Hundreds Expected at Funeral for 19-Year-Old Shot by Officer

MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds are expected to attend the funeral for an unarmed 19-year-old who was killed last weekend by a Madison police officer.

Tony Robinson, who is biracial, died March 6 after what police say was a confrontation in which he assaulted the white officer. A preliminary autopsy showed Robinson was shot in his head, torso and right arm.

Saturday's visitation and funeral will be held in a high school field house to accommodate a large crowd.

Robinson's death sparked several large protests in Wisconsin's capital city in the past week. An open letter signed by nearly 90 clergy members on Friday said Robinson's death exposed longstanding racial inequalities in Madison.

A state agency is investigating under a Wisconsin law that requires an outside agency to look into fatal police shootings.

Police: Man Shoots Family of 5, Killing Father, Daughter

BROOKHAVEN, Miss. — When Donna Davis opened her door shortly after midnight, what she saw reminded her of a scene out of a horror movie. A mother and two children, a boy and a girl, were covered in blood after being shot in their home across the road.

Someone kept saying, "'We've been hit,'" Davis said, awakened by a pounding on the doors. There was so much blood, she said, that she thought they had been hit by a car early Friday.

"The little boy, he was half under the porch like he was trying to hide from someone. He was screaming for help," she said, pointing to wooden steps leading to the door of her trailer home.

At one point, said Davis' mother-in-law, Linda Davis, the boy reached up to his face and said, "Oh, half my ear is gone."

Police said a man living in the house owned by the woman, Victoria Sims, and her husband, Jermaine Sims, shot them both and their three children. Jermaine Sims, 31, and a 9-year-old daughter died. Victoria Sims, 29, and their 6-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter survived but were in critical condition, Capt. Clint Earls said. Police did not release the children's names.

Victoria and the two other children who survived had crossed a usually busy two-lane highway to seek help, Donna Davis said.

"It was like out of a horror movie," she said. "I still see that little girl's face in my mind."

Jimmy Lyons, 32, is accused of shooting the family, Earls said. He added that Lyons faces two counts of murder and three of aggravated assault.

Lyons was being held in a county jail. It was not known if he had an attorney.

Earls said Jermaine Sims and Lyons had argued, but he did not know what the argument was about.

Earls said there don't appear to have been any witnesses.

"The only thing we are waiting on is getting some of the victims in well-enough health to where they can shed some light on what caused the incident to erupt," Earls said.

The shootings took place in an area about a mile south of downtown Brookhaven: inside city limits but rural in nature, where large yards are studded with pine trees.

Donna and John Davis and their 10-year-old daughter, Heaven, live in a white-and-beige trailer home across the highway and about 100 yards away from the Sims' brown, wood-frame home. John Davis' mother, Linda Davis, lives next door in a small cream-colored house.

Police said a call about 12:20 a.m. Friday brought police to the Davises' homes, where they found Victoria Sims and two children outside, wounded. Inside the Sims' home they found Jermaine Sims and the 9-year-old, both shot, and Lyons, uninjured. Jermaine Sims and the daughter died later at a hospital.

The Davises said they often saw the children getting on and off the school bus or riding bicycles in the yard, but did not know their neighbors.

John Davis said the boy's wounds included cuts on his face, as if he'd been attacked with a knife.

Donna Davis said that, while they waited for an ambulance, she hugged the girl to keep her warm.

"She kept saying, 'I want my mama,'" Donna Davis said.

3 Kansas hospital patients die from ice cream contamination

Foxnews.com

Three of the five Kansas hospital patients who developed a foodborne illness linked to a few Blue Bell ice cream products have died prompting the first recall of the product in its 108-year history.

Five people developed listeriosis in Kansas after eating products from one production line at the Blue Bell creamery in Brenham, Texas, according to a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Friday.

Listeria bacteria was found in samples of Chocolate Chip Country Cookies, Great Divide Bars, Sour Pop Green Apple Bars, Cotton Candy Bars, Scoops, Vanilla Stick Slices, Almond Bars and No Sugar Added Moo Bars, the FDA said.

The company said regular Moo Bars were uncontaminated its half gallons, quarts, pints, cups, three-gallon ice cream and take-home frozen snack novelties.

According to a Friday statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all five of the people sickened were receiving treatment for unrelated health issues at the same Kansas hospital before developing listeriosis, "a finding that strongly suggests their infections (with listeria bacteria) were acquired in the hospital," the CDC said.

Information was only available on four of the five patients. All four had consumed milkshakes with a single-serving Blue Bell ice cream product called “Scoops” while in the hospital, the CDC said.

