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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

PHILADELPHIA Job Corps Life Science Institute News: NATIONAL JOB CORPS DAY celebration by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810

PHILADELPHIA Job Corps Life Science Institute News: NATIONAL JOB CORPS DAY celebration by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810


Mayor Nutter at the microphone stressed the
importance of Job Corps while applauding and
encouraging the students to ‘keep up the good work’
and Councilman Bill Green, congratulated the new
location, while acknowledging, National Job Corps Day
and stressed the importance of education, training
and employment.


PHILADELPHIA – Wednesday, September 23, 2009, National Job Corps Day in South Philadelphia. What’s all the excitement about? Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Councilman at-large Bill Green, joined the student government association (SGA) and more than 250 students along with local community guests at the Philadelphia Job Corps Life Science Institute.

Students, Staff, Mayor Michael Nutter and Councilman Bill Green took the ‘air waves’ in a live remote broadcast with WURD 900am and popular radio personality, Thera Martin-Connelly in celebration of NATIONAL JOB CORPS DAY. “Job Corps has provided training and education to our nation’s youth for 45 years,” said, John Deblasio, Center Director. “Equally important, we have been an integral part of the community where we are now located.” The center relocated from West Philadelphia to South Philadelphia, July 2008.


Councilman Bill Green also taking the ‘air waves’
in National Job Corps Day Celebration. Below Councilman
and John Deblasio observe EMT students demonstrate
an injured patient rescue.

Mayor Nutter at the microphone stressed the importance of Job Corps while applauding and encouraging the students to ‘keep up the good work’ and Councilman Bill Green, congratulated the new location, while acknowledging, National Job Corps Day and stressed the importance of education, training and employment.

Informational tables were set up by the students displaying trade programs such as, Administrative Medical Assistant; Nursing Assistant; Medical Assisting; Emergency Medical Technician. Also, there were ‘live’ demonstrations including, fitness- aerobic exercise, hygiene-hand sanitation, taking vitals signs – high blood pressure check.

Several students served as models and were cosmetically made-up by EMT instructor Kenneth Davis showing the appearance of ‘life like’ gun shot wounds; severe skin burns, abrasions & scar injuries; Knife wounds; etc. Also provided for the discerning palate, were fun foods, tasty treats, baked goods, finger sandwiches, prepared by culinary arts students.

The excitement was all part of a center and citywide celebration of the 45th birthday of Job Corps. Students, staff and guests ‘toured’ the center and mingled for most of the afternoon. “Today, marks an annual event,” says Student Government Advisor, Denise Tabb-Hinton. “We are looking forward to next year’s September celebration, “Family & Friends Day,” Tabb-Hinton said.

Agency: Michael Vick re-signs with Nike

Agency: Michael Vick re-signs with Nike

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick listens during his introduction to speak about dogfighting at Covenant Baptist Church in southwest Washington, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009.

NEW YORK — Michael Vick is back with Nike more than two years after the company severed ties over the quarterback's involvement in a dogfighting ring.

The managing director of the agency that represents Vick announced the deal Wednesday while participating on a panel at the Sports Sponsorship Symposium. Michael Principe of BEST referred questions to Vick's agent, Joel Segal, who did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Segal told SportsBusiness Journal that Vick will wear Nike shoes, gear and apparel, but would not reveal the terms of the agreement

"Mike has had a great relationship with Nike and is excited to be part of the Nike team again," Segal said.

The deal is the latest step forward for Vick as he seeks to rehabilitate his career and his image after serving 18 months in federal prison. On Sunday, Vick played his first regular-season game since December 2006.

The former Atlanta Falcons star signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 13. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell gave him his full reinstatement Sept. 3, saying he could return to the field in Week 3.

Vick participated in 11 plays, accounting for 30 total yards, in the Eagles' 34-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, as Philadelphia tries to use him in a variety of ways as a backup.

Nike, which signed Vick as a rookie in 2001, terminated his contract in August 2007 after he filed a plea agreement admitting his involvement in the dogfighting ring.

Vick agreed to a $1.6 million deal with the Eagles, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. The club has received little backlash — protests have been limited, and the Eagles' sponsors have stood by them. That experience could make companies less wary about adding Vick as an endorser, though the biggest determinant may be no different from any other athlete: how well he performs on the field.

Feliz, Happ help Phillies reduce magic number to 1

Feliz, Happ help Phillies reduce magic number to 1

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee.

PHILADELPHIA -- Pedro Feliz hit a grand slam, J.A. Happ pitched effectively into the sixth inning and the Philadelphia Phillies moved closer toward clinching their third straight NL East title with a 7-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

The defending World Series champions reduced their magic number for winning the division to one when Atlanta lost shortly afterward to Florida.

Happ (12-4) allowed four runs - three earned - and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings, striking out six. He's the first rookie to win 12 games for Philadelphia since Jim Owens in 1959.

Jayson Werth hit a two-run homer and Philadelphia's injury-plagued bullpen tossed 3 1-3 scoreless innings. Jamie Moyer got four outs and Ryan Madson pitched the last two innings for his 10th save in 16 chances. He allowed two hits in the ninth, but he struck out Carlos Lee on a 96 mph fastball and got Hunter Pence looking to end it.

Madson knocked down Pence with a 97 mph fastball on an 0-2 pitch before freezing him with another 97 mph heater.

Moyer landed awkwardly on his final pitch in the seventh and was helped to the dugout by catcher Paul Bako. Center fielder Shane Victorino made an outstanding, twisting catch on Jeff Keppinger's drive as Moyer watched on his hands and knees. Moyer strained his left groin.

Kazuo Matsui and Lance Berkman homered for the Astros, who won the first five meetings between the teams.

Wilton Lopez (0-1) allowed five runs and six hits in 3 2-3 innings in his first career start. Lopez had made six relief appearances.

Feliz put the Phillies ahead 5-1 in the fourth when he connected off Lopez for his seventh career slam. Ryan Howard started the inning with an infield single and Raul Ibanez followed with a single. After Werth walked to load the bases, Feliz drove the next pitch to the seats in left for his 12th homer.

A sellout crowd stood and waved their white-and-red "Fightin' Phils" rally towels, giving Feliz a curtain call.

Lee's broken-bat single plated a run in the fifth to cut it to 5-2. The Astros just missed tying the game when the next batter, Pence, flied out to deep center with two runners on. Happ fanned Keppinger to end the inning.

Werth went deep off Wesley Wright to give the Phillies a 7-2 lead in the fifth. Werth, an All-Star outfielder, has 35 homers and 96 RBIs in his first season as a full-time starter.

Matsui hit a two-run shot in the sixth to cut it to 7-4.

The Phillies had lost five of seven coming in, prompting manager Charlie Manuel to hold a closed-door meeting in the clubhouse 3 1/2 hours before the first pitch. Whatever he said worked.

After Berkman put the Astros ahead 1-0 in the third inning with his 25th homer, the Phillies tied it in the bottom half on Jimmy Rollins' RBI double.

NOTES: Pedro Martinez will start Wednesday night for the Phillies and Cliff Lee was pushed back to Thursday. Martinez (5-1) missed his previous start with neck stiffness. The move also puts Lee in position to pitch Game 1 of the NL Division Series. ... Phillies C Carlos Ruiz was a late scratch from the lineup. He's been bothered by a wrist injury. ... Feliz has seven grand slams, two this year. It extended the Phillies' franchise record for slams to 11. ... Astros SS Miguel Tejada extended his hitting streak to 16 games. ... Houston RHP Chad Paronto left after injuring his left hamstring on a pitch to Howard in the seventh.

House Dem Opposition Raises New Doubts About Pa. Budget

House Dem Opposition Raises New Doubts About Pa. Budget


by KYW's Tony Romeo

The prospects for passage of a state budget are unclear after Pennsylvania House Democrats spent more than four hours behind closed doors on Tuesday discussing a budget deal struck by legislative leaders and Governor Ed Rendell.

