Chicago’s Historic Burr Oak Cemetery Reopens After Grave-Selling Scheme

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Alsip, IL (AHN) – Burr Oak Cemetery opened on a limited basis on Thursday, allowing family members distraught since July, when grave workers were arrested for allegedly reselling plots and dismembering human bodies, to visit their loved ones for the first time. Only 11 sections of the cemetery were opened to the public, following a systematic re-opening on a daily basis until all 45 sections of the cemetery have been opened on Nov. 25. Drive-in and walk-in traffic is prohibited until the entire graveyard opens on Nov. 27; visitors until then have to board a bus at the Burr Oak Cemetery Transportation Center along Cicero Avenue. Four cemetery workers were arrested on July 9 for unearthing bodies and reselling plots n a scheme that allegedly lasted for years. Grave digger Maurice Dailey, 59, Keith Nicks, 45, Terrence Nicks, 39, and cemetery manager Carolyn Towns, 49, were charged with dismembering a human body, a class x felony. In August, they were indicted on seven other counts: desecration of human remains, conspiracy to dismember multiple human bodies, removal of a gravestone or marker, removal of remains of multiple deceased human beings from a burial ground, and two counts of theft $100,000 to $500,000. They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Authorities say the suspects excavated bodies, choosing old graves that had not been visited, and dumped these along with remains of crushed burial vaults in an area of the graveyard used for collecting garbage. They also “double stacked” graves, by digging up an existing plot to make this deeper and covering the original vault in the grave with dirt. The scheme is believed to have lasted from Sept. 2003 to July 2009, and was done off the books to keep the cemetery owners from finding out. One of Chicago’s first black cemeteries, Burr Oak is now under a court-appointed receiver. The cemetery is home to about 100,000 graves, including Queen of Blues Dinah Washington and Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicago boy whose 1955 murder in Mississippi for allegedly flirting with a white woman helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Judge: U.S. Liable for Katrina Flood

Hansen Sinclair – AHN Reporter New Orleans, LA (AHN) – A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that poor workmanship and upkeep of a major navigation channel on the part of the Army Corps of Engineers led to some of the disastrous flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The decision is a major victory for the more than 80,000 people living in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish east of the city. This is the first time the government has been held accountable for any of the flooding that practically washed away an entire city in the summer of 2005. If upheld, the ruling could order the government to pay tens of millions of dollars to home and business owners whose property was destroyed or severely damaged by water from the navigation canal. Federal District Judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr. said failing to maintain the system was nothing less than negligent on the part of the Corps. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Arkansas Officer Uses Taser On 10-Year-Old

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Ozark, AK (AHN) – A police officer in northwestern city of Arkansas used a Taser on a 10-year-old when he was called in to help the child’s mother give the girl a shower before bedtime. The girl faces a charge of disorderly conduct, while the officer was suspended with pay. According to OzarksFirst , police officer Dustin Bradshaw Tased the girl on her back after getting permission from the mother and after efforts failed to pacify the violent child. Mayor Vernon McDaniel has said proper procedures were followed but has requested outside law enforcement agencies to investigate. The girl’s mother has told 40/29 News that she was trying to protect her daughter from hurting herself. Bradshaw has been suspended for a week pay because he did not switch on his video camera while using the Taser, which is part of the police department’s policy. According to the police reported posted on the Smoking Gun , the girl was “screaming, kicking and resisting every time her mother tried to touch her.” Bradshaw tried speaking with her several times, and then carried her with the help of the mother to the shower. But the child refused to follow any instructions, so the officer “moved her into the living room and told her she was going to jail.” Bradshaw began to try arresting the child, who remained unruly. “[She] struck me with her legs and feet in the groin. The subject was actively resisting arrest at this time,” the officer wrote. The girl was handcuffed and taken to the Cecil Youth Shelter after Bradshaw “administered a very very brief drive stun” with his Taser. The girl faces a charge of disorderly conduct when she is released from the shelter, 40/29 News reports. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

U.S. Flagged Ship Maersk Alabama Repels Pirate Attack Using Hi-Tech Sonic Blasters

