created scene of a missile fired from a submerged vessel in the sea soaring through the clouds, darting back to Earth, and crashing into the streets near Washington’s Lincoln Memorial before the explosion wipes out the city. “Choose, United States. Whether the country called United States continues to exist in this planet depends on your choice,” read a message that flashed on the screen to the background of a burning U. S. Capitol building and American flag. The video also warned that the North would “not hesitate” to attack the United States with its nuclear weapons if “American imperialists even make the slightest move against us.” A similar video got a great deal of attention in 2013, when North Korea also conducted a nuclear test and satellite launch. North Korea has been developing its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, but is not believed to have perfected either enough to pose a credible threat to major U. S. cities.
North Korea propaganda video shows nuclear strike on U.S. washingtontimes.com 2016-03-26 21:28 Associated Press newsinfo.inquirer.net
7 Egypt prosecution detains four linked to Regeni case (2.00/3) Cairo – Egyptian prosecutors ordered on Saturday the detention of four people in relation to the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni, a prosecution official said. Two of them are the wife and a sister of a gang leader whom police have linked to the brutal murder of Regeni, whose mutilated body was found more than a week after his disappearance in Cairo on January 25. They had been arrested in the sister's apartment, where police discovered a bag with Regeni's passport and wallet. The other two are the brother-in-law and brother of the alleged gang leader, who was killed in a shoot-out with police along with three other alleged criminals. The four suspects are accused of concealing a crime and being in the possession of stolen material, the official said, adding they were taken into custody for four days. Egyptian police announced on Thursday that they discovered Regeni's passport and wallet in the home of the leader's sister, hours after the shoot-out. Italy has cast doubt on the suggestion that the gang members – who allegedly posed as police to extort foreigners and Egyptians – were behind Regeni's murder. "Italy insists: we want the truth," wrote Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on his Twitter account, while prosecutors in Rome rejected the latest conclusions of the Egyptian probe. Italian media and western diplomatic sources in Cairo have voiced suspicions that Egyptian security services kidnapped and tortured to death the 28-year-old Cambridge University graduate student. Rome prosecutor Giuseppe Pignatone said in a statement that "details communicated so far are not satisfactory to shed light on the death of Giulio Regeni. Investigations must therefore continue. " According to Italian government sources, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised Regeni's parents that Rome will continue to put pressure on Egypt to establish the full truth behind his death. Quoted by Italian press, the parents have said they were "injured and bitter" at Egyptian authorities' latest attempt to explain their son's death. Regeni had been researching labour movements in Egypt, a sensitive topic, and had written articles critical of the government under a pen name. In a statement late on Friday, the Egyptian interior ministry said it was investigating the gang's links to Regeni's murder. "The investigation apparatus is continuing, in coordination with the Italian security team, in its efforts to examine the gang's links, and the circumstances of the crimes and the areas in which they occurred," the ministry said.
Giulio Regeni: Egypt detains four linked to Italian student's murder bbc.co.uk 2016-03-26 20:39 www.news24.com
8 Apl.de.ap honored for saving babies from blindness LOS ANGELES—As premature babies fight for life, many of them also face the risk of losing their eyesight if they don’t get proper diagnosis and treatment. Apl.de.ap, the Filipino-American member of Grammy award-winning group The Black Eyed Peas, has partnered with one of the top children’s hospitals in the United States to help save these babies from blindness. “I’m paying it forward,” Apl.de.ap, also known as Allan Pineda Lindo, told reporters yesterday after the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) honored him for supporting the hospital’s Vision Center and helping prevent blindness and improve eye care for children in the Philippines. The center unveiled Pineda’s spot on the hospital’s celebrity charity wall, making him the first Filipino to have his name emblazoned on the wall alongside top celebrity donors, including Grammy award-winning British singer Seal and the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team. Pineda, who has an eye condition called nystagmus, is legally blind. Raised by an impoverished single mother in Angeles, Pampanga, he struggled with visual impairment throughout his childhood. “I had difficulties going through school. I couldn’t see the blackboard,” he said. “Imagine being blind growing up in the Philippines. It’s ten times harder. So we really need to help these children.” Staggering numbers To help premature babies, Pineda’s Apl.de.ap Foundation International has partnered with distinguished pediatric eye surgeon Thomas Lee and his team of experts in the renowned Vision Center at CHLA. Lee said two-thirds of premature babies in neonatal intensive care unit would have some form of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and face the risk of going blind. Of those, 10 percent will go blind if they’re not treated. Eighth worldwide “The numbers are quite staggering, and it’s estimated that up to 20,000 children in the Philippines will be at risk per year,” Lee told reporters. The Philippines ranks second in the number of premature births in Southeast Asia and eighth worldwide, statistics show. Many hospitals and physicians in the Philippines lack the training to diagnose the disease afflicting premature babies who don’t have properly formed blood vessels in the retina, the eye’s innermost layer. If not treated within 48 hours of diagnosis, the baby will become permanently blind. Sonia Delen, chair of the Campaign for Filipino Children, Apl.de.ap Foundation International’s health initiative, said they have delivered the first retinal imaging system called RetCams to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao Philippines in October 2015, and will soon deliver the second and third RetCams in 2016 to Iloilo and Pampanga hospitals, respectively. The RetCam is used to screen for ROP to prevent blindness. Prior to the Campaign’s delivery of the RetCams, there were only four of its kind but all concentrated in Manila. The Campaign is providing RetCams to these regional hospitals to help combat blindness caused by ROP. Delen said their partner, the Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology, had trained more than 60 doctors in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of ROP. The campaign estimates that training at least six to 10 medical practitioners in four hospitals will help save 4,380 babies from blindness caused by ROP every year.
2016-03-27 00:01 Nimfa U globalnation.inquirer.net
9 Courageous Caitie’s story of pain, hope THE BRUISES and wounds on 3-year-old Caitie Lucas’ frail hands and arms are more than just signs that she is fighting a disease that requires countless needle pricks and frequent trips to the hospital. For her parents, Feliz and Jayjay, the marks on her limbs are also great reminders of Jesus Christ’s own wounds and the promise of redemption and healing. “Before, I didn’t want to look at all the puncture wounds Caitie has on her wrists and arms. [But] I would always tell her to remember Jesus when he was nailed to the cross [and] had marks, too,” Feliz said. “Hers, in time, will heal and these will be a great reminder of a greater testimony that Christ has given her at such a young age,” added the 30-year-old mother added. Caitie was recently diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) by doctors in Singapore. It is blood cancer so rare that it strikes only one in a million children in the United States and has no known treatment protocol. Chronicled in “Courageous Caitie,” a Facebook page her mother set up, the young girl’s story of pain, bravery and faith has captivated thousands of people, restored friendships diminished by time and distance, and moved even strangers to come together and help the struggling family of four. Her diagnosis came after an agonizing two months of fighting the condition in two prime hospitals in Manila, where she was seen by 33 doctors and underwent several excision biopsies, bone marrow aspirations, multiple blood extractions and transfusions but still didn’t get a definite diagnosis. Early symptoms Early symptoms began in September last year in the form of lesions similar to mosquito bites suddenly appearing in her arms and legs. These were initially diagnosed as a simple case of allergic reaction to insect bites and later on as tuberculosis. But three months later, Caitie’s symptoms worsened despite treatment for the infectious disease: Her skin lesions got bad, spreading to her face, and she developed abdominal pain, an enlarged spleen and liver, and chronic diarrhea. After nearly two months of hospital confinement that began on New Year’s Day and the medical bills ballooned to P4.5 million, three times more than the family’s savings, without a concrete diagnosis, the Lucases took a leap of faith. They flew to Singapore on Feb. 21. Seeking medical treatment abroad meant they had to temporarily leave behind their year-old son in the care of relatives and run their business remotely so they could still raise the amount needed for Caitie’s treatment. Feliz, a known engagement stylist, and her husband, Jayjay, a wedding photographer, run a professional wedding photography and styling studio in Manila. Following their arrival in Singapore, Caitie underwent another battery of tests at National University Hospital, the city-state’s premier medical teaching institution. After 10 days, the couple finally got an answer as to what was ailing their little girl. Anger “Prior to the diagnosis, I didn’t question ‘why’ and I accepted whatever would come knowing it’s His best plan,” Feliz told the Inquirer. “Then came the diagnosis. I honestly asked why. I got angry and almost turned my back on [God],” she said. “I cried why it had to be Caitie. Of all the diseases, why it had to be so rare [but] after crying my heart out in honesty to God, I got to process things and realized that the journey is still better with God in the picture than to turn [my] back on Him because with Him there is hope,” she said. Rather than look at their daughter’s ailment as a curse or a punishment from God, the parents changed their perspective and slowly learned to appreciate the little miracles and blessings it brought to their struggling family. “Instead of anger [and the question of] ‘why us?’ It turned to humility. ‘Why us to receive such a miracle?’ We chose to see the good in things,” she said. Doctors were particularly amazed at how her daughter defied the odds on many occasions and how she was taking pain and suffering beyond her years, Feliz said. At one point, her platelet count plummeted to a dangerous level of 3,000, but she did not bleed as other patients had with a count anywhere below 90,000, she recounted. (A normal platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 400,000.) Caitie also never resisted needle procedures and fasting, making work easy for her doctors and nurses. When in pain, she would merely ask her parents to hold her hands for comfort and distract herself with books and videos of her favorite Bible stories, like David and Goliath. Painting Despite being restricted by wires and drips, even at her lowest blood mark, Caitie would continue to make her confined environment bright and cheerful by keeping busy with colorful arts and crafts and painting, her current favorite hobby. She also did not like passing up on simple tasks like going to the bathroom for a toilet break even during her worst bouts of diarrhea or buttoning up her hospital pajamas. “She knows how to process pain. She would eat on her own, do things on her own. Even if she’s having a difficult time breathing, she would give her best and fix her clothes, talk and try her best to walk even if it was so difficult,” Feliz said. The little girl also knew how to ask for divine help. The mother recalled that upon hearing earlier this month that she could continue treatment as an outpatient, Caitie inquired how she could go home with an IV plug. Prayer The mother suggested that they pray. The little girl obeyed and implored, “Dear Jesus, please remove the wire so I can go home.” “She is indeed more resilient than both of us. We get shattered immediately but her, it’s like nothing unusual … the Lord really sustains her. I guess, it’s God’s way of affirming that He has this and He has been faithful in all aspects,” she said. The deluge of support and help from childhood friends, old classmates, churchmates, colleagues in the industry and strangers touched by Caitie’s example of fortitude and composure has also surprised and overwhelmed the family. “Friends I’ve never seen since grade school would come and visit. Strangers pump breast milk in our room, give money, blood and just give anything and everything they can to help …. Groups that have been disconnected came together after years and teamed up to create fundraising events,” Feliz said. Having a little girl unite these people to spread generosity and exercise selflessness was another thing to be thankful for despite their tough circumstance, she pointed out. “I realized people are drawn to our story because we are genuine in showing our vulnerability— that we are weak, that we get angry too, that we question and we struggle. But at the end of it all, we choose God still,” Jayjay said. In Singapore, the family’s daily needs were sustained by the generosity of Filipinos working there, who would bring them toiletries and homecooked meals daily, take care of their laundry, donate blood in the middle of the night or just give them comforting words, Feliz said. Fundraising events Back home, various groups have voluntarily come up with a host of fundraising events—from marathon photo sessions and makeup tutorials to benefit dinners and garage sales—to come up with P15 million for Caitie’s treatment, which includes splenectomy, cell therapy and a bone marrow transplant. Local artists, young and old, have also joined the fundraising by putting up their works for auction online. Some friends have tapped the crowdfunding platform online GoFundMe, which raised nearly half of the total amount needed for Caitie’s treatment in just 24 days. Feliz disclosed that earlier, the family had contemplated using its tithe to the church to defray hospital expenses but decided against it. “We wanted to put God first. I think because of it, God rewarded us and literally flooded us with His riches,” she said. Only treatment option Caitie recently finished a short course of low-dose chemotherapy. In the next two to three months, she will be undergoing several other procedures that would bring her safely to a bone marrow transplant, the only treatment option for JMML. “It’s risky, scary and more unknown but if God was able to supply all our needs and wants comfortably in all aspects and was able to sustain Caitie for six months since September [even] without diagnosis, then the next three months is an easy leg,” Feliz said. She said the family would move forward one day at a time, pinning its hope on the restoration and joy that would come. “Faith is not just walking on water. It’s knowing that the one whom you put your faith into has already walked on water. So what would stop us from following through?” Feliz said.
2016-03-27 00:01 Jocelyn R newsinfo.inquirer.net
10 K-12 won’t guarantee good education–Romulo TWO MORE years of senior high school would not guarantee quality education for more than a million students unless the Department of Education (DepEd) admits the inadequacies in the preparation for the K-12 program and provides quick solutions for the problems besetting the basic curriculum. In a recent round table interview with Inquirer editors and reporters, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo said the DepEd should address the complexities surrounding the education reform program—including the lack of classrooms and facilities—to ensure that students are properly educated. According to Romulo, citing the birth pains of the K-12 is no excuse, especially with some 1.1 million public school students shouldering the burden that would come with an additional two years of high school, such as additional expenses for school necessities. Of the 1.4 million high school graduates every year, 1.1 million come from public schools. “It’s easy to say that, correct, there are birth pains. But for 1 million to 1.1 million students in public high schools, they will be the ones to bite the bullet, not us. Are we sure they will be able to afford two more years that would provide no value added because the program is not ready?” Romulo said, who is running for senator in the May elections. He said the K-12 program is a good concept but the Philippines is not ready to implement it given the lack of classrooms and facilities. Even the voucher system that would send students from overcrowded public schools to private high schools may not be enough, he said. Not ready “I prefer that the DepEd admits it’s not ready, that it won’t be able to provide quality education. Maybe after one year, two years, they can implement it. At the end of the day, if it’s not ready, it would just be a burden,” he said. “The DepEd should try to do solutions as quick as possible. They know the problems… They have to do something,” he said. “If we don’t point out the mistakes, the shortfalls, the shortcomings now, what will happen is they will proceed with what they have. That’s exactly why we have to be critical, so that they will take steps to improve the system they have now,” he said. The Supreme Court earlier denied pleas to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the K-12 program, paving the way for the DepEd to implement the two additional years of high school by June. That is, unless the court issues a ruling on the petitions questioning the program before the next school year starts. Romulo noted that the department’s expectation was that nearly half—or about 48 percent—of the senior high school students would take the vocational-technical education track, which is supposed to provide them with skills that would enable them to get a job after graduating. But he said there may not be enough jobs available for them. He noted that a memorandum of agreement between education officials and a business group identified the local industries that may consider the technical-vocational high school graduates, but it did not identify the industries’ absorptive capacity. College teachers affected “Are there industries in any locality that will be able to absorb a large amount of graduates? Assuming they could not be absorbed, what would they do?” he said. Romulo, who is chair of the House committee on higher education, stressed the importance of the issues concerning the K-12 program which, he said, would also affect college teachers. The teachers could lose their jobs in the first two years of the program because there would be no freshmen enrolling in college at that time, he said.
2016-03-27 00:01 Leila B newsinfo.inquirer.net
11 Crying scenes therapeutic for broken-hearted Jessy Mendiola Jessy Mendiola said crying her heart out on the set has helped speed up the healing of her broken heart. As her character Grace Fontanilla in the recently concluded Kapamilya teleserye of “You’re My Home,” Jessy had a lot of crying scenes, which she considered “therapeutic.” “I remember that there wasn’t a day at work that I didn’t have to cry or break down. Luckily, I had something to focus on while I was going through a difficult time in my personal life,” she told reporters present at the recent first anniversary party of the video streaming service group, Hooq. Jessy and Xian Lim are Hooq’s newest endorsers. Jessy denied there was something romantic brewing between her and JC de Vera, who plays her lover, Christian Vergara, in the series. Not real “I’m glad people still like our tandem even though nothing is happening between us in real life,” she said. Jessy insisted that she wasn’t ready for love. “It’s far from my mind right now. I’m discovering a lot of things about myself now that I’m not looking for love. Who would have thought that I’d like scuba diving, kayaking and snorkeling? You’ll know more of yourself when you’ve reached what you thought was the lowest point in your life, and eventually survived it.” In November last year, Jessy broke up for the second time with actor JM de Guzman, whose family reportedly decided to send him to a rehabilitation facility due to drug dependence. (They were together for two years before their first breakup. They got back together in April 2015.) Traumatic “The experience was very traumatic,” the actress admitted. “You move on, one step at a time. I’m slowly getting there. Of course, you have to believe in yourself in order to love again. I came to a point where I doubted if anyone would still love me.” If she had her way, Jessy said she would not discuss the issue anymore. “I don’t want to be accused of using him (JM) to promote myself. He was once a part of my life. He is very dear to me,” she explained. She took a lot of flak from netizens for publicly talking about the breakup. Jessy chose to ignore them “although, admittedly, there were days when I talked back.” Defender “Even my mom gets fed up sometimes, so she defends me,” she shared with Inquirer. “I understand her. She’s my mom, and she would do everything to defend me.” Asked whether she was still willing to fight for love despite her traumatic experience, Jessy answered in the affirmative, but added that “I don’t search for love anymore. I wait patiently. I’m in no hurry. It’s funny because while you’re waiting for the right guy, you also discover a lot of things about yourself that you should improve on.” E-mail [email protected]
2016-03-27 00:01 Marinel R entertainment.inquirer.net
12 Ex-drug users turn to art for healing A small group of women in uniform white shorts and shirts with name tags sat at a table, hunched over sketchbooks as they worked on improving their drawing skills in a nondescript room in Taguig City. The scene looked like a typical art class, complete with a long-haired instructor going around inspecting his students’ work, except that it was not. The women were patients of the Department of Health’s Treatment and Rehabilitation Center (DOH-TRC) compound at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, attending an art therapy program designed to become one of their emotional outlets as they undergo treatment for substance abuse. While using art as therapy is not a new approach in addressing abuse, the program in DOH- TRC is the first of its kind for the facility. The program is headed by Be Healed Foundation, a nongovernment organization established by Jerika Ejercito, daughter of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, which helps women overcome abuse and mental disorder. Aside from being therapeutic, the art lessons serve one other purpose for one of the students: Lisa, (not her real name), a former methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu” user and dealer. She uses what she learns to bond with her 4-year-old son whom she doesn’t get to see during her stay in the facility as young children aren’t allowed to visit. “During visits, my son sends me cards with drawings and messages like ‘I love you very much, Nanay (mother),’” said the 30-year-old single parent. “So I do the same for him. That’s how we communicate.” Lisa said she was almost unable to join the art program since Be Healed Foundation wanted participants who would be able to finish the four-month course. The DOH-TRC’s rehabilitation program takes at least six months to complete so the foundation wanted patients whose stay was, at most, two months. Lisa has just over a month to go. “But I insisted [on joining]. Even if I would already be let out, I said I would still continue [with the art program],” she said. Art as a release Lisa initially wanted take up Fine Arts in college but was dissuaded by her parents (“You won’t make any money with that degree,” they told me). She recalled that even during her darkest days as a druggie, she still somewhat resorted to art as a release. “I would slash my wrists and use my own blood to paint sad faces on my bedroom wall,” she said. “[In hindsight,] I guess I was just really screaming for attention.” For painter Jay Viriña who is leading Be Healed’s art therapy sessions, the experience is a first for him. “It’s different,” said Viriña. “I get to awaken the artists in them while being part of their healing process.” The ages of patients participating in the art therapy program range from the 20s to 60s, said Be Healed Foundation general manager Alex Santos. They are taught the basics first before they gradually move on to full-blown painting. At the end of the course, the patient-artists get to exhibit their work. Half of the proceeds will be divided among them while the rest goes to the foundation so that it can continue the program, Santos said. More than being an emotional outlet, Santos said the program would help the foundation and the DOH-TRC with a comparative study of patients’ behaviors before and after art therapy. One thing they are looking for is the therapy’s impact on patients with mental disorder, usually as a result of drug abuse. A study done in 2010 by Dr. Jose Bienvenido Leabres, the DOH-TRC’s Medical Services Section chief, showed that among the facility’s patients, many suffered from chronic depressive moods. “It’s not necessarily major [depressive disorder],” said Leabres, who specializes in addiction medicine. “So you can place a patient under further evaluation and find out what’s causing the depressive mood.” The art program, Leabres said, would help the center in pinpointing those with underlying mental disorders. “For example, when you’re depressed, your choice of colors could be dark and gloomy. If you’re on the manic side, you could paint with extremely bright colors. So whatever is going on inside may be expressed through art, and we can identify and address it.” Leabres zeroed in on depression because of its importance in the recovery of victims of substance abuse. “People go into substance abuse because of all kinds of factors—personal experiences, moods, peer pressure. All of these factors put together could also cause one to go into depression. If you fail to detect the depression, the rehabilitation process for substance abuse will most likely fail,” he said. “What we also have to figure out is if they had a mental disorder before the drug abuse, or if it was because of the drug abuse,” added Santos. While the art therapy project is still in its startup phase, the DOH-TRC through Leabres is constantly working with Be Healed to come up with a final program for all of the center’s 1,300 patients. “There are studies that show how art therapy really works for substance abuse victims, especially when taken together with psychotherapy, drug rehabilitation. It can really help someone with their dilemma,” said Leabres. “Based on the few sessions that we’ve had, there have been very positive outcomes. We want to repeat the program a few more times before expanding it to the whole center, and [possibly] to other government rehab facilities,” he added. Lisa, who was also diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and battled a gambling problem, has already expressed interest in joining Be Healed as a volunteer once she gets out. Depending on her progress, she could be released next month, since six months is the minimum required stay inside the DOH-TRC. The longest is one year. “I’ve talked to [Ejercito], and she said she would definitely keep me in mind,” Lisa said. It was her ex-boyfriend’s death due to heart enlargement caused by substance abuse that served as a wake-up call for her to get her act together. “I don’t want to add another month to my program,” said Lisa. “I want to be with my family.”
2016-03-27 00:01 Annelle Tayao newsinfo.inquirer.net
13 Local races on; PNP alert level up THE PHILIPPINE National Police stepped up its alert level as the campaign period for local elections kicked off Saturday. “We know local elections tend to get more heated. So we have ordered increased police presence and more focus on operations on the ground,” PNP Director General Ricardo Marquez told reporters last week. The PNP has been placed on heightened alert since March 15, but Marquez said it was up to regional directors to elevate the status if required. “One feature of heightened alert is extended hours of duty. But under extreme circumstances, we would still allow our people to go on leave,” Marquez explained. Under full alert, all leaves are canceled. On the PNP watchlist because of intense political rivalries are Pangasinan, Masbate, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur. Only two confirmed cases of election-related violence have been reported since the start of the election period on Jan. 10. The campaign period for local elections officially began Saturday, but the Commission on Elections (Comelec) expected politicians to go all out in their campaign starting today. “The resurrection of the politicians will happen,” Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said in a phone interview. “So far, they’ve been quiet. I haven’t heard any campaign (jingles). I think people are still praying,” he said. “So far, I haven’t received any negative feedback, no news is good news. I hope it stays that way,” he added. The Comelec said there were 18,067 seats to be filled in the May 9 local polls and 44,694 candidates were vying for them. Under the Omnibus Election Code, the release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds, construction of public works, delivery of materials for public works and issuance of treasury warrant or similar devises for a future undertaking chargeable against public funds, and the appointment or hiring of new employees, creation or filling up of new positions, promotion or giving of salary increases, remuneration or privilege are banned from March 25 to May 8, 2016. Election rules require candidates to post their banners only in common poster areas or public places designated by the Comelec such as plazas, markets, barangay centers and other places approved by election officials. Local candidates and political parties are entitled to not more than 60 minutes of TV ads per station and 90 minutes of radio commercials, also per station. Candidates are prohibited from giving gifts in cash or in kind. The appointment or use of special policemen and confidential agents is prohibited. Violation of campaign rules carries a penalty of one to six years imprisonment, disqualification from public office and removal of the right to vote. Bautista is encouraging the public to use social media to report and “shame” candidates violating the Fair Elections Act. 2016-03-27 00:01 Jaymee T newsinfo.inquirer.net
14 Seized North Korean ship released SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The impounded North Korean cargo ship MV Jin Teng set sail on Maundy Thursday after it was removed from the list of vessels subjected to asset freeze by the United Nations. Assisted by a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) tugboat, the vessel bearing a Sierra Leone flag quietly left at 2 p.m. after being held for almost four weeks by the government, which enforced a fresh round of UN sanctions against North Korea. The Jin Teng was freed following a directive from Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Edwin Lopez, according to Lt. Cdr. Jonathan Marfil, station commander of the Coast Guard Subic station. “The release was in consonance with the lifting of the hold departure order that our government issued,” Marfil said on Thursday. Three other ships operated or controlled by the Ocean Maritime Management (OMM) were removed from the asset freeze list, Marfil said. According to the National Coast Watch Center, the OMM vessels were suspected of smuggling weapons of mass destruction. No weapons found The 4,355-ton Jin Teng, which carried 21 North Korean crew, arrived here on Feb. 28 to unload a cargo of palm kernel expeller, a by-product of palm oil, which has many uses. It is also an ingredient for farm animal feed. The cargo was meant for Filipino consignees, according to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials. Representatives from PCG, SBMA, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine National Police inspected the ship several times after it was impounded in the naval supply depot port on March 5. The inspections found no weapons on the ship. The SBMA also said it found nothing irregular about the ship’s port call. Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon
2016-03-27 00:01 Philippine Daily globalnation.inquirer.net
15 Cebu mayor faces graft raps for nepotism ANOTHER member of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) has been charged in the antigraft court Sandiganbayan. Incumbent Mayor Teresito Marinas of Barili, Cebu province, has been indicted in the Sandiganbayan for nepotism involving his designation of his brother as human resource office head of the municipal government. The Office of the Ombudsman filed the criminal case against LP member Marinas, alleging that the mayor violated Executive Order No. 292, also known as the Administrative Code of 1987, when he appointed his brother Aniceto to the post in 2007. In indicting Marinas, the Ombudsman said the Local Government Code of 1992 clearly states that individuals are barred from being designated “in the career service of the local government if they are related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to the appointing or recommending authority.” “[Marinas]… does not deny issuing the subject memorandum order in favor of his brother Aniceto,” the Ombudsman said. It said the mayor used the appointment order for his brother as “basis for interposing his argument of ‘special assignment’ and justifying it further by the lack of qualified candidates for the position and Aniceto’s previous experience” as head of the human resource department. In denying the charges, Marinas claimed that it was actually his predecessor, the late Mayor Robert Alquizola, who named Aniceto to the position as a “special assignment with no income” in March 2005. But the Ombudsman ruled that there was probable cause to prosecute Marinas for violating the law that prohibits “all appointments… made in favor of a relative of the appointing or recommending authority, or of the chief of the bureau or office, or of the persons exercising supervision over him.” The case, which was filed by a certain Kim Carmela Veloso in October 2010, has been raffled off to the antigraft court’s Third Division.
