Larson, Chelsey

HOUSTON – The Star Tribune reported that a 12-year-old boy killed a 10-month-old baby after throwing it to the floor when left unsupervised on Wednesday.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/43466987.html?page=2&c=y

The 12-year-old, who is unnamed because of his age, is being held in juvenile detention, the Star Tribune said.

The 10-month old, Deandre Washington, was injured on March 12 and taken to the hospital where he died two days later, the Star Tribune said.

Authorities do not know if the 12-year-old was left in charge. He was the oldest of the children in the home when the incident occurred. Exactly how many children were present is unknown.

The Star Tribune reported that the boy was not in school that day because he had been suspended for fighting.

The boy’s mother, Tawanna Scott, and Deandre’s mother, left the 12-year-old unsupervised with other children in the home. The two mothers returned home after the boy called and said Deandre wasn’t breathing, Child Protective Services spokeswoman Estella Olguin said. They called 911 after returning home. The other children witnessed the 12-year-old throw the baby on the floor, she said.

Deandre suffered two skull fractures and bleeding in multiple organs, the Star Tribune said.

The 12-year-old’s mother, Scott, told Houston television station KHOU-TV that police said her son confessed to throwing the child on the floor. However, he denied it to her. She also said that if he did throw the baby, it was an accident, the Star Tribune said.

The name of Deandre’s mother has not been released.

The CPS has not taken any of the children into custody from either mother. It is legal to leave children alone as long as one child is 12 or older, the Star Tribune said.

The Star Tribune reported that the boy could receive a maximum 40 years in prison, probation or commitment to the Texas Youth Commission system, Bill Moore, the chief of the juvenile division for the Harris County District Attorney's Office, said.

The minimum age to be certified as an adult in Texas is 14, the Star Tribune said.

A decision of whether to present the case to the grand jury or juvenile court has not been decided, Moore said.

Posted by lars3364 at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BOSTON – The New York Times reported a medical student was arrested Monday in connection with the killing of one woman and attacking another who had advertised massage services on Craigslist.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/us/21killing.html?_r=1&hp

The man was identified as Philip Markoff, 22, of Quincy. He is a second-year medical student at Boston University, a university spokesman told the New York Times.

Markoff is charged with shooting to death Julissa Brisman, 26, on April 14 in her hotel room at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. He is also charged with robbing another woman at gunpoint in her hotel room at the Westin Copley Place on April 10, The New York Times said.

The New York Times reported that both the crimes were highly publicized. More than 150 people had called in with tips, Daniel F. Conley, the Suffolk County district attorney, said.

Markoff’s arraingment is Tuesday morning in the Boston Mancipual Court. At a news conference, Conley said he hopes other potential victims will come forward.

Conley said the arrest was based on “a myriad of evidence,” and that the investigation involved connecting IP addresses to physical locations.

The New York Times reported that police are also investigating whether Markoff tired to rob another woman at gunpoint on Thursday at the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, R.I. This woman had also advertised massage services of Craigslist.

Frames from the security cameras in Warwick were released Monday. The man appeared to resemble the one captured on the security cameras at both the Marriott and the Westin hotels on the nights of the Boston crimes, The New York Times said.

Posted by lars3364 at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported an Illinois man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s sister, grandmother and father was denied bail.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/43225217.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ

A judge in Rolling Meadows held D'andre Howard, 20, Saturday without bond in the stabbing of Laura Engelhardt, 18, Alan Engelhardt, 57, and Marlene Gacek, 73, the Star Tribune said.

Howard, of Hoffman Estates, which is about 20 miles northwest of Chicago, was charged with three counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide and one count of unlawful restraint.

The Star Tribune reported Howard did not appear at the hearing because he was being treated for the injuries he sustained while fighting with the victims on Friday.

Prosecutors said Howard followed his girlfriend to her family’s home after she left him over suspicions of infidelity, the Star Tribune said.

