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Newser Story Index from March, 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.

Plans for Clean Energy Get Dirty in Transmission
Salon | Mar 23, 2009 3:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Plans to green the US power supply are in full swing, with the Obama administration working toward the goal of doubling the current supply of alternative energy over the next 3 years. But, some complain, power companies are using the popularity of green power to push through a needless—but highly profitable—expansion of the transmission...
7 Kids Among Montana Crash Dead
Associated Press | Mar 23, 2009 3:42 PM CDT
(AP) - Three California families headed to a retreat for the ultrarich were among the 14 victims of a plane crash in Montana. The three families, with seven children all 9 or younger, made up the 13 passengers; also dead in the crash was the pilot. The families were traveling to the Yellowstone Club near Yellowstone National Park for a skiing vacation.
US Tolerance, Not Abuse, Breeds Gitmo Terrorists
Politico | Mar 23, 2009 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - When a January Pentagon report revealed that 61 ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees had engaged in terrorist activities, commentators wondered if Gitmo was breeding terrorists. And it has, Guantanamo proponent Gary Bauer writes for Politico, but not, as liberals assume, because it’s so brutal and repressive. Guantanamo is actually so sensitive to detainees’...
This March, Not Madness But Predictability
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 3:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - After the “four-day basketball binge that each year makes up one of the best stretches in American sports,” the results are a little, well, boring, Pete Thamel writes in the New York Times . “The tournament has been as predictable as a 401(k)’s decline or Jim Nantz’s trying too hard to romanticize a story line.”...
Dow Rockets Nearly 500 Points
Wall Street Journal | Mar 23, 2009 3:18 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks locked in big gains today with the rally sparked by the rollout of the Treasury’s financial rescue plan, the Wall Street Journal reports. Financials led advances, with Citigroup and Bank of America up 24% and 19%, respectively. The Dow jumped 497.48 to 7,775.86. The Nasdaq rose 98.50 to 1,555.77, and the S&P 500 gained 54.38, settling...
Congo Con Joins Madoff Victims' Chorus ... Sorta
Talking Points Memo | Mar 23, 2009 3:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - The federal prosecutors collecting testimonials from victims of Bernard Madoff for the judge slated to sentence him don’t appear to have been too discerning, Josh Marshall reports for Talking Points Memo, after a standard-issue “African businessman” spam email made it into the pile. And though the promised $3.5 million would no doubt...
FDA Ordered to Relax Age Rules on Morning-After Pill
Washington Post | Mar 23, 2009 3:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - A federal judge today ordered the Food and Drug Administration to immediately relax age restrictions on the morning-after contraception pill, and reconsider whether there should be any restrictions at all, the Washington Post reports. Since 2005, the pill has been available without a prescription only to women over 18; within 30 days, that age must...
Tokyo Accident Latest for Much-Derided Plane
Wall Street Journal | Mar 23, 2009 2:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - A notoriously finicky airplane may have contributed to the Tokyo crash that killed two American FedEx pilots today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is believed to handle poorly in high winds, which were reported at the time of the crash. Though problems with the flight-control systems were addressed by the company nearly...
Obama's Econ Board Doesn't Look So Transparent
Politico | Mar 23, 2009 2:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - When Barack Obama announced his Paul Volcker-led economic advisory board, he said it would meet every 2 weeks. Six weeks later it still hasn’t met, and isn’t planning on doing so until “late spring”—at least not publicly. Board members hint that some are meeting in private, Politico reports, which raises questions about...
Williams' Heart Surgery a Success: Docs
People | Mar 23, 2009 2:40 PM CDT
(Newser) - Surgery last week on actor Robin Williams’ heart “went extremely well,” doctors said today. The 3½-hour procedure corrected an irregular rhythm and replaced a valve, People reports. “A couple hours after surgery, he was entertaining the medical team and making us all laugh,” said the doctor, who expects Williams...
High-Concept Sonnambula Misses at Met
New Yorker | Mar 23, 2009 2:35 PM CDT
(Newser) - Most operas weave pretty far-fetched tales, but that isn't license for directors to retell them in ironic or mocking ways, Alex Ross writes in the New Yorker . Reviewing two recent productions at the Met, Ross hails a faithful staging of Verdi's Il Trovatore —but dismisses a high-concept version of Bellini's La Sonnambula that ignores the...
Israeli Military Condemns Troops' T-Shirts
Associated Press | Mar 23, 2009 2:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Israel Defense Forces today came out against a series of outrage-inducing T-shirts worn by its soldiers, the AP reports. The shirts, first reported by Haaretz , featured crude jokes about killing Palestinians—one depicts a child in cross-hairs along with the slogan, “The smaller they are, the harder it is,” while another shows...
