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Mexico’s Slim tops the list of world’s richest

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:07:40 -0600

Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World's Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man.

Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires.

Jamie Jungers wins Tiger Woods mistress beauty pageant

mwesp — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:44:57 -0600

Jamie Jungers won the Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant on the "Howard Stern Show" this morning. The winning alleged mistress earned $75,000 for her championship performance, and listeners were treated to juicy tidbits from Jungers, Jaimee Grubbs and Loredana Jolie.

According to tweets from listeners and attendees, Jungers claimed that Woods was well endowed. "Tiger's wood was nine inches," she evidently said. Former Playboy model Loredana Jolie, meanwhile, claimed Woods was "bigger and better" than Michael Jordan.

Obama tells Haitian leader that U.S. aid will continue

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:29:05 -0600

WASHINGTON — Even as the United States military withdraws the forces it sent urgently to Haiti after its devastating earthquake in January, President Obama on Wednesday pledged a lasting commitment to aid and assistance.

“The situation on the ground remains dire,” Mr. Obama said after meeting with President Rene Preval at the White House. “And people should be under no illusions that the crisis is over.”

Unemployment rises in 30 states in January

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:12:19 -0600

WASHINGTON - Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.
The data is somewhat better than December, when 43 states reported higher unemployment rates, but worse than November, when rates fell in most states.

Still, five states reported record-high joblessness in January: California, at 12.5 percent; South Carolina, 12.6 percent; Florida, 11.9 percent; North Carolina, 11.1 percent; and Georgia, 10.4 percent.

House to vote on pullout from Afghanistan

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:56:14 -0600

WASHINGTON – In a test of congressional support for President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would direct him to pull U.S. forces out of the war.

The resolution by liberal Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich is not expected to pass. But it could be an important indicator of how Obama's Democrats feel about the war, particularly ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.

80's icon Corey Haim dies at 38

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:30:56 -0600

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Actor Corey Haim has died, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office confirmed the actor died at 2:15 AM on Wednesday at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, Calif.

The Los Angeles Police Department said they received a call from the hospital before 4 AM confirming the actor's death.

He was transported from the home he shared with his mother, Judy, in Toluca Hills, Calif. to the hospital.

Social Security checks may get smaller

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:07:27 -0600

A little–noticed law could soon result in smaller Social Security checks for hundreds of thousands of the elderly and disabled who owe the U.S. money from defaulted loans and other debts more than a decade old.

Social Security benefits are off–limits to creditors, such as credit–card companies and banks. But the U.S. can collect debts to federal agencies by "offsetting," or withholding Social Security and disability payments.

'Jihad Jane' indictment shows terror's evolution

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:45:10 -0600

PHILADELPHIA – The self-described "Jihad Jane" who thought her blond hair and blue eyes would let her blend in as she sought to kill an artist in Sweden is a rare case of an American woman aiding in foreign terrorism and shows the evolution of the global threat, authorities say.

The suburban Philadelphia woman, Colleen R. LaRose, is accused in the indictment filed Tuesday of trying to recruit fighters, as well as agreeing to murder the artist, marry a terrorism suspect so he could move to Europe and martyr herself if necessary.

HEAVIEST STORMS WITH SOME SCATTERED HAIL NOW CONFINED TO SOME SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AREAS...ALL STORMS GONE BY 9:00 PM...

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:27:41 -0600

8:00 PM WEDNESDAY UPDATE:

***SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS STILL IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN NACOGDOCHES, SOUTHERN RUSK, NORTHERN SHELBY, PANOL AND HARRISON COUNTIES***

****TYLER, lONGVIEW, GILMER, HENDERSON, JACKSONVILLE AND PALESTINE ARE NOW OUT OF THE WOODS AS DRIER AIR HAS MOVED IN FROM THE WEST***

LOW CLOUDS AND FOG MOVING IN OVERNIGHT...STILL A CHANCE FOR STORMS ON WED...BUT NEW DATA SUGGESTS IT MAY BE MORE MISS THAN HIT.

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:44:55 -0600

2:00 AM WENESDAY UPDATE:

Tuesday was a gorgeous day across East Texas with totally sunny skies and warm afternoon temperatures. We hit 76 in both Tyler and Longview. For Tyler that was the warmest reading since January 22nd when it was also 76 degrees. Longview did even better...officially it was the warmest day in Longview in almost 4 months as Longview had not seen 76 degree temperatures since November 15th when the East Texas Regional Airport hit 78.

A BEAUTIFUL EVENING...MORE WARM WEATHER TOMORROW...BUT ALSO A FEW SCATTERED STRONG STORMS...DRY & COOLER TO END THE WEEK...

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:32:00 -0600

7:00 PM WEDNESDAY UPDATE:

It was simply a gorgeous day across East Texas with totally sunny skies and warm afternoon temperatures. We hit 76 in both Tyler and Longview. For Tyler that was the warmest reading since January 22nd when it was also 76 degrees. Longview did even better...officially it was the warmest day in Longview in almost 4 months as Longview had not seen 76 degree temperatures since November 15th when the East Texas Regional Airport hit 78.

3D TV pricing revealed — with a catch

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:36:19 -0600

The biggest TV manufacturers are finally starting to reveal prices for their new 3D TV sets, and believe it or not, several of the new sets will actually cost about the same or even a bit less than last year's equivalent 2D models. That said, there's a catch: The active-shutter LCD glasses that you'll need to watch 3D video cost a pretty penny.

Samsung was the first of the big four TV makers to flip its 3D pricing cards over this week; Panasonic is up tomorrow, while Sony and LG will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Christians flee after Nigeria's massacre

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:42 -0600

JOS, Nigeria – Christian villagers in Nigeria fled their homes following threats of new attacks in the aftermath of a massacre, despite the presence Tuesday of troops designed to restore calm to the region.

