"Mudding" problem

Parties in a nearby field and people going “mudding” in the area have been an issue for the victim of vandalism, according to an incident report. On April 20, Edmond Police Officer Mason Long was dispatched to the 5000 block of Harper Creek Trail in reference to vandalism, according to a report filed by Long. The victim said it appeared somebody entered the house, which is still under construction, through the back door and had a party upstairs, Long stated. He went upstairs and saw numerous empty beer cans scattered on the floor, and in a room there were three holes in the wall about the size of someone’s fist. In another upstairs room, numerous light bulbs had been broken. Cleanup and repairs would be about $2,000, the builder reported. The victim said they have had numerous problems with teenagers throwing parties in the field next to their house as well as people going “mudding” in the area, Long stated. The homebuilder said there was a 1990s model maroon GMC Jimmy and a late 1990s model Ford truck 4x4 leaving the neighborhood earlier that day. The vehicles were covered in mud, and he believed they had something to do with the party, Long stated. FindLaw blogger Andrew Lu stated mudding is basically off-road driving through wet meadows, fields, streams and other muddy areas. The activity can be dangerous and can lead to lawsuits, Lu stated. Potential lawsuit parties include the property owner, the negligent driver and the person(s) who caused the damage. Long stated the victim requests extra police watch of the area, especially during nighttime hours.

Man arrested in Georgia for shooting

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with a shooting last month in Newark was arrested at his uncle's home in Georgia last week, authorities said. Quawee Starks waived extradition at bond hearing Friday after the Douglas County Fugitive unit took him into custody in Lithia Springs, Ga. on Thursday. Authorities in Georgia received a Crime Stoppers tip, the Douglas County Sheriff's office said. The shooting took place April 14, according to Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Starks faces felony aggravated assault and weapons charges in New Jersey.

Amanda Berry reunites with older sister

Amanda Berry, one of the three Cleveland women found alive Monday after vanishing a decade ago, embraced her sister during an emotional reunion — one their family held out hope for all these years.
Berry, now 27, met her older sister, Beth Serrano, at the hospital following her incredible escape from the home where she and two other women were apparently held against their will by three brothers.
Also hospitalized was a 6-year-old girl Berry gave birth to while in captivity, police said Tuesday.
Berry went missing on April 21, 2003 — a day before she turned 17 — after leaving her job at a Burger King. She was on her way home to celebrate her birthday.

man killed in airport shooting

A man has died after shots were fired at at the US city of Houston's largest airport, prompting a security lockdown and the suspension of some flights.

Roxanne Mena, spokeswoman for the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, confirmed the shooting death on Thursday at the Bush Intercontinental Airport in the US state of Texas.

There were no other injuries or suspects involved in the shooting, Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva said. The dead man was not identified.

According to another police spokesman, the man fired at least one shot at the ceiling. He was then confronted by a Homeland Security officer nearby, who fired his weapon.

The man treated by responding paramedics, but was later pronounced dead in an ambulance.

It was not clear if the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot or from one or more shots fired by the security officer.

Parts of airport, named after President George H.W. Bush, remained blocked off as police investigated the shooting.

The airport announced on its Twitter feed that the terminal had been closed and passengers would be redirected to other terminals.

A witness, Dale Howard, was at the baggage handling area of the airport waiting for his sister to arrive on an incoming flight when he heard two shots fired from the floor above. A few seconds later, he said he heard three more shots.

"People were screaming. I knew exactly what it was - gunfire,'' Howard said.

Other witnesses said people ran and dived for cover during the shooting at one of the nation's busiest airports.

The shooting happened just a day before the National Rifle Association begins its annual conference in Houston. Thousands of advocates for the right to bear arms are expected to attend.

Shark attacks man in knee deep water

Alan Saunders was bitten on both legs by the Grey Nurse Shark off the coast of New South Wales in Australia. He reportedly suffered deep puncture wounds in the attack in the town of Crowdy Head. His brother said he was bitten as he was releasing one of three sharks caught in a fishing net. Ray Saunders said: "Alan was involved in removing one of the sharks out of the wings of the net. "He released that shark but another shark came in and bit him on both legs." The 51-year-old is being treated in hospital in the city of Newcastle after being taken there by air ambulance.

