Officials in Joplin, Missouri, trimmed the list of people still missing Monday, more than a week after the most-deadly U.S. tornado in more than 60 years tore through the city.
Twenty-nine people remain unaccounted for, down from 43 on Sunday, according to the Missouri Department of Public Safety. That figure includes three people whose families have reported them as dead.
"Our work will not cease until the number of unaccounted-for individuals is zero," said Andrea Spillars, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
She acknowledged over the weekend that families waiting for information on missing relatives are frustrated the identification process hasn't proceeded as quickly as they might have hoped.
Authorities are relying on scientific identification of the remains. While that process is slow, it's more reliable than a family member's visual identification, Spillars said.
The May 22 storm flattened buildings, destroyed neighborhoods and killed more people than any other U.S. tornado since modern recordkeeping began in 1950.
Early Sunday, Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr told CNN the death toll was 142. State officials have released the names of 101 victims.
Authorities have 146 sets of human remains, Spillars said Sunday, but some of the remains may belong to the same person and she cautioned against using that number as a death toll.
Also Sunday, President Barack Obama visited Joplin, promising residents the support of the nation as they rebuild.
The EF-5 tornado barreled into the city with 200-mph winds, reducing homes to unrecognizable rubble.
"Your country will be with you every step of the way," the president said to cheers. "We're not going anywhere. The cameras may leave, the spotlight may shift, but we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet."
Showing posts with label Us News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Us News. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Oklahoma deputy shot; 2 suspects sought
A massive manhunt was under way early Saturday for two men suspected in the shooting of an off-duty sheriff's deputy in Oklahoma.
Maj. John Waldenville, a 25-year veteran from Oklahoma City, was working as a security officer at a restaurant and walking to a nearby bank about midnight when he was attacked, said Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel.
Two men attacked the deputy from behind, shooting him in the head as soon as he turned around.
"He never had the opportunity to even unbuckle his gun," Whetsel said.
Whetsel said the shooting was caught on videotape. Investigators are "trying to make a good identification of these two people."
Waldenville is listed in critical condition. The sheriff said his deputy is undergoing a lengthy surgery.
"We're praying for the best," he said.
Maj. John Waldenville, a 25-year veteran from Oklahoma City, was working as a security officer at a restaurant and walking to a nearby bank about midnight when he was attacked, said Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel.
Two men attacked the deputy from behind, shooting him in the head as soon as he turned around.
"He never had the opportunity to even unbuckle his gun," Whetsel said.
Whetsel said the shooting was caught on videotape. Investigators are "trying to make a good identification of these two people."
Waldenville is listed in critical condition. The sheriff said his deputy is undergoing a lengthy surgery.
"We're praying for the best," he said.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Along the Mississippi, signs of recovery and stormy forecasts
Early signs of recovery mixed with stormy forecasts Friday, as residents struggled to dig out of the most significant flood to hit the lower Mississippi River valley in more than 70 years.
In Tunica, Mississippi, two casinos reopened after being shut for almost three weeks because of the flooding, said Caesars Entertainment, the company that owns and operates them.
But farther south, Vicksburg residents face a long and slow goodbye to the historic flood that submerged much of their city, forecasters said. They predicted that the river could remain out of its banks until at least mid-June.
The Mississippi River is not expected to return to its 43-foot flood stage in Vicksburg until after June 14, which is 46 days after it climbed out of its banks, said Amanda Roberts, a National Weather Service hydrologist.
It crested at 57.1 feet Thursday, and the weather service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning in Vicksburg.
Severe storms are likely Saturday and Sunday in the Mississippi River, Ohio River and Tennessee River valleys, said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris.
Up to 3 inches of rain per hour are possible, with heavier storms on Sunday. The rain could lead to secondary crests and higher crests along the Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee, southward, he said.
Some greeted the cresting floodwaters -- which have damaged hundreds of homes and displaced 2,000 Vicksburg residents -- with relief. Others celebrated.
Eddie Monsour, who owns a waterfront restaurant, threw a "River Crest Party" on Thursday night. It was a big success, he said.
"Usually we've got a good crowd, but nothing like it is now. We're probably 200 people more than we usually are," Monsour told CNN affiliate WJTV.
"There's tourists here. People from all over the state just coming to see the water. They've never seen anything like it."
The patrons also included area evacuees such as Louise Roland of Eagle Lake.
"(I'm) just here to celebrate the river cresting," Roland said. "Hopefully, it'll start going down soon."
All but about a dozen of Eagle Lake's 600 residents evacuated, according to CNN affiliate WLBT.
"We talked about it and thought about it, but this really wasn't a decision at all," one of the holdouts, Cindy Roberson, told WLBT. "This is home. This is where our stuff is."
Local officials caution that some area residents may have to wait to return to their homes.
Flooded houses pose a variety of dangers, they said. Rising floodwaters bring on debris, hazardous waste and gas leaks, and force snakes or other potentially dangerous animals from their habitats and into residential areas.