"Scoops," as well as the other suspect Blue Bell items, are mostly food service items and not produced for retail, said Paul Kruse, CEO of the Brenham creamery

The listeria isolated from specimens taken from four of the patients at Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita, Kansas matched the strains of contaminant from the Blue Bell products.

The five patients became ill with listeriosis during their hospitalizations for unrelated causes between December 2013 and January 2015, said hospital spokeswoman Maria Loving.

"Via Christi was not aware of any listeria contamination in the Blue Bell Creameries ice cream products and immediately removed all Blue Bell Creameries products from all Via Christi locations once the potential contamination was discovered," Loving said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press.

Kruse said the company removed products from the shelves as soon as it was alerted about the contamination.

"The only time it can be contaminated is at the time of production," he said. That contamination has been traced to a machine that extrudes the ice cream into forms and onto cookies, and that machine remains off line, he said.

All products now on store and institution shelves are safe, Kruse said.

The CDC said contaminated ice cream products may still be in consumers’ freezers.

Listeriosis is a life-threatening infection caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, the CDC said. The disease primarily affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with immune systems weakened by cancer, cancer treatments, or other serious conditions.

A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with listeriosis has invasive infection, meaning the bacteria spread from their intestines to the blood, causing bloodstream infection, or to the central nervous system, causing meningitis. Although people can sometimes develop listeriosis up to two months after eating contaminated food, symptoms usually start within several days. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics, the CDC said.

Cyclone 'devastates' South Pacific islands of Vanuatu

Cyclone Pam has slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu leaving "complete devastation" in its wake, aid agencies say.
Houses in the capital, Port Vila, were destroyed and "people are wandering the streets looking for help", said Tom Skirrow of Save the Children.
He said eight people were confirmed dead, but UN agencies say dozens may have been killed.
Vanuatu's president said he had a "heavy heart" and appealed for aid.
Pam has brought winds of up to 270km/h (170mph) and torrential rain.
'Entire villages destroyed'
Chloe Morrison, an emergency communications officer with World Vision who is in Port Vila, said on Saturday that streets were littered with roofing, uprooted trees and toppled power lines.

Phil Mercer reports on Cyclone Pam which has ravaged the pacific nation of Vanuatu. Video courtesy of YouTube/Isso Nihmei at 350.org
She said there were reports of entire villages in remote areas being destroyed.
"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down,'' she said.
"The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands. I can't even imagine what it's like in those vulnerable communities.''
Mr Skirrow said: "The scene here this morning is complete devastation - houses are destroyed, trees are down, roads are blocked and people are wandering the streets looking for help.
"Communications are down across much of the country with the total extent of the devastation unlikely to be known for several days."
Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as "15-30 minutes of absolute terror" as it passed over Port Vila.
"I saw the sliding doors from my three-storey-hotel room completely blow away - it was terrifying," she said.

The cyclone whipped up huge waves to batter the coasts of the archipelago

Many houses were destroyed around the capital Port Vila
Unicef in New Zealand warned that Cyclone Pam could be one of the worst ever weather disasters for the region.
"While it is too early to say for certain, early reports are indicating that this weather disaster could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific history," New Zealand executive director Vivien Maidaborn said in a statement.
Vanuatu's President Baldwin Londsdale was attending the World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan, where he appealed for international support.
"I am speaking with you today with a heart that is so heavy," he said.
"I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand."
Unconfirmed reports said that 44 people had died in Penama province in the north-east of Vanuatu, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) said earlier in a statement.

Many boats moored in Port Vila bore the brunt of the storm
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the country was preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed.
"There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there,'' she said. "We are still assessing the situation, but we stand ready to assist."
Although thousands of people spent the night in emergency shelters, many more were forced to ride out the storm in their own homes.
All six provinces of Vanuatu have been under red alert, meaning people are advised to immediately seek shelter.
Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital, Port Vila.
Pam, a category five tropical storm, had already caused major damage on other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
Tuvalu, a group of nine tiny islands north-east of Vanuatu, has also declared a state of emergency after the cyclone caused flash floods there.

How did Terry Pratchett tweet after his death?

Fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett has died aged 66 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Sir Terry, best known for the Discworld series, wrote more than 70 books over his lengthy career.

Many have picked up on the fact that Pratchett's Twitter account actually tweeted a link to a press release announcing his death. In fact, shortly after the author's death, four messages appeared, one after the other, creating a short-short story. The last tweet said, appropriately, "The End."

So how did these tweets appear after the novelist had died? They weren't scheduled - as some have suggested - but rather were posted by Pratchett's assistant Rob Wilkins shortly after his death.

