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Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:53:18 GMT

Correction — February 6, 2013

This article does not conform to our neutrality policy, due to its manner of presentation of an out-of-context selection of facts. The lapse appears to have been unintentional by all parties involved. We apologize for the error.

Crime and law

Sources [edit]

"Radcliff man who died after exchanging gunfire with police killed himself, police say" — The Courier-Journal, February 1, 2013
Carrie Wells and Jessica Anderson. "Man committed suicide at Timonium gun range, police say" — Baltimore Sun, February 1, 2013
Bob Jones. "Surveillance video shows Marine, burglary suspect trying to get into Granger Twp home before suicide" — ABC 5, February 1, 2013
Robert Long. "Why isn’t suicide prevention part of Maine’s public safety debate?" — Bangor Daily News, February 1, 2013
Dave Gilson. "10 Pro-Gun Myths, Shot Down" — PressTV, February 1, 2013
Andrea Chang. "After Jody Sherman death, tech community seeks dialogue on suicide" — Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2013
"Greensburg Police Lt.'s Death Ruled Suicide" — Eagle Country 99.3 FM, January 31, 2013
Greg Jaffe,. "VA study finds more veterans committing suicide" — Washington Post, January 31, 2013
Benett Kessler. "Report of attempted suicide in visitors center parking lot in Lee Vining" — Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "Suspected Phoenix gunman found dead of apparent suicide" — Oregon Live, January 31, 2013
Patrick Clark. "After Suicide of Jody Sherman, A Call to Talk About the Emotional Strain of Life at Startups" — BeatBeat, January 31, 2013
Times staff writer. "Neighbors heard shots during apparent murder-suicide in Oxnard" — Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2013
Catherine Kavanaugh. "Royal Oak gun range changes policy to stop walk-in suicides" — Daily Tribune, January 31, 2013
Associated Press. "100 lbs. of pot worth $495k in Nevada suicide case" — Watertown Daily Times, January 31, 2013
Eric Anderson. "Elmont Couple Found Dead After Murder-Suicide" — Long Island Media, Inc., January 30, 2013
Charles County Sheriff's Office. "Attempt Murder/Suicide In Waldorf" — thebaynet, January 30, 2013
"As a result of National Rifle Association and other private-sector (safety-education) programs, fatal firearms accidents are at the lowest level in 100 years." — PolitiFact, January 30, 2013
Jenny Manning. "Renton Man Found Dead At Heritage Park Of Apparent Self-Inflicted Gun Shot" — Renton Patch, January 30, 2013
Mike Frassinelli and Brendan Kuty. "18 days before apparent murder-suicide, Facebook post portrayed Parsippany lovers" — Star-Ledger, January 29, 2013
"Assistant U.S. Attorney Alston Badger’s death ruled suicide" — The Post and Courier, January 29, 2013
"Stephen King says since Australia passed tough gun laws, "homicides by firearm have declined almost 60 percent."" — PolitiFact, January 25, 2013
"Washington, D.C., had some of the strictest gun laws in the country. And when they passed them, violence skyrocketed." — PolitiFact, January 17, 2013

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U.S. Congressman Thad McCotter aborts write-in campaign

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:39:18 GMT

Monday, June 4, 2012

U.S. Politics

Sources [edit]

Marisa Schultz. "McCotter departure shakes up GOP race" — The Detroit News, June 4, 2012
Marisa Schultz. "McCotter ends write-in campaign for Congress" — The Detroit News, June 2, 2012
AP. "Michigan congressman ends write-in campaign" — The Daily Caller, June 2, 2012
"Michigan 11th District Race Profile - Election 2010" — The New York Times, December 10, 2010

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U.S. Congressman Thad McCotter denied ballot in re-election primary race; announces write-in campaign

Wed, 30 May 2012 14:35:00 GMT

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

U.S. Politics

Sources [edit]

Thaddeus McCotter. "McCotter: 'You clean up your own mess'" — The Detroit News, May 29, 2012
Kathleen Gray. "Only 244 of McCotter's 1,830 submitted signatures were valid; official calls it 'unprecedented' fraud" — Detroit Free Press, May 29, 2012
Marisa Schultz. "Just 244 of 2,000 McCotter signatures valid, petition review finds" — The Detroit News, May 29, 2012
Marisa Schultz. "State looks into possible fraud in McCotter petition signatures foul-up" — The Detroit News, May 28, 2012
Darren A. Nichols. "McCotter's spot on GOP August ballot in question" — The Detroit News, May 26, 2012

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CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace dies at 93

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:33:43 GMT

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

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Retired CBS News television correspondent Mike Wallace, known for his tough interviewing style, died April 7, at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, Connecticut, surrounded by his family. He was 93 years old.