2016-03-27 00:01 Marlon Ramos newsinfo.inquirer.net
16 The Huey news: Singer hangs with Cubs MESA, Ariz. — How do you follow baby bears? With Huey Lewis, of course. The singer spent Saturday morning in the Cubs camp with friend Rick Sutcliffe. Dressed in uniform, Lewis watched as players stretched while a stereo blared some of his greatest hits: “I Want a New Drug,” “Heart of Rock ‘n Roll,” “Power of Love” and “Working for a Living.” Lewis will be a guest manager for the Giants, the Cubs’ opponent, later Saturday. That was purchased for a charity donation. Manager Joe Maddon, who brought in baby bears on Friday, said he listened to Huey Lewis and the News’ album, “Sports,” when he was younger. He declined an offer from Sutcliffe to stay out late with them the night before. “I said, ‘Please tell Mr. News I have no bandwidth left,'” he said. Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley Email: [email protected]
2016-03-27 00:01 Patrick Finley chicago.suntimes.com
17 Pope decries terrorists profaning God’s name ROME—Pope Francis at the traditional Good Friday cross procession denounced those committing “terrorist acts” while profaning God’s name and lamented what he called “anesthetized” consciences over war refugees flooding Europe. Francis renewed his condemnation of what he has called indifference and inhospitality to those risking their lives in unseaworthy smugglers’ boats in hopes of finding refuge on European shores from war and other violence. Evoking the image of Jesus on the cross, Francis said: “We see you in the faces of children, of women and people, worn out and fearful, who flee war and violence and who often only find death” and people who refuse to deal with them. Francis called the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, two major routes for refugees and migrants, “insatiable cemeteries, reflections of our indifferent and anesthetized conscience.” In reference to deadly extremist attacks in Europe, Iraq and elsewhere, Francis denounced “expressions of fundamentalism” and “terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence.” Earlier in the week, Francis called the deadly attacks at a Brussels metro station and airport “cruel abominations.” Wearing a long white coat against the evening’s chill, Francis had presided over a torch-lit procession at the ancient Roman arena, a symbol of early Christian martyrdom. Again, suggesting the image of Jesus’ dying on the cross, Francis said: “We see you raised up in our sisters and brothers killed, burned alive, throats slit and decapitated by barbarous blades amid cowardly silence.” Throughout his papacy, Francis has repeatedly lamented the persecution and killing of Christians for their faith by extremists in the Middle East. AP
2016-03-27 00:01 INQUIRER.net newsinfo.inquirer.net
18 Heavy Russian airstrikes as Syrian army fights IS in Palmyra BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighborhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to the Islamic State group last May, state media reported Saturday. Russian jets carried out 40 air sorties near Palmyra in the past day, hitting 158 targets and killing over 100 militants, Russia's defense ministry said. Syrian troops and allied militiamen have taken up positions in the three neighborhoods that are part of the modern town, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. Palmyra, affectionately known as the "bride of the desert," used to attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. IS drove out government forces in a matter of days and later demolished some of the best-known monuments in the UNESCO world heritage site. The extremists believe ancient ruins promote idolatry. The militants also demolished the town's infamous Tadmur prison, where thousands of Syrian government opponents were reported to have been tortured. Retaking the town would be a major victory for President Bashar Assad's government, which has made steady gains in recent months against IS and other insurgents. Syria's government has been assisted in large part by Russia's air campaign. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the surprise pullout of some Russian warplanes from Syria, but said that strikes against the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida linked Nusra Front will continue. Those groups have been excluded from a Russian- and U. S.-brokered cease-fire that began on Feb. 27 and has largely held. The battle for Palmyra, now entering its fourth week according to the Observatory, has not been easy. Government forces lost at least 18 soldiers on Friday alone, including a major general, the Observatory and IS-affiliated media sites reported. The Observatory's figures indicate at least 56 soldiers have died in fighting this week. Footage broadcast on Lebanese stations aligned with the Syrian government showed smoke rising over Palmyra's skyline, as tanks and helicopters fired at positions inside the town. IS began evacuating civilians this week to other parts of its territories in Syria. No civilians remain in the town, a Palmyra resident who left earlier this week told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns. The fate of the archaeological site was not immediately clear. Activists citing sources among advancing government forces said the two sides were fighting over the area, while the Observatory said government forces had retaken the site. Syrian state media made no mention of the area. The head of Syria's antiquities and museums authority described the condition of the remaining monuments -- including the grand amphitheater, the market place, public baths, and a long colonnade -- as "excellent," with only minor damage, based on footage captured by a drone and broadcast on Russian television Friday. Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the government's antiquities and museums department, said civil servants are prepared to assess the monuments and plan for their restoration "as soon as we are given the green light from the Syrian army. " "We will present our studies to UNESCO so that Palmyra can once again be a world heritage site," said Abdulkarim. "Palmyra is not just for Syrians, it is for the world. " If Syrian government forces retake Palmyra, they will be positioned to advance on the two largest Syrian cities held by IS, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa. The IS group is on the back foot in Iraq and Syria, where forces on the ground have been backed by US-led airstrikes against the extremists. The U. S.-led international coalition estimates that the group has lost 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and around 20 percent of its territory in Syria. On Saturday, Turkish Air Force jets joined coalition forces in attacking IS in northern Iraq, hours after a Turkish soldier was killed at a military base in the region from rockets fired by the extremist militants. Although Turkish jets have struck IS positions in Syria in the past, the attack marks Turkey's first aerial assault on the group in northern Iraq. Ground forces in Iraq have been working to build on recent gains in Anbar province and preparing for an offensive on the northern city of Mosul, the largest city held by IS militants. The Islamic State group has responded to territorial losses by launching a series of large attacks targeting civilians. IS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Friday at a small soccer stadium in the Iraqi city of Iskanderiyah, 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the capital, Baghdad. The attack killed 41 people and wounded 105, security and health officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. Speaking at a press conference during an official visit to Iraq, U. N. Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon offered his condolences to the friends and families of those killed, adding that the "the international community stands with Iraqis in horror and outrage. " ___ Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
2016-03-27 00:01 Associated Press mynorthwest.com
19 Risen Lord changes story of evil–Tagle JESUS’ Resurrection should give people hope that God’s triumph is sure amid local and international events that tempt them to be cynical and pessimistic, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said in his Easter message. “The resurrection of Jesus from a death mercilessly inflicted on him by people blinded by ambition, power and narrow legalism gives us hope,” he said. Likening the resurrection of Christ to the country’s own redemption, President Aquino urged Filipinos to “seek the light amid the clouds of uncertainty.” As Lent offered Christians around the world “a fresh start,” with a commitment to “sustain that which betters us … and learn from our mistakes,” the President said his governance through the straight path had led the country “toward positive transformation.” “We are weeding out the corrupt and strengthening our institutions and through reform, we are freeing ourselves from poverty, toward a more just, more inclusive society,” the President said in his Easter Message. Vice President Jejomar Binay, for his part, called on the public to pray for “clarity of mind” in the coming elections, as he expressed hope that leaders with compassion and humility would be elected on May 9. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said Easter Sunday was a time of hope, noting that in a democracy, “we experience both successes and failures or flaws. But the beauty of the system is that it comes with many opportunities for renewal and rebirth.” Tagle told the faithful that the annual commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection and glorification was a reminder that “love, mercy and life will prevail.” “We often wonder whether decency, caring and courtesy still exist. We are shocked when we hear stories of cheating, theft and betrayal,” Tagle lamented. “We weep when we see the teeming numbers of street kids, street families, beggars, youth dissipated by drugs, women trafficked into prostitution and slavery, families torn apart by poverty, parents searching for their missing children,” he added. “We convince ourselves that images of refugees and victims of terrorist attacks are merely a passing nightmare. We cry with the earth as we cry with the poor. Yes we need to cry as we see and visit these tombs.” The cardinal added, however, that “the Risen Lord changes the whole story.” “We loudly sing ‘Alleluia’ above the blast of bombs and gunfire. Before the signs of evil that destroys life, human dignity, the common good and creation, we profess with conviction, ‘Jesus is truly risen. God has truly triumphed! Evil will never win,’” Tagle said. The prelate urged the faithful to bring the Risen Jesus’ greeting “Peace be with you” to those who are fearful and despairing. He encouraged them to say “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk” to the weary and despairing, who have lost energy to stand and walk. Reports from Tina G. Santos, Nikko Dizon, Tarra Quismundo and Leila B. Salaverria
2016-03-27 00:01 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net
20 Hot-headed hunk meets match in beleaguered bully Fans are largely unaware that Handsome Hunk has a nasty temper. Well, HH met his match in Troubled Bully. TB previously attacked another Successful Stud. Perhaps someone is bitter because SS and HH’s careers are going strong? Suffice it to say, TB is stuck in show biz limbo as of now. Haunted by the green-eyed monster, TB denigrated HH publicly. TB called HH all sorts of names. TB even questioned HH’s masculinity. Seasoned Actress had to intervene before things could get worse. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, preventing a smackdown between bloated egos. Warning signs Seems combustible, combative stars are going berserk at the same time. Major Celebrity swears never to work with Shady Colleagues again. MC should’ve detected the warning signs early on in the game. During one of their first meetings, SCs disparaged MC’s friends. True to form, MC defended pals but chose to proceed with the doomed venture. After all, the SCs dangled a hefty fee. Alas, the SCs failed to deliver as promised. MC bolted and vowed to take the issue to court should the SCs make the wrong move. Survival tips Seems Gifted Coworkers are not exactly sad to bid Popular Celeb farewell. According to the grapevine, PC’s handlers didn’t endear themselves to the GCs. PC’s minions were way too aggressive and allowed competition to go to their heads. No wonder GC1 was actually relieved when PC quit. GC2 was likewise pleased. After all, the GCs have formed an unholy alliance against PC’s posse, as a matter of survival. Strike two Once again Vociferous Personality has suffered a humiliating blow, career-wise. VP’s latest endeavor flopped big time. Instead of reinvigorating High-profile Project, VP did the opposite. Thing is, it’s not the first time VP failed to perform as expected. Are the bosses waiting for strike three before giving VP the boot? Perhaps VP’s team is only waiting for an excuse to jump ship? Rival Firm supposedly wants to lure VP away from Present Company. Gall power From the Inquirer tabloid Bandera: Bubbly Starlet is back to old ways. Coworkers are irked because BS is constantly tardy. BS keeps blaming the traffic situation in the metro. Thing is, BS lives near the set, unlike costars who nevertheless arrive on time. Worse, BS doesn’t know how to apologize. With a perma-scowl, BS has the gall to ignore the cast and crew. Top of the tabloids This week’s top show biz news in the Inquirer tabloid Bandera (and why we are moved, if we are moved): Relasyong Liza-Enrique totohanan na; naghihintay lang ng timing para umamin sina Liza Soberano at Enrique Gil. (Sige, push lang nang push.) Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo-Wurtzbach umamin na may “something” na ngang namamagitan sa kanila ng tinaguriang Sexiest Doctor Alive na si Doc Mike. (E ’di wow.) Pagdalaw ni Claudine Barretto sa puntod ni Rico Yan kasama ang anak, inintriga. (Leave her alone—or itanong mo kay…) Regine Velasquez: Parang ayoko nang mabuntis, matanda na ako! (May point ka d’yan, ’te.)
2016-03-27 00:01 Philippine Daily entertainment.inquirer.net
21 Melissa Manchester, David Pomeranz at the Big Dome American singer-songwriters David Pomeranz and Melissa Manchester will perform some of their enduring love ballads in a back-to-back concert on April 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum (call 9115555). Manchester, who was once a backup singer for Bette Midler, is known for such hits as “Midnight Blue,” “Looking Through the Eyes of Love” and “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” and won best pop vocal performance in the 1982 Grammy Awards for the song, “You Should Hear How She Talks About You.” Pomeranz, on the other hand, is virtually Filipino, having held shows in the Philippines countless times, and achieving enormous success in the country with his brand of sentimental music that has become karaoke staples—“Born for You,” “King and Queen of Hearts,” “Got to Believe in Magic.” “It’s such a warm, welcoming environment as an artist. People here love my music—and I love them back. I have so many friends here now, and this country has become my second home,” he said of the Philippines in a past Inquirer interview. The show will also feature Filipino jazz singer Arthur Manuntag. Allan Policarpio
2016-03-27 00:01 Philippine Daily entertainment.inquirer.net
22 Car drives into Dollar Tree in Portage Park A customer was injured when a car drove into a Dollar Tree store in the Portage Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. The car drove into the store in the 4000 block of North Milwaukee at 8:35 a.m., according to Chicago Police. One customer was taken to Community First Hospital with minor injuries after the crash. Surveillance footage shows a person getting into a white car that is parked in front of the Dollar Tree. The car begins to reverse, stops, and then the driver’s side door opens as it accelerates forward through the glass front wall of the store. Broken glass could be seen littering the ground inside and outside of the store after the crash. The driver remained on the scene after the crash, police said. The incident remained under investigation as of Saturday afternoon.
2016-03-27 00:01 Luke Wilusz chicago.suntimes.com
23 Arroyo, Imee lead unopposed bets DETAINED former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is certain to be reelected Pampanga representative. So are reelectionists Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Pampanga Gov. Lilia “Baby” Pineda. Running unopposed, Arroyo, Marcos and Pineda are among 542 local candidates in the May 9 elections who are assured of victory even before the official start of campaigning on Black Saturday. The biggest number of unopposed candidates are in Ilocos Sur (25), Isabela (21), Ilocos Norte (19), Pangasinan (16), Apayao (11), and Cagayan and Pampanga (10 each). Uncontested political races do not sit well with some political scientists. “Elections are meaningful only when voters have a choice,” said Alejandro Ciencia Jr., a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Baguio. “Elections ideally compel politicians to present issues, and lay down proposed policies,” Ciencia said. He said elections gave voters some form of leverage to demand governmental reforms. “Politicians are calculating actors in the political environment. They run when they believe they can win or when they have secured some form of advantage,” he said, so they would heed a position that is pushed by the people. The reasons a candidate for political office can run unchallenged are still areas of speculation, however. For example, some unchallenged candidacies are in areas reputed to be controlled by political dynasties. Cordillera, Ilocos The reelection bids of Apayao Gov. Elias Bulut Jr. and Apayao Rep. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang are certainties, with no opponent willing to challenge them. Their late father, Calanasan Mayor Elias Bulut Sr., served as governor and congressman of the province since it separated from Kalinga more than 20 years ago. In Ilocos Sur province, Gov. Ryan Singson is also running unopposed. His father, former Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson, is now running for councilor of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur. In Bataan province, reelectionist Gov. Albert “Abet” Garcia is running unopposed alongside his father, Rep. Enrique “Tet” Garcia, who is running unchallenged for vice governor. Tet’s youngest son, Balanga mayoral candidate Francis Garcia, and daughter, reelectionist Dinalupihan Mayor Gila Garcia, have no opponents also. In Bulacan province, San Rafael Mayor Cipriano Violago Jr. has no opponent, a far cry from his dramatic 2013 election victory. He was a former vice mayor who defeated his former running mate, former Mayor Lorna Silverio, although he was implicated in the murder of a police officer in May 2013. Violago won and was later cleared of murder charges in April 2014, after he negotiated an out-of-court settlement. Cordillera region Since the 1990s, elections in indigenous communities have supposedly been predetermined by their elders. It may not be so this year in the Cordillera region, where only two congressmen, two governors, one vice governor, 11 mayors and 12 vice mayors are running unopposed. “Elections should not be the subject of any preelection agreement. To do so would be a mockery of the election process,” said John Martin, Baguio election officer of the Commission on Elections. Election laws are silent about prearranged political races, he said. Voters become hostages to these political agreements, he added. Many of the unchallenged candidates are incumbents. They are: Ilocos Norte—Gov. Imee Marcos and Vice Gov. Eugenio Barba, Banna Mayor Carlito Abadilla III, Batac City Vice Mayor Jeffrey Nalupta, Dingras Vice Mayor Joefrey Saguid, Dumalneg Mayor Lairvee Espiritu and Vice Mayor Francisco Espiritu Jr., Pinili Mayor Samuel Pagdilao Sr. and Laoag City Mayor Chevylle Fariñas. Ilocos Sur—Gov. Ryan Singson and Vice Gov. Jeremiah “Jerry” Singson, Alilem Mayor Mar Ruel Sumabat and Vice Mayor Onofre Bistoyong, and Magsingal Mayor Alrico Favis and his mother Vice Mayor Arlyn Favis. In the congressional races in Metro Manila, six reelectionist candidates are running unopposed. They are Representatives Miro Quimbo (Marikina City, second district), Carlo Lopez (Manila, second district), Winnie Castelo (Quezon City, second district), Jorge Banal (Quezon City, third district), Alfred Vargas (Quezon City, fifth district) and Kit Belmonte (Quezon City, sixth district). Southern Luzon In Southern Luzon, 11 candidates for congressional seats, led by Evelina Escudero of Sorsogon, mother of Sen. Francis Escudero, are running unopposed. Ten of these candidates are from Southern Tagalog and Escudero is the lone unopposed candidate for representative in the Bicol region. In Cavite, candidates for four out of seven congressional districts are running unopposed. All of them are reelectionists, except for Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla, who is running for representative of the lone district of Bacoor. The three other unopposed candidates for representative are Alex Advincula (third district), Luis Ferrer IV (sixth district) and Abraham Tolentino (seventh district). Tolentino is a brother of former Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino, who is running for senator. Tolentino’s wife, Agnes, is running unopposed as mayor of Tagaytay City. Joaquin Chipeco Jr. will be on his second term as Laguna representative (second district) after two other candidates, withdrew their candidacies. Three-term Sta. Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas is the lone candidate for representative of Laguna’s first district. Visayas-Mindanao In the Visayas, 51 candidates for congressional representative, mayor, vice mayor, governor and vice governor in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas as well as in Negros Island Region are running unopposed. The lone unopposed candidate in Eastern Visayas is Vice Gov. Carlo Loreto of Leyte who is seeking reelection under the Liberal Party. Reelectionist Rep. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo said he was glad to be running unopposed in the third congressional district. “In a way, it is a validation from my constituents that what I have been doing for them is satisfactory,” he said. Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., is seeking a third term unopposed. His son, Sagay City Mayor Alfredo Marañon III and nephew, Rep. Rafael Leo Cueva of Negros Occidental’s second district, are likewise unopposed. Three siblings in southern Negros Occidental are running unopposed under the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC). They are Rep. Mercedes Alvarez of then sixth district and her brothers, Ilog Mayor Genaro Rafael Alvarez and Ilog Vice Mayor Paul Alvarez. In several Mindanao areas, including those identified as among the country’s poorest provinces, members of old political clans and their allies are without challengers in May. Adolph Edward Plaza, 53, the unopposed reelectionist governor of Agusan del Sur, is the son of former Rep. and Agusan Gov. Democrito Plaza and Valentina Galido Plaza, also a former governor. For the two congressional districts of Agusan del Norte, Plaza’s sisters, Ma. Valentina and Evelyn, are also seeking reelection unopposed. Reports from Vincent Cabreza, Gabriel Cardinoza, Yolanda Sotelo, Melvin Gascon, and Leilanie Adriano, Inquirer Northern Luzon and Ron Lopez, Inquirer Central Luzon; Maricar Cinco, Michael Jaucian and Fernan Gianan, Inquirer Southern Luzon; Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Carmel Loise Matus, Leo Udtohan, Carla P. Gomez, Jhunnex Napallacan and Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas; and Allan Nawal, Williamor Magbanua, Eldie Aguirre, Jigger Jerusalem and Chris Panganiban, Inquirer Mindanao; and TJ Burgonio in Manila
2016-03-27 00:01 Inquirer Bureaus newsinfo.inquirer.net
24 Police: waiter stole credit card from customer IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) - Idaho Falls police say a waiter at an Ammon restaurant kept a customer’s credit card and used it to make purchases at Home Depot. KIDK-TV reports (http://bit.ly/21M8YxX ) that 23-year-old Ryan Kreimann- Duane was arrested this week on a warrant for fraudulent use of a card and possession of stolen property. Police began investigating a credit card theft in February after a Rexburg woman reported someone used her credit card to make $740 in purchases at a Home Depot. Officers tracked the card to Kreimann-Duane. Police say he stole the card at an Ammon restaurant. The woman used her credit card to pay for her food. Kreimann-Duane processed the purchase but never gave the card back. The woman didn’t realize he hadn’t returned the card. ___ Information from: KIDK-TV, http://www.kidk.com/
2016-03-26 23:59 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
25 Ohio hotel to undergo asbestos removal before demolition TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - Some $217,000 in taxpayer money will be used to remove asbestos from a northwest Ohio hotel, set to be demolished later this year. The cost to remove the 45-year-old Toledo building now sits at $2.6 million. A project consultant says the asbestos removal delays the project’s completion date from the end of May to the end of August. The 19-story building has more than 260 rooms. It opened in 1970 as a Holiday Inn and cycled through numerous owners and name changes before closing permanently in 2009 as the Hotel Seagate. Lucas County paid $1.38 million to buy the property in 2014. More than $4 million in taxpayers’ money are expected to be spent on the project. There are no specific plans for the site after it’s cleared.
2016-03-26 23:59 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
26 2 Indiana bakeries feud over 4-sided doughnuts MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Two Indiana bakeries share a love for four-sided doughnuts but one of them believes there is room for only one square doughnut-maker. According to the Post-Tribune (http://trib.in/1RlkKxR ), Valparaiso-based Family Express asked a court Thursday to declare that it can continue to call its products “Square Donuts.” But Terre Haute-based Square Donuts, which has been making its doughnuts since the 1960s and has nine locations, wants Family Express to cut it out. Family Express started making its version in 2005, and a year later, Square Donuts sent Family Express a cease-and-desist letter. The low-level disagreement fermented quietly for several years until Square Donuts in 2013 trademarked its name. Family Express contacted Square Donuts to try to reach an agreement over the name but those talks went nowhere. ___ Information from: Post-Tribune, http://posttrib.chicagotribune.com/
2016-03-26 22:47 This March www.washingtontimes.com
27 Woman dies in a single-vehicle wreck in suburban Atlanta KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) - Police say a woman has been killed in a single- vehicle wreck in suburban Atlanta. Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce said in an email that the woman was driving a sports utility vehicle when she abruptly steered the vehicle to the left, crossing all northbound lanes and striking the guardrail in the median around 2:50 a.m. Saturday. The vehicle then flipped over onto its roof. The woman’s identity has not been released. She was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
2016-03-26 23:58 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
28 28 High court rejects appeal of man filmed having sex with teen HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A central Pennsylvania man convicted after he was caught on a hidden camera having sex with a 14-year-old girl will not be able to argue his case before the state’s highest court. PennLive.com (http://bit.ly/1Rue5Aa ) reports that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected an appeal by 51-year-old Leon Tadych (TAD’-itch) of Millersville. Tadych pleaded guilty to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors and other counts and was sentenced to 12 to 24 years. His appeal argued that his attorney gave him bad advice about dropping a bid to bar prosecutors from using the video evidence from the camera, which his wife had consented to have secretly installed in their home. Tadych said his lawyer advised him to plead guilty because of other evidence, such as letters to the victim. ___ Information from: Pennlive.com, http://www.pennlive.com
2016-03-26 22:47 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
29 Man dies after being struck by cement truck in Columbia COLUMBIA, S. C. (AP) - Authorities have released the name of a man who died after he was hit by a cement truck in downtown Columbia. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts says Alexandre Zwolensky was hit by a truck at around 8 a.m. Thursday as he tried to cross an intersection. Zwolensky was taken to the hospital, where officials say he died about an hour later. Columbia police are still investigating. Authorities have not said if they plan to charge the driver.