Ayinde O. Chase – AHN Editor Mogadishu, Somalia (AHN) – An American flagged container ship was the victim of a Somali pirate attack once again. The Maersk Alabama was attacked on Wednesday by pirates using automatic weapons some 350 miles east of the coast. Wednesday’s attack proved unsuccessful as guards stationed on the vessel were able to repel the attack with sonic blasters and bullets. A statement released by the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Manama, says the security team evaded capture by commencing evasive maneuvers in conjunction with using Long Range Acoustic Devices and bullets. The sonic blaster system employed by the Maersk Alabama also saved a luxury cruise ship in 2005 from a similar attack. Military officials are praising the Maersk Alabama’s operators for their pro-active approach to using more robust defenses. In the April attack pirates were successful in boarding the ship and ended up taking captain Richard Phillips hostage. Phillips was only freed when Navy snipers shot and killed three of the pirates who seized him while he was a prisoner in a lifeboat. Piracy has been an ever present problem along the Somali coast for the better part of 20 years since the country’s last functioning government collapsed in 1991. Anarchy on land and on the seas is now the way of life for the region. However over the last few weeks with the monsoon season ending in the Indian and Arabian oceans, the piracy problem has ballooned. Generally pirates have left their hostages generally free form harm, however experts warn that if more commercial and passenger ships begin fighting back the terror on the high-seas could become more brutal. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Scenarios Cloud Fate Of Suspended Miami Commissioner

Hansen Sinclair – AHN Reporter Miami, FL (AHN) – “What if…” is the question on the minds of some Miami voters as they deal with confusing scenarios arising from the ouster of a city commissioner charged with grand theft. Earlier this week, Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado announced a special election will be held in January to occupy the District 5 – Overtown – seat. The seat was vacated after Regalado suspended Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones after she was charged last week with a single count of grand theft. According to the charge, Spence-Jones allegedly redirected $50,000 in county funds to a family business. Spence-Jones maintains her innocence, and said the funds were used for the family business as intended. Regalado called upon Gov. Charlie Crist to appoint a replacement, but the governor said he does not have that power in this case. Holding a special election could cost the city of Miami up to $200,000. However, since Spence-Jones has not been convicted and a trial date has not been set, she may run for her seat and possibly win back her position. If so, she could be suspended, again, but it is unlikely. If Spence-Jones does not run for her seat and her trial ends with an acquittal, she would regain her position. But if Spence-Jones won her seat and was convicted, yet another special election would have to be conducted to replace her. Spence-Jones has not publicly made a decision if she will run. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

After Touring Great Wall, Obama Visits South Korea

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Beijing, China (AHN) – President Barack Obama visited the Great Wall on Wednesday, capping off a visit that sought to push China to change its currency policy, agree to a climate emissions target, and address its human rights record, but that yielded modest results, according to some pundits. Obama walked the Badaling section of the Great Wall amid what his top aides had described as an “unprecedented” time of cooperation with China, a powerful nation that the President has said would need to be involved in nearly all global issues for these problems to be solved. Obama held several bilateral meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who held firm on the issues of appreciating his nation’s currency and of improving its promotion of human rights. The United States wants Beijing to move to a more market-oriented exchange rate to help the global economic recovery. Hu was silent on the issue during a joint press conference with Obama that allowed no questions from journalists. But Obama indicated there had been progress in the discussions, saying he was “pleased” that China had committed to liberalize over time. On human rights, Hu made clear during the press conference, “The two sides reaffirmed the fundamental principle of respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity… We will continue to act in the spirit of equality, mutual respect, and a noninterference in each other’s internal affairs, and engage in dialogue and exchanges on such issues as human rights and religion in order to enhance understanding.” A joint statement from the two leaders was blunter. “Each country and its people have the right to choose their own path, and all countries should respect each other’s choice of a development model,” it said. “Both sides recognized that the United States and China have differences on the issue of human rights.” Beijing has been criticized for restricting access and speech on the Internet, the arrests of Tibetan monks during last year’s riots, and the alleged discrimination of Uighur Muslims, a Turkic-speaking minority in the northwest of the country. Obama had sought pressure China on the issue of free speech on Sunday, when he held in a town hall meeting with university students in Shanghai. Replying to a question submitted online and read by U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman about China’s Great Firewall and if Twitter “should be used freely, the President had said, “I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable.. in the United States, the fact that we have free Internet — or unrestricted Internet access is a source of strength.” On climate change, Obama and Hu agreed that “a vigorous response is necessary” and that an accord in next month’s United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen should “include emission reduction targets of developed countries and nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing countries.” China and the United States are the top two emitters of greenhouse gases. Washington has agreed with other industrialized nations to seek at least an 80 percent reduction, but China believes its development would be hampered by such a limit. Obama late Wednesday travels to South Korea, his last stop in a week-long Asian tour that began with a visit to Tokyo on Friday, and continued with an APEC Summit in Singapore on Saturday. In Seoul, he meets with President Lee Myung-bak and visits American troops stationed in the country. On top of the agenda in discussions with South Korean officials will be the Six Party Talks. The United States is one of five nations negotiating with the North Korea about denuclearization. The other parties are China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. North Korea conducted a nuclear test in May, and later ended the 1953 ceasefire agreement ratified after Korean War with South Korea. The communist nation received tougher sanctions from the United Nations Security Council in June, in large part due to U.S. efforts, but remained defiant, warning “all-out war” to any nation that violates its sovereignty. Last week, a naval skirmish occurred between North Korea and South Korea, heightening tensions in the peninsula. The United States, which has no official ties with Pyongyang, announced this week it would hold its first direct talks with North Korea. A small delegation of American officials led by Amb. Stephen Bosworth will travel to Pyongyang “at an appropriate time not yet determined” to restart Six Party Talks. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Wife Who Helped Husband Abduct, Enslave Utah Teen Pleads Guilty