Mike Wallace Interviews 1957
Image: Publicity photo, Mike Wallace Interviews.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace. His extraordinary contribution as a broadcaster is immeasurable and he has been a force within the television industry throughout its existence. His loss will be felt by all of us at CBS. All of us at CBS News and particularly at '60 Minutes' owe so much to Mike. Without him and his iconic style, there probably wouldn't be a '60 Minutes," said CEO and president of CBS Leslie Moonves. CBS plans a tribute broadcast in remembrance of Wallace, scheduled to air on April 15.

	It is with tremendous sadness that we mark the passing of Mike Wallace
—Leslie Moonves

Wallace interviewed many famous people including former United States president John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, former first lady Nancy and former president Ronald Reagan. He worked for the CBS News magazine show 60 Minutes for almost 40 years and announced he would step down in 2006, and subsequently interviewed for the program sparingly. His last sit down interview which occurred on January 6, 2007 was with baseball star Roger Clemens.

Wallace won his 21st Emmy Award for his 2006 interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Wallace was 89 years old at the time. Wallace said that interview stuck out to him the most, as well as his interview with Russian-American classical piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz, which he later said was his favorite interview.

Wallace said the interview that most affected him was his documentary on the Vietnam War in 1982. In the report, Wallace said General William Westmoreland exaggerated enemy casualty figures so Americans would keep supporting the war. Westmoreland sued CBS (Westmoreland v. CBS) and Wallace for $120 million, and later dropped the lawsuit. The trial pushed Wallace into clinical depression and he admitted in a 2006 "60 Minutes" tribute to himself, that he attempted suicide by overdosing. Wallace eventually became a spokesperson for the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, formerly known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. He appeared in a 1998 documentary about depression called "Dead Blue."

Wallace attended the University of Michigan, where he delved into the broadcasting world. He graduated in 1939 and became a communication officer in the U.S. Navy for three years during World War II. In the 1940’s and 1950’s Wallace appeared on many television and radio shows doing both news and entertainment broadcasts.

He married a woman he meet at college, Norma Kaphan and they had two boys, Peter and Christopher. The couple divorced in 1948. Wallace then married actress Buff Cobb which ended in divorce. He married twice more to Lorraine Perigord for 28 years and then Mary Yates, his current wife, turned widow.

He is survived by his two sons, wife, stepdaughter Pauline Dora and stepson Eames Yates including several grandchildren.

Do you have a remembrance of Wallace that you would like to share? Post it!

Sources [edit]

CBS News. "60 minutes icon Mike Wallace died at 93" — CBS, April 8, 2012
Tim Weiner. "Mike Wallace, CBS pioneer of '60 Minutes' dies at 93" — The New York Times, April 8, 2012
The Chicago Tribune. "Mike Wallace dies at 93; '60 Minutes' pioneer" — The Chicago Tribune, April 8,2012

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U.S. Army identifies remains of last U.S. soldier unaccounted for in Iraq

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:25:35 GMT

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Iraq War

Sources [edit]

Luis Martinez. "Remains of Last Missing Soldier in Iraq Identified" — ABC, February 27, 2012

Barbara Starr. "U.S. Army identifies remains of last missing soldier in Iraq" — CNN, February 26, 2012
"After search, Army identifies remains of last unaccounted soldier in Iraq" — msnbc.com, February 26, 2012

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Lansing, Michigan airport designated 'aerotropolis'

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:31:46 GMT

Saturday, December 24, 2011

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Economy and business on Wikinews

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Capital Region International Airport entrance sign.
Image: Dj1997.

On Wednesday the Lansing, Michigan Capital Region International Airport and surrounding land was designated as an "aerotropolis" by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Strategic Fund board. The Next Michigan Development program allows the airport to offer tax incentives in order to attract manufacturing, distribution, and technology businesses to the surrounding area.

Incentives can include property tax abatements or the elimination of most state and local taxes for a specified period of time. To qualify for the incentives, a company would have to start a new venture on airport property or expand an existing one. Additionally, companies need to use a minimum of two out of four transportation modes – freight, air, rail, or water.

