johnhanblog

A parked car exploded Saturday near one of Shiite Islam's holiest
shrines in the city of Karbala as people were headed to the area for
evening prayers, killing 55 people and wounding dozens, officials
said. 

# posted by John @ 4/28/2007 05:09:00 PM 0 comments

April 27, 2007

Police: Trooper killed by friendly fire during upstate manhunt

The head of the New York State Police says Trooper David C. Brinkerhoff
was killed by friendly fire Wednesday during the search for a man
suspected of shooting another trooper.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 04:20:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 03:58:00 PM 0 comments

Police arrested 172 Islamic militants, some of whom had trained abroad
as pilots so they could fly aircraft in attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil
fields, the government said. A Saudi spokesman said all that remained in
the plot "was to set the zero hour."

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 02:45:00 PM 0 comments

THE PENTAGON SAYS IT HAS ONE OF AL QAEDA'S MOST SENIOR OPERATIVES IN ITS
CUSTODY, HE WAS CAUGHT BY THE CIA.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 02:44:00 PM 0 comments

Tenet Turns the Tables:
In his new book, former CIA director George Tenet reportedly accuses
Vice President Cheney and other members of the Bush administration of
launching the war in Iraq without "serious debate." He also claims his
comments about the prewar intelligence were misused by war supporters.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 02:38:00 PM 0 comments

April 27, 2007

Suspect in beating of 101-year-old woman arrested

A suspect in the mugging of a 101-year-old woman with a walker last
month was arrested Friday on drug charges, Police Commissioner Raymond
Kelly said.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 02:34:00 PM 0 comments

April consumer sentiment report from the University of Michigan revised
up to 87.1, above forecasts.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 10:12:00 AM 0 comments

ECONOMIC GROWTH HAS WORST PERFORMANCE IN FOUR YEARS AT 1.3 PERCENT IN
FIRST THREE MONTHS OF 2007; EXPERTS BLAME HOUSING SLUMP

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 09:36:00 AM 0 comments

Democrats weigh compromise on Iraq
---------------------------------------------
The Senate, defying a veto threat by President Bush, joined the House
on
Thursday in passing a military spending bill that requires troop
withdrawals
from Iraq to begin by Oct. 1.

Feds to enforce chemical security
---------------------------------------------
Six years ago, anyone in a boat could have gone up the murky Brazos
River,
hopped ashore and walked up to a tank holding one of the world's
deadliest
chemicals here at the nation's largest petrochemical complex.

N.C. military town mourns 9 lost in attacks
---------------------------------------------
On Monday, two suicide truck bombers killed nine soldiers from the 82nd
Airborne Division and wounded 20 others. Together, their deaths
represented
the single deadliest day for the division since the fabled unit lost 12
paratroopers in Vietnam in June 1969. Some in this tight-knit community
outside Fayetteville are feeling worn.

MONEY

Frist won't be charged in stock sale
---------------------------------------------
The Securities and Exchange Commission has decided not to file
insider-trading
charges against former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in connection
with
the sales of stock in the hospital chain his family owns, The Washington
Post
reported Friday.

Strategies: Planning your exit helps you grow your business
---------------------------------------------
When you're busy trying to build your business, you don't spend much
time
thinking about how you'll eventually end it. Sure, you might think that
one
day you'd like to retire. But while you can envision yourself golfing
or
gardening, what happens to your company? You need an exit plan.

Investing: Discipline key when withdrawing retirement funds
---------------------------------------------
For most investors, managing money while taking withdrawals is like a
visit to
Bizzaro World, the cube-shaped planet in Superman comics where
everything is
backward.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 09:26:00 AM 0 comments

GDP rose by 1.3% last quarter, sharply missing estimates. Worst
economic growth in four years.

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 09:19:00 AM 0 comments

It was less of a debate and more like a polite first date where the
Democratic presidential candidates wanted to avoid any fast moves that
risk turning off voters. "No runs, no hits, no errors," one consultant
said of the debate in S.C. last night. 

