Newser Story Index from July, 2007
Welcome to the Newser Story Index. Here you find stories written by Newser writers and editors, assembled with supporting photos and videos from the files of the news story.
Cartoonist Killed in Car Crash
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
Jul 11, 2007 4:30 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and creator of Kudzu died yesterday when a car he was riding in hydroplaned in heavy rain and crashed into a tree in Mississippi. Doug Marlette, 57, worked for a series of newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and was known for his dead-on caricatures and cheeky challenges to those...
Sid the Kid to Stay in the Burgh
Canada.com
|
Jul 11, 2007 4:25 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pittsburgh locked up young talent Sidney Crosby, hockey's reigning MVP, through 2013, with a contract extension that will pay $8.7 million per year starting in 2008. That figure was carefully chosen; Crosby's team number is 87. The Penguins also recently signed defenseman Ryan Whitney to an extension, shoring up their formidable array of young talent.
Antoine Walker Robbed at Gunpoint
Chicago Tribune
|
Jul 11, 2007 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Gregarious Miami role player Antoine Walker was tied up with duct tape and robbed at gunpoint in his Chicago home Monday evening—his second robbery since 2000, both in his hometown. The forward was relieved of cash, jewelry, and his car, which was found abandoned yesterday morning. The police have not yet taken anyone into custody.
Merriam Makes Ginormous Addition
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 9:06 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The word wranglers at Merriam-Webster have, after 49 long years, admitted 'ginormous' into the company's collegiate dictionary. Other newly approved words include crunk (southern rap music), and the abbreviations DVR and IED. Also admitted to the class of 2007 were smackdowns, telenovas, gray literature, and microgreen. Look them...
Couch Flies High in Chair
Bulletin (Bend, Ore.)
|
Jul 10, 2007 8:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Kent Couch of Bend, OR, floated 193 miles at an average height of 11,000 feet to La Grande, OR, in a lawn chair attached to 105 balloons. It took him almost 9 hours. He equipped himself with all the essential high-tech equipment to make the flight—a cell phone for communications and a knife to cut the balloons.
Ex-Surgeon General Alleges Censorship
Los Angeles Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 7:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Bush administration "did not want to hear the science" on subjects such as stem-cell research and abstinence-only sex ed, the ex-surgeon general says, and he was muzzled and marginalized when he tried "to be the doctor of the nation—not the doctor of a political party." Richard Carmona's 4-year term expired last year and...
Springfield, Vt., Takes 'Simpsons' Honors
Burlington Free Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 7:36 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Springfield, Vt., edged out 13 other Springfields to win the right to host the July 21 premiere of The Simpsons movie—set, of course, in Springfield. Voters in an online poll chose the video homage by the team from the Green Mountain State, a spoof of the show's opening sequence.
EU Supports French Socialist to Head IMF
Times (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 6:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A former French finance minister has the inside track to become the next chief of the IMF. EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels today settled on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a Socialist who served in the cabinet of Francois Mitterrand. The choice was another coup for Nicolas Sarkozy, who managed at once to remove a political rival and place a Frenchman...
Anti-Smoking Pill May Work on Booze, Too
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A pill that helps smokers quit also shows promise in combating alcoholism, and future uses may include treatment for other addictions and even Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Varenicline acts on brain receptors that bind with nicotine, blunting its effects by inhibiting the release of dopamine, a so-called pleasure hormone. Alcohol affects the...
Bush Appeals for Patience
New York Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
George Bush didn't want to be a "war president," he said today, but now that he is, he'll wait for a scheduled September update from the US commander in Iraq before planning "a way forward." Even as calls for policy change multiply, the Times reports, the president insisted, "Yes, we can accomplish and win this fight in Iraq."
Juror Arrested for Listening to MP3 Player Under Headscarf
Times (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A young Muslim juror may face jail time for contempt of court after allegedly listening to her MP3 player beneath her hijab during a murder trial in Britain. The judge thought he heard "tinny music" in the courtroom, but chalked it up to his own imagination, reports the Times.
Black Jury Deadlocked
Financial Times (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 3:42 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The jury in Conrad Black's fraud and racketeering trial sent a note to the judge today saying it can't reach a verdict. After deliberating for eight days, the 12 Chicagoans appealed to Judge Amy St. Eve for advice. After huddling with the attorneys, St. Eve called jurors back to the courtroom and reread portions of the instructions on deliberations,...