Peas Fight Kidney Disease, High Blood Pressure
Telegraph (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser) - Concentrated doses of the proteins found in garden peas can help fight high blood pressure and chronic kidney disease, a study finds. “In people with high blood pressure, our protein could potentially delay or prevent the onset of kidney damage,” the study’s author tells the Telegraph . For patients with kidney disease, the extract—called...
Oakland Cop-Killer Had Long Rap Sheet
Inside Bay Area (Oakland) | Mar 23, 2009 1:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - The man responsible for the deaths of four Oakland police officers over the weekend had an extensive criminal history, the Tribune reports. Lovelle Mixon, 26, spent 5 years in prison for a 2002 assault with a firearm. After he was paroled, he was a suspect in a 2007 murder; though police couldn’t make the case, he was sent back to prison for...
Latest Redoubt Eruption Sends Ash 11 Miles Up
Anchorage Daily News | Mar 23, 2009 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - The fifth and largest eruption of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt occurred this morning, sending a plume of ash 60,000 feet above sea level, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The ash is spreading north into inhabited areas, but winds moving toward Anchorage are too high to dump ash there. “That’s going to stay there,” an expert said....
Jade-Isms Recalled: 'Thatcher— Ain't She a Prostitute?'
Daily Mirror (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 1:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jade Goody, the reality star who stirred up controversy—and then won the hearts of many during her public battle with cervical cancer—died yesterday. The Mirror remembers some of her most well-known quotes: “Has Greece got its own moon?” “Sherlock Holmes invented toilets.” “Margaret Thatcher—ain't...
Armstrong Crashes, Breaks Collarbone in Spanish Race
ESPN | Mar 23, 2009 1:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Lance Armstrong broke his collarbone today in a crash during the first leg of a 5-day race in Spain, ESPN.com reports. Armstrong’s bike collided with other contestants in a pileup around 12 miles from the finish. A Twitter from the leader of Armstrong’s team said the cyclist suffered a “Clean collarbone fracture without complications,"...
Meet the Real Slumdog Millionaire
Salon | Mar 23, 2009 12:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Slumdog Millionaire is a hot topic of conversation in India, where it’s alternately viewed with pride and scorn, and few have a more interesting perspective on it than Harshvardhan Nawathe—the real slumdog millionaire. Nawathe is the only person to ever win it all on India’s version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? —a feat...
No, Bloggers: Obama Doesn't Think Chirac Is French Prez
Christian Science Monitor | Mar 23, 2009 12:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - The tone of a letter from President Obama to Jacques Chirac has some in the blogosphere wondering if Obama knows that Chirac is no longer the president of France, writes Jimmy Orr in the Christian Science Monitor reports. “Doesn’t Obama ever consult his staff before acting?” one concerned blogger wrote. Tempting hypothesis, but...
S. Africa Will Test New TB Vaccine
Bloomberg | Mar 23, 2009 12:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - A study starting next month will test a new vaccine's ability to prevent tuberculosis, Bloomberg reports. Researchers will give 2800 South African babies the new shot. The current vaccine has been around since 1921 and doesn’t keep infants from getting TB of the lungs, where the bacteria first sets in. Each year, TB infects about 8.8 million...
Student Obesity Jumps in Schools Near Fast-Food Joints
Los Angeles Times | Mar 23, 2009 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Students are more likely to be obese when their schools are located within a tenth of a mile of fast-food restaurants, researchers found. In a study of more than a million California ninth-graders over 8 years, they found that the incidence of obesity at schools near the restaurants was 5.2% higher than the state average, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Who Gave Guy a Shiner?
Daily Mail (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 12:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Uh-oh. Guy Ritchie showed up with a black eye after a night out in London, the Sun reports. No word on where the mystery shiner came from… could this have anything to do with his less-than-flattering nickname for tough ex-wife Madonna? More gossip: The recession has hit celebrity divorces. John Cleese successfully halved his $1.9 million...
New York's Schumer Flips, Backs Gay Marriage
New York Daily News | Mar 23, 2009 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sen. Charles Schumer now supports full marriage rights for same-sex couples, the New York Daily News reports. The New York Democrat, who was on the record as a proponent of civil unions, also wants to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which he himself voted for. “It’s time,” Schumer said in a statement. “Equality is something...
Jade Tributes Roll, Funeral Planned
Telegraph (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Tributes for Jade Goody are pouring in from all corners of the world, and the buildup of flowers outside her Essex home has some comparing her to “a kind of Princess D from the wrong side of the tracks,” the Telegraph reports. Among those mourning the reality TV star were the prime minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Big Brother...
Time to Forget AIG and Nab Offshore Cash
Salon | Mar 23, 2009 11:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Everyone’s aflutter about the AIG bonuses—but there’s a much more lucrative way to take Wall Street to task than obsessing over $165 million, writes Joe Conason in Salon. The government should instead focus on the billions that financial firms are putting in offshore tax havens. Corporate tax evasion was estimated to cost the US $100...
