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Dad threw 4 tots off bridge for revenge, police say

BAYOU LA BATRE, Alabama (AP) — A day after reporting his four young children were missing, a shrimp fisherman broke down and confessed that he threw them off an 80-foot-high bridge to their deaths, authorities said Wednesday.

Lam Luong, 37, was charged with four counts of capital murder, and divers searched the murky waters for the bodies of the youngsters, who ranged in age from a few months to 3 years.

Luong had a drug habit and had argued with his wife, Ngoc Phan, before taking the children, said Phan’s brother-in-law, Kam Phengsisomboun.

Luong’s girlfriend, who was living in a hotel in nearby Gulfport, Mississippi, was a factor in the couple’s argument on Sunday and Monday morning, family members and police said.

Authorities said they believe Luong then drove on Monday to the two-lane Dauphin Island bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, stopped at the highest part of the span and threw the youngsters over the side.

Luong reported the children missing Monday, initially telling police that he had given the kids to his girlfriend, who was living in a hotel in Gulfport, Mississippi, and that she failed to return them.

But authorities said they found holes in his account, and he later changed his story.

Missing and presumed dead were 4-month-old Danny Luong; 1-year-old Lindsey Luong; 2-year-old Hannah Luong; and 3-year-old Ryan Phan. Phan is not the man’s biological child, but Luong raised him from infancy, authorities said.

About 70 people in boats and helicopters searched water as deep as 55 feet. The search area covered 100 square miles because the current might have swept the children away, Sheriff Sam Cochran said.

The search was called off late Wednesday afternoon when dense fog rolled in, completely obscuring the bridge.

Luong was scheduled to appear in court Thursday. District Attorney John Tyson said he did not believe Luong had a lawyer. Watch Luong walk into jail in handcuffs

Luong came to Alabama from Vietnam in 1984 and worked as a shrimper, Phengsisomboun said. The couple lived with Phan’s mother at Bayou La Batre, a fishing village 20 miles southwest of Mobile with a large Southeast Asian community.

Phengsisomboun said the couple had recently moved back to the area from Hinesville, Georgia.

The family initially feared he had traded the children to support his drug habit, Phengsisomboun said. Luong had a crack habit and had run through an insurance settlement from an auto accident, he said. Authorities in Mobile confirmed Luong had a history of drug abuse but had no details.

He was arrested in October in Hinesville on a crack-possession charge. The case has not been acted on by a grand jury.

Phengsisomboun said he was later told by investigators that a witness had seen someone throw a bundle from the bridge and then saw three children in a nearby car.

Phan, 23, was in seclusion Wednesday morning at her mother’s brick home, the front porch cluttered with children’s shoes.

Some family members and friends held out hope that the children weren’t dead.

I just pray for the kids, that they are still alive, said Van Lam, a family friend who was at a market with Phan’s mother Wednesday afternoon.
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Clinton, Obama set to battle while GOP race remains wide open

(CNN) — With the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries now history, the Democratic and Republican presidential races are still wide-open contests that will force candidates to continue to battle over the next four weeks.

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s two percentage-point win over Sen. Barack Obama in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, after she came in third in the Iowa caucuses, had supporters chanting comeback kid when she took the stage to claim victory Tuesday night.

With 96 percent of the precincts counted, Clinton beat Obama 39 percent to 37 percent, a surprise win as polling going into the night had Obama leading the New York senator by 9 percentage points. John Edwards come in a distance third at 17 percent.

Clinton’s victory means she and Obama will battle for front-runner status as the campaigns turn their focus to the Nevada caucuses on January 19, the South Carolina primary on January 26, the Florida primary on January 29 and the nearly two dozen states that will hold caucuses or primaries on February 5. Watch the candidates declare victory in New Hampshire

It was a great moment for me, and I think it really demonstrated what the people of New Hampshire have [done] time and time again, Clinton told CNN on Wednesday. They take a hard look at everybody. They ask a lot of tough questions, and they render their judgment. They’re famously independent, and they sure showed it last night.