"Right now we're moving to the recovery stage," Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield told CNN.
"Our first priority, I believe, should be public safety, to continue to encourage our residents and onlookers to stay free of the water."
Law enforcement officials are patrolling evacuated areas to help ensure that abandoned homes and businesses aren't burglarized, Winfield said. And each flooded property must be assessed before an owner can return to it, he said.
Residents who live along the river should be vigilant, said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service.
Warren County, which includes Vicksburg, has "several hundred homes that have water" and about 2,000 residents have been displaced, Sheriff Martin Pace said.
County residents are accustomed to flooding and know what to do, but none have experienced it at this magnitude, according to Pace.
The river began cresting ahead of schedule Wednesday night, probably because an old levee system in the Mississippi city of Greenville was breached May 13 and spread the flood's flow, Pope said.
The Mississippi River is more than 14 feet above flood stage at Vicksburg and more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.
Water levels in Natchez, a city about 70 miles south, are nearly 4 feet beyond the record. The river stood at 61.9 feet Thursday night, and the crest isn't expected till Saturday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kept a watchful eye on the Yazoo Backwater Levee, which residents near Vicksburg were counting on. It is designed to keep water from backing into parts of the Yazoo River delta.
A slide was detected on the mainline Mississippi levee at Albemarle Lake, the Corps of Engineers said Thursday. That occurs when the integrity of a levee is undermined because dirt and sand are being eroded, said spokeswoman Eileen Williamson.
"It will take about a full week to repair," she said.
Farther south, where the Mississippi River has not yet crested, residents were working to clear out their homes and find ways to get by.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has asked for federal assistance in grappling with flooding stemming from the Morganza Spillway, where 17 bays have been opened in hopes of sparing New Orleans farther downstream.
So far, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has delivered nearly 150,000 sandbags, 30,000 cubic yards of sand and 33,000 linear feet of fabric-lined baskets, the governor's office said. Approximately 1,150 Louisiana National Guard members have been mobilized.
Mandatory evacuations will be in effect Saturday -- beginning at midnight Friday -- in Butte La Rose, Happy Town and the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office said.
By Saturday morning, "the area will be secured and no one will be allowed to enter," the parish said in a news release.
Officials said spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks. It will be weeks before the river falls below flood stage, allowing evacuees to return.
About five miles of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge were closed Friday after four barges broke loose from a towboat, said Seaman William Benson of the U.S. Coast Guard. Three of the four sank. Benson declined to say whether the recent flooding could have had anything to do with the incident, but said an investigation was under way.
The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937. It has affected nine states so far: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
In Tunica, Mississippi, two casinos reopened after being shut for almost three weeks because of the flooding, said Caesars Entertainment, the company that owns and operates them.
But farther south, Vicksburg residents face a long and slow goodbye to the historic flood that submerged much of their city, forecasters said. They predicted that the river could remain out of its banks until at least mid-June.
The Mississippi River is not expected to return to its 43-foot flood stage in Vicksburg until after June 14, which is 46 days after it climbed out of its banks, said Amanda Roberts, a National Weather Service hydrologist.
It crested at 57.1 feet Thursday, and the weather service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning in Vicksburg.
Severe storms are likely Saturday and Sunday in the Mississippi River, Ohio River and Tennessee River valleys, said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris.
Up to 3 inches of rain per hour are possible, with heavier storms on Sunday. The rain could lead to secondary crests and higher crests along the Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee, southward, he said.
Some greeted the cresting floodwaters -- which have damaged hundreds of homes and displaced 2,000 Vicksburg residents -- with relief. Others celebrated.
Eddie Monsour, who owns a waterfront restaurant, threw a "River Crest Party" on Thursday night. It was a big success, he said.
"Usually we've got a good crowd, but nothing like it is now. We're probably 200 people more than we usually are," Monsour told CNN affiliate WJTV.
"There's tourists here. People from all over the state just coming to see the water. They've never seen anything like it."
The patrons also included area evacuees such as Louise Roland of Eagle Lake.
"(I'm) just here to celebrate the river cresting," Roland said. "Hopefully, it'll start going down soon."
All but about a dozen of Eagle Lake's 600 residents evacuated, according to CNN affiliate WLBT.
"We talked about it and thought about it, but this really wasn't a decision at all," one of the holdouts, Cindy Roberson, told WLBT. "This is home. This is where our stuff is."
Local officials caution that some area residents may have to wait to return to their homes.
Flooded houses pose a variety of dangers, they said. Rising floodwaters bring on debris, hazardous waste and gas leaks, and force snakes or other potentially dangerous animals from their habitats and into residential areas.
"Right now we're moving to the recovery stage," Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield told CNN.
"Our first priority, I believe, should be public safety, to continue to encourage our residents and onlookers to stay free of the water."
