News Links

• Kansas City moves to close nearly half of schools
  A divided Kansas City School Board voted to close almost half of the city's schools because of falling enrollment. At the hearing, parents voiced anger and students cried.
  
• Tornadoes rip up homes in Arkansas
  Parts of Arkansas were under a tornado watch until early Thursday after a series of powerful tornadoes ripped through dozens of homes, critically injuring two people.
  
• Background check missed prison stint
  A background check conducted in 2009 on an Ohio State University employee suspected of opening fire Tuesday on his co-workers turned up no criminal record, even though he apparently served five years in prison.
  
• Ex-Toyota lawyer: Documents damaging
  When in-house defense attorney Dimitrios Biller resigned from Toyota, he walked out with something potentially more valuable than his $4 million severance package.
  
• Partial results of Iraq election expected
  Iraq's election commission is expected Thursday to announce partial results of last week's vote.
  
• Who is alleged 'Jihad Jane'?
  Colleen LaRose, the U.S. woman indicted for allegedly conspiring to support terrorists and kill a person in a foreign country, attempted suicide in 2005, police said.
  
• Chief justice: Obama speech 'troubling'
  Simmering tension spilled into public this week when Chief Justice John Roberts labeled the political atmosphere at the State of the Union address "very troubling."
  
• Violence rocks Somali capital
  Heavy fighting flared in the Somali capital Thursday, a day after a battle between government forces and Al-Shabaab rebels left 29 dead and scores injured.
  
• British journalist freed in Gaza
  British journalist Paul Martin was free Thursday and on his way to Israel after his arrest by Hamas in Gaza a month ago.
  
• Workers trained to hack Defense Dept.
  The Pentagon is training people to hack into its own computer networks.
  

• Healthier men want more sex for more years
  Healthier men, no matter their age, are going to have better sex more frequently and desire it more often than healthier women.
  
• Minorities' higher Alzheimer's risk
  Francisca Terrazas and other Latinas are about 1.5 times more likely than Anglos to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, a new report says. Read how her family copes.
  
• What can I do for chronic sinusitis?
  I have been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. It would seem like every six months or so, I have an episode where I am unable to go to work for about three days because I develop a temperature, swollen lymph nodes, (recently, swollen, inflammed tonsils) headaches and skin flora on my scalp. How is skin flora associated with sinusitis? Will this ever stop?
  
• CDC: Herpes still 'serious' threat
  As much as 16 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 14 and 49 has genital herpes, according to a government study released Tuesday.
  
• Women drinkers less likely to gain
  Some women avoid drinking calorie-filled cocktails, wine, and beer because they're worried about packing on the pounds. Now, a new study suggests that women who are moderate drinkers actually tend to gain less weight over time than teetotalers.
  
• 'You just don't look disabled'
  People come up to Aimee Mullins all the time and say, "you know, I have to tell you, you just don't look disabled."
  
• Supreme Court takes vaccine appeal
  Parents who say that a range of preventive vaccines given their young children can cause serious health problems will have their appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
  
• 'Speed-dating' doctors woo patients
  A pioneering Texas program invites prospective patients to casually meet and size up a lot of doctors in a short amount of time.
  
• Dems: No health bill sked promises
  Despite a call from the White House for health care legislation to pass this month, key Democrats are avoiding any promises about how soon the next steps may come.
  
• Thought urged on prostate screening
  Most men 50 and older should seriously consider the potential risks of treatment before deciding whether to be screened for prostate cancer, the American Cancer Society said Wednesday in revised guidelines.
  

• 'Lost Boys' star Corey Haim dies at 38
  Former 1980s teen movie actor and heartthrob Corey Haim died early Wednesday, authorities said.
  
• Marie Osmond makes emotional return to performing
  With tears in her eyes and her voice shaking at times, Marie Osmond donned her bravest face Tuesday night as she took to the stage for the first time since the death of her son for a show that she dedicated to him.
  
• Charlie Sheen ready for TV return
  Charlie Sheen is set to return to the set of his sitcom "Two and a Half Men," his publicist said.
  
• The top 10 geek anthems of all time
  Geeks rock.
  
• McQueen's final collection
  
  
• 'Tuscan Sun' author on Italy's pleasures
  Many authors can move readers with their words, but Frances Mayes has the power to actually make readers move.
  
• Jessica Simpson says she still trusts people
  Despite John Mayer's recent kiss-and-tell revelations about their sex life, Jessica Simpson says she remains, deep down, a trusting person.
  
• Sandra Bullock's husband thinks she is 'amazing'
  Jesse James may be a tough guy who builds motorcycles and performs death-defying stunts, but he's not above the pomp of the Oscars -- or being a plus-1 to the night's most celebrated actress, his wife Sandra Bullock.
  
• Tiger Woods's ex: He deserves another chance
  Tiger Woods has apologized for repeatedly cheating on his wife -- and he's getting some support from an old flame who believes the golfer can be redeemed.
  
• Guilty plea in Letterman case
  The man accused of trying to blackmail comedian David Letterman, is expected to enter a guilty plea in a hearing Tuesday afternoon, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
  

• Air traffic jams in NY likely to jump
  Flying in and out of New York -- which is usually no picnic -- is likely to get worse this spring. A new rule on tarmac delays, possible exemptions to that rule and a runway closure may create a perfect storm for travelers.
  
• 'Tuscan Sun' author on Italy's pleasures
  Many authors can move readers with their words, but Frances Mayes has the power to actually make readers move. Her new book might tempt some more would-be Tuscans. | Excerpt | Recipe |
  
• Unruly passenger admits disrupting flight
  A Texas man who became enraged when a flight attendant refused to serve him alcohol and spent part of a flight locked in the lavatory has pleaded guilty to interfering with an airline flight crew.
  
• Man whose kiss caused airport security scare pleads guilty
  A New Jersey man who breached security to give his girlfriend a kiss, causing scores of flight delays, pleaded guilty Tuesday to defiant trespass, his lawyer said.
  
• Delta, JetBlue request exemption to tarmac delay rule
  A runway closure at John F. Kennedy International Airport has prompted JetBlue Airways and Delta Air Lines to ask for a temporary exemption at JFK to a rule designed to keep planeloads of passengers from getting stranded on the tarmac.
  
• Payment stopped on my compensation
  Alaska Airlines pays Ashley Cates $239 when she's bumped from her flight. Then it stops payment on the check. Why? And is there anything she can do to get the money back?
  
• What to do if disaster hits your trip
  If disaster strikes when you are traveling, preparation before departure could be what keeps you safe and gets you home, experts say.
  
• US Airways fined for price advertising violation
  The Department of Transportation slapped US Airways with a $40,000 civil penalty Monday for violating price advertising rules.
  
• Obama nominates ex-Army general to head TSA
  President Obama tapped a former Army general Monday to lead the Transportation Security Administration.
  
• What's new in Venice and Rome
  Rome and Venice are two of my favorite cities. But to enjoy these classic destinations fully, you need to be prepared for changes in 2010. Knowing about a few recent developments will make your visit smoother this year.