October 2010 Archives

Two synagogues in Chicago learned that they were targets of a failed bomb plot and institutions around the area started taking precautions Friday.

"Since two of the suspicious packages that were intercepted were addressed to religious institutions in Chicago, all churches, synagogues and mosques in the Chicago area should be vigilant for any unsolicited or unexpected packages, especially those originating from overseas locations, " FBI Special Agent Ross Rice said according to the Telegraph.

One of the packages was addressed to Or Chadesh, a small group for gay and lesbian members of the congregation at the Emanuel Syangogue in Chicago, the Telegraph reported. Rabbi Larry Edwards, of Or Chadesh, said that "he could not help but wonder" whether his congregation was targeted for being both Jewish and gay.

"We are a small congregation and I would describe the reaction as one of determination not to let this get to us," Edwards said. "But certainly security has been beefed up and we'll be taking extra precautions."

Other synagogues are increasing security and being especially careful with incoming mail, CNN reported. Some leaders of Chicago synagogues have said that this incident will not interfere with services, although it reinforces beliefs that the Jewish community is a common target of hostility.

"We live in a world that contains some people that are hostile to us and we want to respond to that hostility with caution," said Bob, who leads Etz Chaim in Lombard, Illinois. "At the same time, we're not going to go hide in the basement."

Gunmen killed 14 people at a soccer field in northern Honduras, police said.

Ten people were killed at the scene and four more died while being transported to a hospital, a police spokesman said, CNN reported.

Gunmen in two vehicles stopped by the field and started shooting at people getting ready for a soccer game in San Pedro Sula. Authorities are not sure what instigated the gunfire, but the city, 100 miles north of the capital Tegucigalpa, houses competing drug gangs, the New York Times reported.

This area of Honduras has seen a lot of drug-related violence in recent years and has a prominent cocaine industry, SoccerLens reported.

"We're investigating to see what sort of organization could be behind this," Juan Lopez, a police spokesman in San Pedro Sula said, CNN reported. "The most likely (scenario) is that the attack was directed at one or some of the men on the field and that the others were caught in the crossfire."

The Nice Ride program plans to bring their bright green bikes to St. Paul.

The non-profit Nice Ride Minnesota, whose program started June 10 in Minneapolis, will try to gain funding to bring bike-sharing to St. Paul, and University and Grand Avenue corridors next year, the Pioneer Press reported. Currently, there have been 600 bikes installed at 65 self-serve stations around downtown Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota campus.

The program has been successful, according to Executive Director Bill Dossett. The cost of maintaining the bikes and their outdoor, wireless, solar-powered stations has been cheaper than anticipated, the Downtown Journal reported.

There have been similar self-serve bike programs implemented in Paris and Barcelona that have been successful. Dossett said he hopes that there will be a similar need and continued interest in the service in Minnesota.

"There was this feeling that Minnesotans would reject this as being un-American, or just not a good idea for our city," Dossett said. "And we've gotten none of that negativity."

The program receives money from public and private sources, including users fees and corporate sponsorships, the Pioneer Press reported. Dossett hopes to get the $5 million to $6 million that it would cost to install 130 more stations in St. Paul.

The bikes in Minneapolis will be taken out for the winter by Nov. 7 and will not be available until April.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rallied a crowd of more than 200,000 for a "comedic call for calm," at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday.

The Comedy Central duo hosted the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" amid the fearful and ill-tempered politics and media of the upcoming election in a variety show-like line-up of musicians and special guests, the Associated Press reported. The crowd embraced the comedic event by wearing goofy costumes and carrying signs protesting protest signs.

Stewart, the host of "The Daily Show" that pokes fun at celebrites and politicians, led the side for sanity, while Colbert, who poses as an ultraconservative on "The Colbert Report", embodied the side for fear, the AP reported.

"Maybe I need to be more discerning," Colbert said when basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is Muslim, joined him on stage after he jokingly expressed his distrust of Muslims, the AP reported. He told Stewart, "Your reasonableness is poisoning my fear."

According to Stewart, the day was an effort to turn down the yelling, insults and anger of recent partisan division, days before America will vote.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Stewart said Americans hear "how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate, and how it's a shame that we can't work together to get things done. The truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day. The only place we don't is here or on cable TV."

