Newser Story Index from October, 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.
Rahm Leads List of DC Power Hitters
GQ
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Oct 16, 2009 3:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Scratch the names Obama and Biden from the list and it's Rahm Emanuel who carries the most clout in a city packed with power-brokers, according to a GQ poll of Washington insiders. The "ruthlessly pragmatic" White House chief of staff is a lot more than just a gatekeeper to the president, GQ notes. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates—"the...
Enough Already! Stop Trying to Grow Government
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 16, 2009 3:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Obama administration hasn't just misjudged the national mood by trying to push through health care reform in the middle of a recession, it's misjudged the whole era we're living in, writes Peggy Noonan. This isn't the '30s, when income tax was new and the federal government was still lean, or the '60s, when there was plenty of room to expand social...
'Mini Coliseum' Unearthed Near Rome
CNN
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Oct 16, 2009 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Archaelogists excavating the ancient port that served Rome in the days of the Roman Empire have found the remains of a smaller-scale version of the Coliseum next to an imperial palace. Statues and many other archeological treasures have been found at Portus, which lies a mile from Rome's airport. The find was made possible with sensors and other high-tech...
Taliban: Italy Paid Us Protection Money
Times (UK)
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Oct 16, 2009 3:17 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Italian secret services bribed the Taliban not to attack Italian forces in Afghanistan, according to both a Taliban commander and senior officials in the Afghan government. The accusations have sparked fury in France, which lost 10 soldiers in an ambush after taking over a district east of Kabul from the Italians. The French had misjudged the safety...
Disney Grumpy About 'Ho White' Ads
Daily Telegraph (Australia)
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Oct 16, 2009 2:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Once upon a time an Aussie ale company ad turned Snow White into "Ho White," and made Disney officials as angry as wicked witches. The not-so-virginal disheveled beauty blows smoke rings in bed with her little naked buddies including Filthy, Smarmy and Randy in the controversial ad for Jamieson's Raspberry Ale. The tagline on the art that...
Feds Tear Into Ticketmaster Merger
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 16, 2009 1:41 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Concerned Justice Department are considering blocking a deal that would create a music industry behemoth—unless major concessions are made. Antitrust officials are worried about the effect the proposed Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger would have on consumer cost and may require the companies to make major concessions, insiders tell the Wall Street...
5 Guilty of Plotting Aussie Terror Attacks
The Australian
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Oct 16, 2009 1:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Five men have been convicted of conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks in Australia using guns and home-made explosives. The men, busted in raids in Sydney, were accused of plotting attacks to force the government to change its Middle East policy. One of the men trained at a terror camp in Pakistan while others prepared for holy war at training...
Phillies Outslug LA in Game 1
MLB.com
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Oct 15, 2009 11:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A three-run home run from Raul Ibañez in the eighth inning tonight gave the visiting Philadelphia Phillies the margin they needed to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-6, and take the first game in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series. The defending-champion Phillies twice saw the Dodgers eat into four-run leads, making the late...
Web Quick to Churn Out Balloon Boy Souvenir
Mashable
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Oct 15, 2009 10:30 PM CDT
(Newser) -
As if anyone doubted the internet-meme potential of today’s Colorado balloon episode … well, there’s a T-shirt for that. Internet entrepreneurs are already on Zazzle.com with a cartoon of the craft at one point thought to be carrying 6-year-old Falcon Heene, with the caption “Go Falcon, Go!” Just $17.95, plus shipping,...
9-Year-Old to Obama: 'Why Do People Hate You?'
AFP
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Oct 15, 2009 9:45 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama took some heat today in New Orleans for continued slow progress in rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina, but perhaps the most pointed question he got all day came from a 9-year-old. “Why do people hate you?” Tyren Scott asked Obama, microphone in hand, during a public meeting. “They’re supposed to love you. God...
Mexico City Puts 1,300 Cops on a Diet
AFP
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Oct 15, 2009 9:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With seven of every 10 members of its force obese, Mexico City’s police department is putting some 1,300 cops on a diet. They were put on scales in public today, and given advice for dieting in a city known for its street food, AFP reports.
Balloon Boy: 'I Thought I Would Get In Trouble'
Denver Post
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Oct 15, 2009 8:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Colorado 6-year-old we all thought we were watching in that balloon today was hiding in the family attic after his dad yelled at him for getting in a box of batteries. “He scared me, and he yelled at me,” Falcon Heene told a jammed news conference. “That’s why I went into the attic because I thought I would get in trouble.”...
Sweat-Lodge Deaths Seen as Homicide
Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
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Oct 15, 2009 8:05 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Authorities are now treating as homicide the two deaths during a sweat-lodge ritual in Arizona last week, with the self-help guru who was in charge of the proceedings being called a “person of interest.” Investigators have found “indications” the deaths weren’t accidental, but wouldn’t explain. They searched the...
