Recently in National News Category

by Bailey Haack

The suspect in an attempted bombing at a Colorado mall has been identified, and authorities say he was released from prison just a week ago.

A nationwide manhunt has been ordered by the FBI Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force, who identified the suspect as Earl Albert Moore, 65, according to CNN.

Firefighters responded to a fire at Southwest Plaza mall in Littleton Wednesday, and discovered a pipe bomb and two propane tanks in a hallway near the food court, according to the Associated Press. The explosives did not detonate, and nobody was injured in the fire.

Photos released Sunday show Moore with tattoos on his left forearm and upper right arm, and authorities said he was last seen wearing glasses, CNN said.

"Last time we know where he was locally was around noon Wednesday at the mall," said FBI spokesman Dave Joly. AP said Moore has several arrests, with a criminal record dating back to 1984.

Moore has an extensive criminal background, and federal officials said he should be considered dangerous, said AP.

by Bailey Haack

Several incidents in which air traffic controllers fell asleep during shifts have caused the Federal Aviation Administration to announce Saturday that they will implement a change in work scheduling.

A recent incident in Miami at a radar facility that handles high altitude flights sparked the FAA to announce scheduling changes to minimize the dangers of fatigue from working the late hours, according to a USA Today article.

This incident was the sixth case this year of controllers suspected of sleeping at work, according to USA Today. None of these incidents have caused an accident, but several planes have been forced to land without the guidance of a controller.

The exact extent of the changes has not yet been released, but a BBC News article said the FAA would ban scheduling practices leading to tired controllers by early this week.

"We are taking important steps today that will make a real difference in fighting air traffic controller fatigue," said FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, according to BBC, "but we know we'll need to do more."

by Bailey Haack

An explosion of fireworks in a Honolulu storage facility Friday killed five workers; four were pronounced dead at the scene, and another was taken to a burn center and pronounced dead there.

Honolulu Police said that six males were working at the storage facility, which was a bunker-style warehouse, according to MSN. The first explosion occurred around 9 a.m. Friday morning, and blasts continued for hours afterward.

Police sent heat-detecting robots inside to see whether rescue crews could enter the 200-foot deep bunker, but the robots determined that it was still too hot Friday night, according to MSN.

Initially, the Honolulu Fire Department responded to a car fire, but when they arrived, fireworks were exploding from the bunker-style warehouse, according to CBS News.

"It's all contained within the bunker," said Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig, according to CBS, "so there's no hazard or danger to any of the community outside or surrounding."

by Bailey Haack

Seven of the 16 middle-aged cocktail waitresses fired from Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City are claiming age and sex discrimination in their lawsuit filed Thursday.

The 16 waitresses were all long-time employees who were fired after being told to put on the new uniforms and be photographed and judged on their appearances. According to the New York Daily News, the waitresses claim that the uniforms were only available in sizes 2 and 4.

Union officials, according to MSNBC, say that the casino, which recently changed ownership, is trying to cultivate a younger-based clientele, and the new flapper-style uniforms are a way to get rid of the older waitresses.

The discrimination lawsuit charges Resorts and the new owner Dennis Gomes for firing the women for failing to fit the boss's "body ideal or appearance ideal," according to the Daily News.

"As far as I'm concerned, a man or woman can do that job at any age," said lawyer Kevin Costello, "as long as they have a good personality, a good memory, and good balance." The Daily News said that the suit charged that the women's replacements were all younger, attractive women.

Resorts issued a written statement saying, "All cocktail servers were given individual consideration and the selection process was conducted in a fair and objective manner. We empathize with the servers who lost their jobs and gave them hiring preference in other open positions at Resorts."

by Bailey Haack

A nurse who attended a sweat lodge ceremony and a former events coordinator for self-help guru James Ray's company both testified this week about the ceremony in Arizona in 2009 that left three participants dead and others sick.

Ray is being accused of manslaughter after three participants died during his retreat in October 2009, according to a CNN report. The theme of the weeklong "Spiritual Warrior" retreat was death.

Linda Adresano, a registered nurse, testified Friday, saying that the last words she thought were "it's a good day to die." According to the Seattle Times, Adresano said she has participated in over a dozen other similar ceremonies.

Melinda Martin, formerly an events coordinator for Ray's company, testified on Wednesday. She told the court that she gave CPR to one of the three participants who died in the ceremony, according to CNN.