Violence in North Minneapolis is at "record levels" and will be the subject of a Town Hall meeting Saturday, where contributors of a recent report will discuss the problem.

"We already know the incidents of homicide and violence in this community are at record levels," said Stella Whitney-West, CEO of Northpoint Health & Wellness Center.

"We see it as a public health issue because it has resulted in a major loss of life and also a loss of quality of life," she said.

According to the Star Tribune, Whitney-West said the causes for the violence include poverty, chronic unemployment, high rates of family disruption, a lack of role models and a violence-promoting subculture that includes drug use, drug trafficking and gangs. She said she hopes that the meeting will start a discussion to unite the community, organizations and churches to address these issues.

Ron Edwards, a longtime civil rights activist, criticized the report in a recent interview, saying that it was outdated and does not include the economic struggles of the past two years, the Star Tribune reported. He said that the economic crisis greatly affected minorities and limited the opportunities for jobs, housing and education for many young people.

The violence report, which was completed in 2008, calls for a combined community response to reduce violence in the community. The report contains statistics from 2006 that have not been made available to the public until now.

The meeting is at 11 a.m. at Shiloh Temple International Ministries at 1201 W. Broadway. The Northpoint Health & Wellness Center Violence Report and updated statistics will be presented by the report contributors with a panel discussion following, the Independent Business News Network reported.

In an article by the New York Times, a press release from the office of the White House press secretary, regarding the appointment of Denis McDonough as Deputy National Security Adviser, is referenced.

The article establishes context and gives background information on McDonough and his relationship with President Obama, whereas the statement released gives brief quotes from Obama and McDonough and a concise profile of McDonough.

The article sets up the information from the release and adds deeper background information in a way that is easier and more interesting to read. The article uses the quote by Obama from the release and also provides quotes that were not in the statement.

The reporter, Peter Baker, could have used the statement as a starting off point, but had to have researched related topics that were referenced farther down in the article, such as the departure of the adviser that preceded McDonough. Baker initially states the new information from the release then outlines past events related to the new appointment by Obama.

Overall the article is fluid and comprehensive, while the release is short and gives only basic information.

Marin Brown, a distinctive alto saxophonist known for his association with the avante garde Jazz community of the 1960's and 70's, died Monday.

Brown was treated for various illnesses and died in a hospice in Fourt Lauderdale, Fla., according to his son Djinji, the New York Times reported. He was 79.

Brown recorded with John Coltrane and the tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, and was a prominent part of the movement called free jazz, a type of improvisation that defied the classic conventions of jazz, the New York Times reported. He recorded dozens of albums, although he has not performed publicly for many years.

Marion Brown Jr. was born in Atlanta on Sept. 8, 1931, the New York Times reported. He was a member of an army band and later studied music at Clark College and Howard University. He moved to New York in 1962 to start his professional music career.

He taught African-America music at Bowdoin College and earned a Master's degree in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, JazzTimes reported.

"My reference is the blues, and that's where my music comes from," Brown said in the liner notes by Charles Fox and Leo Smith for Brown's Porto Novo album, JazzTimes reported. "I do listen to music of other cultures, but I just find them interesting. I don't have to borrow from them. My music and my past are rich enough. B.B. King is my Ravi Shankar."

According to the New York Times, Brown married Gail Anderson, but later divorced. He is survived by his son Djinji, and two daughters Anais St. John and La Paloma Soria-Brown and two granddaughters.

A delivery driver was found drunk Saturday after he parked his car in the middle of a street in Winona, nearly causing an accident, police said.

Justin David Peterson, 19, of Winona, was making deliveries for Ebert and Gerbert's sandwich shop when he parked his car with the lights off in the middle of West Fourth Street, the LaCrosse Tribune reported. A taxi driver nearly crashed into his vehicle.

Peterson was given a citation for underage drinking then released after police told him not to drive, the Associated Press reported. He was later found driving in a different vehicle.

Peterson's manager told police that he wouldn't be making any more deliveries that night.