Law enforcement officials are patrolling evacuated areas to help ensure that abandoned homes and businesses aren't burglarized, Winfield said. And each flooded property must be assessed before an owner can return to it, he said.
Residents who live along the river should be vigilant, said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service.
Warren County, which includes Vicksburg, has "several hundred homes that have water" and about 2,000 residents have been displaced, Sheriff Martin Pace said.
County residents are accustomed to flooding and know what to do, but none have experienced it at this magnitude, according to Pace.
The river began cresting ahead of schedule Wednesday night, probably because an old levee system in the Mississippi city of Greenville was breached May 13 and spread the flood's flow, Pope said.
The Mississippi River is more than 14 feet above flood stage at Vicksburg and more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.
Water levels in Natchez, a city about 70 miles south, are nearly 4 feet beyond the record. The river stood at 61.9 feet Thursday night, and the crest isn't expected till Saturday.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kept a watchful eye on the Yazoo Backwater Levee, which residents near Vicksburg were counting on. It is designed to keep water from backing into parts of the Yazoo River delta.
A slide was detected on the mainline Mississippi levee at Albemarle Lake, the Corps of Engineers said Thursday. That occurs when the integrity of a levee is undermined because dirt and sand are being eroded, said spokeswoman Eileen Williamson.
"It will take about a full week to repair," she said.
Farther south, where the Mississippi River has not yet crested, residents were working to clear out their homes and find ways to get by.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has asked for federal assistance in grappling with flooding stemming from the Morganza Spillway, where 17 bays have been opened in hopes of sparing New Orleans farther downstream.
So far, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has delivered nearly 150,000 sandbags, 30,000 cubic yards of sand and 33,000 linear feet of fabric-lined baskets, the governor's office said. Approximately 1,150 Louisiana National Guard members have been mobilized.
Mandatory evacuations will be in effect Saturday -- beginning at midnight Friday -- in Butte La Rose, Happy Town and the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office said.
By Saturday morning, "the area will be secured and no one will be allowed to enter," the parish said in a news release.
Officials said spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks. It will be weeks before the river falls below flood stage, allowing evacuees to return.
About five miles of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge were closed Friday after four barges broke loose from a towboat, said Seaman William Benson of the U.S. Coast Guard. Three of the four sank. Benson declined to say whether the recent flooding could have had anything to do with the incident, but said an investigation was under way.
The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937. It has affected nine states so far: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Doomsday church: Still open for business
By now, you've probably heard of the religious group that's predicting the end of the world starts this weekend.
Harold Camping and his devoted followers claim a massive earthquake will mark the second coming of Jesus, or so-called Judgment Day on Saturday, May 21, ushering in a five month period of catastrophes before the world comes to a complete end in October.
At the center of it all, Camping's organization, Family Radio, is perfectly happy to take your money -- and in fact, received $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009. Camping founded Family Radio, a nonprofit Christian radio network based in Oakland, Calif. with about 65 stations across the country, in 1958.
But not even all of his own employees are convinced that the world is ending on Saturday.
In fact, many still plan on showing up at work on Monday.
"I don't believe in any of this stuff that's going on, and I plan on being here next week," a receptionist at their Oakland headquarters told CNNMoney.
A program producer in Illinois told us, "We're going to continue doing what we're doing."
According to their most recent IRS filings, Family Radio is almost entirely funded by donations, and brought in $18 million in contributions in 2009 alone.
Take a look at Family Radio's IRS filings
According to those financial documents, accountants put the total worth of Family Radio (referred to as Family Stations on its official forms) at $72 million.
With those kind of financials -- and controversial beliefs -- it's no wonder skeptics have accused the group of running a scam.
Camping first inaccurately predicted the world would end in 1994. Even so, he has gathered even more followers -- some who have given up their homes, entire life savings and their jobs because they believe the world is ending.
Esther, the receptionist in the Oakland office, said some of her most extreme coworkers have recently driven up in fancy cars or taken their families on nice vacations as a last hurrah.
But overall, she estimates about 80% of her coworkers don't even agree with Camping's May 21 forecast. She has stuck to her work as usual, booking appointments and filling up calendars for her coworkers well beyond the May 21 date.
Meanwhile, some employees are questioning the meaning of Harold Camping's goodbye letter sent to the Family Radio mailing list last week. While he says farewell, he encourages employees to "steadfastly continue to stand with us to proclaim the Gospel through Family Radio."
Could that mean he plans on disappearing, but the company should still go about its business as usual?
Read Harold Camping's goodbye letter
The producer in Illinois said, "We're trying to guess what it means for the company. Our producers have programs done through the end of the month, so we're not looking at that having any effect on the work."
Also curious is why Family Radio requested an extension to file their nonprofit paperwork. The group is required to submit financial documents in many of the states where they solicit donations, and in Minnesota they requested an extension from their July 15 deadline to November 15.
