UPI NewsTrack articles from February 2008

UPI NewsTrack archives from February 2008

Conn. high court rejects Buddhist temple.
February 1, 2008... HARTFORD, Conn., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that a town zoning board did not engage in religious discrimination when it blocked a Cambodian Buddhist temple. The court's 45-page opinion, released Wednesday,...

COL BKB: Wisconsin 62, Indiana 49.
February 1, 2008... MADISON, Wis., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Trevon Hughes scored 16 points Thursday and No. 13 Wisconsin pulled away in the second half to defeat 11th-ranked Indiana 62-49. Indiana suffered its first Big Ten loss of the season. Marcus Landry had 14...

Wounded vet's racing snowmobile stolen.
February 1, 2008... ANCHORAGE, Ala., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A wounded Iraq war veteran is asking for help finding his snowmobile, stolen two weeks before Alaska's Tesoro Iron Dog snow machine race. Charlie Potter, who nearly lost his arm in Iraq, hopes to ride 2,000...

COL BKB: Duke 92, North Carolina St. 72.
February 1, 2008... DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Greg Paulus led a second-half charge Thursday that rallied third-ranked Duke to a 92-72 whipping of North Carolina State. The Wolfpack owned a nine-point halftime lead, but wilted under a Duke comeback that...

Dry winter bad sign for N.C.
February 1, 2008... RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A dry winter suggests a bad spring and summer lie ahead for central North Carolina, U.S. weather officials said. The U.S. Drought Monitor listed 70 of the state's 100 counties as being in exceptional drought...

COL BKB: UCLA 84, Arizona St. 51.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Josh Shipp and Kevin Love gave UCLA a quick start Thursday and the No. 5 Bruins blitzed Arizona State 84-51. The Sun Devils scored the game's first two points and UCLA then took charge with an 18-2 run en route...

Judge rejects plea in liposuction death.
February 1, 2008... CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts judge rejected a Brazilian doctor's offer to plead guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of a woman who died during liposuction. Luiz Carlos Ribeiro insisted in a statement to Middlesex...

NBA: Seattle 101, Cleveland 95.
February 1, 2008... SEATTLE, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Kevin Durant scored 24 points Thursday and the Seattle SuperSonics held off a fourth-quarter Cleveland charge to down the Cavaliers 101-95. Cleveland played without superstar LeBron James, who suffered a sprained...

COL BKB: Stanford 65, Washington 51.
February 1, 2008... SEATTLE, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A career-best 31 points from Brook Lopez Thursday sent No. 14 Stanford to a 65-51 decision over Washington. The Cardinal won on Washington's home floor for the first time in seven years and did so thanks to a big...

Cold weather cancels surgeries in Labrador.
February 1, 2008... LABRADOR CITY, Newfoundland, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Surgeries have been canceled at the only hospital in western Labrador, Canada, because the weather is too cold. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said the heating system at Capt. William Jackman...

COL BKB: California 69, Washington St. 64.
February 1, 2008... PULLMAN, Wash., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Ryan Anderson scored five of his 27 points in the final minute Thursday, giving California a 69-64 upset win over No. 9 Washington State. The Golden Bears had lost their previous three games, but stayed...

Young Italians can't afford to move out.
February 1, 2008... ROME, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A new study says more young adults in Italy live at home with their parents because of low salaries for entry level jobs. Researchers with the Italian economic think tank ISAE said the rate of young adults living with...

Britains using more obesity drugs.
February 1, 2008... LONDON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Britain's National Health Service is prescribing obesity drugs more than 1 million times a year. A new report said the prescriptions are mainly for orlistat (Xenical) and sibutramine (Reductil), the Daily Telegraph...

Weather causes fatal accident in Britain.
February 1, 2008... LONDON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A truck driver was killed in Britain when his vehicle was blown over in high winds of up to 80 mph. The 45-year-old man died in the accident near junction 38 of the M6 in Tebay in northwest England, the Daily...