Peterson was arrested at 2:10 a.m. for underage drinking and driving after police saw him driving near Broadway and Johnson streets, the AP reported.

Peterson was taken to jail, where his blood-alcohol content measured 0.06 percent. The legal limit for adults is 0.08 percent.

Employees of 10 Twin Cities Jimmy John's sandwich shops lost a vote to unionize Friday with the Industrial Workers of the World backing them.

The franchise, owned by Rob and Mike Mulligan, would have been legally obligated to negotiate with the independently assembled IWW Jimmy John's Workers Union if the vote had passed, the Minnesota Daily reported.

The result was 87 against 85, with two contested ballots that weren't counted, the Star Tribune reported.

IWW was seeking to represent the 200 workers in Minneapolis and the surrounding area. The union accused the franchise of unfair labor practices and has been rallying for better wages and scheduling, sick days and compensation for job related injuries, the Minnesota Daily reported.

According to the Minnesota Daily, at least 14 citations have been filed by Jimmy John's workers because of alleged violations by the owners of the National Labor Relations Act.

Ordinarily, unions do not attempt to recruit fast-food companies because of the workforces' frequent turnover, the Star Tribune reported. Young people are often employed at fast-food restaurants and usually do not see the job as long term, according to labor relations experts.

"Given how rare this is and the challenges the union faced, the fact that they came [so close] to winning is quite impressive," Prof. John Budd, a labor relations expert at the Carlson School of Management of the University of Minn., said.

National Public Radio has faced severe backlash for firing commentator Juan Williams Wednesday for comments he made on Fox News.

NPR's decision has been criticized by the public, politicians and lawmakers who may cause long-term damage to public broadcasting, The Washington Post reported. Some Republican politicians have urged Congress to reduce or eliminate federal funding for public television and radio, including House Minority Whip Cantor of Va., Sen. Jim DeMint of S.C., and former House speaker Newt Gingrich of Ga.

Vivian Schiller, NPR's president, told employees at a meeting Friday that she regretted how the incident was handled. Other NPR staff at the meeting expressed disappointment for how NPR responded to the situation, The Washington Post reported.

NPR reported that comments Williams made on The O'Reilly Factor regarding Muslims violated NPR's ethics policy. According to NPR, he said that he gets nervous when he sees other airline passengers wearing "Muslim garb."

Williams responded to his firing during an appearance on Fox news Thursday, NPR reported. He said that his comments were misconstrued and that NPR had an ulterior motive for firing him.

"I don't fit in their box. I'm not predictable, black, liberal," Williams told Bill O'Reilly during his program. "They were looking for a reason to get rid of me because I appear on Fox News. They don't want me talking to you."

Other prominent Republicans, such as Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, have spoke out against NPR's decision. Gingrich said that it was "an act of total censorship" and called for major cuts in their funding, NPR reported.

Federal sources provide $154 million annually to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Endowment for the Arts, 2 percent of which helps fund NPR. CBS has over 800 member stations that rely on tax subsidies, NPR reported.

Williams has been given a three-year $2 million contract with Fox News. According to NPR he is "enjoying the full embrace of Fox News."

The UN has urged President Obama to investigate reported human rights violations in Iraq involving U.S. military forces , after documents about the war were released by Wikileaks and made available to some news sources, the Guardian reported.

Manfred Nowak, the UN's chief investigator on torture, cited possible violations of the UN Convention Against Torture and said that Obama had a clear obligation to investigate them, according to the Guardian.

After the Guardian analyzed the leaked war logs, the biggest leak in U.S. military history, over 15,000 unreported civilian casualties were found that British forces may have been involved in.

Phil Shiner, a human rights specialist at Public Interest Lawyers in the UK, advised Nowak and urged a public inquiry into allegations that British troops were responsible for civilian casualties, the Guardian reported.

According to the New York Times, the 400,000 documents were made available to them in addition to The Guardian, Le Monde and Der Spiegel. Wikileaks has not given the source of the documents.

Pfc. Bradley Manning, an American Army intelligence analyst, has been arrested and accused of being a source of classified material, The New York Times reported.

Wikileaks has faced strong backlash for their decision to keep the names of some informants in documents that were released, putting lives in danger, the New York Times reported.

