Top Local News Stories for Universal City, Texas.

Top San Antonio Area Local News Stories

Indonesian volcano erupts, hurls ash high into sky

A restless volcano in northern Indonesia erupted Friday, spewing clouds of ash as high as 2 kilometers into the sky, the country's National Disaster Management Agency said. The authorities are warning residents to stay away from the volcano, Mt. Lokon, in North Sulawesi, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster management agency. A 2.5 kilometer exclusion zone had already been set up around Mt. Lokon, which had been showing signs of activity in recent days. A series of eruptions by Mt. Lokon in July prompted the evacuation of thousands of local residents. The volcano also erupted in October and December. Indonesia is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:47:39 GMT

Tesla unveils its Model X SUV with 'falcon wings'

Tesla Motors on Thursday unveiled a new SUV that the automaker plans to put into production by 2014. The plug-in electric crossover is based on the same engineering as the Model S sedan, a car that's expected to go into full production this summer, but the Model X rides higher and has front-facing third row seats. The most eye-catching feature, however is the "falcon wing" back door design. The doors open upwards and bend in the middle so they'll be able to function when parked in a tight space. The doors also allow an adult to easily access the rear seats while standing up, making it easier to strap small children into booster seats, the company said. Tesla claims it is the largest door opening of any passenger vehicle. The Model X is expected to be priced at around $60,000 to $80,000, about the same as the Model S. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said he didn't want the automaker to be seen as a "one trick pony," so even though neither model is yet in production, he thought it was important to show off the Model X now. The demonstration vehicle Tesla showed reporters at the carmaker's Torrance, Calif., headquarters had a few features that might not make it into production, including cameras that act as side view mirrors. Doing away with side view mirrors would improve the SUV's aerodynamics and significantly increase driving range, said Musk. Safety regulations might stand in the way, though. The Model X will be available in both rear- and four-wheel-drive versions. The four-wheel-drive version, which will use two independent electric motors, will have a zero-to-sixty acceleration time in the 4.4 seconds, Musk said. "It actually has more performance than a Porsche 911 Carrera," Musk boasted. During a brief test ride around Tesla's facilities, the Model X felt quick and took corners with little body roll, thanks to the placement of the heavy battery pack in the car's floor. With no engine under the hood, the Model X has large storage areas in the front and the rear of the vehicle. The only model Tesla has sold so far has been the two seat Roadster, a plug-in electric sports car priced at about $109,000. Tesla sold only a few thousand of those cars worldwide. The first sales of the Model S sedan are expected to begin around the middle of 2012. With a starting price of about $58,000, the base model will have a driving range of 160 miles, Tesla said, but buyers will be able to pay more for versions with larger battery packs and longer driving ranges. The Model X SUV will follow a similar pricing structure. Besides these two vehicles, Tesla also has an agreement with Toyota to produce the powertrain -- essentially the battery packs and electric motors -- for the plug-in Rav4 EV.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:44:21 GMT

