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ABC 33/40 – Birmingham News, Weather, SportsOthers leave Ariz. town as wildfire’s size triples

by on May 17, 2012

CROWN KING, Ariz. (AP) – an evacuation order for a historic northern Arizona mining town didn't prompt Taryn Denyce to flee earlier this week, when a wildfire began sending flames through the trees and smoke swirling in the air.

Despite what became a mandatory order, she didn't budge until early Wednesday morning when she felt she had no other choice. she didn't fear for her life, nor for the bed and breakfast she took over from her parents a few years ago that was being powered by a generator.

Instead, authorities mistakenly told her she could be arrested if she didn't leave, even if she was on her own property, Yavapai County sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said. When a sheriff's official showed up at her door in downtown Crown King and offered to help pack her truck, she reluctantly left.

“I felt I had no choice. I was raised a Catholic girl,” said the 48-year-old retired nurse. “I follow the rules, and if he's telling me 'it's time to go Taryn,' it's time to go.”

High winds on Wednesday nearly tripled the size of the fire in the Prescott National Forest. it was at an estimated 5,400 acres, or nearly 8 1/2 square miles, by Wednesday evening – up from about 2,000 acres Tuesday.

The winds were pushing the blaze away from the community of mostly summer homes about 85 miles north of Phoenix. But fire incident spokeswoman Michelle Fidler said winds could shift and push the fire back into the community where it started and possibly threaten some communications towers in the area.

Road access also is a concern. Fewer than 10 residents remain in their homes, D'Evelyn said, and they could become trapped if the flames cross or block access roads.

Firefighters also would be pulled out if that happens, Fidler said.

Most of the 350 residents initially chose to stay in the town that's popular for all-terrain vehicles because of its numerous hills and gorges. But D'Evelyn said sheriff's officials persuaded about 20 of the 30 residents still left early Wednesday morning to go – including Denyce.

“Most people have come down from the hill,” he said. “We want them all down. we don't want to have to worry about anyone who doesn't need to be up there.”

High winds have helped fan the flames, and fire officials were expecting much of the same conditions for the next couple of days.

The fire has destroyed two homes and a trailer, and prompted an evacuation order on Sunday. the fire started at an occupied home, but fire investigators have yet to determine the cause. it remained 5 percent contained Wednesday.

Denyce gathered what she could from her home in 20 minutes and is now staying with a friend in Glendale. she said she would rather be protecting her property and trying to keep her business viable but now is prohibited from returning, as are other residents who have left.

“I have my daughter and my animals and I'm just happy we're out, but I don't think I was in imminent danger,” she said.

Smoke from a larger fire that began Saturday south of Payson drifted into Phoenix over the weekend. U.S. Forest Service officials said the 12,500-acre blaze was burning in the high wilderness area of the Tonto National Forest and was 10 percent contained. No structures were threatened.

Another wildfire in the Tonto National Forest northeast of Young was at about 1,900 acres Wednesday but 15 percent contained. That fire was believed to be lightning-caused and wasn't threatening any structures.

The fires follow a warning from Arizona land managers that hot temperatures and dry vegetation have created a very high fire risk in some parts of the state.

In northern Colorado, 200 firefighters were battling a 1,000-acre blaze that is 5 percent contained. Two groups of residents have been told to prepare for evacuations, but no one has had to leave. the fire was within a quarter-mile of some homes.

The U.S. Forest Service says the fire was caused by humans. the investigation into how it started is continuing.

wistv.com – Columbia, South Carolina

by on May 2, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) – The parents of Houston-area sextuplets born last month said Wednesday one of their daughters continues to battle some health problems but is a “fighter,” and they are looking forward to the day she and her siblings can go home, possibly in a couple of months.

Lauren and David Perkins said their three boys – Andrew, Benjamin and Levi – and two of their girls – Allison and Caroline – are doing well. One daughter, Leah, still is catching up to her siblings. she had surgery Monday to repair a portion of her bowel.

Lauren Perkins, 28, said it has been upsetting to watch Leah struggle.

“Leah is just a roller coaster for sure,” she said. “We get excited for all of her gains and then it's heartbreaking when she has a big setback. She's been able to recover from everything so far. we are just confident she will be able to pull through.”