"We deplore WikiLeaks for inducing individuals to break the law, leak classified documents and then cavalierly share that secret information with the world, including our enemies," Geoff Morrell, the Defense Department press secretary said.

"By disclosing such sensitive information, WikiLeaks continues to put at risk the lives of our troops, their coalition partners and those Iraqis and Afghans working with us."

The online versions of the Star Tribune and the New York Times provide multiple venues to view, read and interact with news.

Under the multimedia heading, visitors can view videos, slideshows, news graphics, photo galleries, other peoples videos and photos and are able to find audio and podcasts, all of which are frequently integrated into standard articles. Much of the multimedia has headlines or short sentences of news and then visuals to bring the story to life.

Many of the stories on the Star Tribune web version are complimented with a video, allow visitors to post comments on the story, read other comments, e-mail the story or share on Facebook, Digg or del.icio.us.

A story by Phil Miller of the Star Tribune on the recent dismissal of Tim Brewster has a poll on the right side trying to get readers' opinions on who should be the next Gophers head coach.

The story has links to blogs on the subject, over 500 comments and has a video below the headline. On either side of the article, there are links to other stories and the readers can sort stories by most viewed, most e-mailed or most popular to further customize their news experience.

The New York Times offers similar forms of multimedia such as photos, slideshows, video, podcasts, interactive features and graphics, and audio.

Often the multimedia has links to news articles or is posted next to stories to create an interactive news experience for the reader while offering multiple ways to consume and interact with news stories. The writing that goes along with the multimedia often tells what the multimedia is showing, such as a picture caption.

The news provided is often concise and condensed to provide a primarily visual experience, especially with the photos and slideshows. The interactive features frequently combine video and audio, such as one about the Broadway musical "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" where a visitor can click on photos and get audio clips with more information. A lot of times the multimedia has a link to a related article to provide more background information.

Overall The New York Times has a larger variety of multimedia and provides many opportunities to interact with the media being consumed.

After emerging from 69 days underground, the 33 Chilean miners' story of survival might be made into a movie, ABC reported.

The media has been saturated with the miner's story of heroism and human will. Live feeds have been shown of the miners being rescued and each man's story has inspired people all over the world, the New York Times reported.

According to the New York Times, their reality might be made into a Hollywood blockbuster like "The Social Network" which chronicles the story of Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook, or "World Trade Center" which tells the story of an officer who was trapped underground on 9/11.

"They are the national pride of Chile. If you don't do right by these people, you'll have a nation pissed off at you," Michael Shamberg, a producer of "World Trade Center" said. "In my opinion, this isn't a movie that I would want to make without the approval of the real people."

The miners, who were rescued ahead of schedule after over a 22 hour operation, are being monitored for their medical and mental condition. They are in surprisingly good condition according to doctors and their progress will be monitored over the next six months, ABC reported.

Ben Sherwood, a former producer at ABC News and NBC News and founder of a website that is a social network and resource for survivors of disasters, said that all the components are there. Their epic story has elements of drama, humor, romance and an emotional bond between 33 men working together to survive, the New York Times reported.

"When we find out what really happened down there, I'm confident there will be amazing stories that we can't even imagine," Sherwood said.

A Lakeville man was killed in a collision between his motorcycle and a car on Cedar Avenue that left his wife and the driver injured.

Ricky Dean Ball, 62, was killed when he collided with a car on Cedar Avenue in Lakeville Saturday afternoon, police said.

His wife Nancy Lynette Ball, 61, and the driver Donna May Rollens, 76, of Lakeville, were injured, the Pioneer Press reported.

The husband and wife were driving southbound on Cedar Avenue according to Sheriff Dave Bellows, when Rollens, trying to pull into a private driveway, collided with their Harley Davidson motorcycles, Fox 9 News reported.

Ball's wife was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in serious condition, the Star Tribune reported. Rollins was taken to Regions Hospital with minor injuries.

Tim Brewster was fired Sunday as Gopher football coach after his high expectations did not deliver.

Brewster, who has been head coach since Jan. 17, 2007, has been relieved of his position, according to an announcement made by athletic director Joel Maturi on Sunday morning, and his contract has been terminated, the Minnesota Daily reported.

