News for Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Pakistan convicts doctor who helped find bin Laden

A doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden was convicted Wednesday of conspiring against the state and sentenced to 33 years in prison, adding new strains to an already deeply troubled relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan.

Cardinals beat Padres 6-3 for three-game sweep

Carlos Beltran hit his NL-leading 14th home run and the Cardinals beat up on former St. Louis postseason star Jeff Suppan for a 6-3 victory Wednesday nigh tover the San Diego Padres and a three-game sweep.

'G.I. Joe' gets new marching orders, moves to 2013

G.I. Joe won't be going into action on the big-screen this summer, after all.

A-Rod homers twice as Yankees top Royals

Alex Rodriguez gave Will Smith a rude welcome to the major leagues Wednesday night, hitting two homers off the rookie to back another strong start for Andy Pettitte and lead the New York Yankees past the Kansas City Royals 8-3.

First 787 built in SC takes maiden flight

South Carolina's burgeoning aeronautics industry flew by another milestone Wednesday as the first Boeing 787 manufactured in the state completed its maiden flight.

NY jury hears recording of ex-P&G board member

A federal jury heard the lone recorded phone call of an ex-Goldman Sachs board member speaking with a billionaire hedge fund founder Wednesday as the government laid a foundation for its insider trading case.

Play on: Google posts synthesizer tribute to Moog

Bob Moog's synthesizer helped change the sound of modern music. On what would have been his 78th birthday, Google is paying tribute to the man with a virtual version of his famous Moog on their homepage — and it's completely playable.

Phillip Phillips is the new 'American Idol'

Bluesy guitar man Phillip Phillips is the new "American Idol," defeating teenage songbird Jessica Sanchez.

Facebook stock climbs, but company faces lawsuits

Facebook's fourth day of trading as a public company saw an increase in the company's stock price and shareholder lawsuits related to the social network's botched initial public offering.

P&G downshifts emerging-market expansion

Procter & Gamble's chief financial officer said Wednesday that the company will not accelerate its expansion as it seeks to resume building its market share and improve its operating results.

Obama to graduates: ‘A new feeling about America’

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — President Barack Obama declared Wednesday the world has a “new feeling about America” and more respect for its leadership, weaving re-election themes into a commencement speech to jubilant graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

HP to cut 27,000 jobs to save up to $3.5B annually

Hewlett-Packard Co. is cutting 27,000 jobs in an effort to recover from management missteps that hobbled the Silicon Valley pioneer as its rivals raced ahead with more innovative products and services.

Officials ponder hurricane threat when GOP gathers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Republican National Convention scheduled in Tampa for late August would be among the casualties if the area were threatened then by a hurricane, Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll said Wednesday.

Inquiry hears of wider Secret Service misbehavior

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators investigating the Secret Service prostitution scandal said Wednesday that dozens of reported episodes of misconduct by agents point to a culture of carousing in the agency and urged Director Mark Sullivan to get past his insistence that the romp in Cartagena was a one-time mistake.

Oil drops below $90 for 1st time since October

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil dropped below $90 per barrel Wednesday, the latest milestone in a weekslong decline brought on by uncertainty surrounding economies from Europe to China.

Between Facebook and JPMorgan, Wall Street woes mount

NEW YORK (AP) — Almost four years after the financial crisis, Wall Street still can’t get it right.

Marshals: ‘Mountain man’ didn’t turn self in

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A former “mountain man” known for kidnapping a world-class athlete years ago didn’t turn himself in on federal drug charges as previously reported, but was captured as the result of “old-fashioned police work,” the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday.

Rep. King: CIA, Pentagon too close to filmmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee chairman charged Wednesday that the CIA and Defense Department jeopardized national security by cooperating too closely with filmmakers producing a movie on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Man breaks into Kansas TV station, stabs 2 workers

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man wielding a knife broke into a Kansas television station Wednesday morning and stabbed two sales employees.

Astrodome spared? Group suggests overhaul, reuse

The Astrodome, a now-empty showplace that has hosted everyone from Elvis Presley to Hurricane Katrina evacuees, should be turned into a multipurpose facility that could spark fresh interest in the city of Houston, a group of consultants recommended Wednesday.

Movie Review: Was anyone clamoring for 'Men in Black 3'?

There's a moment early on in "Men in Black 3" when Will Smith's Agent J sits down next to his longtime partner, Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K, and bemoans the fact that he's too old for this sort of thing — for running around New York in matching dark suits, chasing down aliens and zapping them with their shiny metal weapony doo-hickeys.

Marvel Comics plans wedding for gay hero Northstar

Wedding bells will ring this summer for Marvel Comics' first openly gay hero, super speedster Northstar, and his longtime boyfriend.

Gubernatorial banner causes flap at Mo. fraternity

A fraternity at the University of Missouri-Columbia is removing a Republican campaign banner after concerns were raised by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s communications director.

Mo. prayer measure to appear on August ballot

Gov. Jay Nixon has placed the proposed “right to pray” constitutional amendment to the Aug. 7 primary election ballot.

Leniency sought for Mo. man in Iraq sanctions case

Supporters of a Columbia man sentenced to three years in prison for sending money to Iraq despite federal sanctions are organizing an effort to commute his federal sentence

One arrested after foot pursuit

At about 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, officers of the Jefferson City Police Department were on routine patrol in the 200 block of East Dunklin when they noticed a suspicious person walking in the street, eastbound.

