Brice's Blog

A 19-year-old gunman shot and killed six employees and two customers in a department store at an Omaha mall Wednesday before turning the gun on himself.

Robert Hawkins, of Bellevue, Nebraska, walked into the department store and looked around before leaving and returning a few minutes later carrying an AK-47 to begin his shooting rampage, according to CNN.

According to FOX News, Hawkins reentered the store and took the elevator to the third floor where he began shooting.

Five others were injured in the shooting, two of those people critically, reported hospital officials, according to CNN.

Hawkins had recently broken up with his girlfriend and been fired from his job at McDonald’s, according to his Debora Maraca-Kovac, who Hawkins had been living with.

According to FOX News, Hawkins left a suicide note and called Maraca-Kovac just before the shooting to say he was sorry.

The note he left read, “Now I’ll be famous.�

Posted by Brice Lehner at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Washington Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor is in critical condition after being shot in his Florida home early Monday morning.

According to the police reports, police received a call from Taylor’s girlfriend at 1:45 a.m. Monday saying that he had been shot in the leg.

Taylor’s friend and former lawyer Richard Sharpstein said Taylor “lost a significant amount of blood because the bullet damaged his femoral artery, and doctors were worried about the flow of blood to the brain,� according to the Associated Press.
According to the Washington Post, Sharpstein said Taylor was awoken during the night because he heard a noise from the lower level of the house and was shot when he went downstairs to see who was there.

Taylor was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and underwent surgery there. Sharpstein said that Taylor was out of surgery at 3 p.m. EST Monday.

"Right now, he's clinging to life and we're all praying he makes it," Sharpstein said, according to the Washington Post.

According to the Associated Press, a man had broken into Taylor’s home eight days earlier and went through his things and left a knife on his bed.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday on charges that he lied under oath when he told a federal grand jury that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds was charged with five related charges, and could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of all charges, according to the Associated Press.

The indictment read, “"During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes," according to the Associated Press.

Bonds, 43, passed Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list in baseball history. Bonds ended the 2007 season with 762 home runs, seven ahead of Aaron.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said, according to ABC news.

The indictment came as a surprise to one of Bonds’ attorneys, John Burris.

"I'm surprised, but there's been an effort to get Barry for a long time,� said Burris, according to the Associated Press. “I'm curious what evidence they have now they didn't have before."

Posted by Brice Lehner at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A federal criminal investigation has been opened on Sunday for the cargo ship that struck the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and dumped over 50,000 gallons of oil into the bay last week, according to U.S Coast Guard Officials.

"The U.S. attorney's office has opened a criminal investigation," said Coast Guard Lt. Anya Hunter, according to CNN.

The entire crew of the Cosco Busan will be brought in for questioning in the case, said Capt. William Uberti, who is head of the Coast Guard for Norhtern California, according to the Associated Press.

Preliminary investigations by the Coast Guard discovered that human error likely caused the crash and not mechanical failure, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities closed numerous beaches and shores from public access due to the possibility of health related issues, according to CNN. Fishing in some locations has also been banned.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Noel strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Thursday as it moved away from the Bahamas towards Bermuda, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Category 1 is the lowest level on the Saffir/Simpson scale of determining strength of a hurricane, according to Reuters.

Forecasters have said that Noel’s wind speed has increased to about 75 MPH, according to CNN.

The storm is not expected to hit the U.S. coast, but forecasters have told residents from North Carolina to Nova Scotia to keep an eye on the activity of Noel, according to CNN.

According to Reuters, rains from Noel have already killed 108 people in the Caribbean area. CNN reports that more than 37,000 people have forced to leave their homes so far as a result the storm.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More than ten uncontained wildfires spread across Southern California Monday after strong desert winds helped spread the fire. The blaze began over the weekend.

More than 265,000 people had been evacuated in areas stretching from San Diego to Malibu, according to fire officials, according to CNN.

“Law enforcement came barreling in with police cars with loudspeakers telling everyone to get out now," said Ronnie Leigh, 55, who fled from her home from the fires.

A total of 13 active wildfires have destroyed almost 100,000 acres of land, reports the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, according to CNN.

According to FOX news, almost 130 homes were destroyed by the fires in the Lake Mountain resort area located east of Los Angeles.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in seven Southern California counties Monday. “It's a tragic time for California,� Schwarzenegger said.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Federal prosecutors arrested 18 workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport Tuesday and charged with helping drug traffickers smuggle heroine and cocaine through the airport, according to authorities.

Airport workers in the Dominican Republic would hide the drugs in luggage that would be sent to New York, where the workers there would set them aside safely so they would not be inspected, according to prosecutors.

