Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city in Iraq, killing 3 people on eve of elections

Iraq: Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city, killing 3

BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded near a bus for pilgrims in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Saturday, killing at least three people, including two Iranians, on the eve of key national elections, officials said.
Blasts in other Iraqi cities have killed dozens this week, underscoring …. Source article  : Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city in Iraq, killing 3 people on eve of elections.

Doctors warn of health threats from wreckage and rotting debris left by Chile quake, tsunami

Doctors warn of health threat from Chile wreckage

CONCEPCION, Chile – Huge piles of wreckage and tons of rotting fish and other debris blanketing the ground are turning the coastal towns shattered by Chile’s earthquake and tsunami into nests of infection, doctors warned.
As Chileans lined up for hepatitis and tetanus shots Friday on the opening day … Read more »»».

Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city, killing 3 people on eve of elections

Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city, killing 3

BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded near a bus for pilgrims in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Saturday, killing at least three people, including two Iranians, on the eve of key national elections, officials said.
Blasts in other Iraqi cities have killed dozens this week, underscoring warnings … Original article on : Car bomb strikes Shiite holy city, killing 3 people on eve of elections.

Woman trying to feed bear at Wis. zoo bitten, loses fingers after ignoring barriers, warnings

Woman bitten by bear at Wis. zoo, fingers severed

MANITOWOC, Wis. – Police say a bear bit off a woman’s fingers at a Wisconsin zoo after she ignored barriers and warning signs to try to feed the animal.
The Lincoln Park Zoo in Manitowoc closed after the incident Friday morning. Police say the 47-year-old woman lost a …. Original article  : Woman trying to feed bear at Wis. zoo bitten, loses fingers after ignoring barriers, warnings.

Iraqi police: Car bomb blast in holy city of Najaf kills at least 3 day before key elections

Iraqi police: Blast in holy city kills at least 3

BAGHDAD – An Iraqi police official says a car-bomb blast in the holy city of Najaf killed at least three people and injured more than 50.
The official says the blast occurred Saturday near a bus carrying pilgrims, killing one Iraqi and two Iranians. The official spoke …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Iraqi police: Car bomb blast in holy city of Najaf kills at least 3 day before key elections.

Ind. Workforce Development employee fires shotgun twice into office after review, no injuries

Ind. worker fires shotgun into office, no injuries

PORTAGE, Ind. – Police say a state Department of Workforce Development auditor who had just received a poor job review shot at co-workers at an agency office in the northwest Indiana city of Portage.
No one was injured.
Sgt. Keith Hughes says the 60-year-old man became upset during his job … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Ind. Workforce Development employee fires shotgun twice into office after review, no injuries.

AP Source: Crane co. owner expected to face manslaughter charges in NYC collapse that killed 2

AP Source: Charges expected in NYC crane collapse

NEW YORK – A crane company owner is expected to be charged with manslaughter in a 2008 accident that killed two workers as the top of a 200-foot-tall crane crashed down, a person with knowledge of the investigation said Friday.
James Lomma and his company, New York Crane & …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Chile begins vaccinations, emphasizes health threats a week after deadly quake

Foreign hospitals help quake-damaged health system

CONCEPCION, Chile – Chile launched a hepatitis and tetanus vaccination campaign Friday and doctors warned of outbreaks of diarrhea and infection among thousands of people displaced by the earthquake and the tsunami that heavily damaged or destroyed 36 hospitals and made garbage dumps of coastal towns and cities.
With many pharmacies … Original source on Gaea Times at : Chile begins vaccinations, emphasizes health threats a week after deadly quake.

Snow job: Economists’ estimates that snow would cost 100K or more jobs miss mark

Snow job: Estimates of weather’s impact miss mark

WASHINGTON – Armed with spreadsheets, mathematical formulas and historical comparisons, legions of economists sought to forecast the impact of last month’s snowstorms on the government’s employment report.
They mostly got it wrong.
Macroeconomic Advisers, a leading forecasting firm, calculated the storms would cost 150,000 to 220,000 jobs.
IHS Global Insight pegged …. Source article  : Snow job: Economists’ estimates that snow would cost 100K or more jobs miss mark.

Donations from Americans for Haiti earthquake relief pass $1 billion mark

Donations from Americans for Haiti top $1 billion

NEW YORK – Experts who track charitable giving say donations from Americans for earthquake relief in Haiti have passed the $1 billion mark.
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University has been monitoring donations received by 91 charities engaged in Haiti relief since the quake on Jan. 12. The …. Read the original article  : here.