NBA: San Antonio 84, Phoenix 81.
February 1, 2008... PHOENIX, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Four free throws by Manu Ginobili in the final 15 seconds Thursday allowed the San Antonio Spurs to escape with an 84-81 victory over Phoenix. The Spurs' first lead came of the game with 4:51 remaining and Ginobili...

Detroit mayor apologizes for scandal.
February 1, 2008... DETROIT, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick returned to work Thursday after an emotional apology Wednesday night for a text message scandal. In a televised appearance, Kilpatrick apologized for "the embarrassment and...

Report: French morale at 20-year low.
February 1, 2008... PARIS, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A report by French government researchers said morale in France is at its lowest point since they started tracking it in 1987. The report said French people's belief that their living standards will improve has...

Ohio mother upset over funeral protests.
February 1, 2008... WAPAKONETA, Ohio, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- An Ohio woman said she is upset that people from a Kansas church plan to picket the funeral of her son, who died while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. Cindy Schoolcraft Hooker of Lima, Ohio, said the...

WWII POW famous for escape attempts, dies.
February 1, 2008... LONDON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Jimmy James, a British WWII pilot famous for his attempts to escape German captivity has died at age 92. James died Jan. 18, the BBC said. He was captured by the Germans in 1940 when his plane was shot down over...

Jockstrip: The world as we know it.
February 1, 2008... Feb. 1 (UPI) -- 80-year-old woman grabs attacker's gun KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- An 80-year-old Kansas City, Mo., woman lost her purse in a scuffle with an 18-year-old man, but was able to grab the thief's gun, authorities said. ...

Watercooler Stories.
February 1, 2008... Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Mass. nominates female official groundhog BOSTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Massachusetts lawmakers have nominated a female woodchuck as the state's official groundhog, a move that would make her the first female to hold such a title....

Group wants AU to refuse Sudan bid.
February 1, 2008... ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Amnesty International asked African leaders to refuse Sudan's bid for the African Union presidency because of alleged human rights violations. Kolawole Olaniyan, Amnesty International's legal adviser...

Winter storm causes warnings in Midwest.
February 1, 2008... INDEPENDENCE, Kan., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. weather forecasters said a powerful winter storm was behind warnings of severe weather for the midwestern and northeastern United States. The winter storm, which dropped 10 inches of snow on...

Two suicide bombers kill 53 in Baghdad.
February 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- At least 53 people were killed and 94 injured when two female suicide bombers set off devices at Baghdad pet markets. The first blast, at the Birds' Market in the city's New Baghdad district, killed eight people,...

Commodity prices hold close to steady.
February 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices held close to stagnant on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday morning with crude priced at $91.77 per barrel, up 2 cents. Heating oil prices fell slightly, down 0.44 cents to $2.5247 per...

Microsoft bids $44.6 billion for Yahoo!
February 1, 2008... REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. made an unsolicited bid to purchase Internet search engine Yahoo! Inc. for $44.6 billion, the company announced Friday. A Microsoft statement said the offer values Yahoo! at $31 per share, 62...

Israeli Embassy in Mauritania attacked.
February 1, 2008... NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Witnesses to a Friday morning attack on the Israeli Embassy in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania said several people were wounded by gunmen. One witness, who was not named, told Ynetnews that five...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Microsoft bids $44.6 billion for Yahoo! REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. made an unsolicited bid Thursday afternoon to purchase Internet search engine Yahoo! Inc. for $44.6 billion, the company...

Newfoundland tugboat sinks, two killed.
February 1, 2008... ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The bodies of two men from a tugboat that sank in high seas on Trinity Bay have been returned to St. John's, Newfoundland. Around 10 p.m. Thursday, the Canadian Coast Guard received a garbled...

Life sentence for drifter who killed hiker.
February 1, 2008... DAWSONVILLE, Ga., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A drifter was sentenced to life in the Georgia state penitentiary after he confessed to abducting and killing a female hiker. Gary Michael Hilton, who pleaded guilty to the death of Meredith Emerson, 24,...

Dell to shutter Canadian call center.
February 1, 2008... EDMONTON, Alberta, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Cost-cutting by Texas computer-maker Dell has hit a second Canadian city, with plans announced to close a 900-staff call center in Edmonton, Alberta. Kenn Bur of the Edmonton Economic Development...

