Postal Shooting Rampage

A former postal worker shot five people to death at a huge mail-processing center and then killed herself in what was believed to be the nation's deadliest workplace shooting ever carried out by a woman. The attack Monday night was the biggest bloodbath at a U.S. postal installation since a massacre 20 years ago.

Investigators would not release the killer's name or discuss a motive or the circumstances under which she left the Postal Service two years ago.

The rampage -- the nation's first deadly postal shooting in nearly eight years -- sent employees running from the sprawling Southern California complex and prompted authorities to warn nearby residents to stay indoors as they searched for the killer.

Authorities found two people dead outside the plant, blocks from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Another body was just outside the door, and a fourth was just inside. Two more bodies -- including that of the killer -- were farther inside. A sixth person was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. All of the woman's victims were believed to be employees at the postal center. The woman reloaded her 9 mm handgun at least once during the rampage.

Alito Sworn in as 110th Supreme Court Justice

Senate confirms nominee 58-42 after filibuster fails. The vote was the closest confirmation for a nominee since Justice Clarence Thomas was confirmed 52-48 in 1991.

Coretta Scott King Dead at 78

Coretta Scott King, the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday night in Baja California, Mexico.

Mrs. King, 78, suffered a stroke and a mild heart attack last August. As part of her rehabilitation, she was receiving further medical treatment at Hospital Santa Monica, a holistic health center, when she died.

Born in Marion, Alabama, on April 27, 1927, Coretta Scott graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She received a B.A. in music and education and then studied concert singing at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. She got a degree in voice and violin, according to her biography.

While there, she met a theology student from Atlanta, Martin Luther King Jr., who was pursuing a doctorate at Boston University. They married on June 18, 1953, in her hometown of Marion.

Exxon Mobil Posts Record Profits

Exxon Mobil Corp. posted record profits for any U.S. company on Monday — $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter and $36.13 billion for the year — as the world's biggest publicly traded oil company benefited from high oil and gas prices and demand for refined products.

Exxon's profit for the year was also the largest annual reported net income in U.S. history.

Any why are we pauing $2.50 per gallon?

20 Years Later; In Memoriam

The Space Shuttle Challenger flew nine successful missions before that fateful day of the disaster in 1986.

Shuttle mission 51L was much like most other missions. The Challenger was scheduled to carry some cargo into orbit. One thing made this mission unique. It was scheduled to be the first flight of a new program called the Teacher In Space Program. The Challenger was scheduled to carry Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to fly in space. Besides McAuliffe, the Challenger crew consisted of mission commander Francis R. Scobee; pilot Michael J. Smith; mission specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik; and payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis.

From the beginning, though, Shuttle Mission 51L was plagued by problems. Liftoff was initally scheduled from at 3:43 p.m. EST on January 22, 1986. Days went by before the shuttle was actually able to complete the take off countdown. The launch was postponed for weather and scheduling conflicts. Challenger finally lifted off at 11:38:00 a.m. EST. on Jan 28.

Seventy three seconds into the mission, the Challenger exploded, killing the entire crew.
Afterwards, a special commission to investigate the cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident was appointed by President Reagan. The team included Neil Armstrong and Chuck Yeager.

The commission's report cited the cause of the disaster as a the failure of an “O-ring” seal in the solid-fuel rocket on the ships right side. The faulty design of the seal coupled with the unusually cold weather, let hot gases to leak through the joint. Booster rocket flames were able to pass through the failed seal enlarging the small hole. These flames then burned through the ship's external fuel tank and through one of the supports that attached the booster to the side of the tank. That booster broke loose and collided with the tank, piercing the tank's side. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen fuels from the tank and booster mixed and ignited, causing the ship to tear apart.

After this disaster, the space shuttle program was grounded for more than two years until September 1988, when shuttle Discovery returned to orbit.

Chevron Posts Massive 4Q Profits

Chevron Corp.'s fourth-quarter profit climbed 20 percent to $4.14 billion, a company record that continued the most prosperous stretch in the oil company's 126-year history as it capitalizes on high fuel prices that are squeezing consumers and ruffling politicians. Its profit of $14.1 billion for the full year was also a company record.