MIA Baby's Name Ikhyd— Not Ickitt
TMZ | Mar 23, 2009 11:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - TMZ got its hands on rapper MIA’s baby’s birth certificate, and yes, the boy does have a crazy name, if not quite the one you thought it was. Her son, born last month, is named Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman—and not Ickitt, as initial reports moved MIA to deny on her blog.
Mont. Plane Didn't Report Trouble: NTSB
Associated Press | Mar 23, 2009 11:19 AM CDT
(AP) - The plane that crashed yesterday in Montana, killing all 14 aboard, gave no indication to air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing difficulty when the pilot asked to divert to an airport in Butte, a federal safety official said today. There was "no indication of any trouble when the diversion was requested to air traffic control,”...
PLO Leader Killed in Lebanon Roadside Blast
Al Jazeera | Mar 23, 2009 10:58 AM CDT
(Newser) - Top PLO official Kamal Medhat and at least three of his bodyguards were killed by a roadside bomb near a refugee camp in southern Lebanon today, security officials tell al-Jazeera. Television footage showed Medhat’s car being blasted into a large crater. A Fatah spokesman said Medhat had been “assassinated,” while another said it...
Monaco Overtakes London On Priciest Homes List
Financial Times (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 10:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - London has tumbled off its perch atop the list of priciest places to buy residential property, the Financial Times reports, allowing Monaco to swoop in and take the crown. Monaco’s top properties now fetch $68,000 per square meter, compared to $38,000 for London and $22,500 for Manhattan. That’s thanks to a 17% plummet in London prices...
Pitcher Schilling Retires at 42
Associated Press | Mar 23, 2009 10:40 AM CDT
(AP) - Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling says he's retiring from baseball. The 42-year-old right-hander who won World Series championships with Arizona and Boston announced on his blog today that he's leaving after 23 years with "zero regrets." Schilling missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. For his career, he has the 14th-most strikeouts...
Teach to the Test—But Make Better Tests
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 10:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Critics worry that the current system of “fill-in-the-bubble” school testing promotes teaching to the test—but maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing if we had tests “worth teaching to,” writes Ed Hirsch Jr in the New York Times . The tests themselves are highly reliable and valid, Hirsch notes; the problem is...
Dean Gets CNBC Gig
Huffington Post | Mar 23, 2009 10:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Former Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean is set to become a regular CNBC contributor, the Huffington Post reports—but his appointment had nothing to do with current attacks on the business network, an insider said. “This was in the works long before the Jon Stewart stuff,” a source says “but it will be good for...
Closing Arguments Begin in Spector Retrial
Associated Press | Mar 23, 2009 10:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Attorneys begin closing arguments today in the second murder trial of music producer Phil Spector—proceedings which drew little attention after a media frenzy surrounding the first, which ended with a hung jury, the AP reports. Spector, 69, faces a second-degree charge in the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson, but Friday, a Los Angeles judge...
Sam, LiLo Bicker Over Money
New York Daily News | Mar 23, 2009 10:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - The recession has hit even Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson’s romance, the New York Daily News reports. The ever-squabbling pair now fights about money, too: “Lindsay is spending like crazy!” a friend says, but—thanks to a lack of work since 2007—she has no cash flow and is spending Sam’s money. Clearly, says...
Working at Home Could Boost Layoff Risk, Some Fear
Washington Post | Mar 23, 2009 10:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - Workers who once had the flexibility to work from home are sticking to the office, worried that less “face time” could make them layoff targets, the Washington Post reports. To some women, the shift appears to be a step backward as pressure builds to “work as many hours as you possibly can. Don’t ever complain,” says...
Existing Home Sales Jump 5.1%
Bloomberg | Mar 23, 2009 10:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - Previously owned home sales took a 5.1% leap in February, to an annual rate of 4.72 million, Bloomberg reports, as a median price down 15.5% year-over-year brought out the bargain hunters. That blindsided analysts, who had expected sales to fall to a 4.45 million annual rate. “The decline in home prices… has increased affordability,”...
Evolution Education Under Fire in Texas
Wall Street Journal | Mar 23, 2009 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser) - Texas’ Board of Education votes this week on whether to teach a science curriculum that challenges evolution—and the result could affect schools across the US, the Wall Street Journal reports. Because Texas is such a huge market, textbook writers often design national material based on state standards. “This is the most specific...
King of Pop Wants to Adopt
Daily Express (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 9:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Jackson wants to adopt another child during his UK concert stint, the Daily Express reports, with sources saying Jackson feels he could be an “ideal” parent. Jackson, 50, already has three kids—Prince Michael I, 12, daughter Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7. “He has not said if he wants a boy or a girl,” says...
