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Newser Story Index from January, 2009

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.

Elderly Man Freezes to Death Over Unpaid Bill
Michigan Live | Jan 27, 2009 8:19 AM CST
(Newser) - A 93-year-old Michigan man who failed to pay his electricity bill froze to death in his home after the city cut his power supply, the Bay City Times reports. Marvin Schur suffered what a pathologist called "a slow painful death" from hypothermia several days after city workers installed a limiting device on his meter. Schur reportedly owed...
Mercury Found in Corn Syrup
Minneapolis Star Tribune | Jan 27, 2009 8:11 AM CST
(Newser) - A test of some of America's most popular processed foods has turned up trace amounts of mercury, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Researchers believe that the mercury, found in levels far lower than in seafood, comes from plants that use caustic soda laced with mercury to produce high-fructose corn syrup, widely used as a sweetener.
Brandeis Shuts Museum, Will Sell 6,000 Works
Boston Globe | Jan 27, 2009 8:06 AM CST
(Newser) - Facing severe budget shortfalls, Brandeis University will close its well-regarded modern art museum and sell off the entire 6,000-work collection, reports the Boston Globe . The move has shocked the art world and drawn heavy criticism from museum and university professionals. "This is not a happy day in the history of Brandeis," the...
Team Obama Nixes Citi's Private Jet Buy
Politico | Jan 27, 2009 7:58 AM CST
(Newser) - Hours after the New York Post trumpeted Citigroup's plan to go through with the purchase of $50 million, French-made private jet yesterday, Citigroup got a call from Treasury telling the bank to think again. The Obama administration has made a lot of noise about enforcing accountability on bailout funds, Politico notes, and taxpayers, with a $45...
Boy Dies 9 Years After Disneyland Ride Tragedy
Associated Press | Jan 27, 2009 7:53 AM CST
(Newser) - A boy seriously injured in a Disneyland ride has died 9 years after the accident, reports the Los Angeles Times . Brandon Zucker suffered severe brain damage and never recovered after he was crushed in a Roger Rabbit ride as a 4-year-old. A state agency determined operators failed to fasten a restraining bar over Brandon and his mom, and ordered new...
Strip Clubs Look to Score at Super Bowl
Associated Press | Jan 27, 2009 7:50 AM CST
(Newser) - The road to Super Bowl XLIII is paved with Tampa's 43 strip clubs, and their owners are expecting a bonanza, the AP reports. Some are going the extra mile to attract free-spending Super Bowl tourists, spiffing up their interiors, hiring extra dancers, and keeping doors open around the clock. Although lap dancing is banned, police seldom intervene to...
Agent, Witness in Stevens Case Had a Fling, Defense Says
Politico | Jan 27, 2009 7:36 AM CST
(Newser) - Lawyers for former Sen. Ted Stevens say the head FBI agent in his corruption case got a little too cozy with a key witness against Stevens, Politico reports. The defense lawyers cite an FBI whistleblower's memo that “strongly suggests that the inappropriate relationship” between the agent and an oilman “was sexual”—and...
Wallflower or Life of the Party? It's in Your Genes
National Geographic | Jan 27, 2009 7:31 AM CST
(Newser) - Whether a person becomes a wallflower or social butterfly and what group of friends they develop is apparently significantly affected by their genes, National Geographic reports. Scientists examined social groupings of more than 1,000 pairs of teenage twins and discovered that identical twins, who share the same genes, were much more likely to have...
Paterson's Poll Numbers Tank After Debacle With Caroline
New York Daily News | Jan 27, 2009 7:20 AM CST
(Newser) - New York Gov. David Paterson's poll numbers have hit the toilet as he grapples with a $15.8 billion deficit and reaction to his handling of the Caroline Kennedy Senate decision, reports the New York Daily News . The numbers have so spooked Paterson that he's decided to ditch his trip to the glitzy Davos summit and work at home on the budget. Paterson...
Japan Throws $16.7B Lifeline
Financial Times (UK) | Jan 27, 2009 7:03 AM CST
(Newser) - Following in the footsteps of America and Europe, Japan is offering $16.7 billion to companies threatened by the financial crisis, moving outside the banking sector to take equity stakes in smaller companies that otherwise can't find financing, the Financial Times reports. The 1.5 trillion yen package aims to stave off bankruptcies, which jumped...