The San Ramon, Calif.-based company's earnings for 2005's final quarter, released Friday, represented the most it has made in any three-month period since its inception in 1879. Chevron now has posted record annual profits in each of the last two years, earning a combined $27.4 billion.

The windfalls that Chevron has been generating aren't unique in its industry. Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, earned nearly $10 billion in the third quarter and may top that performance when it releases its fourth quarter results Monday.

LOCAL - Plane Crashes in Waterford, All Onboard Killed

Two people were killed Friday when a single-engine plane crashed at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford. The fixed-wing, single-engine Bellanca crashed at 9:26 a.m. The plane had two people on board, and both were killed.

FAA officials said the pilot and passenger were practicing maneuvers when the crash occurred. It is believed the engine stalled and led to the crash.

Soldiers in Gay Porn

Army officials are investigating allegations that members of the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division appear on a gay pornography Web site. Authorities at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, have begun an inquiry into whether the soldiers' actions violated the military conduct code. A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said up to seven soldiers are involved.

The military-theme Web site does not appear to make any direct reference to the 82nd Airborne or Fort Bragg. The registered owner of the Web site's domain name lists an address in Fayetteville, the city that adjoins Fort Bragg. The Web site includes a disclaimer, asking users to agree that they are not agents of the U.S. government, Department of Defense, members of law enforcement or reporters.

The 82nd Airborne is one of the most celebrated units in the military. Its 15,000 paratroopers are trained to deploy anywhere in the world within 18 hours. Soldiers from the division have served extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan, and several thousand remain overseas.

LOCAL - GM Post $4.8 B Net Loss

General Motors Corp. posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $4.8 billion on Thursday, a sea of red ink deeper than the most pessimistic Wall Street estimate, as costs for layoffs and plant closures soared. It was the fifth straight quarterly loss for the world's largest automaker -- amid high labor and raw materials costs, shrinking market share and sluggish sales of sport utility vehicles -- and brought its losses for all of 2005 to $8.6 billion. It was GM's first annual loss since 1992.

America's Most Loved Spokes-creatures

Over the next few days, we will be displaying the top ten 'spokes-creatures' according to Forbes magazine. The magazine conducted a survey through Marketing Evaluations, a company based in Manhasset, NY. The survey asked 1,800 consumers to rank cartoon spokes-creatures according to likeability.

1 M & M 's - 1954

Mars introduced its first spokes-candy, Red, in 1954, 13 years after the candy-coated chocolates debuted. Of course, Red wasn't alone for long--he was joined by Yellow, a nut-filled mascot, when the company launched peanut M&Ms later that year. Over the last 50-plus years, M&M's has rolled out three more spokes-candies to represent new flavors, colors and themes, each with a distinct personality. Blue is the most confident of the bunch. And then there's Green, introduced in 1997, the company's first female spokes-candy.

2 Poppin' Fresh - 1965

Originally designed by the Chicago, Ill.-based Leo Burnett advertising agency, the first Doughboy popped out of Pillsbury's refrigerated rolls, hence his name Poppin' Fresh. The original doughboy, made of plaster and foam rubber, cost $16,000 to produce and debuted in 1965. He was voiced by actor Paul Freez, famous as the voice of Boris Badenov in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Two 9/11 Movies to be Released This Year

World Trade Center (August), Flight 93 (April 28): Have we reached that point where the shock of September 11, 2001, has worn off sufficiently where we want to see the events reprised on the big screen?

The curiosity factor - and two very different approaches - bode well for the first theatrical dramatizations about the terrorist attacks.

Oliver Stone's World Trade Center stars Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena in the real-life story of Port Authority policemen trapped in the rubble of the twin towers.

Flight 93, directed by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) uses a casts of unknowns as passengers who fought back against terrorists on the plane that crashed September 11 in rural Pennsylvania.

NBC Denies 'Friends' Television Return

On Monday, I reported that the 10 year hit comedy Friends would return to television for four one-hour specials. Apparently this is not true and I apologize to any of my readers. Today, Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal Television Group, proclaimed that there is "Not one ounce of truth" to the rumors. This is also true of my report on the spinoff It's A Guy Thing. According to Zucker, there are no plans for this show.

