Austin Wiebe's JOUR3101 News Blog

A 20-year-old California student has given a new look to the antiabortion campaign with a series of undercover videos filmed in Planned Parenthood clinics across the country.
Lila Rose, a student at the University of California- Los Angeles, has received national attention for the videos, which are posted to the website of her non-profit organization, Live Action.
In the videos, Rose poses as an underage girl who is pregnant with her adult boyfriend, an implication of statutory rape. In most states, clinics are required to report all such cases to authorities.
Rose's videos show clinic workers in various locations telling her to lie about her age or say that her boyfriend is also underage. Some advised that she cross the border to other states with less strict laws.
Though many of the workers recorded in the videos have been fired, Planned Parenthood has launched counterattacks, charging Rose with breaking state privacy laws by secretly taping the encounters, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Rose said she hopes the videos will draw people's attention. In a speech at the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit, she told the audience that she is honored by Planned Parenthood's negative reponse.
"When I walk into Planned Parenthoods across the country, I am flattered to see my picture on the wall," the Los Angeles Times reported Rose as saying. "It is because to Planned Parenthood, I am -- quote -- a 'known anti-choice extremist.' This is one of the better compliments I have received."

Posted by wieb0055 at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A family of five is dead in Middletown, Md. after a 34-year-old man killed his wife and three children before taking his own life.
Christopher Alan Wood shot himself after inflicting "traumatic cuts"on and shooting both his 33-year old wife, Francis Billotti Wood, and the couple's three children, ages 2, 4 and 5, USA Today reported.
Police said Christopher Wood left five notes behind before committing the crime, including an apology to family members. The notes also hinted that he may have suffered from psychiatric problems, according to USA Today.
The scene was discovered Saturday morning by Francis Wood's father, who visited the family's home concerned that he had not heard from them in several days.
Authorities are not yet sure when the killings took place. Jane Durant, the director of the school the Woods' 4-year-old son attended, told USA Today that he was not in class on Friday.
Residents of Middletown, a town of fewer than 3,000 people, are shocked and disturbed by the killings.
Francis Wood, who taught catechism at Holy Family Catholic Community Church, was known as a loving, energetic woman.
"I just talked to her every day and she's just one of those people you fell in love with right away," Durant said.

Posted by wieb0055 at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A California woman was arrested Friday in connection with the death of an 8-year-old girl in the northeastern town of Tracy.
Melissa Huckaby, 28, drove herself to the police station and is now being held without bail,
Sgt. Tony Shenema of the Tracy Police Department told USA Today.
Huckaby is suspected in the death of Sandra Cantu, whose body was found in a farming irrigation pond on April 6 in a suitcase belonging to Huckaby.
Both individuals lived in the same mobile home park in Tracy. Huckaby told the Tracy Press that Sandra had visited her home the day she went missing to play with her daughter, but she had turned her away, USA Today reported.
Huckaby's grandfather, Clifford Lawless, is the pastor of the Clover Road Baptist Church where Huckaby taught Sunday school. The church, as well as the family's home and property, has been searched by police in connection with the case.
Sandra disappeared on March 27, and police believe she was already dead by the time she was reported as missing.
Barbara Sokoloski, a neighbor in the mobile home park, told USA Today that Sandra was "a friendly sweet little girl who always went around trying to find somebody to play with."

Posted by wieb0055 at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three police officers were killed in Pittsburgh while responding to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday morning prompted by a urinating dog.
The officers were responding to a call from Margaret Poplawski, who asked police to remove her son, Richard Poplawski, from their home. She told police that her 22-year-old son was "giving her a hard time" after she confronted him for his dog urinating on the floor, CNN reported.
When officers entered the home, police say Richard Poplawski opened fire with an Ak-47 rifle, striking officers Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III in the head. Both were killed.
A third officer, Eric Kelly, was shot and killed while attempting to help his fellow policemen.
The suspect also shot over 100 rounds out a bedroom window at a SWAT team vehicle, preventing them from aiding the wounded officers, Police Chief Nathan Harper told CNN.
In addition to the three officers who were killed, two more,Timothy McManaway and Brian Jones, were injured.
Margaret Poplawski said that her son had been discharged from the Marine Corps for assaulting his drill sergeant in basic training, CNN reported. She added that he had been buying and selling weapons online because he didn't trust the police to protect society.
The officers' deaths were the first since 1995 for the department.
"We have never had to lose three officers in the line of duty on one call," Harper told CNN. "They have paid the ultimate sacrifice."