Cyclone 'devastates' South Pacific islands of Vanuatu

Cyclone Pam has slammed into the south Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu leaving "complete devastation" in its wake, aid agencies say.
Houses in the capital, Port Vila, were destroyed and "people are wandering the streets looking for help", said Tom Skirrow of Save the Children.
He said eight people were confirmed dead, but UN agencies say dozens may have been killed.
Vanuatu's president said he had a "heavy heart" and appealed for aid.
Pam has brought winds of up to 270km/h (170mph) and torrential rain.
'Entire villages destroyed'
Chloe Morrison, an emergency communications officer with World Vision who is in Port Vila, said on Saturday that streets were littered with roofing, uprooted trees and toppled power lines.

Phil Mercer reports on Cyclone Pam which has ravaged the pacific nation of Vanuatu. Video courtesy of YouTube/Isso Nihmei at 350.org
She said there were reports of entire villages in remote areas being destroyed.
"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down,'' she said.
"The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands. I can't even imagine what it's like in those vulnerable communities.''
Mr Skirrow said: "The scene here this morning is complete devastation - houses are destroyed, trees are down, roads are blocked and people are wandering the streets looking for help.
"Communications are down across much of the country with the total extent of the devastation unlikely to be known for several days."
Unicef spokeswoman Alice Clements described the cyclone as "15-30 minutes of absolute terror" as it passed over Port Vila.
"I saw the sliding doors from my three-storey-hotel room completely blow away - it was terrifying," she said.

The cyclone whipped up huge waves to batter the coasts of the archipelago

Many houses were destroyed around the capital Port Vila
Unicef in New Zealand warned that Cyclone Pam could be one of the worst ever weather disasters for the region.
"While it is too early to say for certain, early reports are indicating that this weather disaster could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific history," New Zealand executive director Vivien Maidaborn said in a statement.
Vanuatu's President Baldwin Londsdale was attending the World Conference on Disaster Risk and Reduction in Japan, where he appealed for international support.
"I am speaking with you today with a heart that is so heavy," he said.
"I stand to appeal on behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand."
Unconfirmed reports said that 44 people had died in Penama province in the north-east of Vanuatu, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) said earlier in a statement.

Many boats moored in Port Vila bore the brunt of the storm
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the country was preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed.
"There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there,'' she said. "We are still assessing the situation, but we stand ready to assist."
Although thousands of people spent the night in emergency shelters, many more were forced to ride out the storm in their own homes.
All six provinces of Vanuatu have been under red alert, meaning people are advised to immediately seek shelter.
Located about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii, Vanuatu has a population of 267,000 spread over 65 islands. About 47,000 people live in the capital, Port Vila.
Pam, a category five tropical storm, had already caused major damage on other Pacific islands, including Kiribati and the Solomon Islands.
Tuvalu, a group of nine tiny islands north-east of Vanuatu, has also declared a state of emergency after the cyclone caused flash floods there.

Jeremy Clarkson hints at Top Gear exit and compares departure to 'dinosaur being made extinct'

By Phil Harris / Daily Mirror

Jeremy Clarkson speaks of Top Gear exit
Jeremy Clarkson has hinted that his time as Top Gear presenter may be over and compared his departure from the BBC motoring show to a dinosaur being made extinct.

The Top Gear host is currently suspended over allegations he punched a producer in a row over a hot meal.

Writing his column for the Sun newspaper, he says that the day must come when you "wave goodbye to the big monsters".

He continues: "I don't intend to dwell here on what happened then or what will happen in the future. I'm sure you're as fed up with the story as I am."

Clarkson's column expands on the comparisons with the animal kingdom saying that big imposing creatures on the brink of extinction, like the polar bears or tigers, had no place in a world which has moved on.

He adds: "We lose one animal and we get another. The world turns."

Jeremy Clarkson says that he has regrets as he leaves his home amidst the 'fracas' story
Clarkson goes on to apparently make light of the BBC suspending him "following a fracas", saying that one news report had been "wildly inaccurate" in saying that he had been seen using a bus.

"I can assure you that things are bad. But they are not that bloody bad," he writes.

More than 800,000 people have now signed a petition calling for him to be reinstated on the show.

Clarkson recently thanked the hundreds of thousands of fans who have signed.

Talking to BBC News, he said: "I am very grateful to everybody."

It has been reported that Clarkson is to face a disciplinary panel.

It has been said that Clarkson will appear before a panel led by the head of BBC Scotland Ken MacQuarrie.

MacQuarrie will be assisted by barrister Orla Tierney, according to the Radio Times.

