tsloane

CNN reported the death penalty will not be sought for a Florida woman convicted of killing her 3-year-old daughter, according to court documents filed Friday.
Prosecutors concluded that "It is not in the best interest of the people of the state of Florida to pursue the death penalty as a potential sentence," the document said.
"Therefore, the state of Florida will not be seeking the death penalty as to Casey Marie Anthony."
In a case that has received national attention, 22-year-old Anthony is charged with killing daughter Caylee Anthony. Arrested last month, she faces charges including first-degree murder in the disappearance of Caylee, who has been missing since June.
She could face up to a life sentence in prison.
Anthony did not tell her family that Caylee was missing until a month later. Cindy Anthony, Caylee's grandmother and Casey's mother, called the Orange County, Florida sheriff on July 15, saying that her daughter refused to tell her where Caylee was.
Anthony gave conflicting statements to police when questioned about Caylee's disappearance. Investigative reports and hundreds of documents released in the case revealed some to be false.
Anthony said she left Caylee with a baby sitter, but police who checked out her story found the address Anthony gave was that of an apartment that had been empty for weeks. The woman Anthony said was the baby sitter told police she did not know her.
In an early investigation, cadaver dogs found the scent of death in Anthony's car and her parents' backyard. Air quality tests conducted by the FBI also found evidence of human decomposition and chloroform in the trunk of Anthony's car.
A neighbor told police that Anthony had asked to borrow a shovel. An analysis of Anthony's computer found she had conducted Internet searches of missing children and had visited Web sites discussing chloroform, according to information released in the case.
A request from prosecutors for a gag order was denied last month by Florida 9th Circuit Judge Stan Strickland, who said he could not condone that continued media coverage of the trial would be a threat or that a gag order would even halt such heavy publicity.

Posted by sloa0048 at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press reported via the Chicago Sun-Times that the blue-stoned class ring of a Texas man was found inside an 8-pound bass 21 years after the man lost it while fishing on Lake Sam Rayburn.
The ring was engraved with the man's name, Joe Richardson. The fisherman who discovered the tarnished ring inside his catch contacted Richardson on Nov. 28 in Buna, which is located about 100 miles northeast of Houston. The fisherman hero, who asked to remain anonymous, tracked Richardson down using the Internet.
“My first reaction was — you gotta be kidding,� Richardson said Wednesday.
Richardson, 41, said he lost the ring about two weeks after his 1987 graduation from Universal Technical Institute in Houston. His mother paid about $200 for it and was not happy it had gone missing.
Richardson said his career as a mechanic does not allow for the wearing of jewelry, so he tucked the undamaged ring away.
“I have not cleaned it,� he said. “I told my wife I don’t want to clean it.�

Posted by sloa0048 at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN reported that shootings at a mall in Tukwila, Washington on Saturday left two men in critical condition, authorities said.
The men were carried out of the Westfield Southcenter, located southeast of Seattle, on stretchers and placed in ambulances.
Two other people were also taken to hospitals after suffering minor injuries resulting from an evacuation of the shopping center.
Authorities said they had one good witness. The mall was shut down while police search for the gunman.
The men who were shot are believed to be in their 20s.
"They were close to each other when they were shot," said a spokesman at the scene.
Chris Plummer, who was visiting from Pennsylvania, told CNN affiliate KIRO that he was standing near the shooter when the man began shooting.
Plummer told KIRO that a group of 18- to 20-year-olds was fighting when one of them pulled out a gun and started shooting.
A woman who seemed to be to be going into labor and a man who sustained a neck injury during the evacuation were also taken to a hospital, the spokesman said.
Shoppers said the scene was chaotic as people hurried to leave.
"They grabbed their kids and ran out of there," a store manager said.

Posted by sloa0048 at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN reported that $2 gas is quickly becoming the new $4 gas.
The economic crisis has caused the demand for oil and gas to decrease. As a result, gas prices have dropped - and are still dropping.
Sunday marked the 60th consecutive day of falling gas prices.
According to a survey released Sunday by the American Automobile Association, the national average price per gallon of gasoline has fallen 2 cents to $2.105 a gallon.
Gas hit an all-time high of $4.114 on July 17. Gas prices now are almost half that, and AAA figures say that gas prices have not been this low in two years.
At the high end of the spectrum, drivers in Hawaii are paying an average of $3.049 per gallon, and Alaskans are paying $3.181.
The average price has dropped below $2 in 16 states. With its average of $1.816 per gallon, Missouri has the cheapest gas in the nation.
The decline in gas prices is following the continually collapsing price of crude oil. Crude prices, which make up about half of gasoline prices, have fallen over 60% since they hit a record price of $147.27 per barrel on July 11.
Crude oil for December delivery fell $1.20, settling Friday at $57.04 per barrel.