House Democrats are unhappy about several provisions in the budget agreement, including a plan to lease state forest land for natural gas drilling and a proposal to tax admission to cultural sites and events.

After hearing those concerns from members, House Democratic leader Todd Eachus said Democratic leaders still intend to abide by the budget deal:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Breast Cancer Awareness Events Send Call Out to Black Women

Breast Cancer Awareness Events Send Call Out to Black Women


by KYW's Karin Phillips

A special weekend of events in Philadelphia for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, designed to encourage African-American women to get breast cancer screenings and treatment.

The Praise is the Cure weekend is designed to reach as many African-American women as possible on the importance of early breast cancer screenings.

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Jazz Enthusiast Reminisces About Spectrum Anniversary

Jazz Enthusiast Reminisces About Spectrum Anniversary



by KYW's Pat Loeb

We've heard a lot about the closing of the Spectrum in South Philadelphia next month, but you may not realize that Wednesday is the anniversary of its opening.

The arena opened its doors on September 30, 1967. Its first show was a star-studded jazz festival.

"I was 19 years old, I came up from Atlantic City to this brand new place we knew nothing about."

Local jazz enthusiast Ben Johnson had never been in a venue so large when he went to the Spectrum on its first night for the Quaker City Jazz Festival:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Indians fire manager Eric Wedge

Indians fire manager Eric Wedge

AP Photo
FILE - In t his Sept. 5, 2009, file photo, Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge watches from the dugout rail during a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Cleveland. The Indians fired Wedge on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, in the final days of a terrible season.

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians fired manager Eric Wedge in the final days of a terrible season. Wedge guided the Indians to one playoff appearance in seven seasons, and this year the club fell out of contention early and is currently one game out of last place in the AL Central.

The Indians, who are 64-92, have scheduled a Wednesday afternoon news conference at Progressive Field to announce Wedge's dismissal. Cleveland recently lost 11 straight games and has dropped 20 of its last 25 games.

Wedge, who had one year left on his contract, will finish out the season as manager, including Wednesday's doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis, hitting coach Derek Shelton, bench coach Jeff Datz, first-base coach Luis Rivera, third-base coach Joel Skinner and bullpen coach Chuck Hernandez were also told they will not be retained, but some could be rehired by the Indians' next manager.

The Indians are expected to begin interviews for a new manager in the weeks ahead. Among the names that figure to be mentioned are Boston pitching coach John Farrell, former Indians manager Mike Hargrove, former Arizona manager Buck Showalter and Torey Lovullo, who managed the Indians' Triple-A Columbus franchise.

Cleveland has a long history of hiring within the organization. The last time the Indians went outside was in 1990, when they hired John McNamara.

Two years ago, Cleveland was one win away from a World Series trip. The Indians fell to 81-81 in 2008, but were expected to bounce back and contend this season. However, a slow start snowballed and by midseason the midmarket club, which is projected to lose at least $16 million this season, traded defending Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and All-Star catcher Victor Martinez to begin rebuilding again.

Those moves triggered outrage among Cleveland's fans and led to questions about why the team would deal its best players one season before they were eligible for free agency.

Owners Larry and Paul Dolan and general manager Mark Shapiro have spent the past several weeks reviewing Cleveland's organization, including the manager, and initially said they would wait until after the season before making a decision on Wedge. However, they decided not to delay what many Indians players felt was inevitable.

"When you lose changes are made," catcher Kelly Shoppach. "Nobody is happy when you lose."

The 41-year-old Wedge was the AL manager of the year in 2007, when the Indians won 96 games - tied for most in the majors - and held a 3-1 lead in the championship series over Boston before the Red Sox rallied and won three straight.

Wedge has compiled a 560-568 record in his seven seasons. He ranks fifth all-time in club history for wins, 10 behind Hall of Famer Al Lopez.

Health bill survives attacks _ vote by week's end?

Health bill survives attacks _ vote by week's end?

AP Photo
Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., left, holds up the gavel he used as speaker pro tempore when Medicare passed in 1965, during a news conference on seniors and health care reform with Speaker of the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A White House-backed overhaul of the nation's health care system weathered repeated challenges from Republican critics over taxes, abortion and more on Wednesday, and the bill's architect claimed enough votes to push it through the Senate Finance Committee as early as week's end.

"We're coming to closure," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the committee chairman, as President Barack Obama lobbied at least one wavering Democrat by phone to swing behind the measure.

Baucus said, "It's clear to me we're going to get it passed," although he sidestepped a question about possible Republican support. Olympia Snowe of Maine is the only GOP senator whose vote is in doubt, and she has yet to tip her hand. While she has voted with Democrats on some key tests - to allow the government to dictate the types of coverage that must be included in insurance policies, for example - she has also sided with fellow Republicans on other contentious issues.

In a reflection of the intensity on both sides of the Capitol, Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida was unrepentant after claiming the Republican plan for health care was for Americans to "die quickly." Refusing to apologize, he said, "People like elected officials with guts who say what they mean. ... I stand by what I said."

That controversy aside, House Democratic leaders struggled to reduce their legislation to the $900 billion, 10-year cost that Obama has specified. Officials said numerous alternatives were under review to reduce subsidies that are designed to defray the cost of insurance for millions.

Passage in the Finance Committee would clear the way for debate on the Senate floor in mid-October on the bill, designed to accomplish Obama's aims of expanding access to insurance as well as slowing the rate of growth in health care spending overall. The bill includes numerous consumer protections, such as limits on co-pays and deductibles, and relies on federal subsidies to help lower-income families purchase coverage. Its cost is estimated at $900 billion over a decade.

While the legislation would not allow the government to sell insurance in competition with private companies, as Obama and numerous Democrats would like, the White House was working to make sure that some version cleared committee. Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, a Democrat who has been outspoken in his criticism of features of the bill, said Obama called him to seek support. "I was noncommittal," the senator said.

The committee met as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced the full Senate would begin debate on health care legislation the week of the Columbus Day holiday. Initial action is expected to be slow, consumed largely with parliamentary maneuvers in which Democrats try to set the stage for passage and Republicans erect a 60-vote hurdle as a test vote.

The precise details of the bill brought to the Senate floor will be determined by Reid, in consultation from the White House and Democratic leaders of the Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Democrats on the Finance Committee worked behind the scenes on possible last-minute changes to make insurance more affordable and accessible for millions who now lack it.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., floated a proposal modeled after a system in her home state. It would allow creation of a state-run insurance program for lower-income Americans that supporters said would produce lower-cost coverage as the state used its purchasing power to negotiate fees with doctors and other providers.

Inside the committee, the only significant change approved Wednesday was a proposal by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., to shield seniors from the impact of a tax increase in the bill for individuals and families seeking to exclude certain medical expenses from their income. Under current law, taxpayers who itemize their deductions are permitted to escape taxes on health costs that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income.

Baucus' legislation would raise the threshold to 10 percent, but on a vote of 14-9, Nelson succeeded in returning it to 7.5 percent for taxpayers age 65 and over.

Moments later, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona sought to give younger taxpayers the same break, but his proposal failed, also on a vote of 14-9.

It was one in a string of futile Republican attempts to reshape the legislation by inserting stronger anti-abortion provisions and require photo identification to prove eligibility for benefits under federal health programs for the poor. Attempts to kill fees on health industry providers also failed, along party lines, after Baucus said the result would be to wipe out a key source of funds for the expansion of insurance.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, argued that provisions already in the bill to restrict federal funding for abortions needed to be tightened to guarantee they would be ironclad. He said his goal was to incorporate the restrictions into law, "so we don't have to go through it every year."

In recent years, Congress has prohibited federal funding for most abortions through annual spending bills, and Hatch's proposal would have eliminated the need for those yearly votes.