2016-03-26 23:50 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
30 Organization seeks to shield scientists from public scrutiny BOSTON (AP) - The group has been a fierce advocate for transparency, regularly championing investigations that rely on public documents to hold government officials accountable. But over the past year, the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Cambridge- based advocacy group that represents thousands of scientists around the country, has campaigned to limit the scrutiny of scientists who work for public universities and agencies through public records requests. These scientists, the group says, are increasingly being harassed by ideological foes who seek to unearth documents that would derail or sully their work with evidence of bias. “We don’t want to work in an environment where every keystroke is subject to public records,” said Michael Halpern, who oversees strategy at the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, founded at MIT in 1969. “We’re trying to protect the deliberative nature of science…. Scientists need space to come to new knowledge, and to give critical feedback.” But the group’s efforts have sparked tensions with other open-government advocates, who have argued that it risks opening loopholes that could make it easier for officials and agencies to hide information from the public. “It’s just gibberish to say these laws stifle research,” said David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona School of Journalism and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists’s freedom of information committee. “These are government scientists funded by taxpayers, and the public is entitled to see what they’re working on.” The dispute centers on the proper balance between academic freedom and the transparency of public institutions, and has escalated as a growing number of scientists, typically those who research controversial topics such as climate change, receive public records requests. The requests often seek e-mails between scientists in hopes of exposing ideological bias or a political agenda. While open records laws vary from state to state, the controversy primarily affects researchers at public universities or those involved in projects that receive public funding. Critics say that many of the requests abuse the spirit of open records laws and threaten to stifle research. They also make it harder for public universities to conduct controversial research and attract top faculty, compared with private universities where scientists aren’t generally subject to open records laws, they say. “Our role is to raise awareness about how scientists are being harassed,” Halpern said. Halpern wants exceptions made for scientists in public information laws, and has argued for new standards at federal institutions, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, that would shield e-mails with fellow scientists, research notes, primary data, and other correspondence they consider confidential. In a 2015 report titled “Freedom to Bully: How Laws Intended to Free Information Are Used to Harass Researchers,” the Union of Concerned Scientists cited a host of examples of researchers who said they had been harassed by public records requests. A climate scientist, Michael Mann, who had taught at the University of Virginia and now teaches at Penn State, described how a conservative group called the American Tradition Institute used Virginia’s open records law to seek all his e-mail correspondence with other scientists. He resisted, and after a lengthy legal battle, the Supreme Court of Virginia rejected the request in 2014, ruling that Mann’s e-mails were exempt from the state’s public records law. He described the request as an “attack” and said it reflected how public records requests are being used “in a way that they were never intended to be used.” Story Continues →
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
31 Alaska Democrats to hold caucuses JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Alaska Democrats planned to meet Saturday to pick their candidate for president, with caucus sites set up around the state. The caucuses were set to begin at 10 a.m. The two major candidates - former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders - each have campaign offices in Alaska. The third choice is a little-known contender, California businessman Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente. The day got off to a rocky start in Anchorage, where dozens of people showed up to have coffee with Sanders’ wife, Jane Sanders, at the Bear Tooth Theater. But she didn’t show up. A campaign spokesman said there was a last minute schedule change. Those standing in line were told to go the caucus site at Anchorage West High School, where parking attendants were directing drivers to lots that were already filled to capacity. Unlike the state GOP’s presidential preference poll held earlier this month, in which Republican voters cast ballots for their presidential pick, state Democrats will meet in schools, local gathering spots like community centers and even homes to debate and arrange themselves in groups according to the candidates they support. In some districts, in addition to the caucuses, elections may be held for local party officers. State Democratic party spokesman Jake Hamburg called the caucus an example of “grassroots democracy” where neighbors come together to talk about the candidates. Holding it Saturday - when Hawaii and Washington state also are holding their caucuses - allowed the state to get two extra delegates as part of a Democratic National Committee effort to encourage regional participation, he said. After receiving instructions, caucus-goers will form groups in a section of the room designated for their preferred candidate. There will also be an area for those who prefer “uncommitted.” If a group doesn’t get support from at least 15 percent of the attendees in a given district, it will have to disband, but its members are not required to join another group, Hamburg said. Caucus-goers for candidates meeting the threshold will elect delegates to the state convention in proportion to the vote for the candidates. Those elected to attend will take part in a “fan out” process similar to the caucus process that will decide how 16 of the state’s 20 delegates to the national convention are proportioned. The other four are party leaders who are free to support whomever they choose.
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
32 Drone racing’s thrills, spills draw pilots of all ages BOISE, Idaho (AP) - It was just another morning in the park for Chris and Cadence Haskins. Chris arranged his 11-year-old daughter’s flying station - lawnchair, video goggles, controller and antenna. Cadence began piloting a drone across Boise’s Sycamore Park and through a row of trees like a slalom course. The goggles showed her the view captured by a camera on the front of the drone (called first-person view, or FPV). And little kids wandered over from the playground to inquire about her new sport - drone racing - as they always do. “To me, it feels like I am in the drone,” said Cadence, whose pilot name is KrazyK. “… I’m inside, flying it.” Drone racing has become a worldwide phenomenon - a race in Dubai featured $1 million in prize money - with a growing niche in the Treasure Valley. Chris Haskins (pilot name: Hazak) finished sixth in the Drone Racing League’s December race at the Miami Dolphins’ stadium. Conrad Miller of Boise (pilot name: Furadi) finished fifth. Miller began racing in 2014 and started a Facebook group (Boise FPV) that provides a community for pilots to share videos, tips and organize races. His 12-year-old son, Sorell (pilot name: Zero), races, too. “Probably the first real drone race was drone nationals last (summer),” said E. J. Duarte (pilot name: AmpedOut), who designs racing drones for the company he founded, Boise-based Thrust-UAV. “That’s really when drone racing exploded. There was racing before that, but not at that scale. Less than a year later, and drone racing is on an enormous scale, and it’s only growing exponentially.” Miller traveled to Dubai to compete in the recent World Drone Prix. Thrust-UAV entered one of its drones, too. Drones are a natural fit for kids who grow up playing video games - in fact, a 15-year-old pilot from Great Britain won the Dubai event. They also appeal to people like Haskins and Miller, who transferred their interest in radio control airplanes and helicopters to drones. Duarte has sold drones to customers ranging from 7 years old to 63. “There are no boundaries,” Duarte said. Thrust-UAV, which recently was acquired by STEM-education company PCS Edventures, is about to release a new drone model (the Riot 250R Pro). The “ready to fly” package - everything you need to get started - will be in the $1,200 to $1,300 range. The price is softened a bit by the fact that racing drones are resilient. Damage can be fixed relatively cheaply - sometimes for a couple bucks. “They’re built to crash,” Duarte said. “It’s not like a typical toy where you crash it and it’s broken. We build these things to be able to take impacts.” Story Continues →
2016-03-26 23:48 This March www.washingtontimes.com
33 Changes in bus service markedly different in Dallas, Houston DALLAS (AP) - A Dallas public transit agency plans a dramatic overhaul of its bus service, but is taking a far different approach in implementing the changes than how public transportation officials in Houston did so last year. Dallas Area Rapid Transit plans to adopt new routes and have buses run more frequently, particularly on weekends, but will roll out the changes in piecemeal fashion over a decade or more. The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, by contrast, implemented sweeping changes overnight, The Dallas Morning News reported (http://bit.ly/25pIQO6 ). Both agencies are trying to lure riders who may be reluctant to use public transit because of long waits between buses or inconvenient routes. The layout of Houston routes changed in August from a hub-and-spoke network radially centered on downtown to a more grid-like system, which DART plans to replicate. The METRO service greatly increased bus frequency during midday and on weekends, reversing a decrease in which bus ridership had dropped 20 percent since 2000. Agency staffers held public meetings and solicited input from thousands about what changes residents wanted. METRO told consultants to ignore current routes, fleet inventory and physical facilities in order to create something from scratch. “Given the size of the overhaul they did, it’s pretty impressive,” said Kyle Shelton, a Houston resident whose work commute is now shorter. Meanwhile, DART officials have begun using data and public feedback to design a new bus system. They’re in the process of introducing to the public their proposed overhaul, which includes giving large parts of Dallas more frequent weekday routes. Many of those are concentrated in parts of southern and eastern Dallas, and there will also be more crosstown coverage in the northern part of DART’s jurisdiction. It’s the most comprehensive bus overhaul the agency has undertaken in years. “DART has not done one in modern times,” Rob Smith, DART’s assistant vice president for planning and scheduling, said at a recent meeting. He explained that DART’s longer rollout period is largely due to significant operational differences in the two agencies. Slightly more than half of DART’s passenger trips happen on buses, compared to more than four-fifths in the Houston area. ___ Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
34 Ride-hailing service Uber launches service in Montpelier MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The ride-hailing service Uber is now operating in Montpelier. The San Francisco-based company says riders requesting a car in Montpelier can be dropped off at points outside the city, including in Barre, Hyde Park, Waitsfield and Charlotte. Mayor John Hollar says he’s concerned that Uber could have a negative impact on existing taxi companies. City Clerk John Odum tells Vermont Public Radio that the city will have to change its taxi ordinance, as Uber’s business model “doesn’t fit” into its licensing regulations. Odum says he’ll talk with other cities about their experiences with Uber. An Uber spokeswoman declined to speculate on how the company would respond if it was found to be in violation of city ordinances.
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
35 Some conservatives don’t plan a run after 2016 session PIERRE, S. D. (AP) - Some Republican lawmakers don’t plan to seek re- election after leaving the 2016 legislative session, which yielded disappointing outcomes for a faction of conservatives. Several conservatives cited frustration regarding a sales tax hike for teacher pay and Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s veto of a transgender bathroom bill as part of not wanting to return, the Argus Leader (http://argusne0.ws/1UPZdzA) reported. Republican Sen. David Omdahl, who is not planning to run again, said Daugaard’s veto of the transgender measure was the “final straw.” The bill would have required transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their sex at birth. “I don’t like the dictatorial style of our governor or the dictatorial style of the leadership in the Senate,” Omdahl said. “I don’t like the cronyism. I don’t like the legislators meeting at the governor’s mansion every week to discuss policy. It’s political incest.” Outgoing GOP Sen. Bill Van Gerpen expressed similar concerns, saying he’s unhappy with how the executive branch influenced policy. Add it all together and it was “just too much to take,” he said. Daugaard believes that he and all lawmakers were elected to exercise their best judgment, Tony Venhuizen, the governor’s chief of staff, said in a statement. He said the teacher pay package closely followed the recommendations of a state task force that included legislators and passed both chambers of the Legislature with bipartisan support. Republican Rep. Elizabeth May said she planned not to run again after she took flak for opposing the sales tax hike. But, her husband mailed in her petitions to get on the ballot, she said, noting her reluctance to return to Pierre if she gets re-elected. “It’s about the same level of anticipation as going to the dentist,” May said. ___ Information from: Argus Leader, http://www.argusleader.com
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
36 Motorcyclist killed in collision with vehicle in Chandler CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) - A motorcyclist is dead after a collision with a vehicle in Chandler. Police say the accident happened near Bullmoose Drive and Warner Road on Friday night. According to investigators, the motorcyclist was riding eastbound on Warner when it crashed into a car. Police say the male rider was wearing a helmet but he was severely injured. He was taken to a hospital where he died of his injuries. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. There were no other injuries reported. Investigators say speed may be a factor on the part of the motorcyclist. Impairment does not appear to be involved.
2016-03-26 23:48 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
37 Services for developmentally disabled adults in jeopardy WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - For 18 years, school has been a savior for Jessica Zangrillo. Aside from the love of her family, it has been the linchpin that has kept her out of the abyss, or from falling in so far that she couldn’t climb out. She has autism and an intellectual disability. From school, she has learned the skills that should allow her to live a rewarding life - but only if the structure, the engagement, the predictability, the stimulation of her school life can continue once she graduates in June. There is a strong possibility it won’t. Budget cuts for all state agencies called for by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy threaten to close the door on the state’s iconic day programs for people with developmental disabilities. These are the social, vocational, and educational services that for the last 60 years have been available to young adults after they turn 21 and graduate from high school, or “age out” of other programs. Malloy on Wednesday announced sweeping budget cuts, which included a $4.5 million reduction for day and employment services. More cuts are looming. State officials have told the vendors who provide much of the day programming to prepare for no new program participants come June. And advocates, in email notices, have warned families that they may have to make contingency plans. About 10,500 people are currently in day programs, which collectively cost $220 million a year. The state is reimbursed for half the cost through Medicaid. Those who work jobs in supermarkets, department stores, recycling centers and elsewhere in the community, earning pay checks and paying taxes, all received job training and on-the-job support through the day services. For the first time, the roughly 450 young people who become eligible for the state-funded day programs each year face an adulthood marked by empty days, and the strong likelihood that their skills, acquired during the federally mandated schooling that ends at 21, will deteriorate. “Our life is a house of cards as it is,” said Dr. Michelle Rivelli, Jessica’s mother. Stability for Jessica “is built on a tenuous framework. Without nurturing, it will collapse,” said Rivelli. She said Jessica is a central focus of the family’s activities every evening and every weekend, but that it would be a daunting challenge to keep Jessica engaged if there was no daytime structure for her. Jessica’s twin sister, Christine, is a psychology major at Sacred Heart University. Rivelli works two days a week as a pediatrician. Her husband, Dr. Richard Zangrillo, would, in the short term, give up his work to be home with Jessica if the day programming is lost. Rivelli would then increase her hours at work. The couple has discussed footing the bill themselves for programming for Jessica, “but that wouldn’t be sustainable over a period of years,” said Rivelli. “We were always told, ‘When she turns 21, she’ll go into a day program, and everything will be fine.’ So we just thought we’d keep plugging along. But it turns out, it’s not fine,” said Rivelli. For many families, and for single parents in particular, paying for programming and support services for even a short time isn’t an option, said Leslie Simoes, executive director of The Arc Connecticut. With parents facing the prospect of having to give up a job to stay home with a son or daughter, the loss of the day services could cause a financial crisis in many households, said Simoes. The daytime programs offered by the state cost about $40,000 a year for each person. Patricia Bourne, the executive director of SARAH, an organization that provides day programs among an array of other services, said there has been “wide recognition of the value” of the social interaction and vocational training. Story Continues →
2016-03-26 23:47 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
38 Ashton Carter, Pentagon chief, used personal email account until December WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Ashton Carter used his personal email account for government business for nearly a year, until December 2015, when news reports revealed the practice, according to hundreds of Carter emails released by the Defense Department. The 1,336 pages of emails and attachments from Carter ’s personal account were released late Friday in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by The Associated Press and other news organizations. None contained classified information, and most pertained to routine business such as scheduling and logistics. The Pentagon has long banned the use of personal email for official business. Carter ’s use of his personal email account, starting when he took office in February 2015, was especially remarkable given the burst of public criticism that followed disclosures in March that Hillary Clinton had used a private email account exclusively to conduct government business while she was secretary of state. When The New York Times was first to report Carter ’s use of a personal email account, on Dec. 17, Carter aides said his actions were a mistake and that he had quit the practice. The emails released Friday show that while he used the personal account much less frequently starting in about September, he did not halt the practice entirely until December. In a Nov. 21 email using his personal account he wrote, “My work email isn’t working on my iPhone. If you need me this weekend please email me here and cc my work address too.” In what appears to be an auto-response message sent from his personal account on Dec. 18, Carter wrote, “I am no longer utilizing personal e-mail for the remainder of my time as the Secretary of Defense. If you need to get in touch with me regarding a personal matter please contact me on my cell phone. If you are contacting me pertaining to business please contact my Assistant, (redacted by Defense Department ).” He ended the note by writing, “You will not receive ANY additional response to this e-mail.” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement to the AP that the released emails show that none contained classified information. Cook said all of Carter ’s work-related emails are preserved within the federal records system.
2016-03-26 23:47 Defense Secretary www.washingtontimes.com
39 Analysis: Obama stirs calls for change in Cuba. Can it last? WASHINGTON (AP) - For a few short days, President Barack Obama was America’s man in Havana, his challenges to President Raul Castro stunning Cuban citizens who mused openly in the streets about the possibility of political change. Obama’s public call for a more democratic Cuban future marked a watershed moment in a country where questioning the government’s authority is not tolerated. Decades of bitterness between leaders seemed to fade as Obama and Castro laughed it up at a baseball game. U. S. businesses were flocking in droves, touting new approval to bring Americans and their dollars to Cuba. As Obama’s aides jubilantly boarded Air Force One, Castro showed up on the tarmac to see Obama off. The White House saw it as an affirmation that the visit was a success, even by Castro’s admittedly different standards. Yet a key question remained unanswered after Obama departed the communist island: How much of it will last? “We shouldn’t kid ourselves that they’re going to all of a sudden tolerate dissent,” said Michael Posner, Obama’s former assistant secretary of state for human rights and democracy. “This is a very ostracized regime. They’ve been in power a long time. They don’t really have any instincts for reform. It’s going to be a struggle.” The first clues could come next month during the Communist Party Congress meeting in Havana, a forum for unveiling major changes. An announcement of greater political freedoms or reform-minded economic steps would suggest that Obama’s strategy was starting to bear fruit. Under the glare of global attention, Castro did little to publicly undermine Obama. After all, Obama enjoys immense popularity in Cuba. Images of a young black president strolling through Old Havana seemed to resonate with Cuba’s racially diverse people, forming a powerful contrast with the aging Castro. In the days ahead, though, that public spotlight will dim, giving Castro an opening to return to business as usual should he so choose. Though he’s taking modest steps to open up Cuba’s economy and relax certain social restrictions, there are still no indications Castro plans to make any of the changes to Cuba’s single-party system that Obama advocated. “We will continue to speak out loudly on the things that we care about,” Obama said near the end of his visit. Central to Obama’s strategy is to raise the Cuban people’s expectations, driving up pressure on Castro’s government to accelerate the pace of change. Wary Cuban officials have picked up on the tactic, with some regarding Obama’s entreaties as a post-Cold War attempt to coerce Cuba with diplomacy instead of the threat of force. Ahead of his trip, Obama’s aides said a key goal was to make his rapprochement with Cuba irreversible. He left the island with plenty of indications that tipping point could be in sight. Soon, as many of 110 commercial flights between the U. S. and Cuba will take off daily, bringing millions of Americans to the country and further exposing Cubans to the outside world. With Americans hungry for a taste of Havana, Obama is banking on the notion that it will be incredibly unpopular for the next president to tell them to cancel their vacations. Famed U. S. hotel chains Starwood and Marriott are poised to take over hotels in Cuba after striking deals with Havana and getting permission from Washington, and Google is making a major play on the island as well. Brian Chesky, CEO of online lodging service Airbnb, told reporters in Havana that Cuba is his company’s fastest-growing market. “There comes a point where reversing it will seem like a very crazy idea,” said former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, a Republican who left Cuba as an exile at age six. “I think we’re just about at that stage.” Though Obama advanced his goal of normalizing U. S.-Cuba relations, it wasn’t without political risk. Story Continues →
2016-03-26 23:45 FILE www.washingtontimes.com
40 Belgian nuclear facility guard shot dead; his security badge was stolen Just two days after terrorists attacked the Brussels airport and subway system, a security guard for a Belgian nuclear facility was murdered and his security access badge was stolen, Belgian media reported Saturday. The security guard’s badge was de-activated as soon as it was discovered it was stolen, according to French newspaper Derniere Heure. He was shot dead in the Charleroi region of Belgium as he walked his dog, International Business Times reported . SEE ALSO: Belgium’s ‘March against Fear’ cancelled due to security concerns On Thursday, Derniere Heure reported that the suicide bombers who set off explosives that killed 31 people were originally targeting a nuclear site, but a series of arrests of suspect militants, including suspected Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam, forced them to speed up their plans. Last year, a senior nuclear industry official was secretly filmed by militants. It is suspected that they planned to abduct him to obtain information about radioactive materials. Belgium remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks, and France has also stepped up security at many of its nuclear power plants, with workers being screened for Islamist sympathies, according to the Telegraph. SEE ALSO: Belgium charges 3 more attacks suspects for terror offenses
2016-03-26 23:45 In the www.washingtontimes.com
41 Eastern Panhandle cheerleaders to compete in championship RANSON, W. Va. (AP) - The All-Star Legacy WV’s eXplicit Small Coed 5 2015-16 all-star cheerleading team made history recently as the first in the Eastern Panhandle to qualify for the United States All Star Federation Cheerleading and Dance World Championship. The USASF 12th annual World’s Championship will be held on April 22-25 at Walt Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. The World’s Championship brings together almost 10,000 cheerleaders and 4,000 dancers from Levels 5 and 6 from more than 40 international countries each year. EXplicit qualified for their at-large World’s bid at the Cheersport competition in Atlanta on Feb. 15. At Cheersport, eXplicit achieved one of 16 World’s bids offered against 67 teams in all different divisions. An at-large world’s bid gives the team, usually first-place winners or Grand Champions, an opportunity to compete at the USASF World’s Championship, but is not fully paid for. EXplicit is working towards a partial- or full-paid bid. EXplicit head coach Amber Royer has no doubt her team’s ability to succeed. EXplicit, according to Royer, practices a total seven hours in three days a week, but their preparation doesn’t stop there. The 14 boys and girls, from ages 13-18, that make up the coed team participate in tumbling classes and conditioning that are not mandatory but enhance and perfect their abilities as athletes. EXplicit became eligible for World’s in 2014-15 as an open Small Coed Level 5 team. To qualify for a world’s bid, a team must meet the requirements for Level 5 tumbling including, standing fulls, connecting skills with doubles, jumps to tuck and whip passes with rotations. Also, they must meet the requirements for Level 5 stunting. The level of difficulty with a Level 5 team is challenging, but all of the athletes at the gym offer their own individual strengths that better the team. According to Royer, this is the most tight-knit team that she has ever coached, and it shows with their hard work and dedication to the gym. However, she isn’t worried about winning. “Typically with all teams, we focus less on placement and more on hitting a routine with zero deductions,” Royer said. “We know that they will be in a pressure situation competing in a new surrounding, but we hope that the excitement of their first world’s performance comes through with the best routine they have had all season.” Royer was determined to take her team to the top after being considered an underdog in the cheer world competition. “Oddly enough, someone in the cheer industry said to me a few seasons ago that ‘the Eastern Panhandle would never have the talent to produce a world’s team.’ I think more than anything, I knew in my heart that this was incorrect in so many ways, and I truly believed in Legacy and our coaching staff would be able to bring a team up to this level of competing,” Royer said. “The athletes inside the walls of my gym instantly become my family. Sometimes, I tell the kids that ‘I can’t want it bad enough for you; you have to want it bad enough for yourselves.’ I know that through my coaching style, though at times it can be harsh, I am able to bring out potential in these athletes more than they could imagine having. I am lucky to have coached such a wonderful group of dedicated athletes, with great attitudes toward the sport, who are able to show true sportsmanship through competing,” Royer continued. Royer is focusing on strengthening their technique and perfecting areas of the routine that need it through hard practices. Her main goal is to produce a team of athletes that impresses and surprises people, in hopes to represent the Eastern Panhandle in a better light. Royer had one last thing to say to the person that told her that she couldn’t raise a World’s qualifying team in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. “We’re just getting started.” ___ Story Continues →
2016-03-26 23:41 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