Hearst Mansion on Sale for Record $165M
Los Angeles Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 3:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Beverly House, a gargantuan pink stucco mansion in Beverly Hills once owned by William Randolph Hearst, is on the market for a cool $165 million, making it the most expensive residential listing in the nation. Runners up are an estate in Big Sky country on the market for $155 million and an Aspen compound being peddled by Saudi Prince Bandar...
China's Surplus Soars to $26.9B
Bloomberg
|
Jul 10, 2007 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) -
China's trade surplus surged to a record $26.9B in June, an 87% increase since last year. Economists attribute the trade gap to China's significantly—as much as 40%—underpriced currency, the yuan, reports Bloomberg. Half of China's surplus is with the US, which recently began preparing legislation to sanction countries that deliberately...
Apple Toying With Mini iPhone
Reuters
|
Jul 10, 2007 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Apple will release a fewer-frills, cheaper counterpart to its wildly successful iPhone by the end of the year, a JP Morgan report claims. A Taiwan-based analyst cites an unnamed source in the supply chain and a patent application for a multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad, which Apple submitted last week.
Plane Crash Kills 5, Including Nascar Exec's Husband
Orlando Sentinel
|
Jul 10, 2007 1:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A small plane crashed outside Orlando this morning, killing the pilot—a plastic surgeon married to a Nascar executive—and four other people, including a toddler on the ground. The Cessna 310 plummeted into a residential neighborhood en route to a Orlando Sanford International Airport, split into pieces, and burst into flames, the Orlando...
La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
|
Jul 10, 2007 1:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter atoned yesterday for a "very serious sin in my past," after his telephone number turned up on the scandal-soaked call logs of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. The so-called DC Madam was forced to denude the records of her million-dollar escort service last week.
McCain Camp Fractures
Washington Post
|
Jul 10, 2007 12:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Two major aides have decamped from John McCain's beleaguered presidential campaign, sparking rumors that they were fired and fueling suspicions that the Straight Talk Express is close to derailing. Terry Nelson, McCain's campaign manager, and John Weaver, his chief strategist, hopped off this morning, both with minimal statements assuring their support...
China Executes Ex-Food and Drug Czar
New York Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 11:44 AM CDT
(Newser) -
China carried out a swift death sentence against the former head of its food and drug administration today, in an apparent reaction to concerns about the safety of its exports. Zheng Xiaoyu was killed just over 2 weeks after the supreme court rejected his appeal on a May conviction for accepting bribes while head of the watchdog government arm.
Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 11:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Iraqi government has failed to meet any of the benchmarks for reforms mandated when Congress funded the troop surge, according to a progress report due out this week. An unnamed official tells the AP that the disappointing outcome will accelerate the administration's decision-making process on Iraq, but another anonymous source says any policy...
Pa. Reopens for Business
Philadelphia Inquirer
|
Jul 10, 2007 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Nearly a week and a half into the fiscal year, Pennsylvania lawmakers agreed on a new budget late last night, ending a partial government shutdown. More than 24,000 state employees idled for a day by the impasse between the governor and legislature will return to work, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, reopening state parks and motor-vehicle bureaus...
Neutering Bill Ruffles Feathers
Los Angeles Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Legislation that would require Californians to "fix" their cats and dogs has captured the state's attention, inspiring more more controversy than any other measure this year, including an assisted-suicide bill. TV legend Bob Barker backs the spay/neuter bill, but groups like the American Kennel Club don't want the state involved, the LA...
Gonzales Alerted to FBI Misdeeds
Washington Post
|
Jul 10, 2007 9:33 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The FBI alerted Alberto Gonzales that agents had violated privacy regulations at least six times in the weeks before he told a Senate committee that no abuses had occurred, the Washington Post reports. The 2005 and 2006 internal reports detailed numerous problems with FBI activities under the Patriot Act, but DoJ says it doesn't know whether the...
Mosque Siege Ends; Cleric Dead
Times (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 9:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Pakistani army troops stormed Islamabad's Red Mosque early today, ending the siege that had dragged on for over a week and killing at least 50 militants and their leader, the highest-ranking cleric still within the compound. The interior ministry told the Times of London that Abdul Rashid Ghazi was attempting to surrender when he was caught in crossfire.
'Reality' Guru Not Just Playing Games
Salon
|
Jul 10, 2007 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
News junkies may have missed the oil crisis that pushed gas prices beyond $7 and brought the US economy to a standstill. But nearly 2,000 alternative reality gamers playing "World Without Oil" online lived every moment, reports Salon in a look at real-world uses of Alternative Reality Games and the genre's social mastermind, Jane McGonigal.