The airport, in DeWitt Township, is the second in Michigan to receive an aerotropolis designation. The state's other aerotropolis is located in the area surrounding Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run airports. In October the city of Lansing and DeWitt Township approved a 425 tax-sharing agreement on the property, designating approximately 850 acres (344 ha) of land as available for future development.

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Sources [edit]

Melissa Anders. "Airport area to be 'aerotropolis'" — Lansing State Journal, December 22, 2011
"Lansing Aerotropolis, Incubators Statewide Get State Help" — WWJ-TV, December 21, 2011
"Lansing Area Airport Granted 'Next Michigan' Status" — WLNS-TV, December 21, 2011

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Congressman Thad McCotter ends bid for U.S. president

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:27:55 GMT

Friday, September 23, 2011

2012 United States Presidential Election

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5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

McCotter plays guitar at his presidential announcement in July.
Image: Emily Bell.

McCotter speaking at the Ames Straw Poll in August.
Image: Gage Skidmore.

Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan notified the The Detroit News yesterday that he would end his long-shot campaign for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. He threw his support behind former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

McCotter, who has represented Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2003, had announced his candidacy in early July. He reportedly paid $18,000 for campaign space at the Ames Straw Poll in August, but garnered only 35 votes and finished in last place at the event.

His campaign was unable to gain traction among the GOP base. He was excluded from all GOP presidential debates, a fact he emphasized when arguing that his campaign's fate "was sort of death by media." Elaborating this point, he remarked "if they keep you out of the debates, you are out of the conversation and you can't run."

McCotter decided to back Romney for president, believing he is the "most electable" GOP candidate because of his business background. Though he feels the current frontrunner, Texas governor Rick Perry, "may be a vice presidential nominee", he thinks the nation is not ready for another Texas governor to be president in the aftermath of the George W. Bush presidency.

Bill Ballenger of Inside Michigan Politics applauded McCotter's decision, remarking "He really had no business running for president. If he wants to have any political future, endorsing Mitt Romney now is the smart thing to do."

His neighbor, former Michigan attorney general Mike Cox, commented "He tried it out, obviously it wasn't working. And he's doing the rational thing and dropping out."

McCotter now plans to refocus his efforts on his re-election campaign for Congress. He is expected to face a primary challenge from State Senator Mike Kowall.

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Sources [edit]

David Shepardson and Marisa Schultz. "McCotter drops long shot bid for GOP presidential nomination" — The Detroit News, September 22, 2011
Catalina Camia. "McCotter drops W.H. bid, endorses Romney" — USA Today, September 22, 2011

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Congressman Thad McCotter to run for U.S. President

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 00:31:48 GMT

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Image: United States Congress.

2012 United States Presidential Election

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5 November 2012: On the campaign trail, October 2012

Republican Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan confirmed Friday, after weeks of hinting, that he will run for President of the United States. McCotter, who has represented Michigan's 11th congressional district since 2003, has launched a campaign website and plans to publicly announce his intentions Saturday.

McCotter broke the news during an interview on Detroit's WJR-AM radio station. He has publicly considered running since May when Fox News' Red Eye host Greg Gutfeld asked him if he would enter the race. Last week, McCotter reportedly paid $18,000 to appear in Iowa's Ames Straw Poll in August.

The run follows the release of McCotter's book Seize Freedom!, whose title serves as his campaign slogan and is featured on his website below the warning: "Your American Dream is endangered". McCotter has outlined five "core" principles for his campaign:

"Our liberty is from God not the government"
"Our sovereignty is in our souls not the soil"
"Our security is from strength not surrender"
"Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector"
"Our truths are self-evident not relative"

Although McCotter previously stated that "if I run, I would be in to win", he received only two votes in a Republican Leadership Conference straw poll two weeks ago, and lacks the name recognition of his fellow challengers for the nomination. Charlie Cook of the The Cook Political Report rated it "virtually impossible" for McCotter to be nominated.

Other candidates for the Republican nomination include fellow Representatives Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas as well as former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and businessman Herman Cain.

An adviser said McCotter is dissatisfied with the current candidates and "has something to say and has some ideas and some policies to put out there that nobody else is discussing right now...his presence in the race is going to force these issues and force this discussion that the country has to have right now."

According to The Detroit News, next month, as he campaigns for the presidency, McCotter plans to propose a social security reform bill.