Tierney joined the BBC earlier this year as 'human resources director employee relations and reward'.

MacQuarrie conducted the investigation into Newsnight's false expose of Lord McAlpine, is to chair the panel with witnesses expected to be called by the end of the week.

A lawyer for Mr Tymon said his client "intends to await the outcome of the BBC investigation and will make no comment until that investigation is complete".

Former Top Gear Stig claims that Top Gear would be 'damaged goods' without Jeremy Clarkson
The Top Gear star has attracted high profile support with David Cameron calling him a "huge talent" and saying he hoped the situation could be resolved so his children would not be left "heartbroken".

Mr Cameron, who is a friend of Clarkson and his constituency MP, told BBC Midlands Today: "I don't know exactly what happened. He is a constituent of mine, he is a friend of mine, he is a huge talent.

"I see that he said he regrets some of what happened. All I would say - because he is a talent and he does amuse and entertain so many people, including my children who'll be heartbroken if Top Gear is taken off air - I hope this can be sorted out because it is a great programme and he is a great talent."

Asked if the BBC was wrong to suspend him, Mr Cameron said: "I don't know what happened. Every organisation has to be able to be free to manage its talent and to say to people, 'you can do this', or 'you can't do that', so I don't want to interfere in the running of the BBC."

He added: "The Prime Minister has many responsibilities, sadly securing the future of Top Gear isn't one of them."

Clarkson's N-Word Shame - Jeremy Clarkson uses N-Word during filming of Top Gear
This is the latest in a long line of controversies which has seen the presenter offend foreign diplomats, viewers, MPs and his own bosses at the BBC.

Clarkson was put on what was called his final warning last year following a racism row after claims he used the N-word while reciting the nursery rhyme Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe during filming of the BBC2 programme.

We just need to pee” transgender protest

Do you have to be biologically male to be allowed in the men's room, or biologically female for the ladies loos?

In several US states, as well as in Canada, the law governing public toilets is now a divisive issue. On one side are transgender people, who assert their right to use whichever restrooms they chose - no matter what their biological gender. On the other, conservatives who say a relaxation of the rules could leave members of the public vulnerable to traumatic or inappropriate situations, or even sexual harassment.
The latest twist online is an eye-catching protest tactic: the public toilet selfie.

Michael Hughes, a transgender man living in Rochester, Minnesota, is one of those using the tactic. On Twitter, he posts selfies with female friends stood behind him in women's public toilets. Hashtags like #weneedtopee and #occupotty (shared around 4,000 and 2,000 times each) have been created for the campaign.

"So I come in, go right to the mirror with a female friend behind me, and we quickly get the selfie, and get back out before anybody comes in and gets startled by my presence in the women's restroom," he told American television network KTTC. "I'm hoping that even the most conservative lawmakers and voters will be able to look at them, take a step back".

In Minnesota, as well as in Kentucky, the current proposals law would not affect all public restrooms but rather high schools, where restrictions have been proposed for toilets to be used according to a student's birth sex. In Florida and Texas, bills have been proposed to restrict all public facilities by biological gender.

The "we just need to pee" selfies have also started appearing in Canada, with transgender woman Brae Carnes as one of the main protestors. The legal situation there is slightly different: gender identity has been enshrined as a human right there, but an amendment was introduced by Canadian Conservative Senator Donald Plett that excludes 'sex-specific' places such as public toilets. According to reports, his aim was to protect vulnerable people such as women who have experienced abuse from the trauma of sharing a space with anyone who is "biologically male".

Miss Carnes, 23, from Victoria, British Columbia has posted selfies on Facebook of herself in men's toilets showing urinals in the background and uses the hashtag #PlettPutMeHere. In one of her photos she commented: "As a trans woman I'm not even safe from discrimination at the pub or public transit. What's going to happen if I'm forced into a men's changing room?"

Blog by Anisa Subedar

Top US Military Official Repeatedly Warned Iraq About Troops’ Conduct

ABC News By JAMES GORDON MEEK, BRIAN ROSS, RYM MOMTAZ and ALEX HOSENBALL

America’s top military official, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, repeatedly warned Iraqi leaders about the conduct of both the Iraqi military and the militias that fight alongside them, a senior U.S. official told ABC News.

The Iraqi government says it has launched an investigation into alleged atrocities committed by Iraqi troops and Shia militias, some captured in a trove of images and footage found online, as revealed in an ABC News investigation Wednesday. Today State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said the images amounted to “disturbing and serious allegations.”