Arab anger threatens Kurd power.
February 1, 2008... BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The strong political power Kurds enjoy in Iraq appears to be fomenting anger among Arab factions, a report said Friday. The Kurds, made up mostly of Sunnis, have built enormous political strength since the ouster...

McCain took life insurance policy for loan.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign is out of debt after a Washington bank issued a $3 million loan with a life insurance policy. McCain has raised at least $7 million this month, vaulting...

Regulators warn France not to interfere.
February 1, 2008... BRUSSELS, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Banking regulators in Brussels warned the French government Thursday not to interfere with the fate of the scandal-ridden French bank Societe Generale. "In previous banking cases, we made it quite clear that the...

Officials: 2009 budget includes deep cuts.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- White House and congressional officials said the Bush administration's budget for fiscal 2009 will include a virtual freeze on domestic spending programs. The officials said the $3 trillion budget, expected to be...

Retailers clamp down on return fraud.
February 1, 2008... WAYNE, N.J., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. retailers are tightening return policies to battle alleged consumer fraud, estimated to be $3.7 billion for the 2007 holiday shopping season. Consumer fraud that includes returning items as defective when...

Weapons trader accused of selling to Iran.
February 1, 2008... SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A weapons trader accused of selling sensitive technology to Iran was held in San Francisco Friday pending a detention hearing, ABC News reported. Laura Wang-Woodford allegedly earned millions from her deals...

Report: Planned Canadian reactors flawed.
February 1, 2008... OTTAWA, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two $600 million Canadian nuclear reactors being developed to supply the world with medical isotopes are flawed and dangerous, sources told the Ottawa Sun. The officials who asked not to be identified said the...

'Appalling gap' in U.S. domestic readiness.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. congressional commission report said an "appalling gap" exists in U.S. forces capable of responding to domestic chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. The report, by the Commission on the National Guard...

U.S. Army tests new pants for Afghanistan.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is testing prototype uniform pants in Hawaii with reinforced seats designed to meet the needs of soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. The Army is testing multiple prototypes designed to solve the...

Obama takes in $1 million a day in January.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., raised more than $1 million a day during January, campaign officials announced. The $32 million in donations, a record for the month, came during the...

U.S. markets up in early trading.
February 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes rose slightly Friday in midmorning trading after a hectic start. The Dow Jones industrial average, was up 5.33 points, at 12,655.72, points, up 0.04 percent shortly after the markets opened. ...

Workers urged to blackout BlackBerrys.
February 1, 2008... OTTAWA, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Staff at Canada's immigration agency in Ottawa have been asked to turn off their BlackBerry communication devices at lunch and at night to balance their lives. Richard Fadden, the deputy minister of Citizenship and...

Actress Julie Christie weds journalist.
February 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Oscar-winning actress Julie Christie reportedly has married British journalist Duncan Campbell in India. The wedding, which took place two months ago but was only revealed this week, marked the 66-year-old British...

Scientists find new mammal in Tanzania.
February 1, 2008... DODOMA, Tanzania, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Scientists have discovered a new mammal species in the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania. The strange-looking animal, called, Rhynochocyon udzungwensis, is categorized as a large elephant shrew or sengi, BBC...

Economists say Fed rate cut favors banks.
February 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Recent Federal Reserve interest rate cuts are more about saving banks than saving the average U.S. citizen, a New York business analyst says. "This is more about saving Wall Street than Main Street," Ken...

'Hillary' movie creators seek ad OK.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A conservative group is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to approve ads for its documentary "Hillary: The Movie" despite Federal Election Commission rules. The movie, critical of Democratic presidential candidate...

Welfare offers clothes as bank incentive.
February 1, 2008... VICTORIA, British Columbia, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Welfare recipients in British Columbia are being offered winter clothes as an incentive to switch from checks to direct bank deposits. Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond...

Celebrities helped nix Heath tape.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two U.S. TV gossip shows chose not to broadcast a controversial video of late actor Heath Ledger after some of his celebrity friends asked them to forget it. The video reportedly shows Ledger, who died Jan. 22...