 

Suspects bombers considered July 4th attack

Two U.S. officials say the surviving suspected Boston bomber told interrogators that he and his brother considered setting off their bombs on July Fourth, but they decided to carry out their attack sooner and chose the date of the Boston marathon.

The U.S. officials say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators the bombs were assembled in his brother's home.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the details because the investigation into the Boston marathon attack is ongoing.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a charge of using a weapon of mass destruction to kill. His brother, Tamerlan, was killed in a police shootout.

Three people died and more than 260 were injured in the Boston marathon attack

Family says ref in a coma after attack by teen

A longtime Utah soccer referee in a coma after being punched by a teenager during a weekend game had been attacked by other angry players before, but he continued refereeing because he loved the game, his family says.

Ricardo Portillo, 46, has swelling in his brain and his recovery is uncertain as he remains in critical condition, Dr. Shawn Smith said Thursday at the Intermountain Medical Center in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.

Police say a 17-year-old player in a recreational soccer league punched Portillo on Saturday after the man called a foul on him and issued him a yellow card. The teen has been booked into juvenile detention on suspicion of aggravated assault. Those charges could be amplified if Portillo dies.

Portillo's oldest daughter, 26-year-old Johana Portillo, said at a news conference Thursday that her father has been attacked by other players before -- even having his ribs and leg broken.

Canada Wrestles with bee

Canadians beekeepers, farmers and regulators are wrestling with how to protect bees from popular pesticides that were partially banned in Europe this week.

The European Commission announced Monday that it would go ahead with a partial two-year ban on three kinds of neonicotinoid pesticides that have been linked to bee deaths. The pesticides are used to coat most commercial corn seeds and protect them from pests such as seed-eating insects.

Canadian government scientists have found evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides were linked to mass bee deaths during the spring corn planting in Ontario and Quebec in 2012, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency confirmed in a report.

FBI adds first woman to its most wanted terrorist list

The FBI added Joanne Chesimard, who was convicted in the 1973 murder of a New Jersey State Trooper, to its "Most Wanted Terrorist List." Chesimard, who fled to Cuba in 1984 after escaping from prison, is the first woman added to the list. The FBI said in a release announcing a $2 million reward for information leading to her arrest.

Robotic Insects?!

Dr Kevin Ma from Harvard University and his team, led by Dr Robert Wood, say they have made the world's smallest flying robot.

It also has the fly-like agility that allows the insects to evade even the swiftest of human efforts to swat them.

This comes largely from very precise wing movements.

By constantly adjusting the effect of lift and thrust acting on its body at an incredibly high speed, the insect's (and the robot's) wings enable it to hover, or to perform sudden evasive manoeuvres.

And just like a real fly, the robot's thin, flexible wings beat approximately 120 times every second.

The researchers achieved this wing speed with special substance called piezoelectric material, which contracts every time a voltage is applied to it.

By very rapidly switching the voltage on and off, the scientists were able to make this material behave like just like the tiny muscles that makes a fly's wings beat so fast.

Kobe Bryant mom in court battle

A New Jersey auction house filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday for the right to sell the stuff after the NBA star's lawyers wrote the firm telling it to cancel a planned June auction.

The disagreement is a high-value, high-profile version of a question many families face: Can Mom get rid of the stuff a grown child left at home?

Pamela Bryant intends to sell: the NBA star's jerseys, practice gear and sweatsuits from Lower Merion High School; varsity letters; a trophy for being the outstanding player at the 1995 Adidas ABCD basketball camp; and a signed basketball from the 2000 NBA championship game.

And then there are rings, for the 1996 Pennsylvania high school championship, a pair that the Lakers made for Bryant's parents for the 2000 NBA championship and one from the 1998 NBA All-Star game.

According to court filings, Pamela Bryant struck a deal in January with Goldin Auctions in Berlin, N.J., which earlier this year sold a rare Honus Wagner baseball card for a record $2.1 million.

She got $450,000 up front, which she intended to use for a new home in Nevada.

