KVCR Nation News

Visa Exchange Program Draws Scrutiny Under Immigration Bill

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:13:00 -0700

Landing a job at a summer camp or at an amusement park is a rite of passage for many young Americans. Those jobs also appeal to foreigners participating in a cultural exchange using J-1 visas. But with U.S. youth unemployment at 25 percent, Congress is now taking a close look at the J-1 visa exchange program.

My Father, The Pilot

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:51:00 -0700

My dad was a mild-mannered guy. Never bragged. Hated sports. Mom won the arguments. He was an avocado farmer near Santa Barbara, but being Dad was his No. 1 job.

He read me bedtime stories, never missed a piano recital or a family dinner. And he played it safe: Dad's idea of adventure was driving his Ford Taurus to town without the wiper fluid filled to the top.

The Case For Surveillance: Keeping Up With Terrorist Tactics

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 07:46:00 -0700

Since public revelations that the National Security Agency is collecting telephone records and reviewing Internet communications in the U.S. and abroad, officials have been making the case that the programs are vital. They argue that the tactics match the new ways terrorists are planning and communicating.

Ignoring Racist Tweets, 11-Year-Old Nails National Anthem... Again

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:00:00 -0700

Something pretty magical happened at last night's NBA finals: Sebastien de la Cruz, the 11-year-old who sang the national anthem on Tuesday, was back on Thursday to prove his critics wrong.

Following his first performance, de la Cruz was barraged on Twitter with racist remarks, questioning why a young, Latino boy in a charro outfit should be singing the Star Spangled Banner. (We won't repeat any of the slurs, but The Daily Dot has a collection.)

Bad News, Men: You're Not Very Charming

Tue, 28 May 2013 15:37:00 -0700

I hate to break this to you, Men Of The Entire United States (Especially Actors), but The Atlantic has just run a lengthy piece pronouncing you un-charming.

At first, Benjamin Schwarz seems to mean "good conversationalist" when he says "charming." He says:

Women commonly complain about the difficulty in gaining any conversational purchase when, say, trying to engage the fathers of their children's classmates or the husbands of their tennis partners.

Little Dog Does A Big Job In Oregon

Tue, 28 May 2013 15:32:00 -0700

He can't see, and he's not very big — but as dogs go, Xander the pug is having a big impact on his community in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The blind pup has even made the front page of the local paper, for bringing empathy and happiness to people for whom such things are in short supply.

Forgotten For Decades, WWII Alaskans Finally Get Their Due

Tue, 28 May 2013 15:29:00 -0700

Alaskan Clyde Iyatunguk grew up hearing stories about the U.S. Army colonel, Marvin 'Muktuk' Marston, who helped his father trade his spear for a rifle, to protect his homeland during World War II.

Marston is a household name with Native Alaskans. The nickname comes from an Eskimo eating contest — muktuk is whale skin and blubber, eaten raw.

Where Did That Fried Chicken Stereotype Come From?

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:25:00 -0700

Sports-talk radio was abuzz this morning with some comments that Sergio Garcia, the professional golfer, made about his frequent foil, Tiger Woods.

"We'll have him 'round every night," Garcia said. "We will serve fried chicken," Garcia said.
The comment came after Garcia was asked if he would invite his rival, with whom he has a frosty relationship, to his house during next month's U.S. Open.

Sick Inmates Dying Behind Bars Despite Release Program

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:38:00 -0700

Prison is a tough place, but Congress made an exception nearly 30 years ago, giving terminally ill inmates and prisoners with extraordinary family circumstances an early way out. It's called compassionate release.
But a recent investigation found that many federal inmates actually die while their requests drift through the system.

Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:29:00 -0700

Ibragim Todashev, the 27-year-old man shot and killed after he allegedly attacked an FBI agent Wednesday in Orlando, may have been involved with Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple murder.
As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reported on All Things Considered, "it's still under investigation, but law enforcement authorities told us that this young man had been interviewed extensively" about the September 2011 killings of three men in Waltham, Mass., as well as his friendship with Tsarnaev.

Man Killed By FBI In Florida Was Linked To Boston Suspect

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:16:00 -0700

In Orlando, Fla., early Wednesday "an FBI agent was involved in a deadly shooting connected to the Boston Marathon bombing case," NBC News is reporting. A man who was being questioned by the agent is dead. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Carrie Johnson have also confirmed the news.

'I Have Not Done Anything Wrong,' Key IRS Official Says

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:13:00 -0700

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations."

That was the word Wednesday morning from Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the political storm over the agency's targeting of some conservative groups who were given extra scrutiny from 2010 into 2012.

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

(Most recent update: 11:40 a.m. ET.)
The news Wednesday from Moore, Okla., much of which was destroyed by a massive tornado Monday, begins with word that officials doubt they will find any more survivors or bodies under the hundreds of homes, businesses and other buildings that were leveled.

After Tornado, A Dog Rescue Raises Spirits, And Gains Fans

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:57:00 -0700

Before Monday's tornado hit, Barbara Garcia says, she had a gameplan. In the event of an emergency, the Moore, Okla., resident would gather up her little dog and retreat to a bathroom to wait out the storm. But after Monday's powerful twister blew through her neighborhood, Garcia tells CBS News, she couldn't find her dog.

Click here to view the video

A Brief History Of Oklahoma Tornadoes

Tue, 21 May 2013 09:06:00 -0700

Although Oklahoma is a state where tornadoes are a fact of life, few days stand out like May 3, 1999.

