Milwaukee Firefighter Charged With Tainting Wife's Tea

Wife Shared Drink With 3-Year-Old Son, Noticed White Around His Mouth

POSTED: 9:12 pm CST November 2, 2009
UPDATED: 12:51 pm CST November 3, 2009

MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee firefighter has been charged with drugging his wife's tea.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthpicturegalleries/6468480/Bizarre-drug-smuggling-attempts.html

JUST PLAIN UGLY!!!

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-just-plain-ugly-pg,0,4600440.photogallery

Man Dressed As Breathalyzer Suspected Of DUI

POSTED: 9:55 am EST November 2, 2009
UPDATED: 11:38 am EST November 2, 2009

WLWT

Pastor charged with using phony badge

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta pastor was jailed for using a phony sheriff’s badge given to him by former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, officials said.

Anthony J. McMichael, senior pastor at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, was arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer – a felony. He was released on bond on Saturday, but is facing more charges, police said

A Georgia State Patrol trooper stopped McMichael in Douglas County on Oct. 21 after spotting him speeding on I-20. McMichael pulled out his license, a Clayton sheriff’s badge and sheriff's identification card signed by Hill, State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright said.

“He said he hadn’t had a chance to get the card changed [since the new sheriff took over],” Wright said.

The trooper let McMichael go with a warning, Wright said.

The trooper later called the sheriff’s department to verify McMichael was a deputy. That’s when he learned that McMichael was not a law enforcement officer and was in illegal possession of the badge, Clayton Sheriff Kem Kimbrough said.

Deputies took out a warrant and arrested McMichael last week at his Douglasville home. They searched his home and seized the badge and ID, Kimbrough said.

McMichael, 58, later told investigators that Hill gave him the badge.

Hill purchased dozens of additional badges, which are the same as the badges deputies carry, and distributed them to his friends, Kimbrough said. They went to preachers, campaign contributors, neighbors and other associates.

Reached at his home Monday night, McMichael said Hill swore him in as a reserve deputy because he is a pastor. He serves as pastor at Mt. Nebo on Moreland Avenue in Atlanta and on Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro.

"It was the vindictive spirit of Clayton County to go after any association with Victor Hill," McMichael said. "It was  a set-up on part of Clayton County to intervene into my life style."

McMichael, who said he is a member of the National Action Network, believes he was followed by law enforcement. Troopers said he was stopped for speeding.

McMichael said he didn't remember the conversation between him and the trooper during the traffic stop.

When Kimbrough took over as sheriff, he found a partial list of the people given badges and asked for them to be returned. McMichael was on the list.

"He said he didn't have a badge," Kimbrough said.

Last week, deputies found out McMichael had lied, Kimbrough said.

McMichael declined to comment about that conversation, only saying that Hill never asked him to return the badge.

The phony badges are part of an ongoing federal investigation into Hill, Kimbrough said. Hill is also the subject on an investigation into missing weapons and other sheriff's equipment.

Deputies have only recovered a few of those badges, Kimbrough said.

“We don’t know how many badges are out there,” Kimbrough said.

The sheriff’s department has since issued new redesigned badges to current deputies. The new badges are a seven-point star and have employee numbers listed, Kimbrough said. The old badges have six points.

Civilian employees also don’t carry badges.

“People have to have trust in law enforcement. They have to trust that when presented a badge, they are dealing with a real law enforcement officer,” Kimbrough said. “If you can’t put trust in that, the whole system breaks down.”

McMichael faces 1-5 years in prison and a fine up to $1,000 if convicted, Wright said.

Hill could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Shonterria Renek Martin, did not return a phone call Monday.

The missing badges are just the latest in Hill's legacy, including several lawsuits against the county.

“It is an unnecessary and unwanted distraction from the real business that needs to be done here in Clayton County,” Kimbrough said. “It’s distressing that we have to keep dealing with the past and have to put it behind us.”