Posted by sloa0048 at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to The Indy News Channel, Police said a construction worker died Friday at an Indiana High School when a power saw he had been using to cut pipe accidentally hit him in the neck.
James Mendenhall, 39, of Indianapolis, was in an 8-foot trench slicing an old water pipe around 8:30 a.m. when the saw kicked back and cut him, the Hendricks County Sheriff's Department said.
Hendricks County sheriff's Lt. Jim Yetter said Mendenhall pulled himself out of the trench but then collapsed a few feet away. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim was an employee of Simmons Company, which is helping build an addition at the school, which is located about 20 miles west of Indianapolis.
Police said students and staff were informed that an accident involving a worker had occurred but were not given any details. The school day proceeded regularly.
The Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration are also investigating the incident.

Posted by sloa0048 at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press reported via the New York Times that five people were found fatally shot Sunday in a Southern California homeless encampment, police said.
Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna said police received an anonymous call Sunday morning and went to an area between several Long Beach commercial buildings and freeway ramps. There they found five dead adults, all gunshot vitims.
Neither a motive nor a suspect has been has been identified. Coroner's investigators were dispatched to the scene to identify the victims and determine how long they had been dead, Luna said.
Several detectives searched the area for evidence.
''Because of the rains last night and the heavy foliage in the area where the crime occurred, the investigative process will be slow and methodical,'' Luna said.
Though the victims were originally described as homeless, officials say that has not yet been confirmed.
Police are also trying to find the person who called in with the tip.
''That's a piece of the puzzle that we're trying to figure out,'' Luna said. ''We're hoping that person comes forward and tells us, 'This is what I saw or heard.'''
''The way they were situated, it was perfect in that no one can find the crime scene or see it,'' he added.

Posted by sloa0048 at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Los Angeles Times reported that scientists have successfully erased traumatizing memories in mice, a breakthrough in the process towards aiding humans in forgetting their own haunting memories.
A study published in the journal Neuron this week revealed that researchers have genetically manipulated the brains of mice to produce an excess of an enzyme that appeared to permanently wipe select memories.
Scientists said that the Calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II (CaMKII) enzyme is also present in humans, making it a possible target for a drug that would treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological problems.
The report said that researchers from the Medical College of Georgia and East China Normal University in Shanghai trained the mice to associate certain environmental cues - a specific tone or cage, for example - with an electric shock. Researchers then studied what the animals could remember.
When confronted with such cues, regular mice freeze in fear. The trained animals did not, a sign they did not remember that the cage they saw or the tone they heard meant a shock was coming.
By giving the mice a drug that reduced the amount of enzyme produced to normal levels, the scientists were able to determine whether the memory loss was permanent. The animals still did not freeze when they were placed in the cage or heard the tone.
In a following series of experiments scientists found they could choose to erase fearful memories related to the electric shocks while still leaving other memories - such as the fear of cat odor - intact.
Joe Z. Tsiena, study author and neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia, warned that many obstacles must be overcome before translating the findings into a human drug. The same engineering techniques used on the mice cannot be used on humans, he said.
Tsiena also said there is not currently a practical method of overproducing the enzyme within the human brain.

Posted by sloa0048 at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CNN reported that the 6-year-old boy abducted Wednesday in Las Vegas was found safe, the Las Vegas police department announced Sunday.
Cole Puffinburger was found walking alone in east Las Vegas, police say.
"Cole has been found, he is safe and in our custody," Capt. Vince Cannito told reporters in a news conferenceearly Sunday morning.
Cannito said that detectives were placing flyers about the boy's abduction around Las Vegas neighborhoodsSaturday night when they got a call that a young boy matching Cole's description was seen walking alone on a sidewalk on the city's east side.
"Detectives rushed there, found the boy and confirmed it was Cole," Cannito said. "It's just a blessing that this child has been found and he's in extremely good condition."
Robert Puffinburger, the boy's father, said the what he felt upon hearing that his son was safe was emotion he felt after being informed that his son was safe was "indescribable."
"I'm just glad he's safe," Puffinburger said at the news conference. "I can't wait to see him!"
Cole was abducted Wednesday in what police say was a drug-related kidnapping. Three armed men tied up his mother and her fiance and ransacked the home, taking the boy when no money was found, police said.
Police say the boy's grandfather, 51-year-old Clemons F. Tinnemeyer, was had been involved in drug dealing and may have taken millions of dollars from drug dealers. The kidnapping may have been a result of his theft, police said.
Tinnemeyer was arrested Friday in Riverside, California, where he was held as a material witness. He and one other unidentified person have been interviewed in connection with the case.
Cannito asked the public to help find a third person of interest, Jesus Gastelum.
In Sunday's news conference, Cannito said the part of the investigation regarding Cole's abduction is now finished.
"The remainder of the investigation now shifts, the focus now goes on to the drug dealing and potential extortion," he said.