But abortion rights supporters said the proposal would have expanded the current restrictions, and could deny coverage for abortions to working women signing up for coverage through private plans.

Its approval would be a "poison pill ... if it is hung on this legislation," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

The committee also rejected a proposal from Hatch to strengthen existing legal protections for health care professionals who refuse to perform abortions or other procedures on grounds of moral or religious objections.

Both failed on nearly party line votes of 13-10, with Snowe siding with most Democrats in opposition, and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., voting with Hatch.

Republicans also failed in attempts to require applicants for federal health programs to furnish photo identification as proof of eligibility, an issue that dealt with illegal immigrants. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said the goal was to prevent fraud, but Bob Menendez, D-N.J., objected that the proposals went beyond a required birth certificate required as proof of citizenship.

Aid flows to tsunami-hit Samoas as deaths hit 119

Aid flows to tsunami-hit Samoas as deaths hit 119

AP Photo
The scene of devastation in Pago Pago village, on American Samoa Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. A powerful quake in the South Pacific hurled massive tsunami waves at the shores of Samoa and American Samoa, flattening villages and sweeping cars and people back out to sea while leaving many dead and dozens missing.

APIA, Samoa (AP) -- Police in green reflective vests searched a ghastly landscape of mud-strewn streets, pulverized homes and bodies scattered in a swamp Wednesday as dazed survivors emerged from the muck and mire of an earthquake and tsunami that killed 119 in the South Pacific.

Military transports flew medical personnel, food, water and medicine to the islands of Samoa and American Samoa, which were devastated by the wall of water triggered by Tuesday morning's undersea earthquake. One cargo plane from New Zealand brought in a temporary morgue and a body identification team - with officials expecting the death toll to rise as more areas are searched.

Cars and boats - many battered and upside down - littered the coastline. Debris as small as a spoon and as large as piece of masonry weighing several tons were strewn in the mud.

Survivors told harrowing tales of encountering the deadly tsunami.

"I was scared. I was shocked," said Didi Afuafi, 28, who was on a bus when the giant waves came ashore on American Samoa. "All the people on the bus were screaming, crying and trying to call their homes. We couldn't get on cell phones. The phones just died on us. It was just crazy."

With the water approaching fast, the bus driver sped to the top of a nearby mountain, where 300 to 500 people were gathered, including patients evacuated from the main hospital. Among them were newborns with IVs, crying children and frightened elderly people.

A family atop the mountain provided food and water, while clergymen led prayers. Afuafi helped evacuate some patients, and said people are on still on edge and feared another quake.

"This is going to be talked about for generations," said Afuafi, who lives just outside the village of Leone, one of the hardest hit areas.

Suavai Ioane was rattled by the violent earthquake that shook his village of 600 people on Samoa - but he didn't have much time to calm down.

"After the shaking finished, about five or 10 minutes after, the wave very quickly came over us," said Ioane, who was carried by a wave about 80 yards (meters) inland from his village of Voutosi. He knew he was lucky to be alive; eight bodies were found in a nearby swamp.

Some people had enough warning to run to higher ground.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said it issued an alert, but the waves got to the islands so quickly that residents only had about 10 minutes to respond. Another system designed to alert aid agencies suffered a hardware malfunction that delayed notification, but that did not affect island residents.

The quake was centered about 120 miles south of the islands of Samoa, which has about 220,000 people, and American Samoa, a U.S. territory of 65,000.

Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa about 15 minutes after the quake, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, officials said.

Another strong underwater earthquake rocked western Indonesia on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Samoan quake, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean. The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings, cut power and triggered a landslide on Sumatra island, and at least 75 people were reported killed. Experts said the seismic events were not related.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials in the South Pacific islands struggled to determine casualties and damage.

Samoa National Disaster Management committee member Filomina Nelson told New Zealand's National Radio the number of dead in her country had reached 83 - mostly elderly and young children. At least 30 people were killed on American Samoa, Gov. Togiola Tulafono said.

Authorities in Tonga, southwest of the Samoas, confirmed at least six dead and four missing, according to acting New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English.

A Coast Guard C-130 plane loaded with aid and carrying Federal Emergency Management Agency officials flew from Hawaii to American Samoa's capital of Pago Pago, where debris had been cleared from runways so emergency planes could land.

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster for American Samoa.

In Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with debris, mud, overturned cars and boats. Several buildings in the city - just a few feet above sea level - were flattened. Power was expected to be out in some areas for up to a month and officials said some 2,200 people were in seven shelters across the island.

"Right now, we're focused on bringing in the assistance for people that have been injured, and for the immediate needs of the tens of thousands of survivors down there," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate.

Reinforcements were on the way, including a Navy frigate and two huge Air Force cargo planes soon to leave from Hawaii.

English said the temporary morgue and the body identification team were sent to Samoa after local officials expressed concern "about the growing death toll."

Hundreds of people bombarded American Samoa's radio stations with requests to announce the names of their missing loved ones. Broadcasters urged listeners to contact their families immediately.

Joey Cummings of radio station 93KHJ in Pago Pago told the BBC that he watched from a balcony as a 15-foot tsunami wave struck, and "the air was filled with screams."

He yelled for people to run uphill, "but they just ran down the street away from the wave rather than make a sharp left and up the steep mountain just feet away."

A "river of mud" carried trees, cars, buses and boats past his building, which is practically at sea level, Cummings said.

Some people ransacked stores, he said, adding that bodies were stacked in the back of pickup trucks.

In Carson, Calif., High Chief Loa Pele Faletogo, president of the Samoan Federation of America, comforted Samoans in the U.S. who came to him seeking news of their relatives. The chief said he learned the body of one of his cousins, in her 60s, was found floating along the shore.

All 65 employees at the National Park of American Samoa were accounted for, said Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, Calif. The park service has 13 permanent workers and between 30 and 50 volunteers, depending on the time of year.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said three Australians were among the dead. The British Foreign Office said one Briton was missing and presumed dead.

"So much has gone. So many people are gone," said a visibly shaken Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi as he flew from New Zealand to Apia. "I'm so shocked, so saddened by all the loss."

He said his village of Lepa was destroyed. Although the alarm sounded on the radio and gave people time to get to higher ground, "not everyone escaped," he added.

Before boarding the C-130 with the FEMA officials in Hawaii, Tulafono said "each and every family" in American Samoa will know one of the dead.

While the earthquake and tsunami were big, they were not on the same scale of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 in a dozen countries across Asia.

Although the quakes in the Samoas and Indonesia struck within 24 hours of each other, experts said there was no link between them.

Powerful Indonesia quake kills 75, traps thousands

Powerful Indonesia quake kills 75, traps thousands

AP Photo
The minarets of a mosque are seen collapsed after an earthquake hit in Padang, West Sumatra, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. The powerful earthquake with magnitude of 7.6 rocked western Indonesia, Wednesday.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering landslides and trapping thousands under collapsed buildings - including two hospitals, an official said. At least 75 bodies were found, but the toll was expected to be far higher.

The temblor started fires, severed roads and cut off power and communications to Padang, a coastal city of 900,000 on Sumatra island. Thousands fled in panic, fearing a tsunami.

Buildings swayed hundreds of miles (kilometers) away in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

In the sprawling low-lying city of Padang, the shaking was so intense that people crouched or sat on the street to avoid falling. Children screamed as an exodus of thousands tried to get away from the coast in cars and motorbikes, honking horns.

The magnitude 7.6 quake hit at 5:15 p.m. (1015GMT, 6:15 a.m. EDT), just off the coast of Padang, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. It occurred a day after a killer tsunami hit islands in the South Pacific and was along the same fault line that spawned the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 11 nations.

A tsunami warning was issued Wednesday for countries along the Indian Ocean, but was lifted after about an hour; there were no reports of giant waves.