A source told ESPN that Kobe Bryant offered to pay his mother up $250,000 toward a home she wanted.

She refused, saying she wanted $450,000. When Kobe Bryant turned her down, the source said that unbeknownst to Kobe Bryant she struck a deal to get the $450,000 advanced through the auction company.

The source said Kobe Bryant was unaware that his memorabilia was being auctioned until hours before the auction company released the news of the sale.

Sources close to Kobe Bryant confirmed to ESPNLosAngeles.com that before learning about the auction through news reports, the Lakers star has given his parents "millions of dollars in financial assistance" throughout his 17-year career.

Bryant's parents decided to sell his high school memorabilia without his consent in order to purchase an additional home, sources said. Bryant offered to buy a house for his parents, but they wanted a larger one.

China Meat Scandal

Chinese police have broken up a criminal ring accused of taking meat from rats and foxes and selling it as lamb in the country's latest food safety scandal.The Ministry of Public Security released results of a three-month crackdown on food safety violators, saying in a statement that authorities investigated more than 380 cases and arrested 904 suspects.Among those arrested were 63 people who allegedly ran an operation in Shanghai and the coastal city of Wuxi that bought fox, mink, rat and other meat that had not been tested for quality and safety, processed it with additives like gelatin and passed it off as lamb.The meat was sold to farmers' markets in Jiangsu province and Shanghai, it said.Despite years of food scandals _ from milk contaminated with an industrial chemical to the use of industrial dyes in eggs _ China has been unable to clean up its food supply chain.The announcement came as China's top court on Friday issued guidelines calling for harsher punishment for making and selling unsafe food products in the latest response to tainted food scandals that have angered the public.The Supreme People's Court said the guidelines will list as crimes specific acts such as the sale of food excessively laced with chemicals or made from animals that have died from disease or unknown causes.China's penal code, which forbids unsafe and poisonous food, does not specify what acts are considered in violation of the law.Adulterating baby food so that it severely lacks nutrition is also punishable as a crime under the guidelines. Negligent government food inspectors are also targeted for criminal punishment.The supreme court said 2,088 people have been prosecuted in 2010-2012 in 1,533 food safety cases. It said the number of such cases has grown exponentially in the past several years. For example, Chinese courts prosecuted 861 cases of poisonous food in 2012, compared to 80 cases in 2010."The situation is really grave and has indeed caused great harm to the people," Pei Xianding, a supreme court judge, told a news conference."We cannot tolerate it any longer. We must punish the criminals severely, or we cannot answer to our people," Pei said

Paulsboro House Fire

At least four fire departments were called out for a working house fire in Paulsboro.

There was a fire at the same address at about 5 p.m. Thursday.

At 6 a.m., members of the Greenwich, East Greenwich and West Deprford township fire departments joined Paulsboro firefighters to respond to the fire at a house in the 500 block of Nassau Avenue.

First responders reported seeing smoke coming from the second floor of the two-story house.

A call was made for the Gloucester County Fire Marshal to respond to the scene at 6:26 a.m.

The fire was declared under control at 6:45 a.m.

"Spring Breakers" out TODAY

College girls Candy, Faith, Brit and Cotty, are close friends who share a dorm room and wish for excitement and pleasure instead of their boring school life. When the annual spring break begins, the four find themselves without the sufficient funds for a trip to Florida. To score quick money for their trip, the girls successfully rob a convenience store, soon journeying to the wild beaches. Unfortunately, though the girls party to their heart's content, they are soon found and arrested on drug charges. Strangely they are bailed out by hustling gangster, Alien, who takes the party animals under his wing and into the vast criminal world. As the young friends are seduced by the suave and dangerous gangster, it becomes unclear how far they will go to have an unforgettable spring break.

Gulf Shores High School student dies in skateboarding accident

    Hunter Sorensen, 14, a Gulf Shores High School freshman, died Sunday after he fell from a skateboard onto a street and was hit by a vehicle in Orange Beach, officials said.

Hunter's friends are using social media to express their thoughts about his passing. 