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FORT MYERS – The Associated Press reported that a passenger landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died mid-air.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iMl4akFeDNoHLrxldRt7H8ukzpCAD97HM6JO0

The Beechcraft King Air 200 twin-engine plane, carrying five people, took off from Marco Island Executive Airport on Sunday. The pilot, whose name has not been released, died shortly after take-off as the plane was in the process of climbing to 10,000 feet, Steven Wallace, a representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Miami, told the Naple News.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/apr/12/pilot-lands-safely-swfia-after-co-pilot-loses-cons/

The pilot checked in with Miami air control tower once the plane took off.

“Our controller who was working the afternoon rush tried to acknowledge him and give him climbing instructions and he never responded to us,” Wallace said.

Later, another voice came on the radio from the plane, who said the pilot had passed out and the plane was still climbing on auto-pilot. Several controllers continued to direct the normal Sunday air traffic flow while assisting the King Air’s decent to the Southwest Florida International Airport, which was the nearest runway at the time, the Naple News said.

The passenger that took control and safely landed the plane had flying experience, FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. He is licensed for single-engine planes and has been flying since 1990. However, he was not certified to fly a twin-engine plane like the King Air.

The Naple News reported that in order to help instruct the passenger to land the plane, one air traffic controller got on the phone with a friend in Connecticut who is rated to fly the King Air aircraft.

While on the phone with the friend, the controller radioed information to the passenger that helped land the plane safely at Southwest Florida International, the Naple News said.

“Controllers are a unique bunch of folks,” Wallace said. “Not all of them know how to fly, but when it comes to crunch time, you pull all of your resources together.”

The plane had been headed to Jackson, Miss. The names of the pilot and passengers have not been released.

Posted by lars3364 at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MENA, Ark. – A twister took a “direct hit” Thursday evening on an Arkansas town, killing three and injuring more than 30 people.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/10/us/AP-Severe-Weather.html?_r=1&hp

The twister hit Mena shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday after a series of sirens rung throw the town, the New York Times said.

The New York Times reported that trees were ripped up, houses collapsed, roofs were missing, and businesses were destroyed.

“It just looks like a war zone,” Mayor George McKee said.

Thurman Allen, 79, is member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a charitable group in Mena. He told New York Times that the group had just sat down for their twice-monthly meeting at the Masonic lodge when the last siren sounded.

There were 19 people attending the meeting. Before they could take cover, the roof was ripped off.

“I was down on the floor – I just flattened,” Allen said.

One woman was killed by debris during the meeting.

Another resident, Marion Boyt, 76, said he survived by hiding with his son and daughter-in-law in a closet. Boyt said that another resident died after a two-story building collapsed, the New York Times said.

The third body was found in her front yard, county's emergency coordinator James Reeves said. The names of those killed have not been released because families are still being notified.

National guard troops helped this city of 5,700 while working overnight to fix ruptured gas lines, downed power lines, fallen trees and heavily damaged buildings, the New York Times said.

The New York Times reported emergency workers went from door-to-door to check on residents. No missing people were reported.

Prosecutor Tim Williamson said the county jail was “uninhabitable.” Inmates were transferred to nearby counties, the office of County Judge Ray Stanley said.

The violent storm affected nearby cities in Arkansas, Oklahoma and near the Louisiana border, the New York Times said.

The New York Times reported the injured people were taken to the Mena Medical Center for treatment.

Reeves said he had never seen such a powerful storm hit the tornado-prone region, the New York Times said.

“Not in my lifetime,” he told the New York Times. “The last tornado we had to hit the city of Mena was in November 1993. This time we had significant structures (hit).”

Posted by lars3364 at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TRACEY, Calf. – The Star Tribune reported that the body of an 8-year-old northern California girl was found stuffed inside a suitcase left in an irrigation pond several miles from her mobile home park.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/42577757.html?page=2&c=y

Sandra Cantu’s body was found Monday after an exhausting 10-day rescue search.

The Star Tribune reported that authorities would not comment on the investigation, but Cantu’s mobile home park, Orchard Estates, was roped off and authorities interviewed with the other residents.