Contraception controversy consumes D.C., campaign

Congressional Democrats and Republicans escalated their rhetorical war Thursday over a pending federal rule requiring religiously affiliated employers to provide full contraception coverage to women -- one day after hints emerged of a possible compromise between the White House and conservative religious critics. Numerous rank-and-file Democrats urged the White House not to back away from its support for the rule, while Republicans demanded a full retreat. "It is time for the extreme right wing to stop playing football with women's health," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York. "My colleagues and I stand in solidarity with American women who have waited decades for equity in contraceptive coverage. We have fought for too long." "I woke up this morning in the 21st century, not in the Middle Ages," said. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colorado. "Family planning and birth control (are) an essential part of women's health." But Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said the issue is about the rights of churches, not women. "This has to do with the right of a church not to spend their moral resources in a way that's inconsistent with their faith," the former Pennsylvania senator, a staunch conservative Catholic, told CNN's "John King USA." "We're not talking about denying women the access to contraception," he added. "They can go and get it. But we're talking about having a church of which they happen to chose to work for and they know their position in working for them. You're now forcing them as a condition of employing people to pay for something that again is a grievous moral wrong." And Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, called the proposed rule "an attack by the federal government on religious freedom for everyone in our country and our rights of conscience." "It must not stand and it will not stand if we are going to keep the freedoms that we love and cherish in this country," Foxx said. The question of whether institutions with religious ties should be required to offer insurance plans covering birth control and the so-called morning after pill, among other things, hits a number of political hot buttons. Liberal groups defend the requirement on grounds of gender equality in health care; conservatives consider it a violation of the First Amendment and an infringement on religious liberty. Republican leaders have repeatedly blasted the administration's decision, raising the issue's profile on both Capitol Hill and the presidential campaign trail. Speaking on a Cincinnati radio show Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden said the Obama administration hopes to find a middle ground that would allow women to get insurance coverage for contraception while allowing an institution like the Roman Catholic Church, which opposes birth control, "to be consistent with its teachings." "What I'm making a commitment is there's going to be a significant attempt to work this out, and there's time to do that," Biden said. "And as a practicing Catholic, you know, I am of the view that this can be worked out and should be worked out." Biden told radio station WLW that there has been "a lot of misunderstanding" about the rule. "There's not enough focus on the fact that we've decided that there's a year to work this out so we can accommodate it," he said. While churches themselves are exempt from the rule, hospitals and schools with religious affiliations would have to comply. The new policy is set to go into effect on August 1, though religious groups would have a yearlong extension to implement the rule. Published polls show a slight majority of U.S. Catholics actually favor the requirement. But the Catholic media network EWTN sued the federal government Thursday, seeking to stop the mandate's implementation and get it ruled unconstitutional. "We had no other option but to take this to the courts," EWTN President Michael Warsaw said. "We are taking this action to defend not only ourselves but also to protect other institutions -- Catholic and non-Catholic, religious and secular -- from having this mandate imposed upon them." Two other lawsuits have also been filed seeking to block the mandate. All three lawsuits are backed by the Becket Fund, a conservative religious legal organization. Some political analysts think the controversy will cost President Barack Obama votes in politically critical states like Pennsylvania and Ohio in November, while others insist it will ultimately hurt Republicans with suburban women. Bloomberg reported Wednesday that there was a deep internal administration split on the matter, with Biden and former White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley warning Obama about the possibility of negative political repercussions in swing states, But several female aides -- including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- urged the president to move forward with the rule, Bloomberg said. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney denied the report, though he declined to offer any details. Several high-profile Democrats -- including Pennsylvania Sen. Robert Casey, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, Connecticut Rep. John Larson and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine -- pushed the White House on Wednesday to reconsider its position and expand the exemption for religious employers. Manchin joined Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, in introducing legislation Thursday that would immediately repeal the mandate. The reproductive health group Planned Parenthood condemned the bill, arguing it would let any business lift birth-control coverage for its employees "on the basis of personal religious belief or moral conviction." "It should not be left up to a boss's personal beliefs whether his employees should be allowed birth control coverage," Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a written statement. "Birth control is basic health care and women should have access to birth control, no matter where they work. That's why a majority of Americans, including Catholics, support the Obama administration's birth control benefit." But Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, suggested the White House change its stance. "What I am urging is a compromise that respects the substantive goal of making sure that women have access and that no person is without the care, but at the same time that finds a way to respect issues of conscience and matters of religious belief. I think there is a balance," Kerry told reporters. "I do know the president is sensitive to this," Kerry said. Policymakers are examining laws in 28 states that have similar coverage requirements, senior administration sources said. Two sources have told CNN that the administration is particularly interested in the Hawaii model, in which female employees of religious institutions can purchase contraceptive coverage directly from the insurer at the same price offered to employees of all other employers. Another possible solution, one source said, would be legislation allowing women employed by religiously affiliated employers to get contraceptive insurance from the exchanges created under Obama's sweeping health care reform, rather than from their employer's insurer. Sources familiar with White House thinking said the administration is is convinced approval from conservative Catholics is out of reach and is trying to win over progressive Catholics. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Thursday that the decision to require full contraception coverage was a "terribly misguided judgment." "We can't compromise on principle. That's almost rewarding bad behavior," Dolan told "CBS This Morning." On Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the policy an "unambiguous attack on religious freedom" and announced his chamber would pursue legislative action to prevent the rule from going into effect. And on the presidential campaign trail, GOP front-runner Mitt Romney has pledged to eliminate the rule on his first day in office. Both the White House and Romney's Republican opponents, however, have noted a Massachusetts law in effect while Romney was governor that required hospitals -- including Catholic ones -- to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. It's ironic for Romney to criticize "the president for pursuing a policy that is virtually identical to the one that was in place when he was governor of Massachusetts," Carney said Wednesday. Romney, in turn, said Carney needs to "check his history." In 2005 then-Gov. Romney vetoed a bill that would have required all hospitals -- including Catholic hospitals -- to provide emergency contraception. The heavily Democratic state legislature overrode his veto. According to news reports at the time, Romney initially said his administration would not enforce the law at Catholic hospitals. But he later reversed course, saying all hospitals would have to supply the morning-after pill. Romney was quoted at the time as saying, "My personal view in my heart of hearts is that people who are subject to rape should have the option of having emergency contraception or emergency contraception information." "I worked very hard to get the legislature to remove all of the mandated coverages, including contraception," Romney told reporters Wednesday. This "was a provision that got there before I did, and it was one that I fought to remove." Romney's campaign released a statement from former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Mary Ann Glendon on Thursday defending Romney's past stance on the issue. "The charge that Mitt Romney has not stood tall to defend freedom of religion is preposterous," Glendon said. "He has shown backbone on every critical issue at every juncture when it counted."

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:55:53 GMT

Restrictions eased for women in combat roles

The Defense Department notified Congress Thursday it will open up nearly 14,000 jobs to military women that will place them even closer to the front lines of combat. The department plans to make two changes to rules in place since 1994, allowing women to be in smaller ground units. "First, occupations will no longer be closed to women solely because the positions are required to be co-located with ground combat units," the Pentagon said in a statement. "Second, a sizable number of positions will be opened to women at the battalion level in select direct ground combat units in specific occupations." The 1994 policy prohibited women from being assigned below brigade level to units whose principal mission was to engage in combat. "The Army, Marines and Navy have been granted exceptions to policy to allow select positions at the battalion level in specialties already open to women, opening 1,186 additional positions," the Pentagon said. Kayla Williams, a U.S. Army veteran, told CNN said she went on combat foot patrols with infantry when deployed to Iraq. She served as a translator. "We still have a significant number of actual combat positions that are closed to women, which continues by regulation to enshrine women's position in the military as second-class troops," Williams said. "There will still be many in the military who will say women aren't real soldiers." A senior Pentagon official confirmed details to CNN before the announcement. The reality of the past 10 years of war has been that many women serve in support positions -- such as military police or medics -- which place them in harm's way. They are not formally assigned to combat units, but rather informally "attached," which means they do not get the crucial credit for combat duty that is needed for promotions to higher grades. Some of the jobs that will now be open to women include specialties such as tank or artillery mechanic, crew members on missile launchers and field surgeons in forward-deployed brigade combat teams. However, women will still not be permitted in front line jobs directly involved in combat such as infantry units or counterterrorism sniper teams. Over the past several years, advocates as well as some senior U.S. military commanders have increasingly called for more ground combat jobs to be open to women. According to Pentagon statistics, more than 140 women have lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than 860 have been wounded. The new changes may not go into effect fully until later this year, as Congress must have 30 days in continuous session to have a chance to voice objections if there are any.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:19:05 GMT