# posted by John @ 4/27/2007 09:13:00 AM 0 comments

JACK VALENTI, THE FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDE WHO WENT ON TO INSTITUTE THE
MODERN MOVIE RATINGS SYSTEM, HAS DIED. HE WAS 85.

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 07:08:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 03:05:00 PM 0 comments

SENATE PASSES IRAQ FUNDING AND TROOP WITHDRAWAL BILL BY A VOTE OF 51-46;
BUSH VETO EXPECTED

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 02:23:00 PM 0 comments

A grand jury indicted three current and former police officers in the
shooting death of an elderly Atlanta woman during a drug raid. An
autopsy report revealed the 92-year-old woman was shot five or six times
in the chest, arms, legs and feet. 

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 12:08:00 PM 0 comments

Officials identify body from fiery standoff

State police officials say the body found inside the burned house in
Delaware County is that of suspect Travis Trim.

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 12:04:00 PM 0 comments

April 26, 2007

Health Dept. sends out warning to New Yorkers

The New York City Health Department today warned New Yorkers that
certain imported eye cosmetics contain high levels of lead and should
not be used.

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 11:24:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News

TOP U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ PREDICTS U.S. EFFORT THERE COULD GET HARDER
BEFORE IT GETS BETTER, SAYING CONDITIONS ARE 'EXCEEDINGLY COMPLEX'

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 10:56:00 AM 0 comments

Capitol clout funnels funding home
---------------------------------------------
For decades, senior members of the appropriations committees from both
parties
have used "earmarks" - money for specific projects or programs added to
spending bills at a lawmaker's request - to direct federal money to
their home
states. A USA TODAY analysis of a White House budget office database
released
this month illustrates the clout of top appropriators.

Execute bin Laden? Nations differ on answer
---------------------------------------------
The bulk of Americans and a slim majority in Mexico want Osama bin Laden
executed if caught, but most people in seven other countries would
rather he spend life or many years in prison, an AP-Ipsos poll says.

Border storms' death toll rises to 10
---------------------------------------------
All residents were accounted for after U.S. Border Patrol agents and
rescuers picked through smashed homes, schools and trailers outside the
South Texas town of Eagle Pass on Wednesday. Tornadoes that ripped
through the area killed
10 people in this border town and in Mexico.

MONEY

Minorities hit hard by rising costs of subprime loans
---------------------------------------------
Charles Davis bought his home on the South Side of Chicago in 2003 using
adjustable-rate, high-interest loans and betting an improving economy
would
help him handle rising payments ahead. Things didn't go as planned.

Dow today: 13,000 and counting?
---------------------------------------------
The Dow Jones industrial average shot past 13,000 for the first time
Wednesday as stronger-than-expected earnings reports streamed in,
suggesting to investors that business is successfully weathering the
cooling economy.

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 09:26:00 AM 0 comments

The U.S. Army said a lieutenant colonel is facing nine charges,
including providing "aid to the enemy." His alleged offenses include
providing a cell phone to detainees, possessing classified information
and fraternizing with a detainee's daughter. 

# posted by John @ 4/26/2007 09:05:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News

THE HOUSE HAS PASSED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ORDER TROOP WITHDRAWALS FROM
IRAQ TO BEGIN BY OCTOBER FIRST

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 09:55:00 PM 0 comments

April 25, 2007

Police: Body recovered from Upstate house involved in manhunt for
trooper slay suspect

New York State Police say they have recovered a badly charred body in a
house where a man suspected of shooting three state troopers, one
fatally, had been hiding all day.

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 09:29:00 PM 0 comments

A House committee looking into discredited claims that Iraq was seeking
uranium from Africa has subpoenaed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Another panel granted immunity to an ex-aide to Attorney General
Gonzales in the prosecutor firings case.

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 06:43:00 PM 0 comments

Federal authorities have arrested a man in Dubuque, Iowa, whom they
believe is "The Bishop," who sent threatening letters and at least two
pipe bombs through the mail. The suspect, John Tomkins, is a 42-year-old
former postal service employee. 