Hill lost as bid for a second term last year to Kimbrough. In December, Hill filed for bankruptcy.

Church's money giveaway: Alsip pastor's cash prizes fill pews

Minister's focus is to help congregation pay bills and begin a debt-free life

Lolly Bowean

Chicago Tribune reporter

November 2, 2009 

Cell Phone Numbers Go Public Next Month.

All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will receive sales calls.

YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS!!! 

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:

           888-382-1222                  888-382-1222

It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. 

  You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. 

You cannot call from a different phone number.

Al Sharpton's ex-wife and daughter get disorderly conduct tickets after dispute over red light

Dabin for NewsKathy Jordan and her now ex-husband, the Reverend Al Sharpton. Corkery/NewsAl Sharpton with his daughter Dominique.

The Rev. Al Sharpton's ex-wife and oldest daughter were arrested in Manhattan on Friday night for resisting arrest after speeding past a patrol car and through a red light, sources said.

Kathy Jordan, 53, and her daughter, Dominique, 23, were pulled over around 7:30 p.m. for ripping through the light at Eighth Ave. in Harlem, sources said.

As officers attempted to issue the two women a summons for the traffic violation, things got heated, sources said.

The pair became belligerent toward the cops, arguing that they were only trying to get around the squad car that was driving too slow, sources said.

Dominique, who was driving, argued against the summons and she and her mom were collared for disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration, sources said.

The mother and daughter were issued desk appearance tickets and allowed to go home.

"How what was apparently a minor traffic dispute ended up with two arrests with desk appearance tickets is highly questionable and unusual," said Rev. Sharpton's lawyer, Michael A. Hardy.

"Reverend Sharpton has been made aware of the details of the matter and will aggressively support his daughter and her mother, despite their announced change of marital status in 2003," Hardy said.

The couple met when Jordan was a back-up singer for James Brown.

They married in 1980 and divorced after 23 years together.

They have two adult children, Dominique and Ashley, 22.

Dominique works for her father's National Action Network based in Harlem. 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2009/10/31/2009-10-31_al_sharptons_exwife_and_daughter_get_disorderly_conduct_tickets_after_speeding_a.html#ixzz0VfPStjQJ

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Limbaugh: Obama is 'in over his head'

ASSOCIATED PRESS

From his home and on a friendly network, Rush Limbaugh lobbed potshots across the airwaves Sunday at President Obama -- "immature, inexperienced, in over his head," offering the country "radical leadership" and laying siege to the economy.

"We'll let Mr. Limbaugh foment," responded the White House's chief political strategist, dismissing the conservative commentator with the reported $400 million contract ("I'm probably worth more," Mr. Limbaugh said) as no more than an entertainer and not really the right guy to give "lectures on humility."

The banter began on the hourlong "Fox News Sunday," Mr. Limbaugh the lone guest, interviewed from his home in Palm Beach, Fla., on a network the Obama administration has labeled as the voice of the far-right wing of the Republican Party. Obama adviser David Axelrod swung away later in the morning from Chicago on CBS' "Face the Nation."

One question in, Mr. Limbaugh said that his country had "never seen this kind of radical leadership at such a high level of power," that "I have to think" the administration is bent on destroying the private sector on purpose, amounting to "a denial of liberty, an attack on freedom."

He said Mr. Obama's swift rise to the White House after "a five-minute career" makes him a "man-child president."

"I think he's got an out-of-this-world ego. He's very narcissistic, and he's able to focus all attention on him all the time. That description is simply a way to cut through the noise and say he's immature, inexperienced, in over his head," Mr. Limbaugh said.

Mr. Axelrod, one of two guests on the 30-minute CBS broadcast, weighed in with cutting comments of his own.

"I think it's a surreal day when you're getting lectures on humility from Rush Limbaugh. . . . The fact is that he is an entertainer. The president has to run the country," Mr. Axelrod said.

"We walked into a difficult situation. I think he's handling it very, very well, and most people believe that," he added.

