U.S. says death toll rises to 23 in meningitis outbreak

U.S. says death toll rises to 23 in meningitis outbreak
Teen says Sandusky chased him in car as he ran away: ABC
Kentucky: Roar of the Tommy Guns, smell of the crowd
Los Angeles police explore Manson Family role in dozen cold cases
Few Ohio exotic animals registered a year after farm panic
Police say wooden cross may be clue in Colorado child killing
Man who thought plane was on fire charged with disrupting Utah flight
"We will move forward," Lance Armstrong tells gala guests
Heavy police presence thwarts skateboard race through midtown Manhattan
Kentucky: Roar of the Tommy Guns, smell of the crowd
Few Ohio exotic animals registered a year after farm panic
Man who thought plane was on fire charged with disrupting Utah flight
Los Angeles police explore Manson Family role in dozen cold cases
Teen says Sandusky chased him in car as he ran away: ABC
Police say wooden cross may be clue in Colorado child killing

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 12:08 PM PDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. death toll from fungal meningitis linked to potentially contaminated steroid injections has risen by two to 23, with North Carolina reporting its first death, health officials said on Saturday. Tennessee's death total in the outbreak rose to eight, the highest state total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website. States reported 13 new cases of fungal meningitis, raising the total to 281. There are also three peripheral infections caused by injections into joints. ...

Teen says Sandusky chased him in car as he ran away: ABC

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 09:44 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 18-year-old who triggered the prosecution of Jerry Sandusky for sexually abusing him and nine other boys told ABC News the former Penn State coach once chased him down with his car as he tried to flee. Aaron Fisher, previously known as Victim 1, has revealed his identity since testifying against Sandusky at his June trial. Sandusky, 68, was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Fisher was just 10 when he met Sandusky through the former coach's charity for at-risk children, The Second Mile, in 2004. ...

Kentucky: Roar of the Tommy Guns, smell of the crowd

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 10:11 AM PDT

WEST POINT, Ky (Reuters) - The traffic jam began just off Dixie Highway - the four-lane U.S. 60 route between Louisville and Fort Knox - and crept through a hilly autumn forest for more than a mile to the Knob Creek Gun Range. The slow-moving snarl last weekend brought upwards of 17,000 people to Knob Creek's three-day Machine Gun Shoot, an event that twice a year draws machine gun collectors and enthusiasts from around the country to test out weapons like Tommy Guns, water-cooled Brownings and M16s. "Guns aren't bad," said Knob Creek manager Kenny Sumner. ...

Los Angeles police explore Manson Family role in dozen cold cases

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 09:53 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Detectives are looking at the possible role of the Manson Family in a dozen unsolved killings from four decades ago, and believe old audio tapes from a bankruptcy case hold a key to the cold cases, a police official said. The so-called Manson Family cult, a collection of runaways and outcasts known for their high-profile spree of at least nine killings in 1969, was brought together by a charismatic ex-convict, Charles Manson. ...

Few Ohio exotic animals registered a year after farm panic

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 08:09 AM PDT

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A year after authorities shot dozens of wild animals let loose on a southern Ohio farm - lions, endangered tigers and bears - few owners of exotic animals have registered their beasts under a new Ohio law. The owner of the animals, Terry Thompson, released his collection of exotic animals from their cages and committed suicide on October 18, 2011, unleashing a panic authorities quelled by killing 49 animals, including many large predators. The incident in and around the Zanesville, Ohio, farm prompted calls for Ohio to pass new laws covering animal ownership. ...

Police say wooden cross may be clue in Colorado child killing

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 08:15 PM PDT

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (Reuters) - Investigators probing the killing of a 10-year-old Colorado girl who was snatched as she walked to school and was later found dismembered said on Friday that a small wooden cross pendant recovered as evidence could be an important clue in the case. Police in the Denver suburb of Westminster released photos of the distinctive solid-wood cross, which measures 1.5 inches by 1 inch. They did not say where it was found. ...

Man who thought plane was on fire charged with disrupting Utah flight

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 07:59 AM PDT

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A Ukrainian immigrant, who is accused of disrupting an airline flight and assaulting its crew because he believed the wing was on fire, was ordered on Friday to remain in custody in Utah to face charges. A federal judge ordered a mental evaluation for Anatoliy Baranovich, 46, who authorities said had been drinking and had passports for 19 women and $6,500 in cash in his luggage. Prosecutors believe the mental examination may shed light on Baranovich's actions during a Delta Airlines flight from Boston to Salt Lake City on Monday. ...

"We will move forward," Lance Armstrong tells gala guests

Posted: 19 Oct 2012 09:08 PM PDT

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong told supporters of his Livestrong cancer charity on Friday that it had been a difficult couple of weeks but the foundation's mission must go on. The seven-time Tour de France winner stepped down as the foundation's chairman on Wednesday after a doping scandal badly tarnished his cycling career. But Armstrong still took the stage at a gala dinner in Austin, Texas, on Friday to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the charity's founding. ...

Heavy police presence thwarts skateboard race through midtown Manhattan

Posted: 20 Oct 2012 05:13 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A heavy New York City police presence Saturday discouraged a group of hundreds of skateboarders from defying a court order that banned the annual race through midtown Manhattan known as the Broadway Bomb. Many skateboarders were not deterred. At the race's planned finish line in Manhattan's downtown financial district, where there was a heavy police presence, many boarders said they had taken alternate routes downtown to avoid police stationed at intersections throughout midtown. ...