Cops Don't Know Va. Tech Gunman's Motives

Computer files, cell phone records and e-mails have yielded no evidence
about what triggered Seung-Hui Cho's massacre at Virginia Tech last
week. Authorities say they have so far found no link between the
23-year-old loner and any of his 32 victims. 

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 11:54:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News

ROSIE O'DONNELL WILL LEAVE "THE VIEW" IN MID-JUNE AFTER FAILING TO REACH
A NEW CONTRACT AGREEMENT

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 10:37:00 AM 0 comments

Stocks opened higher on healthy economic news and strong earning reports
Wednesday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average over 13,000 for the
first time.

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 10:16:00 AM 0 comments

NEWS

U.N.: Baghdad violence has not slowed
---------------------------------------------
Sectarian violence continued to claim the lives of a large number of
Iraqi civilians in Sunni Arab and Shiite neighborhoods of Iraq's
capital, despite
the coalition's new Baghdad security plan, the U.N. said Wednesday.

Tillman, Lynch accounts slammed
---------------------------------------------
The Pentagon lied to create heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan, former
Army
private Jessica Lynch and the brother of former NFL star and Army Ranger
Pat
Tillman told a House committee Tuesday.

Texas-Mexico tornado kills 9
---------------------------------------------
A massive spring storm plowed toward the Midwest early Wednesday after
dumping
more than a foot of snow on the Colorado foothills and spawning a
tornado that killed nine people along the Texas-Mexico border.

MONEY

Judge hits asset-protection firm with contempt
---------------------------------------------
A marketing business that advertised corporate secrecy tactics
purportedly capable of shielding assets "from capricious federal judges
and any government agency" has been hit with a civil contempt order.

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 09:13:00 AM 0 comments

A massive Midwest storm spawned a deadly early-morning tornado that
ripped through a Texas border town, killing nine people — six near
Eagle Pass, Texas and three in Piedras Negras, Mexico. A local Texas
hospital received 74 injured patients. 

# posted by John @ 4/25/2007 08:55:00 AM 0 comments

What New Castle Mayor Tom Nipp calls a "full-scale riot" broke out at a
medium-security men's prison in the Indiana city. Two prison staff
members are being treated localls for injuries, according to a state
Department of Correction spokeswoman. 

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 05:34:00 PM 0 comments

DJIA

12,936

+16.82

S&P

1,478

-2.47

NASDAQ

2,519

-4.47

10Yr

4.62%

-0.026

Stocks turn lower on bleak housing, consumer data

NEW YORK
U.S. stocks turned lower on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial
Average stumbling on the way towards the 13,000 level, after news that
existing home sales saw their worst drop in 18 years in March, while
consumer confidence edged further down in April.

Economic Report: Existing-home sales plunge 8.4% in March

WASHINGTON
Sales of existing homes plunged at the fastest pace in 18 years in
March, falling to the lowest sales pace in nearly four years, the
National Association of Realtors reported Tuesday.

New York Times chairman defends structure and strategy

NEW YORK
New York Times Chairman and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. defended the
company's dual-class stock structure on Tuesday and said the board is
committed to increasing long-term value for shareholders.

Toyota overtakes General Motors in worldwide quarterly sales

SAN FRANCISCO
Toyota Motor said Tuesday it sold 9% more vehicles in the first quarter
than a year ago, giving the Japanese giant the title of world's top
automaker as its sales surpassed General Motors' for the first time.

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 12:11:00 PM 0 comments

At a congressional hearing, the brother of football star Pat Tillman
said the story given to them by the military about his death was "pure
fiction."

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 11:31:00 AM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 10:26:00 AM 0 comments

SALES OF EXISTING HOMES PLUNGED LAST MONTH BY 8.4 %, THE LARGEST AMOUNT
IN NEARLY TWO DECADES, SAYS REAL ESTATE TRADE GROUP

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 10:21:00 AM 0 comments

NEWS

Katrina ripped up the few roots foster kids had
---------------------------------------------
Scores of foster children's tenuous hold on stability was broken by a
storm
that strained foster care systems across the Gulf Coast, but decimated
the
network in New Orleans. The demand for foster care in the city was high
before
Katrina; now it is compounded by the stresses of families split up or
crammed
into trailers while they try to rebuild their lives. Meanwhile, the
number of
available foster homes has dropped more than 40%, as foster families
have left
the area or stopped accepting children.