Windsor Genova – AHN News Writer Salt Lake City, UT (AHN) – A woman who helped her husband abduct a teenager in March 2002 and enslaved her for nine months pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges before a Salt Lake City court on Tuesday. Wanda Eileen Barzee, 64, also agreed to a 15-year-sentence and to testify against her husband, Brian David Mitchell, for the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart when she was 14. Mitchell, a self-proclaimed prophet, took Smart to a remote camp and made her his bride. Barzee helped Mitchell keep Smart chained. Smart was raped several times by Mitchell. The trial of Mitchell is pending as prosecutors worked to prove he is mentally competent to face charges in court. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

In First China Trip, Obama Criticizes Internet Censorship

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Shanghai, China (AHN) – President Barack Obama on Sunday sought to strengthen ties with one of the biggest trade partners of the United States while still criticizing, albeit indirectly, Internet censorship in China. Obama is in his first trip to the communist nation, part of his maiden tour of Asia since assuming office. In a town hall meeting with university students at the Museum of Science and Technology in Shanghai, the President cited the already strong alliance between the two countries, with trade between them at over $400 billion a year and with the second highest number of foreign students in the United States coming from China. “We have a positive relationship that opens the door to partnership on the key global issues of our time — economic recovery and the development of clean energy; stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and the scourge of climate change,” he said. “Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty. But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined — not when we consider the past. Indeed, because of our cooperation, both the United States and China are more prosperous and more secure.” “There are very few global challenges that can be solved unless the United States and China agree,” Obama added. Replying to a question submitted online and read by U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman about China’s Great Firewall and if Twitter “should be used freely, the President said, “I think that the more freely information flows, the stronger the society becomes, because then citizens of countries around the world can hold their own governments accountable.” “I’m a big supporter of non-censorship… I recognize that different countries have different traditions. I can tell you that in the United States, the fact that we have free Internet — or unrestricted Internet access is a source of strength… I actually think that that makes our democracy stronger and it makes me a better leader because it forces me to hear opinions that I don’t want to hear.” Obama did not directly address other aspects of China’s poor human rights record, including the arrest of Tibetan monks during last year’s riots, and the alleged discrimination of Uighur Muslims, a Turkic-speaking minority in the northwest of the country. “These freedoms of expression and worship — of access to information and political participation — we believe are universal rights,” he said. “They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities — whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation.” Obama is on his third stop in a week-long Asian tour that began with a visit to Tokyo on Friday, and continued with talks with ASEAN leaders at the APEC Summit in Singapore on Saturday. Earlier on Sunday, he met with the mayor of Shanghai and Communist Party Secretary Yu Zhengsheng. Obama meets with President Hu Jintao in the evening. The two leaders then have dinner later in the Banquet Hall of the Diaoyutai State Guest House, and on Tuesday hold another bilateral on a range of issues including energy and the economy. Climate change and denuclearization of North Korea will be key items on the agenda of Obama and Hu’s talks. The United States and China are the world’s two top emitters of greenhouse gases. The two nations are seeking to find consensus before a key climate change conference next month in Copenhagen to replace the Kyoto protocol. The United States adopted a 2°C global warming limit as part of a Group of Eight agreement in July. That G8 summit in Italy also yielded “unprecedented commitments” from the 16-member Major Economies Forum and other developing nations