Lauer Has Deer Run-in, Misses Today
Us Weekly | Mar 23, 2009 9:32 AM CDT
(Newser) - Matt Lauer was forced to skip Today this morning, after being slightly injured by a deer that jumped into the path of his bike over the weekend, Us reports. But where did the deer come from? Lauer “thinks the deer was hired by the competition,” said co-anchor Meredith Vieira, but in reality, “I hired the deer. But I said, ‘Just...
South Africa Bars Dalai Lama From Peace Conference
Times (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 9:26 AM CDT
(Newser) - One notable Nobel laureate won’t be at this week’s peace conference in South Africa: The Dalai Lama. South Africa has denied the Tibetan spiritual leader entry, bowing to pressure from trading partner China, the Times of London reports. The Nobel laureates organizing the event are outraged, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu calling the decision...
JPMorgan Spending $138M to Update Swank Jet Fleet
ABC News | Mar 23, 2009 9:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - JPMorgan Chase, recipient of $25 billion in taxpayer money, is about to be the proud owner of two new luxury private jets and a lavishly renovated Westchester County airport hangar, complete with roof garden, ABC News reports. The $138 million purchase, described as “completely tone deaf” by one watchdog, will push at least one small carrier...
Sylvia Plath's Son Commits Suicide
Times (UK) | Mar 23, 2009 9:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - The son of writers Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes committed suicide last week, hanging himself at his home in Fairbanks, Alaska, following a battle with depression, reports the Times of London. Nicholas Hughes, 47, was a professor of fisheries and ocean sciences but had recently left his position to take up pottery. His mother killed herself in 1963,...
NATO Troops Kill Key Taliban Commander in Afghanistan
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 9:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - A top Taliban commander was killed by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan this weekend, the New York Times reports. Maulawi Hassan had been the coordinator of many suicide bombings and other attacks since fall 2008 and reported directly to Mullah Rahmatullah, a Taliban leader who directs operation from outside Afghanistan. Hassan’s death is “another...
Krugman in 'Despair' Over Toxic Asset Plan
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 8:57 AM CDT
(Newser) - Paul Krugman has been downbeat for weeks on the Obama efforts to rescue the economy, but today he hits a new low. “This is more than disappointing. In fact, it fills me with a sense of despair,” writes Krugman in the New York Times  of the White House public-private plan to buy toxic assets from banks. “If this plan fails—as...
Stocks Soar 300+ on Geithner Plan
Wall Street Journal | Mar 23, 2009 8:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Stocks sprinted out of the gates today, the Wall Street Journal reports, spurred by the Treasury’s long-awaited toxic asset plan. The Dow was up 316 just after noon, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 added 4.1% and 4.5%, respectively. Banking stocks were the biggest winners, with Citigroup up 24%, and Bank of America up 15%. The gains follow...
Free Trade Under Fire as Protectionism Surges
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 8:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - The global recession has protectionism making a comeback, the New York Times reports, dimming hopes that leaders can create lasting solutions to the crisis at April’s Group of 20 economic summit in London. The last G-20 meeting, held in November, yielded an agreement to promote free trade that was quickly abandoned, with 17 members since adopting...
Euro Bank Chief Slams US on Stimulus
Wall Street Journal | Mar 23, 2009 8:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - The head of the European Central Bank says the continent does not need to spend more to combat recession, heightening the standoff between Washington and European governments over response to the financial crisis. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal , Jean-Claude Trichet said governments should concentrate on executing measures they’ve...
Sweden to Saab: Tough Luck
New York Times | Mar 23, 2009 8:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - As governments around the world have propped up their automobile companies, typically paternalistic Sweden has answered Saab’s plea for help with an unexpected reply: “No.” No bailout, no takeover. The town of Trollhattan in southwest Sweden now faces economic catastrophe akin to Detroit’s decline as its 54,000 people will lose...
Foreign Tech Firms Look to Cash In on Stimulus
Washington Post | Mar 23, 2009 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - A gaggle of foreign businesses are quietly clamoring for a piece of the $787 billion US stimulus package, the Washington Post reports. The bill sets aside billions for technologies pioneered by European and Asian companies, such as clean energy and high-speed transit. Many of those firms have significant US presences, and they’re emphasizing...
Litvinenko Murder Suspect to Run for Mayor of Olympic City
Los Angeles Times | Mar 23, 2009 8:12 AM CDT
(Newser) - Russia fought hard to win the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, reports the Los Angeles Times , and now a second battle is heating up: the race for mayor of the Black Sea resort town, which is beginning billions' worth of construction. Among the contenders are a media magnate with a KGB past, a deputy PM who's been blacklisted, and—most...
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