Louisiana Judge Won't Marry Interracial Couple
Associated Press
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Oct 15, 2009 7:29 PM CDT
(AP) -
A justice of the peace in rural Louisiana says he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long. "I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell says....
School Volunteering Stresses Parents Out
Boston Globe
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Oct 15, 2009 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
With school budgets slashed because of the weak economy, parents are feeling more pressure than ever to volunteer. About 64% of parents surveyed by Harris Interactive say they believe it's more important than ever to pitch in, with 53%—far more than last year— saying they planned to do just that. But this self-inflicted pressure also seems...
Green Spaces Make You Healthier
HealthDay News
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Oct 15, 2009 6:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
People who live close to parks or other “green spaces” are likely to be healthier, a new study suggests. Dutch researchers scoured the health records of 345,000 people, comparing their health status to the amount of green space in the surrounding area, from a half-mile to 2-mile radius. Of 24 health conditions—including cardiovascular,...
Phelps to Competition: Lose the Speed Suits
Washington Post
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Oct 15, 2009 5:55 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Michael Phelps challenged his competitors at the upcoming FINA/Arena World Cup meets to race without the full-body technical suits recently banned by swimming authorities for providing an unfair advantage in speed. The ban doesn’t go into effect until January, but Phelps said he was “getting ready for where the sport is going,” by...
Missing Boy Is Fine: He Was Hiding in Garage
Associated Press
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Oct 15, 2009 5:27 PM CDT
(AP) -
A 6-year-old Colorado boy thought to have floated off in a helium balloon has been found safe at his home—hiding in a cardboard box in the garage attic. Sheriff Jim Alderman turned to reporters during a news conference and gave a thumbs up. "He's at the house." Falcon Heene was apparently hiding there the entire time a frantic rescue...
30 Rock in Danger of Growing Stale
The Onion (A.V. Club)
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Oct 15, 2009 4:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tina Fey and crew return tonight with the season premiere of 30 Rock , and critics are worried that the show is losing its edge: Todd VanDerWerff, AV Club: "30 Rock is still nowhere near a bad show, but it risks turning into a show where one-dimensional people spend a lot of time shouting at each other." Robert Bianco,...
Limbaugh Blames 'Race Hustlers' for Failed Bid
Bloomberg
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Oct 15, 2009 4:35 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Rush Limbaugh blamed the NFL players' union, pressure from "race hustlers" such as Al Sharpton, and unfair media coverage for his failed bid at NFL ownership, reports Bloomberg. He also said Dave Checketts—the man who organized the bid—cleared Limbaugh's name with "people at the highest level" of the NFL before...
Search On for Balloon's Missing Box
Associated Press
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Oct 15, 2009 4:15 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A troubling twist in the search for 6-year-old Falcon Heene, thought to have floated away in his father's homemade balloon near Denver: He may have crawled into a box attached to the bottom of the balloon before it accidentally lifted off from his family's back yard. That box wasn't attached to the craft when it touched down about 3:30pm, raising fears...
Obama Vows Not to Repeat Katrina Mistakes
Bloomberg
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Oct 15, 2009 3:46 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama promised not to repeat the mistakes the Bush administration made responding to Hurricane Katrina. Speaking to residents of New Orleans' lower 9th ward, Obama said the Katrina disaster was caused not just by “nature, but by a failure of government." By improving communication among state, local, and federal disaster agencies,...
Fake Lottery Winner Causes Store Ruckus
Columbus Dispatch
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Oct 15, 2009 3:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
An Ohio woman may be charged with inciting panic after telling a store full of shoppers that she had won the lottery and was treating. Police had to show up at the Burlington Coat Factory to put down the ruckus when word got out, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The 45-year-old hadn't actually won the lottery, but don’t blame the shoppers for...
Dow Rises 41 Points
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 15, 2009 3:16 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A rally in crude oil lifted shares of energy firms and saved stocks from a tech-driven slump. Oil rose $2.40 to $77.55 a barrel, boosting the likes of Chevron and Exxon. Google and IBM both saw losses as traders bet against the firms ahead of their third-quarter earnings reports. The Dow rose 47 points to close at 10,063. The Nasdaq added 1 point,...
Tracy Morgan: Book Opened 'Old Wounds'
Time
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Oct 15, 2009 2:51 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Tracy Morgan wrote his upcoming memoir I Am the New Black “because they gave me a big bag of money,” he says, adding that it took him two years to complete because“it was a lot of old wounds reopened,” he tells Time . “It was a lot of me going back to my father, my mother, what we had to go through living and growing...