Cantu went to visit a friend Friday night and never made it home, ABC said.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=7275611&page=3

ABC reported that Cantu was found wearing the same clothes she was last seen on March 27: a pink "Hello Kitty" T-shirt and black leggings.

Cantu’s disappearance sparked a widespread rescue search. NBC reported that local Tracey police, the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a team of retired law enforcement professionals, part of a program called "Team Adam," came together in effort to find Cantu.

Pictures and missing fliers were posted virtually everywhere on the homes and businesses in the city of roughly 78,000 located 60 miles east of San Francisco, the Star Tribune said.

The Star Tribune reported that investigators spoke with Canut’s father, Daniel Cantu, who lives in Mexico and works in southern California. He told the Tracey Press newspaper that he has not seen his daughter in over a year.

Farm workers, who were draining the irrigation pond to water the fields, found the suitcase containing Canut’s body, the Star Tribune said.

Residents of Canut’s mobile home park were shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

"It's always been a very safe park," the manager of Orchard Estates, Marilyn Zuniga, told ABC.

"I am still in shock," said Brandy Robles, 27, who held her 2-year-old son, told the Star Tribune. "You see this in the movies. I never thought it would be real life — real to me."

Posted by lars3364 at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a Pennsylvania mother was charged Thursday of giving her 13-year-old daughter drugs and alcohol so her boyfriend could impregnate the girl without her knowing.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/42329522.html?page=2&c=y

Shana Brown, 32, of Uniontown, Pa. can no longer have children and wanted a baby. She devised a plan for her current boyfriend, Duane Calloway, 40, to impregnate her daughter, said Uniontown Police Detective Donald Gmitter.

Brown turned herself in on Thursday and has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. She is in Fayette County jail, police told the Star Tribune.

Calloway was arrested Wednesday and faces several charges of attempted rape, the Star Tribune said.

Calloway tried three times to rape the girl. The girl told police that her mother’s plan originated in December after she rejected her mother's proposal that she allow Calloway to impregnate her and then marry him.

Calloway’s first rape attempt happened in February when the mother left the home to get pizza. The complaint said that Calloway began groping the girl then she kicked him and ran out of the house.

Police told the Star Tribune that several weeks after the February attack, the girl believed her mother spiked her Pepsi with rum. The girl passed out and woke up naked with Calloway in the room according to the criminal complaint.

The third attempt occurred in March after the girl came home early from school because she was sick. Her mother then allegedly forced her to drink tea, the Star Tribune said.

The girl told police that she pretended she was asleep and waited for Calloway to make his move. As soon as he did, she ran out of the house.

When police searched Brown’s home, they found an empty rum bottle, Tylenol PM and a pill crusher, the Star Tribune said.

Posted by lars3364 at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press reported that the Texas Legislature is reviewing bills that would allow licensed concealed gun carriers to take their weapons on school property, which are currently gun-free zones.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hqADC-O0diH8SD6cFG8jsoGeJbewD977QL6G0

John Woods, a graduate student at the University of Texas, is one of the leaders fighting these bills.

Woods was a student at Virginia Tech when the shooting took place in April 2007. His girlfriend and several other close friends were killed during the shooting. Twenty-three people were killed, including the gunman, during the Virginia Tech shooting, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the Associated Press said.

Woods had considered carrying a gun himself.

"Then I learned pretty fast that wouldn't solve anything," he said. "The idea that somebody could stop a school shooting with a gun is impossible. It's reactive, not preventative."

A hearing is set for Monday in the House Public Safety Committee on one bill, the Associated Press said.

Supporters say the bill protects the right for licensed concealed gun carries to carry their weapons and prevent another massacre such as Virginia Tech.

The Associated Press reported that Texas issued nearly 73,000 licenses in 2008. Each person had to pass a criminal background check, pass a training coarse and be at least 21 in order to earn the license.

"These are individuals who are already licensed and allowed to carry weapons. What marks the imaginary line of college campuses?" Katie Kasprzak, a University of Texas graduate student and spokeswoman for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, said.

The Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has more than 37,000 supporters.

The Associated Press reported that State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, sponsor of the Senate bill, said students, faculty and staff are "sitting ducks" if someone began shooting at the university’s campus.

Opponents believe that if the bill passes, students and faculty will live in fear of each other, never knowing who may pull out a gun.

Texas is not the only state considering allowing concealed guns on school grounds. There are a total of seven states considering such bills, the Associated Press said.

"It's a recipe for disaster," Brian Malte, state legislation and politics director for the Brady Campaign, told the Associated Press.

Woods, who is fighting against the bill, believes that allowing concealed guns on campus would not be an advantage if shooting breaks out.

"Everything happens too quickly," he said. "You either play dead or you are dead."

Posted by lars3364 at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CINCINNATI – The Star Tribune reported that a Yale student from Ohio has filed a $1 million lawsuit on Monday against US Airlines, after his Xbox 360 went missing from his luggage.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/41084442.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aU7DYaGEP7vDEh7P:DiUX

Jesse Maiman, 21, filed a lawsuit in the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, saying his Xbox 360 that contained a specialized hardware costing more than $1,000 disappeared from his luggage during a flight from New Haven, Conn., to Cincinnati in December, the Cincinnati Enquirer said.
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090311/NEWS01/903110328

Maiman said he notified the US Airways representative at the airport to report what he called a theft immediately after he noticed his Xbox 360 was missing from his luggage, the Cincinnati Enquirer said.

Maiman said he got what he called "an unconscionable run-around" from the airline. He was told to speak to five different airline employees who gave him non-responsive answers, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The suit demands US Airlines pay Maiman $1,700 for the loss of the Xbox 360 and for “non-economic distress” of at least $25,000, totaling $1 million, the Star Tribune said.

Valerie Wunder, a US Airways spokesperson, said in an e-mail that the airline was unaware of the suit, but said that the government limits liability for lost luggage to $3,300 per bag, the Star Tribune said.

"Further, our publicly available baggage policies specifically exclude liability for electronics checked in luggage,” Wunder said.

Posted by lars3364 at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that President Obama reversed Bush’s policy on Monday allowing for an increase in federal dollars to be spent towards embryonic stem cell research and promised that no scientific data will be either “distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda.”
http://www.startribune.com/politics/40956782.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUJ

Obama signed the order in front of an audience made up of scientists, lawmakers and patients in the East Room of the White House, the New York Times said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/us/politics/10stem.html?_r=1&hp

Obama said that this reversal is meant to restore “scientific integrity to government decision-making,” the Star Tribune reported.

The New York Times reported that supporters believe that stem cell research could uncover cures to ailments of diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s and heart diseases.

However, the New York Times reported that Obama acknowledged that the studying of stem cells that are extracted from human embryos, which are destroyed in the process, is controversial.

“Many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about, or strongly oppose, this research,” Obama said. “I understand their concerns, and we must respect their point of view.”

Obama said that the majority of Americans “have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research; that the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided,” the New York Times reported.

Obama also ensured that his administration would not open doors for human cloning saying, “It is dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society or any society,” the New York Times said.

According to the New York Times, Republican lawmaker, Representative Christopher Smith of New Jersey opposed Obama’s reversal and called him “the abortion president.”

Smith added, “Human-embryo-destroying stem cell research is not only unethical, unworkable and unreliable, it is now demonstrably unnecessary.”

Many others showed their support of Obama’s reversal, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nancy Regan and Senator John Kerry, a Democrat of Massachusetts.

According to the New York Times, Kerry said, “the current policy is eroding our national advantage on stem cell research,” during a debate on the question in July 2006. He added, “We’re tying out scientists’ hands. We’re holding back our doctors.”