"Football is the engine to every athletic program," Maturi said. "And our engine is sputtering, and we need to find a way to fix it and we're committed to doing so."

In the past four years Brewster spoke of big game, but delivered an unimpressive record of 15-30, after this season's 1-6 start, The Minnesota Daily reported.

Maturi is searching for a new coach, according to the Pioneer Press. He could add to his other contributions which include hiring the basketball coach Tubby Smith, getting the new football stadium built, merging the men's and women's athletic department and then making the department profitable.

Jeff Horton, co-offensive coordinator in his first year, will serve as head coach until Maturi finds a replacement, the Minnesota Daily reported.

"We need to take a step forward," Maturi said.

Multiculturalism has "failed" in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel said while addressing young members of the Christian Democratic Party at a conference Saturday.

Merkel said at the conference in Potsdam, Eastern Germany, that to think Germans and immigrant workers could "live happily side by side" is an illusion and the idea that a multicultural society can coexist has "failed. Utterly failed," the Associated Press reported.

She said that immigrants are welcome, but should learn the language and assimilate to German cultural norms, CNN reported.

These ideas have become more prominent throughout Europe as it faces an economic slump and concerns about domestic terrorism. Germany is suffering a labor shortage, lacking 400,000 workers according to the chamber of industry and commerce, The Guardian reported.

While some immigrant workers are able to fill the gap, Merkel said in her speech that unemployed Germans should be considered first "until we have done all we can to help our own people to become qualified and give them a chance," The Guardian reported.

Klaus Seehofer, the Bavarian state premier of the Christian Social Union, said "multiculturalism is dead." Seehofer said last week that Germany's immigration policies should be revised and that immigration from Turkey and Arab countries should end, The Guardian reported.

"Germany needs more qualified immigration to maintain its economic advantage and deal with the demographic developments," Volker Beck, a lawmaker with the Greens party said Sunday according to the AP.

Some have said Merkel's comment is not beneficial for the atmosphere in Germany, the AP reported.

Trials treating spinal injury patients with human embryonic stem cells began Monday at an Atlanta hospital after approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA gave Gergon, a San Francisco based biotech company, approval to use stem cells to treat people with spinal cord injuries after tests with rats gave promising results, BBC reported.

The stem cells used in the trials are leftover from fertility treatments. The cells are manipulated to become nerve cells that could help regenerate injured spinal cords, ABC reported.

The trials at the hospital will test if the treatment is safe. It is unknown if the treatment will be effective for patients with spinal cord injuries.

"We can only admit one patient a month for the first few patients," Tom O'Karma, president and CEO of Geron Corporation said. "It will take about six months to a year before we have enough rigorous data to be able to say something about safety and any possible efficacy that we detect."

Patients will be treated with the experimental stem cells within 14 days of spinal cord injuries, BBC reported.

"The global stem cell and regenerative medicine community will be awaiting results of this safety trial with much anticipation," Ben Sykes, executive director of the UK National Stem Cell Network, said.

An article by CNN and a later article by the Associated Press have similar background information, but the AP injects more recent and relevant information that gives a more well-rounded and up to date account of the events surrounding the anti-gay hate crimes in New York.

The first article by CNN outlines the initial arrest of the suspects associated with the anti-gay hate crimes that occurred Oct. 3 in New York and the story by the AP discusses the suspects arraignment held on Sunday that revealed more background information not mentioned previously.

The main news of the stories is summarized similarly. The articles include background information on the suspects who are connected to the string of anti-gay attacks against two 17-year-old boys and a 30-year-old man.

The timeliest information is the biggest difference in the two leads. CNN discusses the suspects being arrested and the AP outlines their arraignment.

The follow up AP story contains a lot of the information that appears in the CNN story and in earlier AP stories on the anti-gay attacks. The first three paragraphs contain new information weaved with older information and the last several paragraphs are background information that is in both articles.

The AP story injected new information periodically in the last paragraphs that widened the scope of the story by including information from the court proceedings that wasn't available before the arraignment. The article also mentions relevant news stories from around the country involving anti-gay harassment and assaults.