July 15th was already well past their Judgment Day prediction -- when they say believers will ascend to heaven -- so why bother requesting an extension to November?
But Family Radio's financial filings otherwise look hardly unusual for a religious nonprofit.
"At first glance, it looks like they have a lot of assets, but they actually don't have a lot of cash that they're stockpiling," said Laurie Styron, analyst with the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Most of the group's net worth is tied up in FCC broadcasting licenses, valued at $56 million. Family Radio claimed it held only $1.5 million in cash on its books at the end of 2009.
The paperwork shows Camping has so far, never taken a penny for his own salary, but Family Radio has plenty of other paid employees.
The nonprofit employed about 350 people and paid them a collective $8.3 million -- or roughly $23,000 per person -- in 2009.
What the 2009 IRS filings don't show, is how the organization's donations and expenses may have changed during 2010 and leading up to the May 21 Judgment Day prediction.
In the last few months, Family Radio billboards have popped up across the country. And the group purchased RVs to drive around the country on its evangelizing missions.
Those expenses could have changed their financial picture, but since Family Radio doesn't have to turn in their next IRS filing until November, it may not even matter.
"If people donating to this group think the world is ending on Saturday, then I'm not sure that they care," Styron said.
Harold Camping and his devoted followers claim a massive earthquake will mark the second coming of Jesus, or so-called Judgment Day on Saturday, May 21, ushering in a five month period of catastrophes before the world comes to a complete end in October.
At the center of it all, Camping's organization, Family Radio, is perfectly happy to take your money -- and in fact, received $80 million in contributions between 2005 and 2009. Camping founded Family Radio, a nonprofit Christian radio network based in Oakland, Calif. with about 65 stations across the country, in 1958.
But not even all of his own employees are convinced that the world is ending on Saturday.
In fact, many still plan on showing up at work on Monday.
"I don't believe in any of this stuff that's going on, and I plan on being here next week," a receptionist at their Oakland headquarters told CNNMoney.
A program producer in Illinois told us, "We're going to continue doing what we're doing."
According to their most recent IRS filings, Family Radio is almost entirely funded by donations, and brought in $18 million in contributions in 2009 alone.
Take a look at Family Radio's IRS filings
According to those financial documents, accountants put the total worth of Family Radio (referred to as Family Stations on its official forms) at $72 million.
With those kind of financials -- and controversial beliefs -- it's no wonder skeptics have accused the group of running a scam.
Camping first inaccurately predicted the world would end in 1994. Even so, he has gathered even more followers -- some who have given up their homes, entire life savings and their jobs because they believe the world is ending.
Esther, the receptionist in the Oakland office, said some of her most extreme coworkers have recently driven up in fancy cars or taken their families on nice vacations as a last hurrah.
But overall, she estimates about 80% of her coworkers don't even agree with Camping's May 21 forecast. She has stuck to her work as usual, booking appointments and filling up calendars for her coworkers well beyond the May 21 date.
Meanwhile, some employees are questioning the meaning of Harold Camping's goodbye letter sent to the Family Radio mailing list last week. While he says farewell, he encourages employees to "steadfastly continue to stand with us to proclaim the Gospel through Family Radio."
Could that mean he plans on disappearing, but the company should still go about its business as usual?
Read Harold Camping's goodbye letter
The producer in Illinois said, "We're trying to guess what it means for the company. Our producers have programs done through the end of the month, so we're not looking at that having any effect on the work."
Also curious is why Family Radio requested an extension to file their nonprofit paperwork. The group is required to submit financial documents in many of the states where they solicit donations, and in Minnesota they requested an extension from their July 15 deadline to November 15.
July 15th was already well past their Judgment Day prediction -- when they say believers will ascend to heaven -- so why bother requesting an extension to November?
But Family Radio's financial filings otherwise look hardly unusual for a religious nonprofit.
"At first glance, it looks like they have a lot of assets, but they actually don't have a lot of cash that they're stockpiling," said Laurie Styron, analyst with the American Institute of Philanthropy.
Most of the group's net worth is tied up in FCC broadcasting licenses, valued at $56 million. Family Radio claimed it held only $1.5 million in cash on its books at the end of 2009.
The paperwork shows Camping has so far, never taken a penny for his own salary, but Family Radio has plenty of other paid employees.
The nonprofit employed about 350 people and paid them a collective $8.3 million -- or roughly $23,000 per person -- in 2009.
What the 2009 IRS filings don't show, is how the organization's donations and expenses may have changed during 2010 and leading up to the May 21 Judgment Day prediction.
In the last few months, Family Radio billboards have popped up across the country. And the group purchased RVs to drive around the country on its evangelizing missions.
Those expenses could have changed their financial picture, but since Family Radio doesn't have to turn in their next IRS filing until November, it may not even matter.
"If people donating to this group think the world is ending on Saturday, then I'm not sure that they care," Styron said.