UPI NewsTrack Business.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. markets mixed at mid-morning NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes were mixed in mid-morning trading Friday after a hectic start. The Dow Jones industrial average was off 7.89 points, or 0.06...

McCain may be ousted from Vote Smart.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- John McCain's failure to fill out a questionnaire for a voter-information research group could result in his removal from the board, the group's president said. Richard Kimball, president of Project Vote Smart,...

U.S. product hazard reports are too late.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been criticized for taking too long to tell the public about hazardous consumer products, a report said. Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group, conducted a...

Exxon Mobile breaks profit records.
February 1, 2008... IRVING, Texas, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Exxon Mobil Corp. posted $11.66 billion in fourth-quarter profits in 2007, breaking its quarterly profit record. Income for the company was 14 percent above fourth-quarter income in 2006, when the company...

Inflation puffs up cost of Chinese exports.
February 1, 2008... SHANGHAI, China, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Western businesses said they have noticed higher bills coming in from Chinese suppliers as inflation begins to take hold in China. Various executives and analysts told The New York Times that a raft of...

Poll: Super Bowl vs. Super Tuesday.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A poll released Friday suggests excitement in the United States is evenly split between Super Bowl Sunday and the Super Tuesday presidential primaries. The Washington Post-ABC News telephone poll of 1,019 adults,...

Woods still leads at Dubai Desert Classic.
February 1, 2008... DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods survived windy conditions Friday and retained the lead halfway through the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament in the United Arab Emirates. Woods shot a 1-under 71 in the second...

Gandolfini signs on for 'Healing' role.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- James Gandolfini, the U.S. actor who played mob boss Tony Soprano on the TV series "The Sopranos," has signed for a role in a film about singer Marvin Gaye. "Sexual Healing" is about the last years of Gaye's...

Company offers online title insurance.
February 1, 2008... HILLSDALE, N.J., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A New Jersey company is breaking with tradition by offering title insurance and mortgage closing services online, it was announced Friday. MyClosingSPACE.com is offering its services first to New Yorkers,...

Cable company bills for destroyed items.
February 1, 2008... WHEATLAND, Wis., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Several residents of Wheatland, Wis., complained after a cable company charged them for equipment destroyed in a tornado. Resident Ann Beam said Time Warner Cable billed her $2,000 for five cable boxes and...

UPI NewsTrack TopNews.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombers kill 53 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- At least 53 people were killed and 94 injured when two female suicide bombers set off devices at Baghdad pet markets. The first blast, at the...

New bid to close gun show loop hole.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two U.S. Senate Democrats have opened a campaign to close a loophole in federal law and require background checks on buyers at gun shows. Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey and Jack Reed of Rhode Island...

Repair ships sail to broken 'Net cables.
February 1, 2008... ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The owner of a damaged undersea telecommunications cable has sent repair ships to fix two breaks that hampered Internet traffic in India and the Middle East. Flag Telecom said in a situation update that it...

Online public schools come under fire.
February 1, 2008... MILWAUKEE, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Online public schools in Wisconsin have come under fire from some who claim they are using taxpayers' money to inadequately teach children. Some educators have argued that young children aren't old enough for an...

Specter wants NFL 'spying' answers.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he wants the commissioner of the NFL to answer questions about destroyed evidence in the New England Patriots spying case. Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate...

China digging out from winter storms.
February 1, 2008... BEIJING, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The official death toll has reached 60 in China where severe winter storms paralyzed half the country stranding millions of travelers. China's Civil Affairs Ministry pegged the damage from the worst blizzards in 50...

Northwestern U. to expand financial aid.
February 1, 2008... EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., plans to expand financial aid by $3 million next fall to give debt-free grants to 450 loan-burdened students. The scholarships are worth more than $125,000 over four...

Bush: Homeowner, not lender, needs help.
February 1, 2008... KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The federal government has the responsibility to act to help U.S. homeowners stay in their homes, U.S. President George Bush said Friday. Speaking after a tour of the Hallmark Cards facility in Kansas...