The AP article is an extensive account of the most recent information on the story. It expands the background information and gives the article context.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 will not be released in 3D, Warner Bros. said Friday, because they ran out of time to properly convert the movie into a 3D format, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Warner Bros. said that they do not want to make fans wait any longer for the film, which is based on the seventh Harry Potter book, BBC reported.

"We do not want to disappoint fans who have long anticipated the conclusion of this extraordinary journey," the studio said in a statement Friday according to the Wall Street Journal.

The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 will be released November 19 in the U.K. and the U.S.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is set to release in the summer of 2011 on July 15 in both 2D and 3D formats.

Part two will be the first, but perhaps not the last, Harry Potter film to be screened in 3D.

According to the BBC, J.K. Rowling has recently suggested that she has considered writing more books about Harry Potter and the world of wizards and witches.

"I'm not going to say I won't," she said.

President Barack Obama will headline a rally in Minneapolis for Mark Dayton, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, on Saturday Oct. 23.

The event, which was announced by the Dayton campaign with a press release, will be one of many visits by prominent Democrats such as Vice President Joe Biden and President Bill Clinton, the Minnesota Daily Reported.

The rally will kick off the DFL's "Get Out the Vote" campaign for several candidates for state offices across Minnesota, the Pioneer Press reported.

The location of the rally is unknown, but according to Students Organizing for America President Jeb Saelens, the group is working hard to make the University of Minnesota one of the options.

According to campaign spokeswoman Katharine Tinucci, Obama agreed to the request made by Dayton campaign's for a public event, although he originally was going to hold a private fundraiser, the Minnesota Daily reported.

Obama's plan to visit comes in the wake of Vice President Joe Biden's support for Dayton when he was in St. Paul last week, the Pioneer Press reported.

8 suspects will face charges Sunday including robbery, assault and unlawful imprisonment as hate crimes after allegedly torturing two teenage boys and a man in New York for being gay.

According to police, a gang called the Latin King Goonies beat and sodomized a 17-year-old boy on Oct.3, who was being recruited for the group, after hearing that he was gay.

The suspects took the teenager to an unoccupied apartment early Sunday morning. They forced him to strip naked and then tortured him by hitting him with a beer can, cutting him with a box cutter and then sodomizing him the wooden handle of a plunger until he admitted to having had a sex with a 30-year-old man who lives a few blocks from them, the Associated Press reported.

The teenage boy received treatment at a hospital but said the injuries were from a unknown assailants on the street, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said, CNN reported.

According to Kelly, an eighth suspect was arrested for his apparent involvement in the anti-gay attacks, leaving a ninth suspect who has yet to be apprehended, CNN reported. His attorney arranged for him to turn himself in, but he never did, Kelly said.

Later that night the gang tortured another 17-year-old boy in the same vacant apartment because they thought he was gay, police said.

The 30-year-old man was brought to the location where the teenage boy was being held and was beaten and sodomized with a small baseball bat, CNN reported.

Pending charges against the 8 apprehended suspects include unlawful imprisonment, abduction, sodomy, assault, robbery, and menacing, all as hate crimes, CNN reported.

Police announced that they arrested Bryan Almonte, 17, Steven Caraballo, 17, Brian Cepeda, 16, Nelson Falu, 17, Ildefonzo Mendez, 23, Denis Peitars, 17 and David Rivera, 21, on Friday.

Elmer Confresi, 23, was arrested Saturday and the ninth suspect Ruddy Vargas-Perez, 22, is still at large, CNN reported.

The teenagers are being charged as adults and all suspects are from the Bronx.

"I was sickened by the brutal nature of these crimes," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Saturday at a press conference. "Hate crimes such as these strike fear into all of us."

Rescuers in Chile successfully drilled through more than 2000 feet of rock early Saturday morning to the workshop chamber where 33 miners have been trapped since August 5.

According to The New York Times, steel pipes will be put in to reinforce the edges of the hole where the miners will be pulled to the surface after being underground for 66 days.

The miners are expected to be rescued from the mine by Wednesday at the earliest, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Sunday, CNN reported.

"They continue to have an admirable attitude," Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. He said that the miners seem to be in very good health and maintained high morale despite their circumstances, CNN reported.

After the pipes are installed, miners will be taken out one at a time in a capsule that is about 21 inches wide, The New York Times reported.

Once the miners emerge they will receive two hours of health checks at a field hospital constructed near the mine and will then receive treatment in a Copiapo hospital, CNN reported. Miners who are well enough will be able to reunite with their families before being flown by helicopter to the hospital.

According to the New York Times, Chilean officials have kept the enclosed miners informed and involved in the rescue process. They have sent provisions down through a small bore hole that was drilled 17 days after the mine caved in.

A Minneapolis man was charged Wednesday after an alleged crime spree in St. Paul that included stealing a couple's car, robbing a woman, breaking into two houses and fleeing police.

Gregory Avent, 53, has been charged with burglary, robbery and fleeing police in a motor vehicle for the string of crimes he purportedly committed Monday night, WCCO reported.

Avent reportedly took a car that was parked by a valet service at a downtown Minneapolis restaurant to Macalester-Groveland neighborhood where, according to charges, he stole a woman's purse and lunch cooler from her garage, the Star Tribune reported.

According to the criminal complaint, he went to a home on the 600 block of Mount Curve Boulevard, broke in and ran away after a resident confronted him. He allegedly robbed another home on the 2200 block of Highland Parkway that was unoccupied, WCCO reported.

When an officer spotted Avent on the street, he reportedly got into his car, and sped away with officers in pursuit, the Pioneer Press reported.

According to the complaint, he ignored traffic laws and nearly hit cars along the way.

Avent eventually pulled into the parking lot of the Jewish Community Center on St. Paul Avenue, the complaint said, where officers used chemical spray and Tasers to subdue him after he refused to cooperate, the Pioneer Press reported.

Avent has been charged with first-degree burglary, robbery, second-degree robbery and fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle, the Star Tribune reported.

Avent appeared in court Wednesday afternoon and his bail was set to $150,000, the Pioneer Press reported.

An article by the Associated Press outlines how Rutgers University remembers a student who committed suicide after two other students streamed a video online of him having a sexual encounter with another man.

The lead summarizes who was involved, what the article is about, when it happened, where it happened and why the incident occurred.

The lead gives the name of the university, when and where they paid tribute to the student and a brief description of why the student committed suicide.

Initially, the article refers to him as "a student" instead of giving out small details right away.

The article then describes how Rutgers paid tribute and gives the name of the student and his age.

The rest of the article is a summary of what happened before and after the student committed suicide, including what happened to the two students who filmed him and what else the university is doing in remembrance of Tyler Clementi.

This article successfully shapes an inverted pyramid style story. A solid lead begins the article and each paragraph becomes more detailed as it descends by order of importance and relevance, as opposed to chronological order.

As a reader approaches this article, they can get the crucial elements of the topic right away and may feel compelled to keep reading until the end.

The article is clear and tells the story of a mourning university effectively.

Tickets for the Glastonbury Festival 2011 sold out Sunday in just over four hours after their website and phone lines were bombarded by fans, the BBC reported.

According to the festivals official website, organizers apologized for those who were not able to snag tickets. They said that there were some issues "due to the sheer volume of people trying to get through," NME reported.

The tickets sold out eight hours earlier than last year, according to the BBC.

The festival's website changed their home page to text only because it was overloaded by the thousands of online visitors.

The festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, is held at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the U.K. and can host up to 177,500 people, the BBC reported.

A St. Paul man was charged Tuesday by the Ramsey County attorney's office with first- and second-degree assault, making terroristic threats and false imprisonment after he purportedly held a 21-year-old woman captive and beat her, the Pioneer Press reported.

Luke B. Scott, 29, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and shoved her into a dog kennel after she broke up with him on Sunday, September 26.

A St. Paul woman went to his house in the 1200 block of East Reaney Avenue at 10 p.m. to end their relationship, according to a criminal complaint.

He locked her in the house, started to punch her and eventually forced her into a dog kennel, the Star Tribune reported. She said she went along with it because she thought it would stop the beating, but he eventually dragged her out of the kennel and continued to assault her, the complaint said.