42 Team reflects on 42-game winning streak 60 years later HADLEY, Mass. (AP) - At the Hopkins Academy graduation of 1956, 10 girls and 11 boys received diplomas. “That’s right, 11 boys in our senior class, and six were on the basketball team,” says Ted Kosior, now retired from a career in banking and still living in his hometown of Hadley. For two years, that Hopkins basketball team put together a 42-game winning streak which captivated the region. The streak finally ended in a 67-65 overtime loss to Worcester Commerce in the first round of the Western Massachusetts tournament at the Springfield College Field House. “We were a small-school team like the ‘Hoosiers’ in that movie, except we didn’t win our last game. We should have won it,” says Joe Zgrodnik, a senior who played his heart out that night, as did all of his teammates. “Losing was so hard, but people in town kept saying you’ll get over it. Well, guess what? I’m still not over it.” Kosior knows the feeling, but he also knows that he played the game of his life against Worcester Commerce. He scored his season-high, 19 points, including 13 in the second half. “It was great to be playing at the field house with most of Hadley there, cheering us on,” Kosior recalled recently. “I had my best game, but right at the end I had a shot that ticked off the rim, and that was it.” Before Hopkins’ achievement, the Western Massachusetts record for consecutive victories had been 39, set by the Westfield High School teams of 1939, 1940 and 1941. Springfield’s Classical High School snapped that streak early in the 1941 season. Hopkins tied the record it a Feb. 14, 1956, game against Smith’s School, then broke it three days later with a resounding 86-46 victory over St. Michael’s High School from Northampton. Hopkins’ record lasted until 1991 and 1992, when Springfield Central High School racked up 47 straight wins; the 1991 Central team, led by future NBA player Travis Best, accounted for 25 of those wins. Sixty years after their “Hoosiers” season, the Hopkins Academy players involved still have vivid memories of life in the Pioneer Valley spotlight - and the heartbreak that went with it. “We were just a bunch of Polish farm boys who knew how to work hard and play together,” said Kosior, who started alongside Gene Hoynoski in the Hopkins backcourt. Of course, it helped that one of those Polish farm boys - 6 foot, 5 inch John Pipczynski - happened to be a dominating player. (He had 30 points against Worcester Commerce, a typical night for him). “Pip was a cut above and so dedicated,” Zgrodnik said. “We had a big, strong, fast team. We liked to run, and we played good defense. Our coach, Bud Kneeland, was really a football guy, but he knew how to lead and he brought out the best in us.” Pipczynski and Kosior both went on to the University of Connecticut, where they played for coach Hugh Greer. After college, Pipczynski returned home to teach and coach at Hopkins, where he later became principal. He passed away in 2015. Kosior played two years of professional baseball before settling into his banking career. Story Continues →
2016-03-26 22:01 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
43 No signs yet from state on exit-conversion launch WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - Unlike other states, Massachusetts may well have been planning to roll out a major project to change exit numbers on highways without first informing the public, according to public records obtained by the Telegram & Gazette. The “exit-sign conversion” project is a mandate by the Federal Highway Administration that exit signs on interstates and other major roadways be based on mileage or distance rather than the sequential or consecutive numbering system. “We’re not familiar with the project they (MassDOT) are doing,” said Mary-Ellen Blunt, spokeswoman with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, which helps prioritize road and bridge projects in the area. She said she learned about the project from a Telegram & Gazette article in December that outlined what Connecticut has done and that Massachusetts was supposed to have begun a similar project in January. “I guess it would be helpful if we knew. I would hope that they would have some sort of public outreach. Usually, they do use us as part of their outreach. Maybe this is an area where they felt they could do it themselves.” Ms. Blunt said she experienced how motorist-friendly the mile- based system is when she visited South Dakota a few years ago. FHWA implemented the change in 2009, because most states were already using the mileage- based system. The rationale is that motorists would be best served by a nationwide uniform system. It helps motorists determine their travel mileage and destination distances as well as help facilitate quick and accurate emergency responses. States were required to adopt the new guideline and submit a plan to FHWA by 2012 on how the compliance will be met. But, there is no deadline for making the change. Only a handful of states, all in the Northeast, including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut, still use the old system. Connecticut recently implemented the change on I-395 when it had to replace thousands of old signs along the 53-mile corridor that had outlived their useful life span. Maine made the conversion in 2001. Both states undertook massive efforts to inform the public, businesses, chambers of commerce, regional planning agencies and other stakeholders long before the project began. Maine highway representatives also worked closely with the tourism association and went to fairs and festivals to get the word out. Massachusetts on the other hand, has seemingly been somewhat secretive about if and when it will implement an exit-sign conversion project that will affect more than two dozen roadways including the Mass Pike and interstate highways 190, 290, 495, and 395 in Central Massachusetts. Timothy Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he too has not heard about the project. He said he plans to reach out to MassDOT’s local District 3 office to see how the chamber can help get the information out to businesses. MassDOT representatives declined to provide information about the project to the Telegram & Gazette for its December 2015 story. Some information was obtained this month after the newspaper filed a public records request. MassDOT awarded the contract for the first part of the project to Halifax-based Liddell Bros. Inc. The project entails renumbering the exits with overlays rather than new signage. Indication of the current exit number would be left for a period to allow to allow the public to acclimate to the change. In a copy of a Sept. 10, 2015, email obtained through the public records request, Stephen Timmins, the state’s highway signing engineer and project manager, after being questioned by FHWA officials about how the public would be informed, said: “We will shortly be having a meeting with our PR people to start work on implementing the PR effort for this project, which will be running concurrently with the implementation of the renumbering.” The project was scheduled to begin in January. A spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration last week said the project will begin in “the spring 2016 construction season.” However, MassDOT, in an email Thursday, said “currently there is no timeline concerning when and where the project would begin.” After MassDOT failed to respond to questions about the project in December, the Telegram & Gazette sent letters to MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack and Gov. Charlie Baker outlining the problems in getting information. On Jan. 12, a former media relations person at the agency set up a telephone interview between a reporter and state Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin. Mr. Tinlin said he had not yet signed off on the project even though the contract had been awarded two months earlier. “I’m just doing some due diligence,” he said. “I want to take a look at what we’re doing with our money and why we’re doing projects. I’m not interested in standing in the way of the federal requirement, but we do need to understand the impact this will have on our customers. Forty-five other states felt it makes sense for them. But my job is to see that it makes sense for our customer needs.” Mr. Tinlin said the project has some benefits. He noted that under the mile-based system, the sequence of the exit numbering does not have to be changed if new interchanges are added to a route. “But I don’t want to say this is great when there’s going to be a lot of change out there. We can’t’ be foolish enough to think it’s not going to impact anybody in an adverse way.” Story Continues →
2016-03-26 22:02 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
44 Child death in Gwinnett apartment pool accident leaves questions Just One More Thing... We have sent you a verification email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your profile. If you do not receive the verification message within a few minutes of signing up, please check your Spam or Junk folder. 4-year-old drowns in Gwinnett pool ajc.com 2016-03-26 22:24 Steve Burns www.ajc.com
45 Uttarakhand row: Rebels' sting claims CM 'horse-trading', Harish Rawat rejects charge New Delhi: Congress' rebel legislators in Uttarakhand on Saturday released a sting video of Chief Minister Harish Rawat which, they alleged, showed him indulging in horse-trading to save his government, prompting BJP to meet President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention for his dismissal. The sting showed the chief minister, allegedly offering money to legislators to vote for his government in the vote of confidence mandated by Governor K. K. Paul before March 28. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat addresses a press conference in Dehradun on Saturday. Pic/PTI Releasing the video, rebel Congress lawmaker Harak Singh Rawat said that the chief minister was trying to bribe the nine rebel Congress legislators as well as few of those of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also alleged that the rebels have been receiving life threats. Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had served notice to nine rebels, seeking their responses by March 26 (Saturday) on why they should not be disqualified from membership of the house under the anti-defection law for violating the party discipline and aligning with the opposition BJP. Harak Singh also said that the sting video clearly showed that the chief minister was talking of offering Rs.5 crore to each legislator to return to the party and was also heard saying "chalo maamla saste mein nipat gaya (The issue has been settled at a cheap price)". "We have expressed concern over our security to the central government as we are getting threats. We've asked them to make arrangements for us. We have also requested the governor to immediately dismiss such a corrupt government of the mafia," he added. "We have also written a letter to the President Pranab Mukherjee to take objection to the whole situatiom. There is a constitutional crisis in the state," he said. Soon after the sting was released, the chief minister held a press conference where he accused the journalist, who conducted the sting, of conniving with opposition parties to "destablise his government and bring a bad name to the state". The BJP and the people behind the sting operation, he charged, were "immoral and greedy". Nine Congress legislators led by Harak Singh had rebelled against the chief minister couple of weeks back when they sought a vote division on the floor of the house. The speaker rejected the demand. Before the crisis, the Congress had 36 legislators in the 70-member assembly. The ruling party also has the support of six members of the Progressive Democratic Front, while the BJP has 28 legislators. Meanwhile, a BJP delegation on Saturday met the president to seek his intervention in the Uttarakhand political crisis and demanded that Congress government be dismissed at the earliest as it has lost its majority in the state assembly. "There is no need of vote of confidence as it has already been proved by a sting operation that Rawat has been indulging in unfair means to win numbers. Uttarakhand government is already in minority and president's rule must be imposed in the state at the earliest," BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya told reporters after the meeting. He said this is necessary to avoid any "corrupt practice" - alluding to the horse trading charge against Chief Minister Rawat. "Even if they (Congress) prove majority in the house, it will be muder of democracy," he said, adding that the president has assured them of necessary action. Harish Rawat, however denied the charges as baseless and his Congress also backed him, accusing the BJP of releasing a fake sting and using shameful tactics of defaming the state government. "After Uttarakhand High Court's decision to dismiss the petition filed by the rebel Congress MLAs challenging the notice issued to them by assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, the BJP is now resorting to dirty politics of releasing a fake sting to defame the state government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. Former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is among the Congress rebels, however, sought imposition of president's rule in the state saying: "Rawat has lost all the moral grounds to remain in power. "
2016-03-26 22:21 By IANS www.mid-day.com
46 Anti-Trump double agents undermining election process Contact WND (POLITICO) – Donald Trump triumphed in South Carolina’s primary last month. Now, the state could be ground zero for his undoing. Ted Cruz and John Kasich are aggressively mobilizing allies to recruit and elect their own South Carolina loyalists to the national Republican convention – scheduled for late July in Cleveland. All 50 of South Carolina’s delegates are duty- bound to support Trump on a first vote, but interviews with two dozen prospective delegates and party insiders – including several Trump backers — reveal a widespread belief that Cruz and Kasich will succeed in wresting the delegation away from Trump if the nomination fight heads to a second ballot. If Trump is unable to claim the nomination immediately, South Carolina could help tip the scales away from the New York billionaire.
2016-03-26 21:49 www.wnd.com
47 47 The man who proved Christian slaves were not slothful Contact WND Richard Allen was born to slave parents in Philadelphia and sold with his family to a plantation in Dover, Delaware. As a young man, Richard’s master, Stokley Sturgis, gave permission for him to attend Methodist religious meetings where he learned to read. In the year 1777, at the age of 17, Richard Allen was converted and determined to work even harder to prove that Christianity did not make slaves slothful. Richard Allen invited a Methodist minister to visit his master and preach to him. Methodists were against slavery, as founder John Wesley had called it “that execrable sum of all villainies.” After his master heard that on the Day of Judgment slaveholders would be “weighed in the balance and found wanting,” he converted and made arrangements for Richard to become free. Richard Allen became a licensed exhorter, and in 1783, set out preaching in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, walking so much that his feet became severely blistered. In the winter of 1784, Richard Allen, and another freedman, Harry Hosier, attended the Methodists “Christmas conference,” where the Methodist Church officially separated from the Church of England to form its own denomination. Allen was invited but declined to preach in Southern states with the circuit-riding preacher Francis Asbury, America’s first Methodist Bishop. Instead, Harry Hosier accompanied Francis Asbury as his carriage driver. Harry Hosier, though illiterate, memorized verbatim entire sermons and long passages of Scripture, resulting in Bishop Asbury letting him preach at his meetings with great effect. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, exclaimed that Harry Hosier preached the greatest sermon he had ever heard. Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore! Richard Allen and other African-Americans from St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church began their own church. Their first church building was dedicated by Bishop Francis Asbury in 1794. Dr. Benjamin Rush and George Washington contributed to Richard Allen’s church. In 1816, Richard Allen led in the forming of an entirely new denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was the first African-American denomination organized in the United States. The main building was in Philadelphia, named Mother Bethel AME Church. It is the oldest parcel of real estate in the United States owned continuously by African-Americans. Jarena Lee became the first woman to receive “authorization” to preach, with Richard Allen giving his approval. Richard Allen supported AME missionaries to Haiti. In 1827, the church sent Rev. Scipio Beanes to Haiti. By the date of Richard Allen’s death, March 26, 1831, the African Methodist Episcopal Church had grown to over 10,000 members, and since then, to over 3 million. The motto of the AME Church is: “God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, the Holy Spirit Our Comforter, Humankind Our Family.” Richard Allen wrote in his autobiography: “I was born in the year of our Lord 1760, on February 14th, a slave to Benjamin Chew, of Philadelphia. … My mother and father and four children of us were sold into Delaware state, near Dover, and I was a child and lived with him until I was upwards of twenty years of age, during which time I was awakened and brought to see myself poor, wretched and undone, and without the mercy of God must be lost. … I went with my head bowed down for many days. My sins were a heavy burden. I was tempted to believe there was no mercy for me. I cried to the Lord both night and day. One night I thought hell would be my portion. I cried unto Him who delighteth to hear the prayers of a poor sinner; and all of a sudden my dungeon shook, my chains flew off, and glory to God, I cried. My soul was filled. I cried, enough for me â the Saviour died.” Bishop Richard Allen stated: “This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and Gospel is free.” Brought to you by AmericanMinute.com . Discover more of Bill Federer’s eye-opening books and videos in the WND Superstore!
2016-03-26 21:49 Bill Federer www.wnd.com
48 GOP senator breaks ranks to meet with SCOTUS nominee Contact WND (NBC News) Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk broke against his party and is set to become the first Republican senator to meet with Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, on Tuesday, his office confirmed with MSNBC on Friday. The announcement comes a week after Kirk took a shot at his Republican colleagues for refusing to hold a Senate hearing and vote on Garland. Obama tapped the 63-year-old chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to replace the late Antonin Scalia, who died in Texas last month. Kirk’s office said more details about the meeting will be released on Monday and that the senator wants to know where Garland stands. The meeting was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
2016-03-26 21:49 www.wnd.com
49 Hillary leads to more war: Her latest speech on Israel is just the newest horrific example Topics: Hillary Clinton , Israel , War on Terror , Middle East , Editor's Picks , Elections 2016 , AIPAC , Terrorism , Libya , Henry Kissinger , Benjamin Netanyahu , Technology News , News , Politics News Hillary Clinton just gave one of her clearest statements of her foreign policy agenda in the Middle East, and by extrapolation around the globe, and it isn’t a pretty picture—not for Jews or anyone else. She vowed a stronger relationship between the U. S. and Israel, saying she’d invite Netanyahu to the White House. She stated that “[a]s president, I will make a firm commitment to ensure Israel maintains its qualitative military edge. .. The United States should provide Israel with the most sophisticated defense technology so it can deter and stop any threats. That includes bolstering Israeli missile defenses with new systems like the Arrow Three and David’s Sling. And we should work together to develop better tunnel detection, technology to prevent armed smuggling, kidnapping and terrorist attacks.” Let’s be clear about one thing: ensuring that Israel can continue its unlawful and immoral expansion of West Bank settlements, destruction of Palestinian homes and land, and the like is no way to support Jews. That is like giving an addict their drug of choice as a way to help them, when in fact it is only pushing them further into their unhealthy behavior, almost ensuring no way out. Providing Israel with even greater means by which to enact their horrific policies and violence against Palestinians will only ensure the spread of anti-semitism around the world and make Jews less safe, not more. Too many people already believe that Jews control the sources of power in our country (you only have to read tweets in support of Donald Trump to see this). And Hillary’s promise to keep Israel safe is indicative of her hawkish style more broadly around the globe. Her support of the coup in Honduras, the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya and her uncritical support of Saudi Arabia are just a few examples of what we can expect from Clinton’s foreign policy. When you rely on Henry Kissinger, a war criminal, to back you, you should know you are on the wrong side of history.
2016-03-26 16:38 Cat J salon.com.feedsportal.com
50 Yahoo - Introducing Fair Play on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy Yahoo Launches Key Changes in Daily Fantasy to Help Level the Playing Field for Fans Including Entry Limits, Labeling of Veteran Players and No Scripting --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced important changes to its Sports Daily Fantasy product to make contests more transparent and fun for all users. Changes include limiting entries to a max of 10 entries per user per contest (and in no event can a single user's entries make up more than 1% of total entries in a contest), clearly identifying Veteran players with a badge, and prohibiting the use of any type of scripting tool to upload or edit entries. "We first launched Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy back in because it was an exciting addition to our product suite and because our users were clamoring for it," said , Head of Product for and Finance. "Yahoo Fantasy Sports has tens of millions of registered fans and we are making these changes today as the result of months of user experience and customer requests. values an environment that is transparent and trustworthy. We also want to provide the best Fantasy games for true sports fans. does both. " As daily fantasy continues to evolve, the labeling of a small percentage of "Veteran" players with a distinct badge is a key change that will make it easier for all players to know who they are playing against on Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy. Veterans will be defined as users who have entered more than 1,000 contests within a single year, or who have entered more than 250 contests and prevailed in greater than 65% of them within a single year, or who have won a single prize of or greater more than three times within a single year. As a thank you to those users who have been so dedicated to Yahoo Sports Daily Fantasy, will be inviting Veterans to a special, free, invitation-only contest. has been a leader in fantasy sports for over 17 years. The changes made today will continue the tradition of fun and social user experiences that fans have come to expect from. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).
2016-03-26 20:36 investor.yahoo.net
51 Transgender to take on Mamata Banerjee in Bengal polls Kolkata: Adding a 'third' dimension to the West Bengal assembly polls and aspiring to be the voice of the society's "most deprived" section, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has fielded two transgenders, including one against Trinamool Congress supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The Ram Vilas Paswan-headed LJP announced its list of 63 candidates which includes Bobby Halder and Sankari Mondal, the first transgenders from the state to contest the polls. The 39-year-old Halder would contest from Bhowanipore taking on Banerjee and Left Front- backed Congress nominee Deepa Dasmunsi. Mandal, 30, would contest from Jadavpur constituency, against minister Manish Gupta of the Trinamool and former MP Sujon Chakraborty of the Communist Party of India-Marxist. "The transgender community is the most deprived and marginalised section of the society. Unless and until they themselves take up their cause, the condition will remain unchanged. So for the first time in Bengal, we have fielded two transgenders," LJP state convener Meera Chakraborty told IANS. Unfazed by the presence of heavyweight rivals or the prospect of losing the polls, Halder said the motive to contest was to voice the concerns of the transgender community. "I am not bothered about whether I lose or win. What is important is to raise the issues that we hijras (transgenders) face every day. The society, the country, claim to have progressed, but we are still looked down upon, ridiculed and not even considered humans. "Contesting from the chief minister's constituency will afford me the opportunity of at least getting noticed," Haldar told IANS. A resident of Joynagar in South 24 Parganas district, Haldar has been working for the welfare of the transgender community. "There are over 30,000 transgenders in the state but not even 1,000 have been enlisted in the electoral list. This is one of the main issues that I will harping on," said Haldar. Mondal, a resident of Baruipur in South 24 Parganas, as also Halder, are inspired by Manabi Bandopadhyay, India's first openly transgender college principal who took over the reins of Krishnagar Women's College in Nadia district last year. According to the Election Commission, there are 758 voters in the 'third gender' category in the state, with two each in Bhowanipore and Jadavpur.
2016-03-26 21:46 By IANS www.mid-day.com
52 Yahoo - Yahoo Appoints Two New Board Members --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) today announced that its board of directors has increased its size from seven to nine directors and appointed the following two new independent directors, effective . With the additions of Cathy and Eric, the board returns to the size it was on , prior to the resignations of and Charles Schwab. "Eric and Cathy are both highly respected, experienced practitioners in their fields, and we welcome them to Yahoo's board of directors," said , chairman of the board at. "Today we are at an important juncture in Yahoo's transformation, as we execute on our refined strategy and explore strategic alternatives for the company. " "Today we are expanding our board of directors with additional expertise to help advance our strategic goals as continues its transformation. We are pleased to welcome and to our board," said , CEO of. "I am honored to join the board of a company I have observed and admired over the course of my career," said. "As the technology landscape continues to change, I am excited to work with the board and management during this important time. " "I am delighted to have the privilege to serve on the board. The opportunity to work with my fellow directors and the management team to guide into its next chapter is exciting," said Ms. Friedman. held numerous positions over a 23-year investment banking career with Morgan Stanley, including Managing Director and Head of and Co-Head of the Biotechnology Practice, where she was strategic and transaction advisor to many of the most important companies in the sector. Friedman is a director of XenoPort, Inc., EnteroMedics Inc., GSV Capital Corp., Innoviva, Inc. (formerly Theravance, Inc.), and Radius Health, Inc. served as the Chief Financial Officer of until its acquisition by Avago in February of this year, the President and Chief Executive Officer of , and as the Chief Financial Officer of Brandt also served as Vice President and Partner at. Brandt is a director of Lam Research Corporation and Dentsply Sirona Inc. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com).
2016-03-26 20:36 investor.yahoo.net
53 Shuttle Endeavour lands at California air base - CNN.com (CNN) -- Space shuttle Endeavour landed safely Sunday afternoon at California's Edwards Air Force Base after NASA waved off two opportunities for a Florida landing because of poor weather. The shuttle, steered by commander Christopher Ferguson, landed at 1:25 p.m., ending a mission that lasted more than two weeks. Wind, rain and reports of thunderstorms within 30 miles of the shuttle landing facility at Florida's Kennedy Space Center prompted NASA to cancel the landing attempts there. Those had been scheduled for 1:19 p.m. and 2:54 p.m. ET. After determining Monday's weather forecast at Kennedy Space Center was equally unpromising, flight controllers decided they would try to land the shuttle and its seven astronauts at Edwards AFB, about 100 miles from Los Angeles, California, where Sunday's forecast was sunny. Flight controllers prefer landings at Kennedy Space Center because of cost and schedule. NASA has estimated it costs about $1.7 million to bring a shuttle home to Kennedy Space Center from California. Watch Endeavour's Sunday landing in California » It also takes at least a week to get the shuttle ready for the trip, but schedule is not a major factor for the Endeavour; it is not scheduled to fly again until May. Endeavour's 15-day mission to the international space station began on November 14 and included four spacewalks. During that time, the crew brought key pieces -- including exercise equipment, more sleeping berths and a urine recycling system -- for a project to double the capacity of the station from three in-house astronauts to six. The recycling system was installed to turn urine and sweat from the astronauts into drinking water. Other modules are scheduled to arrive on a February shuttle flight. The goal of expanding the station's capacity to six astronauts is expected to be reached by the summer. The crew also worked on a joint that helps generate power for the space station. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve Bowen spent hours cleaning and lubricating the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, which is designed to allow the solar panels on the left side of the station to rotate and track the sun. The astronauts also removed and replaced several trundle bearing assemblies. The mission went according to plan, despite a minor interruption on the first spacewalk when a grease gun in Stefanyshyn-Piper tool's bag leaked, coating everything inside with a film of lubricant. While she was trying to clean it up, the bag -- with $100,000 in tools -- floated away. CNN's Kate Tobin and Miles O'Brien contributed to this report.
2016-03-26 21:11 rss.cnn.com
54 BC-SOC--Italian Standings Empoli 0, Palermo 0 Roma 1, Inter Milan 1 Atalanta 2, Bologna 0 Frosinone 0, Fiorentina 0 Sampdoria 0, Chievo 1 Sassuolo 1, Udinese 1 Torino 1, Juventus 4 Verona 1, Carpi 2 Napoli 3, Genoa 1 AC Milan 1, Lazio 1 Carpi vs. Sassuolo, 1600 GMT Juventus vs. Empoli, 1845 GMT Udinese vs. Napoli, 1030 GMT Atalanta vs. AC Milan, 1300 GMT Chievo vs. Palermo, 1300 GMT Fiorentina vs. Sampdoria, 1300 GMT Genoa vs. Frosinone, 1300 GMT Lazio vs. Roma, 1300 GMT Inter Milan vs. Torino, 1845 GMT Bologna vs. Verona, 1845 GMT a-penalized 2 points Ascoli 1, Vicenza 2 Avellino 0, Crotone 0 Cesena 3, Latina 0 Como 1, Virtus Entella 1 Livorno 0, Pro Vercelli 1 Modena 1, Cagliari 2 Spezia 1, Trapani 2 Ternana Calcio 1, Pescara 0 Virtus Lanciano 0, Perugia 1 Brescia 0, Novara 0 Salernitana 3, Bari 4 Crotone vs. Virtus Lanciano, 1830 GMT Cagliari vs. Spezia, 1300 GMT Latina vs. Avellino, 1300 GMT Perugia vs. Ascoli, 1300 GMT Pescara vs. Como, 1300 GMT Pro Vercelli vs. Modena, 1300 GMT Trapani vs. Brescia, 1300 GMT Vicenza vs. Livorno, 1300 GMT Virtus Entella vs. Ternana Calcio, 1300 GMT Novara vs. Salernitana, 1530 GMT Bari vs. Cesena, 1830 GMT
2016-03-26 20:25 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
55 Black Hawk helicopters deployed for Kansas wildfire MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) - Firefighters trying to snuff out the biggest wildfire in Kansas history are getting help from military helicopters - and a potential assist from looming rain or snow. Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Kansas National Guard were deployed Saturday in the efforts to contain the persistent prairie blazes that since Tuesday have charred at least 620 square miles in Oklahoma and southern Kansas, destroying at least two homes and some livestock. No serious human injuries have been reported. Each helicopter has a 660-gallon bucket that will be used to dump water from local sources onto the flames, said Ben Bauman, the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office’s spokesman. The National Guard also was contributing a fuel tanker truck and another ground support vehicle. Firefighters focused again Saturday on Butler County, which is southwest of Wichita and where only 15 percent of the blaze that has scorched 427 square miles of the county, said Darcy Golliher, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Incident Management Team. The National Weather Service said the area where the fire has raged, which borders Oklahoma, may get one-tenth to a quarter inch of rain or snow Saturday night or Sunday morning. “There’s still a bit of uncertainty about how much they could get,” said Andy Kleinsasser, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Wichita office. “Hopefully they can get a decent dousing. Anything is better than nothing.”
2016-03-26 21:38 A firefighter www.washingtontimes.com
56 It wasn’t “politically correct” when W. said it: Why Trump’s Islamophobia is a dangerous American bellwether Topics: Donald Trump , George W. Bush , Islamophobia , political correctness , p.c. culture , Barack Obama , Brussels attacks , Editor's Picks , News , Politics News Back in 2002, when President George W. Bush made these comments at the annual White House Iftar Dinner , there was no outcry from his Republican colleagues for being too “politically correct,” or for avoiding the term “radical Islam” — which the president consciously refrained from using in speeches. No one questioned where the president’s loyalties were, or whether the terrorists could be defeated if he didn’t constantly emphasize their twisted Islamic ideology. After invading one Muslim country and planning to invade another, the Bush administration considered it wise to emphasize that the United States was not at war with a religion, especially a religion with over 1 billion followers. In another speech shortly after the attacks of September 11, at the Islamic Center of Washington, D. C., Bush condemned the Islamophobia that had emerged across the country, declaring that Americans who felt they could “intimidate our fellow [Muslim] citizens to take out their anger” did not “represent the best of America,” but “the worst of humankind.” Once again, these statements were not at all controversial. As the president of the United States, Bush was expected to keep the peace, not exacerbate violence and hatred against religious minorities. While there could be sharp disagreements over foreign policy, being commander-in-chief required at the very least an appearance of calm and sensible leadership, not hysterical and alienating rhetoric. It had nothing to do with “political correctness,” it was simply a matter of being presidential. Today, top Republican presidential candidates no longer subscribe to this kind of leadership. Over the past 10 months, GOP candidates have often given the impression that they are running for fearmonger-in-chief, rather than commander-in-chief, where new rules of leadership apply. For these candidates, levelheaded discourse is considered a sign of weakness, and thinking before speaking is deemed phony and “politically correct.” When our Democratic president avoids generalizations and confronts intolerance — as his Republican predecessor did — he is called “an apologist for radical Islamic terrorism” by one of the current frontrunners. When he does not become hysterical after a terrorist attack and rejects discriminatory and bellicose rhetoric, he is considered soft — or worse, his loyalties are questioned. Of the three candidates left in the Republican primaries, the party’s two biggest demagogues — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Donald Trump — have managed to stay on top by being about as unhinged and impulsive as General Ripper from “Dr. Strangelove.” And while communists are no longer trying to impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, now Muslims are, according to one of Cruz’s foreign policy advisors , planning to implement Sharia law in America and destroy the West from within (starting with “ America’s first Muslim president ”).
2016-03-26 18:37 Conor Lynch salon.com.feedsportal.com
57 Election Rundown: The ‘Stab v. the Grassroots By Leslee Kulba- Ted Cruz beat Donald J. Trump 11,433 to 8,430 in Buncombe County. Cruz also beat Trump in Henderson and Madison counties, but Trump won statewide 458,411 to 418.927. The best explanation offered for the unique outcomes in these Western North Carolina counties is the outreach of Pete Kaliner, the afternoon drive-time host on WWNC 570AM. Kaliner is vehement in contending Trump is a liberal whose amazing deal-cutting skills include “purchased” legislators and ties to organized crime. Kaliner, like many, is convinced Trump would get totally trounced by Hillary Clinton; especially since he contributed at least $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation and, for example, in 2006 donated $25,000 to Democrat Congressional committees, compared to the $1000 he gave to Republicans. John Kasich came in third, above Marco Rubio in Buncombe and Henderson, reflecting the statewide trend. Kasich was bolstered by intensive Fox News attention in days leading up to the election. His supporters had tried to get Rubio to swap delegates in Ohio and Florida, and Ohio Cruz supporters were urged to give their vote to Kasich to siphon delegates away from Trump. Rubio plummeted after trying to respond in-kind to Trump’s negativity in the last debate. Brent Bozell, founder of the Media Research Center recently announced that Trump had been getting 52 percent of candidate coverage in the mainstream media. Cruz, who has been running in second place since the Iowa Caucus, has only gotten 1.5 percent, most of which has been derogatory. Counting delegates is messy, and no two sources seem to have agreed since Super Tuesday. The states have different methods of awarding delegates and some take longer to sort out than others. Another reason is reports have different ways of dealing with uncommitted delegates. To date, according to the Conservative Review’s Republican Delegate Count, Trump has 693; Cruz, 422; and Kasich, 146. 209 delegates have been assigned to candidates now dropped out. A candidate must receive a majority of delegates, or 1237, to win. If that does not happen, the Republicans would hold a contested convention, in which the candidates vie for the votes of uncommitted delegates. If no majority winner emerges from that process, then the process would degenerate to a brokered convention, in which lots of wheeling and dealing go on and, as has been suggested, the Establishment could “parachute in” somebody who hasn’t been running, or doesn’t qualify, like Kasich. The number of rounds a delegate is pledged to vote for their assigned candidate varies from state to state. Over on the Democrat side, Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders 616,758 to 460,434 statewide. But locally, in Buncombe, Bernie clobbered Hillary 30,913 to 17,604. He also beat Hillary in counties all over Western North Carolina. While Uncle Bernie has broad popular appeal, Nurse Ratchet, as Rush Limbaugh calls her, is strongly bolstered by superdelegates. In the Democrat Party, 715 delegates consisting of party leaders and Democrats elected to high office may vote their minds regardless of how the vote goes. Clinton has 465 superdelegates; Sanders, 24. The names of superdelegates are listed on Wikipedia. Patsy Keever and Jake Quinn are superdelegates of local notoriety. Due to Establishment fears of a Trump presidency, rumor spread this week of secret meetings and attempts to defeat Trump by running a real conservative as a third-party candidate. That was a head-scratcher, since Cruz is billed as being totally Reaganesque in his conservativism, and there is already a third party. The Libertarians ran eleven presidential candidates on their ballot. Gary Johnson, who ran last time, barely squeaked by “No Preference,” securing 2390 votes statewide. As has been mentioned previously, the election of a president would not be so important if not for recent episodes of executive overreach. President Obama is famous for saying, “If Congress doesn’t act, I will,” and for making threats with his pen and phone. The properly enumerated powers of the presidency are very few. But it is difficult for somebody bent on winning not to promise the moon to voters who have learned to look to the executive branch for salvation. There is no doubt that one reason for the economy’s malaise is the absence of the rule of law at the federal level keeping would-be speculative investors off-balance. Fortunately, the Supreme Court overturned twenty of Obama’s actions that made people angry enough to sue. A conservative president dedicated to appointing an originalist stalwart to fill Antonin Scalia’s vacancy on the court would go a long way to making sure the next president doesn’t get away with twenty overreaches. These Guys Matter – Cruz has promised to repeal every un-Constitutional executive order upon taking office. But repealing legislation like Obamacare will take a proverbial act of Congress. Despite what candidates promise, Obamacare may only be repealed with a bill passing both chambers with a 2/3, veto-proof majority, or by a simple majority and the blessing of the president. And so the choice of legislators will be important. Incumbent Senator Richard Burr won in a statewide landslide with 622,074 votes. The next closest candidate was Greg Brannon with 255,030 votes. Burr, considered an Establishment Republican, was sure to win because the grassroots conservatives ran three of their own to split the opposition. That said, all grassroots votes combined were only slightly more than half Burr’s. Ever since Barry Goldwater’s horrible defeat in his bid for the presidency in 1964, the Establishment has been reluctant to run a hard-core conservative. And yet, guys who have run to the middle, like Mitt Romney and John McCain have not had messages that could resonate across the aisle like Ronald Reagan’s self-evident truths did with Reagan Democrats. Should the Establishment get what it wants in an aisle-reacher like Kasich, here’s what’s on the other side. Winning the Democrat senatorial primary was Deborah K. Ross, whose issues statements are quite foreign to the Republicans’. For example, she wants government to grow the economy, invest in public schools and make college more affordable, address climate change through clean energy supports, enact universal healthcare coverage, provide benefits to seniors and veterans, and fight for women’s issues. Congressional candidates will have until June to get their votes together. A Supreme Court ruling that came down after absentee ballots were already circulating allowed Districts 1 and 12 to be redrawn, and they couldn’t be redrawn without affecting the borders of adjacent districts and then juggling the boundaries to make sure a goodly number of people were in each district. Consequently, Congressional Districts 10 and 11, currently represented by Patrick McHenry and Mark Meadows, respectively, have been adjusted somewhat. McHenry is running for a seventh term with house re-election rates around 90 percent. He is challenged by former Democrat Jeff Gregory, who is protesting McHenry’s support of Planned Parenthood through the omnibus budget bill; and Albert Wiley, who is one of three candidates living outside their districts – 300 miles away on a barrier island in this case. The Liberty Caucus’ Meadows is one of three Republican congressmen who aren’t being primaried. The other two, George Holding and Richard Hudson, are also viewed as being fairly conservative. Either Thomas Hill or Frederick Bryson will run against Meadows in the general election. Far less advertised were races for other seats on the Council of State. A very important position in these “perilous times” is that of attorney general. Cruz brought to light the importance of this position on the campaign trail as he told about how Texas’ attorney general, now Governor Greg Abbott, commissioned him as solicitor general to proactively seek out cases elsewhere in the country where Texas had standing, in order to force clarifying, and not activist, votes on the Constitution. As a result, Heller v. District of Columbia was decided so that individual citizens, and not exclusively the well-regulated militia, retained the right to keep and bear arms. Thanks to Elk Grove v. Newdow, school children can still say “under God.” What’s more, it was attorneys general across the country who sued the federal government on various grounds to try to stop Obamacare. North Carolina’s attorney general did not cooperate. Now, Buck Newton will be facing off against Josh Stein. Newton ran as a Constitutional conservative. Musical Chairs – Incumbent Pat McCrory won the governor’s race. With 869,487 votes, he won 81.76 percent of the statewide vote. He will be running against the current attorney general, Roy Cooper, who earned 68.76 percent of Democrats’ votes. Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest will be running for re-election against Linda Coleman. Coleman beat out local star Holly Jones with 494,579 over 278,160 votes. Jones had served seven years on Asheville City Council before serving as a Buncombe County Commissioner another seven. Her term on the commission is set to end in 2016. The vacancy she leaves in the downtown District 1 is expected to be filled by Jasmine Beach-Ferrera. Beach-Ferrera’s main selling point was that she is openly LGBT. With 43.85 percent of the votes, she defeated Asheville City Councilman Gordon Smith and civil rights activist Isaac Coleman. Having run mid-term, Smith will be able to return to his seat on council. But there will be another vacancy in District 1. Commissioner Brownie Newman, who served with Jones on city council and followed her over to the commission, is running for commission chair. Incumbent David Gantt opted not to run for reelection. Newman had no opposition in the Democrat primary and so he will be running against Commissioner Miranda DeBruhl. DeBruhl is running mid-term so she will not forfeit her western District 3 seat if she loses. Either way, DeBruhl’s or Newman’s seat will go up for bid. DeBruhl defeated Chad Nesbitt in the primary. Whereas DeBruhl is measured, articulate, and pragmatic; Nesbitt had more of a Trump-like bent for publicity. Fellow partisans had been turned off by stunts like a 911 rappelling event at the Swannanoa Fire Department that officials say was billed as a fundraiser for cancer, but turned out to be a fundraiser for a “guerilla marketing campaign” to “defend ourselves from socialistic terrorism.” Nesbitt had the support of the Asheville TEA PAC and partisans trying to secure two seats instead of one. Another Tea Party candidate, Jordan Burchette, was running against Mike Fryar, who was seeking reelection for his eastern District 2 seat; even though Fryar takes the most conservative stances of any commissioner. Fryar garnered 57.89 percent of the vote and will be challenged in the general election by Nancy Nehls Nelson, who won a four-way race with 32.05 percent support. Nelson, a former Bell Labs project manager, is running as a centrist. They Also Ran – Following the primary, the following face-offs for Council of State emerged: Chuck Stuber (R) v. incumbent Beth Wood (D) for Auditor, Walter Smith (D) v. incumbent Steve Troxler (R) for Commissioner of Agriculture, George Goodwin (D) v. incumbent Mike Causey (R) for Commissioner of Insurance, incumbent Cherie Berry (R) v. Charles Meeker (D) for Commissioner of Labor, incumbent Elaine Marshall (D) v. Michael LaPaglia (R) for Secretary of State, Mark Johnson (R) v. incumbent June Atkinson (D) for Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Dale Folwell (R) v. Dan Blue III (D) for Treasurer. Current Treasurer Janet Cowell is the only incumbent not seeking re-election. For the state legislature, Frank Moretz beat Robert Chilmonik 4816 to 3356 in the Republican primary for NC House District 115. He will be running against John Ager (D). Unprimaried, Kay Olsen (R) will challenge incumbent Brian Turner for NC House 116. Incumbent Susan Fisher (D) is running unopposed in the heavily-Democrat House 114 district. Republican leadership had searched hard to find a challenger. For state senate, Beau Meredith (L) will challenge incumbent Terry Van Duyn (D) in District 49. No Republican is running in this race, either. For District 48, a three-way Republican primary was settled with Chuck Edwards getting 3074 votes; Lisa Baldwin, 2223; and Dennis Justice, 613. Both Edwards and Baldwin ran as conservatives and both received prestigious endorsements. Baldwin is the same public schools activist who writes for the Tribune Papers. Edwards will run against Norman Bossert (D) in November. Lastly, the bond referendum passed. The state will now be allowed to borrow $2 billion for a variety of capital projects, including buildings for community colleges and the National Guard.
2016-03-26 20:03 By Leslee www.thetribunepapers.com
58 Roy Hodgson: Dele Alli can become my Bryan Robson for England Roy Hodgson believes Dele Alli can become the new Bryan Robson and will give the Tottenham teenager another chance to shine when inexperienced England face world champions Germany. The 19-year-old's rapid rise shows no sign of slowing, having seamlessly transformed from League One prospect at MK Dons to Premier League star at White Hart Lane. Alli's displays are helping Tottenham push for a first league title since 1961 and have made him the bookmakers' favourite to cap his maiden top-flight campaign with the PFA Young Player of the Year award. Those displays have also gained Hodgson's trust and will see the teenager start a second England match on Saturday, ahead of which the manager compared the midfielder to 'Captain Marvel' Robson. "He could do anything in that midfield position," Hodgson said of Alli's potential. "I think he can be box-to-box, a number 10, if you like to call it that, or a number six. "He could be any of them because he has genuine all- round ability. He can challenge, he can run, he can fight for the ball, he can see a pass, he can score a goal. "You mention Bryan Robson - that's the player I would like to think he could become, but don't forget we're talking about a 19-year-old. "It's so dangerous these things because he's at the start of his career and we hope it is going to be a very long one, both for Spurs and for England. "But we believe in him and we think he is good. If I hadn't have believed in him, I wouldn't have put in the team tomorrow night because we're going to go out there and try and win this game. " Victory may be the goal but those charged with achieving that boast just 161 England caps between them - by contrast, Germany's Lukas Podolski has 126 to his name. Jack Butland has been given the nod ahead of Fraser Forster in goal, with Nathaniel Clyne, Chris Smalling and captain Gary Cahill joined by debutant Danny Rose in defence. Adam Lallana, Danny Welbeck - making his first England appearance in a year - and Harry Kane form the attacking trio in front of a midfield containing Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Alli. It means there will be four Spurs players in the starting line-up in Berlin - with the club bond something Hodgson believes can benefit England, just like Alli's sometimes tempestuous nature. "A player's temperament is often what brings him to the position that he enjoys," Hodgson said. "I've not seen anything particularly worrisome in his temperament, so that doesn't worry me. "As far as the block of Tottenham players, yeah, that can't be anything but an advantage if they can carry on and play as well for England as they do for Tottenham. That would be advantageous. "But, at the same time, I don't choose them necessarily because of the block. For example, if I would have been bothered with that then I'd play Kyle Walker at right-back, instead of Nathaniel Clyne. "I am playing Rose because I think he's the best left-back in this moment in time. "I'd like to think I continue to choose on ability, talent and what they can bring to our team, and just be conscious of what they do for their own teams. That's what brings them to our attention in the first place. " Alli's "capacity and ability" to compete was what brought him to the attention of Hodgson, as well as England coaches Ray Lewington and Gary Neville. The latter delayed meeting up with the squad due to his turbulent spell as Valencia head coach, which Harry Redknapp - the man Hodgson pipped to the national team job and currently coaching Jordan - says will damage Neville's reputation with the players. Those comments were given short shrift by Hodgson, who does not expect Neville's time in Spain to have a negative impact. "How have I found him? I have found him in excellent form," Hodgson said on Friday. "I've only spent a few hours in his company because he didn't arrive until seven o'clock last night and we left at nine o'clock this morning. "I find him lively and I find him like Gary Neville - the Gary Neville I've known for the last four years and that is what I am expecting to continue to find. " England team to play Germany: Butland; Clyne, Smalling, Cahill (captain), Rose; Henderson, Dier, Alli; Lallana, Welbeck, Kane.
2016-03-26 21:33 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
59 Mo Farah takes bronze as Kenyans dominate in Cardiff Double Olympic champion Mo Farah had to be content with third place at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff as Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor recovered from falling at the start to retain his title. Farah was using the road race as part of his preparation for the defence of his 5,000 and 10,000 metres titles in Rio this summer. However, it was the Kenyan duo of Kamworor and Bedan Karoki who set a very quick pace which saw them pull clear of the Briton, who eventually produced a trademark sprint finish in torrential rain to secure a place on the podium. Farah ran 59 minutes 59 seconds, the fastest time by a European this year, with Kamworor, whom the Briton beat to the world 10,000m crown in Beijing last summer, setting a new championship record of 59mins 10secs, despite a fall right on the start-line which left his knees bloodied and bruised. Karoki clocked 59:36 to claim second place. Speaking afterwards to the BBC, Farah was happy enough with the time, if not the final result. He said: "With great support from the home crowd it would have been nice to come away with a win, b ut a better athlete won on the day. "The guys were strong, they went for it and I just couldn't quite go with it. "It was an incredible pace, I looked at the 10k pace and they were just going for it, then for quite a bit of it I was on my own. "It is a fast time, but as an athlete you always want to win. " Farah remains very much focused on delivering again on the track in Brazil in August. He added: "Rio is definitely the aim. The guys are going to be strong in Rio, so I am going to work hard and this has just given me massive motivation. " In the women's race there was a Kenyan clean sweep. Pascalia Jepchirchir claimed gold in 67:31, with Cynthia Limo second in 67:34 and Mary Wacera Ngugi taking bronze in 67:54.
World Half Marathon Results dailymail.co.uk 2016-03-26 21:32 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
60 Amsterdam ArenA salutes Johan Cruyff - and could soon bear his name An emotional tribute to Johan Cruyff on Friday night saw play stopped in Holland's friendly against France for a minute's applause at a stadium that could soon be renamed in his honour. As had been planned, the action at the Amsterdam ArenA was temporarily halted by the referee in the 14th minute as a mark of respect for Dutch great Cruyff. The 22 players on the pitch - all wearing black armbands - then joined in as rapturous applause rang around the ground. Cruyff, who wore the number 14 shirt for his country and led them as captain to the 1974 World Cup final, died on Thursday at the age of 68 after losing his battle with lung cancer. An image of his face appeared on the stadium's big screen during the applause, while a huge banner in one stand showed a picture of him in his famous orange '14' jersey, and another hanging up simply read "Johan Thanks". Dutch football association (KNVB) president Michael van Praag had previously said: ''I can't wait for the moment when we rename our stadium the Johan Cruyff Arena. It's the best tribute we can pay him.'' No official decision has been made, however, on the stadium's name. Cruyff's son Jordi on Friday said he the family was ''touched'' by tributes to his father. In a message posted on his father's official website, worldofjohancruyff.com, Jordi wrote: ''On behalf of my mother, sisters and the rest of the family I would like to say thank you for all the love, kind words and memories that have been shared with us. ''It has touched us deeply that Johan was such an inspiration to many of you.'' The family's management confirmed they were making arrangements for a "private farewell" to Cruyff, as well as preparing details for an official memorial. Jordi also posted a message, accompanied by images of his father, on Twitter during the Holland-France game, which finished 3-2 to the visitors. The message said: "A husband, a father, a grandfather. We will miss you like crazy, it will be hard but I hope we will make you proud. " Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, who will take over at Manchester City next season, has paid his tribute to the man he began his playing career under at Barcelona. Guardiola told Catalan radio station RAC 1: "It's a great loss. We will not be able to see him when we would like to, but his legacy remains. "Those that experienced it were fortunate and he has left many things. He made us understand football, he opened your eyes. "We had Merlin, a person that helped us and was special. His legacy is infinite. " A three- time European Footballer of the Year, forward Cruyff helped Ajax to a total of eight Dutch league titles and three European Cups as a player. He was also part of a Primera Division-winning side at Barca, who he later went on to guide as boss to four Spanish league titles and their first European Cup, in 1992.
2016-03-26 21:32 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
61 Rock Hill church members carry cross to re-enact Christ's journey Echo Consignment Boutique co-owner Chrissy Pellegrino talks about the stores expansion as it celebrated March 24 with giveaways and more at its Landing Station location at 164 Highway 274 in Lake Wylie, SC. Along with clothing and accessory consignments, the store now offers more new clothing merchandise, specialty gifts and more jewelry. Nearby Echo Attic at Shoppes at the Landing now sells discounted clothing. Catherine Muccigrosso/Lake Wylie Pilot Members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Rock Hill and a few friends gathered at Cherry Park on Good Friday to re-enact Christ carrying the cross more than 2,000 years ago. The nearly two-dozen people took turns carrying the cross down Cherry, Mt. Gallant and Celanese roads to the church, where they wrapped a black cloth around the top and held a devotional. Two Lake Wylie, South Carolina, men are using a "revolutionary" plastic to build an all-plastic, two-stroke engine. The "game-changing" engine is under development by mechanic Ted Bowman and Randy Lewis, who runs a manufacturing company of bulk molding compounds called ZeMC2 in Salisbury, N. C. John Marks/Lake Wylie Pilot York County elementary age kids gathered by the hundreds at Rock Hill's Cherry Park for the 34th Annual Great Easter Egg Classic. Organizers threw 50,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and tickets for prizes onto the softball fields as children ages 2 to 11 dashed to fill their bags. Teresa Guidry, a former contestant on 'The Voice' who grew up in Rock Hill, visited Ebenezer Avenue Elementary where she attended elementary school. She talked to students about following your dreams and she sang songs by Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber with the students. The Plants vs Zombies Garden Warefare: 3Z Arena is based on the popular video game and features seats that move with the action, laser guns and two interactive screens. Carowinds opens Friday. More than 1,000 gallons of sewage spilled in wooded area below a business park in Fort Mill. It reached a small tributary of Dye Creek but town officials say it presents no health danger. Cell phone video. See what it's like to drive along "Deadman's Curve," a stretch of S. C. 9 10 miles west of Chester. The first clip is going south, heading into Chester, and the second clip is northbound. Two people died in this area after a March 7 head-on crash and now county leaders are calling for road improvements. Children and adults celebrated athletic accomplishments Tuesday during the Special Olympics at Cherry Park in Rock Hill. They ran, jumped, and raced with smiles on their faces as volunteers cheered them on. Earlier this month, the Fort Mill Fire Department delivered a baby boy after getting a call that the mom was in labor. Officials say it was the first time the century-old department helped bring a a baby into the world.
2016-03-26 19:46 www.heraldonline.com
62 “She was the kind of New York person I hate!” : This couple met IRL and stayed together despite a rocky first impression Topics: time out new york , the way they met , dating , Marriage , Lesbian , dating in real life , Innovation News , Social News , Media News , Life News , Entertainment News , Politics News Don’t be fooled by first impressions. Lauren thought Brooke was “exhausting” when she first caught sight of her at a photo shoot for Time Out New York’s 2010 singles issue. They hit it off at a party and have been together ever since. They got married last year. Here’s their story.
2016-03-26 18:37 Katie Levingston salon.com.feedsportal.com
63 Ailing Nadal retires from Miami Open as Wawrinka, Kvitova fall Ailing Rafael Nadal, struggling to cope with heat and humidity, retired from his second-round match on Saturday at the ATP and WTA Miami Open, handing 94th-ranked Bosnian Damir Dzumhur a 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 triumph. Two-time Grand Slam champions Stan Wawrinka and Petra Kvitova also crashed out of the hardcourt event, but it was 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal's exit that proved most stunning of all. The Spanish fifth seed, a four-time Miami finalist but never a champion, was also a first-match loser at the Australian Open, only the second Grand Slam opener defeat of his career. Dzumhur, 23, won 22 of the last 29 points as Nadal, 29, repeatedly spoke with a trainer and searched for solutions, asking for his blood pressure to be taken after two games of the third set. "Can we not check the tension, if it is good or bad please? " he said. Told it was good, he said, "Continue. " After dropping the third game, he sat with his head down as a trainer told him, "If you're feeling bad, there's no point to continue. " Nadal battled through three more points and finally said he could not go on. "Definitely I want Rafa to recover," said Dzumhur. "He's one of the best players in tennis and I wish all the best for him. " Nadal squandered nine break-point chances before Dzumhur held in his first service game of the match. But the Bosnian double faulted away the last three points in the fourth game to surrender a break and Nadal broke him again to finish off the set. Dzumhur broke Nadal in the third game of the second set but netted a forehand in the eighth game to pull the Spaniard level at 4-4. But the Bosnian responded by breaking back for a 5-4 lead, fist pumping after a backhand winner to claim the game, and held at love to force a third set. - Wawrinka, Kvitova ousted - Swiss fourth seed Wawrinka, who has won titles this year at Chennai and Dubai, was ousted by Russia's Andrey Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-3 while Czech eighth seed Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon winner, fell to Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova 6-4, 6-4. "I just tried to keep the pressure on him," said Kuznetsov, who fired 23 winners and seven aces to advance in 79 minutes. Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open champion, managed only 16 winners against 37 unforced errors and went 0-for-8 on break point chances. Kuznetsov, ranked a career-best 51st, avenged a third-round loss to Wawrinka earlier this month at Indian Wells and made the Swiss his highest-ranked beaten foe. With Nadal and Wawrinka out, the top- ranked player in their quarter of the draw is Canadian 12th seed Milos Raonic, who is coming off a runner-up showing at Indian Wells. He beat American Denis Kudla 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 and next faces US 22nd seed Jack Sock, who advanced 6-2, 3-2 when Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky retired with a back injury. - Nishikori fights through - Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori advanced to the third round by downing 107th-ranked French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6- 2, 7-6 (7/4). The 26-year-old Asian star, runner-up at the 2014 US Open and coming off a fourth consecutive title last month at Memphis, denied the Frenchman on two set points in the ninth game of the second set and took four of the last five points in the tie-breaker to win after 88 minutes. "He played much better in the second set," Nishikori said. "I tried to be aggressive. I knew I had to somehow give him some pressure. I stayed confident even a break down and had a good win. " Next up for Nishikori, who could meet Britain's Andy Murray in a quarter-final, is Ukraine's 27th-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov, a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Italy's Andreas Seppi. Murray and women's world number one Serena Williams were scheduled to compete in later matches. Polish third seed Agnieszka Radwanska reached the last 16 by beating American Madison Brengle 6-3, 6-2 while Romanian fifth seed Simona Halep downed Germany's Julia Goerges 6-4, 6-1, to book a last-16 matchup with British wildcard Heather Watson, who outlasted Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.
2016-03-26 21:17 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk
64 Probing the cosmos: Is anybody out there? - CNN.com (CNN) -- From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe. Her ears are 42 large and sophisticated radio telescopes, spread across several acres, that scan the cosmos for signals of extraterrestrial origin. If intelligent life forms do exist on other planets, and they try to contact us, Tarter will be among the first to know. Are we citizens of Earth alone in the universe? It's a question that has long fascinated astronomers, sci-fi authors, kids with backyard telescopes and Hollywood executives who churn out spectacles about alien encounters. Polls have found that most Americans believe that some form of life exists beyond our planet. "It's a fundamental question," said Tarter, the real-life inspiration for Jodie Foster's character in the 1997 movie "Contact. " "And it's a question that the person on the street can understand. It's not like a... super-collider or some search for neutrinos buried in the ice. It's, 'Are we alone? How might we find out? What does that tell us about ourselves and our place in the universe?' "We're trying to figure out how the universe began, how galaxies and large-scale structures formed, and where did the origins of life as we know it take place? " Tarter said. "These are all valid questions to ask of the universe. And an equally valid question is whether the same thing that happened here [on Earth] has happened elsewhere. " Watch a preview of CNN's "In Search of Aliens" series » Thanks to advancements in technology, scientists hope to get an answer sooner rather than later. Rovers have snapped photographs of the surface of Mars that show fossil-like shapes. NASA hopes to launch within a decade a Terrestrial Planet Finder, an orbiting observatory that would detect planets around nearby stars and determine whether they could support life. Such developments are catnip to scientists like Geoffrey Marcy, a professor of astronomy at the University of California-Berkeley who has discovered more extrasolar planets than anyone else. "It wasn't more than 13 years ago that we hadn't found any planets around the stars, and most people thought that we never would. So here we are not only having found planets, we are looking for habitable planets, signs of biology on those planets," Marcy told CNN. "It's an extraordinary explosion of a field of science that didn't even exist just a few years ago. " Then there's Tarter, whose quest for signs of extraterrestrial life kept her on the fringes of mainstream science for decades. While pursuing her doctorate at UC-Berkeley, Tarter came across an engineering report that floated the idea of using radio telescopes to listen for broadcasts by alien beings. It became her life's work. In 1984 Tarter founded the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) in California. Using telescopes in Australia, West Virginia and Puerto Rico, she conducted a decade-long scouring of about 750 nearby star systems for extraterrestrial radio signals. None was found, although Tarter had some false alarms. In 1998, she intercepted a mysterious signal that lasted for hours. Tarter got so excited she misread her own computer results: The signal was coming from a NASA observatory spacecraft orbiting the sun. Today, Tarter listens to the heavens with the Allen Telescope Array, a collection of 20-foot-wide telescopes some 300 miles north of San Francisco. The dish-like scopes are a joint effort of SETI and UC-Berkeley's Radio Astronomy Lab and have been funded largely by Microsoft co- founder Paul Allen, who donated more than $25 million to the project. Unlike previously existing radio telescopes, which scan the sky for limited periods of time, the Allen Telescope Array probes the universe round the clock. Each of the 42 scopes is aimed at a different area of the sky, collecting reams of data that are continually studied by computers for unusual patterns. Then the listeners must filter out noise from airplanes and satellites. "We're listening for something that we don't think can be produced by Mother Nature," Tarter said. "We're using the radio frequency, other people are using optical telescopes... and in both cases we're looking for an artificial nature to a signal. "In the case of radio, we're looking for a lot of power being squished into just one channel on the radio dial. In the optical, they're looking for very bright flashes that last a nanosecond... or less, not slow pulsing kinds of things. To date we've never found a natural source that can do that. " Signals that any extraterrestrials might be transmitting for their own use would be difficult to detect, Tarter said. Astronomers are more likely to discover a radio transmission broadcast intentionally at the Earth, she said. Astronomers at SETI, however, are not sending a signal into space in an attempt to communicate with aliens. University of California professor Marcy is skeptical about the existence of intelligent alien life and believes our galaxy's vast distances would make communication between Earth and beings on other planets almost impossible. "The nearest neighbor might be halfway across our galaxy, 50,000 light-years away. Communicating with them will take a hundred thousand years for a round-trip signal," he said. Still, Tarter remains undaunted. The Allen Telescope Array already does in 10 minutes what once took her scientists 10 days. When the project is completed, it will have 350 telescopes that, combined, can survey tens of thousands of star systems. "We can look in more places and more frequencies faster than we ever could. And that will just get better with time. We're doing something now we couldn't do when we started, we couldn't do five years ago," she said. "Think of it as a cosmic haystack. There's a needle in there somewhere. If you pull out a few straws, are you going to get disappointed because you haven't found the needle yet? No. We haven't really begun to explore. " All About Astronomy • UFOs and Alien Abductions • SETI Institute
2016-03-26 18:56 By Brandon rss.cnn.com
65 Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years - CNN.com WASHINGTON (CNN) -- NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington. The mission had been scheduled for launch in the fall of 2009. The Mars Science Lab is a large, nuclear- powered rover designed to traverse long distances with a suite of onboard scientific instruments aboard. It is, according to NASA's Web site, part of a "long-term effort of robotic exploration" established to "study the early environmental history of Mars" and assess whether Mars has ever been -- or still is -- able to sustain life. The delay of the launch, according to NASA, is due to a number of "testing and hardware challenges that must (still) be addressed to ensure mission success. " "The progress in recent weeks has not come fast enough on solving technical challenges and pulling hardware together," said Charles Elachi, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Changing to a 2011 launch "will allow for careful resolution of any remaining technical problems, proper and thorough testing, and avoid a mad dash to launch," argued NASA Associate Administrator Ed Weiler. The overall cost of the Mars Science Lab is now projected to be roughly $2.1 billion, according to NASA spokesman Dwayne Browne. The project originally carried a price tag of $1.6 billion. NASA's entire budget for the current fiscal year, according to Browne, is approximately $15 billion. According to NASA, the Mars rover will use new technologies and be engineered to explore greater distances over rougher terrain than previous missions to the planet. This will be done in part by employing a new surface propulsion system. "Failure is not an option on this mission," Weiler said. "The science is too important and the investment of American taxpayer dollars compels us to be absolutely certain that we have done everything possible to ensure the success of this flagship planetary mission. " Weiler asserted that, based on the agency's preliminary evaluations, additional costs tied to the delay of the Science Lab launch would not result in the cancellation of other NASA programs over the next two years. He did, however, concede that it would result in other unspecified program delays. Critics have charged that the delay and cost overruns associated with the Mars Science Lab are indicative of an agency that is plagued by a lack of accountability and inefficiency in terms of its management of both time and taxpayer dollars. "The Mars Science Laboratory is only the latest symptom of a NASA culture that has lost control of spending," wrote Alan Stern, a former NASA associate administrator, in a November 24 op- ed in the New York Times. "A cancer is overtaking our space agency: the routine acquiescence to immense cost increases in projects. " Stern charged that the agency's cost overruns are being fueled by "managers who disguise the size of cost increases that missions incur" and "members of Congress who accept steep increases to protect local jobs. " Browne replied in a written statement saying that NASA administrators are "constantly working to improve (the agency's) cost-estimating capabilities. ... We continually review our projects to understand the true risk in terms of performance, cost and schedule. " "The fact of life at NASA, where we are charged with creating first-of-a-kind missions of scientific discovery, is that estimating the costs of... science can be almost as difficult as actually doing the science," Browne said. NASA's most recent Mars project -- the mission of the Phoenix Mars Lander -- came to an end last month after the solar-powered vehicle's batteries ran down as the result of a dust storm and the onset of Martian winter. It had operated two months beyond its initial three-month mission. NASA officials had landed the vehicle on an arctic plain after satellite observations indicated there were vast quantities of frozen water in that area, most likely in the form of permafrost. They thought such a location would be a promising place to look for organic chemicals that would signal a habitable environment. Scientists were able to verify the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface, find small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life, and observe snow descending from the clouds, NASA said Thursday.
2016-03-26 14:03 Alan Silverleib rss.cnn.com
66 Yahoo - Yahoo to Participate at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NASDAQ:YHOO) CFO will participate in a question- and-answer session at the Morgan Stanley in . The session is scheduled to begin on , at / . A live webcast of the session will be available on the Investor Relations website at http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/events.cfm? CalendarID=5. is a guide focused on informing, connecting, and entertaining our users. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. is headquartered in , and has offices located throughout the , (APAC) and the , and (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the Company's blog (yahoo.tumblr.com). is the trademark and/or registered trademark of All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
2016-03-26 20:11 investor.yahoo.net
67 Trumped again: The diabolical GOP frontrunner slimes Cruz, shames Fox & controls the news cycle Topics: 2016 Republican primary , Republican Party , Donald Trump , Ted Cruz , National Enquirer , 2016 Elections , 2016 Presidential Campaign , Heidi Cruz , Melania Trump , Elections News , Politics News When is a news story not a news story? That question hung in the air much of the day on Friday, as the major cable news networks laboriously steered around any direct reference to the political bombshell that had set social media aflame since the small hours. Once again the mainstream media had been Trumped, made to look floundering and foolish by the Republican clown-prince even as it wrestled with one of the biggest news days of the year. Belgian authorities had apparently captured a leading suspect in the Brussels attacks, and the United States military had apparently killed an ISIS leader in Syria. But for at least half the day, those headlines felt like footnotes to the hot topic TV news wouldn’t even touch. With no apparent sense of irony, Fox News sought to recast itself as a sober, responsible news organization, whose guests and commentators are deeply concerned about the toxic nature of American political discourse. During the 11 a.m. hour of Fox’s “Happening Now,” an entire group of panelists earnestly embraced Hillary Clinton’s recent complaint that moderate, centrist, reasonable voices had been excluded from public debate and political media, and that this was harming democracy. The old saw about putting lipstick on a pig doesn’t begin to capture it. Friday’s display of cable-news hypocrisy and paralysis, as the talking heads danced along the edges of the unmentionable story everyone in the real world was talking about, was more bizarre and more far-reaching than that. It was like Vlad the Impaler taking a break from roasting infants on skewers to lament the decline of table manners. It was as if all the pathology and bad karma of American politics in 2016 had been compressed into a few unhappy hours of avoidance and denial and enforced foolishness. Republican leaders and their media enablers have devoted many years’ worth of cynicism and manipulation and fear-mongering into seeding the ground for Donald Trump. Now he’s here, and those people act shocked every single day to wake up and discover that Trump is pulling their strings instead of the other way around. Of course the sober, responsible can’t-we-get-along shtick didn’t last long on Fox. An hour or so later, during the female-centric midday program “Outnumbered,” which is a nightmarish parody of “The View” featuring a phalanx of women in high heels and short skirts surrounding Tucker Carlson, the tone shifted back to the Fox default setting of “Hillary Clinton: Destroyer of Worlds.” Casting about for potential girl-talk topics that would somehow avoid the obvious, the panel conceded that Trump might have a problem with female voters. This, Carlson observed, was patently unfair. After all, who had actually abused and mistreated more women: Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? His companions nodded and furrowed their brows: Intriguing question, Tucker! A few minutes before that, Carlson had waggishly noted that the central question of the Republican contest had now become “whose wife is hotter.” Oh, he got scolded for that: You dog, you! Then the strain of not mentioning the name of a certain tabloid publication, or gossiping about who might be depicted in its tantalizingly blurry photographs, drove the “Outnumbered” couch-cluster into bitterness and madness. One of Carlson’s fembot co-hosts, possibly Andrea Tantaros — it wasn’t Meghan McCain or the token liberal or the one with the Southern accent — acridly suggested that “feminists” were eager to judge Melania Trump for taking her clothes off, “but when Lena Dunham does it, they think it’s great.” McCain lamented that bad sexual mojo in the Republican race was interfering with important issues, such as the fact that Hillary Clinton’s husband was a “sexual predator.” When Republicans try to distract their base with Lena Dunham, they’re desperate; when they drag out Monica Lewinsky, they’re lost and lonely and afraid. Worst of all, the “Outnumbered” panel concluded, the Trump-Cruz catfight and its ugly but unmentionable new twist had ruined the prospect of a Republican “unity ticket.” (For which the rest of us should send both candidates fruit baskets.) But Friday’s disorder was not limited to Fox News. On their mid-morning news shows, both CNN and MSNBC hosted cagey, half-hearted segments about whether the name- calling, spouse-mocking playground feud between Trump and Ted Cruz had gone too far — but without explaining exactly how far it had gone. Gratefully seizing on breaking news from Brussels and the Middle East, both networks kept those segments brief and cryptic. We heard (several more times) about the nude photo of Melania Trump tweeted by a pro-Cruz PAC, and about Trump threatening to “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz. We repeatedly got to see Cruz’s unconvincing tough-guy act, where he wore a bomber jacket and stared down the TV cameras and called Trump a “sniveling coward,” looking somewhat like a sixth-grader trying to deliver Marlon Brando’s lines from “The Wild One.” By the standards of the 2016 news cycle, that was all moldy cheese from the back of the fridge, used as a coy placeholder for something else. All these purported adult news professionals had to pretend, for reasons they couldn’t quite define, that they had just rolled out of bed and hadn’t noticed the day’s biggest political plot twist. What I’m talking about, of course, are the latest revelations about Hillary Clinton’s State Department emails, which will surely land her in prison one of these days! (That was actually floated as one of Friday’s big stories, however briefly, during the fevered last few minutes of “Outnumbered.” Carlson played buzzkill, ruefully admitting that he didn’t think Attorney General Loretta Lynch would indict Clinton.) OK, no I’m not. As virtually everyone in the viewing audience for Friday’s news shows already knew, the National Enquirer had published an overnight cover story claiming that Ted Cruz has had at least five extramarital relationships, accompanied by fuzzy but easily decoded photos of his alleged lovers. (Several of the women in those pictures appear to be prominent Republican operatives who have worked for Cruz and other candidates, including Trump.) By mid-morning on Friday, Cruz and Trump supporters on Twitter were engaged in open warfare, while left-leaning observers offered Schadenfreude-tinged commentary and media types debated the credibility of the Enquirer and told us they’d heard all this before. As indeed they had: I don’t know whether the allegations about Cruz’s private life are true and I don’t care, but the rumors are nothing new. There is plausible social-media evidence to suggest that Marco Rubio supporters tried to plant similar stories weeks ago, in hopes of rescuing Rubio’s dying campaign.
2016-03-26 19:44 Andrew O salon.com.feedsportal.com
68 Brussels attack victims came from Belgium and around world BRUSSELS (AP) — Victims of the attacks on Brussels' airport and subway included commuters heading to work and travelers setting off on long-anticipated vacations. In a city that's home to international institutions including the European Union and NATO, they came from Belgium and around the world. Among the confirmed dead: Gigi Adam said her 79-year-old father Andre Adam died trying to protect his wife during the attack on Brussels airport. Adam was a retired Belgian diplomat who had served as his country's ambassador to Cuba, the United States, the United Nations and other countries. "His death has wounded us all forever," Gigi Adam wrote on Facebook. "All his life he had worked towards the peaceful resolution of conflict in the world. " She described her late father as "a cultured and cheerful man" who had met his future wife — "the love of his life" — on his posting to Cuba in the early 1960s. She said on Facebook that her mother had been hospitalized after the attack. Gigi Adam said her parents had retired to southwest France in recent years. "He was a loving father and an adored grandfather," she said, asking for his family members to be given privacy. "We need to rest. " ___ Patricia Rizzo's family hails from a tiny town in Sicily, but she was as broadly European as they come. Born in Belgium to a family originally from Calascibetta, near Enna, Sicily, Rizzo graduated from a Belgian university and worked for several Belgian companies as an executive secretary before joining European institutions in 1995. The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that Rizzo, 48, was among the dead from the attack on the Brussels subway at Maelbeek. "Unfortunately, Patricia is no longer with us," a man who identified himself as Rizzo's cousin, Massimo Leonora, wrote on Facebook. His final post capped days of anxious updates recounting his search of Brussels hospitals in hopes that Rizzo might have been among the injured. "It's difficult, but at least now we're beyond this unending race against time to find you. " Rizzo moved back to Italy from 2003 to 2008 to work as the assistant to the executive director of the European Food Safety Authority. In 2008, she was named human resources assistant for the EU's education and culture agency in Brussels and for the past five months had worked in the human resources department of the European Research Council. "After a few days of excruciating waiting and angst, our worst fears have been confirmed," the ERC's executive leadership said Saturday, praising Rizzo's energy, attitude and spirit. The Research Council said Rizzo is survived by a son and her parents. ___ Jennifer Scintu Waetzmann was a coach for a youth handball club in Aachen, Germany. Her uncle, Claudio Scinto, told the German newspaper Bild that she and her husband were checking in Tuesday morning at Brussels Airport en route to a belated honeymoon in New York when the first bomb exploded. The blast killed her and left her husband, Lars Waetzmann, among the 270 wounded in Brussels. Her final post on Facebook came right after the November extremist assaults on Paris. It said: "Pray for Paris. " Other pictures show her and her husband in romantic seaside settings with the inscription: "Love of my life. " German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Friday his thoughts are with Waetzmann's family and vowed Germany "will not rest until the murderers and those who aided them are held responsible. " ___ Elita Borbor Weah, who was heading to Rhode Island for her stepfather's funeral, had texted family members a photo of herself Tuesday at Brussels Airport. A short time later, two suicide bombers struck the airport, leaving Weah among their victims. The 40-year-old had been living in the Netherlands with her 13-year-old daughter after her extended family from Liberia had dispersed across West Africa, Europe and the United States following Liberia's civil wars. Her brother Oscar Weah, of Providence, Rhode Island, was shaking and in tears Friday as he described how his older sister helped care for him over the years. Other relatives also sang her praises. "She had a good heart," said 14-year-old niece Eden Weah. "She was always worried about everybody. " Now, in addition to holding a funeral for her 87-year-old stepfather, the family was making arrangements to care for her teenage daughter. ___ David Dixon had texted family members to say he was safe after two bombs severely damaged Brussels airport, but he was killed shortly after when a bomber attacked the subway system. Dixon, 53, a British citizen, was working as a computer programmer at the time of his death, which was confirmed Friday by Britain's Foreign Office. Friends and family had been searching for him since he failed to arrive at work Tuesday morning in the hours after the bomb attacks. Press reports indicated he lived in Brussels with his partner and their son. "This morning we received the most terrible and devastating news about our beloved David," said a statement sent out by officials on behalf of Dixon's family Friday. "At this most painful time our family would gratefully appreciate it if we could be left alone to grieve in private. " Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "deeply saddened" by the death of Dixon, who was originally from Hartlepool, in northeastern England. ___ Two New York City siblings are among the dead, their family said Friday. Alexander and Sascha Pinczowski, Dutch nationals who lived in the U. S., were headed home to the United States when a bomb exploded at the Brussels airport Tuesday morning. Alexander, 29, was on the phone with his mother in the Netherlands when the line went dead, said James Cain, whose daughter Cameron was engaged to Alexander. Alexander had traveled to the Netherlands to work on a craft-related business that he and Cameron were going to start together, Cain said. The couple met six years ago while taking summer courses in Durham, North Carolina, and had planned to marry within the year. Sascha Pinczowski, 26, was a 2015 graduate of Marymount Manhattan College in New York with a degree in business. She spent last summer as an intern at a catering company, Shiraz Events. Shiraz Events President Shai Tertner called her "a bright, hardworking young woman with a great career ahead of her. " In November, Sascha Pinczowski had warned that demonizing Muslims would help drive the recruitment of extremists. She posted on Facebook after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that "Ignorant spreading of anti-Muslim sentiment and propaganda does nothing but benefit ISIS. " Pinczowski's Nov. 16 Facebook post was reposted by her mother, Marjan Pinczowski Fasbender, who wrote that she wanted to share "this message of tolerance from our Dear Daughter Sascha. " ___ The Chinese Embassy in Belgium said Friday that a Chinese national was killed in the attacks. He was identified only by his surname — Deng. No further details were released. ___ Born in Peru, Adelma Tapia Ruiz dreamed of opening a restaurant. She had lived in Belgium for nine years but still cooked the recipes of her homeland, preparing the spicy chicken dish aji de gallina for a food festival organized by the Peruvian consulate in Brussels last year. Tapia, 37, was killed when a bomb tore through the departures area of Brussels airport on Tuesday, her family confirmed. A split-second decision saved her husband and 4-year-old twin daughters Maureen and Alondra from sharing her fate. Her Belgian husband, Christophe Delcambe, had taken the girls out of the check-in line to play for a moment when a loud explosion ripped through the concourse. One daughter was struck in the arm by shrapnel and is being treated in a local hospital. Her brother, Fernando Tapia, told The Associated Press his sister was preparing to catch a flight to New York to meet up with two sisters who live in the United States. Tapia and her husband lived in the town of Tubize, south of Brussels, and her brother said she will likely be buried in her adopted homeland. ___ Leopold Hecht was gravely wounded in the bombing at Maelbeek subway station and died later of his injuries. The rector of Saint-Louis University in Brussels, Pierre Jadoul, said Hecht, 20, was "one of the unfortunate victims of these barbaric acts. " "There are no words to describe our dismay at this news," he said in a letter to students. Classmates lit handles and left flowers outside the university in memory of Hecht, whose Facebook profile includes pictures of a smiling young man on the ski slopes and in the great outdoors. ___ Civil servant Olivier Delespesse also died in the bombing at Maelbeek metro station, according to his employer, the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles. ___ Gregory Katz in London, Uly Ilnytzky in New York, Matt O'Brien in Providence, Rhode Island, Frank Jordans in Berlin and Franklin Briceno in Lima, Peru, contributed to this story. 2016-03-26 21:06 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
69 Turkish soldier killed in N. Iraq after Islamic State fires rockets - army ISTANBUL, March 26 (Reuters) - A Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in northern Iraq on Saturday when rockets fired by Islamic State during clashes with Iraqi Kurdish fighters landed in a base where Turkish troops were deployed, the army said. NATO member Turkey, part of the U. S.-led coalition against Islamic State, sent troops to northern Iraq in December, citing heightened security risks near Bashiqa, where its soldiers have been training an Iraqi militia to fight Islamist militants. Baghdad objected to the Turkish deployment. "Islamic State targets identified in the region have been shot back at," the Turkish military said in a statement. Hurriyet newspaper quoted a later statement saying the army has fired artillery from the camp on Islamic State targets while additional targets have been struck by Turkish warplanes and jets from the U. S.-led coalition. "Four Islamic State targets have been bombarded by warplanes from the coalition forces. An additional of four targets have been fired at intensely by Turkish warplanes and been destroyed," the statement quoted by the paper said. Saturday's incident came less than a week after Islamic State militants attacked the Bashiqa military base, triggering a retaliation from Turkey. The Turkish army said on Saturday the rockets had landed near the Gedu base area. Local sources said this referred to a site on the frontline north of Mosul, near to Bashiqa. Last week, backed by Kurdish peshmerga fighters and the U. S.-led coalition, Iraqi forces launched an offensive against Islamic State in the Makhmour area, southeast of Mosul, that was touted as the start of a broader campaign to clear areas around the city. Mosul is by far the largest population centre controlled by the Islamic State militants and has already been cut off on three sides by the Kurdish peshmerga, who are less than 15 km (9 miles) from its northern outskirts at some points along the front line. Iraqi officials say they will retake Mosul this year. However many question in private whether the army, which partially collapsed when Islamic State overran a third of Iraq in June 2014, will be ready in time. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Isabel Coles in Erbil; Editing by Gareth Jones)
2016-03-26 21:05 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
70 A new treatment for head trauma: Inducing deep sleep may protect our brains Topics: Scientific American , National Football League , University Hospital Zurich , Life News Last week a senior National Football League official acknowledged for the first time the link between head injuries in professional football and a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The admission— which has been compared with Big Tobacco’s 1997 disclosure that smoking causes cancer—comes at a time when the dangers of less severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, have also been making headlines. Scientists do not yet understand the biological mechanisms underlying the detrimental effects of TBI—and as a result, effective treatments remain elusive. In fact, how to deal with even a mild concussion is the subject of debate : Some doctors prescribe rest for several weeks whereas others claim this may have negative consequences and urge patients to stay active. Now it turns out that the type of rest patients get may be key. In a study on rats published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience a team of researchers at University Hospital Zurich (UHZ) found that enhancing the slow-wave cycle of sleep after a traumatic head injury preserves brain function and minimizes damage to axons, the long projections from neurons that send signals to other cells in the brain. Previous research has shown that TBIs cause axonal damage as well as the buildup of neurotoxic molecular waste products that result from injury. In the new study the researchers examined two different methods of inducing a slow-wave sleep state—the deepest sleep stage characterized by low-frequency, high-amplitude waves. During this stage, the brain clears out protein buildup, leading the researchers to question whether it could help treat rats that had suffered a brain injury. The team first dealt a blow to the prefrontal cortex in 25 rats. They then divided the animals into three groups, treating the first group with sodium oxybate, a drug used to produce slow-wave brain function in people suffering from narcolepsy. (The exact mechanism for this drug’s effect is unclear but the prevalent hypothesis is that sodium oxybate improves daytime vigilance by inducing deep sleep when people rest.) In the second group the researchers restricted sleep by gently handling the rats—keeping them awake for long periods of time. Previous research has shown that after sleep deprivation, slow-wave activity increases during a period of “rebound sleep.” Meanwhile, the third group received a placebo injection. The researchers used electroencephalography, a method for recording electrical activity in the brain, to confirm that they had successfully enhanced slow-wave sleep in the rats in the first two groups. They then assessed the rats’ cognition based on the animals’ ability to recognize a novel object, and found that both groups of rats receiving the enhanced sleep treatments performed better on the object-recognition tests than the untreated rats. The deep sleeping rats also showed less memory impairment. The team then tested for brain damage in the cortex and hippocampus by staining the rats’ brains for amyloid precursor protein, a biomarker used to detect axonal injury. The rats whose sleep had been modulated had significantly reduced levels of the protein—nearly 80 percent less, as compared with the control group. The team concluded that immediate treatment with slow-wave sleep—using both a physiological and pharmacological method—had helped preserve brain function and prevent axonal damage in rats suffering from a TBI.
2016-03-26 19:44 Jordana Cepelewicz salon.com.feedsportal.com
71 “Donald Trump is like ebola, Ted Cruz is like Zika”: Bill Maher breaks down the GOP’s horrifying choices Topics: Real Time with Bill Maher , Elections 2016 , Ted Cruz , Donald Trump , Elections News , Entertainment News , News , Politics News “Real Time” host Bill Maher last night discussed the lose-lose decision Republicans have to make between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. “You guys started out with 17 candidates,” Maher told GOP voters. “And somehow you ended up with Mussolini and Joe McCarthy.” “Donald Trump is like Ebola, he’ll violently kill you right away,” Maher continued. “Cruz is more like the Zika virus, we wont see the damage until future generations.” “Donald Trump is the most thin-skinned person in human history, and reacts to the smallest slight with the hair-trigger wounded ego of a male flight attendant,” Maher added, explaining “perhaps the most important” distinction between the two candidates. “Whereas Ted Cruz is immune to insults because he’s learned to live in a world where everyone, everywhere has always hated him.” Watch the full segment below:
2016-03-26 19:53 Brendan Gauthier salon.com.feedsportal.com
72 CCTV footage released of Briton's 'brutal' murder in San Francisco Police in San Francisco have released footage of the "brutal" murder of a 44-year-old Briton assaulted in a street robbery. Paul Tam was walking with his niece on the evening of February 18 when he was attacked with a weapon in the Japantown neighbourhood of the Californian city. The former website manager at the University of Manchester was critically injured and died on Thursday. CCTV footage of the incident shows Mr Tam fleeing from a hooded assailant into the middle of the road before he is chased around an oncoming car. He is then knocked to the ground by the offender who makes off on foot with Mr Tam's bag. Police said they were releasing the video evidence that "captured the brutal murder" in a bid to trace the male offender and a female suspect following the robbery at 8.30pm in Post Street, between Franklin Street and Gough Street. The suspects are described as a black adult male, 5ft 10in, of heavy build and last seen wearing a dark hoodie and blue jeans, and a black adult female, 5ft 4in, with long dreadlocks or braids up in a ponytail. In a statement, the San Francisco Police Department said: "SFPD Homicide Investigators are seeking the assistance of the public to identify the outstanding suspects. Please contact investigators if you were in the area of the crime near the time of the crime, observed any suspicious activity, or if you have information regarding the identity of the suspects. " It has previously been reported that Mr Tam's bag contained his passport, money, mobile phone and bank cards, and that he had been staying in a hotel in San Francisco at the time after leaving the UK to look for a new job in California A spokeswoman for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national on March 24 in San Francisco and we are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time. "
2016-03-26 20:46 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
73 Threats continue following Oregon wildlife refuge takeover SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Officials say threats against police and public officials that started within hours of the Jan. 26 death of ranching standoff leader Robert "LaVoy" Finicum have continued. One anonymous caller threatened to kill Gov. Kate Brown the day after Finicum died. Earlier this month, authorities documented up to 80 threats against police officers and others, according to the Oregonian (http://bit.ly/1LPLOVH ). "We're going to shoot to kill," one anonymous caller said in a message left for Brown. "You killed an unarmed rancher, so now one of you must die," said another caller to her office. Finicum was shot by state troopers as he tried to evade arrest. He and others were part of the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The governor's office reported Friday that threats related to the standoff and Finicum shooting continue to come in against Brown. One email demanded the release of refuge occupiers jailed on federal charges. It also demanded indictments for the officers involved in Finicum's death. If that doesn't happen, the writer said, "I am going to begin returning fire. " Reports of Finicum's death started the cascade of threats. They surged again when investigators earlier this month announced the details of how Finicum died. State troopers, FBI agents and federal officials "will be murdered in retaliation," a Tillamook County man wrote on his Facebook days after the shooting. The man raged against police and urged that more of them be killed. The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, which investigated Finicum's death, this week released a sampling of threats collected by investigators. The threats contain sometimes vile language. Police redacted the names and other identifying information from the records. Oregon State Police are investigating the threats. Authorities learned this week that some people are aggressively hunting the identities of the troopers who fired the fatal shots at Finicum. An online radio broadcaster publicly identified a trooper, whose name and home address soon found their way onto militant Facebook postings. State police wouldn't comment, but law enforcement sources confirmed the trooper had no role in Finicum's death. Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norris, who oversaw the Finicum investigation, said such acts underscore the need to continue to keep the officers' names confidential. A bill to protect the troopers' names faltered in the Legislature. The governor has said she expects their names to be released "in due course," but she offered no timetable. ___ Information from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com
2016-03-26 20:45 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
74 Shock departures hit The Voice ahead of live show The Voice has been rocked by the shock departure of two contestants just before Saturday night's first live show. As the BBC One talent series got under way, presenters Emma Willis and Marvin Humes briefly mentioned that 10 contestants would perform for the voting public. Chloe Castro left due to "health reasons", while Beth Morris' exit is down to "personal reasons". Earlier, a spokesman for the BBC One talent series said in a statement that the reasons for the departures were "unrelated". "Due to personal reasons which have only just come to light, The Voice producers, the BBC and Beth have agreed that she should withdraw from The Voice," the statement read. The statement continued: "Due to health reasons, Chloe has withdrawn from the competition. We wish her all the best. " Castro added: "I have decided to leave The Voice for health reasons. I have had a fantastic time and wish all the other contestants all the best in the competition. " Morris thanked her coach Paloma Faith in her statement. "Being on The Voice has been the best experience of my life, the production team and contestants have all been incredible and I have loved performing on the show. "Paloma has also been a great support. " The early departures mean two contestants will leave the quarter final instead of four. US artist will.i.am selected Londoner Lyrickal for the fast pass into next week's semi-final following his rendition of James Morrison's Just Like A Child. "You more than delivered. Thank you so much for that performance," the judge said. "I'm about to collapse," Lyrickal told Humes. Will.i.am's remaining contestants Lydia Lucy and Lauren Lapsley-Browne will face tonight's public vote. Former X Factor contestant Lucy gave a powerful rendition of Somebody Else's Guy by Jocelyn Brown. "Yeah, baby! You did an amazing job, that was awesome," her coach said. Irish teenager Lapsley-Browne, nicknamed Dimples, performed dance classic Dreamer by Livin' Joy. "Dimples did great," will.i.am stated. "You gave a lot of energy and a lot of fun. " Faith, who has previously hailed Essex resident Jordan Gray, did so again as she selected her act for next week's show, leaving Heather Cameron-Hayes' fate to the public. Gray took to the stage in a red suit and a blindfold over her face for her theatrical performance of Florence + The Machine's Shake It Out. Faith said: "I think she just showed herself to the whole nation to be the star that she is. She is absolutely a forever thing. " Student Cameron-Hayes was seated at a piano for her version of Stitches by Shawn Mendes. "It was so beautiful. You transported us tonight, Heather," the Only Love Can Hurt Like This singer said. Coach Ricky Wilson alluded to the departure of team member Castro just before he bestowed his fast pass on Kevin Simm. "I love this team, I believe in this team, there aren't many of us left," he said. The ex-Liberty X singer moved everyone in the studio with an emotional take on Des'ree's I'm Kissing You. "Incredible as always Kevin. You did yourself proud. Do what it says on the tin. It's called The Voice, you're 'the voice'," the Kaiser Chiefs frontman said. Will.i.am praised the Chorley-born singer as having one of the best voices in the competition. Cumbrian pop wannabe Jolan will face the public vote following his performance of Yes by McAlmont & Butler. Boy George put bookies' favourite Cody Frost through with a fast pass, despite sound issues affecting her performance. The Lancashire teen sang Ordinary World by Duran Duran, but Boy George and will.i.am described what they heard as "messy". "The sound was a bit weird tonight. But it was still great," the Culture Club star said. Harry Fisher and Vangelis must now hope they are saved by the public. Southampton teenager Fisher wore high platform shoes for his version of David Bowie's Space Oddity. His coach said: "I've never heard anyone do that song other than Bowie so it was beautiful to hear Harry's interpretation of it. " Londoner Vangelis sang Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics. Boy George said the 24-year-old has "technically one of the best voices in the show". The 54-year-old also complimented his team member for his "beautiful Mediterranean tone".
2016-03-26 20:44 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
75 Teachers set for strike ballot over academies proposal Teachers will ballot for strike action after outright rejecting the Government's controversial academies plan. Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), meeting at their annual conference in Brighton, voted overwhelmingly against what they consider to be the privatisation of the education system. NUT executive member Ian Murch said the measures would see "schools stolen from their local communities". He said: "We will stand up for pupils, for patients and for teachers, and we will lead the campaign for sanity. We will fight the forced academisation of our schools. "We will fight for what is right and we will fight until we win. " Members voted against the Government's education white paper, and also agreed an amendment to ballot for strike action. This is likely to include proposals for a one-day strike in the summer, as well as potential for further strikes, should members agree. Members heard the academisation plans represented a "top-down dismantling of the English education system", and were distracting from the real issues facing schools - such as workload and funding. Fellow executive member Hazel Danson described the plans as "a wilful act of recklessness". Moving the amendment to ballot for strike action, to start this term, NUT executive member Alex Kenny said: "The white paper is a threat to all teachers, no matter what school they work in. "But there are signs the Government is over-reaching. When you look at the scale of opposition, from Mumsnet to the Financial Times, you can see that the tide might be turning against them, and we might be able to force (Education Secretary) Nicky Morgan back. "I believe we can build on what we've done, to reach out and mobilise members, and explain to them that we will strike, we can strike on specific issues. " Mr Kenny said the union could work with the British Medical Association to learn lessons on how it combined its political campaign with an industrial campaign for the junior doctors' strikes earlier this year. Mr Mulch said strike action - which could also involve teaching staff in Wales - "has to be the catalyst" to get support for their cause. Despite the vitriol, the NUT's collective defiance may yet fall on deaf ears in Whitehall, after Ms Morgan ruled out the prospect of a Government U-turn over academisation. She told the NASUWT conference in Birmingham on Saturday there would be "no pulling back" and "no reverse gear" on the Government's education reforms, including the controversial roll-out of academy schools in England. Support for academisation - which will force 17,000 state schools in England to become privately run academies within six years - has been hard to find from teaching staff, who staged marches around the country on Wednesday in defiance over the plans, announced in the previous week's Budget. It comes after Labour's Jeremy Corbyn took to the stage as guest speaker on Friday afternoon - the first political party leader to do so in living memory - to condemn the "costly and unwanted" academisation at a time of "grotesque poverty". Responding to the Department for Education's (DfE) white paper on the school reforms, the NUT's members were told: "Government decisions and mis-management is creating a crisis in education, involving the worst teacher shortages in living memory, insufficient school places, severe funding shortfalls and curriculum and assessment reforms that threaten to turn schools into exam factories. "Conference wants the public to question why - instead of addressing these real and urgent emergencies - the Government plans to embark on a hugely expensive and unnecessary top-down reorganisation of state education in England. " Members are now expected to be balloted on the prospect of strike action, likely to be before the end of the summer term. Further strikes could then follow in the autumn term. A DfE spokesman said the NUT would rather "play politics with our children's future than work constructively with us to deliver our vision for educational excellence everywhere". He said: "We make no apology for our reforms, which have resulted in a record number of children now being taught in good or outstanding schools - 1.4 million more than in 2010. "And as set out in our White Paper, we are determined to continue with our vision to ensure every single child has the best possible education, as well as raising the status of the profession. It would be refreshing to see the NUT doing likewise. "
2016-03-26 19:37 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
76 1 million Texans with guns Contact WND (KRLD-AM) The latest spike in License to Carry gun applications is expected to take Texas past a significant milestone. CHL Licensed Instructor Michael Cargill owns Central Texas Gun Works. He says the 140 percent jump in applications from December 2015 through February is caused by a combination of fears of terrorism brought on by the shootings in San Bernardino and President Obama’s proposed gun control laws. “Then you have the new law that went into effect January the first (Open Carry)…all of that plays into it, and that’s why we’re seeing numbers. For the first time the State of Texas will actually go over one million licensed holders,” says Cargill.
2016-03-26 20:38 www.wnd.com
77 Sunday deadline to register for Rhode Island primary PROVIDENCE, R. I. (AP) - Sunday is the deadline to register for the Rhode Island presidential primary. Anyone who wants to vote in the April 26 primary must register by the deadline. Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea (gor-BAY’-ah) says any voter who has moved or changed their name since last voting should update their information by Sunday. She says every city and town has made arrangements for residents to register by the deadline even though it falls on Easter Sunday. Arrangements vary depending on the town. Some are collecting registration forms at police or fire stations. Others will keep town halls or the board of canvassers open.
2016-03-26 20:33 - Associated Press - Saturday, March 26, 2016 www.washingtontimes.com
78 Chinese flags defaced in Prague ahead of Xi visit Chinese flags hoisted in the Czech Republic ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping have been defaced. Dozens of the flags hung in the capital Prague were "spattered with a black substance overnight", a police spokesman said. The Chinese leader is due to arrive on Monday for a two-day visit before going to the US for talks on nuclear issues. Czech demonstrators who oppose China's policies in Tibet are expected to stage protests during the trip. They also plan to hang a giant photo of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama near the airport alongside one of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, a former dissident and human rights activist. Rights groups have accused China of suppressing Tibetan culture and freedom of expression. The Chinese government says Tibet's economy has developed considerably under its rule.
2016-03-26 19:46 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
79 After bleak week, Pope Francis offers Easter message of hope VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis was wrapping up a bleak week in Europe by presiding Saturday night over a solemn vigil service and ushering in Easter celebrations with a message of hope. Francis entered the silent and darkened St. Peter's Basilica with just a single candle guiding him at the start of the Easter Vigil service. As he reached the altar, the basilica's flood lights turned on in a symbolic show of light after the darkness of Jesus' crucifixion. During the lengthy service, which is due to end just before midnight, Francis is to baptize 12 adults hailing from around the world. A few hours hours later he'll preside over Easter Sunday Mass and offer his annual Easter blessing. Francis is expected to offer a message of hope following his bleak condemnations on Good Friday and earlier of the attacks by Islamic extremists in Brussels and elsewhere. During remarks Friday at the Colosseum capping the "Way of the Cross" procession re-enacting Jesus' crucifixion, Francis denounced the "terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence. " While the pope was at the Colosseum, his chief alms-giver was out on the streets of Rome giving out sleeping bags to the homeless Friday night in a show of papal support for the city's least fortunate.
2016-03-26 20:29 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
80 "Do not drink" water advisory lifted in Louisiana town BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana health officials Saturday lifted a notice advising people in the small town of Donaldsonville not to drink the water after tests determined it was safe to drink. Residents in the small town of about 10,000 people southeast of Baton Rouge were advised Tuesday not to drink the water after an inspection showed the possibility it contained chlorine dioxide levels four to five times above national guidelines. The state said exposure to elevated levels of the chemical can cause serious health effects to the nervous systems of some infants, young children and the fetuses of pregnant women. The state's top health officer, Dr. Jimmy Guidry, said Thursday that the state had approved a plan by the privately run Peoples Water Service Co. that supplies water to the town to begin disinfecting with a different chemical — chlorine instead of chlorine dioxide. It was expected to take two to three days to implement the plan and do needed testing. Guidry said the "do not drink" advisory was issued out of an "abundance of caution. " He said an initial test by the company showing the elevated chlorine dioxide level was not properly followed up with more tests. The Department of Health and Hospitals said in a news release Saturday that they had taken five samples at different sites and all showed the water was safe to drink. Water distribution points in the town, which had been providing residents with drinking water, were being closed, Mayor Leroy J. Sullivan Sr. said in a news release posted on the town's website.
2016-03-26 20:25 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
81 Tacoma family keeps up search for downed Korean War pilot TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - As a boy, Albert Paffenroth Jr. walked to the edge of a fence around the runway at Johnson Air Force Base in Japan to watch his dad and other pilots lift into the sky in their B-26 bombers. Almost 70 years later, Paffenroth is trying to bring his father home from the pilot’s last flight. Capt. Albert Paffenroth Sr. has been missing since he and two crewmates went down somewhere near Pyongyang in the early months of the Korean War. Paffenroth Jr. is aging, and he knows North Korea’s adversarial relationship with the United States won’t help his efforts. But he isn’t giving up. “I don’t think in my life they’re going to find him, but one day, they’ll identify him,” said Paffenroth, 71, of Tacoma. “There’s always hope.” He and about 200 other descendants and loved ones of missing military service members were set to attend a conference in Bellevue, sponsored by the Defense Department POW/MIA Accounting Agency. The agency is working to recover about 82,000 military service members who remain lost overseas since World War II, with about 7,800 from the Korean War. At the conference, families heard about the agency’s work and learned about advances in technology that might help identify remains with DNA. They also got one-on-one sessions for updates on their cases. The sessions are meant to spare Northwest families trips to Hawaii or to Washington, D. C., where the agency does most of its work. Paffenroth Jr. knows the organization well. He’s been in touch with it since the late 1990s, when he and his youngest brother got serious about finding out what happened to their father. Since then, they and their aunt have given the military blood samples that could be used to identify Capt. Paffenroth’s remains. Paffenroth Jr. also has made friends with other children of missing troops. He’s close with the son of the navigator who died in his dad’s plane. For a time, Paffenroth Jr. got to know the late Col. Frank Evans of Gig Harbor, who served in his father’s squadron in Japan. Evans even had a short video clip showing Capt. Paffenroth in 1949. Paffenroth Jr.’s best lead came just last year, when information surfaced suggesting one of his father’s crewmates might have been in a North Korean prison during the war. If true, that would have meant the crew survived whatever brought down their plane. It could have led to burial sites for prisoners of war and eventually to the identification of the pilot’s remains. Story Continues →
2016-03-26 19:15 ADVANCE FOR www.washingtontimes.com
82 82 Man appears in court charged with murder of Paige Doherty, 15 A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of 15-year-old Paige Doherty. John Leathem, 31, made no plea during a private hearing at Dumbarton Sheriff Court and was remanded in custody. A police search was launched when Paige, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, was reported missing on the morning of Saturday March 19. Her body was found two days later in bushes at the side of Great Western Road, a busy route connecting Clydebank and Glasgow. The search for Paige began after she failed to arrive at a hairdressers where she had a part-time job. On Thursday, Police Scotland revealed that a 31-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the girl's death. The arrest followed intense police activity in the areas around where Paige was last seen and where her body was eventually found. Specialist forensic officers had been searching the Delicious Deli in Clydebank's Fleming Avenue, and examining a property in a nearby street. In an earlier statement released via police, Paige's mother, Pamela Munro said: "We are absolutely devastated that we have lost our beautiful little girl.'' A memorial event arranged on social media for the teenager is expected to be held on Saturday. People are due to turn out at Whitecrook Park in Clydebank to pay tribute to the schoolgirl. It comes after the landmark Titan Crane in Clydebank was lit pink on Thursday evening In memory of her. Provost Douglas McAllister said: ''Our community is in shock at this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with Paige's family and friends. This is a small gesture of support for everyone who knew Paige.'' Two fundraising pages to help her family meet funeral costs and other expenses collected more than £14,000 a day after they were set up.
2016-03-26 20:23 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
83 President pleads for 'a new Ireland' as country marks 1916 Easter Rising President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has called for Irish people to take responsibility for building a true Republic. In a keynote address to descendants of those who fought and died in the 1916 Easter Rising, Mr Higgins said the ideals of the Proclamation can still inspire today. "Our nation has journeyed many miles from the shell shocked and burning Dublin of 1916. We can see that in many respects we have not fully achieved the dreams and ideals for which our forebears gave so much," he said. "A democracy is always and must always be a work in progress, and how we use the independence we have been gifted will continue to challenge us, morally and ethically. "We must ensure that our journey into the future is a collective one; one in which the homeless, the migrant, the disadvantaged, the marginalised and each and every citizen can find homes, are fellow travellers; a journey which includes all of the multitude of voices that together speak of, and for, a new Ireland born out of contemporary imagination and challenges. " The President's speech at the descendants' reception in the RDS in Dublin followed the opening day in a weekend of centenary celebrations. Mr Higgins began the 100 year anniversary by laying a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square, the site where the Irish Volunteers was founded, in honour of all those who fought and died for Irish freedom. His wife Sabina laid a wreath at the grave of Countess Constance Markievicz in Glasnevin Cemetery. The celebrations are specially choreographed to remember a seminal moment in Irish history which sowed the seeds for independence. Official Ireland is striving to make the commemorations more inclusive and avoid offending unionists in Northern Ireland. Over the decades the role of women in the Rising has often been overlooked, alongside the deaths of 40 innocent children which were largely ignored until recent years. The President urged Irish citizens to grasp the need to keep building a republic, to make the founders of the state proud, representative of courage, vision and a profound spirit of generous humanity. "So today, let us look to our past in a way that is emancipatory and transformative. Let us recognise all that was powerfully suggestive in that past as we set about constructing the foundations of a new and better Ireland," he said. Mr Higgins recalled conditions in Dublin at the time of Rising with 5,000 tenements in the city centre's Georgian buildings housing 87,000 people, including 20,000 families with one room to call home. He also highlighted the important role of women in the rebellion, largely overlooked for much of the 20th century, other than by some historians and feminists. And he spoke of the diverse idealism which helped to inspire the insurrection including land rights, housing, language, politics, culture, nationhood and the pretext of the poorest in society fighting for empires in the First World War. Mr Higgins said: "All of these strands of the Rising are present in the idealism of the Proclamation which offers us a generous social and political vision, one that can still inspire us today. " "We should never forget that it was addressed too to the nation's women, years before women over 30 would be allowed to vote as well as its men in equal terms, as it called forth a Republic that would guarantee: 'religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens'. " The President also remembered all those who died in the insurrection - 485 people, more than half of whom were civilians, and 40 of whom were children. It is only in the last year that their deaths have been catalogued. "So this evening let us remember the sung and unsung heroes of 1916, those who fought for Ireland, and those who were caught up in the events on the streets of Dublin," he said. "Let us remember all those who died or were injured in Dublin, the majority of whom were civilians. We reflect and recall the loss suffered by all families. We recall and respect all the families who lost sons, fathers, brothers, sisters or daughters. " President Higgins paid special tribute to the unsung heroes of the Rising and how each death left a family and loved one bereft. "The human price paid should not ever be forgotten, should remind us of the great debt of gratitude we owe to all of those who bravely risked their lives a hundred years ago so that future generations of Ireland could grow up as citizens of a free and independent State," he said. Some 1,350 people were killed or injured during the six day insurrection while 3,430 men and 79 women were arrested by the British. Fifteen of the rebel leaders including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly were executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin, where another poignant tribute will be paid on Easter Sunday. President Higgins will be in the Stone Breakers' Yard to lay a wreath on the site where the sentences were executed. The biggest event takes place on Easter Sunday when more than a quarter of a million people will line the streets for a massive parade through Dublin city centre. Almost 4,000 members of the Defence Forces, emergency services and peacekeeping veterans will weave their way along the 4.5 km route from St Stephen's Green to O'Connell Street and past the General Post Office on to Capel Street. The unprecedented spectacle, which will include the reading of the Proclamation under the portico of the GPO is being billed as the largest public celebration in the history of the state.
2016-03-26 20:21 Press Association www.dailymail.co.uk
84 TIPPING OFF: The ACC makes quite a statement in Sweet 16 That was quite a show by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Now the league is set up for quite the showcase on Sunday in the Elite Eight. There were four games in the Sweet 16 on Friday night and all of them involved one ACC team. Sure enough, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia and Syracuse all prevailed. The four victories mean it’ll be an all-ACC showdown on Sunday when Notre Dame meets North Carolina and Virginia faces Syracuse. It also means the league will have two Final Four representatives in Houston and one in the championship game. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said the ACC was certainly “tough” but didn’t gloat about the league’s dominance in the aftermath of his team’s comeback win over Gonzaga. “I learned a long time ago that it’s a foolish game to say one league is better than the other,” Boeheim said. “There’s just too many variables. I think the top conferences are very, very good, and it’s an imperfect system to say, well, they did better in the NCAA Tournament.” Here are a few more nuggets as the NCAA Tournament hits the Elite Eight round: _____ PLENTY OF PERRY: Kansas fans have heard about senior Perry Ellis for a very long time. Ellis was a Kansas high school star and coach Bill Self attended his first high school game in 2008 while laying the groundwork for his recruitment. Now the 6-foot-8 Ellis is in the final days of an outstanding career - his 1,794 career points are 8th career at Kansas and he recently passed Paul Pierce on the scoring list. The Jayhawks face Villanova on Saturday. Ellis has saved some his best basketball for the past month. He’s scored at least 20 points in seven of his last eight games. “Just trying to do whatever I can to win - that’s all I’m trying to do,” Ellis said. _____ VILLANOVA’S SCORCHING THE NETS: It’s hard to find a team as hot as Villanova right now. Story Continues →
2016-03-26 19:12 Gonzaga’s Kyle www.washingtontimes.com
85 Brussels Terror Attacks Put Europe on High Alert Belgian soldiers gesture for vehicles to keep a safe distance as they patrol near a court building where Salah Abdeslam, the top suspect in last year's deadly Paris attacks, was expected to appear before a judge in Brussels, March 24, 2016.
2016-03-26 19:41 ABC News abcnews.go.com
86 Miami women's singles round 3 results March 26 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Miami Women's Singles Round 3 matches on Saturday 5-Simona Halep (Romania) beat Julia Goerges (Germany) 6-4 6-1 Heather Watson (Britain) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 3-6 7-5 6-3 3-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat Madison Brengle (U. S.) 6-3 6-2 15-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Caroline Garcia (France) 4-6 6-2 7-6(6) 30-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat 8-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6-4 6-4
Guinness PRO12 results and standings dailymail.co.uk 2016-03-26 20:11 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
87 Spieth ousted at Match Play in Texas as Day, McIlroy move on AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Jordan Spieth never found his swing and never had a chance Saturday in the Dell Match Play. Louis Oosthuizen didn't trail or make nearly as many mistakes in a 4-and-2 victory that sent Spieth home and disappointed the Texas gallery that bundled up in burnt orange on a crisp morning to see the world's No. 1 player and former Longhorn star. "I didn't make it very hard on Louis today, which is unfortunate," said Spieth, who lost holes with three bogeys and a double bogey. "I was off from when I hit my first 10 shots on the range. I've had incredible control of the ball this week and of my wedges. I'm not exactly sure what happened. " Oosthuizen said he was expecting a match against 10,00 to 15,000 fans who remember Spieth leading Texas to a national title in 2012. What helped was the chilly morning and a round that began shortly after sunrise. "I think I got a bit lucky — not as many people out there early when we teed off," Oosthuizen said. "When I got down to 11 and 12, I could see everyone behind Jordan, which I expected. I played nice. I played solid golf. " Even with Spieth's departure, there remained plenty of star power. Jason Day went 2 up early on Brandt Snedeker and never trailed in a 3-and-2 victory. With Spieth's loss, Day needed only to win his quarterfinal match against Brooks Koepka to return to the No. 1 ranking. Rory McIlroy had a scrappy match against Zach Johnson that went down to the wire. McIlroy hit wedge to 3 feet on the final hole, which he needed to make for the 1-up victory when Johnson made a 20-foot birdie putt. "He really doesn't give you anything," McIlroy said. "I would have liked to play better, but I played a little bit better than Zach and that's what it's about. " McIlroy had a short birdie putt on the 11th hole to go 1 up, and Johnson poured in a 30-foot birdie putt. On the par-5 12th, Johnson hit his second shot in the water and still got up-and-down for par to halve another hole. McIlroy went ahead for good on the 13th when Johnson made bogey from the fringe. Day and McIlroy remained on course to meet in the semifinals. Next up for McIlroy was Chris Kirk, who beat Bill Haas on the 17th hole. It was the first time in 10 years the top three players in the world reached the round of 16 in the Match Play. In other fourth-round matches: —Dustin Johnson pulled away from Patrick Reed, who had never trailed in his three previous matches. Johnson took the lead for good with a 4-foot birdie putt on the 11th hole, and the start of a birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie stretch to seize control in a 3-and-2 victory. He played Oosthuizen in the semifinals. —Ryan Moore ended Patton Kizzire's improbable week with a 5-and-4 victory. Kizzire had to go the distance in all three of his previous matches, and a victory Saturday morning might have been enough for him to crack the top 50 in the world ranking and get into the Masters. —Byeong-Hun An of South Korea, struggling with a sore neck the last two days, couldn't last against Rafa Cabrera Bello. The Spaniard was 4 up at the turn when An retired after 11 holes. Cabrera Bello faced Moore in the semifinals. —Koepka reached the quarterfinals by beating Matt Kuchar. He was 1 up when Kuchar made a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole, and then Koepka made his from 10 feet.
2016-03-26 19:57 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
88 Charged Brussels suspect may be mystery 'man in the hat' bomber By Foo Yun Chee and Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - "The man in the hat" is how Belgium has come to know the country's most wanted suspect in the Brussels attacks, seen in a CCTV picture with two others who were about to blow themselves up at Brussels airport on Tuesday. The man may be a self-styled Belgian freelance journalist called Faycal Cheffou, who was charged on Saturday with "terrorist murder" and has served time for conspiracy to murder, according to Belgian state broadcaster RTBF and other media including European media group RTL. While his identity, obscured by a floppy sun hat, glasses and a beard in last Tuesday's airport picture, has yet to be officially confirmed, prosecutors have arrested and charged "Faycal C", who Belgian media say is Cheffou. Police and government sources also say it is highly likely he was the third man seen at the airport. A person familiar with the investigation told Reuters that while it was not yet absolutely confirmed that Cheffou was the man, it was a very strong probability. He was arrested right outside the federal prosecutor's office on Thursday, "stupidly hanging around", one person familiar with the investigation said, and detectives have been trying to figure out if he was reconnoitring the area for an attack on the heart of the investigation itself. With no Facebook or Twitter account, little is known about Cheffou other than he was convicted in 2003. In an online video from 2014, he is seen reporting on an asylum centre in the Flemish town of Steenokkerzeel, northeast of Brussels, where he said Muslims were not allowed to fast during the day during Ramadan and claiming a breach of human rights. Thought to be in his mid-thirties, Cheffou was identified by a taxi driver who drove the attackers to the airport on March 22. The two other men in the CCTV airport picture, Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui, blew themselves up, but the third man is thought to have fled. A third suitcase bomb was found at the airport undetonated. "DANGEROUS" MAN While confident in front of camera in the 2014 video, Cheffou's former wife described him as "such a weird guy" to Belgian daily De Morgen following his arrest on Thursday night by police, while a neighbour said he was a night person. "Once it gets dark, there are comings and goings up the stairs to the top floor where he rents a studio," the neighbour told De Morgen. After his arrest outside the federal prosecutors' office, police raided his apartment, about half a kilometre (0.3 miles) from the Maelbeek underground rail station that was also attacked on Tuesday. "In no time, they cleared the whole building," said another neighbour. "The investigators stayed almost five hours to look though his small room". According to the neighbour, the investigators found enough to charge him, even if no weapons or explosives were found, Het Laatste Nieuws reported. Investigators were not available for comment on Saturday. Previously, Cheffou had been detained a number of times at a park where he sought to encourage asylum seekers camped there to turn to radical extremism, according to the mayor of Brussels. Cheffou was "dangerous", the mayor told Le Soir, adding that he had since been banned from visiting the park. He was charged with conspiracy to murder at the age of 18 in 2003, while his elder brother Karim was shot dead by police in 2002, Belgian media said. A Kalashnikov and a bag filled with grenades was also found at Karim's home during a search. (Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Digby Lidstone)
Belgium charges airport suspect, calls off Brussels 'march against fear' dailymail.co.uk 2016-03-26 19:49 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
89 Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise - CNN.com NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft. Mylswamy Annadurai, the project director for the lunar mission, told CNN that temperatures onboard Chandrayaan-1 had risen to 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). The increase occurred as the craft, the moon -- which it is orbiting -- and the sun lined up, a phenomenon which Annadurai said was not unexpected and which would likely last until the end of December. "We have switched off the systems (aboard) that are not needed to be on," Annadurai said, ruling out the possibility of damage and adding that the temperature was now down to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Heat on board the Chandrayaan-1 should not exceed 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), Annadurai said -- but insisted the orbiter is designed to withstand up to 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). The Chandrayaan-1 -- Chandrayaan means "moon craft" in Sanskrit -- was successfully launched from southern India on October 22. Watch the launch of India's first lunar mission » Its two-year mission is to take high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the moon's surface, especially the permanently shadowed polar regions. It also will search for evidence of water or ice and attempt to identify the chemical composition of certain lunar rocks, the group said. Earlier this month the Moon Impact Probe detached from Chandrayaan-1 and successfully crash-landed on the moon's surface. Officials say that the TV-size probe, which is adorned with a painting of the Indian flag, hit the moon's surface at a speed of 5,760 kilometers per hour (3,579 mph). It transmitted data to Chandrayaan-1 ahead of impact but was not intended to be retrieved after that. Chandrayaan-1 is carrying payloads from the United States, the European Union and Bulgaria. India plans to share the data from the mission with other programs, including NASA.
2016-03-26 14:03 Harmeet Shah rss.cnn.com
90 Heavily-pregnant Emma Willis looks sensational Warning viewers, a humorous tweet from the Official The Voice account read: 'FYI: is so heavily preggers that there's an actual possibility of her going into labour live on @BBCONE. Marvin has hot towels.' The live shows kicked off on Saturday, with Paloma Faith, Will.i.am, Boy George and Ricky Wilson back in their spinning red chairs to see their teams perform on the spot. It will be the first time that new panelists Paloma and Boy George have appeared on the show as it goes out, having previously taken part in the pre-records. Unfortunately, the show was marred by the loss of two of his contestants to 'personal' and 'health' reasons just before the show went out. Contestant Beth Morris dropped out due to 'personal reasons, which have only just come to light' while Chloe Castro withdrew due to a health issue at the eleventh hour.
2016-03-26 19:42 Helen Turnbull www.dailymail.co.uk
91 Hungary's captain fantastic Dzsudzsak denies Croatia BUDAPEST, March 26 (Reuters) - A late free kick by captain Balazs Dzsudzsak earned Hungary a 1-1 friendly draw with fellow European Championship finalists Croatia on Saturday. Ivan Perisic, who scored when Croatia beat Israel 2-0 on Wednesday, set up the opening goal for Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic after a good one-touch build-up in the 29th minute against Hungary. Dzsudzsak came close to an equaliser when his fierce low shot in the 36th minute went just wide. The home team applied more pressure in the second half and the midfielder did not miss the next time he had a chance, drilling a superb effort into the top corner of the net from 22 metres in the 79th minute. "We played offensively in the first half but in the second we dropped back a bit and Hungary had more possession," said Croatia coach Ante Cacic. Hungary boss Bernd Storck thought his side deserved their draw. "I expected a bit more from my team in the first half, more chances," he explained. "In the second half we had opportunities, played better and that pleased me because we were playing against a quality team. " Euro 2016 will be held in France in June and July. (Writing by Zoltan Fazekas; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
2016-03-26 19:41 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk
92 Helicopter crew, patient killed in southeast Alabama crash GOODMAN, Ala. (AP) — The Alabama Emergency Management Agency says four people were killed in a helicopter crash in southeast Alabama. Alabama EMA spokesman Greg Robinson says three crew members and a patient were aboard the ambulance helicopter when the crash occurred around 12:17 a.m. Saturday. Robinson says the downed helicopter was found after 7 a.m. Coffee County EMA Deputy Director James Brown tells WSFA-TV that the aircraft crashed after responding to a wreck in which the patient had a broken leg and was unconscious. Troy Regional Medical Center CEO Teresa Grimes said in a Facebook post that the medical center "is saddened" by the loss of the crew and patient during the transport. Robinson says the National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter that it was investigating a helicopter crash in Goodman, Alabama.
2016-03-26 19:38 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
93 Cargo ship reaches space station on resupply run An unmanned cargo ship packed with science experiment materials plus food, water and clothes successfully docked at the International Space Station on Saturday, NASA partner Orbital ATK said. The cargo ship, Cygnus, which blasted off Tuesday on the resupply run, was carrying 7,900 pounds (3.6 metric tons) of supplies to the station for the ISS crew of six astronauts, as well as components to support dozens of science and research probes. Cygnus was captured by the space station's robotic arm, operated by crew members, and guided into its berthing port. The operation was over by 1452 GMT. "Our flexible Cygnus spacecraft has a lot of work left to do. Following its stay at the ISS, and for the first time, we will undertake three experiments onboard the unmanned spacecraft," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group. The pressurized vessel will stay at the ISS until May. After loading it with trash and once it is at a safe distance from the station, NASA engineers will then set off a blaze inside the capsule to see how large flames behave in space. NASA has set off tiny controlled fires in space in the past, but never tested how large flames react inside an orbiting space capsule. Cygnus' cargo also includes an instrument that, for the first time, will allow experts to evaluate, from space, the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere. It was also carrying a new 3D printer and another scientific highlight includes a so- called Gecko Gripper, a mechanism similar to the tiny hairs on the feet of geckos that makes it possible for them to stick to surfaces. This technology could one day be used on the hands and feet of robots that would move along the exterior of spacecraft to carry out inspections and repairs. It is Orbital's fifth supply mission to the ISS, as part of a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to deliver necessities to the astronauts living in space.
2016-03-26 19:37 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk
94 Weatlhy widower found strangled to death in Upper East Side apartment A wealthy widower has been found strangled to death in his Upper East Side apartment with the door locked from the inside and days worth of deliveries at the door. Christopher Cooley, 78, was seated on the couch in his living room with a necktie wrapped twice around his neck when the building's super came in through a back door. Cooley had congealed blood in his hair and a pillow over his head, the New York Times reported There was a shattered lamp at his feet. Coroners said on Friday that Cooley had been strangled to death. 'The cause of death is ligature strangulation, and the manner of death, homicide,' Dr Barbara Sampson, the city's chief medical examiner, said. Cooley, who lived on East 64th Street in New York, had $192 worth of cash in his pockets according to the New York Post. Police found no sign of a break-in or robbery and the deadbolt was locked. When Cooley was found on March 16, newspapers dating back to March 5 had piled up at the door. His disappearance went unnoticed for a while because he took frequent trips to Europe without telling anyone in the building beforehand, a doorman told the New York Times. Cooley's sister, who lives out of state, got worried when she wasn't able to reach him and asked the super, Ray Kasaj, to go in. One of his close friends described him to the newspaper as a 'trust fund kid' who was 'tall and handsome' and 'an absolutely grand man'. Cooley, who loved opera and the Renaissance, had taken care of his wife for 26 years after she developed multiple sclerosis. He had lived in Venice in the past and according to the New York Times met poet Ezra Pound, who was charged with treason for supporting fascist forces in Italy.
2016-03-26 19:31 Clemence Michallon www.dailymail.co.uk
95 Lewis Hamilton gears up for Bahrain Grand Prix pumping iron in the gym Lewis Hamilton has hit the weights-room in a bid to kick-start his defence of the Formula One title, after the British world champion failed to make a winning start at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton is fighting fit and will look to rectify his failure to open the 2016 season with victory in Melbourne by getting into the best shape possible ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix a week on Sunday. The 31-year-old, who has won the Formula One championship on three occasions, took to Instagram to post a picture of him looking focused whilst performing a bench press alongside a training buddy. Dressed in coral, Hamilton will hope the extra hours in the gym will pay off as he looks to make it three wins from three to equal Fernando Alonso for the most number of victories on the Bahrain International Circuit. The active post comes on the same day the F1 driver defended his use of Snapchat despite criticism from those within the sport, claiming social media gives him the opportunity to communicate with his 2.6million Instagram fans. The Mercedes driver attracted the attention of New Zealand police prior to the season's curtain-raiser for apparently taking images of himself while riding a Harley-Davidson on the motorway. The law bans the use of handheld devices while in charge of a vehicle, but Hamilton was let off after investigations into the footage proved inconclusive. Hamilton maintains that providing his followers with an insight into his jet-set lifestyle should be encouraged, saying: 'I like social media and I've got a great following. 'I've got some incredible fans that follow me from all over the world and come to the races, but what they don't get to see from a picture you take with video, you can now show the stuff you're doing instantly. 'If I took a video now, then edited it and wrote a comment and hashtags and all that rubbish, then put it on Instagram, I'd have to do that later on. [With] this thing, you can just do it real, real quick and it gives you more of an insight of what's going on in my day because we are all over the place. 'Unfortunately, F1 has blocked us from being able to film in the paddock... The amount of complaints I've had from all my snaps, it's been on and on and on, [and] now you are not allowed to [film]. But you are allowed to take stills, so I don't know what the real difference is.'
2016-03-26 19:26 Ben Grounds www.dailymail.co.uk
96 Prosecutors: Man lured kids into making child porn videos TRENTON, N. J. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a New Jersey man created a website that tricked children into committing sexually explicit acts in front of webcams. Jonathan Soto, of Branchburg, pleaded not guilty Thursday to conspiracy to produce child porn and possessing child porn. He faces between 15 and 40 years in prison if convicted on both counts. Soto allegedly ran the site from July 2014 through April 2015. Prosecutors say site users created phony profiles on social media websites that portrayed them to be children between the ages of 10 and 16. They then chatted with actual minors and lured them to other websites to engage in sexually explicit activity during private chats. Soto was arrested last April when FBI agents executed a search warrant at his home.
2016-03-26 19:24 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
97 France players expect emotional evening on return to stadium PARIS (AP) — France's players expect an emotional evening when they return to the Stade de France for the first time since the Nov. 13 bombings at the national stadium. France continues its warm-up for the European Championship against Russia on Tuesday, less than five months after 130 people were killed on a night of attacks in Paris. Suicide bombers blew themselves up that evening outside the stadium during France's friendly against Germany, killing one bystander. "We are human beings before being sportsmen," Arsenal and France striker Olivier Giroud said after Friday's 3-2 win in Amsterdam against The Netherlands. "It will obviously affect us to go there. " The friendly match against Russia will be the first soccer game at the Stade de France since the attacks. France has played three Six Nations rugby matches there without incidents amid strengthened security. Security measures in place on Tuesday night will include increased checks on public transportation and around the stadium. A first safety perimeter will be set up away from the gates with ticket checks and body searches. Fans will face more security measures once at the turnstiles. With France and the rest of Europe on high alert following the Brussels attacks on Tuesday that left 31 dead, the game will also serve as a dress rehearsal for security services ahead of the month-long Euro 2016, starting June 10. About 2.5 million fans are expected to attend matches in 10 host cities, giving authorities a major security challenge. Despite the high level of threat, France defender Christophe Jallet said he would not be discouraging his friends from going to the Stade de France. "Life should go back to normal," Jallet was quoted as saying by L'Equipe newspaper website. "Everything is being done to guarantee security," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "The Paris and Brussels tragedies are a reminder of the current environment, but we need to move forward. "
2016-03-26 19:23 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk
98 Top US Navy officer jailed over massive bribery scandal A high-ranking US Navy captain has been sentenced to nearly four years in jail for passing classified information to a Malaysian defence contractor. Daniel Dusek provided the information in exchange for luxury hotel stays and the services of prostitutes. Dusek was also ordered to pay a $70,000 (£50,000) fine and $30,000 in restitution to the navy. He is the highest-ranking officer to be charged in one of the US military's worst bribery scandals. Sentencing Dusek in San Diego, California to 46 months in prison, Judge Janis Sammartino said: "It is truly unimaginable to the court that someone in your position with the United States Navy would sell out based on what was provided to you - hotel rooms, entertainment and the services of prostitutes. " Dusek, 49, who pleaded guilty in January 2015 to conspiracy to commit bribery, told the court he would never forgive himself for his actions. The former captain was among several current and former naval officers charged in the scandal that involved tens of millions of dollars in bribes. At one point, Dusek served as deputy director of operations for the US 7th Fleet. The man at the centre of the scandal, contractor Leonard Francis, plead guilty in the case last year, admitting that his Singapore-based port services company, Glenn Defence Marine Asia (GDMA), plied Dusek and others with meals, alcohol, luxury hotel stays and other gifts to ensure US Navy ships stopped at ports where GDMA operated. In one instance, Dusek arranged for an aircraft carrier - the USS Abraham Lincoln - to stop at Port Klang, Malaysia, a port terminal owned by Francis. The 2010 port visit cost the United States about $1.6 million, officials said. "Captain Dusek's betrayal is the most distressing because the navy placed so much trust, power and authority in his hands," said US Attorney Laura Duffy. "This is a fitting sentence for a man who was so valuable that his conspirators labelled him their 'golden asset'," she added.
2016-03-26 19:46 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
99 Yemen conflict: 'IS bombings' kill at least 22 in Aden At least 22 people have been killed by three suicide bombings in checkpoints in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, officials say. The so-called Islamic State group (IS) has said it carried out the attacks. The group has established a presence in Yemen since a civil war broke out there and has carried out numerous attacks. It is opposed to the government and Shia Houthi rebels who have seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The attacks come on the eve of the first anniversary of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against the rebels. Both civilians and military personnel were killed by the blasts, officials said. Dozens of others were wounded. Two of the bombings hit checkpoints next to a base used by the coalition, they said. Gunmen then tried to attack the place. The third explosion happened when an ambulance laden with explosives was detonated next to a military checkpoint. No end in sight to war in Yemen Practising medicine under fire in Yemen The war the world forgot? Yemen's humanitarian catastrophe Who is fighting whom? Meeting the Houthis and their enemies Aden was recaptured by government troops backed by the Saudi-led coalition last year. The campaign was launched in March 2015 in an attempt to oust the rebels from Sanaa and restore Yemen's government. Riyadh says the Houthis, who are allied with forces linked to the former president, are supported militarily by its regional rival Iran, something it denies. Since the offensive started, more than 6,200 people have been killed, half of them civilians, according to the UN. The war has left Yemen fragmented and facing a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, IS and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have exploited the conflict to expand the territory under their control. 2016-03-26 19:46 BBC News www.bbc.co.uk
100 Brewers RP Smith tears ligament taking off shoe PHOENIX -- The Milwaukee Brewers will start the season without reliever Will Smith , who tore a ligament in his right knee while taking his spikes off after a game. Smith, who was set to share closer duties with Jeremy Jeffress , received the diagnosis Friday night and was awaiting test results to determine if surgery is necessary. Smith said he was getting ready to shower after pitching in a minor league game Thursday and was standing on one leg to take off his other shoe when he lost his balance and twisted the knee. "I pulled hard [on the shoe] and it stayed on," he said. "My knee just went up and popped. Everyone tells you there is nothing you can do about it, but you still feel like you are letting people down. " Smith tore his lateral collateral ligament, which is on the outside of the knee and connects the femur to the lower leg. The right leg is the plant leg for the left-hander and absorbs the most impact. Manager Craig Counsell said Smith will miss "significant time," and the Brewers are expected to find out exactly how long when he is examined by team physician Dr. William Raasch in the coming days. "The recovery is a little longer with surgery," said Counsell, who said it is not a season-ending injury. "It's tough for us, it's tough for Will. There is going to be somebody in [the clubhouse] that takes this opportunity and makes a lot of it. " Smith, who was 7-2 with a 2.70 ERA in 76 appearances last season, was having an outstanding spring. He had allowed only two hits in seven innings, striking out five. Counsell named Smith and Jeffress, good friends and roommates this spring, as the co-closers last week.
2016-03-26 19:18 Thomas Neumann espn.go.com
Total 100 articles. Created at 2016-03-27 00:01