Fair Proxy Web

Ice storm blamed for 5 deaths, power failures, cancelled flights

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) — An ice storm slickened roads and sidewalks, grounded hundreds of flights, and cut power to tens of thousands Sunday in a swath from the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes as even colder weather threatened.

The wintry weather was expected to continue through midweek, and ice storm warnings stretched from Texas to Pennsylvania.

Tomorrow may be even more of a dilemma than today because we’re going to get even a little bit more colder, said John Pike, a meteorologist at the Weather Service’s office in Norman, Oklahoma.

Five traffic deaths were blamed on icy roads in Oklahoma.

More than 130,000 customers lost power in Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois and Kansas, utilities reported.

Some communities in Missouri reported ice as thick as three-quarters of an inch, the National Weather Service said.

The rural roads are pretty rough, the main highways are pretty clear, and the overpasses are slick, said John Christiansen, emergency management director in Missouri’s St. Clair County.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest, canceled more than 400 flights. Airports in Kansas City, Missouri and St. Louis, Missouri, also canceled several flights.

Places of worship across the region called off services because of the slippery roads. Roads in all but the southeastern corner of Oklahoma were considered slick and hazardous, the state Department of Transportation said.

Chicago officials used the city’s emergency phone system to deliver recorded warnings to about 2,700 elderly residents that sidewalks were icy and slippery.
found here.

Vietnamese protest islands claim

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Several hundred Vietnamese staged a rare public demonstration Sunday to protest China’s effort to claim control of two disputed island chains in the South China Sea.

The demonstrators, mostly university students, gathered near the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi and chanted Down with China! and Long Live Vietnam!

Police let the demonstration continue for about an hour before breaking it up.

The protesters were supporting the government’s position that Vietnam has sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel islands, a contentious issue between Vietnam and China for years.

The largely uninhabited islands and surrounding waters are believed to have large oil and natural gas reserves. They straddle busy sea lanes and are rich fishing grounds.

Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei also claim sovereignty over all or some of the Spratlys.

The demonstrators were protesting the Chinese legislature’s recent ratification of a plan to create a symbolic administrative region called Sansha to manage three archipelagos, including the Paracels and the Spratlys.

The whole world knows that these islands belong to Vietnam, said Le Duc Hung, a 24-year-old Web designer. We must do something to show our sovereignty over these islands.

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China had indisputable sovereignty over the islands.

Demonstrations are extremely rare in Vietnam, where the Communist government exerts tight control over political expression.

When the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, police allowed several hundred students to protest.

Vietnamese farmers have also held occasional protests in recent years, saying the government seized their land for development without compensating them fairly.
found here.

Police hunt gunman who killed 2 at missionary center

(CNN) — Police used dogs Sunday to search for a gunman who they said shot four people, killing two of them, at a Colorado training center for missionaries.

Police hoped the fresh snow would help them track the shooter, who apparently fled on foot after the early morning shooting, Susan Medina of the Arvada Police Department said.

She described the gunman as a white male, roughly 20 years of age, wearing a dark jacket. He may have a beard or mustache and may be wearing glasses, Medina said. She added, We believe he may be wearing a dark skull cap or beanie.

Police confirmed that two of the four people shot early Sunday at the live-in training center for young Christian missionaries were dead, and identified them as Tiffany Johnson and Philip Crouse. Watch update from Arvada, Colorado

At about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, the gunman entered a building where Youth With a Mission members were cleaning up from a Christmas banquet, said Peter Warren, the center’s co-founder.

He asked for housing for the night, Warren said, which Johnson refused to give him.

She said, ‘We really can’t do that right now,’ Warren said.

And then he opened fire.

Johnson, 26, was from Minnesota and Crouse, 24, was from Alaska, police said in a statement. The two other shooting victims are men, ages 22 and 23, police said. One is in critical condition and the other is in stable condition.

Warren said both Johnson and Crouse died in surgery. He said the man in critical condition had a bullet wound in his neck and the other had wounds in his legs.

Paul Filidis from the Youth With a Mission Colorado Springs office identified the wounded men as Charlie Blanch and Dan Griebenow, CNN affiliate KUSA reported. Both are Youth with a Mission staff members, according to the organization’s Web site.

Johnson has been affiliated with the organization since 2006, and joined the staff in spring 2007, the Web site says.

Warren said a memorial service for the two dead would likely be held Tuesday or Wednesday. These kids were like our kids, you know? he told KUSA. It’s just such a tragedy.

Warren said the center was bringing the 80 or so other people who live at the Arvada campus to the group’s mountain campus in Golden, Colorado.

We’re just going to be honest, and pray for one another, and cry with one another, he said.

There were about 45 people in the building when the shooter entered, Medina said, and those who weren’t wounded were transported to an off-site location where police are interviewing them, she said.