Posted by sloa0048 at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported that despite Gov. Sarah Palin's efforts to keep beluga whales from coming under increased protections, the federal government placed beluga whales that live in Alaska's Cook Inlet on the endangered species list on Friday.
The population of the small, whitish whales declined by almost 50 percent during the late 1990's, and federal scientists say that previous protections, including the limitation of subsistence hunting by Native Alaskans, did not foster a rebound. Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said about 375 whales have been counted in Cook Inlet each of the past two years.
"In spite of protections already in place, Cook Inlet beluga whales are not recovering," James Balsiger, an acting assistant administrator in charge of the agency’s fisheries programs, said in a written statement declaring that the whales are in danger of extinction.
The statement drew attention to Gov. Palin's standpoints on environmental issues. The Rebublican nominee for vice president has been scrutinized for her ambiguous statements about climate change and her efforts to prevent polar bears from being declared a threatened species as well.
Gov. Palin's administration fought both the polar bear and the beluga listing because of their potential to restrict coastal and offshore oil and gas developments. The beluga listing may also affect a proposed bridge over Knick Arm that would connect Anchorage to the Matanuska-Valley and Gov. Palin's hometown of Wasilla
"I am especially concerned that an unnecessary federal listing and designation of critical habitat would do serious long-term damage to the vibrant economy of the Cook Inlet area," the governor said in statement.
In a statement on Friday, Gov. Palin called the listing "premature." Her office said the beluga population has seen an increase since the existing recovery program was implemented in 2000 under the Marine Mammals Protection Act.

Posted by sloa0048 at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The L.A. Times reported that for the first time ever, scientists predicted the arrival of an asteroid before it entered Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists said the asteroid entered the atmosphere over Sudan on Tuesday morning. Estimated at 6 to 15 feet in diameter, it emitted a brilliant light show in East Africa as it burned up. Though parts of it may have reached Earth's surface, it posed no threat to people on the ground, they said.
Scientists also said the prediction of the asteroid's trajectory was more important than the actual discovery of the object.
When the Catalina Sky Survey telescope near Tuscon first observed the object on Monday, it was outside of the moon's orbit. The data was shipped to the Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.
"We did an impact analysis and saw that it would indeed hit" the Earth, or at least its upper atmosphere, said Don Yeomans, director of the office charged with monitoring space rubble.
Yeomans then alerted space observers worldwide, including the U.S. Department of Defense.
Yeomans said the successful prediction "shows the system is working," even though less than a day's advance notice would not give ample time to prepare for an asteroid the size of the one believed to have caused the dinosaurs to become extinct 65 million years ago.
One reason it was not sighted earlier was that it was "at the lower end of what we can discover," Yeomans said.
An asteroid large enought to endanger Earth and its inhabitants would likely be spotted much earlier.

Posted by sloa0048 at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Washington Post reported that Thursday's vice-presidential debate between Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden drew in 73 million viewers, making it the most watched vice-presidential debate in U.S. history. It may also be the second-most-watched political debate ever, falling only to the Oct. 28, 1980, debate between President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, which had nearly 81 million viewers.
Nielsen Media Research said Friday that 70 million people watched the 90-minute debate on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox broadcast network, Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Telefutura and BBC America. PBS, moderated by its own Gwen Ifill, estimated another 3.5 million viewers watched the debate on public broadcasting stations.
Nielsen said that prior to the Biden-Palin showdown, the most watched vice-presidential debate was the only other one to feature a female candidate: 56.7 million people watched the Oct. 11, 1984, debate between George H.W. Bush and Geraldine Ferraro.
After Carter-Reagan, the presidential debate that drew the most viewers was the Oct. 15, 1992, three-way among then-President Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, Nielsen said. It had 69.9 million viewers.
Timing may also have contributed to the high ratings. Thursday is one of the most popular nights of the week for TV-watching, while Friday, when McCain and Obama first debated, is one of the least popular.
Usually, only the Super Bowl has such a high number of Americans watching the same thing.