Mr. Limbaugh belittled Mr. Obama's surprise, middle-of-the-night trip last week to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to observe the return of 18 flag-covered cases holding the remains of Americans killed in Afghanistan. "It was a photo op" designed to "create the impression that he has all of this great concern," Mr. Limbaugh contended.

Mr. Axelrod said Mr. Obama went to Dover "to represent the American people and pay his respects to the families who had made so much of a sacrifice, to those brave service people who made the ultimate sacrifice. It was the appropriate thing to do, and I think most Americans appreciate that."

As Mr. Limbaugh predicted that a second Obama term "would be painful," Mr. Axelrod got the final word.

"There's no surprise that Rush Limbaugh espouses the views that he espouses. He does it every day on radio. He's marketing the outrageous, and he does very well with it. But as I said, he's an entertainer. We've got bigger responsibilities."

Somali man, '112', weds girl, 17

The couple posed for photos at the wedding celebrations

Hundreds of people have attended a wedding in central Somalia between a man who says he is 112 years old, and his teenage wife.

last updated at 16:45 GMT, Thursday, 29 October 2009

BBC

Ahmed Muhamed Dore - who already has 13 children by five wives - said he would like to have more with his new wife, Safia Abdulleh, who is 17 years old.

"Today God helped me realise my dream," Mr Dore said, after the wedding in the region of Galguduud.

The bride's family said she was "happy with her new husband".

Mr Dore said he and his bride - who is young enough to be his great-great-grand-daughter - were from the same village in Somalia and that he had waited for her to grow up to propose.

"I didn't force her, but used my experience to convince her of my love; and then we agreed to marry," the groom said.

Goat-skin documents

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says the marriage, in the town of Guriceel, is being described by Somali historians as the first of its kind in the Horn of Africa nation for more than a century.

Our reporter says reaction to news of the marriage has been mixed.

Some people said while it was allowed under Islamic law, they were concerned about the age gap, but others were happy that age was not a barrier to love.

Mr Dore told the BBC he was born in Dhusamareeb in central Somalia in 1897 - and has a traditional birth certificate, written on goat skin by his father.

Our correspondent says he has an interesting history - in 1941 he joined the British colonial forces as a soldier for 10 years and then served as a police officer after Somalia won independence in 1960.

Altogether, Mr Dore has 114 children and grandchildren. His oldest son is 80 years old and three of his wives have died.

He says he hopes his new bride will give him more children.

"It is a blessing to have someone you love to take care of you," he said.

6'11' one-armed hoopster Kevin Laue aims to inspire, motivate far beyond Manhattan College campus

 Pokress for News  Kevin Laue dunking the ball in practice.

Pokress for NewsKevin Laue was born with a partial left arm and plays basketball for Manhattan College.

Manhattan College basketball player Kevin Laue has a killer one-handed dunk.

And he couldn't have it any other way.

The freshman center - at 6'11", he's the tallest player on the team - was born without a left arm below his elbow. He overcame his disability, and the rejection of all but one coach, to earn a Division I basketball scholarship.

"I'm having the time of my life," said the 19-year-old Laue.

"I can't wait for the first game," he said before a recent practice at the college's Riverdale campus, where the Jaspers are getting ready to tip off the season in two weeks.

Laue catches and rebounds using his stunted arm for support, then grabs the ball with his oversized palm to pass or shoot.

"He has to overcompensate with heart and hustle for the things that he lacks," said Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen.

Laue was born with a tangled umbilical cord that lashed his left arm to his neck, constricting development.

But while his arm never grew, the rest of his body sure did.

Towering above his peers, Laue took up basketball in eighth grade and became a star at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif.

"It's a two-handed sport, so it was challenging at first," Laue said matter-of-factly.

His game steadily improved, but he broke his leg senior year, all-but-evaporating his chances of a college scholarship. Still determined, he enrolled in Virginia's Fork Union Military Academy the next year.