David Perkins, 29, said dealing with Leah's health issues has helped the couple be more patient and “appreciate the small victories.”

“We are just thanking God every day for our babies and we are looking forward to bringing them home,” said Lauren Perkins, who worked as a school psychologist. she and her husband live in the Houston suburb of Pearland.

Health problems Leah was experiencing in utero prompted doctors to deliver the babies April 23, about 10 weeks premature, said Dr. Charles Hankins, a neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

“In a way, Leah is the boss. she continues to drive a lot of the decisions,” Hankins said. “All of the babies for their age are doing pretty much as expected. five of 6 are following a very rapid path. Leah is catching up, slowly but surely.”

Leah is the only baby who remains on a ventilator. The others are using a tube in their nose and mouth that partially inflates their lungs so their bodies don't have to work as hard, he said. Some of them could stop using this tube later this week.

Four of the babies will have their central lines, which are used to support their nutrition, removed Wednesday. Levi will have it removed Thursday. Leah will continue being fed through an IV line.

“Every time we withdraw something and it gets to stay off, that's a good thing,” Hankins said.

When the children were born, the heaviest of them weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces. Hankins said the babies should weigh 4 to 5 pounds by the time they can go home. Doctors are hopeful that will be in about two months.

Lauren Perkins conceived the sextuplets after undergoing fertility treatment. she said when she and her husband first talked about starting a family, they thought about having two children. but they are ready to raise six children and grateful for the support received from family, friends, even strangers, she said.

“We are just an ordinary couple chosen by God with an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary blessing,” said David Perkins, who works as an IT analyst.

SAT Tests – Should You Guess?

by on April 21, 2012

When a student goes in to take the SAT test, all parents and teachers hope that the student will know and understand all of the questions. Even students all hope for the perfect score, but the truth of it is, there are some questions on these tests that students just don’t know, and they can’t infer the correct answer from what’s before them. When this happens, should they guess or not?

The short answer is yes.

The fear of guessing on the SAT is based on the penalty for getting an answer wrong, and there is in fact, a penalty. but what many people don’t know about the SAT test is that the penalty for getting an answer wrong is less than the points earned by a correct answer. In other words, you can get several answers wrong and still not lose a full point. If any of those guessed answers happen to be correct, then you’ve gained the point that covers your guesses. Odds are, with enough educated guessing, you can not only avoid losing points, but actually gain a few points here and there.

While this isn’t the exact formula, imagine that every wrong answer on the SAT test loses you point. that means that you can guess and miss 4 questions for every one that you guess and get correct. Most likely, some of your guesses will be correct, as long as you are making educated guesses.

One strategy to employ on making educated guesses when taking tests like the SAT is to answer all the questions that you know, first. Circle the test questions in the booklet for the questions that you’ll need to come back to for guessing. after you have gained as many points as possible for the ones that you know, begin the process of working through the ones you’ll need to make guesses on. Then, work from a perspective of which answer choices you can eliminate first. for instance, don’t look at the answers and think, Which is correct? Look at the answer options and see if you can eliminate some of the choices. Ask yourself, Which are definitely not correct? Then, when you’ve narrowed down the options to the fewest number of possible answers, make the best guess you can.

Guessing on the SAT test does not have the damaging effect you think it does, when you remember to get the known answers taken care of first, and then you work through the remainder of the SAT questions with the penalty myth taken out of the equation

Zimmerman, Martin’s parents to face off in court

by on April 20, 2012

(CBS News) SANFORD, Fla. – George Zimmerman is set to come face to face with the parents of Trayvon Martin for the first time Friday at a court hearing that could result in his release on bond.

Zimmerman has been behind bars since his arrest nine days ago, charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of the unarmed 17-year-old. he has claimed self-defense in the deadly Feb. 26 encounter. Martin’s parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, believe their son was murdered in cold blood.

On Friday, mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s attorney, will ask a Florida judge to free his client on bond pending the trial, though he has expressed concerns about Zimmerman’s safety.