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Sources [edit]

Lucy Madison. "Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter to jump into Republican presidential race" — CBS, July 1, 2011
David Shepardson and Nathan Hurst. "McCotter making 2012 presidential bid" — The Detroit News, July 1, 2011
Alex Pappas. "Thaddeus McCotter’s presidential slogan: ‘Seize Freedom!’" — The Daily Caller, July 1, 2011
"Online Guide to the 2012 Presidential Candidates" — Ron Gunzburger, 1997–2011
"About Thaddeus" — US House of Representatives, 2011

External links [edit]

Thaddeus McCotter's campaign website

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Assisted-suicide doctor Jack Kevorkian dies at age 83

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 02:55:57 GMT

Sunday, June 5, 2011

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Dr. Jack Kevorkian at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on January 15, 2008.
Image: WillMcC.

Jack Kevorkian, the pathologist convicted and imprisoned for helping 130 people commit suicide, died Friday at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. He was 83. He had been hospitalized for a month with kidney failure and pneumonia. The immediate cause of death was thrombosis

Born Jacob Kevorkian on May 26, 1928 in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1999 he was charged with 2nd degree murder. He was convicted and sentenced to 10-to-25 years in a prison in Coldwater, Michigan, but was paroled on June 1, 2007 due to ill health.

The concept of a doctor assisting suicide was controversial within the US and he was known as "Dr Death". Dr. Kervorkian told the BBC in 2007, "I knew what I was doing... I accepted the consequences because I had to do the right thing."

In 2010 the film You Don't Know Jack, about Kevorkian's life, was made and released on US TV network HBO.

Despite his campaign, physician-assisted suicide is currently legally accepted in only one state, Oregon, which passed a law in 1997 allowing a physician to prescribe lethal drugs to a terminally ill patient.

Kevorkian was also a jazz musician and composer. The Kevorkian Suite: A Very Still Life was a 1997 limited release CD of 5,000 copies from the Lucid Subjazz label.

In 2008 he ran for congress against congressman Joe Knollenberg.

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Sources [edit]

Dave Bohon. "Assisted Suicide Proponent Dr. Jack Kevorkian Dies" — The New American, June 4, 2011
"Jack Kevorkian: 'Doctor Death' dies in US aged 83" — BBC News Online, June 3, 2011

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Qur'an-burning pastor jailed after mosque protest barred

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:06:41 GMT

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Islamic Center of America
Image: DinajGao.

A controversial Florida pastor who had planned a demonstration outside a Michigan mosque Friday evening was briefly jailed after a court decided the protest would cause a breach of the peace and he refused to post a "peace bond" of US$1 required by the judge.

Fifty-nine-year-old Terry Jones, the pastor of a small church in Gainesville, Florida whose burning of the Qur'an sparked deadly protests in Afghanistan earlier this month, was denied a permit to stage a protest against "radical Islam" in front of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan, where one of the largest communities of Muslims in the US is located. Dearborn police cited concerns about violence and offered alternate sites for the protest, which Jones rejected, saying his protest would go ahead as planned.

Prosecutors, concerned about possible violence, went to court on Thursday to obtain a ruling from Dearborn District Judge Mark Somers to prevent the protest. Somers conducted a one-day trial on Friday. At the trial, Jones argued that any limitations on his planned protest violated his free speech rights protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. "The First Amendment is only valid if it allows us to say what other people may not like," Jones said in court. "Otherwise, we do not need the First Amendment."

The six-person jury reached the verdict that Jones was "likely to breach the peace" if he went ahead with his demonstration.

Prosecutors requested the judge require a $25,000 bond. Judge Somers ordered Jones and supporter Wayne Sapp, 42, to pay a $1 peace bond and agree to stay away from the mosque for a period of three years. "The peace bond is to prohibit free speech," said Sapp. Both initially refused to pay the peace bond and were remanded to the county jail. Prosecutors said that if they refused to pay, they might be jailed for up to three years. Both later paid the bond and were released.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had filed a motion for the case to be dismissed on the basis that Jones could not be forced to post a bond making him pay for police protection. An ACLU spokesperson said, "It is unconstitutional to put a price on free speech in anticipation that the speech may not be welcome by others". Robert Sedler, a professor of constitutional law at Wayne State University, agreed, saying the US Supreme Court has determined that it was unconstitutional to require a bond for police protection.