Former Surgeon General Called a Shopaholic Tyrant
New York Times | Jan 27, 2009 6:40 AM CST
(Newser) - Antonia Novello, the nation's first female surgeon general, has been accused of years of abuse of power at a later job—turning her staff at New York's health department into her personal chauffeurs and assistants. As the New York Times writes, a report released today depicts Novello as a shopaholic tyrant, demanding that civil servants buy...
New York 'Mini-Madoff' Busted
Reuters | Jan 27, 2009 6:09 AM CST
(Newser) - New York police have busted a financier accused of running a Ponzi scheme, Reuters reports. Nick Cosmo—sentenced to 21 months on swindling charges in 1999—may have bilked investors of up to $380 million through his firm Agape World, which claimed to make high-interest bridge loans, according to authorities. Police had to escort Cosmo from...
Centuries of Trouble Already Locked In by Warming
NPR | Jan 27, 2009 5:38 AM CST
(Newser) - The damage from global warming will continue for centuries even if emissions could possibly be brought under control immediately, warns one of the world's leading climate experts. The heat and carbon dioxide being soaked up by the world's oceans now will be released regardless of what's done to mitigate the disaster, causing "an irreversible change...
Mom Delivers 8 Babies
Associated Press | Jan 27, 2009 5:03 AM CST
(Newser) - A woman using fertility drugs has given birth to octuplets in a Los Angeles area hospital, reports the Los Angeles Times. It's only the second time in US history that eight babies have survived a multiple delivery. Doctors only expected seven babies and were surprised by the eighth. “My eyes got to be the size of saucers,” said one of...
Silicon Valley Town Bans Smoking at Home
New York Times | Jan 27, 2009 4:40 AM CST
(Newser) - A California town has passed legislation that will push many smokers out of their last remaining indoor sanctuary—their home, the New York Times reports. Belmont's law—believed to be the nation's toughest—bans smoking in any residence that shares a floor or ceiling with another. Officials credit the law to the efforts of a stubborn...
Roddick Moves to Semis as Djokovic Quits
Times (UK) | Jan 27, 2009 4:17 AM CST
(Newser) - Andy Roddick moved to the semifinals of the Australian Open after opponent Novak Djokovic quit in the middle of the fourth set. After taking the first set in a tiebreaker, the defending champion lost the next two to Roddick before calling a doctor and retiring the match at 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 2-1. Djokovic blamed the 97° heat, reports the Times of...
Israeli Soldier Killed in Gaza Border Attack
BBC | Jan 27, 2009 3:51 AM CST
(Newser) - An Israeli soldier has been killed and three wounded by an explosion along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, reports the BBC. The attack appeared to have been carried out by militants in a breach of last week's ceasefire declaration, although no group has claimed responsibility, according to Palestinian authorities. A Palestinian was later killed...
'We Are Not Your Enemy,' Prez Tells Muslims
Times (UK) | Jan 27, 2009 3:24 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama reassured the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy" in his first formal TV interview as president, presented on an English-language Arabic news channel. The president pledged that he would "get engaged right away" on Middle Eastern issues and repeated his campaign promise to travel to a major Muslim...
Slowdown Scraps Busboy Jobs
Wall Street Journal | Jan 27, 2009 2:53 AM CST
(Newser) - Plates are piling up on restaurant tables across America as full-service eateries seek to save cash by axing busboys, reports the Wall Street Journal . Servers take food orders, then scramble to clear tables, fill bread baskets, scrape plates and perform all the other tasks once done by bussers. The change has mostly gone smoothly, although diners...
Trust Fund Teens TP Madoff Mansion
Palm Beach Post | Jan 27, 2009 2:21 AM CST
(Newser) - Pranksters whose future fortunes were battered by accused swindler Bernard Madofff festooned his tony Palm Beach digs with toilet paper over the weekend, reports the Palm Beach Post . Teenage boys called the newspaper to claim responsibility for the guerrilla tactic and blasted Madoff for wiping out their trust funds. The toilet paper was gone by...