The temblor flattened buildings and felled trees in Padang, damaged mosques and hotels and crushed cars. A foot could be seen sticking out from one pile of rubble. In the gathering darkness shortly after the quake, residents fought some fires with buckets of water and used their bare hands to search for survivors, pulling at the wreckage and tossing it away piece by piece.

"People ran to high ground. Houses and buildings were badly damaged," said Kasmiati, who lives on the coast near the quake's epicenter.

"I was outside, so I am safe, but my children at home were injured," she said before her cell phone went dead. Like many Indonesians, she uses one name.

The loss of telephone service deepened the worries of those outside the stricken area.

"I want to know what happened to my sister and her husband," said Fitra Jaya, who owns a house in downtown Padang and was in Jakarta when the quake hit. "I tried to call my family there, but I could not reach anyone at all."

Initial reports received by the government said 75 people were killed, but the real number is "definitely higher," Vice President Jusuf Kalla told reporters in the capital, Jakarta. "It's hard to tell because there is heavy rain and a blackout," he said.

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari told MetroTV that two hospitals and a mall collapsed in Padang.

"This is a high-scale disaster, more powerful than the earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006 when more than 3,000 people died," Supari said, referring to a major city on the main Indonesian island of Java.

Hospitals struggled to treat the injured as their relatives hovered nearby.

Indonesia's government announced $10 million in emergency response aid and medical teams and military planes were being dispatched to set up field hospitals and distribute tents, medicine and food rations. Members of the Cabinet were preparing for the possibility of thousands of deaths.

Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry's crisis center, said "thousands of people are trapped under the collapsed houses."

"Many buildings are badly damaged, including hotels and mosques," said Wandono, an official at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta, citing reports from residents.

Kalla said the worst-affected area was Pariaman, a coastal town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Padang. He gave no details on destruction or deaths there.

Local television reported more than two dozen landslides. Some blocked roads, causing miles-long traffic jams of cars and trucks.

On Tuesday, a powerful earthquake off the South Pacific islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga - thousands of miles from Indonesia - spawned tsunami that killed more than 100 people. Experts said the seismic events were not related.

Both Indonesia's Aceh province, which was devastated in the 2004 tsunami with 130,000 dead, and Padang lie along the same fault. It runs the along the west coast of Sumatra and is the meeting point of the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, which have been pushing against each other for millions of years, causing huge stress to build up.

Scientists have long suggested Padang would suffer a similar fate to Aceh in the coming decades. Some predictions said 60,000 people would be killed - mostly by giant waves generated by an undersea quake.

The dire predictions spread alarm across Padang, which was struck by an earthquake in 2007 that killed dozens of people.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago with more than 17,000 islands and a population of 235 million, straddles continental plates and is prone to seismic activity along what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Source: Eagles sign 4-time Pro Bowl LB Trotter

Source: Eagles sign 4-time Pro Bowl LB Trotter
Photo

Jeremiah Trotter

Despite an impressive win on Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles are still looking to bolster their defense and are doing so with a familiar name.

The Eagles have agreed to a free-agent contract with former starting middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, FOXSports.com has learned. The contract is a one-year deal for the league minimum.

Trotter has been out of the league since 2007, but has held two impressive workouts with the team and head coach Andy Reid over the past week.

The Eagles are currently on their bye week, which will allow the 32-year-old Trotter to get re-acclimated to the locker room and playbook. The Eagles have struggled to replace starting MLB Stewart Bradley, who was lost to a season-ending knee injury early in the preseason.

For Trotter, who has earned four Pro Bowl berths in his Eagles career, this marks his third tour of duty with the team. Originally an Eagles third-round pick in 1998, Trotter quickly became a fan favorite and starter in the middle of late defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's attacking defense.

After two straight Pro Bowl berths in 2000-01, Trotter flew the Philly coop after a high-publicized contract negotiations turned sour and signed with the Redskins in 2002. However, Trotter struggled in Washington with a knee injury and new scheme, eventually being cut by the Redskins after the 2003 season.

But despite the previously contentious contract blowup between player and head coach, Trotter lobbied Reid to rejoin the team in the summer of 2004 and earned a job as merely a special-teams player to start the season. Trotter regained his old starting spot by midseason and re-established himself as a major run-stopper in Philly during the team's 2004 Super Bowl run.

Trotter held Philly's starting middle linebacker job through 2006, earning two more Pro Bowl berths in 2004 and 2005. But the Eagles abruptly released Trotter in the summer before the 2007 season due to Trotter's lingering knee issues. Trotter was picked up by Tampa Bay later that summer and appeared in three games in the 2007 season

Bullpen Holds as Phillies Top Braves

Bullpen Holds as Phillies Top Braves

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE -- Jimmy Rollins hit his 21st home run of the season, Ryan Howard tied Prince Fielder for the major league RBI lead and the Philadelphia Phillies took another step toward clinching the NL East title with a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Ryan Madson got four outs for his ninth save as a struggling bullpen finally came through for the Phillies, who cut their magic number to three. Any combination of Phillies wins or Braves losses equaling three would give Philadelphia its third consecutive division crown.

Atlanta beat Washington 6-3 in 10 innings Sunday.

After getting the final out of the eighth, Madson got Ryan Braun to ground out in the ninth before giving up a double to Fielder. Pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez tapped a ball back to Madson for a groundout, and Fielder advanced to third. Mike Cameron took a called third strike to end the game.


With Milwaukee trailing 6-1 in the sixth, Brewers pinch-hitter Mat Gamel hit a three-run homer off starter Joe Blanton. Braun added an RBI single off Clay Condrey to cut the lead to one.

Blanton (12-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

The Phillies jumped on Brewers starter Dave Bush (5-9) before most fans found their seats for the team's final home game of the season.

Rollins hit his fifth leadoff homer of the season, Chase Utley tripled off the wall in center field with one out and Howard smacked an RBI double, tying Fielder for the major league RBI lead with 137.

Bush recovered to strike out Jayson Werth, then catcher Mike Rivera picked off Howard at second base to end the inning.

But Bush, who has struggled since returning from the disabled list late last month, had more trouble in the second.

With the Brewers trailing 2-0 and runners on first and second, Blanton squared to lay down a sacrifice bunt - and Bush hit him in the thigh with a soft curveball, loading the bases with one out.

Bush came back to strike out Rollins, but gave up a two-run double to Shane Victorino that put the Phillies up 4-0. Cameron led off the second with his 23rd homer, cutting the lead to 4-1.

Bush was lifted with one out in the fifth, and reliever Josh Butler gave up a walk, threw a wild pitch and allowed a two-run single to Pedro Feliz that gave Philadelphia a 6-1 lead. Bush gave up nine hits and was charged with five runs.

NOTES: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he has not made a decision about the future of manager Ken Macha. Macha, under contract for one more season, said Saturday that he is optimistic about returning. ... Rollins' homer was the 33rd leadoff shot of his career. ... With clouds rolling in, Miller Park's roof was closed in the sixth and the outfield wall panels were closed in the seventh.

(Phillies 6, Brewers 5; SUBS graf 12 to correct Cameron's HR total)

Volunteers Needed for Saturday's Dragon Boat Festival

Volunteers Needed for Saturday's Dragon Boat Festival


by KYW's Karin Phillips

Organizers of the Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival scheduled for this Saturday are looking for volunteers.

There will be 154 dragon boat teams vying for prizes on Saturday along the Schuylkill River in the 2009 Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival. There are about 20 dragon boat racers to each of those 154 boats, so that's a lot of people to shift around.

Carol Lee Lindner is founder and executive director of the festival:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Phils and Eagles Sell Joint T-shirt for Breast Cancer Center

Phils and Eagles Sell Joint T-shirt for Breast Cancer Center


by KYW's Lynne Adkins

The Eagles and Phillies are teaming up with a new t-shirt to help the Jefferson Breast Care Center.

The pro sports teams are joining forces to sell the t-shirts during the month of October, which is breast cancer awareness month.