Sen. John McCain’s victory in the Republican New Hampshire primary Tuesday night revealed how the race for the GOP presidential nomination has no clear front-runner and is even more open than the Democratic contest. Read how CNN’s analysts view the results from New Hampshire

The Arizona senator topped Mitt Romney 37 percent to 32 percent, with 96 percent of the precincts reporting. Mike Huckabee, the winner of the Iowa caucuses, came in third with 11 percent.

McCain, whose campaign was written off by many political pundits this summer after he had to lay off staff due to a poor fundraising, was greeted by the crowd with cheers of Mac is back when he made his victory speech Tuesday night. View pictures from primary night

I’m past the age when I can claim the noun ‘kid,’ no matter what adjective precedes it, but we sure showed them what a comeback looks like, the 71-year-old, four-term senator said.

The Republican candidates now turn their attention to the Michigan primary on January 15, the South Carolina caucuses on January 19, and the Florida primary on January 29.

The Michigan contest is shaping up to be a repeat of the New Hampshire battle between McCain and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Having lost both the Iowa and New Hampshire contests after spending nearly $7 million in advertising in both states, a win in Michigan is particularly important for Romney, whose father was governor there in the 1960s.

I’d rather have a gold, but I got another silver, Romney said. And now there have been three races so far; I’ve gotten two silvers and one gold, Romney said Tuesday night, referring to his win in the widely-ignored Wyoming caucuses.

South Carolina, where McCain’s 2000 campaign effectively died, could present a challenge for him. One of every three voters in the 2000 GOP primary was a self-described member of the religious right, and they supported George W. Bush over McCain, 68 percent to 24 percent. On the other hand, 27 percent of voters in the 2004 primary were veterans, like McCain.

To win South Carolina, McCain will have to best Huckabee, who has been polling with a double-digit lead over him among a Republican electorate that is heavily dominated by social conservatives.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Baptist preacher, enjoyed strong support from evangelicals in Iowa, who made up 60 percent of caucus-goers.

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson has also been courting social conservatives and campaigning heavily in the Palmetto State. Thompson campaigned in South Carolina on Tuesday rather than in New Hampshire.

Now that the first two opening contests of the primary season are complete, candidates Wednesday were re-assessing their strategies.

Clinton was spending Wednesday in her Chappaqua, New York, home huddled with her husband, former Presidential Clinton, and key advisors. Analysts expect the Clinton camp to trot out her husband at more campaign appearances.

Solid support from women was crucial to Clinton’s narrow victory over rival Barack Obama, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider

If I had a single word, the word would be ‘women,’ Schneider said. She got the women back.

Pundits think that a glimpse of emotion she offered voters a day before the primary helped soften her image and may have swayed undecided women voters. Clinton teared up while answering a question Monday about how she keeps herself together amid the rigors of campaigning.

You know, I have so many opportunities from this country, I just don’t want to see us fall backwards, she said, her voice breaking a bit. The audience applauded.

Obama said Wednesday that his message of change will continue to resonate with voters as he pursues the Democratic nomination.

We feel great [about] what we’ve been seeing between Iowa and New Hampshire — record turnouts, people extraordinarily engage in the process. Obama told CNN. What’s clear is that the American people are taking this process seriously. They’re paying a lot of attention. They want to participate. They want to bring about a fundamental change on how our politics works here in this country. So we think that serves our campaign well and will serve the American people well once I’m president.

Obama hopes to regain the momentum with a victory in Nevada. On Wednesday the powerful Service Employees International Union of Nevada endorsed the Illinois Democrat.

The union’s Executive Vice President Shauna Hamel said the overwhelming participation of voters in the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary showed that Americans are ready for change.

Obama’s victory in Iowa may lead Democratic voters who had been leaning toward Clinton to reconsider him because they did not think think Obama was electable, experts say.

On Wednesday, Obama plans to stump in Jersey City, New Jersey, just minutes from New York City and not far from Clinton’s home. He then plans to swing into Manhattan for a campaign fundraiser.