Fake Deaths May Force Changes in Wikipedia
Wired | Jan 27, 2009 1:57 AM CST
(Newser) - The greatly exaggerated deaths of Sens. Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy last week on Wikipedia has sparked a push for a radical change in how the site's information is edited, Wired reports. The edits, traditionally open to all users, gave the false impression that both lawmakers had died. Founder Jimmy Wales is calling for "flagged revisions"...
Jacko Plans Broadway Thriller
E! Online | Jan 26, 2009 9:08 PM CST
(Newser) - The Gloved One is planning a comeback on Broadway, E! Online reports. After years of promising a return to showbiz, Michael Jackson has agreed to stage a musical based on his smash record, Thriller . He will supervise "every aspect of the creative process," a rep says, allowing producers to use songs from his 1982 pop masterpiece and his...
Rove Slapped With Another Subpoena
USA Today | Jan 26, 2009 8:40 PM CST
(Newser) - House Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers subpoenaed Karl Rove today to testify about alleged politicization of the Justice Department, USA Today reports. Subpoenaed for the first time last Congress, Rove claimed executive privilege and refused to show. Conyers said that unlike former President Bush, President Obama does not support immunity...
Day 1 of Blago Trial Wraps Up
Chicago Tribune | Jan 26, 2009 8:06 PM CST
(Newser) - The first day of Rod Blagojevich’s impeachment trial in the Illinois Senate has ended after testimony from only one witness, the Chicago Tribune reports. Former federal prosecutor John Scully described how agents built a criminal case against the governor, approving wiretaps and bugs after a rigorous vetting process. “The seeking of this...
Turbine Plan Near Kennedy Home Puts Obama in a Bind
National Review | Jan 26, 2009 7:38 PM CST
(Newser) - Ted Kennedy's desire for a sweet Cape Cod view will test Obama’s commitment to green energy, Jim Geraghty writes for the National Review . Kennedy has been trying to stop Cape Wind, a plan to install turbines near the Kennedy compound. An Interior Department review approved the project, but admitted that it will "have an adverse visual...
Senate Approves Delay for Switch to Digital TV
Associated Press | Jan 26, 2009 7:03 PM CST
(AP) - People who have not gotten their TV sets ready for the changeover to digital signals could earn a 4-month reprieve under a bill making its way through Congress, the AP reports. The Senate voted today to delay until June 12 the deadline for the changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting. People still getting their pictures through...
55-Year-Old Singer Leaves Pop Tarts in the Dust
New Republic | Jan 26, 2009 6:40 PM CST
(Newser) - Beyoncé and Taylor Swift ought to get real and hear 55-year-old songstress Lucinda Williams, David Hajdu writes in the New Republic . Reviewing albums by all three, Hajdu dismisses Beyoncé's "bipolar" attempt to drum up musical personas, and warns Swift against such concoctions as her star rises. Williams' album, Little Honey...
Obama Already Stressed Out?
Chicago Tribune | Jan 26, 2009 6:15 PM CST
(Newser) - Crises at home and abroad seem to be taking a toll on President Obama already—at least through the lens of Mad Magazine ’s cartoonists. The current issue depicts a stressed-out president—ashtray full, antacid flowing—poring over screaming headlines and classified reports. “The only thing the artist missed,” Frank...
Ambulance Driver Charged in Travolta Extortion Plot
E! Online | Jan 26, 2009 5:55 PM CST
(Newser) - Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, the second of three suspects held in the John Travolta extortion case, pleaded not guilty today to conspiracy charges in the Bahamas, E! Online reports. Lightbourne had driven Jett Travolta to a hospital the day he died. The paramedic is being held without bail; a prosecutor says his release could compromise the search...
Senate OKs Geithner as Treasury Secretary
Associated Press | Jan 26, 2009 5:41 PM CST
(AP) - The Senate confirmed New York Fed chief Timothy Geithner to be President Barack Obama's secretary of the treasury today, the AP reports. The 60-34 vote puts Geithner at the helm of Obama's plan to rescue the economy from the worst financial crisis in three generations. It also dislodges one of Obama's most troubled nominations.