The accident happened at 2:22 p.m. Sunday after Hunter came down an elevated ramp at a parking garage at Escapes condominiums, 24060 Perdido Beach Blvd. 

Orange Beach Police Chief Billy Wilkins Sr. said he learned from firefighters that Hunter was wearing safety equipment. "From all indications, he was a very responsible young man," Wilkins said. Another skateboarder was with Hunter when the accident happened. He was not hurt. The parking garage's ramp leads to Perdido Beach Boulevard. The edge of the road is marked as a biking path. As Hunter came down the ramp, he built up a substantial amount of speed, crossed the biking path and went onto the road, officials said.

4-wheeler accident kills man

A four-wheeler accident reported on Sunday involved the death of a man from India working in the county on a work visa. Deputies and emergency personnel were called to a home on Gogo Road Sunday at about 8:30 a.m. in response to a four-wheeler accident, said Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department Chief Investigator Donnie Saucier. When they arrived they found 40-year-old Vishnu Tikaram Bhandari of 436 GoGo Rd., pinned under a four-wheeler in a nearby field, Saucier said. Emergency personnel checked for signs of life but found none. A subsequent investigation showed Bhandari was riding the four-wheeler in the field when for an unknown reason if flipped on top of him, Saucier said. Bhandari’s cause of death was listed as asphyxiation due to compression and a laceration to the liver, Saucier said. Bhandari was living in the county while working as a caretaker under a work visa from the country of India, Saucier said.

St. Paul Rodeo Accident

A horse was euthanized after colliding with another during a "wild horse race" at the St. Paul Rodeo Wednesday night.

The horse had sustained head and neck trauma, according to Ben Wustenberg, the veterinarian on site, and was euthanized. The other horse had muscle and tendon injuries in its shoulder and was sent back to its owner's ranch to recover.

Steve Coleman, director for the St. Paul Rodeo, called the collision "a freak accident," adding that the stock contractor and rodeo committee were "devastated."

The riders on the horses were not injured, and the rodeo will not hold the wild horse race for the rest of this year's rodeo.

The wild horse race is an event in which teams of contestants work to hold, saddle, mount and ride the horse into an opening on the other side of the grandstand.

   

Mudding!

Boy lost life after a horrific mudding accident...

But what started as a carefree evening of mudding with friends resulted in the accidental death of the University student. Gregg, a 23-year-old junior, was killed Friday when he was ejected from his Ford Bronco and pinned underneath it in rural Oglethorpe County. According to Tom Bufford of the Georgia State Patrol, the accident occurred at 9:52 p.m. "The vehicle was traveling south on a dirt road, the driver went off the road," Bufford said. "The vehicle overturned and the driver was ejected from the vehicle." According to a Georgia State Patrol report, Gregg was not wearing a seat belt when the Bronco overturned. John Branyan - the male passenger in the vehicle - was restrained with a seat belt and survived the accident. Gregg was a student within the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and planned to own forestry land in the future. "He loved Warnell, I don't think he really enjoyed school until he got to Warnell," Branyan said. Derek Mierswa remembers Gregg as "the life of the party," and that a career outside was what he wanted. "I think it's mainly because of his love of the outdoors - he's not the kind of guy who could just sit behind a desk all day," Mierswa said. And sit behind a desk he didn't. He enjoyed mountain climbing. And running cross country. And the Terrapin Brewery. And his dog, Oscar. He liked to hunt. And play football. And go mudding in his Bronco - which friends said he had modified for added safety. "I don't think he'd want people to mourn over him; I just think he'd want to be remembered in a happy way," said Joseph Childs, a University senior who went to school with Gregg at Prince Avenue Christian School. Branyan said Gregg told him hours before the accident that when he died, he just wanted friends to gather around a keg and reminisce. And that is just what the buddies plan to do to honor their friend. "He was a real American - everything about him," said Blake Bliss, a junior from Peachtree City. "He loved his country and everything we stand for as Americans. He especially loved the South - he was a Southern boy. I know that Taylor loved this University and he did everything he could to get here." A memorial service will be held today at 2 p.m. at Beech Haven Baptist Church. "He always seemed to make people laugh, no matter what the situation," Bliss said.