Posted by sloa0048 at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Associated Press reported via CNN that Pennsylvania officials found hundreds of ailing animals crowded into an unsanitary kennel and several puppy carcasses in a freezer, and the owner of the compound lost his license to operate Thursday and was charged with animal cruelty.
After removing dozens of ill dogs and cats for medical care during Wednesday's raid on the Almost Heaven Kennel in Upper Milford Township in eastern Pennsylvania, authorities are negotiating the removal of dozens more, said Elaine Skypala, program director for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Agents found 800 to 1,000 live animals, including monkeys, miniature horses and turkeys, all of which had been neglected fresh water and were living in filth, Skypala said. They also found a freezer containing 65 carcasses, primarily puppies and a few adult dogs.
The SPCA issued a search warrant of the kennel after receiving several resident complaints. The society's officers have a right to raid a place that is suspected of animal cruelty, abuse or neglect.
Officials said Kennel owner Derbe "Skip" Eckhart's animals suffered from skin and eye ailments, upper respiratory diseases and lameness. They cited him for neglecting to provide veterinary care for 43 dogs, nine cats, and a guinea pig.
Eckhart denied allegations, saying that he had passed an August inspection by the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. He faces a maximum fine of $750 per count.
"What they tried to do yesterday was paint a picture that wasn't there," Eckhart said Thursday.
But his license was revoked Thursday, meaning he will have to sell or transfer enough dogs so that his compound will no longer be considered a kennel. By law, any place housing more than 25 dogs is required to be licensed and inspected.
"Mr. Eckhart allowed conditions at his kennel to deteriorate into a deplorable state," Jessie Smith, special deputy secretary for dog law enforcement, said in a statement. "While we continue investigating his operations, we are taking this action to protect the health and welfare of the animals there."
Eckhart was charged two years ago for operating a menagerie without a permit and owning too many monkeys, and he paid the resulting fines.
The state Agriculture Department, which oversees the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, will investigate how Almost Heaven turned up no violations of kennel regulations in the August 7 inspection.
Phil Miller, Eckhart's neighbor, was glad for the raid, saying that he couldn't even open his windows in the summertime because the stench was so disgusting.

Posted by sloa0048 at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UCLA Mathematicians have discovered a 13 million-digit prime number, a feat which may entitle them to a $100,000 prize, the Associated Press reported via the Chicago Tribune.
The group found the number last month on a network of 75 computers running Windows XP. Another computer Usystem running a different algorithm was used to verify the number, which is the 46th known Mersenne prime.
The number is the 8th Mersenne prime found at UCLA.
"We're delighted," said UCLA's Edson Smith, the team leader. "Now we're looking for the next one, despite the odds."
A prime number is one that is only divisible by itself and the number one.
Mersenne primes, named for creator and 17th century French mathematician Marin Mersenne, are expressed as 2P-1, or two to the power of "P'' minus one, the article said, where P is itself a prime number. For the new prime, P is 43,112,609.
The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search, or GIMPS, has thousands of participants worldwide. The system involves the harnessing of underused computing power to make calculations that would find and verify Mersenne primes.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is offering the $100,000 prize for finding the first Mersenne prime with more than 10 million digits. The prize was set up in order to promote cooperative computing using the Internet.
It could be awarded when the number is published, which will likely be sometime next year.