For full story go to:

http://www.kyw1060.com/

Doctors Don't Expect Side Effects from H1N1 Vaccine

Doctors Don't Expect Side Effects from H1N1 Vaccine


by KYW medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

The H1N1 vaccine is going to have controversy associated with it whether things go perfectly or not. That's because you're going to have about half the population getting the vaccine in a short period of time.

In addition, an unprecedented number of pregnant women, as well as children, will be getting the vaccine. So are there concerns about side effects?

Right now, most people think there should not be concerns because the H1N1 vaccine is only a slight change from the regular seasonal flu vaccine we get every year, and they've been able to figure out how to give that without major side effects.

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

US Education Secretary Kicks-off National Tour in Philadelphia

US Education Secretary Kicks-off National Tour in Philadelphia


by KYW's Mike DeNardo

The US Education Secretary (above), along with former House speaker Newt Gingrich and the Reverend Al Sharpton (right), are beginning a nationwide school tour today in Philadelphia.

The tour started at Mastery Charter School's Shoemaker campus in West Philadelphia -- a former district school converted to a charter three years ago. That the tour started there is no coincidence, says former House speaker Newt Gingrich.:

"We have a charter school story that's very compelling, and we have a serious effort by the Reform Commission to rethink and modernize the public schools."

For full story go to:

http://www.kyw1060.com/

Philippine death toll rises as new storms brew

Philippine death toll rises as new storms brew

AP Photo
In this photo released by the Philippine Air Force, flooding victims scramble for relief supplies being airdropped by air force helicopter crewmen at San Mateo township, Rizal province, east of Manila Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, three days after Tropical Storm Ketsana brought the worst flooding in metropolitan Manila in more than 40 years. Rescuers pulled more bodies from swollen rivers and debris-strewn streets Tuesday from massive flooding from Tropical Storm Ketsana while two new storms brewing in the Pacific threatened to complicate relief efforts.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The toll from floods in the northern Philippines rose to at least 284 dead or missing Tuesday as bedraggled victims queued up for aid and Typhoon Ketsana roared into Vietnam.

The storm, which struck Manila and surrounding provinces on Saturday, gathered strength across the South China Sea, and claimed at least 23 lives as it made landfall Tuesday in central Vietnam, where 170,000 were evacuated from its path. It was weakening as it headed west into Laos.

Two new storms were brewing in the Pacific and threatened to complicate relief efforts in the Philippines, officials said.

The homes of nearly 1.9 million people in Manila and surrounding areas were inundated in the weekend flooding, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said. Nearly 380,000 people have sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation centers.

The council said 246 were confirmed dead late Tuesday, with 38 missing.

Authorities ordered extra police to be deployed to prevent looting in communities abandoned by fleeing residents, as frustration rose among those who have lost their homes or belongings.

Queues of bedraggled victims grew long at hundreds of aid distribution centers as floodwaters subsided further and more people went in search of food, clean water, dry clothes and shelter.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's administration - sensitive to criticism it did not give sufficient warning of the deluge or was too slow to respond - conceded it was overwhelmed but said it was doing all it could to help.

Officials appealed for international aid, warning they may not have enough resources to withstand two new storms forecasters have spotted east of the island nation in the Pacific Ocean. One could hit the northern Philippines later this week and the other early next week, although meteorologists say that could change.

Ketsana dumped more than a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours, causing the country's worst flooding in 40 years.

Philippine authorities rescued more than 12,000 people, but unconfirmed reports of more deaths abound, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.

Water that reached shoulder-depth in parts of the capital's streets on Saturday had subsided in many areas by Tuesday. People trudged through ankle-deep sludge to reach shelters where volunteers handed out bottles of water and other items. Elsewhere, people used shovels and brooms to begin mopping-up.

Many people complained the aid was too coming too slowly, and was not enough.

Arroyo said those who suffered had a right to complain but appealed to them to understand that the scale of the disaster was huge.

"We're responding to the extent we can to this once-in-a-lifetime typhoon emergency," she said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Arroyo opened part of the presidential palace as a relief center, where hundreds of people queued Tuesday for packets of noodles and other food donated by companies and individuals. At another center, Arroyo's executive chef cooked gourmet food for victims.

Arroyo and her Cabinet said they would donate two months' salary to the relief effort.

But conditions in many hard-hit areas remained squalid.

In the Bagong Silangan area in the capital, about 150 people sheltered on a covered basketball court that had been turned into a makeshift evacuation center for storm victims. People lay on pieces of cardboard amid piles of garbage and swarming flies, their belongings crammed into bags nearby.

Seventeen white wooden coffins, some of them child-sized, lined one part of the court. A woman wept quietly beside one coffin.

The storm left entire communities covered in mud, cars upended on city streets and power lines cut.

The government declared a "state of calamity" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces, allowing officials to use emergency funds for relief and rescue. Arroyo would issue an executive order within the week declaring a national holiday as "clean up day," the palace said.

The United States has donated $100,000 and deployed a military helicopter and five rubber boats manned by about 20 American soldiers from the country's south, where they have been providing counterterrorism training. The United Nations Children's Fund and the World Food Program have also provided food and other aid.

Senate Finance panel rejects govt insurance option

Senate Finance panel rejects govt insurance option

AP Photo
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., right, talks with Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., left, as Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., sits in the middle during the markup of health care legislation, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Liberal Democrats failed Tuesday to inject a government-run insurance option into sweeping health care legislation taking shape in the Senate Finance Committee, despite widespread accusations that private insurers routinely deny coverage in pursuit of higher profits.

The 15-8 rejection marked a victory for Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., the committee chairman, who is hoping to push his middle-of-the-road measure through the panel by week's end. It also kept alive the possibility that at least one Republican may yet swing behind the bill, a key goal of both Baucus and the White House.

"My job is to put together a bill that gets to 60 votes" in the full Senate, the Montana Democrat said shortly before he joined a majority on the committee in opposing the provision. "No one shows me how to get to 60 votes with a public option," the term used to describe a new government role in health care. It takes 60 votes to overcome delaying actions that Republicans may attempt on the Senate floor.

The maneuvering occurred as the committee plunged into a second week of public debate on legislation that generally adheres to conditions that President Barack Obama has called for. The bill includes numerous new consumer protections, including a ban on companies denying insurance on the basis of pre-existing conditions. At the same time it provides government subsidies to help lower-income Americans afford insurance that is currently beyond their means. It also includes steps that supporters say will begin to slow the rate of growth in health care costs nationwide.

After weeks of delay, both the House and Senate appear on track to vote on different versions of health care legislation in October. Passage in both houses would set the stage for a compromise to be passed deeper into the fall.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Fostergrandparent Stakeholders Helping Youth Clean Up Soiled Sites By Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810

Fostergrandparent Stakeholders Helping Youth Clean Up Soiled Sites
By Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810



Officer Tyrone Fitzgerald, Environmental
Redevelopment Leader. A Fostergrandparent
Stakeholder serving West Philly and DarbyTownship
areas.

Fostergrandparents and local community leaders are preparing to help middle school students plant grass on Philadelphia and Delaware County land tainted by oil pollution. Many parents are tired of seeing any inner-city neighborhood closed gas stations, crumbling industrial buildings, and old shuttered warehouses. It’s the Fosterparent Stakeholders who are educating kids that these abandoned commercial sites are called brownfields. And something should be done by youth about these eyesores.

Brownfields can contain contaminants that can be harmful to people and animals living nearby. An abandoned gas station, for example, may have a leaking underground storage tank. Many communities in West Philly, Chester, Darby Township, and Wilmington face the problem of abandoned gas stations. And Fostergrandparent Stakeholders want youngsters to know that the chemicals seeping out can pollute the soil and drinking water.

Community leaders interested in greening are trying to draw more attention to brownfields because they notice green spaces in their neighborhoods giving way to new construction while abandoned commercial sites sit untouched. Youth are being encouraged to look at this as a science project that will help clean up brownfields so the land could be transformed into parks, housing developments, or youth business areas.