“This behavior is clearly – you know – their behavior must be above reproach or they risk being painted with the same brush as ISIL [ISIS] fighters and certainly that’s a message that we are making clear,” Psaki told reporters today.

ABC NEWS INVESTIGATION: US-Trained Iraqi Forces Investigated for War Crimes
[A bound and blindfolded detainee appears to be dropped – or possibly hung from the neck according to one analyst -- from what looks like an Iraqi military base guard tower. The image was posted on Instagram.]

A senior military official with the Joint Staff disclosed to ABC News last week that "certain Iraqi units" had been denied military aid and assistance on the basis of "credible information in the past” –- the result of what’s known as the Leahy Law, named for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and designed to keep the U.S. from directly funding units who commit human rights abuses.

The U.S. has blocked aid to the un-named Iraqi units under the Leahy Law since American troops returned to Iraq in August and began supporting government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters with airstrikes against ISIS jihadists, the senior official said.

ABC News first showed administration officials, as well as Leahy, dozens of examples of social media images posted by members of Iraqi Security Forces and their supporters last fall. Some administration officials downplayed it as not widespread or involving Baghdad's military, but Leahy was incensed.

“The Leahy Law is clear and sets a minimum standard. If there is credible information that foreign security forces have committed the worst crimes – such as torture, killings of civilians, rape, or executions of prisoners – then they are not eligible for U.S. aid unless the individuals involved are being appropriately punished," Sen. Leahy said this week.

Iraqi Army spokesperson, Gen. Saad Maan, told ABC News after viewing some of the images that were posted online that “of course” Iraq will investigate.

“We don’t have anything to hide,” the general said. “We don’t have anything to be in, let’s say, in a black corner.”

[A black uniformed individual holds the severed head of a purported Saudi ISIS fighter while standing on top of a black-painted Humvee. In the background, a man wears two patches signifying the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s Emergency Response Brigade.]

Incredible photos of moment 'dead' baby was hugged back to life by distraught mum and dad

When Kate and David Ogg were told that one of their new-born twins had stopped breathing they thought that was the end.

In desperation, and thinking it would be the last time they would be able to hold their son, the couple hugged him close.

But incredibly their body warmth seemed to revive him and the little boy started moving and his breathing grew stronger.

Hospital staff rushed to help the newborn and managed to bring him back to life.

And five year's later the lively youngster has been told about his rocky start in life.

Heartbroken: Kate and David Ogg were told their baby son was dead
The couple, from Queensland in Australia, had been trying to get pregnant for some time and were overjoyed when they found out Kate was expecting twins.

But, although the pregnancy started out well, after six months Kate was rushed to the delivery room.

Jamie was born first on March 25, 2010 and his sister Emily followed two minutes later.

Both babies were born in the amniotic sac and while Emily started wailing when it was torn over Jamie didn't make a sound.

But the couple quickly realised something was wrong when about 20 medical staff crowded around Jamie.

The baby had stopped breathing and his heartbeat was nearly gone.

And after a frantic 20 minutes they stopped trying to save him.

The doctor sat on the end of Kate's hospital bed and asked if they had a name picked out.

The couple were told there was nothing more they could do to save Jamie.

Kate said she saw her baby gasp but the doctor told her it was no use so the despairing mum took the boy in her arms and asked everyone to leave.

The baby's body was cold so she tried to keep him as warm as possible.

Kate told David to take his shirt off and climb into the bed.

Although she knew it was probably pointless she had to do everything she could to try and save her tiny son.

The desperate couple enveloped their tiny baby with their body warmth as they cradled him in the hospital bed.

Kate told Daily Mail Australia: "We were trying to entice him to stay. We explained his name and that he had a twin that he had to look out for and how hard we tried to have him.

"He suddenly gasped... then he opened his eyes. He was breathing and grabbing Dave's finger.

"If we had let the doctor walk out of the room with him, Jamie would have been dead."

Jamie and Emily are about to turn five years old and their parents have only recently decided to tell them about their amazing story.

When Emily found out her twin brother had almost died she burst into tears and kept hugging Jamie.

Kate said her children love to talk about when they were babies and their younger brother Charlie tells everyone about Jamie's incredible birth.

Amazingly Jamie has not encountered a single medical problem in his five years despite serious concerns the lack of oxygen when he was born could have led to cerebral palsy.

But instead the family feel extremely lucky all of their children are happy and healthy.

They have set up an online community called Jamie's Gift which fundraises for the Miracle Babies foundation which supports sick and premature babies.

Dave has signed up to take part in a gruelling Iron man triathalon in May in Port Macquarie when he will swim 3.8km swim, bike 180km and run a marathon.