After his second place finish in Iowa, Edwards tracked a distant third in the New Hampshire primaries. The former North Carolina senator hopes a strong showing in either Nevada or South Carolina can put him back in contention.

The race is far from over, Edwards said Tuesday night.

Only about 1 percent of Americans had voted so far, he said, and the other 99 percent deserve to be heard.

I’m in this race to the convention, where I intend to be the nominee of my party, he said.
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Be The Change — so far

(CNN) — CNN has equipped a group of volunteers with cameras, laptops and a brand new Web site. They will blog and post videos of their lives and new jobs as they fan out across three continents for the next 12 months.

We invite you to find out about the individuals taking part in this program, the organizations who are sponsoring them and the people they are helping. E-mail to a friend

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Red Sox star looking for big hit at gadget show

(GameTap.com) — Curt Schilling, the split-finger fastballer from Boston with a penchant for honoring superstitions, playing through pain, and winning, says he intends to play only one more year of baseball. I’m done. This is my final year, Schilling told a handful of journalists he’d invited to his top-floor suite in Caesar’s Palace during this week’s CES trade show.

His new focus, post-pitching, will be to oversee the development of a still-unnamed and shrouded-in-mystery massively multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) that goes by the working title Copernicus.

A short video comprised of previously released game and movie clips, meticulously edited and scored — what Schilling and his team is calling a tone video — was shown to an A-list of journalists that included tech maven Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, as well as reporters from Barron’s, Newsweek, USA Today, and The Los Angeles Times.

While it in no way represents the final game, the video was the centerpiece of a relaxed night with Schilling talking about Copernicus, his new company, and his commitment to gaming — the latter of which he admits has confounded many.

No one looks at this and says it’s a natural progression, Schilling said. You’re a frickin’ celebrity athlete who’s going to make a game? Come on!, he adds, mimicking the peanut gallery.

But Schilling is adamant he is in it for the long haul. Watch the sights and sounds of CES

This is my life after baseball, the star pitcher said of the game and the studio he formed to create it. After baseball, I will do nothing except be a father, husband, and run this company.

The company is 38 Studios, the development house Schilling founded in late 2006. And the unnamed game is just one pillar of a multi-pronged approach to entertainment. What marks Schilling’s vision is that the game is based on a new IP that he says will include deliberate and strategically planned brand extensions into film, TV, books, comics, and action figure iterations.

Although the game is in the very early stages on development–what the studio’s VP of product development Michael Kosenski called concept phase — Schilling says the game will release sometime toward the end of 2010.

The dinner with Schilling was a free-wheeling event. Reporters sat around a dining room table and fired off questions. Schilling addressed a wide range of topics: He’s staffing the company only with people who are ready to be on time and bust their ass.

He says you don’t need sex and you don’t need blood to make a great game. His blog was created as a vehicle to get the word out on 38 Studios, and has tallied 7 million unique visitors since its launch 10 months ago.

He says that some day he will be intimately involved in making a baseball game…I will be a part of a company doing a sports game. And at the moment, he’s playing Tabula Rasa, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Hellgate: London, and EverQuest 2. And he thinks NBA 2K8 is as close to realistic as a sports game can get.

What else did Curt Schilling reveal about his upcoming game? Not a whole lot. He’s banking heavily on his own understanding of games, which is considerable, and his two creative partners — best-selling fantasy book author R.A. Salvatore and iconoclast comic book and action figure creator Todd MacFarlane — to create a blockbuster.

Is any of what GameTap was told or saw a guarantee of success? No. Would I put my bet on Schilling to create something of interest? Something worth looking at when it hits retailer shelves? Well Vegas is a betting town, so the answer is yes. E-mail to a friend

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Wallpaper repairs made easy

(This Old House) — Wallpaper has always been a quick, colorful way to give a room style and visual interest. Unfortunately, ripped seams, bubbles, tears and other damage are common. And if you don’t fix these problems right away, you’ll end up having to replace the entire piece of wallcovering.