"He has basketball ability," said Fork Union coach Fletcher Arritt. "Plus, he offered something else - he's inspirational."

Still, the year ended without any Division I offers.

"You get scared," recalled Laue, who was told that powerhouses like UCLA or Kansas would have pursued him if he had two hands. "Nobody stepped up."

Enter coach Rohrssen.

Plenty of other kids get opportunities despite low grades, poor sportsmanship or trouble-making off the court, Rohrssen said.

"Kevin did things the right way, and he deserves a chance."

Rohrssen, a Brooklyn native who is starting his fourth year as head coach, took a risk and spent a precious scholarship on a one-handed hoopster.

The criticism was swift and cruel. He was told he was committing career suicide and mocked for being unable to find any athletes with two hands. Some remarks were "callous and ruthless," Rohrssen said.

A confident Laue offered a different take. "I was more of a steal as a recruit," he said. "I think he saw that."

The often-smiling redhead betrayed a hint of resentment toward those who focused on his stunted arm and failed to give him a shot.

"It definitely makes you want to prove them wrong," he said. "Try harder."

The Manhattan Jaspers, who finished fourth last year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, start the season Nov. 14.

As a freshman, Laue "will have to earn his minutes" on the court, Rohrssen said.

Having fulfilled his goal, Laue is already earning so much.

He's been getting countless messages, many from people with similar conditions who use his story to motivate themselves.

Playing in high-profile New York, he embraces the opportunity to get the message out. "It goes hand-in-hand with inspiring them, hearing their stories, helping each other out," Laue said.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/11/01/2009-11-01_big_man_with_a_big_heart_onearmed_hoopster_aims_to_inspire_far_beyond_campus.html#ixzz0VeOp0xMb

America's 2-to-5 year olds spend a whopping 32 hours per week watching TV

Haddon/Getty

America's couch potatoes in training – its 2- to 5-year olds – spend nearly as much time watching TV as their parents spend at work, according to new research. Preschoolers log more than 32 hours of tube time each week, according to a study by the Nielsen Co.

"Parents depend on the TV as a way to get things done, but when you let your kids watch TV constantly, then they don't know how to do anything except watch TV," says Mike Mosiman, co-author, with his wife, Renee, of "The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child's Intellectual Potential." "And the kids who are the most addicted to the TV tend to get bored easily when the TV is off."

If you're thinking of switching off the electronic baby-sitter and getting those bored little tube addicts engrossed in actual play, it may be easier than you think. While you're at it, if you have older children as well, take note of their viewing habits. That same Nielsen study found that 6- to 11-year-olds watch a little less (28 hours a week), but that's because they have to interrupt their tube time to attend school.

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to keep a small child entertained? "Audio tapes actually improve kids' attention," says Renee Mosiman. "Stock up on preschool songs that your child can listen to regularly. These tapes also help kids develop imagination, since they have to imagine the characters and settings as opposed to having it shown to him or her on the TV screen."

Get your kid involved in hands-on music, too: Buy shakers, drums, even toy pianos. "They are great for developing an interest in music," Renee Mosiman says.

At the toy store, skip the electronic toys with loads of bells and whistles, and look for "role-playing" toys – play foods, kitchenware, doctor kits, cash registers, even old Halloween costumes or superhero outfits. "They help kids develop imagination and problem-solving skills," says Renee, who's also a family therapist.

And get your child into the kitchen when you're cooking, says Carol Tuttle, a parenting expert and author of "It's Just My Nature!"

While you whip up supper, let him make super-simple snacks like "ants on a log," which is nothing more than celery sticks spread with peanut butter and topped with raisins. Bake cookies together and give some away to neighbors.

"Cooking has math and literacy skills combined," explains Kathleen Hayes, editor of Highlights High Five magazine. "Plus, kids get to make a mess."

When you have some time to spend with a child who's bored, let him choose the activity, Tuttle says. Play "grab bag" by writing down a bunch of fun activities, putting them into a paper bag and letting your child draw one slip to figure out what you'll do together.