She testified that one of her colleagues told her at the event that the frantic behavior of some participants was normal, according to CNN.

Participants of the sweat lodge ceremony said that, while they weren't prevented from leaving, they were told to wait until the breaks between the 10 to 15 minute rounds. According to CNN, the participants paid up to $10,000 to "seek new areas of consciousness."

by Bailey Haack

Seven children died Tuesday night when their rural Penn. farmhouse caught fire, while both parents were away from the house.

The fire began around 10 p.m., and the children, ages 11, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, and 7 months were all either asleep or watching television. MSNBC reported that the 3-year-old girl survived because she smelled smoke and went to tell her mother.

The children's mother, Janell Clouse was out in a barn milking cows, according to authorities, and their father was napping in a delivery truck during a break from work, said the New York Times.

By the time the Mrs. Clouse reached the house, there were flames shooting out of the first floor entry, and she was unable to get in, according to the Times. The police told the Times that Mrs. Clouse ran to two neighbor's houses before she was able to find a phone to call 911.

The cause and origin of the fire have not yet been determined, but fire marshals are investigating, according to MSNBC.

by Bailey Haack

A bill introduced Monday in the California legislation would ban the sale, possession, and distribution of shark fins, to the chagrin of some Chinese, who see it as an attack on their culture.

Democratic Assemblymen Paul Fong and Jared Huffman introduced the legislation on Monday, receiving support from multiple environmental groups, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Shark fins are used in a traditional Chinese soup, which is often served at important ceremonies such as marriages.

"People come to America to enjoy the freedom, including what's on the place," restaurant owner Kinson K. Wong, 58, said to the New York Times. He defends shark fins as a delicacy.

But, as Kate Slusark, spokeswoman for the Natural Resources Defense Council says, "Their collection involves discarding the rest of the shark's body at sea." She told the LA Times that only about 2-5 percent of the shark is actually used.

Up to 73 million sharks per year are being harvested for their fins, according to the NY Times.

by Bailey Haack

Scientists are investigating a noted rise in the amount of young dolphin deaths so far this year along the Gulf Coast.

A total of 24 dolphins washed up in the coast in just the last two weeks. Marine mammal researcher Moby Solangi told ABC News that this is very unusual. "It's a tenfold increase in calves that are dying."

Scientists have taken tissue samples and are working to find the cause of the increased deaths.

Solangi said that many of the deaths are in the Mississippi and Alabama areas, where the bottlenose dolphins go to calve in the spring, according to a MSN News report.

Marine experts are working to determine whether last summer's oil spill had anything to do with the unusual deaths, according to ABC News.

by Bailey Haack

17 U.S. military veterans filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense in the hopes that it will pressure the military to change the way it handles rape and sexual abuse.

The suit was brought by 15 women and two men, according to the Washington Post, which says the suit names former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, as well as his successor, Robert Gates as defendants.

The lawsuit says that the two defense secretaries failed to take "reasonable steps to prevent plaintiffs from being repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted, and sexually harassed by federal military personnel," according to the New York Times.

The suit aims not only to stop rape in the military, but also to change the way the charges are dealt with. "It's the entire way that the military as a whole is dealing with it," said Panayiota Bertzikis, a plaintiff in the case. She told the Washington Post that rape survivors have been involuntarily discharged from service, as well as being verbally abused after coming forward.

One of the plaintiffs' goals is to urge the military to develop a system of reporting that "allows the victim to go outside the chain of command," says ABC News. When soldiers fear they won't receive justice, a chilling effect is created.

"Soldiers in general who make any type of complaint in the military are subject to retaliation and have no means of defending themselves," said Myla Haider, another plaintiff in the suit. She told the New York Times that "it is an atmosphere of zero accountability in leadership, period."

by Bailey Haack

Stroke rates are rising in younger adults, and falling in older age groups, according to a new nationwide study.

Researchers for the CDC used hospital records from 41 states to compare hospitalizations, according to a WebMD Health News report. They compared data from the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s.

The findings show that stroke rates increased the most - 51% - in men from ages 15 to 34, according to the WebMD report.

The report also shows that in adults 65 and older, stroke rates dropped 28% from 1995 to 2006. This may be caused by increased awareness and prevention, Dr. Gary Idelchik, a Cardiologist at the Trinity Clinic told an NBC News reporter.

Scientists believe that the rise in younger adults may be caused by obesity, according to an ABC article.