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Newser Story Index from September, 2012

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.

Cops Won't Charge Alleged Lohan Attacker
TMZ | Sep 30, 2012 7:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - New York police have dropped assault and harassment charges against a man who allegedly attacked Lindsay Lohan at a hotel this weekend, TMZ reports. Lohan accused Christian LaBella of choking her and holding her down before a friend of Lohan's could pull him off, TMZ reported earlier. Apparently it all started when Lohan confronted him about...
Police Chief Quits, Leaving Just Dog in the Force
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 6:25 PM CDT
(AP) - A drug-sniffing dog now is the only certified member of the police force in the small eastern New Mexico town of Vaughn. Police Chief Ernest "Chris" Armijo decided to step down this week after news stories reported that he wasn't allowed to carry a gun because of his criminal background—delinquent child support payments and felony...
Europe Wins Ryder Cup in Historic Comeback
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 6:04 PM CDT
(AP) - Europe has won the Ryder Cup, completing an improbable, historic comeback from a 4-point deficit. Martin Kaymer delivered the crucial point with a 1-up victory over Steve Stricker on Sunday, and Tiger Woods missed from inside four feet to halve his match with Francesco Molinari. The Europeans finished with 14 1/2 points while the Americans had 13 1/2....
WiFi? Phhhh. Try Sending Data by a Light Bulb
edition.cnn.com | Sep 30, 2012 5:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Think WiFi is amazing? How about LiFi, a technology in the works that could transmit data at amazingly high speeds from everyday light bulbs, CNN reports. German physicist Herald Haas is working on the process that could revolutionize movie downloads, cell phone calls, and anything that uses radio wave signals or 3G. His idea is to put a microchip...
2 Dead, 1 Wounded in Shooting at Veterans Club
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 5:05 PM CDT
(AP) - Police say two people are dead and another is injured after a shooting at a central Florida Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Winter Springs Police said a charity motorcycle ride was supposed to depart from the post when the shooting broke out this morning while the riders were eating breakfast. The Orlando Sentinel reports an unknown number of armed...
Ryan: 'I Don't Have Time' to Explain Tax Plan
Washington Post | Sep 30, 2012 4:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Asked today to defend Mitt Romney's tax plan , Paul Ryan said he didn't "have the time"—but did give an overview and referred the curious to various studies, the Washington Post reports. Chris Wallace was pressing Ryan on Fox News Sunday about how Romney could reduce high-income individual tax rates by 20% and still come...
Transylvania Scares Up Record Debut
Hollywood Reporter | Sep 30, 2012 4:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - Hotel Transylvania scared off the competition this weekend with the strongest debut since The Dark Knight Rises and the best September bow ever, says the Hollywood Reporter. The animation film's $43 million opening ousted Sweet Home Alabama , which banked $35.6 million on its first weekend, albeit without premium 3D prices, reports the...
Roy Blunt: I'll Campaign for Todd Akin
Roll Call | Sep 30, 2012 3:56 PM CDT
(Newser) - Seems like Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt's call for Todd Akin to step aside wasn't, ahem, "legitimate." Blunt asked Akin to quit the Senate race in August after the House lawmaker defended his flawed science of "legitimate rape"—but now that Akin's officially still running, Blunt promises to stump for him. "I...
US Left Libya Mission Ripe for Attack
Washington Post | Sep 30, 2012 3:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rising tensions in Benghazi didn't seem to worry US officials, who left the American mission there poorly guarded before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, the Washington Post reports. In fact, the State Department hired a small British firm to guard the compound for $387,413—a pittance in the world of...
Jerry Brown Signs Bill Banning 'Gay Cures'
Los Angeles Times | Sep 30, 2012 2:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - California Gov. Jerry Brown made history yesterday by signing the nation's first legislation banning "gay cure" therapy for minors, the LA Times reports. "This bill bans non-scientific 'therapies' that have driven young people to depression and suicide,'' Brown said. "These practices have no basis in science...