on the goal of reducing greenhouse emissions by half by 2050. The emissions target includes an 80 percent reduction by industrialized nations, a concession China and India had refused to accept. Obama late Monday goes on sightseeing tour of the city, and caps off the day with a state dinner. On Wednesday, he meets with Premiere Wen Jiabao and continues his tour of Beijing. He travels later that day to his last stop, South Korea, where he meets with President Lee Myung-bak and visit U.S. troops stationed in the country. On top of the agenda in the discussions in Seoul will be the Six Party Talks. The United States is one of five nations negotiating with the North Korea about denuclearization. The other parties are China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. North Korea conducted a nuclear test in May, and later ended the 1953 ceasefire agreement ratified after Korean War with South Korea. The communist nation received tougher sanctions from the United Nations Security Council in June, in large part due to U.S. efforts, but remained defiant, warning “all-out war” to any nation that violates its sovereignty. Last week, a naval skirmish occurred between North Korea and South Korea, heightening tensions in the peninsula. The United States, which has no official ties with Pyongyang, announced this week it would hold its first direct talks with North Korea. A small delegation of American officials led by Amb. Stephen Bosworth will travel to Pyongyang “at an appropriate time not yet determined” to restart Six Party Talks. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Report: Federal Government Asks Congress For Oversight Of Subway Systems

Kris Alingod – AHN Contributor Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Federal officials have asked Congress to give them oversight of the nation’s subway and light rail systems because of increasing safety issues that have led to collisions, including the worst train accident in the nation’s capital. According to the Washington Post , the Transportation Department would have the authority to enforce safety rules, similar to its power to oversee the airlines and Amtrak. Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood told the Post that federal officials want to implement measure to avoid another crash like the Metro train in D.C., but are unable to because they are constrained by the law. Nine people died and 80 others were injured after two six-car Red Line trains crashed into each other on June 22 between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. Both trains were on the same track in the direction of Shady Grove station. The only other time in Metro Rail’s 33-year history that there were customer fatalities was in January 1982, when three people died as a result of a derailment between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metrorail stations. The National Transportation Safety Board has said electrical components in Metrorail’s control circuit had failed to indicate that another train was on the track. Testing using replacement modules also “showed similar anomalies.” The agency later found a “spurious signal” had contributed to the crash, and told all rail operators to develop a program to regularly test the performance of circuits. In July, two “Muni” trains in San Francisco collided, injuring 47 people. The NTSB said in its initial findings that the operator of the colliding train had “blacked out” seconds before the accident. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

USGS Reports Central Oklahoma Rocked By Second Earthquake In 48 Hours

Ayinde O. Chase – AHN Editor Oklahoma City, OK (AHN) – Oklahoma was rattled by an early morning earthquake Monday making it the second quake within 48 hours. The tremors were registered in eastern Oklahoma County. The latest temblor occurred at 5:12 a.m. Monday. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake registered 2.5 on the Richter scale and it was centered 2 miles northeast of Choctaw. Officials say no damage was reported. The region also saw a slight rumbling on Saturday at approximately the same time. At 5:13 a.m. The USGS recorded a 3.0 magnitude quake. Oklahoma’s largest earthquake to date was on April 9, 1952 and caused moderate damage in the cities of El Reno, Oklahoma City, and Ponca City. The quake toppled chimneys and smokestacks, cracked and loosened bricks on buildings and was felt over most of Oklahoma and in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas. Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

Next Page »