As mass burials for some of the hundreds of victims of a three-hour orgy of violence took place near the city of Jos, survivors nursed wounds in hospitals.

But observers warned that the government must tackle deep-rooted poverty in order to combat the underlying causes of the ethnic tensions which have seen thousands killed in the region in recent years.

China says committed to U.S. debt, wary on gold

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:32:29 -0600

China, the world's biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, renewed its commitment to the U.S. Treasury market on Tuesday but said it would be wary of substantially boosting its gold holdings.

China

The country's chief currency regulator said China would attract more capital inflows this year, partly reflecting expectations of a stronger yuan, but he left the market none the wiser as to when Beijing might let the currency resume its rise.

Obama to push climate change in White House meeting

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:12:45 -0600

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will corral on Tuesday key Republican and Democratic senators whose support is critical for passing a climate change law, seeking to jump-start stalled efforts to overhaul energy policy.

Obama called the White House meeting with top lawmakers and members of his cabinet to reinvigorate one of his policy priorities, which even his advisers admit has suffered from the president's intense focus on healthcare reform.

Policy could prohibit citizens from fishing many bodies of water

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:50:51 -0600

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

Sunny, Warm and Windy for Today!!!

Kyle Morris / Weekend Meteorologist — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:36:59 -0600

Rain has ended early this morning, with rainfall totals adding up to quite a bit across most of East Texas. On average, most areas saw anywhere from 0.75" to 1.25", with the lower end around 0.50" and the higher end around 2.50".

U.S. sitting on rare tech-crucial minerals

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:15:04 -0600

China supplies most of the rare earth minerals found in technologies such as hybrid cars, wind turbines, computer hard drives and cell phones, but the U.S. has its own largely untapped reserves that could safeguard future tech innovation.

Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safe stop

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:57:38 -0600

EL CAJON, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.

Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.

Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:49:20 -0600

TOKYO – Japan confirmed for the first time Tuesday the existence of once-secret Cold War-era pacts with the U.S. that tacitly allowed nuclear-armed warships to enter Japanese ports in violation of Tokyo's postwar principles.

While declassified U.S. documents have already confirmed such 1960s agreements, Tuesday's revelation broke with decades of official denials.

Becoming Sunny and Very Warm by the Afternoon!!!

Kyle Morris / Weekend Meteorologist — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:53:44 -0600

Rain has ended early this morning, with rainfall totals adding up to quite a bit across most of East Texas. On average, most areas saw anywhere from 0.8" to 1.10", with the lower end around 0.50" and the higher end around 2.50".

1 MORE LINE OF STORMS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH..NO SIG DAMAGE..EXPECT BRIEF DOWNPOURS & POSS. BRIEF STREET FLOODING..THEN SUNNY.

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:42:12 -0600

2:25 AM TUESDAY UPDATE:

1 MORE LINE OF STORMS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH..NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE..SOME LIGHTNING & HEAVY RAIN...BRIEF STREET FLOODING POSS.

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:15:53 -0600

2:25 AM TUESDAY UPDATE:

ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS & STORMS TONIGHT...EXPECT HEAVY RAIN, BUT LITTLE IF ANY DAMAGING WEATHER...DRIER & WARM FOR TUESDAY...

Scott Chesner / Chief Meteorologist — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:08:22 -0600

7:00 PM MONDAY UPDATE:

Controversy swirls around White House Chief of Staff Emanuel

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:11:45 -0600

Will the real Rahm Emanuel please stand up? The hard-charging chief of staff for the Obama administration has lately been stirring up new speculation in Washington as the White House enters a critical push to finalize tortuous congressional negotiations on health care legislation.

Why 'Avatar' lost big at the Oscars

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:39:44 -0600

Really, looking back, did "Avatar" even stand a chance?

"Avatar" is still raking in the profits, but failed to produce the critical success that Cameron's previous film, "Titanic," generated 12 years ago. In fact, "Avatar" -- the most financially successful film of all time -- was easily the most mocked film of the evening.

Shooting at north Dallas office tower

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:56:50 -0600

DALLAS - There has been a shooting at an 18-story office tower in North Dallas housing the United Texas Bank, among other businesses.

The incident happened at about 11 a.m. at the Four Forest building at 12222 Merit Dr., off Interstate 635.

According to police, an armed man shot a 63-year-old father and his 39-year-old son at a financial services business they own on the third floor. He also pointed his gun at arriving police, who fired at him and missed.

Tom Delay: People are unemployed because they want to be

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:27:48 -0600

Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay called Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) "brave" on Sunday for launching a one-man filibuster of unemployment benefits, arguing that they dissuaded people from going out and finding work.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," the Texas Republican said that Bunning's fiscal responsibility was commendable, even if his shenanigans (refusing to allow unemployment benefits to be considered by unanimous consent) nearly brought the Senate to a halt.

More Showers with a Few T-Storms Possible

Kyle Morris / Weekend Meteorologist — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:19:49 -0600

An upper level disturbance is moving over west Texas, streaming in Pacific moisture in the mid- and upper-levels. We already have low-level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico from southeast winds. This will cause light to moderate showers through the midday hours, but as that system approaches we will see an increase of showers and possibly some afternoon thunderstorms, especially in areas that saw some sunshine and quickly warmed.

2010 Oscar winners

mwesp — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:42:42 -0600

LOS ANGELES, CA - The 82nd Annual Academy Awards took place Sunday night in Los Angeles.

Celebrities were decked out in their Sunday best, but best dressed is only a consolation prize.

Nominees had their eyes set on winning an Oscar.

Here is a list of the big winners.

Best Picture - The Hurt Locker

Best Director -Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor -Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress -Mo'Nique, Precious