Bieber Pukes on Stage
TMZ | Sep 30, 2012 1:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - For anyone who's ever felt a little green by anything to do with Justin Bieber, there is video currently going viral sure to cement that icky feeling: Seems the Biebs twice lost his cookies onstage last night in Arizona, on the first show of his new Believe tour. He left the stage each time, but apparently the show went on, reports TMZ , which...
Sorry, GOP: Polls Aren't Biased
New York Times | Sep 30, 2012 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser) - The GOP has spent a lot of time lately decrying the bias driving polls that show President Obama opening up a lead over Mitt Romney, but Nate Silver takes a look at how final polls have historically performed against results, and finds that while they have occasionally missed the mark, "polls have no such history of partisan bias," he writes...
Iranian News Agency Duped by Onion Story
theatlanticwire.com | Sep 30, 2012 12:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - When we saw this post from Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency, we were pretty confused. Gallup, the propaganda outlet reported, had released a poll showing that rural whites preferred Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Barack Obama—in part because "they at least respected that Ahmadinejad doesn't try to hide the fact that he's a Muslim."...
Colombia Hit By 7.1 Quake
US Geological Survey | Sep 30, 2012 11:59 AM CDT
(Newser) - Colombia's southwestern region was rocked this morning by an earthquake whose magnitude has been revised downward to 7.1, reports the USGS . It was centered 28 miles south of Popayan, near the border with Ecuador, notes Reuters . The quake was initially reported at 7.3, then 7.4, with a reported depth of 94 miles. No injuries have yet been reported.
DC Sniper: 'I Was a Ghoul'
Washington Post | Sep 30, 2012 11:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - It's been a decade since Lee Boyd Malvo and John Allen Muhammad terrorized the nation's capital, randomly shooting 13 people in a bloody three-week rampage that killed 10. The Washington Post sits down with Malvo, the surviving half of the so-called DC Sniper, and finds a pensive 27-year-old no longer under Muhammad's spell, deeply...
60 Biggest Celeb TMI Moments
Huffington Post | Sep 30, 2012 10:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - You probably wouldn't feel comfortable tweeting a picture of your butt for all your family and friends—not to mention the rest of the world—to see, but so many celebrities apparently do. The Huffington Post rounds up 60 completely overshare-y photos shared by celebrities, all of which will have you shouting, "TMI!" Take...
Eyes on Debate: 'Barn Burner' or No Big Deal?
Politico | Sep 30, 2012 10:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - The usual suspects descended on the Sunday talk shows today with their eyes firmly fixated on Wednesday's presidential debate, when President Obama and Mitt Romney go mano a mano for the first time. Chris Christie, appearing on no fewer than three shows, minced no words in building up expectations for Romney, saying the debate would create a...
New Java Gold: Home-Roasted Beans
Wall Street Journal | Sep 30, 2012 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser) - For the serious coffee drinker, the new pot of java gold isn't found at the corner coffee shop: It's right in their own home, made from coffee beans they roasted themselves. The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the rise in those willing to endure the misfires and the smoky kitchens typical of DIY bean-roasting, and finds that they're...
Guy Threatens Cat, Wife Shoots Him
ABC News | Sep 30, 2012 8:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Audrey Deen Miller chose her cat over her husband in a big way this week: When hubby threatened to either shoot the cat (according to KHOU ) or throw it over the fence (according to KSAT ), the 42-year-old Houston woman allegedly shot him in the stomach with a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun. The couple was apparently arguing over the animal, although...
Blasts Again Sweep Iraq; 26 Killed
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 7:50 AM CDT
(AP) - Bombs striking Shiite neighborhoods, security forces, and other targets across Iraq killed at least 26 people today, in the latest instance in which insurgents launched coordinated attacks in multiple cities in a single day, apparently intending to rekindle widespread sectarian conflict. The deadliest attack came in the town of Taji, a former al-Qaeda...