Former IMF chief to leave jail Friday, attorney says
Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is expected to be released from jail Friday after being granted bail on charges related to the alleged assault of a maid in a New York hotel, his lawyer said.
"It's a great relief to the family to be able to have him with them," defense attorney Bill Taylor told reporters outside the courtroom Thursday.
He said his client was spending the night at the jail on Rikers Island before being released Friday. The next court appearance is set for June 6.
Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus granted bail on condition that Strauss-Kahn posts $1 million in cash, a $5 million bond, surrender his travel documents and submit to home detention.
The announcement came shortly after his indictment on seven criminal charges was announced. They are: two counts of criminal sexual act; two counts of sexual abuse; and one count each of attempt to commit rape, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
In the charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree, Strauss-Kahn is accused of having "engaged in oral sexual conduct with an individual ... by forcible compulsion," the indictment says.
"Under American law, these are extremely serious charges," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance told reporters outside the courtroom. "The defendant was indicted on all the charges presented to the grand jury."
Strauss-Kahn proclaimed his innocence in a resignation letter to the IMF executive board late Wednesday.
He said he was stepping down to "protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially -- especially -- I want to devote all my strength, all my time and all my energy to proving my innocence."
"To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me," he said.
A criminal court judge denied him bail Monday, saying his attempt to leave the country after the alleged incident made him a flight risk.
His lawyer argued Thursday that he had been scheduled to leave New York and fly to Paris on Saturday using a ticket he had bought on May 11.
Taylor said his client resigned his position as IMF chief on Wednesday and had surrendered his passport and a U.N.-issued travel document.
"In our view, no bail is required," the lawyer said. "He has one interest at this time and that is to clear his name."
Strauss-Kahn will live with his wife in an apartment in Manhattan after his release, Taylor said. As he entered the courtroom for the bail hearing, he smiled at his wife who was seated in the front row. He also blew her a kiss during a recess.
Prosecutor John McConnell argued the high-profile economist had no right to bail.
"While there is presumption of innocence, the proof is substantial and it is growing every day," he said, adding that the forensic evidence is consistent with an attack and the alleged victim has identified Strauss-Kahn as her attacker.
The alleged victim, a 32-year-old Guinean maid for the Sofitel hotel, testified before the grand jury on Wednesday, according to an attorney representing her.
Prosecutors allege that a naked Strauss-Kahn, 62, chased the housekeeping employee through his suite and sexually assaulted her.
But defense attorney Benjamin Brafman disputed the allegation, saying "forensic evidence, we believe, will not be consistent with a forcible account, and we believe there is a very, very defensible case."
"It's a great relief to the family to be able to have him with them," defense attorney Bill Taylor told reporters outside the courtroom Thursday.
He said his client was spending the night at the jail on Rikers Island before being released Friday. The next court appearance is set for June 6.
Supreme Court Judge Michael Obus granted bail on condition that Strauss-Kahn posts $1 million in cash, a $5 million bond, surrender his travel documents and submit to home detention.
The announcement came shortly after his indictment on seven criminal charges was announced. They are: two counts of criminal sexual act; two counts of sexual abuse; and one count each of attempt to commit rape, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
In the charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree, Strauss-Kahn is accused of having "engaged in oral sexual conduct with an individual ... by forcible compulsion," the indictment says.
"Under American law, these are extremely serious charges," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance told reporters outside the courtroom. "The defendant was indicted on all the charges presented to the grand jury."
Strauss-Kahn proclaimed his innocence in a resignation letter to the IMF executive board late Wednesday.
He said he was stepping down to "protect this institution which I have served with honor and devotion, and especially -- especially -- I want to devote all my strength, all my time and all my energy to proving my innocence."
"To all, I want to say that I deny with the greatest possible firmness all of the allegations that have been made against me," he said.
A criminal court judge denied him bail Monday, saying his attempt to leave the country after the alleged incident made him a flight risk.
His lawyer argued Thursday that he had been scheduled to leave New York and fly to Paris on Saturday using a ticket he had bought on May 11.
Taylor said his client resigned his position as IMF chief on Wednesday and had surrendered his passport and a U.N.-issued travel document.
"In our view, no bail is required," the lawyer said. "He has one interest at this time and that is to clear his name."
Strauss-Kahn will live with his wife in an apartment in Manhattan after his release, Taylor said. As he entered the courtroom for the bail hearing, he smiled at his wife who was seated in the front row. He also blew her a kiss during a recess.
Prosecutor John McConnell argued the high-profile economist had no right to bail.
"While there is presumption of innocence, the proof is substantial and it is growing every day," he said, adding that the forensic evidence is consistent with an attack and the alleged victim has identified Strauss-Kahn as her attacker.
The alleged victim, a 32-year-old Guinean maid for the Sofitel hotel, testified before the grand jury on Wednesday, according to an attorney representing her.
Prosecutors allege that a naked Strauss-Kahn, 62, chased the housekeeping employee through his suite and sexually assaulted her.