“I don’t think he needs to or should stay in jail while this case is pending. I want him out and safe, and I’m not sure where safe is going to be yet.”

Special Section: Trayvon Martin Shooting Zimmerman’s safety a concern if new judge grants bail Florida to examine “stand your ground” law Judge steps down from Zimmerman murder case

Zimmerman, a 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer, asked for a private meeting with Martin’s parents. he has never communicated with them before.

And Benjamin Crump, their lawyer, said Thursday that it won’t happen now and maybe never.

“We believe Zimmerman’s request at this time is very self-serving, some 50 days later, the day before the bond hearing,” Crump said.

Under Florida law, Zimmerman is ineligible for bond. But this hearing will allow O’Mara to test the state’s case. and special prosecutor Angela Corey must show proof that Zimmerman’s guilt is evident and his presumed guilt is great — a very high standard — or circuit Judge Kenneth Lester can grant bond.

When asked to make the case for bond, O’Mara said his client presents no flight risk.

“Bond is there to make sure the person comes back for trial. Bond is not there for pre-trial punishment. so he should be out on bond. He’s going to come back. Quite honestly, if George Zimmerman was going to run, it would have happened in the last few weeks.”

O’Mara will also point out Zimmerman has ties to the local community; in fact, his parents will phone in on his behalf. he also has never been convicted of a crime and has been cooperative with police, staying in daily contact before his arrest and turning himself in after murder charges were filed last week.

Corey could decide not to challenge the bond request, rather than lay out her case.

And Zimmerman, facing a possible life sentence, could walk free as soon as later Friday. If freed, he could be restricted to his local community and may have to wear a GPS ankle monitor.

Footballer Dies After Collapsing On Pitch

by on April 14, 2012

Piermario Morosini was on loan from the Serie a side Udinese

2:25am UK, Sunday April 15, 2012

The Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini was playing against Pescara in a Serie B game when he fell to the ground on Saturday.

Witnesses said Morosini, 25, looked confused as he tried to get back up but then collapsed again.

A doctor said: “He suffered a cardiac arrest. unfortunately he was already dead when the ambulance arrived. He never regained consciousness.”

There have been reports that a police car had blocked the ambulance’s way into the stadium, delaying the arrival of paramedics and specialist equipment.

The match was abandoned after 31 minutes with other players in tears.

They are things which mark you and change your life. but at the same time they instill in your body so much anger and help you to always give everything to realise what was also my parents’ dream.

Piermario Morosini speaking in 2005 after the death of his parents.

“At the beginning we didn’t really understand the seriousness of the situation,” Pescara goalkeeper Luca Anania explained.

“I immediately ran to Livorno’s half, where Morosini had fallen.

“There was great confusion and I seemed to understand that there was also a bit of delay in help arriving, because they said the ambulance couldn’t get on the pitch because the entrance was blocked by another car. some of my teammates helped carry the stretcher by hand to the ambulance.”

Livorno’s players and officials rushed to hospital where they were told their teammate had passed away.

A post-mortem examination is expected to be held on Monday. all Italian matches this weekend were immediately called off after the death was announced.

Morosini was capped as an under-21 player and on loan to Livorno from Serie a side Udinese.

Italy and Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia, who was a friend of Morosini, said: “There is huge grief. it leaves an enormous hole.”

Fifa president Sepp Blatter tweeted: “Only tears. There are no words to express what I tried to when I found out about Piermario Morosini’s death.

“The tragedy which hit everyone who wished him well, is a source of great pain for football fans.”

Morosini’s private life had been plagued by a series of tragedies.

He was orphaned in his teens after his mother and father died. his brother also died, leaving the young Morosini with an older sister.

“They are things which mark you and change your life,” Morosini said in 2005 following the death of his parents.

“But at the same time they instill in your body so much anger and help you to always give everything to realise what was also my parents’ dream.”

Morosini came through the youth system at Atalanta before moving on to Udinese.

He had two other loan spells at Reggina and Padova before returning to Vicenza and then moving to Livorno in January.

Fabrice Muamba in his hospital bed, recovering after a cardiac arrest

“He was golden, always trying to help his family,” Atalanta youth team director Mino Favini said.

