MAN WHO HELPED RESCUE 3 KIDNAPPED WOMEN IN OHIO GETS AWESOME HOMETOWN SURPRISE

The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for years in a Cleveland house will get free McDonald’s for the next year, a company spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

Local franchisees in Charles Ramsey’s neighborhood have offered him free food at their restaurants, said Heidi Barker, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s Corp.

Ramsey was called a hero after helping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight break out of the house May 6. Homeowner Ariel Castro faces charges. His defense team has said he will plead not guilty.
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Breaking News Bridge Collapse In Washington State

BREAKING: People and vehicles are in the water after the I-5 Bridge over Skagit River in WA state has collapsed

UPDATE 
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — An Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said.

The four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7 p.m., Trooper Mark Francis said. There was no immediate estimate of how many people were in the water or whether there were any injuries or deaths, he said.

It also was not known what caused the collapse of the bridge about 60 miles north of Seattle in Skagit County, which stretches from the North Cascades National Park to a cluster of islands off the Washington coast. More

Carrie Underwood Donates $1 Million To Red Cross For Disaster Relief

Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood is giving back in a big way by making a major donation.

On Thursday, she revealed she is donating $1 million to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

“I have watched the devastation in my home state of Oklahoma over the past several days with great sadness,” Carrie said in a statement. “With the help of my fans who attended my concerts over the past year, we can offer the Red Cross a little extra help in comforting those affected by the recent tornados.”
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How The IRS's Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional

The IRS division responsible for flagging Tea Party groups has long been an agency afterthought, beset by mismanagement, financial constraints and an unwillingness to spell out just what it expects from social welfare nonprofits, former officials and experts say.
The controversy that erupted in the past week, leading to the ousting of the acting Internal Revenue Service commissioner, an investigation by the FBI, and congressional hearings that kicked off Friday, comes against a backdrop of dysfunction brewing for years.

Moves launched in the 1990s were designed to streamline the tax agency and make it more efficient. But they had unintended consequences for the IRS’s Exempt Organizations division.

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NOAA Predicts Active 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season

In its 2013 Atlantic hurricane season outlook issued today, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Centeris forecasting an active or extremely active season this year.

For the six-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook says there is a 70 percent likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
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IRS Official Lois Lerner Placed On Leave

Lois Lerner, the head of the tax-exempt organizations division of the IRS, has been placed on administrative leave, an administration official has confirmed to CBS News.

Lerner has come under fire for failing to alert Congress of the undue scrutiny that some IRS officials in her division had placed on conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.

Thursday afternoon, Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Government Affairs investigations subcommittee, called on Daniel Werfel, the new acting IRS commissioner, "to suspend immediately Lois Lerner from her office as Director of the Office of Exempt Organizations."
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Judge Declares Mistrial In Penalty Phase Of Arias Trial

Judge declares a mistrial in the penalty phase of the Jodi Arias murder trial and schedules a retrial for July after jurors deadlocked on a life or death verdict.
From Fox News 

Police Force Shows Support For 5-Year-Old To Honor Her Dad's Memory

Her Daddy couldn't be here for kindergarten graduation because he was killed 3 days ago in the line of duty. So her Phoenix Police family showed up and lined the walkway, cheering on Tatum Raetz, who managed to smile... even for a little.
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Corporate Power Is Out Of Control

Western & Southern Insurance Group in Cincinnati decided it was buying the 104-year-old inn across the street from it's headquarters, even though the property was not for sale. Several years ago, Western & Southern offered to buy the Anna Louise Inn, a home for struggling women, for $1.8 million dollars – less than half its value.

But, the women wouldn't sell. So, the company sued the women of Anna Louise over a zoning issue, and tied them up in court for over two years. Eventually, the costs of the legal fight became to much to bear, and the women were forced to sell the property to Western & Southern for $4 million dollars. They will soon be relocated to a new building in a shabby neighborhood two miles away. 

For decades, the Inn has been home to women leaving abusive husbands, recovering from drug addiction, or transitioning from foster care to adulthood. But, that's all about to change because this huge corporation could afford a legal fight, and the Anna Louise couldn't. Western & Southern used our court system as their personal sword, to wield power over those without the means to fight. They should be ashamed, and we should be outraged.

How America Became A Third World Country

The streets are so much darker now, since money for streetlights is rarely available to municipal governments. The national parks began closing down years ago. Some are already being subdivided and sold to the highest bidder. Reports on bridges crumbling or even collapsing are commonplace. The air in city after city hangs brown and heavy (and rates of childhood asthma and other lung diseases have shot up), because funding that would allow the enforcement of clean air standards by the Environmental Protection Agency is a distant memory. Public education has been cut to the bone, making good schools a luxury and, according to the Department of Education, two of every five students won’t graduate from high school.

It’s 2023 -- and this is America 10 years after the first across-the-board federal budget cuts known as sequestration went into effect. They went on for a decade, making no exception for effective programs vital to America’s economic health that were already underfunded, like job training and infrastructure repairs. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

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‘WE’RE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE IT’: COLO. SHERIFFS UNITE TO BLOCK ‘UNENFORCEABLE’ GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION

In the wake of the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado passed some of the strictest gun control measures in the country.

But in recent months, an overwhelming 55 of the state’s 62 county sheriffs have joined a lawsuit aiming to block the measures.

“These bills do absolutely nothing to make Colorado a safer place to live, to work, to play or to raise a family,” Weld County Sheriff John Cooke explained at a recent press conference. “Instead these misguided, unconstitutional bills will have the opposite effect because they greatly restrict the right of decent, law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, their families and their homes.”
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The Butt Dial

Many of us have experienced the embarrassment of a butt dial, however, two California men found themselves in jail after their cellphone mishap. One of their phones accidentally dialed 911 from a pocket, right at the exact moment the pair was breaking into a car. The 911 operator who took the call heard one of the men say, "get the bolt and give me the hammer just in case," and then heard a window shatter. Little did the men know that as they drove away, police were already in the area searching for them based on the clues the dispatcher was providing. The pair was arrested, and charged with burglary. Perhaps they'll think twice before breaking into a car again, or at least consider that somebody may be listening.