Many youths can have something to do by joining in learning whether plants could help remove oil pollution from soil. One of the common contaminants around is called Petroleum. And the use of plants to remove toxins from the environment can be a fun activity for youth helping them to avoid just hanging out on the street corners. Cleaning up these sites usually requires removing all of the contaminated soil and taking it to a toxic waste facility. But as Fostergrandparent Stakeholders see it there must be a least expensive way for participants to do this before a long-term project like this is started.

Phytoremediation, the use of plants to remove toxins from the environment, offers a low and green alternative. Growing plants at industrial sites helps keep toxic dirt in place so the contamination can’t spread into the surrounding environment. The plants can also remove chemicals, such as dangerous heavy metals, from the environment by absorbing them. And youth can be taught about how bacteria that live on plant roots can break down organic carbon based pollutants like oil.

Different grasses can work to help clean up contamination. One such grass is called rye grass. If youth get the assistance from community leaders and partners to plant rye grass seeds or fescue grass seeds in contaminated soil they will soon see a change in the abandoned gas stations’ brownfields. These two grass varieties are most often found in lawns. It might take about six weeks for the grass to grow dissolving significant amount of oil from the soil. Youth can change their feelings about having nothing to do if and when they are able to work along with businesses that know much about ground maintenance and green thumb work.
Fostergrandparent Stakeholders want to spread the word about applying this simple yet effective cleanup activity to brownfields. Philadelphia in particular could use some grass planting because it has been working on turning many unused spaces into usable land.

There is a high level need for revitalizing neighborhoods by curbing messy dirt, protecting public health more, and going greeener. Youth can get the word out faster about environmental issues and ask for support from local leaders to bring in funding so that they can get paid to do this type of activity in stead of having nothing to do. Anyone interested in working to support the grandparents in this can call (610) 931-8810.

Phila. Front Page News and 1540AM Begin Fostergrandparent "Project Stakeholders" by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810

Phila. Front Page News and 1540AM Begin Fostergrandparent "Project Stakeholders"
by Van Stone vspfoundation@yahoo.com (610) 931-8810



Above: A young Fostergrandparent Stakeholder,
Abraham (Bro I.B.), Left, with
little toddler "Sammy"
expressing care because kids and adults need

something to do to help avoid trouble in any urban community.

Fostergrandparent Project Stakeholders are those individuals within or outside a community which sponsor a project and have an interest or a gain upon a successful completion of a project. Also, these stakeholders should have a positive influence in the project completion. Examples of Fostergrandparent Project Stakeholders include the grandparents, surrogate grandparents, the toddlers, the youth, the user group, the development team, the testers, etc.

The Phila. Front Page News and its supporter live broadcast radio 1540AM has started a fresh sort of stakeholders called Fostergrandparent Stakeholders because these grandparents are any caring parents who have an interest in the terrible conditions affecting the urban community. Fostergrandparent Project Stakeholders are individuals and organizations that are looking to do something to help save children and neighborhoods suffering from increased violence and economic crisis. Fostergrandparent Stakeholders are willing to volunteer and execute activities so that parents and children have something to do while everything around them seems to be falling apart. They may also exert influence over the project objectives and outcomes.

Because about one out of every four teens and seniors looking for something to do this year have not found one thing to do, the Phila. Front Page News will work closely with the Fostergrandparent Project Stakeholders management team to identify the stakeholders, determine their requirements and expectations, and, to whatever extent possible, manage their influence in relation to the requirements. This will insure a successful project for toddlers, youth and surrogate grandparents. Fostergrandparent Stakeholders are looking for folks who know what they want to do but need help in finding space for activities that will keep adults and kids busy.

Fsotergrandparent Stakeholders will help by doing what they love to do. From line dancing, drumming, country style breakfast and lunchin, ceremonies, and even providing toys for tots, Fostergrandparents Stakeholders will be out in the workforce full volunteer force.

The Phila. Front Page News will help local adults find activity rooms so that women and men leaders can provide playing music for kids or adults, drug recovery discussions, carnivals, book fairs, meetings, social gatherings, family memorials to heal sudden loss of life, a medal awarded to a person as a form of recognition for athletic, academic or some kind of achievement, and even sweet-age parties. Private learning and after-school fun will be held so that caring adults can help solve the problem of youth and seniors having nothing to do.

The following are examples of grandparents project stakeholders: Project Leader, Project Team Members, Upper Management, Project Customer; Resource Managers, and Project Testers.

Grandparents who are both older and younger today are good decision makers of a business, technological, and activity change. In this context, a stakeholder can be a person of any age who likes to manage the organizational activity to allocate resources (people, money, services) and set priorities for their own organizations in support of a real change.

Both the Front Page News, www.frontpagenews.us and the radio station supporters are looking for people who already have many technology projects that seem to get nowhere because they simply don't have enough clout to receive support. Many well-meaning adults don’t have the connections, you name it, to be able to do the difficult job of working with children and seniors. They start getting frustrated as the powerful people in the community just ignore them or do what they want to do.

So get behind leaders who are ready to go at it without being connected to popular organizations. Because fun activities for women, kids, and grandparents are so few, the Phila. Front Page News may be able to help individuals who have everything together but appropriate meeting space to carry out the private function. Individuals looking for support for their indoor activities may call (610) 931-8810 or email wvsr1360@yahoo.com. We need to provide something to do for those in need of it. Do something!

Bullpen Holds as Phillies Top Braves

Bullpen Holds as Phillies Top Braves

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins (11) is congratulated by manager Charlie Manuel after Rollins hit a home run during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Milwaukee.

MILWAUKEE -- Jimmy Rollins hit his 21st home run of the season, Ryan Howard tied Prince Fielder for the major league RBI lead and the Philadelphia Phillies took another step toward clinching the NL East title with a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Ryan Madson got four outs for his ninth save as a struggling bullpen finally came through for the Phillies, who cut their magic number to three. Any combination of Phillies wins or Braves losses equaling three would give Philadelphia its third consecutive division crown.

Atlanta beat Washington 6-3 in 10 innings Sunday.

After getting the final out of the eighth, Madson got Ryan Braun to ground out in the ninth before giving up a double to Fielder. Pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez tapped a ball back to Madson for a groundout, and Fielder advanced to third. Mike Cameron took a called third strike to end the game.


With Milwaukee trailing 6-1 in the sixth, Brewers pinch-hitter Mat Gamel hit a three-run homer off starter Joe Blanton. Braun added an RBI single off Clay Condrey to cut the lead to one.

Blanton (12-7) gave up five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

The Phillies jumped on Brewers starter Dave Bush (5-9) before most fans found their seats for the team's final home game of the season.

Rollins hit his fifth leadoff homer of the season, Chase Utley tripled off the wall in center field with one out and Howard smacked an RBI double, tying Fielder for the major league RBI lead with 137.

Bush recovered to strike out Jayson Werth, then catcher Mike Rivera picked off Howard at second base to end the inning.

But Bush, who has struggled since returning from the disabled list late last month, had more trouble in the second.

With the Brewers trailing 2-0 and runners on first and second, Blanton squared to lay down a sacrifice bunt - and Bush hit him in the thigh with a soft curveball, loading the bases with one out.

Bush came back to strike out Rollins, but gave up a two-run double to Shane Victorino that put the Phillies up 4-0. Cameron led off the second with his 23rd homer, cutting the lead to 4-1.

Bush was lifted with one out in the fifth, and reliever Josh Butler gave up a walk, threw a wild pitch and allowed a two-run single to Pedro Feliz that gave Philadelphia a 6-1 lead. Bush gave up nine hits and was charged with five runs.

NOTES: Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he has not made a decision about the future of manager Ken Macha. Macha, under contract for one more season, said Saturday that he is optimistic about returning. ... Rollins' homer was the 33rd leadoff shot of his career. ... With clouds rolling in, Miller Park's roof was closed in the sixth and the outfield wall panels were closed in the seventh.