Posted by lars3364 at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Michigan man faces life in prison after pleading no content Thursday of shooting three teens and attempting to shoot six more near a river swim area close to the Wisconsin-Michigan border last summer, the Pioneer Press reported.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_11845110?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

Scott J. Johnson, 38, of Kingsford, Mich., pleaded no content Thursday to 10 felonies. He was convicted of three counts of first-degree intentional homicide, each carrying a life prison term, plus six counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and one count of second-degree sexual assault, the Star Tribune reported.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/40804587.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Marinette County Circuit Judge Tim Duket told Johnson he may face up to three life sentences plus 445 years. Duket will decide if Johnson will be eligible for parole on May 21, Pioneer Press said.

Assistant Attorney General and one of the prosecutors, Gary Freyberg, said he had no doubt that Johnson would have been found guilty, the Pioneer Press said.

Johnson's lawyer, public defender Shannon Viel, said Johnson chose to change his plea and there were no plea negotiations Thursday, the Star Tribune said.

“He understands his situation,” Viel told the Star Tribune. “He is not hiding anything. He is not in any denial.”

Johnson was appointed psychologists from the court after dropping an insanity plea in January. The results from those examinations have not been released.

The Star Tribune reported that Johnson is an unemployed army veteran and a divorced father of two. He fired 17 rifle shots at a group of nine youths standing near a popular swimming area at the Menominee River on July 31. Three were killed and one wounded.

Tiffany Pohlson, 17, of Vulcan, Mich., and Anthony Spigarelli, 18, and Bryan Mort, 19, both of Iron Mountain, Mich., died in the attack. Daniel Louis Gordon, 21, of Kingsford, Mich., suffered a superficial back wound from shrapnel, the Pioneer Press reported.

Johnson hid in the woods overnight before turning himself in the next day, the Star Tribune said.

Posted by lars3364 at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Nebraska man faces criminal charges after stuffing his cat in the base of a homemade marijuana bong in attempt to calm it, the Omaha World Herald said.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10577102

After responding to a domestic disturbance call, police found Acea Schomaker, 20, on Sunday smoking marijuana through a piece of garden hose attached to a duct-taped, plastic glass box in which the cat had been stuffed, the Star Tribune said.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/40554982.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Shadow, the 6-month-old kitten, was hyper and he was trying to calm her down, Schomaker told Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies.

“This cat was just dazed,” Sgt. Andy Stebbing of the Sheriff's Office told the Omaha World Harold. “She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the Humane Society.”

Shadow was taken to the Capital Humane Society, executive director Bob Downey said. She was in good condition Monday, the Star Tribune said.

Schomaker was taken to the Lancaster County jail for suspicion of misdemeanor animal cruelty. He was released after paying a $400 fine, the Omaha World Harold said.

The Omaha World Harold reported that Schomaker also faces chargers with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

Schomaker may face felony charges if the cat dies or is found to have suffered injury. Tests of Shadow’s lungs will be done to determine if there is any injury, the Omaha World Harold said.

Posted by lars3364 at 2:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Obama’s administration supports the reversal of an 18-year ban on media coverage of fallen soldiers returning home, allowing for photographs of the draped coffins to be published if the soldiers’ families agree, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
http://www.startribune.com/politics/40354857.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Gates decision lifts the ban created in 1991 at the time of the Gulf war by President George H.W. Bush. It directly affects the coffins returning from Afghanistan and Iraq that go through Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, the New York Times said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27coffins.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Defense%20Secretary%20Robert%20Gates&st=cse

“My conclusion was we should not presume to make the decision for the families,” Gates said.

Obama asked for re-examination of the ban and supports changing it, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said.

The new policy would be similar to the one in place for funerals at Arlington National Cemetery. Photographs will not be permitted of the coffins if the family chooses so, the New York Times said.

“I have always believed that the decision as to how to honor our fallen heroes should be left up to the families,” Vice President Joe Biden said. “The past practice didn't account for a family's wishes and I believed that was wrong.”

John Ellsworth, the president of Military Families United, opposed the policy changes. His son, Lance Cpl. Justin Ellsworth, 20, was killed in Iraq in 2004. “There was nothing wrong with the way things were. I believe that the administration basically caved to the special-interest groups, the antiwar groups, that are going to politicize our fallen,” he said.