Sorry everyone.

Major Changes in NBC Lineup

The new president on "The West Wing" will be a real short-timer: NBC announced Sunday it was pulling the plug on the Emmy-winning political drama after seven seasons in May. NBC, struggling to regain its footing after the worst season in its history, also outlined several midseason schedule changes, including the moves of popular dramas "Law & Order" and "Las Vegas".

NBC is putting a new drama called "Conviction," about young prosecutors in New York, on Friday's schedule starting March 3. But it is moving "Law & Order" up an hour to Wednesdays at 9 p.m. competing directly with ABC's blockbuster "Lost". NBC is also moving "Las Vegas" from Monday to Friday starting in March. Donald Trump is changing addresses again, with "The Apprentice" moving to Monday where it will be preceded by the Howie Mandel-hosted game show "Deal or No Deal."

The network has two more midseason shows: "Heist," a cops-and-robbers drama from the director of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," and "Teachers," a comedy about a high school English teacher.
"The Office" will go off the air at the end of March so star Steve Carell can film a movie. "Joey" still has 12 new episodes, but no place on the revamped schedule.

'Friends' Returns to TV

Friends is returning to television after each of its six stars agreed multi-million dollar deals to star in four one-hour specials.

In a secret meeting before Christmas, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry reportedly agreed a $5 million apiece deal with NBC bosses in Los Angeles.

An NBC insider reported that the specials would have been made earlier if Aniston had not been holding out.

Network bosses have also hinted at a second spin-off of the hit comedy, following the disappointing performance of Matt LeBlanc's show Joey. The new program will see the three male stars--Perry, Schwimmer and LeBlanc--pilot a series called "It's A Guy Thing".

Sunday Bloody Sundae?

Was it blood or strawberry syrup?

Carmen Jara of Georgetown is suing a McDonald's franchise, claiming her then-13-year-old son was served a hot fudge sundae contaminated with human blood. She said her son got sick and was afraid he'd contracted a deadly disease.

A judge has granted a request for a hearing delay by lawyers for the franchise operator, AJM Enterprise.

No date for a new hearing has been set. But Jara's attorney expects the case to go to trial.
Jara claims an employee at the McDonald's cut his finger and the blood dripped into her son's treat they bought 13-months ago. She said a manager at the store confirmed that the substance in the sundae was blood.

The owner of the McDonald's denies the charges. He said strawberry syrup probably just clogged the sundae machine.

3 Aflac Duck - 2000

By the late 1990s, Aflac Insurance had been advertising for some time, but it hadn't received the name recognition it desired. In need of a remedy, Aflac sent out an assignment to the advertising executives: come up with a commercial that would dramatically improve the company's name recognition. Like many others, the New York, NY-based Kaplan Thaler Group had never heard of Aflac prior to the assignment and found itself continually asking, "What's the name of the client again?" Upon hearing "Aflac! Aflac! Aflac!" one of the creatives said, "You sound just like a duck." The rest is history. The duck debuted in 2000.

4 Tony the Tiger - 1952

In need of a salesman, Kellogg's turned to Chicago's Leo Burnett advertising agency for creative genius. The original concept was to feature a rotating zoo of animals to represent what was then called Sugar Frosted Flakes (now simply Frosted Flakes). The first in the rotation: a tiger named Tony and a kangaroo named Katy with the slogan, "GR-R-R-REAT News." Tony's first solo debut came the next year, when the affable tiger was featured in a four-color spread in Life. Tony quickly proved to be the most popular and his fellow characters Katy the Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant and Newt the Gnu were dropped from the packaging.

Another W Va. Mine Tragedy

A conveyer belt runs into the Rum Creek Coal Plant, where coal from the Alma Mine No. 1 is sorted.

The bodies of two miners who were trapped after an underground fire broke out at Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 were found today. According to authorities, the bodies were found in an area of heavy smoke and carbon monoxide.

The families of the miners identified them as Don Israel Bragg, 33, and Ellery "Elvis" Hatfield, 47. After the announcement that the two miners were dead, Gov. Joe Manchin said he was planning to introduce mine-safety bills in the state Legislature and to lobby the U.S. Congress to enact more mine-safety laws.