According to the Star Tribune, Scott threw his small dog at the wall after the woman held it because, as she told police, she thought he would stop hitting her. Scott then took out a knife and pointed it at her.

The woman tried to escape through the backyard but was not able to scale the fence. Scott then dragged her back into the house.

At about 5 a.m. she attempted an escape through a broken window. Scott stopped her and hit her in the face with a bottle, the Star Tribune reported.

Police arrived at about 6 a.m. which ended the confrontation. Scott is being held at Ramsey County Jail.

The woman needed surgery after sustaining several injuries on her face and mouth and a broken tooth, the Pioneer Press reported.. According to the complaint, she had bruising, swelling and bite marks on her face..

One man died and another was injured after an alleged drunk driver drove into a group of people in front of a house in north Minneapolis early Saturday morning.

The driver was arrested a few blocks away from the crash which occurred around 7 a.m. at 1012 39th Avenue North, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

One woman said he deliberately drove into the victims, the Star Tribune reported.

"He was aiming for them," said Jackie Knight, a woman who witnessed the collision. "I've never seen anybody with that much rage. He picked up speed and crashed right into them. People flew off the ground."

According to MPR, when the police arrived they found one man with serious injuries who died on the way to the hospital, and another unidentified man with a head injury who was found unconscious at the scene, Police sergeant William Palmer said.

The crash significantly damaged the front porch of the house and the driver's car.

The driver, a 27-year-old man, was purportedly intoxicated, the Star Tribune reported. He was arrested with charges that could include murder, vehicular homicide and drunken driving, police said.

Another man was arrested at the scene for reportedly obstructing the investigation.

A NATO airstrike killed at least 17 people, including five soldiers, some Taliban commanders and three civilians after pilots accidently attacked Afghan soldiers.

According to two Afghan officials, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the U.S., was behind the attack which occurred Saturday in Nad Ali district of southwest Helmland province, CNN reported.

A NATO official said that a helicopter shot one rocket into a group of Afghan troops after mistaking them for militants.

There has been conflicting information about how many casualties resulted and what time the incident occurred.

Two senior Taliban commanders and five ordinary commanders died during the attack, according to the district police chief for Nad Ali, Esmatiullah Sadat, CNN reported.

An unspecified amount of Taliban members and three civilians were killed by the attack, the governor of Helmad province, Mohammad Gulab Manga said.

ISAF made a statement Sunday and said two Taliban insurgents were killed that were targeted during the attack and were looking into the reported civilian deaths.

This incident could be a result of a lack of coordination between NATO and Afghan forces, The New York Times reported.

"We condemn this incident," Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said. "Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened, but we hope this would be the last one."

Rutgers plans to hold a vigil Sunday for a student who committed suicide after a video of him having a sexual encounter with another man was put online.

The body of Tyler Clementi, 18, a Rutgers University freshman, was found Thursday in the Hudson River more than a week after he jumped from the George Washington Bridge, CNN reported.

Two Rutgers students have been charged with invasion of privacy, according to the Middlesex County, New Jersey, prosecutor's office, after they allegedly set up a camera in Clementi's room without his consent and then broadcast his sexual encounter online, CNN reported.

Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi , and Molly Wei, both 18, were charged after purportedly using a Webcam to stream live images on the Internet of Clementi having an intimate encounter with another man, the Associated Press reported.

Clementi jumped of the bridge, which spans the river between New York and New Jersey, three days after the video was broadcast.

Rutgers remembered Clementi during a moment of silence at a football game and on Friday, students wore black and could leave flowers and keepsakes at a "makeshift memorial" for him, the AP reported. A Facebook group was made in remembrance of Clementi.

According to the AP, the Rutgers Glee club paid tribute by singing an a capella version of "Rutgers Prayer," which is usually sung in the event of a tragedy at the university or after the death of a prominent community member.

Clementi is one of several young adults who committed suicide in the past month who are thought to be victims of homophobia, the AP reported. A memorial service was held Friday for a young California boy, Seth Walsh, 13, who hanged himself after being harassed by other students about being gay.

Rutgers will conduct a vigil Sunday in honor of Clementi.