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Sources [edit]

Corey Williams (Associated Press). "Pastor seeking to protest at mosque jailed" — Telegraph Herald Online, April 23, 2011
CBC News. "Qur'an-Burning Pastor Jailed Before Mosque Protest" — AOL News, April 23, 2011
Bernie Woodall. "Florida pastor jailed after mosque protest barred" — Reuters, April 22, 2011

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US woman sentenced to jail for faking son’s cancer

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:22:29 GMT

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Michigan judge sentenced a woman to a year in jail Tuesday for giving her twelve-year-old son drugs so that he appeared to have leukemia and telling him he was dying. She also shaved his eyebrows and head. The motive was to fool her son, relatives and the community, including churchs, into thinking he had cancer in a scam to collect money.

Prosecutors said Carol Lynn Schnuphase, 47, shaved her son's head and eyebrows and fed him food laced with opiates so he would look sick and feel ill. The scam produced thousands of dollars in donations. When authorities attempted to removed him from her custody, she faked his death.

	She's made a living as a con artist for years. She's always had a sinister side.
—Patrick Kelsch, Schnuphase's cousin

Macomb County Circuit Judge Richard Caretti also gave Schnuphase three years' probation and six months house arrest. She must also pay restitution, including $10,000 to several churches, Roseville Community Schools, and a woman who provided financial help and gifts. The sentence was based on a plea deal reached by the prosecutors and Schnuphase's lawyer, Dominic Greco. Schnuphase, formerly of Roseville, plead no contest to charges of child abuse and false pretensions in February.

"Your conduct, ma’am, in this case is reprehensible. To tell a vulnerable, defenseless young boy that he is dying of cancer for your own pecuniary gain is almost beyond the realm of comprehension," said Judge Caretti. "To then give your son strong opiate-based pills crushed up in his apple sauce to further your despicable scheme defies all reason."

Schnuphase's attorney Greco said Schnuphase was suffering from the stress of the loss of her job and "vehemently denies" drugging her son. She claims she gave him acid reflux medicine. "It was the snowball effect. She didn't feel she could get out of it," Greco said. "She was basically at the end of her rope."

Schnuphase's cousin, Patrick Kelsch, called the sentence "ridiculous" and said, "She's made a living as a con artist for years." He added, "She's always had a sinister side."

A hearing to terminate Schnuphase’s parental rights to her son will be held in April.

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Sources [edit]

Christine Ferretti. "Mom gets jail time for 'reprehensible' act of faking son's cancer" — The Detroit News, March 30, 2011
Mike Householder (Associated Press). "Jail time for woman, Carol Schnuphase, accused of faking son’s cancer" — Chicago Sun Times, March 30, 2011

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Detroit’s population drops by one-fourth in the last decade

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:39:40 GMT

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The Renaissance Center, the world headquarters of General Motors, 1981

Figures released by the U.S. 2010 census on Wednesday show that the city of Detroit has lost approximately 238,270 people, one-fourth of its total, since 2000. Detroit, once one of the top five U.S. cities in population, has its lowest number of residents since 1910.

Population numbers affect the the amount of federal and state funding a city receives. In the last few decades, dozens of Michigan state laws have been passed allowing Detroit, because its population was at least 750,000, special measures to raise revenue and allocating it a larger share of Michigan's state revenue than its population warranted. Now that Detroit's population has fallen to 713,777, it is no longer eligible for these financial advantages.

	"Except for New Orleans after Katrina, it's basically the largest drop for a U.S. city in history.
—Andrew Beveridge, Sociology professor

The mayor of Detroit, Dave Bing plans to appeal the census results. He says more than 35,000 residents were not counted.

Countryside in Detroit under program to reduce city size by demolishing vacant buildings.

"Every person that’s counted in the census brings approximately $10,000 to Detroit over the next decade for schools, roads, hospitals, and social service programs," Bing explained. "Additionally, we could lose millions in statutory revenue sharing from the state. We are in a fiscal crisis and we have to fight for every dollar. We can’t afford to let these results stand."

Detroit was the fifth largest U.S. city in 1950. The decline of the auto industry hastened the population loss already diminished by the 1967 riots that precipitated white flight to the suburbs. Approximately 23 percent of the city’s living quarters are now empty. To reduce the city's size there is a program in progress to demolish 10,000 abandoned or vacant buildings and turn the land into farms or countryside by 2014.

Detroit's congressional power has been steadily decreasing. It already lost one congressional seat since the 1980s.