Al-Maliki support eroding in Iraq
---------------------------------------------
A broad range of prominent Iraqi lawmakers say they have lost confidence
in
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ability to reconcile the country's
warring
factions. A leading Kurdish lawmaker said al-Maliki should resign.

Grieving takes different forms as classes resume
---------------------------------------------
Andrew Travis returned to class Monday for the first time since the
deadly
rampage one week earlier, but it was anything but a normal school day.

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 09:04:00 AM 0 comments

9 U.S. Troops Die In Attack On Iraq Base

Nine U.S. troops were killed and 20 more wounded when a suicide bomber
attacked a forward patrol base in the deadly Diyala province, north of
Baghdad. Also, unknown gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms and vehicles have
raided a village, killing six people. 

# posted by John @ 4/24/2007 08:52:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News

JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR DAVID HALBERSTAM HAS BEEN KILLED IN A CAR CRASH IN
CALIFORNIA

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 07:17:00 PM 0 comments

Trustees extend Social Security, Medicare hospital trust fund exhaustion
dates by one year, Reuters reports.

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 04:53:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 02:59:00 PM 0 comments

April 23, 2007

Young girl found in NJ; Amber Alert canceled

New Jersey State Police have canceled an Amber Alert after officials say
a young girl, who was reportedly inside a car that was stolen, was
safely found.

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 01:53:00 PM 0 comments

April 23, 2007

New Jersey police issue amber alert

The New Jersey State Police has activated the New Jersey Amber Abducted
Child Alert.

Police say Lakeesha White, got out of her Silver 2007 Pontiac G6
temporary NJ registration 510-5889, to help an elderly person crossing
the street on South Broadway in Camden, NJ.

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 12:43:00 PM 0 comments

MOSCOW (AP) - Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final
collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and
a market economy, has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76.

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 10:26:00 AM 0 comments

NEWS

Royal, Sarkozy advance to runoff
---------------------------------------------
Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal advanced to a runoff in Sunday's
presidential election, presenting France with a fundamental left-right
choice
between a conservative who could push his anxious nation toward painful
change
and a socialist who would be the country's first female leader.

Despite fear, Virginia Tech students head back to campus
---------------------------------------------
As Sheena Phillips walked around a semicircle of memorial stones
enveloped in
flowers, candles and mementos for the dead at Virginia Tech, she spoke
for
many of her fellow students the day before classes were to resume after
the
worst shooting tragedy in U.S. history.

U.S. Rep. Millender-McDonald dies
---------------------------------------------
Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, D-Calif., died early Sunday of cancer,
an
aide said.

MONEY

Filling up with a greener glow
---------------------------------------------
In an ambitious new marketing campaign, BP takes on two of the biggest
negative perceptions of Big Oil: that gas station service stinks and
that oil
companies don't care about the environment.

# posted by John @ 4/23/2007 09:28:00 AM 0 comments

Earlier this month a woman of the Yazidi sect in northern Iraq was
stoned to death for converting to Islam when she fell in love with a
Muslim. Today, in retaliation, gunmen hijacked a bus, separated the
Yazidis aboard and executed 23 of them. 

# posted by John @ 4/22/2007 04:57:00 PM 0 comments

BEAUFORT, S.C. - A Navy Blue Angel jet crashed during an air show
Saturday, plunging into a neighborhood of small homes and trailers and
killing the pilot, the county coroner said.

The planes were flying in formation during the show at the Marine Corps
Air Station and one dropped below the trees and crashed, sending up
clouds of smoke. At least one home was on fire.

# posted by John @ 4/22/2007 10:15:00 AM 0 comments