Rescuers on Saturday contained the underground fire that trapped the miners and were moving down a mile-long shaft. Complicating rescue efforts was the collapse of the mine's roof because of the fire and the blockage of several entryways. Officials said the fire probably started on a conveyor belt that moves coal out of the mine. The missing men were apparently separated from their 10 other crew members when the fire broke out. Their colleagues, as well as a second crew, managed to exit the mine about two hours later.

5 The Geico Gecko - 1999

The original gecko concept was born out of a creative session at the Martin Agency, a Richmond, Va.-based advertising agency. At the time "GEICO" was often mispronounced--"GEICO" became "gecko"--and a doodle of a small gecko appeared on a napkin. From that doodle came a storyboard for a commercial featuring a green gecko standing at a podium announcing that he is "a gecko, not to be confused with GEICO."

'Brokeback' Boost

After Brokeback Mountain's stellar win at the Golden Globes, there was a noticeable boost in ticket sales this week. For Tuesday and Wednesday, the movie nudged Glory Road out of its number one spot to take the throne. breakfasts is currently playing in 683 theaters across the country and has raked in a cool $34 million. The movie will expand to 1,194 theaters this weekend. Focus Features had initially only planned to show the movie in 800-900 screens. Since the Golden Globe boost, the roll out has been increased dramatically. Currently the movie can be seen in Flint, Walled Lake, Auburn Hills, Royal Oak, Sterling Heights, liven, and Windsor.

LOCAL UPDATE - Ford to Announce Restructuring Plan

Ford will announce a restructuring plan on Monday that some say will include as many as 25,000 job cuts. Ford announced in November that it could cut as many as 34,000 jobs and close up to ten plants.

Millionaire Leaves Entire Estate to Pay National Debt

The federal government is reaping a $1.1 million windfall from the estate of an Ohio woman. But the money comes with specific instructions.

Margaret Taylor's will said the government has to use her fortune to help pay down the national debt. A spokesman for the Treasury Department said it may be their largest donation ever.

Taylor died in November at age 98. She told her family that she planned to use her money to help people, but didn't reveal her plans.

Blind Woman Recovers Sight After Heart Attack

A 74-year-old woman who had been blind for 25 years awoke in a British hospital after suffering a heart attack and could see again. Ms Urch, who was treated at Walgrave Hospital in Coventry, where doctors spent three days battling to save her life, called it a "miracle." Doctors were at a loss to explain how Joyce Urch, who lived in a world of shadows and near darkness since 1979, had recovered her sight after the heart attack 16 months ago.

Wendy's Finger Fraud Couple Sent to Jail

A couple who planted a severed finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili in a scheme to extort money from the fast-food chain were sentenced Wednesday to at least nine years in prison.

Anna Ayala, 40, who said she bit into the digit, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from a co-worker who lost it in a workplace accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years.

The two pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to file a false insurance claim and attempted grand theft with damages exceeding $2.5 million.

Although authorities suspected a hoax -- in part because the finger was not cooked -- word of the stomach-turning find quickly spread around the world. The Dublin, Ohio-based fast food chain claimed it lost $2.5 million in sales because of the bad publicity, and dozens of workers at the company's Northern California franchises were laid off.

LOCAL - Naked Woman Busted for Posing on Auto Show Car

Monday morning at the Detroit auto show in Cobo Center, a tipsy blond woman was found posing nude atop the Dodge Challenger Concept.

Show officials are baffled, trying to find the individuals responsible for sneaking the Challenger buff onto the Cobo Center show floor around 2:30 in the morning on Monday. Apparently the woman posed while a dozen people stared and captured the moment on their camera phones.

LOCAL - Dog Falls onto Car; Driver Dies

An 81-year-old man died Wednesday following a bizarre weekend crash in which a dog fell onto his vehicle on Interstate 96.

Charles George Jetchick, of Livonia, was driving in a 1994 Ford Thunderbird on westbound I-96 at the Schoolcraft Road overpass at about 12:50 p.m. Saturday when the crash occurred. A large dog fell from the overpass through the windshield of the Thunderbird.