“He was a fantastic lad who always rushed to help everyone. He lived for his family, yet he was such an unlucky man.”

The tragedy comes just weeks after Bolton Wanderers’ player Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field in a live televised game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Muamba had also suffered a cardiac arrest.

A consultant cardiologist, who was in the crowd at the time, ran to his aid and after 78 minutes of paramedics working on him, he was finally revived at the London Chest Hospital.

Muamba has since celebrated his 24th birthday and is said to be recovering well.

Days after Muamba’s collapse, Indian football player D Venkatesh died after collapsing on the field during a local league game in Bangalore.

The issue of football players’ health has long been in focus across the game with extra medical and heart checks being brought in throughout many league games.

Footballer Dies After Collapsing On Pitch

VIDEO: Rockies’ Moyer felt like chaperone on flight to Houston

by on April 9, 2012

HOUSTON — Jamie Moyer finally felt his age Wednesday night.

“I got on the airplane and went back to the bathroom. And I looked back, and it was like, ‘We are on a field trip and I am here to look after the kids,” Moyer said. “It’s different.”Moyer, 49, will attempt to make history Saturday by becoming the oldest pitcher to win a major league game. Moyer said being a parent to eight kids, including some close to the age of some Rockies, has helped his transition to a new team. Moyer’s parents, his wife Karen and seven of his eight kids will be in attendance. Only his oldest son, a player at University of California Irvine, won’t be at Minute Maid Park. he opened his college season here this year.

“the way I look at this, I have had 18 innings since (elbow and flexor tendon surgery. I may have some bumps in the road, but they won’t be big bumps,” Moyer said. “I can fall back on my experience to get through it.”

SEIU RNs Rally For Obamacare At Supreme Court Hearings

by on March 29, 2012

I was very proud to join the crowd of nurses, doctors, women, parents, and young people in front of the United States Supreme Court. I had not been part of demonstrations that large before and I was so proud to see so many of our SEIU sisters and brothers up there.

The diversity of our group was impressive. It’s an American thing. if you are trying to advocate for a law that is for Americans, you want to look like America so that comes across to the people that see you on the street, as they drive by, or on national TV.

Our people out there today were a real reflection of America. the other side was not.

I realized over the past few days that I am pretty knowledgeable about Obamacare and I realized how important it is to pass that along, both as a nurse and as a union member. As nurses, we can put the law into perspective. As nurses, we have real stories to share. until we can do that, people will not connect. the law will remain an abstract thing.

This is such a rewarding experience that I want to share everything that I have learned here and share the enthusiasm I have at this moment so that we can all keep the momentum going. so I will share with you what I shared with my friends on Facebook who were sending me encouragement and support over these past few days: ‘I am doing this for all of us.’

SEIU RNs Rally For Obamacare At Supreme Court Hearings

October Baby Review

by on March 24, 2012

Ask anyone: it’s difficult to watch a film that doesn’t align with your own beliefs. those who align themselves to the right rarely watch movies by Michael Moore while those to the left are quick to write off a political spoof like An American Carol. those who devoutly believe in a higher power are less likely to watch a documentary like Religulous while less religious folk try to stay away from Christian propaganda like Letters to God and Fireproof. Well, this week’s pro-life movie, October Baby, is both a religious and right-aligned political film. Little more should need to be said for you to know whether or not this movie is for you, but for those still interested, read on.

The film follows Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), a college freshman who has landed the lead part in a stage play. While performing one night, she collapses and is rushed to the hospital. there, she learns that she suffers from epilepsy that was brought on by a failed abortion attempt when she was still inside her biological mother. the parents she knows and loves are forced to break the news to her that she’s adopted and she is understandably distraught. She wants to know who she really is, where she came from and why her real mother did what she did. Luckily, some of her friends, including hunky Jason (Jason Burkey) and his girlfriend, are about to head out on a trip to New Orleans to partake in Mardi Gras and a quick pit stop on the way is all that is needed to reunite her with her mother.