Lotto Winner Who Stayed on Food Stamps Dies
Detroit Free Press | Sep 30, 2012 7:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Amanda Clayton, the Michigan woman who inspired mass derision and a fraud conviction for continuing to take public assistance after winning $1 million on a state lottery-run game show, has died. She was found dead yesterday, reports the Free Press, and a drug overdose is suspected. No further details on her death were available.
Russian Church: OK, Free Pussy Riot
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 6:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Russian Orthodox Church is again getting in on the Pussy Riot controversy, today reversing course and urging clemency for the imprisoned punk rockers if they repent for their "punk prayer," reports the AP . The church issued a statement today—a day before the women are set to make their first appeal in their two-year prison sentence—saying...
In New Insider Attack, US Toll in Afghanistan Hits 2K
Associated Press | Sep 30, 2012 6:15 AM CDT
(AP) - An Afghan soldier turned his gun on American troops at a checkpoint in the country's east, killing two Americans and at least two fellow members of Afghanistan's army in a shooting that marked both the continuance of a disturbing trend of insider attacks and the 2,000th US troop death in the long-running war, officials said today. The string...
Anne Hathaway Gets Married
People | Sep 30, 2012 5:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Once better known for her romantic misfires, Anne Hathaway has officially settled down: The 29-year-old Catwoman yesterday married actor and jewelry designer Adam Shulman, 31, before 100 guests on California's Big Sur, reports People . The couple had been together four years, and got engaged last November. "I'm so delighted by [Adam],"...
Drug Traffickers Love Oregon's Lenient Medical Marijuana Laws
Oregonian (Portland) | Sep 29, 2012 7:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Medical marijuana became legal in Oregon 14 years ago, and since then it's become a booming source of profits for illicit traffickers, reports the Oregonian . The newspaper's investigation found that the traffickers easily exploit the pot program thanks to "scant state oversight and Oregon's exceptionally generous medical marijuana...
TSA Steals From Travelers All the Time: Ex-Agent
New York Daily News | Sep 29, 2012 6:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - A former TSA screener has advice for America's travelers: Watch your bags. Pythias Brown, who just served three years for stealing from people's luggage, says such thieving is typical. "It was so easy," he tells the Daily News . "One day I walked out of there with the video game, the Nintendo Wii. I walked right out of the...
Suu Kyi Can Be President: Burma's Leader
bbc.co.uk | Sep 29, 2012 6:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - While Suu Kyi continues her 17-day US tour , Burmese President Thein Sein made his most glowing remarks about her so far—saying she could become Burma's president. "Whether she will become a leader of the nation depends on the will of the people," he said in a BBC interview. "If the people accept her, then I will have to...
Anti-Muslims Idolize Innocence Filmmaker
Wired | Sep 29, 2012 5:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - To America's anti-Muslim bloggers, the director of Innocence of Muslims is more of a cult hero than a criminal, Wired reports. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula "is a political prisoner," writes one , who argues that recent Arab protests are designed "to intimidate the US into criminalizing criticism of Islam." Another wants...
Dogs on a Plane: Another Dies on United
NBC News | Sep 29, 2012 4:33 PM CDT
(Newser) - Traveling with dogs may be more dangerous than you thought. Two recently died on United Airlines flights, highlighting the danger of flying with pets—and the apparent lack of responsibility taken by the airline, NBC News reports. Michael Jarboe's 2-year-old Neopolitan Mastiff, Barn Barn, died last month while flying from Miami to San Francisco....
'Jesus' Musical Shelved for Offending Christians
Google | Sep 29, 2012 4:01 PM CDT
(Newser) - Looks like some Russians don't consider Jesus Christ much of a "superstar." Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar had to shut down in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don after prosecutors began investigating the production, AFP reports. Several people had complained that the show offended Christians: "As it...