Mo. lawmaker injured in riding accident

A Missouri lawmaker is recovering from a back injury after being thrown from her horse over the weekend.

Bill introduced to reform sales of scarce medicine

A Congressman investigating wholesalers accused of jacking up prices of crucial prescription drugs in short supply on Tuesday introduced a bill meant to curb the problem.

Your Opinion: Refusal to take ‘no’ for an answer

I happened on an old copy of your newspaper. The headline read: City Council Studies Convention Center. The newspaper was over 13 years old.

Your Opinion: Priorities askew at end of session #1

I must say I was truly amazed when I read that our fine, upstanding legislators voted in at the waning hours of the session, a bill to extend the hours to serve liquor at Lambert International Airport beginning at 4 a.m.

Your Opinion: Priorities askew at end of session #2

When I read that the Legislature had concluded its business on Friday, I felt a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye — not from pride, but nausea.

Your Opinion: Don’t vilify homosexuals

I am beginning to see a trend, it started with the word gay being turned into a catch all word for everything bad, stupid, ugly or unlikable.

Mo. National Guard exempt from Sunshine Law

Members of the Missouri National Guard have been disciplined for looting in Joplin after the massive tornado last year, but the Guard refuses to release information about the incidents, citing an exemption from Missouri’s open records law.

ACLU sues Mo. county over prayers at meetings

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing an eastern Missouri county in an effort to halt prayers at county commission meetings.

Our Opinion: Expansion of ‘move over’ law deserves signature

News Tribune editorial

An expansion of the Missouri’s “move over” law deserves to be signed by Gov. Jay Nixon.

Woman sentenced to probation in death of toddler

An eastern Missouri babysitter has been sentenced to five years of probation for the death of an infant who died while in her care.

Cole County firefighters battle blaze

Firefighters from the Cole County Fire Protection District responded to a report of a structure fire in the southern part of the county Wednesday morning.

Missouri priest accused of abuse dies

A Roman Catholic priest accused of abusing a girl in the 1960s has died, leaving only the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph as defendants in a civil lawsuit.

Opposition emerges to Missouri crawfish rule

A Missouri proposal to restrict imports and sales of live crawfish for use as fish bait is drawing opposition.

Woman drops bank robbery attempt midway through

A would-be bank robber apparently changed her mind midway through the crime, but police are still looking for her.

‘Disaster’ budget year ahead for Jefferson City

Jefferson City is bracing for a rough budget year in 2013, as it can no longer rely on a windfall from companies making large back-tax payments.

Lodging tax expected to fall short

The portion of lodging tax funds marked for use in construction of a conference center are expected to fall short of the initial $600,000 projection for the year.

Joplin Walk of Unity offers healing, hope

JOPLIN — There is a scar. A long, dark scar, somewhat healed over, but still red with pain, still smooth with newness. The tornado left that scar, miles long and nearly a mile wide at some points.

Woman faces manslaughter charge after fatal accident

A Jefferson City woman has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal car crash in February on Interstate 70 in Montgomery County.

Landscaped ramps dedicated in Holts Summit

In a joint ceremony, the Holts Summit Community Betterment Association and the Kingdom of Callaway Chamber of Commerce Tuesday dedicated six U.S. 54 landscaped entrance and exit ramps in the city.

Two women honored with achievement award

Laurel Kramer and Jahnae Barnett were given the Zonta Women of Achievement awards at the Zonta Yellow Rose Luncheon on Tuesday.

Auxiliary donates $100,000 for cancer screening program

Partners Auxiliary donated $100,000 to Capital Region Medical Center to be used in a new lung cancer screening the hospital will begin June 6.

New ad zapper has TV networks worried about sales

The maker of a new DVR that lets consumers zap away broadcast TV commercials at the touch of a button suggested Tuesday that the networks are being short-sighted in opposing the technology.

TransUnion: Late auto-loan payments down in 1Q

The rate of late payments for auto loans fell nationally in the first three months of the year to the lowest level in more than a decade, even as lenders financed more vehicle purchases for high-risk borrowers.

Merck CEO: Generics, economy to make 2012-13 tough

Merck & Co. CEO Kenneth Frazier told company shareholders on Tuesday that 2012 and 2013 will be difficult years, but he's confident the company can weather them.

Tobacco tax increase clears legal hurdle

If supporters of a proposal to raise taxes on tobacco products gathered enough signatures on their initiative petitions, Missourians will see that issue on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

Indian passenger train rams freight train; 25 dead

A passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and caught fire before dawn Tuesday in southern India, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens more.

CBO warns of US falling off ‘fiscal cliff’

A new government study released Tuesday says that allowing Bush-era tax cuts to expire and a scheduled round of automatic spending cuts to take effect would probably throw the economy into a recession.

Elephant and pig tapped to predict Euro 2012 games

Who’s going to win the European Championship? Time to ask an elephant — or a pig.

Ryan Crocker, ambassador to Afghanistan, to leave

Ryan Crocker, the unflappable diplomat who became the civilian face of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over two administrations, is stepping down as ambassador to Afghanistan and retiring from the U.S. foreign service after a storied tenure in some of the world’s most dangerous hotspots.

News for Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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