The good news is, fixing wallpaper isn’t especially difficult, though it does take a few specialized tools and techniques. We’ll focus on the three most common wallpaper repairs: loose seams, punctures and trapped air bubbles.

To make repairs as invisible as possible, work slowly and carefully. Rushing yields sloppy work that’s much harder to fix the second time around.

Save seams

Vertical seams between strips of wallpaper become loose for a variety of reasons. Too much glue might have been squeezed out of the seam when it was rolled flat.

Or, with prepasted vinyl wallcoverings, seams start to peel open because the factory-applied adhesive didn’t stick to the vinyl. What’s more, seams on outside wall corners are prone to bumps and abrasions.

No matter where the loose seam is or what caused it, the repair procedure is the same: Dip a small artist’s brush into wallpaper-seam. Spread an even coat of adhesive onto the underside of the exposed seam (photo 1).

Then use a wooden seam roller to flatten the seam. Clean off any excess adhesive with a damp sponge.

If a loose seam has a small, horizontal tear, be sure to roll the two flaps of the tear back down in their original position. Place the top piece — the one with the decorative vinyl surface — over the bottom flap to effectively hide the ragged white line of the backing paper.

Rips and punctures

Severe rips and punctures mean you’ll have to cut out the damaged area, fix the drywall if needed and install a wallpaper patch. You’ll need a piece of matching wallpaper to use as the patch. If you don’t have a remnant, buy a small sample at a wallcovering store. If the pattern is no longer available, steal a piece from inside a closet or hallway. This Old House: Wallpaper buying guide

A double-cut patch is the best way to make the repair nearly invisible. Start by taping the wallpaper patch over the damaged area with its pattern perfectly aligned with the one on the wall. If the patterns don’t line up precisely, don’t panic; wallpaper tends to stretch a little once it’s wet and rolled out. Simply align the patterns as close as possible.

With the patch taped in place, use a razor knife and straightedge to cut through both paper layers (photo 2).

Be sure to completely cut through each corner. Remove the patch and set it aside. Next, carefully peel the damaged paper section off the wall. It probably will leave behind some felt backing; you can remove this sticky fuzz with a warm, damp sponge. Then patch any divots in the wall with a nonshrinking vinyl spackling compound. This Old House: New way to strip it away

If the wallpaper patch is prepasted paper, soak it in warm water for 30 seconds. Then book it by folding it over, paste to paste, to activate the adhesive. Let it set for about five minutes, then peel it apart and press the patch to the wall. Use your fingertips to adjust the patch and align the pattern. Smooth the area with a damp sponge, then wipe off any excess paste.

If the patch isn’t prepasted or if you lifted it from another location, apply it to the wall with wallpaper paste.

Get rid of bubbles

Trapped air bubbles and blisters are almost always caused by an installation problem. Often, a speck of dirt or paint chip keeps the paper from bonding and allows a bubble to form with time and humidity. Or, the installer didn’t force out all of the air. Either way, the only cure is to cut open the blister, release the air and re-glue the spot.

Most bubbles and blisters are just air pockets, but it pays to check. Press a finger against the bubble. Feel a speck of something? Cut an X through the paper and remove it with tweezers or a razor knife. Then, squeeze seam adhesive through the slit and roll the paper flat. This Old House: 12 quick fixes

If the bubble really is just air, you can fix the problem with a glue-injecting syringe; it makes a less-conspicuous repair than cutting a slit. We bought ours, an Advance Equipment Co. model, at a Sherwin-Williams paint store for $5.50.

Fill the syringe with seam adhesive, push it directly into the bubble and press the plunger. On some vinyl wallcoverings, forcing in the needle will stretch the vinyl. If it does, cut a tiny slit with a razor knife. Then insert the needle and squirt in the adhesive (photo 3). Finish off by flattening the repair with a seam roller and carefully wiping off any excess adhesive. E-mail to a friend

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