Peavy, Haren All-Star Starters
Sports Illustrated
|
Jul 10, 2007 8:10 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It's officially California's All-Star Game: San Diego's Jake Peavy will take the mound for the NL tonight, while Jim Leyland has tapped Oakland's Dan Haren to start for his AL squad. Leyland, who passed over his own Justin Verlander, admits it came down to venue; the AL-manager wants to give the Frisco crowd a bay-area name.
New Court Overturns O'Connor
Slate
|
Jul 10, 2007 6:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor legal legacy is one of the first casualties of the new Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts, Slate's Dahlia Lithwick writes. After being hailed as the most powerful women in America, the former justice has seen her judgments "explicitly minimized" or "stepped distastefully over" by the conservative...
Fat Stem Cells Used to Grow Breasts
BBC
|
Jul 10, 2007 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bigger breasts—even new breasts—can be grown using a new treatment that extracts stem cells from fat in the stomach or buttocks, the BBC reports. The breakthrough could help women who have had mastectomies, or rival implants for those seeking bigger breasts.
Mesmerizing Harry Potter Sweeps into Movie Theaters
Rotten Tomatoes
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:40 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Holy Quidditch! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix flies onto the silver screen tomorrow just two weeks before the ballyhooed release of the final book of the wizard saga. It seems to have cast a spell on critics, like Rolling Stone's Peter Travers, who says it will "keep you riveted" with a "pulse-quickening urgency."
Jury Calls $260K Foul on Iverson
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:38 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A federal jury slapped NBA superstar Allen Iverson with $260K in damages yesterday, finding him negligent after failing to prevent his bodyguard from assaulting a man. The plaintiffs accused Iverson's coterie, including bodyguard Jason Kane, of giving them a "vicious, dog-like beating" when the men refused to vacate a Washington bar in 2005.
Envoy Warns of Pullout Horrors
New York Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:27 AM CDT
(Newser) -
US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker tells the Times that a post-withdrawal scenario in Iraq "exceeds his imagination" —and then goes on to imagine a nearly unmitigated catastrophe. Crocker predicts sectarian murders “by the thousands," a resurgence of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and the “complete collapse” of the...
New Flood of Foreclosures Looms
CNN
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:24 AM CDT
(Newser) -
When adjustable-rate mortgages are increased this year, hundreds of thousands of subprime borrowers could lose their homes, triggering a precipitous drop in the housing market, CNNMoney reports. The threat is the latest in the emerging subprime loan crisis. Heartland industrial areas, as well as once-hot markets in California, Nevada and Florida,...
Native Son Takes Belgian Stage in Tour
New York Times
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Belgian Gert Steegmans pedaled to an easy victory in Stage 2 of this year's Tour, crossing the finish line in Gand, Belgium, in just over 3 hours and 48 minutes. Most weren't so lucky: The 104.7 mile trek captured much of the peleton—including yellow-jersey holder Fabian Cancellara—in a pile-up crash just over a mile from the finish.
Army Recruiting Falls Short Again
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:06 AM CDT
(Newser) -
For the second month in a row, the army has failed to meet its recruitment quota. Only 7,000 new soldiers signed up in June—15% short of the 8,400-recruit goal. The recruitment quota came up 7% short in May. "We're not taking this lightly," said an Army spokesman.
Mercantile Merger Creates Super Market
Chicago Tribune
|
Jul 10, 2007 5:03 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chicago's Board of Trade and the Mercantile Exchange—bitter rivals for decades—will merge to form the world's largest derivatives market in a deal worth close to $12 billion, the Chicago Tribune reports. The merger ends months of jockeying and speculation as another suitor, Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange, failed to mount a competitive...
Obesity Ups Odds of Beating Heart Attack
Associated Press
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:43 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Chew on this: While obese people are at much higher risk for having heart attacks, they also more likely than their thinner counterparts to survive them, the AP reports. Three years after their heart attacks, as many as 10% of healthy-weight patients had died compared to 3.6% of obese patients, according to one of several recent studies that drew the...
Hamas Frees Kidnapped Lioness
Guardian (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:23 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Hamas soldiers yesterday freed Sabrina the lioness in a raid on a Palestinian crime gang that kidnapped her 20 months ago. The four-month-old cub and a pair of Arabic-speaking parrots were snatched from the Gaza zoo, and Sabrina was left to languish in a dark cell where curious spectators snapped her photo for $1.
Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas
Washington Post
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:12 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer...