Errant Balloon Lands, But Boy Missing
Associated Press
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Oct 15, 2009 2:41 PM CDT
(AP) -
A 6-year-old boy is missing after he supposedly floated away in his father's homemade balloon over the skies of Denver. The craft came down about 3:30pm, after two hours in the air, but the youngster wasn't inside. His fate remains unclear, and it's possible that he fell out during its flight or before it lifted off—or that he never got in the...
Palin Memoir a Gift to Booksellers
Wall Street Journal
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Oct 15, 2009 2:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Sarah Palin’s memoir is expected sell so well that it will singlehandedly boost the fortunes of the ailing book business. The book is already topping preorder lists, and publisher Harper plans an extensive slate of promotional appearances to make full use the former Alaska governor's drawing power. "They may feel one way or another about...
Garth Brooks Unretires
Tennessean
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Oct 15, 2009 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Garth Brooks is officially out of retirement—whatever that means. The 47-year-old singer announced his return to great fanfare at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry today. “It’s a proud day for me and my family,” Brooks declared. But coming out of retirement doesn’t mean Brooks will be recording a new album, or even touring....
Most of Nobel Panel Objected to Obama Pick
Reuters
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Oct 15, 2009 2:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama's Nobel Prize was a tough sell for the chairman of the committee that awarded the honor, with three of the five members initially opposing his selection, anonymous sources tell a Norwegian newspaper. They were persuaded mainly by chairman Thorbjoern Jagland, who strongly backed Obama from the beginning. The members agreed that Obama...
The Last Word in Roman Polanski Commentary
Nation
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Oct 15, 2009 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The debate raging over Roman Polanski—hairsplitting over the definitions of guilt, genius, and rape, among other pertinent terms—has been missing one thing: verse. Veteran journalist and author Calvin Trillin dons his poet hat to take up the slack, devastatingly. His latest contribution to the Nation 's "Deadline Poet" feature...
Fox Apologizes for Jessica Simpson Weight Jokes
Us Weekly
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Oct 15, 2009 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Fox sucked it up and apologized for an NFL Sunday skit in which cartoon versions of the Dallas Cowboys made fun of Jessica Simpson’s weight. “Upon reflection, our poor attempt at humor was insensitive,” Fox said in a statement to US Weekly . It also pointed out that segment sponsor Burger King “did not have any editorial...
Pulitzer Winner Nan Robertson Dead at 83
New York Times
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Oct 15, 2009 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Nan Robertson died yesterday at 83, apparently of heart disease. Robertson is best known for a vivid recounting of her battle with toxic shock syndrome in the Times Magazine , which netted her the Pulitzer in 1983, and The Girls in the Balcony , a book about women at the paper fighting for equality...
Ginsburg Hospitalized Again
Washington Post
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Oct 15, 2009 1:09 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is out of the hospital after suffering an adverse reaction to medication last night. While waiting for takeoff on a plane bound for London, Ginsburg because extremely drowsy and fell from her seat because of a reaction between a prescription sleeping aid and an OTC cold medication, the Washington Post reports. It was the 76-year-old...
Japanese 'Bust Up Bra' an Overnight Sensation
Tokyo Times
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Oct 15, 2009 12:58 PM CDT
(Newser) -
All sorts of Japanese products, from “biscuits and beverages to rather bizarre rack rearranging rollers,” claim to give women larger or more pleasingly shaped breasts, Lee Chapman blogs for Tokyo Times . But those probably all take effort , you cry. Enter the “Sleeping Bust Up Bra,” which allows “the wearer to practically...
Man Jailed for Encouraging 3-Year-Old to Smoke
Guardian (UK)
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Oct 15, 2009 12:41 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A UK man received 18 months in prison today for handing a 3-year-old girl a lit cigarette and encouraging her to smoke it—and inhale. He then asked a 14-year-old girl to record the event with her camera phone. In the video, the 31-year-old man can be heard laughing, “believing it to be a bit of a joke,” according to his defense attorney....
IT Firm Puts Autism to Work
Independent (UK)
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Oct 15, 2009 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
A Danish entrepreneur—and father of a son with autism—has figured out a profitable way to serve the needs of blue chip companies and the underemployed members of the autism community. Thorkil Sonne’s company, Specialisterne, does repetitive software testing, turning its employees’ disability into an asset. “This is not...
Men More Likely to Abandon Sick Partners
Times (UK)
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Oct 15, 2009 12:11 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Relationships fail seven times more often when illness strikes the female partner than when it strikes the man. Researchers don't know why, but theories abound: “There is an immediate shift in a relationship when an illness is diagnosed,” a counselor tells the Times of London. Gender roles change more radically for men when partners become...