Conservatives see challenges on road to White House

Republicans looking to take back the White House in November face a challenging political environment, a trio of conservative political observers said Thursday at an annual gathering of conservative activists. The recent controversy over health insurance coverage for contraception may help to turn out Catholic swing voters in key states, but the observers also said the Republican Party would do well to have its own positive agenda and clear messaging if it wants to unseat President Barack Obama. "None of the signs that I see are particularly good," said Ralph Z. Hallow, chief political writer for The Washington Times. Hallow added that polling he has seen indicates that intensity or enthusiasm about voting has moved from Republicans to Democrats. "I regard that as a very bad sign," he said. The newspaperman continued, "The enthusiasm among Republican voters for any of the (GOP presidential) candidates is dangerously low so that ... none of these folks generates the enthusiasm needed in November to bring more Republican-voting independents and Republican activists and so on to the polls." Conservative blogger Erick Erickson, who is also a CNN contributor, said the situation stems partly from the state of the Republican Party after the last GOP president left the White House. "I actually blame (George W.) Bush for this," Erickson said to a packed ballroom. "Every president generally has an heir apparent when they leave office." Vice President Dick Cheney did not succeed Bush as the GOP's presumptive standard bearer in 2008, preventing the party from having a "referendum" on Bush's legacy by either choosing Cheney or someone else as the nominee, Erickson said. "Because (Bush and Cheney) left a void there, we went all the way back to 2000 and started over again -- a lot of us having the same fights we've had. And we're now in the situation where all the (GOP presidential) candidates, including (Mitt) Romney to a degree, are a bit of a victim of this void that was left by not having an heir," he said. "I think the Republican Party has yet to reset itself from the Bush years to be able to move forward." Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, appeared less pessimistic than Hallow and Erickson. Reed said he believes that what is shaping up to be a long Republican primary process may work to the GOP's benefit in the general election against Obama. Reed described the 2012 GOP nomination race as "the most wide open, the most fluid, the most topsy-turvy" presidential primary he has seen since first becoming involved in presidential campaigns in 1980. "Whoever emerges from this process -- whether it's Romney or somebody else -- is going to be a better, a more-disciplined, a tougher candidate when they have to stand on a stage with Barack Obama," Reed said. Reed pointed to the controversy over a pending Obama administration regulation that requires religiously affiliated institutions to provide health insurance coverage for contraception to its employees as one issue that could help fill the enthusiasm gap the GOP is facing with its conservative base. Reed said the regulation, which the White House has hinted it is looking to soften after an outcry from Catholic bishops, "shows not just an insensitivity to but an outright hostility by this president to religion and religious values." And, Reed said, the controversy could make the difference with Catholic swing voters in key battleground states, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Florida. But Reed and Erickson both opined that to maximize their chances of retaking the White House in November Republicans should have a positive agenda and not settle just for attacking the president's record and policies on the economy and other issues. "It isn't going to be enough to just be anti-Obama," Reed said. "Whether it's Romney or (Rick) Santorum or (Newt) Gingrich, we have to have a forward-leaning, positive, conservative reform agenda that will excite and energize the grass roots." With recent indicators suggesting the struggling economy may be improving, the GOP has a particular challenge in November. While unemployment is improving according to recent data, Reed said other economic factors could be in play for voters. "It's not just the single unemployment number; it's whether people feel like they've got money in their pocket," Reed said. Erickson said he sees the economy alone as a losing strategy. "I think the race should be about more than the economy," the blogger said. "Unfortunately, I think the Republicans have decided that they're going to go with electability instead of issues. And if electability is your case and the electability is based on (fixing the economy) and the economy fixes itself, then why do we necessarily need a nominee who the Obama campaign is going to spend millions and millions of dollars on to make unlikable? "There needs to be something more to it. (Reed) is right. We have to have more of an agenda." Erickson added that he thought Republicans had "dropped the ball on telling the story of Barack Obama. They never have. They always thought that they could use the economy (against Obama)." "He picks the winners and losers," Erickson said of Obama, "not the free market. And there's a story to be told there, I think, that resonates with people in the country." By focusing so much on the economy, Erickson said he fears the GOP is setting itself up for defeat in November. "I hate to be so pessimistic about an election we should win, but it seems like we are setting ourselves up to lose if the economy improves," Erickson said. Hallow added that he thought the Republican presidential candidates have yet to crystallize clear, concise messages in support of their Oval Office bids. "Unless the nominee has a message -- a simple message that you can get out in three sentences -- I don't think we have a chance or Republicans have a chance," Hallow said. Besides Rep. Ron Paul, Hallow asked about the rest of the GOP 2012 field: "Why are any of these candidates running? What is it that they're going to do to change America?" Pointing to Romney's lengthy economic agenda that is dozens of pages long, Hallow said, "This is not how you do it." He added, "(Ronald) Reagan did it right and that's going to be necessary again this time." The three men spoke Thursday during the Conservative Political Action Conference in a panel discussion on the 2012 political landscape that pollster Scott Rasmussen moderated.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:18:29 GMT