Posted by sloa0048 at 3:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After 10 years, MTV's "Total Request Live" will shut down in November, according to an AP story on CNN.com.
The music video countdown show will end with a two-our finale on a Saturday afternoon in November, Dave Sirulnick, executive producer of "TRL," said Monday. Sirulnick also said the show wasn't shutting down for good, but that now is a good time for the show to take a break.
"We want to close this era of 'TRL' in a big celebratory way, and 10 is a great number," he said. "And 10 is the number that 'TRL' counted down every single day for 10 years, and we hit this 10th (anniversary) and we thought, 'You know what? This feels like the right time and let's celebrate it and let's reward it. And let's let it have a little bit of a rest for a minute.' Let it catch its breath! Been working hard -- for 10 years!"
"TRL" debuted in September 1998, and it soon became the "splashy center" for popstars such as *NSYNC and Britney Spears, the article said. Since then, the show has been the "it" destination for up-and-coming music artists, movie stars, and other celebrities wishing to promote their work.
According to Nielsen Media Research, "TRL" peaked in 1999, with 757,000 viewers tuning in daily. Sirulnick said the show, which airs weekday afternoons from MTV's Times Square stud, lost some of its sheen as the years went on. He said it went from "the new kid on the block" to "more of an institution."
For the finale, Sirulnick hopes to collaborate with those who helped make TRL famous. Whether Justin Timberlake, the Backstreet Boys, or Eminem, or former host Carson Daily, he said TRL would love to have any and all of them there.
"I'm going to miss 'TRL,' Eminem said in a statement. "Where else will I be able to start feuds, defend my honor vigorously and act like an angry teenager on national TV? Oh wait ... The VMAs!"
For music video lovers, MTV has developed a quasi replacement. "FNMTV" debuted over the summer in a 15-episode run, which was hosted by Pete Wentz, bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy. The show aired Friday nights and featured exclusive music videos and performances by a potpourri of different artists, such as Slipknot and the Jonas Brothers.
MTV said "FNMTV" will be back in November. But unlike TRL, it won't include the famed Top 10 countdown.

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According to U.S.A. Today, smoking has been banned on Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities - even in the campuses' outdoor areas.
After discussing the issue with university presidents and board members, Chancellor John Cavanaugh said the ban does not only cover university classroms, but all campus grounds, including parking lots and athletic fields. Cavanaugh credits his decision to the fact that some classes and fundraisers are occasionally held outside.
"After all of that deliberation, we decided we would go on the side of caution," he said.
Students received virtually no warning, as the ban was announced via e-mail Wednesday evening - the day before a statewide law against smoking in most workplaces and public spaces was to be enacted. The action has sparked a number of protests across the state.
According to protester Steve Dugan, a 20-year-old freshman at Clarion University, about 60 students gathered at the university's student center Monday and then marched to the campus library, where they lit up.
"We're simply asking for some compromise, like one or two designated (smoking) areas on campus," Dugan said.
Campus police gave student smokers small yellow cards, which declare that "future occurrences may result in possible sanctions, including fines and/or disciplinary action," U.S.A. Today reported.
At least two more of Pennsylvania's 14 campuses have seen similar protests, in which both smokers and sympathetic nonsmokers participate. There are rumors of a statewide demonstration later in the week.
University officials are working on educating students and faculty about the ban. State health officials are in charge of its enforcement, but they are relying on the public to report violators.
Though the decision to make state-owned campuses smoke-free is unprecedented in Pennsylvania, the American Lung Association said over 130 colleges and universities around the U.S. have already enforced similar policies.

Posted by sloa0048 at 5:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Galveston Island becomes increasingly more putrid in the wake of Hurrican Ike, the thousands stranded there are realizing that the aftermath is far worse than the storm itself, reported the New York Times.
Five people have been found dead, one of whom was discovered in a submerged vehicle. Officials said that more were expected to be found as they continue to search the more flooded areas of the island, particularly on the west end, which city manager Steve LeBlanc has described as one of "horrendous" devastation.
LeBlanc also said that there have been several emergency calls from the west end, but all communication with them has been lost. He is unsure of what has happened to the people out there.
“Galveston has been hit hard. We have no power. We have no gas. We have no communications. We’re not sure when any of that will be up and running,� said Galveston’s mayor, Lyda Ann Thomas. She also announced that no one is to come back to Galveston, as the area is uninhabitable.
Only emergency personnel are being allowed onto the island, and officials on Sunday mounted the largest rescue operation in the Texas history.
Though the city's streets are strewn with debris, stray dogs roam freely, and more than 40 buildings have collapsed, the health hazards facing victims are of utmost concern. The air is becoming foul and is swarming with mosquitos, and backed up sewage is spilling on to flooded streets. A lack of running water and spoiled food is causing illness among residents - the most serious calls being from people suffering from seizures, dehydration, and chest pains. Several elderly people have also reported being low on medication and falling down or being trapped.
The island's primary hospital, the University of Texas Medical Branch, is only accepting the most serious cases. It will not likely be open to general patients for two to four weeks.
Multiple state and federal emergency workers are in Galveston, but they have neither answers nor enough supplies to really do their job.
Gov. Rick Perry also urged those who have evacuated not to return. The bridge leading to the island is expected to remain closed for at least a week.

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