News Briefs

CNN reporters booted from Iraq

Members of the Iraqi government Friday expelled CNN reporters from Baghdad. The network’s two reporters, Nic Robertson and Rym Brahimi, had remained in the capital city after most reporters left for safety reasons. Exact reasons for the dismissal of the reporters are unclear. Fox News Channel had four reporters expelled in February in retaliation for the United States ordering an Iraqi journalist out of America.

Runaway taxi kills one

Yuri Wiseman, 32, and Elizabeth Rideout, 69, were struck by a taxi outside the Delta baggage claim area at Boston’s Logan International Airport. The driver, Mohammed Farah, 27, apparently got out of the vehicle, but left it in drive. He jumped back inside and tried to stop the car, but may have hit the gas instead of the brake. The Boston Cab Company car pinned the two people underneath. Wiseman did not survive the crash and Rideout is in critical condition. The two victims did not know each other. Farah pleaded not guilty Thursday to vehicular homicide and negligent driving charges. He was released on $1,000 bail.

Evidence found in Smart case

At the site where Elizabeth Smart said her capturers held her, investigators have found knives and a hole in the ground. The campsite, along with several others, was found after the teen pointed them out the authorities. The hole, Smart said, is where Brian Mitchell and his wife shielded her from rescue workers. Mitchell has been accused of taking the girl, 15, from her bedroom at knifepoint. After Smart, Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, were found March 12, the couple was charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault. The couple is being held on $10 million bail, and is expected to enter their pleas April 1.

Winter lives on in Colorado

Colorado is digging out from its worst blizzard in 90 years. The storm began Tuesday. In the end, it dropped up to 7 feet of snow over 500 miles. Some travelers trying to fly out of Denver spent as many as two nights in the airport. Flights were limited because only two of the airport’s five runways were open. At least six people have died in both Colorado and Wyoming because of weather-related circumstances. A skier who was caught in an avalanche Thursday was among the dead. Officials warn that avalanche danger along the Front Range is high, including in Rocky Mountain National Park where 8-and-one-half feet of snow fell. Despite the dangers of the snow, it did bring much-needed moisture to the region, which is entering its fourth year of drought.

Aid for tornado victims in Georgia

Tornadoes in Georgia have destroyed an estimated 50 to 75 homes, killed six people and injured more than 200. The mass destruction prompted Gov. Sonny Perdue to promise aid to the tornado’s victims and declare a state of emergency. He said despite the state’s budget crisis, he would find the funds to meet the people’s needs. The tornadoes were part of a storm system that swept through the South, bringing flooding to Georgia and the Carolinas. The Red Cross has set up shelters.

Police officer’s killer sentenced

David Serra, 29, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for fatally shooting a federal officer at a security checkpoint in a government building. Serra pleaded guilty in January to second-degree murder in the Sept. 21, 2001 death of Federal Protective Services Officer Ronald Sheffield. The officer had attempted to check the man’s bag when Serra pulled out a handgun and shot him.

A new, more addictive sweet

Carmen Alto, a candy company in Peru, is developing a candy made from a mixture of caramel and cocaine. The company says the sweet, Cocamel, will help people relax from the daily stress of life. Development of the treat has been ongoing for six months. The company still has to get approval from the Department of Health before candy sales can begin. A spokeswoman for Carmen Alto said the company wants to “demystify the use of cocaine leaves.” She said in some parts of the world, people chew on the leaves to fight altitude sickness.

Nail-biters beware

According to Russian scientists, people who bite their fingernails are more at risk for lead poisoning. Researchers say that lead accumulates in the body at the fingernails and can lead to illness in those who chew on them. Children could face problems in their development if they consume lead. The danger of lead poisoning can be reduced, however, through the intake of milk and vitamins.

Thieves asleep on the job

A 42-year-old Romanian man was arrested after he was found asleep in a pub he was robbing. He evidentially fell asleep after he tried some expensive liqueurs inside the establishment. The pub owner found the burglar in the morning. He was charged with burglary and faces at least three years in jail.

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