Mississippi pardons challenged at court hearing

Judges on Mississippi's Supreme Court on Thursday heard challenges to the scores of controversial pardons issued by former Gov. Haley Barbour on his way out of office, peppering lawyers with questions but making no immediate ruling. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who argued the pardons were unconstitutional, called it "the longest hour and a half I've ever been through in my life." "I'm confident in the position we've taken," Hood told reporters after the hearing. "Now whether or not the court accepts our argument, I'm not sure." The justices are expected to decide whether the pardons can be challenged. If the court rules against pardons, a lower court would be asked to hold hearings on each individual case. "I think well-reasoned and well-thought-out arguments were made on both sides," said Tom Fortner, a lawyer for four of the former prisoners. "The justices asked some really good questions, really hard questions. I think they've got a big decision to make, and it's up to them now." As he closed out his second term as governor, Barbour granted "full pardons" -- meaning the convict's record is effectively wiped clean -- to more than 200 people found guilty of various crimes. Among the group were four men convicted of murder. The four had been working as "trusties" at the governor's mansion, and their release from state custody caused an outrage -- particularly among relatives of the pardoned murderers' victims. Hood argued that the pardons were unconstitutional, because most of the inmates involved did not fulfill all of the required steps, and that Barbour failed to give the public 30 days' notice before granting the pardons. "We don't look into the wisdom of what they did. That's strictly up to the governor. The only question for the state is whether or not the constitution was followed, whether the people's right to notice was violated, and whether or not it's an invasion of the judiciary's right to have its laws carried out," Hood told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront." One of those pardoned was David Gatlin, who was convicted of killing his estranged wife Tammy in 1993. He had been serving a life-plus-30-year sentence for shooting her as she held their 6-week-old baby in her arms. Betty Ellis, the victim's mother, told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that Barbour "didn't even consider us as being in the picture" when he issued the pardons. "It's like the victim was never there," Ellis said. "It was just a pardon he was going to do because he could do it, and that's what he did." But in court, Barbour attorney Charles Griffin argued that there was "no substantive right that has been violated" by the governor's failure to give 30 days' notice of the pardon. "There has been no harm," he told the justices. And in a written brief, the former governor's lawyers argued that previous state court rulings had found the 30-day notice rule was "an unconstitutional encroachment" on the governor's power. In addition, the notice would have made no difference in Barbour's decision, they argued. "Had notice been published 30 months in advance, no one could have stopped the pardons," they wrote. Barbour has also defended his pardons and has said the former inmates had been rehabilitated. Ernest Jacks, Gatlin's friend, has said he feels the convicted killer has changed and is no longer dangerous. Jacks said he supports the pardon and has allowed Gatlin to live in his Alabama home. "I believe that forgiveness is the heart of Christianity. All people make mistakes, especially in crimes of passion," Jacks said.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:30:40 GMT

At least 137 reported killed as Syrian attacks escalate

A Syrian opposition group reported at least 137 deaths at the hands of government forces Thursday as President Bashar al-Assad escalated a brutal assault against an opposition that wants an end to his regime. Thursday marked the fifth consecutive day of attacks on opposition activists and civilians in the besieged city of Homs -- Syria's third-largest city -- which has become a flashpoint in the uprising. The Local Coordination Committees, a network of opposition activists that organizes and documents protests, said that 110 of the deaths were in Homs; 10 were children. The president has repeatedly denied attacking civilians, saying Syrian forces are targeting armed gangs and foreign terrorists bent on destabilizing the government. Syrian state television Thursday said armed terrorist gangs fired seven shells into Homs in the early morning, adding that there were no reports of damage. The station then showed video of people it identified as residents saying armed gangs had fired on their homes and schools with shells and rocket-propelled grenades. Nearly all other reports from within the country, however, tell a different story. Opposition activists in Homs describe explosions from mortars and tank shells launched by Syrian forces every few minutes, people bleeding to death in the streets for lack of medical attention, and snipers picking off civilians running for cover. Video reportedly from Homs and posted online shows rubble and the remains of buildings as gunfire is heard in the background. Medical charities say doctors inside Syria have reported hospitals, clinics, medical staff and patients being targeted. A doctor in the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr, Ali, said a group from the Red Crescent recently tried to visit to give medical aid, but their vehicle was attacked and they were forced to turn around. CNN is not fully naming the doctor for his protection. Satellite photos of Homs taken this month compared with photos taken in August 2010 show a changed city -- the recent photographs swaths of burned-out areas, blownoff roofs and empty streets. The 2010 photos of the same areas show streets packed with vehicles, and crisp lines of buildings, their roofs intact. Civilians who enter hospitals with what would have been minor injuries if properly treated were left instead to die, said Col. Malek Al Kurdi of the rebel Free Syrian Army, who said he witnessed such a scene in the coastal city of Latakia. "Al-Assad is now using the tactic of attacking three or more cities at the same time to attempt to deter the revolt," Al Kurdi said. "Last night the killers attacked Zabadani, Homs, and Talkala at the same time." The LCC described the shelling of Zabadani, going on for a sixth consecutive day. Ten people died on Thursday, five of them members of the same family, the group said. Another 40 people were wounded, it said, adding that medical supplies, fuel and food were in short supply. Attacks also occurred in the cities of Lattakia, Daraa, Idlib, and the Damascus suburbs, and said snipers were on rooftops in the southern village of Taseel, the group said. The LCC accused the government of lying about its own attacks. In Taseel, it said, "a civilian's home was exploded and a huge amount of weaponry was brought in, then photographed by the Syrian regime's state media as tools and acts of armed gangsters to justify for raiding the town, which is now strictly sealed off." CNN cannot independently confirm reports in Syria because the government has severely limited the access of international journalists. Britain's ambassador to Syria painted a picture of a brutal crackdown on civilians in a Foreign Office blog post Thursday. Simon Collis described seeing peaceful protesters, including the elderly and children, being beaten. Those chanting for freedom in the Umayad Mosque in Damascus were also beaten, he said. "It is too shocking to ignore," Collis wrote, calling for world condemnation of the actions of al-Assad's regime. In an open letter, a group calling itself the Syrian Scientific Community asked the Syrian Army not to participate in the killing of people and the shelling of cities and neighborhoods, no matter the reason. They also want aid and ambulances to be allowed to reach their destinations freely without obstruction. A U.N. Security Council resolution addressing the violence failed to pass over the weekend after Russia and China vetoed it. The 13 other Security Council members, including the United States, voted for the resolution, which was also supported by the European Union and the Arab League. With the Security Council at an impasse, the United States and other countries have called for the creation of a "Friends of Democratic Syria" group to support a free and democratic Syria, said Victoria Nuland, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived Thursday in Washington, where he was expected to hold talks with U.S. lawmakers on an Arab League proposal on Syria. The plan calls for resuming a monitoring mission to determine whether al-Assad is abiding by an agreement that his government would end all violence. Turkey has been critical of al-Assad's crackdown. Also critical of Syria is Libya, which experienced its own revolt last year that led to the downfall of longtime leader Moammar Ghadafi. Libya announced Thursday it is expelling the Syrian charge d'affaires and his staff because of the "escalation" of the government's crackdown on its people.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:15:30 GMT