“What is the need to show these caskets,” Ellsworth added, “other than to try to inflame controversy?”

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. supports the change in policy. “We should honor, not hide, flag-draped coffins,” he said. “They are a symbol of the respect, honor and dignity that our fallen heroes deserve.”

Posted by lars3364 at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A toddler and six other people were injured Tuesday afternoon after gunfire erupted at Mardi Gras’ St. Charles Avenue Parade as truck floats passed by, KMOV, a St. Louis news station, reported.
http://www.kmov.com/topstories/stories/kmov-national-news-090225-mardi-gras-shooting.feade2.html

The 20-month-old child was grazed by a bullet and wasn’t seriously injured. Two suspects are in custody, police told KMOV.

The gunfire broke out around 1:40 p.m. near the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Second Street, an area known as the Garden District, the New Orleans, LA local news (NOLA) said.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/two_people_shot_on_st_charles.html

All seven victims were said to be bystanders. As of Tuesday night only two were in critical condition. Both men, around the age of 20, were shot in the abdomen, Jeb Tate of the New Orleans EMS said.

The other five victims suffered less significant wounds. Besides the 20-month-old child, there was a 17-year-old girl, a 50-year-old woman, a 15-year-old boy, and a 30-year-old man all suffered graze wounds, the NOLA said.

By late Tuesday evening police took Mark Brooks, 19, and Louis Lazone, 18, into custody. Both men were booked with seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, NOLA said.

Three other shootings occurred later during the Mardi Gras celebrations, NOLA said. Two of those three victims injuries were reported as non-fatal; the third is unknown at this time.

Posted by lars3364 at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 9-year-old Arizona boy pleaded guilty Thursday for one count of negligent homicide in connection with the shooting of his father and another man last November.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/20boy.html?ref=us

The boy will remain in custody of the state until he turns 18. He will seek psychiatric evaluation to determine if juvenile detention is appropriate, the New York Times said. In addition, the boy will have mental health examinations at the ages of 12, 15 and 17 to determine if he might pose any danger in the future, the Star Tribune said.
http://www.startribune.com/nation/39858762.html?page=2&c=y

The New York Times reported that if the boy does not commit any additional crimes before the age 18, his juvenile record would be expunged.

Police found the boy’s father’s roommate, Timothy Romans, 39, and the boy’s father, Vincent Romero, 29, shot to death at the Romero home in St. Johns, Ariz., on Nov. 5. The Star Tribune reported that at first the boy was not the suspected gunman, but was questioned after Roman’s wife raised suspicion.

The boy shot the two men with a .22-caliber rifle that his father allegedly gave to him as a birthday gift, the New York Times said.

The boy pleaded to one count of negligent homicide to shooting and killing Romans, but was not asked to testify against his father.

"If the kid is ever going to have a chance at a normal life, how is he going to deal with `I pleaded guilty to killing my dad,'" Whiting told the Star Tribune.

The boy is due back in court on March 5 for pre-sentencing hearings.

Posted by lars3364 at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that a commuter plane crashed Thursday into a home near Buffalo, N.Y., killing 50 people.
http://www.startribune.com/business/39549787.html?elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU

A Continental Airline flight flying from Newark, N.J., crashed around 10:20 p.m. Thursday about five miles from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the Star Tribune said.

The crash killed 49 passengers on board, including the flight crew, and one person inside the home. Two other people in the home escaped with minor injuries, reported the Star Tribune.

Karen Wilinski, 57, and her daughter, Jill, 22, were the survivors in the home.

“Planes do go over our house, but this one just sounded really different, louder, and I thought to myself, ‘If that's a plane, it's going to hit something,’�? Wilinski told WBEN-AM in Buffalo. “The next thing I knew the ceiling was on me.�?

Wilinski’s husband, Doug, passed away.

“He was a good person, loved his family,�? Wilinski told Star Tribune.