But defense attorney Benjamin Brafman disputed the allegation, saying "forensic evidence, we believe, will not be consistent with a forcible account, and we believe there is a very, very defensible case."
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Arnold Schwarzenegger has placed his movie comeback on hold
Arnold Schwarzenegger has placed his movie comeback on hold "until further notice" to focus "on personal matters," the lawyer for the former California governor said Thursday.
The announcement comes two days after the revelation that Schwarzenegger fathered a child with his former housekeeper.
It comes on the same day comic book creator Stan Lee's company announced it would stop plans to produce "The Governator," a children's comic book and TV show based on Schwarnegger's life.
"In light of recent events, A Squared Entertainment, POW, Stan Lee Comics, and Archie Comics, have halted production," the statement said. The statement was a revision from an earlier one that said the companies "have chosen to not go forward with the Governator project."
Schwarzenegger's entertainment lawyer, Patrick Knapp, said in a statement provided to CNN that all plans for new films are suspended.
"At the request of Arnold Schwarzenegger we asked Creative Artists Agency to inform all his motion picture projects currently under way or being negotiated to stop planning until further notice," Knapp said.
Schwarzenegger had been scheduled to start production in August on his first movie since leaving the governor's office in January.
"Governor Schwarzenegger is focusing on personal matters and is not willing to commit to any production schedules or timelines," Knapp said. "This includes Cry Macho, the Terminator franchise and other projects under consideration."
Schwarzenegger, who was once one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, appeared on his way to renewing a film career that was interrupted by his political career. The comeback plans will resume "when Governor Schwarzenegger decides," Knapp said.
The statement did not indicate how Schwarzenegger would focus on his "personal matters," or if they included meeting with the son who he only publicly acknowledged this week.
Schwarzenegger acknowledged Tuesday that he fathered a child "over a decade ago," but he did not identify the mother.
The New York Times, citing two friends of the family, reported that the mother is Mildred Patricia Baena, who worked for two decades as housekeeper for the Schwarzenegger family.
Neither Baena nor her son have been seen at their home in Bakersfield, California, since the scandal became public.
The son is "a wonderful, very respectful, very intelligent young man," according to a neighbor who said she often spoke to him.
"He's very well-centered and he's just not your everyday kid," said Marty Steelman, who lives next door to the home that the boy and his mother moved into last summer.
A real estate agent told her Schwarzenegger helped purchase the house "for a staff member that was retiring," Steelman said in a CNN interview Thursday.
Property records indicate that Baena took out a mortgage when she bought the house last June.
The boy, now 13, was born less than a week after Maria Shriver gave birth to another Schwarzenegger son, Christopher, according to birth records obtained Wednesday by CNN.
CNN is not identifying the child.
"The son is a wonderful, very respectful, very intelligent young man," Steelman said. "He's got great manners."
The boy would stop by her home and chat, once to sell something for a fundraiser for his middle school, she said. He told her husband that he is interested in martial arts, she said.
The child often played basketball in his back yard, she said. He knocked on her door several times to retrieve the ball after it bounced over the fence into her yard, she said.
"He's just a really nice kid," Steelman said. "If you had the choice of picking a child for mentoring, he would be the type of child that you would take on immediately and enjoy every minute of it."
The house, which sits on a cul-de-sac in an upscale neighborhood of Bakersfield, has a swimming pool in the back yard, she said.
Although the family moved in last summer, the mother was there only on weekends until about eight weeks ago, Steelman said. She told her she was commuting to a job in Los Angeles, which is more than 100 miles from Bakersfield, she said.
The birth certificate listed the father as the man Baena was married to at the time. However, divorce papers obtained by CNN say the couple separated less than three weeks after the October 2, 1997, birth. She is a 50-year-old native of Guatemala, according to the document.
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story early Tuesday, quoted the woman as saying she recently retired "on good terms" with the couple after working for them for 20 years.
Schwarzenegger has provided support for the child since birth, one source told CNN.
The revelation that Schwarzenegger fathered a child outside his marriage came a week after Schwarzenegger and Shriver jointly announced they were "amicably separating." No reason for their split was given at the time.
The developments have been "very hard" for Schwarzenegger, and the actor "is doing everything he can to take full responsibility to take all of the spotlight off his children and wife," a source close to Schwarzenegger told CNN.
"He realizes the terrible mistake he made and has a lot of work to do to repair his relationship with his family," the source said, adding that Schwarzenegger has asked people around him to not talk about his relationship with his wife and their four children, who range in age from 13 to 21.
"He's in touch with his family and talked to them last night and apologized to them," the source said Tuesday, noting that Maria Shriver, his wife of 25 years, was among the family members he spoke with.
Shriver, meanwhile, joined talk show legend Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday for a taping of the Oprah Surprise Spectacular -- part of the final episodes of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" scheduled to air next week.