(Phillies 6, Brewers 5; SUBS graf 12 to correct Cameron's HR total)

Jews Across Delaware Valley Observe Yom Kippur

Jews Across Delaware Valley Observe Yom Kippur


by KYW's Pat Loeb

At sundown, Sunday evening, Jews begin a 24 hour period of prayer and fasting.

Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement but not as the word is commonly understood, as Rabbi Menachem Schmidt (photo, above) explains:

“A lot of people think it's like God comes along with a little eraser and erases your sins or something but it's really because of your closeness and the holiness each one of us achieves during this time.”

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Philadelphia Event Will Celebrate Design and Fashion

Philadelphia Event Will Celebrate Design and Fashion


by KYW's John McDevitt

A celebration of design gets underway in Philadelphia next week.

It's called DesignPhiladelphia - taking place October 7th through the 13th - with more than 125 events at various locations, highlighting more than 500 designers.

Organizer Hillary Jay is the executive director of the design center at Philadelphia University:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Philadelphia Gun Store Owner Pleads Guilty to Facilitating ''Straw'' Purchases

Philadelphia Gun Store Owner Pleads Guilty to Facilitating ''Straw'' Purchases

(James Colosimo, accompanied by his wife, leaves the federal courthouse in Philadelphia on Monday.)

by KYW's Pat Loeb

A controversial Philadelphia gun store owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that the store allowed so-called "straw" purchases -- that is, selling guns through an intermediary that would end up in the hands of felons, who are prohibited from owning them.

Colosimo's gun store, in the 900 block of Spring Garden Street, has been the target of protests for years. On Monday its owner, James Colosimo, admitted in federal court that something illegal was going on in the store: straw purchases.

Assistant US attorney Tomika Stevens says the charges concerned three separate purchasers who bought a total of ten guns for other people:

For full story go to: http://www.kyw1060.com/

Dodgers don't clinch NL West, Pirates win 11-1

Dodgers don't clinch NL West, Pirates win 11-1

AP Photo
Pittsburgh Pirates' Andy LaRoche (15) is greeted by teammate Ryan Doumit (41) after scoring on a single by Pirates' Garrett Jones in the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a baseball game in Pittsburgh Monday, Sept. 28, 2009.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Former Dodgers prospect Andy LaRoche homered twice, doubled twice and singled, driving in six runs as the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates again prevented Los Angeles from clinching the NL West with an 11-1 romp Monday. Zach Duke pitched shutout ball into the ninth inning against a patchwork Dodgers lineup. LaRoche set a career high for hits in going 5 for 5 and scoring four runs.

Already assured of a playoff spot, the Dodgers lost three of four to the Pirates, who had dropped 23 of 26 going into the series - the franchise's worst stretch in 119 seasons.

The Dodgers blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Sunday and lost 6-5, then got blown out in the series finale. Technically, their magic number is two, but in reality it is one because they own the tiebreaker against Colorado.

Los Angeles was missing the injured Manny Ramirez (hamstring), Ronnie Belliard (groin) and Casey Blake (hamstring) and their makeshift lineup included Mark Loretta at third, Juan Castro at short and Brad Ausmus catching.

The Dodgers played like a team that couldn't wait to get out of Pittsburgh - a sentiment shared by few teams this season - while having three runners thrown out on the bases and committing a key error in the first two innings alone. For one day, the Dodgers who looked like the team with 96 losses, not the Pirates.

Orlando Hudson was caught in a rundown trying to advance on an errant throw in the first. In the second, Loretta was picked off first and Matt Kemp was caught too far off second on James Loney's popup and was thrown out.

The Dodgers had champagne iced in their clubhouse, ready to celebrate on Sunday, but the Pirates scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth. Now, it must be toted back to San Diego for the start of a two-game series against the Padres on Tuesday.

Duke (11-15) was in control from the start, allowing only three singles until Orlando Hudson tripled with one out in the ninth - a low total for a pitcher who has allowed an NL-high 225 hits.

Duke couldn't believe it when manager John Russell lifted him following Chin-Lung Hu's sacrifice fly, with a 10-run lead and only one batter to get for his fourth complete game, and the fans booed loudly as Duke walked to the dugout.

LaRoche, traded to the Pirates in the three-team deal last year in which Los Angeles landed Ramirez, had never had more than three hits or three RBIs in a game.

LaRoche had a two-run double off Hiroki Kuroda (8-7) during the Pirates' big second inning that began with Loretta's throwing error on Lastings Milledge's grounder.

Delwyn Young's double scored Milledge, Luis Cruz singled and Duke drove in a run with a grounder ahead of LaRoche's double and Garrett Jones' RBI single. Jones also homered, his 21st, in the fourth immediately after LaRoche hit his 11th.

Jones wasn't called up by Pittsburgh until June 30, but leads NL rookies in homers.

LaRoche had a chance for the cycle his final two times up. He rounded second sharply and thought about trying to advance after he doubled to center in the sixth, but pulled up. He hit a two-run homer in the eighth.

Kuroda was 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in four starts since coming off the disabled list (concussion), but gave up eight hits and seven runs, only three earned.

NOTES: The Pirates won back-to-back games against the Dodgers for the first time since Sept. 19-20, 2006. ... Kuroda had been 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts against Pittsburgh. ... Duke was 0-4 with an 8.54 ERA in five starts since beating the Reds on Aug. 22. ... Ramirez was available to pinch hit. Blake, out of the lineup for a sixth consecutive game, returned to Los Angeles for treatment on his sore left hamstring. Belliard (groin) could be out for a couple of days.



Okla. teen claims he was held in closet for years

Okla. teen claims he was held in closet for years

AP Photo
In this undated police mug photo provided by the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, Larhonda Marie McCall, 37, is shown in Oklahoma City. McCall and Steve Vern Hamilton, 38, were arrested Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 on complaints of child abuse and child neglect after a 14-year-old boy told police he escaped from McCall’s home, where he said he’d been kept for years, mostly locked inside a bedroom closet.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A woman was arrested after her 14-year-son told authorities he escaped from a home where he'd been kept for 4 1/2 years, spending most of his time locked in a bedroom closet, police said Monday.

A security guard at a National Guard facility in Oklahoma City called police on Friday after the teen showed up malnourished and with numerous scars and other signs of abuse, police Sgt. Gary Knight said.

"He was hungry. He was dirty. He had numerous scars on his body," Knight said. "It was very sad."

The boy was taken to a hospital to be examined and then turned over to the custody of the Department of Human Services, Knight said.

After police interviews, officers on Saturday arrested the boy's mother, 37-year-old LaRhonda Marie McCall, and a friend, 38-year-old Steve Vern Hamilton, on 20 complaints each of child abuse and child neglect. Formal charges have not been filed, and both were being held on $400,000 bond, according to jail records.

Jail officials were not sure if either had retained an attorney, and no one answered the phone at McCall's home.

The teen, wearing only a pair of oversized shorts held up by a belt, walked up to a security guard at the Guard facility around 5 p.m. Friday and asked where a police station was located so he could report being abused, according to a police report.

He told police that scars on his stomach and torso were from where alcohol had been poured on him and set on fire. Other scars were from being tied up, hit with an extension cord and choked, the boy told police.

"He had scars covering most of his body," Knight said. "They were basically from head to foot."

The teen told police he moved to the Oklahoma City area from New Jersey about 4 1/2 years ago after his mother was released from jail. Since arriving in Oklahoma, he said, he had never been to school and spent most of his time locked in a bedroom closet.

He told police the closet door was mostly blocked with a stepladder or a bed and that he managed to push the door open enough to escape and leave the house.

Knight said six other children living at the home were taken into DHS custody, but none showed signs of abuse.

