Anna Nicole Smith Dead at 39

from MyWay News

Anna Nicole Smith, the voluptuous former Playboy centerfold who married an octogenarian billionaire and waged a legal battle for his fortune all the way to the Supreme Court, died todat after collapsing at a hotel. She was 39. The blond bombshell - who recently became tabloid fodder all over again after the sudden, apparently drug-related death of her 20-year-old son - was found unresponsive while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. She was rushed to a hospital.

The Broward County Medical Examiner's Office said the cause of death is under investigation and an autopsy will be done on Friday. Stay tuned for full details.

Man Leaves Daughter, 2, Outside to Freeze

from CNN

A Pittsburgh man angry his toddler daughter wouldn't go to bed knocked her unconscious and left her to die outside in single-digit temperatures. The frozen body of Nyia Miangel Page, who was about to turn 2, was found Sunday at an abandoned playground about a 10-minute walk from the family's home. Tiny footprints in the snow suggest she had gotten up and wandered around before she died.

Her father, William Lorenzo Page, 23, was arrested on charges of criminal homicide, kidnapping, false reports and simple assault. He has been in custody since Sunday, when he was charged with sexually abusing another child shortly before Nyia died. Page told police he woke up early Saturday and found the girl awake and playing near a mirror in the hallway. He said he got angry when the girl wouldn't go back to bed and he hit her so hard she lost consciousness.

Awesome Picture

from NASA

Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. On January 26, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught.

Woman Dies Trying to Save Cats

from Yahoo! News

A 77-year-old woman trying to rescue her seven cats from a house fire was found dead in a hallway, still clutching one of the animals. The fire was probably started when one of the cats knocked over a decorative candle onto a stack of papers and magazines.

Firefighters found the body of Mary Lou Henry in a hallway. The cat she was holding and another one died. Two were being treated at a veterinary clinic, two were missing and another was taken in by the victim's daughter.

Police Officers Suspended in Miscariage Case

from CNN

Two police officers were suspended indefinitely with pay Thursday as an investigation continued into their arrest of a pregnant woman who had a miscarriage a day after she was thrown in jail. The suspensions came two days after police released a videotape showing Sofia Salva telling officers during her arrest last year that she was three months pregnant, bleeding and needed to go to a hospital.

The tape shows officers ignoring her pleas. After the ninth request, the tape shows, a female officer asked: "How is that my problem?"

The officers' behavior is "inconsistent with the values and policies of this department and inconsistent with the training they received in the police academy," Chief James Corwin said at a news conference Thursday. Salva, 32, has sued officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell and the police department for wrongful death and personal injuries. Salva is seeking actual damages exceeding $25,000 and punitive damages.

She was arrested February 5 and held overnight on traffic violations and outstanding city warrants. After being released the next morning, she delivered a premature baby boy who died immediately after birth, according to the lawsuit filed Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court. Corwin said he felt the incident was serious enough to suspend the officers even though an internal investigation is not complete.

The tape shows Salva telling the officers she is having a miscarriage and is bleeding.
On the tape, an officer identified as Schnell walks away from the car and tells his partner: "She just gave me a line of excuses. She said she's bleeding. She said you can check her."

Cat's Lose Visiting Privilages at Women's Prison

from CNN

At the Southeast State Correctional Facility, inmates are subjected to head counts several times a day. But not Ziggy, Marmalade, Smokey and Shane -- they come and go as they please. They're prison cats -- but only for now. They are being involuntarily paroled by the new superintendent of Vermont's largest women's prison, to the chagrin of inmates who feed them, pay for their care and cherish them.

Cats have been fixtures at the farm-turned-prison since the 1980s, sleeping in warm garages and nooks and crannies on the 22-building campus and keeping it mouse-free. The number fluctuated as the prison became a dumping ground for unwanted felines and they found their way under fences, into barns and into the hearts of inmates.

Due to recent disruptions involving the cats, about a month ago, the prison started giving away the cats. Inmates have been scratched, and some are allergic to cats, or just don't like them. Recently, an inmate used a cigarette lighter to burn the fur off one of them. That cat has since recovered and is now living with a staff member.

Penny Shortage is a Possibility

from Fox News

A potential shortage of coins in the United States could mean all those pennies in your piggy bank could be worth five times their current value soon. Sharply rising prices of metals such as copper and nickel have meant the face value of pennies and nickels are worth less than the material that they are made of, increasing the risk that speculators could melt the coins and sell them for a profit.

Such a risk spurred the U.S. Mint last month to issue regulations limiting melting and exporting of the coins. Some economists have suggested making the penny worth five cents rather than one cent. Doing so would increase the amount of five-cent coins in circulation and do away with the almost worthless one cent coin.

Teacher Suspended For Penis Drawings

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

A New York state teacher was banned from classes after having his seventh-grade students draw male genitalia on the blackboard during health class. The teacher has been assigned to adminstrative duties and is expected to be terminated at a March 21 trustee meeting.

The state's seventh-grade curriculum calls for lessons in human anatomy and sexuality, but the teacher asking the students to draw male genitals on the blackboard was not within these guildlines and has been described as inappropriate.