Lalas to LA: Let Beckham Focus on Game
Guardian (UK)
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:11 AM CDT
(Newser) -
LA Galaxy owner Alexi Lalas, who shelled out roughly $250 million to bring aging superstar David Beckham to U.S. soccer, fretted publicly that Beckham must focus on the game and not the enhancement of his celebrity. The announcement came four days before the star's unveiling in the movie capital of the world.
Vlad Impales Rios in HR Derby Final
Fox News
|
Jul 10, 2007 4:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Anaheim's Vladimir Guerrero dethroned 2006 champ Ryan Howard in last night's Home Run Derby at China Basin, after a final-round sprint past Blue Jay Alex Rios. The righty needed only 3 dingers to bury Rios, who Fox speculates blew himself out with an record 12-blast second round.
Troops Storm Pakistan Mosque Compound
BBC
|
Jul 9, 2007 11:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Pakistani military stormed the Red Mosque in the early hours of Tuesday morning, a week after the army surrounded the building. Peace negotiations broke down earlier in the day, the BBC reports, after the Islamic militants holding the building demanded full amnesty in exchange for the release of the hostages held inside.
Hurricane Chief Leaves Eye of the Storm
Miami Herald
|
Jul 9, 2007 8:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza is out as of today, the Miami Herald reports, less than a week after half his staff demanded his resignation. The head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the "disruption" caused by the controversial leader "threatens the center's ability to protect the American...
2 NYPD Officers Shot
Newsday
|
Jul 9, 2007 7:48 PM CDT
(Newser) -
One NYPD officer was shot twice in the face and his partner in the left arm in an early-morning attack caught on camera, Newsday reports. The officers were shot in Brooklyn after a routine traffic check on a black BMW SUV indicated the car was stolen. At least two suspects opened fire as they approached the vehicle, leaving one officer in critical...
Bush’s Biofuels Beat Castro’s Cautions
Slate
|
Jul 9, 2007 7:33 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The feud between biofuel booster George Bush and naysayer Fidel Castro is reviewed by Slate’ s William Saletan—who says in the end Bush's position is the more progressive one. In fact he calls the erstwhile compassionate conservative a “revolutionary.” Castro argues that biofuel will take food out of mouths in poor countries...
Americans Pop Happy Pills in Record Numbers
CNN
|
Jul 9, 2007 6:28 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Antidepressants are America's most prescribed drugs, according to a new CDC report, clocking in more scripts than meds for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or asthma. Prescriptions for antidepressants rose 48% between 1995 and 2002, accounting for 118 million of the 2.4 billion drugs prescribed in 2005.
Danone Swallows Up Numico
Bloomberg
|
Jul 9, 2007 5:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
French food corp Groupe Danone put in a $16.8B cash offer to buy baby food magnate Royal Numico—at just under $75 a share, a 38% premium over last week's closing price. The acquisition will make Danone an industry leader in the baby food market and should be finalized within weeks, Bloomberg reports.
Wildfires Char the West
Associated Press
|
Jul 9, 2007 5:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The wildfires sweeping the West continued to rage today, with showers reducing the intensity of some blazes as others spread unabated. In South Dakota, cooler temperatures and rain slowed flames that had burst out of a canyon, laying waste to 30 houses and killing a homeowner. Officials in Utah blamed a fatal weekend motorcycle accident on smoke from...
Feds OK Alzheimer's Skin Patch
Associated Press
|
Jul 9, 2007 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A patch to treat symptoms of Alzheimer's disease cleared its final federal hurdle today, offering new hope to patients with the memory-sapping disorder—and the caretakers who worry about whether they're taking their meds. Exelon, which treats mild to moderate dementia, enters the bloodstream directly, regulating dosage and reducing the side effects...
IAEA Prepares for Return to Pyongyang
BBC
|
Jul 9, 2007 4:54 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The International Atomic Energy Association has approved its mission to North Korea, and could be inside the pariah nation this week, the BBC reports. Officials will oversee the closure of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, a major concession the north made in February in exchange for economic and energy aid which has already begun trickling in to Pyongyang.
Gone, Gone, Gone: Patrick Will Leave ESPN
Hollywood Reporter
|
Jul 9, 2007 4:17 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Dan Patrick, half of the team that put ESPN's "SportsCenter" on every sports fan's must-see list in its 1990s heyday, will leave the network next month. After weeks of rumors, the dry-witted anchor with the perfect hair shared the news with his radio audience this afternoon from San Francisco, says the Hollywood Reporter.