Posted by wieb0055 at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eight people were killed and several injured in a shooting on Sunday morning at a nursing home in Carthage, N.C.
Seven eldery residents and a nurse died after a gunman opened fire at Pinelake Health and Rehab around 10 a.m.
The shooter was identified by police as 45-year-old Robert Stewart. No information has been released on possible motives for the attack.
The residents who died ranged in age from 78 to 98. The nurse, Jerry Avant Jr., was 39.
Avant's sister told The New York Times that her brother died a hero while trying to stop the gunman.
Stwart, who was wounded and apprehended by police at the scene, is charged with eight counts of first-degree murder as well as felony assault of a law enforcement officer.
“He did have some violent tendencies from time to time,” Sue Griffin, Stewart's ex-wife, told The New York Times. “I wouldn’t put it past him. I hate to say it, but it is true.”
Many residents of the small community are relying on their faith to pull them trough the tragedy. According to The New York Times, most of the victims' families spent the day gathered at the First Baptist Church nearby.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Arkansas day care owner surrendered her license Friday after 10 children at her day care were served windshield wiper fluid mistaken for Kool-Aid by an employee.
One child was hospitalized at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock when "measurable levels" of methanol were found in the child's blood, USA Today reported. Methanol is a highly toxic alcohol and can cause blindness or comas.
The day care's owner, Carolyn Bynum, said the blue fluid was purchased on a recent shopping trip and was confused for a fruit drink.
Bynum was interviewed Friday by child welfare investigators, where she gave up her license, USA Today reported.
The children at the day care ranged in age from 2 to 7. Bynum's license allowed her to care for up to 10 children.
The bright coloring of windshield wiper fluid as well as many antifreeze products may cause them to resemble fruit drinks, Laura James, a pediatric pharmacologist and toxicologist at the hospital told USA Today.
"I think the take-home message is not to have these products in the kitchen or where you're doing any kind of food preparation," James said.

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before registering for classes each semester, many students consult the Web site RateMyProfessors to read student-written reviews of their potential teachers.
However, many doctors are attempting to prevent their patients from posting comments on similar sites focused on medical professionals, saying that undue negative ratings could destroy a physician's practice.
Sites such as RateMDs.com and Angie's List provide forums for patients to post comments or rate their doctors in such categories as punctuality, knowledge and helpfulness.
Many doctors and medical professionals now require their patients to sign waivers saying they will not post comments online regarding their doctors' performance.
The intention is that doctors could use the waivers to pressure Web sites to remove negative comments posted by patients who signed the form.
Many of the sites, however, refuse to remove their users' comments, citing First Amendment rights to free speech.
Though the American Medical Association has taken no official stance on the ratings Web sites, the general sentiment seems to be that the ratings should be seen as only one small source of input regarding a doctor.
Online reviews "should be taken with a grain of salt, and should certainly not be a patient's sole source of information when looking for a new physician," Dr. Nancy Nielson, president of the association association, told USA Today.

Posted by wieb0055 at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. James Dobson, conservative minister and radio host, announced Friday he will step down as chairman of the religious group Focus on the Family.
The announcement comes on the wake of much criticism and scrutiny the organization has faced for its recent political involvement and staunch conservative views.
Dobson will remain a key figure at Focus on the Family and will continue hosting his radio show, writing books, and speaking on family issues, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Patrick P. Caruana, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, will replace Dobson as chairman.
Though Dobson was criticized for first opposing then choosing to support Sen. John McCain in last year's presidential election, he maintained that his decision had nothing to do with politics.
"One of the common errors of founder-presidents is to hold to the reins of leadership too long, thereby preventing the next generation from being prepared for executive authority," Dobson said in a statement.
Before founding Focus on the Family, Dobson worked as a psychologist at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and as pediatrics professor at the University of Southern California.
Though he will no longer hold the reins at Focus on the Family, Dobson's legacy will live on at the organization.
"He'll continue to be a voice to be reckoned with," Gary Schneeberger, a spokesman for Focus on the Family, told the Los Angeles Times. "He'll still be very front and center."

Posted by wieb0055 at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Girl Scouts across the country are seeing lower numbers in the pre-order sales of their famous cookies.
Councils of scouts nationwide have reported sales declines as large as 19 percent, according to USA Today.
Though not all councils have seen sales drop, the figures are enough to concern supporters of the scouts.
Many longtime supporters are cutting back or eliminating their orders altogether in light of recent economic hardships.
Girl Scout cookie sales take place largely in the spring, with about a third of councils selling in the fall. Pre-order sales make up nearly 70 percent the overall cookie sales, with the remainder coming from shopping center booths.
Proceeds from cookie sales go to fund Girl Scout troops' community projects, trips, and scholarships.
Denise Pesich, vice president of communications for Girl Scouts of the USA, believes the troops can make up the deficit through booth sales.
"We're hopeful right now," Pesich told USA Today. "The country, when in situations like this, goes back to what's nostalgic and gives them pleasure."

Posted by wieb0055 at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chicago researchers have made a breakthrough in prosthesis technology with a new prosthetic arm controlled only by the patient's thoughts.
The new technology connects muscles in the chest to truncated nerves from the amputated arm. Sensors in the chest then pick up nerve signals as they come from the brain.
The nerve impulses are transmitted to the prosthetic arm, which triggers the arm to perform a variety of motions. This process is called targeted muscle reinnervation.
In traditional prosthetic arms, the patient flexes a back muscle, which in turn enables awkward mechanisms to move the limb. Many amputees prefer no prosthesis to these models.
A recent study tested the reaction times of five patients who received the new prostheses against those of non-amputees. The results showed only a slight difference in the time it took both groups to initiate and complete arm motions- a mere fraction of a second.
The new technology is still being developed and is not widely available. However, those who have received the surgery have generally been very pleased with the results.
"I was amazed at the level of hand function and how fast I was able to control the arm and hand," Amanda Kitts, a recipient of the new prosthesis, told Los Angeles Times. "I was able to pick up a penny off the table and could catch an object in motion, like a checker that was rolling across the table."

Posted by wieb0055 at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Customers who rely on analog TVs will have four more months to prepare for the national transition to digital broadcasting, thanks to a bill passed in Congress Wednesday.
The new bill refers to the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005, which mandated that all television stations cease broadcasting analog signals on February 17, 2009.
The original bill, however, contained a loophole that allowed Congress to delay the digital transition deadline to June 12, 2009.
The delay was passed in Senate last week, and the House voted Wednesday to secure the legislature.
The new bill also allows those who received government coupons for digital-to-analog converter boxes to reapply if their coupons expire.
However, the coupon program reached the cap of its funding in late December. Thus, customers applying for coupons are now placed on a waiting list pending the expansion of the program's funds.
Congress is currently considering an $800 million stimulus package proposed by President Barack Obama which would give an additional $650 million to the coupon program, according to USA Today.
Since early January, the waiting list has grown from 100,000 to nearly 3.5 million requests.

Posted by wieb0055 at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A deadly ice storm in the Midwest left over 40 residents dead and nearly a million people without power this week.
The storm, which struck hardest in Kentucky, took out power lines and froze entire water systems, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses devoid of heat, water, and power.
Officials encouraged residents to leave their homes and travel south if possible. Power restoration efforts may take days or weeks to complete in the remotest areas.
Many residents expressed outrage at a perceived lack of response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A FEMA spokesperson told USA Today that the agency has shipped over 50 power generators to high-priority establishments such as hospitals, nursing homes, and water treatment plants.
Additionally, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kentucky's governor has employed the state's entire National Guard to assist with the damage.
The American Red Cross has also opened more than 40 emergency shelters for residents seeking food, water, and warmth.
President Barack Obama declared the storm a federal emergency Friday. The outage is reportedly the worst in Kentucky's history.

Posted by wieb0055 at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)