Driver whisks students off burning bus

After noticing smoke seeping inside, a North Carolina bus driver rushed six elementary school children off her vehicle moments before it burst into flames. The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon as Lindora Richardson was driving the children home from Chantilly Montessori Elementary School, a public school in Charlotte, school district spokeswoman Tahira Stalberte said. "We are very proud of her and for her following proper procedures," said Stalberte, speaking on behalf of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, on Thursday. "It could have taken a very different turn had she not done her job correctly." Richardson told Vinnie Politan of HLN, CNN's sister network, that she was driving on her route through a Charlotte neighborhood when she detected a "burning smell" and pulled over to investigate. "As that was going on, smoke started to come from under the dash of the bus," she recalled. At that point, Richardson guided the young students on board to the back of the bus. Describing the children as "calm," she said that they exited "one-by-one" through the rear emergency exit. The bus driver said she and the students, ages 5 to 10, then "walked so far up the street" where they witnessed the smoke and flames engulf the vehicle. Video, posted on YouTube and apparently taken after the students had moved to a safe place, shows black smoke seeping out of open windows on the bus, as it sits along a residential street. Flames are then clearly visible creeping backwards from the front of the bus. Within just over a minute, fire had consumed about half the vehicle -- and shot up through the roof. There are no injuries related to the incident, Stalberte said. While describing Richardson as modest, the school district spokeswoman said that she deserves praise -- and she'll get some next week, when she is honored by the Charlotte Fire Department. "I do have two kids, and I do love children, (and) I love my job," Richardson said of the satisfaction she gets working as a bus driver.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:25:42 GMT

Naomi Watts to play Princess Diana

Rumor had it that Jessica Chastain was being eyed to nab the part of Princess Diana in a biopic called "Caught in Flight," but the role has gone to Naomi Watts instead. According to a statement, the "Fair Game" star will portray the late Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life. "Caught in Flight," a statement says, "charts how finding true personal happiness for the first time allowed her to achieve her defining successes evolving into a major international campaigner and humanitarian." The film will be directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, who says in the statement that he's "delighted to have such a truly exceptional actress who embodies the warmth, humanity and empathy of such a global icon as Princess Diana." Watts, 43, speaks on what "an honor" it is to have landed "an iconic role." "Princess Diana was loved across the world," Watts said, "and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen." Production on "Caught in Flight" is scheduled to begin in the U.K. later this year.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:15:56 GMT

For love or hate of 'The Phantom Menace'