10 Days Is Enough of the French Lifestyle
DoubleX
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Oct 15, 2009 12:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Finding herself in Paris for the fall—and wearing sweatpants and a holey T-shirt to the local bakery, as opposed to the French uniform of ankle boots and a mini-dress—Marisa Meltzer decided it was the ideal time to try following the advice of Mireille Guiliano, author of the French Women series on diet, style, and business. The 10-day...
Some UK Tabloid Stories Are Fake: Documentary
Guardian (UK)
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Oct 15, 2009 11:45 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The upcoming British documentary Starsuckers proves what we’ve always suspected: Tabloids—at least, UK tabloids—will print just about anything, including “complete and utter babble,” the director tells the Guardian . Among the fake stories he got published—and, often, reprinted around the world: Avril Lavigne...
Microsoft Recovers Nearly All Lost Sidekick Data
TechCrunch
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Oct 15, 2009 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It turns out Sidekick users will get “most if not all” of their data back, Microsoft announced today. The company now believes that only a minority of users were affected by the blackout. Until now, the company had painted a much bleaker picture, saying Saturday that though it would try to restore the data, “the likelihood of a successful...
Rush Got Bum Rap on Racist Slurs
FiveThirtyEight
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Oct 15, 2009 11:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Rush Limbaugh is getting such a raw deal in the media that even Nate Silver—who got his start on the Daily Kos—has come to his defense. Lately CNN and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch have repeated racist statements that appear to be "completely made up," Silver writes. Rush denies saying them, and though the quotes appear in a book...
How to Kill the Chamber of Commerce...
Slate
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Oct 15, 2009 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Chamber of Commerce's outrageous stand against action on global warming, which has spurred a number of huge corporations to drop out, is not an anomaly, says Eliot Spitzer. From environmental protection to deregulation to fiscal policy to health care reform, it’s always on the wrong side of history, he writes. "And its “view of...
NYC Pol Highlights Interracial Marriage—and Wins
Politico
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Oct 15, 2009 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Bill de Blasio's victory in the Democratic primary to be New York City's public advocate is a knock at the door of another racial hurdle. De Blasio’s wife is black, and his children interracial, a fact made clear in campaign ads and mailings. "For so long in American history, interracial couples went out of their way to keep their relationships...
Facebook Refuseniks Still Sorta Use It
Washington Post
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Oct 15, 2009 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The Washington Post today profiles an increasingly rare breed: people in their 20s and 30s who don't use Facebook or other such sites. And though the “refuseniks” interviewed have different rationales—privacy, “morals and beliefs,” being “old-school in the personal touch way,” many share something in common...
Meghan McCain Gets Racy on Twitter
Detroit Free Press
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Oct 15, 2009 10:46 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Meghan McCain’s latest “controversy” is over a picture of herself—one particular part of herself being more prominent than anything else—she posted on Twitter last night. The photo (at left) is being alternately slammed and defended by commenters, the Detroit Free Press reports. Arguably the best comment of the bunch:...
Libraries Embrace E-Book Lending
New York Times
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Oct 15, 2009 10:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
More than 1 million e-books books were checked out of libraries this year—25% more than all of last year—as libraries offer more and more digital lending. Borrowers can check the book out online—obviating the trip to the library—and can read them on a computer or Sony Reader. Only one borrower per book at a time, and the e-book...
Lilo: I Didn't Know About the Pasties
People
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Oct 15, 2009 10:19 AM CDT
(Newser) -
How in the world can Lindsay Lohan justify the inclusion of pasties in her fashion line for Ungaro? Easy. “I wasn’t aware of the nipple tassels on the girls until they were walking out,” she tells People . As for the general disaster that was the rest of the show, she blames it on “coming in so late and having not that much...
Paris to PETA: Pig Better Off With Me Than as Bacon
Us Weekly
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Oct 15, 2009 9:52 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Paris Hilton is still squealing with excitement over her new miniature piglet—“It’s a girl!” she tells Us —but she’s not pleased with PETA, which called her a “wretched example” for treating her pets “as disposable.” Not true, the heiress says: “I treat my pets like children. I think...
Afghan War Costs US $3.6B Per Month
The Hill
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Oct 15, 2009 9:36 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Waging a war in Afghanistan ain’t cheap. The US is spending roughly $3.6 billion a month there, according to data from the Congressional Research Service, and that number is likely to rise precipitously as the Obama administration sends more troops. That estimate is based on 51,000 troops; Obama is already planning to bump that to 68,000, and...
Medic: Travolta Offered $15M to Hush
New York Daily News
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Oct 15, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Jett Travolta was “dead, d-e-a-d, dead” before the ambulance arrived, Bahamian paramedic Tarino Lightbourne testified yesterday—adding that it was the Travoltas’ lawyer who offered him $15 million to destroy a “Refusal of Transport/Treatment” document signed by the actor. The paramedic is charged along with a former...