Jetchick and his passenger were transported to St. Mary's Hospital, where the 81-year-old man was admitted. The passenger was treated and released for minor injuries.

Jetchick was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital. The dog, a Labrador retriever, was killed in the crash.

6 The Energizer Bunny - 1989

Some two decades ago, an Energizer competitor launched an ad with battery-operated bunnies. By the end of the spot, the only bunny left standing was one powered with the company's batteries. Inspired, Energizer launched a parody commercial--but this time the last bunny standing was powered by Energizer batteries, of course. The battery-operated mascot has been going and going ever since.

7 Chester the Cheetah - 1986

Frito Lay launched Cheetos in 1948, but it took America's favorite spokes-cat another few decades to make his debut. Of course, when Chester the Cheetah finally did break into the scene in 1986, he did so with gusto. Originally animated by Richard Williams Animation of London, the same folks that did the Pink Panther cartoons, it didn't take long for the cool cat to score the love and attention of viewers everywhere.

8 The Kool-Aid Man - 1954

The sweet taste of Kool-Aid may date back to 1927, but the brand's mascot dates only from 1954. It began with a simple idea in need of illustration--that a 5 cent package of Kool-Aid makes 2 quarts. Inspired by his son's drawing on a frosty windowpane, one advertising executive sketched a variety of pitchers--one with a 5¢ drawn in the frost, one with a heart and one with a smiling face. Needless to say, the latter was the true hit. That anthropomorphic pitcher, known today as the Kool-Aid Man, made his television debut in 1975 when he came bursting through a wall to serve some thirsty children his drink of choice.

Wiccan Bus Driver Fired

A Princeton woman says she is literally the victim of a modern-day ‘witch hunt’. Julie Carpenter says she was fired from her job as a school bus driver and her neighbors are requesting her eviction because of her religious beliefs as a self-proclaimed ‘witch’. Carpenter is the wife of Jonathon Sharkey, a ‘vampire’ who is campaigning for governor.

Carpenter says she never had a problem with her job until last week, when she mentioned being a witch. She says her employer said she was a great driver. Carpenter had been driving a bus for five years.

The Princeton school district request that she have no contact with students, and says she is not a role model. The district says it can legally request her removal. “We have the right, that if we feel if somebody is not what we want them to be with children, or any other reason, all we have to do is let them know.

Sharkey says they plan to sue the district, saying their action is a violation of their civil rights

Totally Cool Laser Keyboard

This small, black laser projector is about the size of a deck of cards and projects a laser keyboard onto any opaque surface. Using detection technology it "watches" your fingers hit the key locations it has projected, and then sends the keystrokes through to your PDA, smart phone or pocket PC via Bluetooth. It costs around $200.

9 Trix Rabbit - 1960

Believe it or not, it was a stick-figure boy rather than a slender white rabbit that initially graced boxes of Trix cereal. In fact, the well-known hare didn't appear on the cereal's packaging until 1960, six years later. An advertising executive named Joe Harris came up with both the rabbit and the slogan, "Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids," in August of 1959.

10 Snap! Crackle! Pop! - 1932

In 1928, Kellogg's Rice Krispies lacked a memorable advertising campaign. Put to the task, now-defunct advertising agency N.W. Ayer capitalized on the rice puffs' most distinctive feature--the noise they made when doused with milk. Shortly thereafter, Rice Krispies cereal sponsored the Kellogg Company's first national radio venture, a children's program called "The Singing Lady" and the words "Snap! Crackle! Pop!" were selected to describe the cereal. While it was merely words on the initial cereal boxes, a small gnome-like character with a baker's hat and a spoon named Snap! joined in 1933. And it was only a matter of years before his pals, Crackle! and Pop!, made their debut.

Clinton's Bar Suspension to End

After five years of banishment from the legal profession, President Clinton will be eligible this week to reclaim the law license he gave up as a consequence of the inaccurate responses he gave under oath to questions about his relationship with a White House intern.
Mr. Clinton's suspension from the Arkansas bar, which he formally agreed to a day before leaving office in 2001, expires on Thursday. It is unclear whether the former president will seek reinstatement to the bar.