The first major signs of trouble in the relationship between George Lucas and legions of ardent adult "Star Wars" geeks can be traced directly to May 19, 1999. "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" opened at midnight, and theaters practically sank under the weight of audience expectations. The movie certainly made a huge impact in the "Star Wars" community, but not in the way the filmmaker or fans could have predicted. "The Phantom Menace," which returns to the big screen in 3-D on Friday, occupies a unique and controversial place in the "Star Wars" universe for a generation of adults who grew up on the trilogy of the '70s and '80s. For one, it ushered in the era of the harshly criticized "Star Wars" prequels, which some of the geek faithful saw, fairly or not, as a betrayal. It was also the beginning of a standoff between Lucas and vocal fans who were displeased not only by the new movies, but also the filmmaker's decisions to tinker with key scenes in the original "Star Wars" films. There's a reason for all those "Han Shot First" T-shirts on the Internet. The emotional reaction to "The Phantom Menace" and what it represents speaks volumes about the fierce sense of ownership that hardcore nerds have about the things they love. Author Henry Jenkins, provost's professor of communication, journalism and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, said that particular film stands to this day as a sort of love/hate dividing line and "an open wound" for the original "Star Wars" faithful. "'The Phantom Menace' is something the adult 'Star Wars' fans continually reference. It's something they care about deeply," he said. "It's a trauma in the community that they're finding it very difficult to work around." That may sound like hyperbole to some, but for geeks, hobbies are passions. And they take those passions personally. "I think what makes a nerd a nerd in this context is a social life that revolves around collecting and ranking and discussing cultural artifacts, whether it's Civil War nerds or "Star Wars" nerds. There is a whole social community constructed around the collective experience of a certain book or movie," said "American Nerd" author Benjamin Nugent. "For nerds, books and movies aren't just pleasurable consumer experiences. They are parts of their identity and social glue." Fans at the wheel In the 16 years that passed between "Return of the Jedi" and "The Phantom Menace," countless devotees had put their own stamp on "Star Wars" in the form of fan stories and novels, music and adaptations of role-playing games. Jenkins pointed out the 200 amateur "Star Wars" films on the Internet before the curtain opened on "The Phantom Menace." Lucas may have technically owned the franchise, but the people had taken the wheel in their own way. "During that time, fans didn't stay idle," Jenkins said. "They actually dug in ... and extended the universe in really rich directions. So when Lucas comes back, he's not just competing with himself, he's competing with this really rich fan culture. It was just an explosion of creativity that Lucas didn't really control." Canon and continuity loom large in geekdom, and elements of the prequels --- plus the subsequent alterations of the classic films --- upended some fans' longstanding vision of the "Star Wars" universe. In fan communities that place a premium on mastery, those kinds of perceived deviations can set off shock waves. Look no further than the initial outcry over the DC Comics relaunch last year. "That sort of fanboy model is one where knowledge equals power and knowledge equals status," Jenkins said. "When you start to destroy knowledge, you disrupt the entire hierarchical process." Nugent thinks it was inevitable that fans wouldn't like the new films. By then, "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" had become so iconic that returning to that well "came to feel like trying to make a series of sequels to 'Crime and Punishment.' " And while the computer-generated special effects were dazzling, Nugent said that "The Phantom Menace" was a sort of tipping point where audiences began to realize the limits of digitalization. Lucas' use of models in the original movies gave them a charm that CGI couldn't match, he said. Think of the scene where Han Solo whacks the console of the Millennium Falcon, which "looks like the dashboard of a Chevy," as Nugent put it. "It gave everything a kind of solidity in those early "Star Wars" movies that you haven't seen in anything since 'Terminator 2.' It's wonderful," said Nugent. "It's the physicality of those special effects that make "Star Wars," in part, what it is. The digitalization is a big part of why the sequels offend so much." That reflects the feelings of "Star Wars" fan and TheOneRing.net staff member Kirsten Cairns, who said the prequels were indulgent and more about special effects than a good story. Cairns had been so excited about "The Phantom Menace" that she even wore a pin saying "Episode I" for about a year before the movie came out. "The fans wanted, I think, to see the origin of the quest we'd all loved. Instead, those origins were twisted, corrupted and indulged in some kind of attempt to make this world have as elaborate a history as Tolkien's Middle Earth, which only succeeded in messing with what we loved," Cairns said. "I kind of gave up on the 'Star Wars' universe after the prequels. I was so disappointed." In Defense of Episodes I-III Not everyone views "The Phantom Menace" and its successors with disdain. In 2007, Mary Jo Fox created The Star Wars Prequels Appreciation Society in response to the constant negativity that surrounds those movies. Fox said the anti-prequel sentiment has become a meme that dominates nearly every discussion of Episodes I-III, and that it hampers many adult "Star Wars" lovers' ability to take a fresh look at the films. Fox suspects that no movie would have been a match for the titanic nostalgia "The Phantom Menace" was up against. However, she noted that there are old-school fans who love all of the "Star Wars" films. They're just less vocal. "Some (fans) haven't liked anything since 'The Empire Strikes Back' and believe Lucas is some rich, out-of-touch guy who lost his way. So they looked for things in 'The Phantom Menace' that proved them 'right,' " said Fox, who co-published a "Star Wars" fanzine in the '90s. "Others were so protective of their 'Star Wars' they worried that the new 'Star Wars' was supplanting the old. When I was running my fanzine, I really did get some letters from readers saying stuff along the lines of, 'I don't care how good Episode I is, I won't love it as much.' " There's also a generational dynamic at play. Whatever issues adult fans may have with the prequels, there's no denying that the newer movies appeal to children. Some of the marketing for the 3-D release of "The Phantom Menace" has been aimed at kids who weren't even born in 1999, but became fans of the prequels on DVD and the Cartoon Network's "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series. "Star Wars" fan Rebecca Perry, who camped out to see the first midnight showing of "The Phantom Menace" when it opened, prefers the old-school, pre-CGI "Star Wars." However, she understands why the prequels speak to a new generation of fans. "I think young kids like the appeal of a hero closer to their age," said Perry, referring to the child version of Anakin Skywalker played by Jake Lloyd. "And maybe that these are their films, and not their parents'. " Ultimately, the legacy of Episode I may be how it changed the way "Star Wars" faithful relate to the mythology they cherish and the man who created it. Jenkins referred to it as the fan/anti-fan dynamic. Anti-fans, he said, are passionately antagonistic toward particular works --- and that antipathy is prolonged. "They have a very complicated, emotional relationship to works that hit them hard in ways they probably can't fully describe." In the case of "Star Wars," a person can be on both teams. "They began as deeply immersed fans and, at some point, they became anti-fans," Jenkins said. "That's a combination you don't see very often. There are very few occasions where someone can simultaneously be a hardcore fan of something and an anti-fan. This one's been especially intense, I think."

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:06:46 GMT

Utah inmate asks to die by firing squad

A Utah death row inmate, convicted of beating a man with a tire jack and puncturing his liver with an inserted tire iron, has requested that he be allowed to die by firing squad, officials said Thursday. Fourth District Judge Donald Eyre on Wednesday signed such a death warrant for Michael A. Archuleta, 49. But the April 5 execution is not likely to happen, considering Archuleta still make can federal appeals. The last convicted killer to die by firing squad in Utah was Ronnie Lee Gardner, executed in June 2010. Gardner was only the third person to die by firing squad in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Assistant Attorney General Tom Brunker said Archuleta, when convicted in 1989, did not request a specific manner of execution, and was not legally entitled to die by firing squad. But the state did not object Wednesday to Archuleta's request, although it reserves the right to ask for lethal injection, Brunker said. Brunker said there is no question of guilt in the case. In 1988, according to court records, Archuleta and Lance Wood met Gordon Ray Church, 28, at a convenience store in Cedar City and rode with him to a secluded area. At that point, Church told them he was gay, and Archuleta began to engage in a sexual act on Church, but stopped. The two then bound Church, put him in the trunk of his car and drove to another location nearly 80 miles away. The two attached battery jumper cables to Church's testicles in a failed attempt to electrocute him. They inflicted blows to his head with a tire jack and iron, records show. A tire iron was forced inside the college student's rectum and it punctured his liver. Church's body was found with tire chains wrapped tightly around his neck, records show. The attackers took Church's wallet and watch, Brunker said. "They both said the other one did everything," said Brunker. "Archuleta's pants were soaked in the victim's blood. Wood had some blood spots." Wood received a life sentence. An attorney for Archuleta did not immediately return a message left by CNN. But in one of three appeals, Archuleta raised questions about the competence of his previous counsel and alleged errors by the trial court. The Utah Supreme Court turned down that appeal in November 2011. According to Brunker, after a statutory change in 2004, lethal injection became the only available method of death in Utah for those who did not elect firing squad at sentencing. A spokesman for the Utah Department of Corrections said four of the eight individuals on death row initially asked for the firing squad option at the time of their sentencing. Seven were sentenced before the 2004 law change. In Utah, five anonymous marksmen, each with a matching .30-caliber rifle, are used in firing squads. They stand behind a wall cut with two gunports, said corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke. One of the rifles will hold an "ineffective" round, similar to a blank, which delivers the same recoil as a live round. The marksmen fire from a distance of 25 feet. The inmate is blindfolded and strapped to a chair with a target pinned to his chest.