'Breastaurants' Booming as Economy Tanks
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Jan 26, 2009 5:23 PM CST
(Newser) - Many restaurateurs are struggling these days, but Hooters and a new crop of imitators are seeing their clientele increase, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Hooters revenues went up 2% from 2007 to 2008, and while the chain is secure—“We’re not looking over our shoulders,” said exec Michael McNeil—savvy entrepreneurs...
Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail
Indianapolis Star | Jan 26, 2009 4:50 PM CST
(Newser) - Cursive may become a thing of the past as schools pressed for time focus their attention on science and reading, the Indianapolis Star reports. Cursive is still widely taught, but the emphasis has shifted from writing beautifully to writing efficiently as wider use of computers has also edged out cursive’s traditional role.
The Worst Super Bowl Chumps
Fox Sports | Jan 26, 2009 4:32 PM CST
(Newser) - With the big game set for Sunday, Fox Sports remembers the 10 worst Super Bowl performances. A sampling: Tony Eason, Patriots, Super Bowl XX: The ’85 Bears were a defense to be feared, and Eason crumbled before them. He was benched in the second after going 0 for 6 passing with one fumble. Craig Morton, Broncos, Super Bowl XII: Morton...
In Case Pen Is No Mightier, Russian Journos Want Guns
Der Spiegel | Jan 26, 2009 4:15 PM CST
(Newser) - The murders of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and reporter Anastasia Baburova last week are only the latest to strike the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, and show just how costly freedom of the press still is in Russia, Der Spiegel reports. Investigative reporters are likely to make so many enemies—from members of the military to corrupt politicians,...
Drum Major Suspended for Nodding at Obama
Cleveland Plain Dealer | Jan 26, 2009 4:00 PM CST
(Newser) - A Cleveland man who marched as drum major with a firefighters band in last week’s inaugural parade has been suspended for a nod and a wave he gave to President Obama, the Plain Dealer reports. “This was a military parade. Protocol and proper decorum had to be followed at all times,” the bandleader said. John Coleman sees it differently....
'Sir Richard, What Is That White Stuff?'
Telegraph (UK) | Jan 26, 2009 3:46 PM CST
(Newser) - Sir Richard Branson personally responded to a “constructive if tongue-in-cheek” complaint letter from a Virgin Atlantic passenger, reprinted in the Telegraph . The beleaguered (and unnamed) flyer likened the dining experience to an awful Christmas morning. “You open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster...
Obama 'Wants Me to Fail': Limbaugh
New York Post | Jan 26, 2009 3:30 PM CST
(Newser) - The verbal back-and-forth between Barack Obama and Rush Limbaugh continued today, as the talk-show host shot back at the president for comments he made last week, the New York Post reports. Obama is “not a unifier and not bipartisan,” Limbaugh said, and “wants me to fail.” Obama had told GOP leaders, “You can’t...
25 People Responsible for the Crisis
Guardian (UK) | Jan 26, 2009 3:25 PM CST
(Newser) - The current recession is a wholly man-made phenomenon, the Guardian reminds us, and they’ve got the names of those responsible. Here are four from their list of 25: Alan Greenspan: Fed chair for 19 years, Greenspan kept interest rates low as the housing bubble developed, backed subprime lending and variable interest rate mortgages, and...
Dow Ticks Up 38 Amid Layoffs
Wall Street Journal | Jan 26, 2009 3:16 PM CST
(Newser) - Stocks closed with mild gains today even as US firms announced roughly 50,000 job cuts, the Wall Street Journal reports. The market was buoyed by a report that home sales are picking up as buyers take advantage of low prices. The Dow closed up 38.47 at 8,116.03. The Nasdaq gained 12.17 to close at 1,489.46, and the S&P 500 rose 4.62, settling...
Georgia Peanut Plant Has History of Health Violations
New York Times | Jan 26, 2009 3:08 PM CST
(Newser) - The Georgia plant at the center of an expanding recall of peanut products has a history of health violations, the New York Times reports. The salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 500 nationwide came from the Blakely facility cited in 2006 and 2007 for dirty surfaces and a variety of other contamination issues.
