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February 25, 2007

Scorsese wins!

Martin Scorsese won the Oscar for The Departed Sunday.

Scorsese has won an Academy Award for his works in The Departed after eight tries. Scorsese’s film defeated Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Queen and United 93.

His past works include The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Good Fellas and Raging Bull.

A man found partially frozen

A man found partially frozen to the street Saturday morning has died.

Chaska resident, Sean Patrick Humphrey, 19, died Sunday afternoon at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Humphrey was spotted by a city snowplow driver along Geske Road at Millpond Court, Sergeant Mike Duzan of the Chaska Police Department said.

“We think he probably was walking and fell. He’s got some injuries that the hospital described as consistent with falling down,� Duzan said.

As of late Sunday, there still were no indications of foul play, Duzan said.

Suspect arrested for woman’s death

A suspect is in custody for the slaying of a Mankato woman, 53, on Saturday.

Police say Judith Kay Ellgen was found dead in her downtown apartment from what appeared to be severe trauma to the head and upper body.

In the coming week, authorities plan to charge the suspect, a 32-year-old Mankato man, with second-degree murder, Jerry Huettl, Mankato's director of public safety said.

The suspect was arrested for assaulting an elderly woman in 2003 and served 90 days in jail.

Iraqi President ill

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani fell ill and was flown to Jordan unconscious on Sunday for an immediate medical checkup, medical and government officials said.

Talabani's son, Qubad Talabani, said his father was suffering from fatigue and exhaustion.

The longtime Kurdish leader's departure from Iraq for Jordan's capital Amman should not be interpreted as an indication that his health is grave, Talabani’s son said.

Talabani "is in stable condition, and we hope he will come back to this country in a safe and healthy way," said a written statement from Talabani’s office.

Virginia Apologizes For Slavery

The Virginia General Assembly voted unanimously Saturday to express "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.

Richmond is the former Confederate Capitol and was a center of the slave-trade.

The resolution passed the House 96-0 and cleared the 40-member Senate on a unanimous voice vote. It does not require Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's approval.

The resolution does not carry the weight of law but sends an important symbolic message, supporters said.

February 18, 2007

Spears and Sinead O'Connor twins?

Former pop princess, Britney Spears, was spotted on Friday sporting a newly shaved head in Los Angeles.

Spears is reported to have shaved her own head after a Los Angeles-area beauty salon tried to talk her out of taking off all her hair.

“She grabbed the buzzer and she went to the back of my salon and she was shaving off her own hair,� salon owner Esther Tognozzi told CNN.

The same day, reports surfaced that Spears checked into rehab at Eric Clapton's Crossroads facility in Antigua.

“Her family and friends staged what I guess you would call an intervention and basically said you have to go,� managing editor of TMZ.com, Harvey Levin said.

Polk County homicide

A man was taken into custody Saturday after his neighbor, 33, was found dead in the Polk County village of Luck.

The body of Jason Madsen was found by the Sheriff's Department in a wooded area about five miles east of Luck, near Bone Lake.

The investigation started when Madsen's girlfriend reported him missing earlier in the morning.

Neighbor Timothy Lehman, 33, was questioned and then taken into custody when he provided false information to an officer. The charge was later upgraded.

The cause of death and charges are still undetermined and continues to be investigated, authorities said.

Median-crossing deaths

A head-on collision Saturday in Inver Grove Heights was the third median-crossing deaths on three highways.

A 2006 Toyota Rav4 was traveling north on Highway 52 near Inver Grove Trail when a 1992 Ford Explorer driving southbound crossed the median about 6:50 a.m. The Explorer then hit the SUV, killing the driver, the State Patrol said.

The victim's name was not released.

The three median-crossing deaths on three highways are "definitely a little out of the normal," said Kent Barnard, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The agency has been installing cable-type barriers where such accidents had been frequent, Barnard said.

Afghan helicopter crash leaves 8 U.S. troops dead

A military helicopter crashed Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan, killing eight U.S. service members and injuring fourteen.

The incident occurred near Kandahar Airfield, in Kandahar province after an unexplained loss of power and engine failure was radioed in.

The helicopter, CH-47 Chinook, was transporting 22 people, including crew, at the time of the crash.
Officials immediately ruled out enemy fire as a cause of the crash.

The crash was the deadliest single incident this year for the 47,000 U.S.-led coalition and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Mummy in a New York home

A New York man’s body was discovered, more than a year later, in his home after a complaint about a burst water pipe.

The mummified body of Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, was found in front of the TV set, which was still on. The Suffolk County medical examiner said Ricardo appeared to have died of natural causes.

Officials could not explain why the electricity had not been turned off, considering Ricardo had not been heard from since December 2005.

February 11, 2007

Minus the Bear release remix record and album details

Seattle’s Minus the Bear is set to release a remix version of “Menos El Oso,� Feb. 20. The remix record will be titled “Interpretaciones Del Oso.�

The remix CD includes contributions from P.O.S., Jay Clark (Pretty Girls Make Graves) and Weird Science.

Minus the Bear have announced work on a new album tentatively titled “Planet of Ice,� which is scheduled for a summer release.

“So far, we are working on roughly 14 tracks and are still working on finishing up a few more,� guitarist David Knudson said.

Twin Cities janitors accept new contract

The Twin Cities janitors union voted Saturday on a new three-year contract. The contract lowers-cost health insurance, more full-time jobs and higher wages, according to the union.

The vote was “overwhelming,� a spokeswoman for the union said. The union represents more than 4,200 janitors.

The janitors' contract expired more than a month ago and members authorized a strike three weeks ago.

St. Paul man killed in kitchen fire

A St. Paul man died in a kitchen fire, police said.

The 29 year-old man was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. His name wasn’t immediately released.

The fire occurred late Saturday in his home near the 200 block of Goodrich Avenue. Firefighters believe the man tried to put out a grease fire with water.

I noticed that both articles came directly from the Associated Press and kept similar material together.

Howard attacks Obama on Iraq policy

Australian Prime Minister John Howard slammed Senator Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq. Howard made the remarks on Sunday, a day after Obama announced his plans to run for president in 2008.

Obama said the country’s first priority should be to end the war in Iraq and to remove U.S. troops from the country by March 31, 2008.

“If America pulls out of Iraq in March 2008. It can only be in circumstances of defeat…,� Howard said.

Harvard names its first female president.

Harvard University announced on Sunday the 28th president to be historian Drew Gilpin Faust. Faust is the first woman to be president at the 371-year-old university.

Faust was chosen after many potential candidates said they were not interested in the position.

Faust is the first president who did not receive an undergraduate or graduate degree from the university since 1672. Faust is also the fifth consecutive president who is not a scientist.

February 4, 2007

Colts are NFL Champions

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl 41. The team, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, won its first championship since 1970 when they played in Baltimore.

The Bears scored the first touchdown in the rainy Miami, but the Colts answered back with a 53-yard reception by Reggie Wayne.

“I'm so proud of our guys," Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

I notice that in every article they attribute constantly.

Cab Driver Murdered

A cab driver from Brooklyn Center was shot to death in a parking lot on Sunday. The shooting occurred around 4 a.m. near the Brook Haven Apartments.

The man suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene of the incident.

Robbery was the motivation for the murder police said.