OR Assisted Suicide Law Upheld

The Supreme Court upheld Oregon's one-of-a-kind physician-assisted suicide law today rejecting a Bush administration attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die.

Justices, on a 6-3 vote, said that a federal drug law does not override the 1997 Oregon law used to end the lives of more than 200 seriously ill people. New Chief Justice John Roberts backed the Bush administration, dissenting for the first time.

The administration improperly tried to use a drug law to punish Oregon doctors who prescribe lethal doses of prescription medicines.

The court's ruling was not a final say on federal authority to override state doctor-assisted suicide laws -- only a declaration that the current federal scheme did not permit that. However, it could still have ramifications outside of Oregon.

Soldiers Killed While Wearing Self-bought Armor Won't Get Death Benefits

Two deploying soldiers and a concerned mother reported Friday afternoon that the U.S. Army appears to be singling out soldiers who have purchased Pinnacle's Dragon Skin Body Armor for special treatment. The soldiers, who are currently staging for combat operations from a secret location, reported that their commander told them if they were wearing Pinnacle Dragon Skin and were killed their beneficiaries might not receive the death benefits from their $400,000 SGLI life insurance policies. The soldiers were ordered to leave their privately purchased body armor at home or face the possibility of both losing their life insurance benefit and facing disciplinary action.

Gay-rights Group Making Plans to Crash '06 Easter Egg Roll

For over a hundred years children have gathered on the South Lawn of the White House on the Monday after Easter to roll Easter eggs across the yard and meet the Easter Bunny. A church-based homosexual rights group is planning to crash the event with a "family visibility action" to spotlight their non-traditional families.

Their plans: On April 17, 2006, when the White House lawn is opened to families for the Annual Easter Egg Roll, imagine if the first 1,000 families onto the lawn were LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] families. Once America sees the White House lawn awash in LGBT families, there will be no going back.

LOCAL - 'Brokeback' Opens in Flint

'Brokeback Mountain' opened at the Showcase Flint West on Friday, January 13. The theater is located at 1591 S Graham Road just off the Corunna Road exit of I-75 and can be reached by calling (810) 732-6668. The movie is currently playing in 683 theaters across the country and has grossed over $30 million (the total production budget was $13 million).

LGBT Night at Golden Globes

'Brokeback Mountain' won the award for Best Motion Picture - Drama

Felicity Huffman won the award for Best Actress - Drama for her performance in 'Transamerica'

Ang Lee won the award for Best Director - Motion Picture for 'Brokeback Mountain'

'Brokeback Mountain' also won awards for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture and Best Original Song - Motion Picture ("A Love That Will Never Grow Old")

For a full list of the winners for the 2006 Golden Globe Awards click this link: http://www.hfpa.org/nominations/index.html

LOCAL - Eminem Wedding at Meadowbrook Hall

Superstar rapper Eminem remarried his ex-wife Saturday, a month after he announced they were getting back together. Marshall and Kim Mathers were married in a small private ceremony at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester.

News helicopters hovered overhead and paparazzi congregated outside as the Grammy-winning rapper born Marshall Bruce Mathers, III and his high school sweetheart arrived by limousine and were whisked inside the 110-room mansion built for auto baron John Dodge's widow 80 years ago. The 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style mansion is complete with vast collections of original art and furnishings.

Dinner was lobster tails and filet mignon, and New York DJ Lord Sear provided the music for the reception. The first marriage of Eminem, 33, and Kim Mathers, 30, ended after two-plus years in October 2001 in an ugly legal fight that included a custody battle over their young daughter.

Memorial Service Held for Mine Victims

BUCKHANNON, West Virginia (AP) -- The 12 miners who died together beneath the West Virginia hills were remembered Sunday as men who loved their families, God, NASCAR and a good laugh.

The miners died after a January 2 explosion as they reopened the mine following a holiday break. Investigators have yet to re-enter the mine to determine what went wrong.

The blast killed one miner immediately and spread carbon monoxide that slowly killed the 11 others as they waited 260 feet below ground for rescue.

The only survivor, Randal McCloy Jr., 26, remained in a coma Sunday at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Dangerous Handshake?

A man is in jail on assault charges after an assistant prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff all got sick after shaking hands with him.