A DHS spokeswoman said she could not discuss specific cases but generally an investigation would be conducted before any of the children are returned to the home or placed with other family members.

"There may be family members, but we do a diligent search, and we're very careful about placing kids in a safe environment," DHS spokeswoman Beth Scott said.

Bank suspends dealings with ACORN housing entity

Bank suspends dealings with ACORN housing entity

AP Photo
This image made Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 from undated hidden-camera video taken from the web site Biggovernment.com, shows ACORN employee Tonja Thompson, right, speaking with Hannah Giles in a hidden-camera video made by James O'Keefe III, and Giles in Baltimore. In the video, Giles and O'Keefe pose as a pimp and prostitute and talk to ACORN employees who give them tax advice. ACORN has filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers, contending that the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because Maryland requires two-party consent to create sound recordings.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bank of America Corp. is suspending its work with the housing affiliate of embattled community organizing group ACORN. The decision comes as three Republicans in Congress ask Bank of America and 13 other financial institutions to give Congress a complete accounting of their dealings with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or its affiliates.

In a statement, Bank of America said it would not enter into any further agreements with ACORN Housing Corp. until the bank is satisfied all issues have been resolved. ACORN Housing Corp. and Bank of America have worked together for years on mortgage foreclosure issues.

"We completely understand why our lending partners like Bank of America want assurances that the recent allegations against us won't happen again," ACORN Housing Corp. said Monday. "We are taking a number of steps to ensure this, including providing ethics training to all of our staff."

Long a target of conservative critics, ACORN employees were caught on videotape recently giving advice to a woman posing as a prostitute and to a man posing as her pimp about cheating on taxes and operating a brothel with underage immigrant girls.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Bank of America pulling back from working with ACORN Housing Corp.

On Friday, GOP Reps. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Darrell Issa of California and Lamar Smith of Texas sent a letter to 14 banks requesting disclosure to the House Financial Services Committee of all financial arrangements with ACORN and its subsidiaries or affiliates.

Each of the three congressmen is the ranking Republican on a House panel: Bachus on the House Financial Services Committee, Issa on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Smith on the Judiciary Committee.

"The Republicans are trying to intimidate banks that have stepped up to help stop the foreclosure crisis," said ACORN chief executive Bertha Lewis. "These same Republicans ignored ACORN's warnings about predatory lending and the foreclosure crisis, then gave Wall Street free rein and are now obstructing efforts to help families."

Citibank, another bank receiving the letter from the three House Republicans, said in a statement that "we are deeply concerned about the recently released videos of frontline ACORN staff." Citibank said it looks forward to the findings of an independent auditor and a timely resolution of the matter.

Iran says advanced missiles can target any threat

Iran says advanced missiles can target any threat

AP Photo
This satellite image taken Saturday Sept. 26, 2009, provided by GeoEye shows a facility under construction inside a mountain located about 20 miles north northeast of Qom, Iran. Although there is no confirmation, analysts at both the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security and London-based IHS Jane's believe this satellite photo of a site on a military base near Qom, Iran, is most likely the location of the newly revealed centrifuge facility. Analysts at both ISIS and Jane's point to apparent tunnel entrances leading into a mountain.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran tested its longest-range missiles Monday and warned they can reach any place that threatens the country, including Israel, parts of Europe and U.S. military bases in the Mideast. The launch capped two days of war games and was condemned as a provocation by Western powers, which are demanding Tehran come clean about a newly revealed nuclear facility it has been secretly building.

The tests Sunday and again Monday added urgency to a key meeting this week between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany - an international front seeking clear answers about the direction of its nuclear program.

Iran's missile program and its nuclear work - much of it carried out in secrecy - have long been a concern for the United States, Israel and its Western allies. They fear Tehran is intent on developing an atomic weapons capability and the missiles to deploy such warheads, despite Iran's assurances it is only pursuing civilian nuclear power.

In the latest exercise, the powerful Revolutionary Guard, which controls Iran's missile program, successfully tested upgraded versions of Iran's medium-range Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles, state television reported. Both can carry warheads and reach up to 1,200 miles, putting Israel, U.S. military bases in the Middle East and parts of Europe within striking distance.

The launchings were meant to display Iran's military might and demonstrate its readiness to respond to any military threat.

"Iranian missiles are able to target any place that threatens Iran," said Abdollah Araqi, a senior Revolutionary Guard commander, according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.

Iran conducted three rounds of missile tests in drills that began Sunday, two days after the U.S. and its allies disclosed the country had been secretly developing an underground uranium enrichment facility. The Western powers warned Iran must open the site to international inspection or face harsher international sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hasan Qashqavi, maintained the missile tests had nothing to do with the tension over the site, saying they were part of routine, long-planned military exercises.

That assertion was rejected by the United States and its European allies.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the tests "provocative in nature," adding: "Obviously, these were pre-planned military exercises."

French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages agreed, saying "these tests constitute a provocation, even as we have multiplied our offers of dialogue with Iran."

The latest controversy comes days before a critical meeting Thursday in Geneva between Iran and six major powers trying to stop its suspected nuclear weapons program - the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

The prospect of more U.N. sanctions on Iran is a possibility, targeting specific people and facilities. "We're prepared to take additional steps," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington.

Iran's new nuclear site is located in the arid mountains near the holy city of Qom and is believed to be inside a heavily guarded, underground facility belonging to the Revolutionary Guard, according to a document sent by President Barack Obama's administration to lawmakers.

Experts say they have found sites that appear to be military north of Qom, although there has been no confirmation from the U.S. government and Iran says the nuclear facility is south of the holy city.

A satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe and GeoEye shows a well-fortified facility built into a mountain about 20 miles northeast of Qom, with ventilation shafts and a nearby surface-to-air missile site, according to defense consultancy IHS Jane's, which did the analysis of the imagery. The image was taken in September.

However, Iran's Foreign Ministry has given a different location, saying Monday it was near the village of Fordo, which is about 30 miles south of Qom.

GlobalSecurity.org analyzed images from 2005 and January 2009 when the site was in an earlier phase of construction and believes the facility is not underground but was instead cut into a mountain. It is constructed of heavily reinforced concrete and is about the size of a football field - large enough to house 3,000 centrifuges used to refine uranium.

Allison Puccioni, a senior imagery analyst with Jane's, said Monday she could not reconcile the discrepancy between the location detailed in the satellite images and the site described by Iran's foreign ministry. But she said there was no question a massive facility was being hollowed out north of Qom.

"It's undergoing massive construction as we speak. The level of reinforcement and security is highly consistent with a strategic facility," she said in a telephone interview from Mountainview, Calif.

After strong condemnations from the U.S. and its allies, Iran said Saturday it would allow U.N. nuclear inspectors to examine the site.

The facility's military connection could undermine Iran's contention that the plant was designed for civilian purposes.

Israel has trumpeted the latest discoveries as proof of its long-held assertion that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. By U.S. estimates, Iran is one to five years away from having nuclear weapons capability, although U.S. intelligence also believes that Iranian leaders have not yet made the decision to build a weapon.

Iran is also developing ballistic missiles that could carry a nuclear warhead, although a U.S. intelligence assessment in May says the country is focusing efforts on short- and medium-range missiles like the Shahab.

That assessment paved the way for Obama's decision to shelve the Bush administration's plan for a missile shield in Europe, which was aimed at defending against Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Iran is not expected to have such a missile until 2015 to 2020, according to the report, which was described by a U.S. government official on condition of anonymity because it is classified.

The Sajjil-2 missile is Iran's most advanced two-stage surface-to-surface missile and is powered entirely by solid-fuel, while the older Shahab-3 uses a combination of solid and liquid fuel in its most advanced form, known as the Qadr-F1.

Solid fuel increases a missile's accuracy in reaching targets and is seen as a technological breakthrough for any missile program.

Experts say the Sajjil-2 is more accurate and has a more advanced navigation system than the Shahab.

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