U.S. federal laws forbid drawing congressional district boundaries that dilute minority voting strength. The 2000 redistricting rules for the 2012 elections mandated that Detroit's two congressional districts must be 60 percent black voters, since four out of five of Detroit's residents are black. To comply, the two remaining congressional districts will have to expand into Detroit's mostly white suburbs to attain enough minority voters to meet the 60 percent target, reducing the clout of black Detroit.

Andrew Beveridge, Queens College sociology professor, attributed Detroit's population decline to the loss of its industrial base. He said: "Except for New Orleans after Katrina, it's basically the largest drop for a U.S. city in history. They have to find an economic base or the decline will continue."

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Sources [edit]

Brad Knickerbocker. "Detroit fights back against plummeting population" — The Christian Science Monitor, March 23, 2011
Ben Forer. "Detroit's Mayor Bing to Challenge Census Figures" — ABC World News, March 23, 2011
Associated Press. "Detroit Districts To Reach Into Suburbs For Blacks" — NPR, March 23, 2011
Kathleen Gray and Dawson Bell. "Lower census numbers means Detroit could lose millions of dollars" — Detroit Free Press, March 24, 2011

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High school basketball star dies after making game-winning shot in overtime

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:42:05 GMT

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Friday, Fennville, Michigan high school athlete Wes Leonard, 16 years old, suddenly collapsed on the basketball court after making the game-winning shot in overtime. His play had cinched a perfect season for his undefeated Fennville High School basketball team before an exuberant crowd.

As Leonard lay motionless on his back, the audience became silent. A witness on the court said Leonard had ceased to breathe and his heart had stopped. Attempts to revive him failed and he was transported to a nearby hospital where he died a little over an hour later. An autopsy revealed that Leonard had an enlarged heart, causing the cardiac arrest that killed him.

Automated external defibrillator (AED)

It is unclear from media reports whether the school had an automated external defibrillator (AED) available for emergencies, or if the ambulance personnel had employed such equipment. Also unknown is how much time elapsed from the moment the player collapsed until the time a defibrillator was employed. Many schools have acquired defibrillators for such emergencies, according to Michigan High School Athletic Association spokesman John Johnson. He said the devices at schools are not mandated by law nor by the association's regulations. There is evidence that if, in the first 10 minutes of a cardiac arrest, an AED is used, up to 80% of the victims can survive. Emergency responders usually need at least seven minutes to arrive on the scene.

News media describes Leonard’s death as shocking the community. His coach described him as a healthy and disciplined athlete who was the top scorer on his basketball team as well as the quarterback of the school's football team which won its conference's championship this season.

Dr. Marc Lahiri, a specialist in disorders of heart rhythm for Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital, said that detecting underlying heart abnormalities is difficult and such defects may not become apparent until the occurrence of a sudden and perhaps fatal event. Lahiri said many doctors are encouraging schools to make extensive testing of the heart routine for physicals given to school athletes. Such testing is controversial, not only because of the cost but because of possible false-positives that may lead to the need for additional testing.

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Sources [edit]

Katie Moisse, Emily Friedman and Kate Salman. "High School Basketball Star Dies on Court" — ABC News, March 4, 2011
By Matt Helms, Detroit Free Press. "Michigan prep basketball player dies after game-winning shot" — USA Today, March 4, 2011
Dr. Manny Alvarez. "Why Cardiac Screenings Are a Must for Young Athletes" — Fox News, March 4, 2011
"Michigan prep hoops player died of cardiac arrest" — SL.com, March 4, 2011

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A.J. Pierzynski leads Chicago White Sox to narrow 5-4 win against Detroit Tigers

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:58:58 GMT

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Monday, September 6, 2010
	Chicago White Sox	5–4	Detroit Tigers	Comerica Park
				Comerica Park

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A.J. Pierzynski scored a go-ahead run in the tenth inning, while Miguel Cabrera scored a point after Don Kelly scored a home run. Image: Keith Allison /shgmom56.

The Chicago White Sox scored a narrow 5–4 victory Monday against the Detroit Tigers after White Sox player A.J. Pierzynski scored a go-ahead run in extra innings. The go-ahead run gave the White Sox two extra runs.

"We're just finding ways to win games. We're battling. We're not giving at-bats away," Pierzynski, catacher for the White Sox, said after the game.

Though the White Sox led 3–2 in the fourth inning, Mark Kotsay got out at home plate when attempting to get the White Sox a fourth run. Later, Tiger Don Kelly scored a home run, pushing the Tigers up to a lead of 4–2. The homer had both Kelly and Miguel Cabrera scoring a run each. The White Sox also hit a run in the eighth inning.