Senator Vitter Passes 'No Food Stamps For Murderers And Rapists' Amendment to Farm Bill

The amendment was agreed to by unanimous consent. Thank God we can all agree that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to feed murderers, rapists, and pedophiles.

Vitter’s amendment would prohibit convicted murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from receiving food stamps. Under current law, there is a lifetime ban only for convicted drug felons, though many states have opted out of or modified that ban. Vitter’s amendment would extend the lifetime food stamp ban to dangerous sex offenders and murderers, and would not allow states to opt out or modify this ban.

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OCPD Arrest Drunk Driver After Short Pursuit

Shawn Josef Martin

On May 20, 2013, at approximately 11:20 p.m. Ocean City Police observed a vehicle being driven erratically northbound on Coastal Highway. Based on police observations, the driver was suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol. Police attempted to stop the vehicle near 74th Street; however, the vehicle fled.


Police pursued the vehicle at which time the driver, later identified as Shawn Josef Martin, 29, of Eldersburg, MD, turned into a parking garage on 77thStreet. Martin then sped through and exited the garage at which point struck a bush. Police attempted numerous times to have Martin stop; however, he continued to flee driving through several stop signs and traveling at a dangerously high rate of speed. Martin turned back onto Coastal Highway and crossed four lanes of traffic where he lost control and nearly struck the center median. He then turned east onto 79th Street, drove onto the sidewalk and struck a street sign at which time his vehicle stopped. Martin exited his vehicle and attempted to flee the crash scene on foot but was taken into custody shortly after by responding officers. During the on-scene investigation, police confirmed their suspicion that Martin was intoxicated. Officers also noted that there were no injuries during the incident.
 
Ocean City Police have charged Martin with 49 citations for various reckless/aggressive driving charges. Martin must appear in court for 12 of those citations.

Martin was released on his own recognizance on $25,000 unsecured bond.

Tractor Trailer Flips On Whitehaven Road

The road is temporarily closed.

BREAKING NEWS: Building Collapse At Westfield Montgomery Mall

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services officials and Montgomery County Police are responding to reports of a building collapse at the Westfield Montgomery Mall.

There is reportedly one person trapped and one person unconcsious at the site, where scaffolding and a beam fell.

The collapse reportedly occurred near the Macy’s entrance to the mall, where construction of a new food court and luxury movie theater is ongoing.

UPDATE
Two people are trapped following a partial parking garage collapse at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Montgomery County Fire officials say.

Montgomery County Fire Department spokesman Scott Graham says that the collapse happened at about 2 p.m. Thursday in a 40-foot area between the second and third levels of the three-level garage outside the Macy's entrance to the mall, at the corner of Democracy Boulevard and Westlake Drive.

The parking garage was not open to the public at the time of the incident. Fire officials are describing the incident as a construction accident.
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UPDATE: Fire Department spokeswoman Beth Anne Nesselt says one man died. Rescuers are trying to free another man who has serious injuries.

Four Billion Dollar Cut To The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee approved the FARRM Act of 2013, which includes a four billion dollar cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as "food stamps." Yesterday, that bill was introduced in the full Senate, and one lawmaker is going to great lengths to convince his colleagues to reject all of the proposed cuts. Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut will attempt to eat for one week, using only $3 dollars a day, which is about the same amount that SNAP recipients have to survive on. In addition to the four billion in cuts proposed by the Senate Agriculture Committee, the Republican-led House Agriculture Committee wants to see another $20 billion cut from the program. Senator Murphy won't have to deal with other difficulties experienced by those who rely on SNAP benefits, like social stigma, but his effort will demonstrate how hard it will be for the vital program to absorb these draconian cuts proposed by Congress. It's shameful that Congress is even considering cuts to SNAP, which exists solely to ensure people aren't starving in the streets, all so they don't have to ask the wealthy to pay a little bit more in taxes. Hopefully, lawmakers will learn something from Senator Chris Murphy's experience, and reject all cuts to this important program.

A Baby Elephant Sees The Sea For The First Time!

Military Quietly Grants Itself The Power To Police The Streets Without Local Or State Consent

The lines between the military and law enforcement have blurred even further.

The manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects offered the nation a window into the stunning military-style capabilities of our local law enforcement agencies. For the past 30 years, police departments throughout the United States have benefitted from the government’s largesse in the form of military weaponry and training, incentives offered in the ongoing “war on drugs.” For the average citizen watching events such as the intense pursuit of the Tsarnaev brothers on television, it would be difficult to discern between fully outfitted police SWAT teams and the military.

The lines blurred even further Monday as a new dynamic was introduced to the militarization of domestic law enforcement. By making a few subtle changes to a regulation in the U.S. Code titled “Defense Support of Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies” the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries.

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National Zoo Welcomes New Elephant Into Herd

WASHINGTON - A female Asian elephant named Bozie had a rough night in March: her only companion passed away.

Officials at the Baton Rouge Zoo, her home at the time, worked hard to find her a new place to live, one where she could interact with other elephants and maintain social connections that researchers say are crucial for the creatures.

They finally settled on Elephant Trails at the National Zoo as Bozie's new home. After traveling more than 1,100 miles in a truck with Elephant Manager Marie Galloway, Zoo Veterinarian Nancy Boedeker and a keeper from the Baton Rouge Zoo, the 37-year-old elephant arrived safely in Washington on May 22.
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