How Obama Can Rebuild the Arts
Art Newspaper | Jan 26, 2009 2:50 PM CST
(Newser) - Despite the economic crisis, Barack Obama’s ascension to the White House is triggering a wave of optimism in the art community, David A. Ross writes in the Art Newspaper.  He prescribes 10 “first steps” the president can take to re-establish serious support for arts in the United States:    Rebuild the Arts...
Dem Lobbyists Leave K Street For Capitol
Politico | Jan 26, 2009 2:37 PM CST
(Newser) - President Obama’s tough anti-lobbying policies have Democrats headed for Capitol Hill, Politico reports. “Any Democrat worth their salt in this town wants to go work for the administration,” one lobbyist says. “But they’re just not talking to us.” Because Obama has strict policies against hiring lobbyists, many plan...
Recession Hits Law Firms
Wall Street Journal | Jan 26, 2009 2:18 PM CST
(Newser) - Law firms, once thought to be better able than most to weather sour economies, are finding themselves in a tough spot these days, the Wall Street Journal reports. While bankruptcy practices are holding steady, business in litigation has fallen off steeply as corporate clients settle instead of writing checks to firms. Across the industry, profits...
Rourke Will Wrestle Off-Screen
Wrestling Online | Jan 26, 2009 2:02 PM CST
(Newser) - Mickey Rourke will take his character from The Wrestler to the off-screen world of pro wrestling, Wrestling Online reports. Rourke will appear at WrestleMania 25 in Houston on April 5, challenging star Chris Jericho. “The boys from the WWE called me and asked me to do it,” Rourke said. “Chris Jericho, you better get in shape. Because...
'Friends of Amanda' Throw Benefit for Accused Killer
West Seattle Herald | Jan 26, 2009 1:51 PM CST
(Newser) - She’s been called a femme fatale, but for the people who came to her legal defense benefit in Seattle this weekend, Amanda Knox is a victim. “Amanda would be amazed at this overwhelming turnout of support,” her mother tells the West Seattle Herald . About 120 people showed up, each willing to donate $100 toward Knox’s efforts...
Babs Backs Holder for AG
Politico | Jan 26, 2009 1:33 PM CST
(Newser) - Barbra Streisand is using her star power to push for the speedy confirmation of Eric Holder as attorney general, Politico reports. In a letter, Babs asks like-minded people to sign a petition supporting a man who is “committed to liberty, the rule of law, and our constitutional rights.” And she squeezes in an across-the-aisle dig. “We...
Belgian Daycare Attack Suspect Linked to 2nd Killing
Reuters | Jan 26, 2009 1:27 PM CST
(Newser) - Police in Belgium have linked Kim De Gelder, the man charged with killing two children and a woman at a daycare last week, with an earlier murder, Reuters reports. DNA evidence suggests that De Gelder stabbed an elderly woman to death in a nearby town a week before he turned his knife on children and staff at the crèche. He is apparently beginning...
Veep's 'Lair' Reappears on Google
Gawker | Jan 26, 2009 1:11 PM CST
(Newser) - When Dick Cheney was vice-president, his official residence was blurred on Google Maps. But the week Joe Biden moved in, the Naval Observatory suddenly became visible, Gawker reports. Many had noticed the isolated pixelation of Cheney’s address, including Maureen Dowd: “You can view satellite photos of the White House, the Pentagon, and...
Oprah: 'I Could Be Senator, I'm Just Not Interested'
ABC News | Jan 26, 2009 1:06 PM CST
(Newser) - Oprah was “amused” by the news that Rod Blagojevich had considered naming her to Obama’s Senate seat—but would not have been interested, ABC News reports. “Absolutely not,” Winfrey said in an interview this morning, citing the demands of managing her media empire. “I think I could be senator, too,” she...
Illinois Senate Convenes Blago Impeachment Trial
Associated Press | Jan 26, 2009 12:52 PM CST
(AP) - The Illinois Senate has convened a historic impeachment trial that will determine whether Gov. Rod Blagojevich is removed from office, the AP reports. Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald began the trial today by reminding senators that they face "a solemn and serious business." They will consider charges that the Democratic governor tried...
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