Of the 18 workers charged, ten work at JFK Airport, seven of which work with Delta and one with American Airlines, according to CNN.

According to authorities, the illegal operation was being headed by Henry Polanco, 31. Polanco ran the business by starting with the workers in the Dominican Republic and depended on his crew of people at JFK Airport to make sure the baggage went undetected by officials at the airport, reports FOX news.

Polanco, among others, face a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $4 million fine if found guilty on the charge of conspiracy to import a controlled substance, according to FOX news.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the six teenagers involved in the civil rights ‘Jena 6’ case was ordered to serve 18 months in juvenile jail Thursday after a judges ruling saying he violated the terms of his probation from a previous conviction.

Mychal Bell, 17, will be forced to return to jail just two weeks after being released on bail. The charges Bell originally faced for attempted murder and battery had been dropped, but he was ordered to return to jail for violating the probation he was under for four previous offenses. Two of those offenses included battery, sources told CNN.

Bell’s father told the Associated Press that he had never been tried on those charges, however.

According to the Associated Press, no bail has been set for Bell’s return to jail.

More than 20,000 supports have come to Jena recently to show their support for the teens, and a huge rally is expected now for tomorrow, according to CNN.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called the decision by the judge Thursday as “revenge� and asked the state’s governor to intervene in the decision.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Marion Jones will reportedly plead guilty in Friday in New York to lying to federal agents about her steroid use, according to the Washington Post. Jones wrote in a letter to friends and family Thursday that she used the BALCO steroid “the clear� for two years while preparing for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, reports the Washington Post.

Jones won five medals, three gold, at the Sydney games, and was given “the clear� by her former coach, Trevor Graham. Jones said that Graham told her it was flaxseed oil rather than the clear. Graham declined to comment on the situation, according to the Washington Post.

BALCO is the lab formerly run by Victor Conte. The lab has been the center of the steroid scandal in sports since it was brought down in 2003. Conte had alleged that Jones had used “the clear� ever since the scandal became public knowledge.

"I want to apologize for all of this. I am sorry for disappointing you all in so many ways,� read Jones’ letter, according to the Associated Press.

In 2006, Jones was accused of testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance EPO, but was later cleared of the allegations when her “B� sample came back negative, according to the Associated Press.

Jones had been considered to be one of the best female athletes in the nation at the time of her success at the Sydney Olympics.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Drug Enforcement Administration agents have closed down 26 illegal, underground steroid labs and made more than 50 arrests in a four-day series of raids that began last Thursday. These series of raids are the largest on performance-enhancing drugs in U.S. history, according to ESPN.

The raids are the end of an 18-month investigation into illegal distribution of performance-enhancing substances called “Operation Raw Deal.� The operation targeted the importing of material from China used to manufacture anabolic steroids and human growth hormone (HGH). In total the operation has busted 56 labs and made 124 arrests since it began, according to CNN.

According to ESPN, the raids have also seized more than $6 million and 532 pounds of raw steroid powder. Almost 60 percent of which coming in the past week.

A list of names that received steroids, humane growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs was also compiled by federal officials, according to DEA spokesman Rusty Payne, reports Yahoo! Sports. The list may eventually be made available to professional sports leagues, such as the National Football League and Major League Baseball.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

O.J. Simpson posted the $125,000 bail Wednesday on 11 charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, stemming from a robbery of sports memorabilia in Las Vegas last week.

Simpson was forced to surrender his passport after posting bail, but will be allowed to fly to his home in Miami, according to CNN. An arraignment hearing was set for the week of October 22nd. Simpson will plead not guilty to all charges, according to attorney Yale Galanter.

“You can’t rob something that is yours,� said Galanter, according to the Associated Press.

The first-degree kidnapping charges Simpson faces carry the possibility of a life-in-prison sentence if found guilty.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

O.J. Simpson was questioned by Las Vegas police Friday in connections with breaking into a casino hotel room and stealing sports memorabilia. Investigators named Simpson a suspect after questioning him. No arrests have been made in the case so far.

A call was made at around 8 p.m. Thursday night, according to CNN, from a person claiming numerous items were taken from his hotel room. The person then mentioned a group of men had broken into the room with guns, and that Simpson was one of the men involved.

“It’s stolen stuff that’s mine,� Simpson told the Associated Press, according to ESPN. Simpson denied breaking into the room.

According to CBS, no weapons have been recovered yet and there are conflicting reports as to whether weapons were involved or not.

Posted by Brice Lehner at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)