As she walked onstage with longtime Oprah confidant Gayle King, thousands in Chicago's United Center jumped to their feet and erupted in applause.
Earlier Tuesday, Shriver released a written statement describing "a painful and heartbreaking time."
"As a mother, my concern is for the children," she said. "I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."
A source close to Shriver said Tuesday that the former NBC anchor and her children were "circling the wagons and are working through" the family crisis.
Schwarzenegger has issued a statement saying he told his wife about the child after he left the governor's office in January.
"I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family," he said. "There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."
Schwarzenegger's four children were told about their sibling only recently, with Shriver "methodically" talking to them, the source said. They were "well prepared" before it became public, the source said.
Schwarzenegger, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Austria who gained fame as the youngest winner of the Mr. Universe bodybuilding contest, was governor until January. He has been busy in recent months reviving his acting career and signing movie deals -- including plans for another installment of his "Terminator" series.
Praying for Osama Bin Laden
An unlikely prayer request from a parishioner has created conflict within a Catholic church in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Henry Borga added Osama bin Laden's name to his church's list of prayer requests for Sunday Mass — and the Church accepted it. This Sunday, Father Gavin Badway intends on leading his congregation in prayer for five people, including bin Laden, though he admits it's likely to upset people at the service.
(PHOTOS: Osama bin Laden's Pakistan Hideaway)
"Their hearts are troubled because they're thinking emotionally about what he has done and he has done a lot of evil," he told a local reporter. "Nevertheless, Jesus tells us, love and forgive."
People in Badway's congregation are already protesting the prayer request. Church member Lois Pizzano said she thinks it's "totally wrong, he doesn't belong in the Catholic religion. For what he did to Americans, he doesn't belong anywhere. It's unconscionable, it's sacrilegious."
Since the death of bin Laden, controversy has circled over what the appropriate response to his death should be. From the frat-like carousing in front of the White House to the gleeful headlines on tabloid papers, reactions have been varied. Then, within days after the terrorist's death, an erroneously attributed but good-intentioned quotation began circulating the internet:
"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." --MLK
While the saying wasn't actually entirely from Martin Luther King, Jr., the viral nature of the message is a strong indicator that not everyone felt joy over the terrorist's death. Could this church be taking that peaceful sentiment a step further by asking people to pray for bin Laden?
Henry Borga added Osama bin Laden's name to his church's list of prayer requests for Sunday Mass — and the Church accepted it. This Sunday, Father Gavin Badway intends on leading his congregation in prayer for five people, including bin Laden, though he admits it's likely to upset people at the service.
(PHOTOS: Osama bin Laden's Pakistan Hideaway)
"Their hearts are troubled because they're thinking emotionally about what he has done and he has done a lot of evil," he told a local reporter. "Nevertheless, Jesus tells us, love and forgive."
People in Badway's congregation are already protesting the prayer request. Church member Lois Pizzano said she thinks it's "totally wrong, he doesn't belong in the Catholic religion. For what he did to Americans, he doesn't belong anywhere. It's unconscionable, it's sacrilegious."
Since the death of bin Laden, controversy has circled over what the appropriate response to his death should be. From the frat-like carousing in front of the White House to the gleeful headlines on tabloid papers, reactions have been varied. Then, within days after the terrorist's death, an erroneously attributed but good-intentioned quotation began circulating the internet:
"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." --MLK
While the saying wasn't actually entirely from Martin Luther King, Jr., the viral nature of the message is a strong indicator that not everyone felt joy over the terrorist's death. Could this church be taking that peaceful sentiment a step further by asking people to pray for bin Laden?
Mother arrested after boy found dead in Maine
The mother of a 6-year-old boy found dead in the Maine woods is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday after she was arrested a day earlier, authorities said.
Julianne McCrery, 42, faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of her son, according to Michael Delaney, the New Hampshire attorney general.
A tip from someone who saw a suspicious vehicle near the boy's body helped police in making the arrest, Delaney said.
McCrery was arrested at a rest stop in a pickup truck that fit the description of the one authorities were looking for, CNN affiliate WHDH reported. She was reading the Bible when she was arrested.
Woman in custody in Maine boy case
The boy's body was found Saturday under a blanket alongside a remote road in South Berwick, Maine, near the New Hampshire border. Police have not released his cause of death.
First-time jobless benefit filings decline again
The number of Americans filing for their first week of unemployment benefits dropped sharply for the second straight week.
In the week ended May 14, 409,000 Americans filed for their first week of unemployment benefits, the Labor Department said Thursday.
That marked a decline of 29,000 from the 438,000 initial claims filed the week before, and was an even lower level than the 420,000 claims economists had expected for the week.
The number of initial claims has fallen sharply for two straight weeks, after one-time adjustments related to schools on spring break severely distorted the number. Since then, initial claims have retraced those steep gains, falling back to levels they were at about a month ago.