Johnny Lewis Struggled With Psychopathy: Adviser
E! Online | Sep 29, 2012 3:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Substance abuse may not have been Johnny Lewis ' main problem, according to an alternative sentencing advisor who worked with Lewis for two months after his legal troubles started earlier this year. Lewis was struggling with "psychopathy or bipolar disorder," she tells E! . "Something that needed a psychiatrist rather than a therapist."...
Police: 'Suicide Gunman' Had Violent Record
Arizona Republic (Phoenix) | Sep 29, 2012 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - The gunman whose suicide was broadcast live on Fox News yesterday had just stolen a car and led Phoenix police on a 90-minute chase, the Arizona Republic reports. Police today identified him as Jodon Romero, 33, a violent, convicted criminal who was wanted for parole violation on a weapons charge. Cops first spotted him yesterday morning stealing...
New Modern Malady: Texting While Parenting
Wall Street Journal | Sep 29, 2012 2:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Parents of young kids, keep your phones in your pocket while at the playground: The Wall Street Journal today looks at the maybe-problem of "texting while parenting." Skeptics will note that the evidence is mostly anecdotal, but they'll have to explain a strange coincidence of stats: The number of injuries to kids younger than age...
Maria Shriver to 60 Minutes : Get Lost
TMZ | Sep 29, 2012 1:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - With Arnold Schwarzenegger's new tell-all coming out Monday, 60 Minutes shot a segment with the former Governator—and Maria Shriver is none too pleased, TMZ reports. In fact, sources say she flatly turned down the show's producers when they called her after Arnold's interview. She had "no interest" in squeezing a generic...
MySpace Gets Another Reboot
BBC | Sep 29, 2012 1:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - You're not going to believe this, but MySpace still exists. This week, the once-mighty social network showed off a radical redesign in the hopes of halting its ongoing slide toward oblivion. "We're hard at work building a new MySpace, entirely from scratch," its webpage boasted, calling on fans to join "our brand new community."...
Syria Fire Ravages Centuries-Old Market
Associated Press | Sep 29, 2012 12:45 PM CDT
(AP) - Fires sparked by clashes between government troops and rebels raged through the medieval marketplace of Aleppo today, destroying hundreds of shops lining the vaulted passageways where foods, fabrics, perfumes, and spices have been sold for centuries. Some described the overnight blaze as the worst blow yet to a historic district that helped make the...
Bob Dole: Losing Wasn't So Bad
Washington Post | Sep 29, 2012 12:27 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bob Dole knows what it's like to come out on the losing end of a presidential election, twice over. Not only did the former Senate majority leader lose to Bill Clinton, he was Gerald Ford's running mate 20 years earlier in the loss to Jimmy Carter. In DC, "losing an election is viewed as a sort of death," he writes in the Washington...
Harvest Moon Rises Tonight
USA Today | Sep 29, 2012 11:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Reminder: If the night skies seem a bit brighter this weekend, it's because the annual harvest moon arrives tonight. As USA Today explains, this marks the first full moon nearest the autumnal equinox, this year being Sept. 22, and farmers of old used the light to bring in their crops. It's actually no different than other full moons, although...
Last Western Detainee Leaves Gitmo
Toronto Sun | Sep 29, 2012 11:08 AM CDT
(Newser) - One of the more notable prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is no longer a detainee there. Toronto native Omar Khadr was flown back to Canada this morning to serve out the remainder of his term, reports the Toronto Sun . Khadr was the last Westerner held at Gitmo, notes Reuters , but his case had made headlines previously because the 26-year-old was...
Swede Smuggler Sneaks in Pal to Serve His Sentence
Associated Press | Sep 29, 2012 10:33 AM CDT
(AP) - A man convicted of smuggling in Sweden outwitted his jailers by sneaking in a friend to serve most of his yearlong sentence. The identity of the false convict was discovered only when he'd been released on probation after serving about two-thirds of his friend's sentence "sometime in 2008 or 2009," say prison officials. They've...
