November 2012 Archives

The nanny being charged in the murders of two children pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in a Manhattan, Kristina Sgueglia reported.

Yoselyn Ortega, 50, is accused of allegedly stabbing a six- and two-year-old to death while they were under her care. According to police, the mother came home to find her two children stabbed to death and the nanny laying nearby.

Ortega did not speak and had her lawyer deliver the plea for her. She is currently expected to undergo psychological evaluation.

Her next court date is January 16.

CNN by Kristina Sgueglia

Syria resorted to shutting down its country's access to the Internet on Thursday during its time of civil unrest, Helen Popkin reported.

According to Akamai Technologies, a Web content distributor, "all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable". Web connection has been disrupted occasionally during the 20-month civil war, but this is the first complete cut off.

Shutting down local and international communication has become a common method used by governments facing civil unrest, as it has been done by Libya, Egypt and Iran.

MSNBC by Helen Popkin

A factory fire in Bangladesh over the weekend resulting in over 100 deaths appears to be caused by arson, Farid Ahmed reported.

Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, declared the fire on Saturday and a different fire at another factory are both cases of "planned arson". Two were arrested in suspicion of the fire, but authorities have yet to make a connection that ties them to the arson.

The clothing factory, which is a supplier for Wal-Mart, caught fire in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. There were 200 people injured in addition to the 100 deceased, Ahmed reported.

"How the factory caught fire, I don't know. But when we heard 'fire,' we all rushed out and we were trying to get out of the factory," said Parul Begum, a survivor.

CNN by Farid Ahmed

A New Zealand man was accused of plotting to throw horse manure at Britain's Prince Charles and his wife on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Sam Bracanov, 76, was ordered by a New Zealand court to stay away from the royal family after being charged with planning to throw horse manure at Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

Bracanov has had a long history of speaking out against the monarchy in Britain. He was arrested in 1994 for spraying air-fresheners at Prince Charles. He pleaded not guilty to preparing to commit a crime, although he appeared to be disappointed in not being able to carry out the task, Reuters wrote.

"I make it like liquid - like porridge," Bracanov told reporters. "I would have done it."

MSNBC by Reuters

The CNN article written by Junko Ogura covers the the alleged rape of a Japanese by two U.S. soldiers.

Ogura does a nice job of starting the story with information that is straight to the point while also giving background information on the subject.

Further on in the article, Ogura describes the trend of violent crimes in Japan by Americans. This is an excellent way of showing that this incident is not isolated and that it is part of a trend.

Another good aspect of Ogura's reporting is her ability to portray the Japanese emotion in response to these incidents and the rising tensions between to two nations because of them.

The wildly popular game "Angry Birds" has developed a Star Wars-themed version for fans, Brandon Griggs reported.

The new addition is the fifth installment to the "Angry Birds" family, which has generated over 1 billion downloads since its 2009 launch. The franchise has spawned from a simple game for phones to a game that can be played on any format.

"Angry Birds Star Wars" will feature 80 different levels and a final showdown with Darth Vader.

"The game follows a plucky group of Rebel birds in their fight against the evil Imperial Pigs," said Rovio Entertainment, the game's producer, in a press release.

CNN by Brandon Griggs

A St. Paul teacher won $25,000 after receiving an award for excellence in teaching on Friday, Anthony Lonetree reported.

Steve Abenth, 37, was recognized as an "elite educator" after accepting the 2012 Milken Educator Award. He is currently a fourth-grade teacher and the choir director at Highland Park Elementary School.

In an effort to maintain secrecy and surprise, Abenth was brought to the school's auditorium for what he was told would be a celebration of student achievement when the news was announced, Lonetree wrote.

"He's the best teacher in the world!" Abenth's son said as his father was being interviewed.

Star Tribune by Anthony Lonetree

A body of a man who had been shot was discovered in south Minneapolis early Wednesday morning, Randy Furst reported.

After a report of the sound of shots being fired near the 2100 block of 10th Ave. South, Minneapolis police arrived at the scene around 3 a.m..

"The victim had apparent gunshot wounds," Police Sgt. William Palmer said in a news release.

The identity of the victim will be released by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office.

Star Tribune by Randy Furst

Two U.S. sailors were indicted Tuesday afternoon on charges of raping a Japanese woman in Okinawa, Junko Ogura reported.

Aviation Electrician's Mate Skyler Dozierwalker, 23, and Aviation Machinist's Mate Airman Christopher Browning, 23, were indicted by Naha District Court Tuesday following their arrest one month prior on Oct. 16.

The two sailors allegedly raped a Japanese woman and left an injury to her neck during their stay in Okinawa.

Dozierwalker is being charged with rape by group resulting in injury and Browning is being charged with rape by group resulting in injury in addition to robbery.

CNN by Junko Ogura

A man with a prosthetic leg made history when he climbed the 103 flights of a Chicago skyscraper on Sunday, the Associated Press reported.

Zac Vawter, 31, was wearing a "bionic" leg being controlled by his mind during his ascent to the top of Wills Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The event, "SkyRise Chicago", was put on to raise money for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chiacgo.

Vawter's climb with the bionic leg was the first public glimpse of the new technology, the Associated Press wrote.

Vawter made it to the top in 45 minutes.

MSNBC by Associated Press

Documents that were sealed in the 1970 Watergate court case were ordered to be released by a Washington judge on Friday, the Associated Press reported.

U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth said in his order that certain information being requested by a Texas history professor should be unsealed. The professor, Luke Nichter of Texas A&M University, stated that the records could help reveal the motivation behind the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters.

The break-in ultimately lead President Nixon to resign from office.

"One of the things about being a historian is you're always filling in gaps in your knowledge," Nichter said. "There "are still so many unanswered questions about Watergate."

Washington Post by Associated Press

A path for walking and biking connecting Rosedale and the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus was opened on Thursday, Tim Harlow reported.

After a year of working to make better opportunities for biking and walking in local areas such as Roseville, Lauderdale, and Falcon Heights, the Northeast Suburban Campus Connector trail saw its grand opening.

The trail is paid for by Bike Walk Twin Cities, with a funding of $1.3 million, and $330,000 coming from local funding. Among the many features of the new trail is the addition of bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and new traffic signals.

Star Tribune by Tim Harlow

A local Minneapolis man allegedly used a sword to murder his mother and nephew on Monday, Abby Simons reported.

A criminal complaint filed Wednesday stated that Ishmael Roberts, 22, calmly walked into his mother's home in north Minneapolis and killed his mother, Beatrice Wilson, 57, and nephew, Peter, 14, with a samurai sword, Simons wrote.

Police say that the injuries on the two victims indicate that they put up a fight.

"They had multiple lacerations, and the lacerations they had were indicative of a struggle and a vicious fight," said Minneapolis Police Capt. Amelia Huffman.

Police are hinting at mental illness as a possible cause for the tragedy.