"We are back to where we were one month ago," Jennifer Lee, senior economist with BMO Capital Markets said in a research note.
Economists expect initial claims to fall back below the 400,000 level next week, showing continued gradual improvement in the job market.
The number of Americans filing for ongoing claims rose 13,250 to 3,756,000 in the week ended May 7, the latest data available
In the week ended May 14, 409,000 Americans filed for their first week of unemployment benefits, the Labor Department said Thursday.
That marked a decline of 29,000 from the 438,000 initial claims filed the week before, and was an even lower level than the 420,000 claims economists had expected for the week.
The number of initial claims has fallen sharply for two straight weeks, after one-time adjustments related to schools on spring break severely distorted the number. Since then, initial claims have retraced those steep gains, falling back to levels they were at about a month ago.
"We are back to where we were one month ago," Jennifer Lee, senior economist with BMO Capital Markets said in a research note.
Economists expect initial claims to fall back below the 400,000 level next week, showing continued gradual improvement in the job market.
The number of Americans filing for ongoing claims rose 13,250 to 3,756,000 in the week ended May 7, the latest data available
Record flooding to linger in Mississippi city
Hitting its expected peak of 57.1 feet hours ahead of the original forecast, the National Weather Service predicts the crest will hold through at least Saturday morning.
"Residents who live along the river need to keep an eye out and be vigilant," said Marty Pope, a senior hydrologist with the weather service's Jackson, Mississippi office. "We're not going to fall to the kind of levels we got to during the large 2008 flood until early June, and won't fall below flood stage until mid-to-late June."
The river, initially forecast to crest at Vicksburg Thursday morning, began cresting ahead of schedule Wednesday night probably because an old levee system in Greenville, Mississippi, was breached last Friday and spread the flood's flow, Pope said.
The Mississippi is more than 14 feet above flood stage at Vicksburg and more than a foot over the record set in the city in 1927.
Waiting for the floods Flooding: Impact on animals Homeowners surrounded by floodwater
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was keeping a watchful eye on the Yazoo Backwater Levee, which residents near Vicksburg were counting on for protection. It is designed to keep water from backing into the Yazoo River delta.
The backwater levee was being "armored" by a heavy plastic coating to prevent it from washing out, said Charlie Tindall, attorney for the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners.
But the Yazoo River backwaters were already claiming territory and property. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was among residents who watched rising waters swallow their houses and lands Wednesday.
Barbour's spokeswoman confirmed that a house owned by the governor in his native Yazoo County was flooded by the watery onslaught moving southward.
The house is on a lake in central Mississippi near the backwater-flooded Yazoo River.
The high waters are pushing the county's wild hog population out of their normal habitat, drowning many of them.
"It's like these patches of ground, they are no more than three or four feet wide and they are looking for a dry place to lay," Randy Newell of Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks told CNN affiliate WAPT.
Wildlife officers have given farmers permission to kill the wild pigs who often will root up the areas designed to hold back the water.
Farther south, where the Mississippi River has not yet crested, residents were working to clear out their homes and find ways to get by.
"We're taking one on the chin -- not only for America but for Louisiana as well," said Guy Cormier, president of Louisiana's St. Martin Parish.
His parish is in part of the state expected to be flooded as authorities open sections of the Morganza Spillway to help spare other areas of Louisiana, including New Orleans.
"It's really hard when you go and visit with a family who own and operate everything they have in the area," Cormier said. "The decision has been made, and we're just going to have to battle it. But we're fighting people."
As of Wednesday evening, 17 bays were open at Morganza -- one more than earlier in the day -- moving water at an estimated 114,000 cubic feet per second, the Corps of Engineers said.
Mandatory evacuations will be in effect Saturday -- beginning at midnight Friday -- in Butte La Rose, Happy Town and the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, the St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office said.
By 8 a.m. Saturday, "the area will be secured and no one will be allowed to enter," the parish said in a news release.
Levees along the length of the river appeared to be holding, and water diverted through spillways seemed to be rising more slowly than expected, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned residents that plenty could go wrong.
"There's still an awful lot of water headed our way, and it's going to be here in many cases for weeks, not just a few days," Jindal said.
Officials said the spillway gates are likely to be open for weeks, and it will be weeks before the river falls below flood stage, allowing those who have evacuated to return safely.
The flood is the most significant to hit the lower Mississippi River valley since at least 1937. It has affected nine states so far: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
In Krotz Springs, Louisiana, where floodwaters up to 10 feet deep are expected, some of the 400 residents plan to hold out until the last minute before evacuating.
"We will see it in the coming days," Maj. Jason Mahfouz of the Louisiana National Guard told CNN affiliate WBRZ. "That spillway structure will fill up and that's when the back-flow is expected in this area."
Stubbornly holding onto her property, Jeannette Ellis told the affiliate she'll stay behind a protective levee built by the guard as long as possible.
"I don't expect to leave my home until there's an inch of water in my yard," she said.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
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