John Ridgeway, 41, was in an Isabella County courthouse in Mount Pleasant last month on a misdemeanor charge of driving without insurance. He now faces three felony assault charges and up to six years in prison.

After a Dec. 21 jury trial where he was found guilty on the misdemeanor charge, Ridgeway was observed pulling out a vial of liquid and rubbing his hands with the contents. The three public officers got sick within an hour or so. Symptoms included nausea, headaches, numbness and tingling. Two of the three officials went to the hospital for the symptoms that lasted about 24 hours.

Ridgeway told officials the substance was olive oil. Ridgeway is charged with one count of assaulting a police officer and two counts of assaulting a public officer. Each count is punishable by up to two years in prison.

Stardust Capsule Lands in Utah

A capsule carrying dust particles from the tail of a comet parachuted to Earth today and elated NASA scientists were eager to examine the samples for clues about how the solar system formed. The material, expected to be about a thimbleful, must be separated from a substance called aerogel, used to help trap the particles.

Aerogel is a strong, lightweight silica glass that is 99.8 percent air and looks like frozen smoke.
Complete analysis of the material, some of which will be conducted on the molecular level, should take years.

Launched in 1999, Stardust orbited the sun on a long intercept course with the comet Wild-2. On January 2, 2004, it flew through the comet's tail, collecting bits of dust in a tennis racket-shaped collector filled with aerogel.

Tom Hanks May Be In Next 'Star Trek' Film

According to scifiheaven.net, Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks is being eyed for a role in the next “Star Trek” film.

Writer Erik Jendresen’s script has yet to be given the thumbs up by the studio, but if it should – Gump’s been earmarked for an appearance. Hanks and Jendresen are old friends – working on
TV’s “Band of Brothers” a couple of years back.

“The move would be a dramatic one for “Star Trek XI - The Beginning” and feature perhaps the biggest name to move into the franchise.

Angelina Jolie is Pregnant

Angelina Jolie is expecting a baby this summer with Brad Pitt, finally affirming the long-presumed relationship previously only glimpsed on African beaches and in paparazzi snapshots. The announcement came from Pitt's publicist

The news comes one month after papers were filed to make Pitt the adoptive father of Jolie's two children. Jolie sought to change the names of the children to Zahara Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt.

Vengeful Mouse Sets House on Fire

A mouse got its revenge against a homeowner who tried to dispose of it in a pile of burning leaves. The blazing creature ran back to the man's house and set it on fire.

Woman Sues After Her Son is Served Long Island

A mother in New York is suing an Applebee's restaurant after her 5-year-old son was allegedly served a Long Island Iced Tea instead of apple juice.

Cynthia Pereles said she took her son Seth to dinner at the franchised restaurant in Battery Park City and ordered him an apple juice.

Pereles said she did not realize her son was drinking a concoction of white rum, gin, vodka, triple sec, Coke and sweet-and-sour mix until it was too late. The boy's eyes became glazed and he began to laugh uncontrollably.

The boy was taken to the hospital and doctors found alcohol in the child's blood.

Pereles said the restaurant admitted the mistake but she is still suing for $75,000.

Utah Theater Cancels 'Brokeback Mountain'

A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film Brokeback Mountain.

The movie's distributor, Focus Features, said that hours before opening, the theater management "reneged on their licensing agreement," and refused to open the film.

Black Hawk Down; All Aboard Killed

Twelve Americans were killed when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq earlier today. The helicopter, which was carrying a crew of four and eight passengers, was flying along with another aircraft between bases in the north of the country. Rescuers searched for about 12 hours, finding the crash site about noon, just outside Tal Afar.

Tal Afar is just miles from the Syrian border and has been a hotbed of insurgent activity and raids by Iraqi and coalition forces.

The military also announced the deaths of five U.S. Marines in three different Iraqi towns Saturday and Sunday.

2006 Fattest and Fittest Cities List

Men's Fitness ranks an annual list of the fattest and fittest cities in the US. For the fats: Detroit ranks as third while Chicago surpasses Houston to rank in at numbers one and two, respectively. For the fits: Baltimore gets the first place and Honululu gets second for the second consecutive year.