The center is home to dozens of young people from all over the world who are being trained as Christian missionaries, according to the center’s Web site.

Two reverse 911 calls have gone out to residents of the neighborhood to let them know a shooting suspect might be in the area, she said. She urged residents to stay vigilant and call police if they spot anything suspicious.

Youth With a Mission was founded in 1960, and now operates in more than 1,000 locations in 149 countries, according to its Web site. The organization has a staff of nearly 16,000.

Arvada is a Denver, Colorado, suburb with a population of about 105,000, according to the city’s Web site.
found here.

CNN Student News Transcript: December 10, 2007

(CNN Student News) — December 10, 2007

Quick Guide

Canoe Man Arrest - Hear why police are investigating a British man’s disappearance and return.

Launch Scrubbed - Learn why a NASA shuttle launch has been delayed until after the New Year.

Combining Power - Consider whether a celebrity endorsement can impact a political campaign.

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MONICA LLOYD, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We’re glad to have you with us for the start of a new week and the start of a new edition of CNN Student News. I’m Monica Lloyd.

ID Me

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: See if you can I.D. Me! I’m a body of water located in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. You’ll find me between Britain and Norway. Part of my name is a compass direction. I’m the North Sea! The English Channel and the Strait of Dover are my links to the Atlantic Ocean.

First Up: Canoe Man Arrest

LLOYD: And that sea is where John Darwin was thought to have drowned in 2002. But if you were with us last week, you know that the British man reappeared recently in London. Now, Darwin and his wife have been arrested. Detectives want to talk to both of them about where Darwin’s been for the last five years and find out if any laws have been broken. Owen Thomas explains the latest developments in this story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OWEN THOMAS, CNN REPORTER: Anne Darwin, now in custody after she flew in from Atlanta to the UK on Saturday morning. Police investigating accusations of fraud have been stressing how they wanted to speak to her after John Darwin apparently came back from the dead. She’ll be questions about press interviews she’s given over the past few days where it was claimed she and her husband had secretly been living together for the past three years, apparently unbeknown to anyone, including their grown-up sons. It’s a case that continues to grip Britain. John Darwin, a former prison officer, disappeared in what appeared to be a canoeing accident close to his home in the Northeast of England back in 2002. Within 24 hours, the oars were found, and two months later the canoe itself was washed up. Despite a big air and sea rescue operation, no body was ever found. He was officially declared dead a year later.

But there was astonishment last Saturday when he walked into a police station claiming amnesia, that he had no idea of the events of the past five years. Detectives investigated his story, felt there were some inconsistencies, and later arrested him. On Saturday, he was charged with two offenses: that he lied to obtain a passport and that he obtained a money transfer by deception. Anne Darwin, the former doctor’s receptionist, returned to Britain via the states from Panama. Now, she’ll be able to give the police her side of the story. A decision will be made in due course as to whether she has any charges to answer.

While Anne Darwin continues to be questioned by police, her husband John will appear in court later on Monday to answer the two charges against him. His sudden reappearance has caused surprise and much speculation here in the UK. And the public’s appetite to find out more about just who knew what and when shows no sign of abating. Owen Thomas, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Launch Scrubbed

LLOYD: Back in the U.S. now, the space shuttle Atlantis is staying on the ground until at least after the New Year. It was supposed to launch into orbit last Thursday and deliver a European laboratory to the international space station. John Zarrella explains the cause of the delay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN REPORTER: As they were filling the giant external tank of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, there are four hydrogen sensors down at the bottom of this tank. Two of those sensors failed, so the launch was scrubbed on Thursday. NASA decided that they would give it another go, but the rule was if any of the four sensors failed, that would be it, they wouldn’t try again. Well, in fact, here are the four sensors here on this plate, this shock plate. And as they began filling the liquid hydrogen and as it rose above these sensors, sensor number three did fail again, one of the same two sensors that failed on Thursday. So immediately, the launch was scrubbed. Mission managers met. They have decided what they are going to do is put together an emergency troubleshooting team that will then report back to the management team by Tuesday some recommendations on where to go next. Possibility out there that they might have to roll the shuttle Atlantis back into the Vehicle Assembly Building. But at this point, that would be the last option they would resort to, trying to preserve options to get off the ground as early in January as they can, if they can isolate the problem, get to the root cause and fix it out at the launch pad. John Zarrella, CNN, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Word to the Wise

AZUZ: A Word to the Wise…

endorsement (noun) official approval; support

source: www.wordcentral.com

Combining Power

LLOYD: And with the race for the White House heating up, you’re probably going to hear a lot about political endorsements between now and the election. Now, if you or I announce that we’re supporting a particular candidate, people might not pay too much attention. But when someone famous does it, that’s a whole different story, especially if the endorsement comes from the woman considered to be the world’s most powerful celebrity. But does star-powered support always translate into a White House win? Josh Levs looks at the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH LEVS, CNN REPORTER: It’s the political marriage rocking the presidential race: the first-term senator and the… well, Oprah. But is all the talk about this media magnate’s potential effect overblown? Celebrities are good for fundraising, but political history is littered with failed attempts to include a dash of star power in a recipe for victory. Tommy Lee Jones’ nominating speech at the 2000 Democratic National Convention didn’t exactly skyrocket his one-time Harvard roommate. Still, it seems everybody’s doing it.

MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Two words: Chuck Norris.

LEVS: Oprah Winfrey may be in a league of her own, but a poll suggests her endorsement alone did not change the race. In September, 15 percent said it made them more likely to support Obama; just as many said it made them less likely. The rest said it had no impact. Many assume she is swaying other people; 60 percent said her endorsement would help Obama. Now, Oprah is the draw to get people in early states to hear him. If his poll numbers jump, should we expect his chief rival to pull out her own mega-star supporter?

BARBARA STREISAND, SINGING: Here I am.

LEVS: Free Streisand concerts in Iowa and New Hampshire, perhaps? No talk of that. Senator Clinton does have a political rock star stumping for her. Among those hoping the political scene does not become a celebrity slug-fest is this guy. As Pat Sajak spells it out, the idea of choosing the leader of the free world based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CNN Heroes

LLOYD: Let’s talk about something you do at school every day: learn! We all have different ways of learning things. Some people understand an idea better if they can see it. And for others, hearing the explanation of a new concept is what makes it click for them. Well, Kayla Cornale developed a way to learn using music. But the 18-year-old didn’t do it for herself. She came up with the new method to help her cousin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAYLA CORNALE, CNN HERO: My cousin Lorena, she is 11 years old and she is diagnosed with a form of autism. I knew that sometimes at family gatherings, she would not want to talk to others, or she’d be to herself or just little things like that. But I just saw that she had an interest in music. She might not necessarily remember something that you’d say to her, but she’d remember songs lyrics.

GRAPHIC: About one child out of 150 is born with autism.

CORNALE: So I thought, if she likes music, why don’t I create something that she likes already? And then she can build upon that. My name is Kayla Cornale, and I’m from Burlington, Ontario, Canada.

I thought that if I could maybe teach her a few letters of the alphabet, or teach her a little bit about the emotions and how to express herself, she’d feel better about herself. And we’d all be able to interact with her better, because she’s got a great sense of humor; she is a very fun kid to be around.

That’s what kind of drove me to take a different route. And I thought maybe I could take the 26 letters of the alphabet and just place them on the central 26 keys of the piano keyboard. So, to identify each letter now with a sound rather than just an isolated symbol that you can’t really have any feeling for.

After working a year exclusively on the piano keys, I saw that she had now mastered the alphabet. So, I moved to the computer keyboard.

GRAPHIC: Kayla’s Sounds Into Syllables is currently being tested in three Ontario school districts.

CORNALE: I started to implement the use of animation, bringing this to the computer. And when I did that, she just, boom, immediately had a lot of interest in it. And we got to the point where she could just sit down at the computer for over an hour. And I had to tell her that the lesson was over; she’d want to keep going.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Promo

LLOYD: More than 7,000 people from 93 countries have been nominated as CNN Heroes. And last week in New York City, the CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute recognized some, including Kayla, for their outstanding work. If you want to learn more about the event, head to CNNStudentNews.com and check out the Heroes link In the Spotlight section of our page.

Goodbye

LLOYD: And that’s where we wrap things up for today. But we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for more CNN Student News. Thanks for watching. I’m Monica Lloyd. E-mail to a friend

found here.

Hosp victory as Schild crashes out

ASPEN, Colorado (AP) — Austria’s Nicole Hosp won her first women’s World Cup slalom this season in Aspen on Sunday.

She made two trips down Ruthie’s Run in a combined time of 1 minute, 34.60 seconds. First leg leader Tanja Poutiainen of Finland was second at 1:35.79 and Kathrin Zettel of Austria was third in 1:35.94.

World Cup overall leader Marlies Schild of Austria crashed on her second run after recording the seventh fast run first time down.

She had won the World Cup slalom races in Reiteralm, Austria, and Panorama, British Columbia earlier this season.

Reigning World Cup champion Hosp was second at Reiteralm and fifth at Panorama and was claiming her 10th career World Cup victory and her third in slalom.

Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter, 25th after the first run, turned in a storming second effort to finish seventh.

U.S. skiers, Lindsey Vonn, a winner at Lake Louise last week, and Kaylin Richardson, failed to complete their second runs. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

found here.