NFL halts Super Bowl parties at churches.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The National Football League has stopped churches from showing the Super Bowl on big-screen TVs, moving pass, punt and prayer parties to the homes of members. The Super Bowl has long been a hit at churches but...

UK cop busted for mugging for speed camera.
February 1, 2008... SHEFFIELD, England, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- British police officials have grounded a constable who gave a "thumbs-up" pose as he raced past automated speed cameras while making emergency calls. David Mayes made the gesture twice while racing to...

Ann Coulter for Clinton? It's possible.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Del., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Conservative commentator Ann Coulter said she'd support Democrat Hillary Clinton over Republican John McCain in a potential general election matchup. Coulter's comments is the latest in the Republican's...

Stars turn out for Democratic debate.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Hollywood A-listers Brandy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Keaton and Steven Spielberg turned out for the Democratic U.S. presidential debate Thursday night. People.com ran photos of the celebrities sitting in the...

FDA warns of anti-epileptic risks.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned doctors about the risk of suicidal thoughts in patients who take anti-epileptic drugs. An FDA analysis of nearly 200 studies involving 11 anti-epileptic drugs showed...

Scientists alter the colors of many metals.
February 1, 2008... ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Scientists in Rochester, N.Y., have found a way to turn several metals into an array of colors with the use of a laser. In Friday's Applied Physics Letters, University of Rochester researcher Chunlei Guo...

Joachim Johansson retires from tennis.
February 1, 2008... STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Joachim Johansson, once ranked in the Top 10 in the world, Friday said he is retiring from competitive tennis because of a shoulder injury. Johansson, 25, anchored his game to a powerful serve but shoulder...

Calif. indys can only vote in Dem primary.
February 1, 2008... SACRAMENTO, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- California voters were reminded Friday that independents could vote in the upcoming Democratic presidential primary but not the Republican contest. California is holding a semi-open primary on Super Tuesday,...

Lions play too rough for U.K. tourist.
February 1, 2008... HORNCHURCH, England, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A British teacher said she feared she was finished after a "playful" lion pounced on her during a visit to a game reserve in Zimbabwe. Kate Drew told The Telegraph that while one lion pinned her to the...

'Juno' passes $100M mark.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Fox Searchlight announced its Oscar-nominated comedy "Juno" has become the Hollywood studio's first film to cross the $100 million mark at the box office. Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner,...

Bush says economy in 'rough patch'.
February 1, 2008... KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush urged the U.S. Senate to pass an economic stimulus package quickly to help "deal with this period of uncertainty." Commenting on the Department of Labor's report on the lost of...

Savio family plans to sue Drew Peterson.
February 1, 2008... JOLIET, Ill., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two of Kathleen Savio's siblings, preparing to sue her former ex-police officer husband Drew Peterson in Illinois, petitioned to reopen their sister's estate. The late Savio's brother, Henry, and her sister,...

South Korean court issues Lone Star ruling.
February 1, 2008... SEOUL, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A South Korean court fined a U.S. private equity firm $26.5 million Friday for spreading rumors to help purchase the Korean Exchange Bank's credit card unit. Lone Star, headquartered in Mauldin, S.C., acquired the...

Report: Nets and drugs curb malaria deaths.
February 1, 2008... ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The use of mosquito nets and modern medicine in many African countries has drastically reduced malaria-related deaths, a report said. The World Health Organization's report showed Ethiopia and Rwanda...

truTV cancels Star Jones' talk show.
February 1, 2008... NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Star Jones' daily U.S. talk show has reportedly been canceled, but Jones is not out of a job. The move to drop the show comes as Court TV is being transformed into truTV, the New York Post reported Friday. ...

LA medical-pot figure pleads guilty.
February 1, 2008... LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The former owner of a chain of medical-marijuana shops in California has pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges. Federal organized-crime prosecutors arrested Larry Kristich, 65, last...

UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News.
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Celebrities helped nix Heath tape LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Two U.S. TV gossip shows chose not to broadcast a controversial video of late actor Heath Ledger after some of his celebrity friends asked them to...