Top 10 Tips On How To Cheat

* Wear different kinds of colognes. Another woman's perfume will be undetectable because you always smell differently.

* Never keep any kind of receipts. If you must, keep them at work.

* If your lover is fond of giving you gifts, keep them at work.

* Have the same amount of sex with your partner. A huge red flag that you are cheating will be a lack of interest in sex.

* Open a separate email account, and if possible only check it at work. If you must check it from home, clear your browser's history and don't allow that website to remember the email address.

* Keep your phone on vibrate as much as possible. You will be able to ignore phone calls without drawing any unwanted attention.

* If you keep your lovers number in your phone, save it under a buddy's name.

* Keep a supply of condoms at work and never take a "work" condom home. If you haven't used it by the time you get home, throw it away.

* Don't make it possible for anyone else to answer your phone. Always keep your phone on you and when you got to sleep either turn it off or to silent.

* Make sure that your phone's voicemail requires a passcode, even when called from your own phone. For extra security, change it often.

Record Snowfall in Japan

Japan was bracing for more snow on Friday after some of the heaviest snowfall on record that has left 57 people dead and paralysed transport.

Almost 13 feet of snow has piled up in the worst-hit areas of Niigata near the Japan Sea coast, though the snowiest season of the year is yet to come. 57 people, including the latest fatalities, have died because of the inclement weather in the past few weeks, many of them elderly people trying to clear snow from their roofs. More than 1,300 people have been injured.

Japan's heaviest snowfall usually comes in January and February.

The Del Monte $20 Bill

A misprinted $20 bill could fetch 1,000 times its face value at an auction Friday in Dallas.

The bill has a red, green and yellow Del Monte fruit sticker next to Andrew Jackson's portrait. The seal and serial number are both printed on top of the sticker, meaning the fruit tag must have found its way onto the bill midway through the printing process.

Stations Drop NBC's 'Book of Daniel'

Citing viewer complaints, eight NBC affiliate stations won't air a new series by the network about an Episcopalian priest with a troubled family in which Jesus Christ is one of the characters. The stations are in Tex., Miss., Ind., Ark., and Kan.

The show stars Aidan Quinn as the priest who speaks to a physical Jesus Christ. Quinn's character, the Rev. Daniel Webster, abuses painkillers and has a gay son, a promiscuous straight son, a daughter who deals marijuana, and a wife who drinks too much.

Conservative Christian groups have condemned the depiction of Jesus as blasphemous, accusing the writers of portraying Christ as tolerant of sin in talks with the priest.

In a statement NBC said, "We're confident that once audiences view this quality drama themselves, they'll appreciate this thought-provoking examination of one American family."

Armed Robbers Steal Cat

Authorities in Texas are baffled over the theft of an adoptable cat from a pet store by two armed men. The men entered the Dallas-area Petco store and walked to the cat's cage.

One of the men held his finger to his mouth while the other pulled up his shirt and displayed a gun.

The men took Simon the cat and fled.

Store volunteers are heart broken over the missing orange-tabby and worried about the cat's fate. Aggravated robbery in the state of Texas is a first-degree felony punishable on conviction by up to 99 years to life in prison.

Cat Dials 911

Apparently, a cat was paying attention when his owner, Gary Rosheisen, tried to show him how to dial 911.

Rosheisen, of Columbus, Ohio, was unable to call for help when he fell out of his wheelchair.

Columbus police said the cat, named Tommy, was lying by a telephone on the living room floor when they arrived at the man's home.

They had received a 911 call from the apartment, but no one was on the phone.
Rosheisen said Tommy must have hit the right buttons to alert authorities.
He said he had tried to teach Tommy to dial 911, using a speed-dial button. But he wasn't sure if the cat ever picked up the training.

Man Steals Pie at Gunpoint

A man accused of attempting to steal a Hostess fruit pie with an air-gun pistol at an Ann Arbor gas station was arrested by police. A clerk at the Clark gas station saw the man try to conceal the fruit pie and then the clerk asked the man if he was going to pay for the pie. The man then fled the scene.

The clerk gave police a description and the man was later recovered with an air-soft pellet hand gun. He was taken into custody.