Crafts don't have to cost a lot of money, says Suzy Martyn, author of "Enjoy the Ride: Tools, Tips and Inspiration for the Most Common Parenting Challenges." "Make personalized placemats for dinner," she says. "Trace their hands on a piece of paper and let them color it. Collect leaves and sticks on a nature walk and let them make a craft with it."

Playing dress-up is a cheap form of entertainment, too. Give your child old clothes – hats, blouses, mittens, plastic jewelry – and they'll be endlessly entertained.

Last but not least – and this is a tough one – set a good example by cutting down on your own TV time. If you can't imagine not watching "Mad Men" and "Grey's Anatomy," record them and watch them when your child's asleep. Unless by that point you're so exhausted from playing that you'd rather go to sleep yourself.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/10/30/2009-10-30_americas_2to5_year_olds_spend_a_whopping_32_hours_per_week_watching_tv.html#ixzz0VbXFtYET

Houston & Texas News

Dropped wallet points police to robbery suspect

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police got some help in arresting an 18-year-old robbery suspect after he dropped his wallet near the scene of the alleged crime.

An arrest affidavit says Michael Kern was one of three people who attempted to rob a man at knifepoint Oct. 24 at an apartment complex.

A man said he was walking his dog when Kern and two others approached and one of them pulled a knife. The victim started running.

Authorities found Kern's wallet on the ground after the incident. The victim saw the photo and identified Kern, who was arrested on Wednesday. He was charged with aggravated robbery and was being held Saturday at the Bexar County Jail with bail set at $50,000. State officials had no details on whether he had an attorney.

Police: SC state attorney caught with stripper

MEG KINNARD 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A deputy assistant attorney general who said he was on his lunch break when an officer found him with a stripper and sex toys in his sport utility vehicle has been fired, his boss said Wednesday.

Roland Corning, 66, a former state legislator, was in a secluded part of a downtown cemetery when an officer spotted him Monday, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.

As the officer approached, Corning sped off, then pulled over a few blocks away. He and the 18-year-old woman with him, an employee of the Platinum Plus Gentleman's Club, gave conflicting stories about what they were doing in the cemetery, Officer Michael Wines wrote in his report, though he did not elaborate.

Corning gave Wines a badge showing he worked for the state Attorney General's Office. Wines, whose wife also works there, called her to make sure Corning was telling the truth.

He then searched the SUV, where he found a Viagra pill and several sex toys, items Corning said he always kept with him, "just in case," according to the report.

Corning and the woman were let go without charges. Wines' wife reported the call to her supervisor, who told Attorney General Henry McMaster.

"We received credible information about inappropriate behavior Monday afternoon," McMaster said Wednesday. "And by the close of business, he was no longer working here."

Such a trip to the cemetery "would not be appropriate, at any time, for an assistant attorney general," McMaster said.

There was no answer Wednesday at a number listed for Corning, who was a Republican legislator in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was hired in 2000 by the attorney general's office, where he worked on securities cases.

South Carolina has had its share of scandal lately, most notably Gov. Mark Sanford's disappearance in June. His office told reporters he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but he was really in Argentina visiting his mistress.

LINK TO PHOTO:

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/1002850.html

October 28, 2009 01:56 PM EDT

Turn clocks back this weekend

  Mike Morris

If Saturday night's Halloween partying leaves you feeling ghoulish, you'll have an extra hour to recover as Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday.

While residents of most of the country once turned their clocks back an hour on the last Sunday in October, the date was changed two years ago to the first Sunday in November.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 also extended Daylight Saving Time on the front end, starting in 2007, to begin on the second Sunday in March.

Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services spokeswoman Denell Boyd said this weekend is also a good time to change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

More than 6,200 fire departments nationwide now participate in the "Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery"  program started 22 years ago by the International Association of Fire Chiefs to remind families to use Daylight Saving Time as a reminder to change detector batteries when changing clocks back to Standard Time.