Officials are investigating. The New York Times reported that the “black boxes�? that include the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, have been retrieved and have been sent to the National Transportation Safety Board laboratories in Washington.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/nyregion/13crash.html?hp

This is the first commercial airline flight to crash in 2 ½ years, the Star Tribune said.

Posted by lars3364 at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The California Medical Board is investigating the doctor who implanted embryos in the California woman who gave birth to octuplets.

The Star Tribune reported that Nadya Suleman, 33, of Whittier, Calif., gave birth to octuplets on Jan. 26 when she already had six children. The California Medical Board is investigating her doctor, Dr. Michael Kamrava, to see if there was a “violation of the standard of care,�? a board spokeswoman, Candis Cohen, told Star Tribune.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/39254692.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Both of Suleman’s pregnancies were vitro pregnancies. She used the same sperm donator and doctor in both pregnancies, reported the Star Tribune. She went to the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills.

Kamrava’s name emerged Monday after weeks of not knowing the name of Suleman’s doctor. Kamrava, 57, would not comment. He is known as a controversial doctor.
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/39307472.html?elr=KArksUUUU

In an interview with NBC, Suleman said that in each pregnancy six embryos were implanted. This was to ensure that one would take.

Although the United States has no laws restricting the number of embryos that can be implanted, in most cases only two or three are implanted in a woman of Suleman’s age said the Star Tribune.

Suleman is experiencing financial difficulties. The Star Tribune reported that Suleman is an unemployed, divorced, single mother of 14 children.

The L.A. Times reported that Suleman receives $490 a month in food stamps and federal assistance for her three disabled children. She does not see this to be welfare said Suleman’s publicist, Michael Furtney.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/02/nadya-suleman-w.html

According to news reports, Suleman’s mother, Angela, said it was “really unconscionable�? for her daughter to undergo fertility treatments when she already had six children reported the New York Times. Angela said her daughter did not pay for rent or food, and that she was the one taking care of the children.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/health/09rounds.html?scp=2&sq=Nadya%20Suleman%20&st=cse

Despite Angela’s comments, Suleman told the L.A. Times, “I will feed them. I will do the best I possibly can. In my own way, in my own faith, I do believe wholeheartedly that God will provide in his own way.�?

Posted by lars3364 at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that the rate of suicide victims among U.S. soldiers has reached an all time high. There are 128 confirmed suicides in 2008 and an additional 15 that are suspected suicides.

The causes of the rising number of suicides is linked to depression and post-traumatic stress. Many experienced difficulties with personal relationships, financial issues, and problems finding and a holding a steady job.

This recent study only accounted for active members of the military. This does not include inactive veterans whose suicide rates are also on the rise.

Although the exact number of veteran suicides is unknown, the Congressional Research Service estimated that 6500 veterans fall victim to suicide each year according to the Associated Press. http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ARMY_SUICIDES?SITE=MATAU&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-01-29-15-36-35

The number of U.S. military suicides were at an all time high only a year ago, unfortunately the 2008 statistics have surpassed those numbers. The number of military suicides in the U.S. is now higher than the national number of suicides to date.

This study was intended to surface the issue. Paul Rieckhoff, director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America told Star Tribune that "These are preventable deaths for which the Department of Defense and the VA can and must take bold action."

Posted by lars3364 at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Minneapolis- Eight days before President Obama's inauguration, a Colorado man sent an e-mail to the FBI threatening to kill the president and a second e-mail that said he had placed explosives throughout the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

"I'm going to assassinate the new president of the United States of America," said Timothy Gutierrez in his first e-mail according to the Star Tribunehttp://www.startribune.com/local/38608537.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Gutierrez, 20, was indited Tuesday, and authorities declined to discuss his whereabouts.

"Both threats were taken seriously, and both threats were investigated immediately by the FBI," said Jeff Dorschner according to the Associated Press http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jcq3dTostccNiKUj0Mi9DcOv2IeQD9610MF80

Gutierrez was charged with one count of transmission of threats and falsely threatening to use explosives.

Posted by lars3364 at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)