Former Times Publisher Sulzberger Dead at 86
New York Times | Sep 29, 2012 10:09 AM CDT
(Newser) - Former New York Times publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger has died at age 86, and the Times has a lengthy obituary here about the man it says "transformed" the paper his grandfather bought in 1896. Sulzberger took over in 1964 and ran the newspaper for more than three decades, emphasizing both journalism and the need to make money to finance...
Few Answers Yet in Dad's Shooting of Masked Son
Hartford Courant (Conn.) | Sep 29, 2012 9:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - Police in New Fairfield, Connecticut, say it will take several weeks to finish the investigation into the bizarre case in which a man shot and killed a knife-wielding masked prowler, only to learn it was his own teenage son. But the local News-Times clarifies one tragic detail: Jeffrey Giuliano didn't realize he shot 15-year-old Tyler until...
Kids' Coaches May Have Offered Football Bounties
Orange County Register | Sep 29, 2012 8:18 AM CDT
(Newser) - If you thought it was bad that NFL teams paid bounties to go after opposing players, this story won't sit well. Pop Warner, the nation's biggest youth football league, has suspended coaches on a top California team accused of doing the same. The Orange County Register first reported the allegations, which claim that the coaches paid 10-...
Man Who Set Deadly Wildfire May Get Death Sentence
Associated Press | Sep 29, 2012 7:45 AM CDT
(AP) - A jury has recommended death for an arsonist convicted of murdering five men who died of heart attacks during a wildfire that ripped through Southern California nearly a decade ago. The murder charges against Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, signaled a tough new standard for such cases. The Old Fire scorched 91,000 acres and destroyed 1,000 buildings while burning...
Intel Chief Defends Shifting Libya Accounts
Wall Street Journal | Sep 29, 2012 7:10 AM CDT
(Newser) - The nation's spy chief took the unusual step yesterday of issuing a statement to defend the shifting US position on the Libya consulate attack, reports the Washington Post . Yes, said national intelligence director James Clapper, the assault initially seemed to be a spontaneous response to that anti-Islam movie , but we “revised our initial...
Transplant Patient Stuns Doctors When Heart Heals
Omaha World-Herald | Sep 29, 2012 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Michael Crowe's near-miraculous story began with a mundane case of stomach flu. But when he went frozen on the family couch a couple of days later—staring and sweating while his mother tried to slap him out of it—the 23-year-old Omaha resident was rushed to the hospital last year and told he had a dire heart condition: inflammation...
10 Most Educated Countries
24/7 Wall St. | Sep 29, 2012 6:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - About 4 in 10 Americans have a college degree, but the US must look north to see the "world's most educated country," according to number crunching from 24/7WallSt and the America Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Leading its top-10 list of the nations with the highest percentage of college grads: Canada (51%):...
American Airlines Sends Pilots a Nasty Letter
Los Angeles Times | Sep 28, 2012 6:45 PM CDT
(Newser) - The labor dispute at American Airlines got ugly this week. The carrier accused its pilots of snarling thousands of flights by calling in sick and writing up needless maintenance orders, the LA Times reports. American even threatened a legal injunction if the alleged tactics continue. "We must take appropriate steps to protect the company and...
LA Buckles Up for 'Carmageddon 2'
Reuters | Sep 28, 2012 6:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Even Los Angelenos admit that "Carmageddon" ended with a whimper , but now comes the sequel—and some say it could be horrible, Reuters reports. A new 53-hour closure of the 405 Freeway north of the Getty Center starts at midnight tonight and drags on until Monday at 5am. So it's much like last year, with one exception: No one...
Chris Stevens' Family Starts Middle East Peace Fund
NBC Bay Area | Sep 28, 2012 5:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - The cascade of support following Chris Stevens' death has inspired his family to start a fund for peace in the Middle East, NBC Bay Area reports. "We just had this overwhelming response," says Chris' brother, Tom Stevens. "We have received emails, texts, letters, flowers, you name it. And then Chris' Face book page, it...
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