Published: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:40:42 GMT

10 states freed from some 'No Child Left Behind' requirements

Ten states are being granted waivers to free them from some requirements of the No Child Left Behind education reform law, with President Barack Obama explaining Thursday that the move aims to "combine greater freedom with greater accountability." Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee are the first of what could be many more states that will no longer have to meet 2014 targets set by the law. In exchange for that flexibility, those states "have agreed to raise standards, improve accountability, and undertake essential reforms to improve teacher effectiveness," the White House said in a statement Thursday morning. Obama elaborated on the rationale for the decision later in the day, speaking at a White House event attended by teachers and school superintendents. He stressed that his administration remains committed to the overarching goals of raising standards and closing the achievement gap in the nation's public schools. At the same time, "We determined we need a different approach" than what was prescribed by the landmark legislation. "We've offered every state the same deal: We've said, if you're willing to set higher, more honest standards then we're going to give you the flexibility to meet those standards," Obama said. Each of those states granted waivers Thursday offered different approaches. Massachusetts, for instance, set a goal to slash its number of underperfoming students by half within six years; Colorado is setting up a comprehensive online database of assessment measures, among other steps; and New Jersey is developing an "early warning" system in an effort to prevent students from dropping out of school. New Mexico also requested such flexibility from the No Child Left Behind law, and the Obama administration is working closely with that state. Another 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia also have indicated plans to seek such flexibility, according to the White House. "This is good news for our kids, it's good news for our country," the president said of the waivers, adding that one approach may work well in one part of the country while another may better suit another place. "If we're serious about seeing our children reach their full potential, the best ideas aren't just going to come from here in Washington." John Kline, R-Minnesota, and Duncan Hunter, R-California, sent a joint letter last summer to Education Secretary Arne Duncan calling the then prospect of allowing waivers a "cause for concern." "Issuing new demands in exchange for relief could result in greater regulations and confusion for schools and less transparency for parents," the two House Education and the Workforce Committee members wrote. "Additionally, the proposal raises questions about the department's legal authority to grant constitutional waivers in exchange for reforms not authorized by Congress." And last month, Kline again criticized Obama for having "the audacity to circumvent the people's elected representatives by granting No Child Left Behind waivers with special strings attached," according to a press release from his office. Still, the decision was cheered by leaders from several states -- many of them led by Republican governors -- who successfully obtained waivers, as well as the country's largest teacher's union. Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson, for instance, said the change was needed, because having federal accountability measures "overlaying" state ones was "confusing." Georgia State School Superintendent John Barge described the waiver for his state as "wonderful news for Georgia's students, educators and parents. No longer will we be bound by the narrow definitions of success found in No Child Left Behind." And Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who was President George W. Bush's director of the Office of Management and Budget when the law was passed, described No Child Left Behind as "an important step forward, but it needed additional flexibility that Congress hasn't yet provided." "The waiver will make for a fairer system and one that focuses on what matters most: getting the whole system to perform better in terms of student learning," he said in a statement. The president of the National Education Association, which represents 3.2 million teachers and administrators and has endorsed Obama's re-election bid, lauded those states granted waivers who "have committed to working with teachers, parents and other community stakeholders to implement changes designed to better support students." At the same time, union President Dennis Van Roekel described the waivers as a temporary move as he pushed for passage of more "comprehensive" reform. Bush signed No Child Left Behind into law in 2001. One of the bipartisan bill's sponsors was the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts. The law included a focus on measuring student outcomes, largely based on standardized test results. Some supporters say it has helped close an achievement gap between disadvantaged students and others. But the law is a source of controversy, with opponents arguing it is turning classrooms into test preparation centers, taking time away from subjects that aren't tested, and potentially contributing to cheating scandals. Secretary Duncan says the law drives down standards, weakens accountability, causes narrowing of the curriculum and labels too many schools as failing, the White House said in its news release. "Moreover, the law mandates unworkable remedies at the federal level instead of allowing local educators to make spending decisions," it said. The law has been in need of reauthorization since 2007, and the president has been critical of the lack of congressional action on the matter in recent years. Last September, the Obama administration announced that states could apply for waivers from some provisions of the law if they meet other federal mandates. To get the waivers, states had to adopt and have a plan to implement "college and career-ready standards," the White House said. "They must also create comprehensive systems of teacher and principal development, evaluation and support that include factors beyond test scores, such as principal observation, peer review, student work, or parent and student feedback." Based on standards set by the existing law, more schools were listed as failing last year than in any previous year since the law's passage. About 48% of schools did not make what's called "adequate yearly progress" in 2011, up from 39% in 2010, according to the nonprofit Center on Education Policy. In his remarks Thursday, Obama expressed confidence that the academic performance of the nation's students would improve using a more flexible approach -- though he also emphasized that any change won't be instantaneous. "This is not a one-year project, this isn't a two-year project," he said. "This is going to take some time, but we can get it done."

Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:24:10 GMT

Photo shows Marines posing with Nazi-like symbol

A picture of an elite Marine unit posing with a flag symbol that is similar to a Nazi "SS" logo has surfaced on the Internet. Marine Corps Scout Snipers from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion are seen standing and kneeling with their sniper rifles in front of a blue flag with white Nazi "SS" runes. The picture was taken in 2010 in Afghanistan and the photo's description says the "SS" flag had been "adopted and used by the Marines in reference to Scout Sniper." The Military Religious Freedom Foundation was alerted to the photo by Marines who expressed their concern, said group founder Mikey Weinstein. MRFF then distributed it to news organizations. The Marine Corps said it became aware of the photo last November and investigated, but found it not to be racially motivated, according to a statement released by a Marine Corps spokesman, Lt. Col. Stewart Upton. "Those involved acknowledged that the symbol could be misinterpreted and is not in keeping with our Marine Corps ethos and values," the statement said. The unit's commander decided not to proceed with disciplinary action, it said, but all Marines in the unit were reminded that such behavior will not be tolerated and any further display could result in punishment. "We feel these guys have no historical appreciation for what this symbol means," said a Marine official who asked not to be identified. "We think they took the symbol, thought it was cool, and didn't have an appreciation for what it meant." In Nazi Germany, SS stood for "Schutzstaffel," the elite paramilitary force of Adolf Hitler's party. Weinstein said the Marines who spoke out were infuriated by the photo but were worried about reprisal from their chain of command. In a letter about the photo to the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Amos, Weinstein's foundation asked that "everyone associated with the matter, including anyone who condoned it, be the subject of immediate and public court-martial proceedings." While the insignia has been unofficially used by Scout Snipers in the past, the Marine Corps said it is absolutely prohibited, the statement from Upton said. "Certainly, the use of the "SS runes" is not acceptable and Scout Snipers have been addressed concerning this issue," the statement said. "'SS runes' are prohibited from use as a symbol or any other use."

Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:14:36 GMT

Skin cancer drug reverses Alzheimer's in mice

Scientists say they "serendipitously" discovered that a drug used to treat a type of cancer quickly reversed Alzheimer's disease in mice. "It's really exciting," said Maria Carrillo, senior director for medical and scientific relations for the Alzheimer's Association. "They saw very positive and robust behavior effects in the mice." In the study, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine gave mice mega-doses of bexarotene, a drug used to treat a type of skin cancer called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Within 72 hours, the mice showed dramatic improvements in memory and more than 50% of amyloid plaque -- a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease -- had been removed from the brain. The study was published Thursday in the journal Science. Gary Landreth, the lead researcher at Case Western, cautioned that even though his results were impressive in mice, it may turn out not to work in people. "I want to say as loudly and clearly as possible that this was a study in mice, not in humans," he said. "We've fixed Alzheimer's in mice lots of times, so we need to move forward expeditiously but cautiously." Mice -- and humans -- with Alzheimer's have high levels of a substance called amyloid beta in their brain. Pathology tests on the mice showed bexarotene lowered the levels of amyloid beta and raised the levels of apolipoprotein E, which helps keep amyloid beta levels low. Landreth said he hopes to try the drug out in healthy humans within two months, to see if it has the same effect. Those participating in the trial would be given the standard dose that cancer patients are usually given. Researchers tested the memories of mice with Alzheimer's both before and after giving them bexarotene. For example, the Alzheimer's mice walked right into a cage where they'd previously been given a painful electrical shock, but after treatment with bexarotene, the mice remembered the shock and refused to enter the cage. In another test, the scientists put tissue paper in a cage. Normal mice instinctively use tissues in their cage to make a nest, but mice with Alzheimer's can't figure out what to do with the tissues. After treatment with the drug, the Alzheimer's mice made a nest with the paper. Carrillo said one of the major advantages of bexarotene is that it's already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in humans, which means the researchers can move into human trials sooner than if it were a completely new drug. The Alzheimer's Foundation is funding Case Western's next phase of research, which will involve using bexarotene at the levels used on cancer patients, Landreth said. Since the drug does have some side effects -- it can increase cholesterol, for example -- he hopes to use it in even lower levels as the study goes on. Landreth said his lab had been working on other drugs for Alzheimer's for 10 years when a graduate student, Paige Cramer, decided to try bexarotene, which works on a receptor involved in amyloid beta clearance. Some other drugs that worked in mice were too toxic to use in humans. "We're really lucky that bexarotene is a great drug with an acceptable safety profile," he said. "This doesn't happen very many times in life'"

Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:41:26 GMT

9 men jailed in UK on terror plot charges

Nine men were jailed in London Thursday on terror charges, four of them over "an al Qaeda-inspired plot" to bomb the London Stock Exchange, UK police said. Abdul Malik Miah, Gurukanth Desai, Shah Mohammed Lutfar Rahman and Mohammed Moksudur Rahman Chowdhury had pleaded guilty last week to the London Stock Exchange plot, police said. Five others, Abdul Bosher Mohammed Shahjahan, Mohibur Rahman, Nazam Hussain, Omar Sharif Latif and Usman Khan, also admitted terror offenses, police said. All nine were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court Thursday to terms ranging from five to nearly 17 years, with some given indeterminate sentences with at least eight years to serve. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Osborne, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism, issued a statement saying: "This was one of the most significant and complex counter terrorism operations of recent years. "We had a network of highly dangerous men based in three cities who were working together to plan terrorist attacks in the UK. "Had we not taken action to disrupt this network, their actions could have resulted in serious casualties or fatalities." Miah, who had previous convictions, was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in jail, while Desai was jailed for 12 years, and Latif for 10 years and four months. Shahjahan, Khan and Hussain were each handed an indeterminate sentence, with a minimum of eight years to serve. Mohibur Rahman was jailed for five years. Chowdhury was sentenced to 13 years and eight months, and Shah Rahman to 12 years. Osborne said a major covert operation had been put in place to monitor the suspects, who were based in London and Stoke-on-Trent in England and Cardiff in Wales. At the height of the operation, over the 2010 Christmas period, nearly 1,000 police officers and staff were involved, he said in an online statement posted by West Midlands Police. "These men were arrested when the balance between public safety and gathering evidence meant that we could not run the operation longer," Osborne said. "This plot clearly demonstrates that there are still people living in our communities who are intent on doing us harm. If we are to find them and we are to stop them we must all remain vigilant and aware." The investigation, which was coordinated by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, also involved police forces in London, Wales and Staffordshire, and national counterterrorism and security services.

Published: Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:48:48 GMT

UniversalCityTX.com HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS