March 2011 Archives

Parents of 10-year old Nubia Barahona, Jorge Barahona and Carmen Barahona have pleaded not guilty on 18 charges including first degree murder of their adopted child.

On Valentines Day, Barahona was found dead covered in chemicals in the back of her fathers pesticide truck on I-95 in West Palm Beach, FL.

Victor Barahona the brother of Nubia , who was also soaked in chemicals in the same truck survived the awful indecent.

msnbc reportsJorge Barahona, dressed in a green suicide watch vest exposing his bare arms, wept as he was led handcuffed into the courtroom. He sat several seats away from his wife, Carmen, who looked composed but frail.

Apparently, there had been accusations of child abuse before the murder occurred according to neighbors of the Barahona's.

A Florida prosecutor told the court she intends to seek the death penalty in a case, reports CNN Justice.

The parents of Barahona have also been hit with eight counts of aggravated child abuse as well as 8 counts of child neglect. Jorge Barahonna is charged with an additional count of mutilation or abuse to the dead body.

According to CNN justice, jail is where both Jorge and Carmen Barahona will be staying, since they were denied bond, awaiting a resolution of their case.

CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/28/florida.child.deaths/

msnbc
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42306808/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

A bomb threat made to the Eiffel Tower in Paris caused French Officials to evacuate 4,000 tourist.

On Wednesday, a bomb threat and a suspicious package was enough to cause French officials to take action and protect the safety of everyone in the tower.

According to sify news ,No explosives were found, and the site in the French capital was reopened to visitors more than two hours after the original warning, said a Paris police official.

The Eiffel tour is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, and millions of people visit every year, but it is not stranger to bomb threats.

The Eiffel Tower was last evacuated on Oct. 10, 2005, due to a bomb threat. Before that, the landmark was last evacuated on July 22, 2003, due to a fire, reports msnbc.

sify news reports that France is currently at the forefront of an international military operation against Moammar Gadhafi's forces in Libya. It has received general, unspecified threats from extremists in the past related to its troops in Afghanistan and a law banning Islamic face veils in public.

The bomb threat is still under investigation, and the Eiffel tower has since been opened back up to the public

sifynews
http://www.sify.com/news/eiffel-tower-evacuated-after-bomb-threat-news-others-ld0xOnecaci.html

msnbc
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39177318/ns/world_news-europe/ (image= Daily Contributor)

A crash in Texas forced an 18-wheeler water tanker truck to hang off of an interstate ramp on Thursday.

The accident occurred in Fort Worth, Texas on I-20 ,and fortunately none of the three people involved died.

Fire Department spokesman Tim Hardeman said emergency crews rescued the truck driver from his cab as it dangled off the interstate, reports MSNBC.

The Associated Press reports,An emergency worker managed to enter the dangling cab and reach the driver, who was eased out of the wreckage. He was treated at the scene for minor injuries..

As of now, the wreck remains under investigation.

Associate Press. wwltv
http://www.wwltv.com/video/featured-videos/Dramatic-rescue-after-big-rig-dangles-on-Fort-Worth-highway-overpass-118573814.html

MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42247339/

Up to seven members of the Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich establishment Worker's Union were fired Tuesday and Wednesday for delivering hundreds of posters arguing that the establishment puts customers at risk of food-borne illness.

The members were fired from five Twin Cities locations after their campaign for paid sick days.

Minnesota Daily reports that the unpaid sick days "force" employees to come in sick, and put the customers at risk.

"The workers were fired for putting up the posters, which "impermissibley disparage our product by telling customers that eating a Jimmy John's sandwich will put them at risk of contracting food-borne illness," said franchise owner Mike Mulligan , according to City Pages.

Several of the fired employees had comments about their termination which some members said their actions were legally protected because they were organizing for higher wages.

Union member David Boeh said " We were fired for saying g we want better conditions for ourselves," reports Minnesota Daily.

Minnesota Daily -Hard Copy March 24, 2011
City Pages:http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2011/03/jimmy_johns_fir.php

Singer Chris Brown's dramatic reaction after dodging interview questions about his ex-girlfriend Rihanna caused an uproar at 'Good Morning America' studios today.

According to LA Times , after his interview with Journalist Robin Roberts, ABC staff members said they heard loud noises coming from Brown's dressing room and they called security.

Apparently, Brown was frustrated by questions like " have you seen each other, or been around each other, directly referencing Rihanna and damaged some things in his dressing room.

After the indecent, Brown tweeted that it's unfair when he messes up, and it's a mess, but when actor Charlie sheen who has also committed domestic abuse messes up, it is considered entertainment for America, reports News One.

ABC does not plan to press charges against Brown for his reaction, which could have interfered with his probation, said ABC spokeswomen, reported LA Times

NEWS ONE
http://newsone.com/entertainment/newsonestaff2/the-medias-treatment-of-chris-brown-vs-charlie-sheen/

LA TIMES
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/03/chris-brown-has-meltdown-after-good-morning-america-asks-about-rihanna.html

A stray bullet hit a man near Augsburg College where an Annual Powwow was being held on Saturday.

According to Minnesota Daily, a fight broke out around 7:20 pm near Murphy Square Park among people who were not affiliated with Augsburg College, or the event.

The man shot was a 22-year-old Wahkon , a Minnesota resident who was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center after the shooting.

CBS Minnesota reports,the shooting ended an Augsburg Indigenous Student Association and American Indian Powwow event that was taking place at the Si Medley Gymnasium on 23rd Avenue South in Minneapolis. Police said the victim was in attendance at the powwow.

MPD suspects the shooting might have been related to the powwow but did not give further details, reports Minnesota Daily.

No further arrests have been made, and although the scheduled Powwow did not continue, the next Powwow will be next year on March 31srt.

CBS MINNESOTA
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/20/stray-bullet-hits-man-near-augsburg-college/

Minnesota Daily- Hard Copy March 21, 2011

An 8.9 magnitude- temblor hit the east coast of Japan Friday morning at 2:46 p.m(12:46a.m. ET) killing and injuring hundreds of people.

30-foot walls of water swept across rice fields,spread across entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats. Waves were documented as reaching six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

The earth shook with such ferocity," said Andy Clark, who said he had gotten used to earthquakes during his 20 years in Japan but never experienced what he felt Friday at the airport outside Tokyo. "I thought things were coming to an end ... it was simply terrifying," reported CNN.

UPDATE:
The skies all along the coastline are buzzing with helicopters. They are search teams scouring the wrecked landscape for any signs of life, reports BBC News.

The tsunami rolled across the Pacific at 800km/h (500mph) - as fast as a jetliner - before hitting Hawaii and the US West Coast, but there were no reports of major damage from those regions reports BBC.

Natsuko Komura had been riding her horse when the earthquake struck. She left her horse and fled away in her car, and when she came back she could not find her horse or identify the roads where she had been.

"Words fail me," she said, "because there is nothing here, the things that are supposed to be here, everything is gone, she told BBC reporters.

CITED:
CNN- http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
BBC-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12728400

The accused Jared Lee Loughner pleaded not guilty to the shooting that occurred outside the Casas Adobes Safeway Grocery market during an outdoor meeting with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), on March 8 2011.

Loughner was accused of targeting Represenative Gabrielle Giffords. Authorities found a note at Loughner's home Wednesday that said: "I planned ahead! My Assassination Love - Jared," reported the Los Angeles Times.

The charges Loughner pleaded guilty against include killing 6 people, and wounding 13.

Loughner entered the plea on Wednesday to charges that included trying to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, attempting to kill two of her aides and murdering federal judge John Roll and Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman, reports the Washington Post.

U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns has scheduled a hearing to determine whether or not Loughner's psychological issues will interfere with the trial.

"If he's not competent to understand, all these proceedings are for naught," Burns said, reported The Los Angeles Times.

CITED:
Washington Post-post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/09/AR2011030903684.html
Los Angeles Times-http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/10/nation/la-na-jared-loughner-20110310

Bizarre Voodoo figures were found in the Steinway Mansion in Astoria, Queens Tuesday.

Auctioneers clearing out the historic mansion that famous piano producer Henry E. Steinway once lived in found voodoo dolls and voodoo masks hidden in the attic, reports the NYPOST.

It is unclear if the previous owner of the house, Michael Halberian, used the masks and dolls, before his death at 82 years old in December, or if the Steinway family used the dolls in rituals. The discovery shocked auctioneer Michael Capo who called the find "eerie" and said that his staff, while professional, wants nothing to do with the objects, reported Black Voices.

One question that may come from the finding, is how do we know these mask are not just regular collectors masks?

"We were clearing out the far reaches of the attic when we came across what looks like a late-19th-century wooden box or trunk.We broke the lock and inside we found five voodoo masks and a doll surrounded by rusty nails in a little coffin. I don't know if the masks are made out of wax, pigskin or even real skin. This thing has some energy, and I am not sure that it's good energy," said Capo, according to the NYPOST.

When speaking to the Halberian family, they mentioned that they do not think that anyone in their family would have every owned anything like this and that is was very antique.

The Mansion has 27 rooms and is filled with items like telescopes, barometers, and old maps. It was built in 1858 and is now on sale for 2.5 million dollars.

As for what will happen to the masks, Capo said he isn't sure if he will put the masks up, for auction yet, reported Black Voices.

http://wikipages.com/images/f/f9/SteinwayMansion1.jpg

Citizens listened as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak gave his annual state of the city address at Augsburg College on Tuesday.

During the speech, Rybak talked about job growth and lower crime rates , the Minnesota Daily reported.

His speech to a packed house, focused on job creation, including an (unopened) beer growler from Harriet Brewing--a brewery that opened after the city council revised a law to allow growler sales, reports the SouthwestMinnepolisPatch.

Forbes Magazine named Minneapolis the best city in America to find a job, Ryback mentioned ,according to the Minnesota Daily.

CITED:
SouthWestMinneapolisPatch -http://southwestminneapolis.patch.com/articles/rybak-highlights-economic-development-at-state-of-the-city
Minnesota Daily-http://www.mndaily.com/2011/03/08/rybak-highlights-need-growth-speech

Rybak also mentioned that job creation by Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development has given 12,000 city residents the opportunity to work since 2002. The city of Minneapolis has also made it possible for small business owners to get low interest loans including Blackbird Cafe in Southwest Minneapolis, He also highlighted the importance of programs like "Step It up" a program that finds summer jobs for the youth, reported SouthwestMinneapolisPatch.

"The mayor did a good job of outlining a vision for the city around that and it's in line with what the council and the mayor and our public and private partners have been working on together," said Betsy Hodges Council member , to the SouthwestMinneapolisPatch.

Ryback also highlighted the city's capital budget which will be finalized in December and focuses on business growth along Mass Transit corridors. As far as public safety goes, he credited Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan for the city's lowest violent crime rate in 27 years, but concerns for youth crime are still there Councilman Cam Gorden believes, reported the Minnesota Daily.

Three people were shot outside of the International House of Pancakes in Bloomington , MN Sunday night.

Bloomington police announced to CBS Minnesota that the shooting happened after a party bus carrying 20 to 25 people pulled into the parking lot of the IHOP restaurant near the Mall of America about 3 a.m.

Apparently, some of the members of the group were still inside of the restaurant and some were outside of the restaurant when a car pulled up and several shots were fired.

CBS Minnesota reports thats the group had rented a party bus and were returning from a nightclub in downtown Minneapolis to the IHOP in Bloomington when the shooting occurred.

Police Cmdr. Mark Stehlik told the Pioneer Press that one man was shot several times in the lower body, one was shot in his leg and the other suffered a superficial wound. The two injured men were both taken to Hennepin County Medical Center.

The Pioneer Press also adds that, Police are still looking for whoever shot and wounded the three men.

CITED:Pioneer Press-http://www.twincities.com/minneapolis/ci_17560659?nclick_check=1
CBS Minnesota-http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/07/3-shot-outside-bloomington-ihop/