Also notable was that rookie relief pitcher Chris Sale won his first game after pitching in the tenth inning. Sale, who is on the Sox, earned praise from Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen, who said "very, very pleasant surprise. Very, very nice."

The White Sox are currently 3 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division in the MLB. The Sox currently has a record of 77 wins and 60 losses, and have won four games in a row. The Detroit Tigers are third in the Central Division with a record of 68–70, and are 13 games behind Minnesota.

The game was played in Comerica Park in Detroit. 32,924 people attended the game.

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Sources [edit]

"Major League Baseball Division Standings" — USA Today, September 7, 2010
Sports Network. "Recap: Detroit vs. Chicago WSox" — USA Today, September 6, 2010
Associated Press. "Pierzynski singles in 10th, Chisox win 7th in row" — Fanhouse, September 6, 2010

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Wikinews Shorts: August 18, 2010

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:05:02 GMT

A compilation of brief news reports for Wednesday, August 18, 2010 .

Location of South Carolina.
Image: The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.

Mother confesses to suffocating her two children [edit]

An unemployed, single mother from South Carolina has confessed to suffocating her two toddler children with her bare hands. After suffocating her one year-old and two year-old sons, 29 year-old Shaquan Duley drove her car into a river. Police have identified the suffocated children as Ja'van T. Duley and Devean C. Duley. She faces two murder charges and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Duley had apparently argued with her mother the night before the murder. Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams has stated that "We believe this is a direct response [to the argument] from Ms. Duley. I believe she was just fed up with her mother telling her she couldn't take care of the children and she wasn't taking care of her children and she just wanted to be free." Williams also said that Shaquan's mother "was a very, I guess, firm individual. ... She often talked with her daughter about, I guess, maybe being more of a mother or being more reliable."

Sources

Lisa Flam. "SC Sheriff: Mother Has Confessed in Toddler Deaths" — AOL News, August 17, 2010
"Sheriff: Woman suffocated sons before submerging bodies in car" — CNN, August 17, 2010

Location of North Korea.
Image: Vardion.

US officials visit American sentenced to hard labor in North Korea [edit]

US officials said Monday that an American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, sentenced to hard labor in North Korea was visited by a US consular official and two American doctors.

"We requested permission to visit Mr. Gomes. That permission from the North Korean government was granted," said U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley. Crowley also said that "We requested permission to bring Mr. Gomes home. Unfortunately, he remains in North Korea."

North Korea said that Gomes was hospitalized after attempting suicide. Gomes was arrested by North Korean authorities and sentenced to eight years of hard labor in January after the 31 year-old man alledgedly attempted to cross the border with China.

Sources

Brian Walker. "U.S. officials visit American held in North Korea" — CNN, August 17, 2010
Agence France-Presse. "US medical team visited American held in N.Korea: official" — Google News, August 16, 2010

Related news

"US prisoner in North Korea 'attempts suicide'" — Wikinews, July 10, 2010

File photo of a Buick Enclave, one of the models recalled by GM on Tuesday.
Image: IFCAR.

General Motors recalls 243,000 crossover vehicles [edit]

American car company General Motors (GM) said Tuesday that it will recall 243,000 crossover vehicles due to faulty seat belts. The crossovers recalled include the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse. The damage to the seat belts could happen after the second row seats in the car-based SUVs are returned to a upright position after being folded. The damage causes the seat belt to feel correctly latched when it is possibly not.

Sources

"GM recalls 243,000 crossover vehicles" — United Press International, August 17, 2010
Nick Bunkley. "G.M. Recalls 243,000 Crossover Vehicles for Seat Belt Problem" — The New York Times, August 17, 2010

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English Wikinews RSS feed.

Reports of at least fourteen dead this week due to gun-related suicides in the United States

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Qur'an-burning pastor jailed after mosque protest barred

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US woman sentenced to jail for faking son’s cancer

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Detroit’s population drops by one-fourth in the last decade

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High school basketball star dies after making game-winning shot in overtime

Sources [edit]

A.J. Pierzynski leads Chicago White Sox to narrow 5-4 win against Detroit Tigers

Sources [edit]

Wikinews Shorts: August 18, 2010

Mother confesses to suffocating her two children [edit]

US officials visit American sentenced to hard labor in North Korea [edit]

General Motors recalls 243,000 crossover vehicles [edit]