Religious movies are not inherently a bad thing. the best, like last year’s Soul Surfer, can tell a meaningful story wrapped around Christian beliefs without slamming its views down viewers’ throats. the worst are self-righteous and condescending to anyone who may not believe what the filmmakers do, like another movie from last year, Seven Days in Utopia. most, however, are just merely bad, usually replacing offensiveness with schmaltz. October Baby is an odd mix of all three. It has some genuinely effective moments that viewers from all sides of the abortion debate will appreciate before devolving into arrogant religious grandstanding and abortion condemnations. A good example of these mixed reactions comes in a scene where a cop (who hilariously has just let Hannah and Jason off the hook for breaking and entering—a felony in all states—because he hears Hannah’s sob story about being adopted) spouts off some words of supposed wisdom, saying, “Hate the crime, not the criminal.” Its insolent stance on the abortion issue is absurd (besides, abortion is not a crime), but at the same time, it’s not promoting hatred like many religious institutions do. It’s not telling viewers to look down on those who decide to receive the operation. later on, when Hannah finds her birth mother, the movie treats the situation with respect, never demonizing the woman, despite her evasiveness and standoffishness. as far as the movie is concerned, she is simply a human who had to make a difficult choice.

Still, the movie is decidedly pro-life, even if it thinks it’s being fair to all sides. before reaching her mother, Hannah runs into an old nurse who used to work at the abortion clinic. She quickly begins to recount her days there and the awful things she saw. At this point, the film hastily throws in the idea that Hannah actually had a twin brother, who died soon after birth due to complications from the failed abortion. It begins to pack the imagery of the issue to the ceiling and pulls out every card it has in its deck to get the viewer to feel a certain way. While it’s true that the end results of an abortion aren’t pretty, it’s unfair to simplify the event in such a way. the abortion debate is not as simple as “it’s killing a baby” or “it’s a woman’s right to choose.” There’s much more to it than that, a notion captured fairest by the wonderful documentary Lake of Fire, which has more to say both for and against abortion than October Baby does in its one-sided approach.

October Baby’s biggest flaw, however, isn’t in its shortsighted view on such a serious issue, but rather that the movie just isn’t very good. the characters are hardly interesting and don’t behave like real people. these college kids (who, if you’ll remember, are heading off to Mardi Gras, which is practically a celebration of sin) are the most virtuous creatures on the planet. they don’t curse, they don’t drink, they don’t smoke and they don’t do anything even remotely sexual. when they stop off at a hotel for the night on their way south, the boys bunk together and the girls do the same. even Jason and his girlfriend stay apart for the night. the film caters to a certain demographic that still holds onto the archaic idea that teenagers aren’t having sex and it plays far too safe because of it.

October Baby is also tonally inconsistent, with brief, random moments of forced humor popping up in between scenes of deep melodramatics, and the inspirational pop soundtrack is just awful, detailing exactly what is happening at that moment in the film, just in case some viewers find the already simplistic and overly straight forward narrative too confusing, but it’s not the worst movie in the world. Rachel Hendrix is actually pretty solid as the lead. She’s convincingly mopey and cries real well. there are even a few somewhat amusing jokes (despite their misplacements), like when a character played by past American Idol contestant Chris Sligh makes a crack about reality TV shows being fixed. Overall, though, October Baby just doesn’t work on any level, neither as an emotionally driven narrative nor a piece of pro-life propaganda. the already converted will surely find it to be a powerful piece of work, but everyone else will roll their eyes at its absurd silliness and over-the-top sentimentality.

October Baby receives 2/5

School Closings – Unexpected Opportunities

by on March 1, 2012

Some parents think of school closings as their worst nightmare. They are used to the day going a certain way, and those things can get thrown out the window when the weather or some other unexpected occurrence that causes school to be closed. You may have to adjust your day and forget some of the things that you needed to get done and enjoy the extra time that you have with your kids. Instead of getting upset, try to enjoy the day. give yourself a snow day too

Most of the time, you can guess when school closings are going to happen. If you know a big snow storm is coming on a Wednesday night and you are getting more than six inches of snow, you can almost expect that you are going to be facing school closings on Thursday. If you still have to find a way to go into work, line up a babysitter in the event you need them. Sometimes, snow peters out and the expected amount does not come, but sometimes you get even more. If you already have someone lined up, this will not totally throw your day off like it could.

If you are not working, but have things you must do at home, school closings are going to be a bit tough. your job is to be flexible. You can prepare by having some things at home that are put away just for these days so that you have something for the kids to do while you go about what you have to do that day. Crafts and games are always good, as well as other special activities that they are only going to do when school is closed. Do not give these on the weekends or holidays. They are going to be more excited about the project if it is not something they do all the time.

You can also do something with your kids. Go ahead and throw away what you have to do. believe it or not, that pile of laundry can wait another day. You can fill out those invitations later in the day or you can save them for the weekend. Take some time during school closings to do something with your kids. You can use a day off too. Go sledding if you did get that pile of snow, or wait until the roads are cleared and go with them to a local museum. If you got an ice storm that caused school closings, light a fire in the fireplace, make cocoa, and watch movies. It will be something your kids will never forget.

Parents are sometimes caught unaware by school closings. your school probably has more than few media outlets they use to let parents know that school will not be held that day, or that classes will start late. the school may send home a list of stations for you, or you can simple make an educated guess by watching some local news shows in the morning if the weather is bad. You can also tune into local radio stations, as they often have the latest school closings and weather information as well.

FAFSA Night at Flora High School

by on February 25, 2012

FAFSA? What’s a FAFSA?

On the evening of Thursday, February 1, students and the parents came out to fill out FAFSA or Free Application for Financial Aid forms at the computer lab of Flora High School.

Coming out for FAFSA night got the students and parents the assistance of Audra Clodfelter of the Illinois Student Aid Commission and FHS teacher and Advisor Brian Ridge.

This is important stuff, sure, but why?

“everybody is going to college,” says Ridge. “Especially if you are a first generation person, the federal government has programs to step in and give you money to help with tuition, books and fees.”

So getting your FAFSA form filled out can bring money in for a student. But only a handful of students and parents were present at the event. Still, according to Clodfelter, this was a bigger crowd than last year’s event.

Ridge tries to shed some light on a few reasons why the crowd was small.

“They’re busy and this is way down on the list of priorities,” he said, moreover, “I think a lot of them do it at home and they don’t need our help.”

Clodfelter has a list of all the people who have turned in a FAFSA form from FHS and according to Ridge, “It’s a lot more than the people that showed up last night.”

“So there’s a whole bunch of people that filled it out and they didn’t come to us for help,” Ridge went on speaking about how a lot of frustration with the FAFSA goes away once a family has been through the process once, and, “a lot of these kids have brothers and sisters that have done it, so they know how to do it.”

Still, a lot of programs offered are income based. “It’s kind of intimidating because they’re asking a lot of questions about money and taxes and it’s kind of intrusive,” Ridge said. “It’s like the government is peering into your private life, which they are.” With programs based on financial need, the government needs to find out where a family really stands.

The FAFSA is just one part of paying for school though. as an advisor, Ridge helps students discover some of the avenues that are available to them.

“I talk to every junior and every senior in this building,” Ridge said. “we make accessible to them a multitude of scholarship opportunities.” Ridge says there are three levels of scholarships, local, state and national.

“The local scholarships, we pretty much take care of.” said Ridge. for those, students are, “Competing with the other kids at your school. State Scholarships, you’re competing with every kid in the state of Illinois,”

as for National scholarships, the field of possible applicants can be huge, but that isn’t a reason to discount them.

“CVS has one, CellOne has one, Taco Bell even has one; everybody’s got a scholarship, and a lot of people don’t fill them out because they don’t think they’re gonna get it, but we’ve had kids from this school win national scholarships.” according to Ridge, “you can’t win them unless you try.”

“my analogy is, if you go fishing in the Atlantic Ocean with a little dip net like you’d go fishing in an aquarium for a goldfish, you’re not going to catch much,” Going on, Ridge says, “But if you cast a six mile long drift net, you might pull something in. Would it be a long shot to get one? yes. But some of these give out $5,000 or $10,000, so give it a shot.”

Ridge says he directs students to search for scholarship by beginning with Google, typing in the area they want to study in, and start going through and seeing which ones you qualify for.

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