Ohio jury convicts doctor of wife’s 2005 cyanide poisoning death

Ohio jury: Doctor guilty of wife’s cyanide death

CLEVELAND – An Ohio doctor accused of lacing his wife’s calcium supplement with cyanide so he could be with his mistress was convicted Friday of aggravated murder.
The jury heard weeks of testimony before returning the verdict against Dr. Yazeed Essa, 41. His wife, Rosemarie Essa, collapsed while driving … Read more >>>.

15 injured in pileup on foggy highway in Wisconsin; nearly 40 vehicles involved in crash

15 injured in pileup on foggy road in Wis.

KAUKAUNA, Wis. – Fifteen people have been injured in a pileup involving nearly 40 vehicles on a foggy Wisconsin highway.
WLUK-TV reports that Appleton Medical Center had 14 patients in fair or good condition and one in serious condition following the accidents Friday morning. Foggy conditions are believed …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : 15 injured in pileup on foggy highway in Wisconsin; nearly 40 vehicles involved in crash.

The torrents of spring: Folks in the Upper Midwest brace for severe flooding _ again

Upper Midwest braces for severe spring flooding

FARGO, N.D. – Salesmen in Fargo are hawking products with names like the Muscle Wall and the Sandbagging Buddy. Emergency workers in Keokuk, Iowa, are planning to barricade the water treatment plant with limestone boulders. The farmers’ cooperative in Quincy, Ill., is moving grain inland to keep it dry.
Spring … Read more : The torrents of spring: Folks in the Upper Midwest brace for severe flooding _ again.

Billions raised for Haiti relief leaving needs unmet, fostering criticism from all sides

Billions for Haiti, a criticism for every dollar
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The world’s bill for the Haitian earthquake is large and growing – now $2.2 billion – and so is the criticism about how the money is being spent.
A half-million homeless received tarps and tents; far more are still waiting under soggy bed sheets … Read : Billions raised for Haiti relief leaving needs unmet, fostering criticism from all sides.

Prosecutor: Owner had Chicago-area building set on fire, killing 7, for insurance money

Prosecutor: Greed prompted Ill. fire that killed 7

MAYWOOD, Ill. – The owner of a suburban Chicago apartment house had his maintenance man set fire to the building, killing seven people including a newborn, because he wanted to cash in on a $250,000 insurance policy, prosecutors said Friday.
The landlord told police he wanted the house burned …. Original article  : Prosecutor: Owner had Chicago-area building set on fire, killing 7, for insurance money.

Chicago-bound United Airlines flight lands in Buffalo after water pump burns in lavatory

Small fire on plane forces stop in Buffalo

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. – Authorities say a Chicago-bound flight made an unscheduled stop in Buffalo after a water pump caught fire in a lavatory.
United Airlines Flight 769 had taken off from nearby Rochester shortly before the incident at about 8 a.m. Friday.
A Buffalo Niagara International Airport spokesman says a …. Original source  : Chicago-bound United Airlines flight lands in Buffalo after water pump burns in lavatory.

6.5 earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Sumatra island; no reports of tsunami, casualties or damage

Magnitude 6.5 earthquake shakes Indonesian Sumatra

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A magnitude-6.5 undersea earthquake shook the western shore of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday, causing panic but no casualties or damage, an official said.
The quake struck late at night 74 miles (119 kilometers) southeast of Pagai Selatan, an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesian Meteorology … Original source on Gaea Times at : 6.5 earthquake shakes Indonesia’s Sumatra island; no reports of tsunami, casualties or damage.

Strong aftershocks hit quake-stunned Chile; hospital evacuates some patients

Strong aftershocks hit quake-stunned Chile

CONCEPCION, Chile – The most powerful aftershock in six days sent terrified Chileans fleeing into quake-shattered streets and forced doctors to evacuate some patients from a major hospital on Friday as the nation struggled to comprehend the scope of the disaster that hit it.
People raced into the streets in pajamas as … Read more >>>.

Weather service predicts major flooding for North Dakota’s Red River, residents try to prepare

Forecasters predict major flooding in North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. – The National Weather Service says there’s a high risk for major flooding along North Dakota’s Red River in the same area where residents held off record high waters last year.
The flood outlook released Friday shows a 90 percent chance for major flooding in Fargo because snow … Read more : Weather service predicts major flooding for North Dakota’s Red River, residents try to prepare.

House committee asks Toyota for more details on sudden acceleration reports

House panel wants more Toyota acceleration details

WASHINGTON – A House committee on Friday questioned the rigor of Toyota’s sudden acceleration tests, challenging the automaker’s commitment to finding the causes of safety problems that have led to millions of recalled vehicles. Other lawmakers zeroed in on federal investigators’ response.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee told Toyota …. Source  : Gaea News Network.