That was when some 70 tornadoes touched down over a 21-hour period, cutting paths of destruction like deep cuts of a knife blade in and around Oklahoma City. One tornado maxed out the Fujita scale at F-5, smashing through some of the very same areas that were hardest hit on Monday. Its winds topped out at a staggering 318 mph, the highest ever recorded anywhere on Earth.

Death Toll From Devastating Tornado Revised Down

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:54:00 -0700

After beginning the day with word that at least 51 people had been killed and that the number of dead might top 90, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office said that the official death toll was 24 — a figure that could still change. The fatalities included at least 9 children. The spokeswoman, Amy Elliott, said during a televised news conference the initial number included some victims who were counted twice.

Massive Tornado Rips Through Oklahoma City Suburbs

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:32:00 -0700

A massive tornado ripped through the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City, Monday afternoon.

Helicopter images showed large tracts of Moore, Okla., completely leveled by what the National Weather Service says was at least an EF-4 tornado with winds in excess of 166 mph. The tornado stayed on the ground for 40 minutes and traveled 20 miles.

Washington State Butcher Spikes Pig Feed With Weed

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:31:00 -0700

William von Schneidau, an intrepid butcher in Seattle, is giving a whole new meaning to "potbelly pig." Lately, he's been feeding marijuana refuse to the pigs he turns into prosciutto for BB Ranch, his butcher shop in the city's famous Pike Place Market.

Pot-scented bacon? Well, not quite.

ABC's Karl Expresses Regret, But Stands By Benghazi Story

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:16:00 -0700

ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl now says he regrets that some key parts of a major story he reported on May 10 were wrong.

The story sent off a political uproar. As we said last week, it made it appear that in a Sept. 14, 2012, email a top White House aide had come down on the side of the State Department to push for downplaying any terrorist connection to the attacks on Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

FBI Agents Killed In Training Accident Worked In Elite Unit

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:18:00 -0700

Christopher Lorek and Stephen Shaw, the two FBI agents who died in a training accident on Friday off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va., were part of the bureau's Critical Incident Response Group.

According to the FBI, that unit:

"Consists of a cadre of special agents and professional support personnel who provide expertise in crisis management, tactical operations, crisis negotiations, hostage rescue, hazardous devices mitigation, critical incident intelligence, and surveillance and aviation.

Doctors Confirm Black Lung In Victims Of Mine Blast

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:34:00 -0700

The tragic deaths of 29 coal miners in a massive explosion in 2010 has provided new evidence of a resurgence of the disease known as black lung.

On Monday, a team of pathologists and lung disease experts will present the results of a detailed study of lung tissue from some of the victims of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in West Virginia. They'll describe the findings at the American Thoracic Society's annual conference in Philadelphia this weekend.

Demand For Ammunition Is Up. Why Aren't Prices?

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:32:00 -0700

Sales of guns and ammunition rose after President Obama took office in 2008, and they went through the roof starting late last year, when a school shooting led to a push for new gun control measures. That's led to a prolonged ammunition shortage, even with manufacturers running at full capacity.

Famed Race Driver Dick Trickle Dies, Suicide Suspected

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:28:00 -0700

Dick Trickle, a "short-track hero" in the '70s and '80s who moved to the NASCAR circuit later in his career, died Thursday.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old was killed by "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lincoln County [N.C.] deputies said."

Reports: Note Found In Boat Where Boston Suspect Hid

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:22:00 -0700

In a message written on a wall of the boat where he was found hiding, Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was motivated by anger over the Afghan and Iraq wars, sources familiar with what was found have told CBS News correspondent John Miller.

Texas Tornado Leaves 6 Dead, Dozens Hurt, Hundreds Homeless

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:14:00 -0700

"A massive emergency response" is underway in North Texas, where tornadoes blew through Wednesday night, The Dallas Morning News says. A twister that hit Granbury, about 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth, left at least six people dead, more than 100 injured and even more homeless, The Associated Press adds.

Cloning, Stem Cells Long Mired In Legislative Gridlock

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:08:00 -0700

Listen to the news story

The news that U.S. scientists have successfully cloned a human embryo seems almost certain to rekindle a political fight that has raged, on and off, since the announcement of the creation of Dolly the sheep in 1997.

"The issue of legislation on human cloning is about to get hot again," says Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford Law School.

Suspect Apprehended In New Orleans Mother's Day Shooting

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

"CAPTURED!"

That's how the New Orleans Police Department spread the word on Facebook early Thursday that its officers had "arrested 19-year-old Akein Scott in connection with the shooting of 19 people on Mother's Day."

Cleveland Kidnaps Suspect Will Plead Not Guilty, Lawyer Says

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:15:00 -0700

Saying that their client is not a "monster," attorneys for Ariel Castro have told Cleveland's WKYC-TV that the man accused of kidnapping three young women, holding them captive and repeatedly raping them over the course of about a decade will plead not guilty to all charges if he is indicted by a grand jury.

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms And Making It All Work

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:06:00 -0700

The next time you see a father out shopping with his kids, you might need to check your assumptions.

"I'll get the, 'Oh, look, it's a dad! That's so sweet!' "says Jonathan Heisey-Grove, a stay-at-home father of two young boys in Alexandria, Va., who is pretty sure the other person assumes he's just giving Mom a break for the day.

IRS Chief Says 'Mistakes Were Made' But Weren't Partisan

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:15:00 -0700

"Mistakes were made, but they were in no way due to any political or partisan motivation," the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service writes in USA Today's op-ed pages.

Video Shows Suspect In New Orleans Shootings, Police Say

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:48:00 -0700

New Orleans police have released images of a suspected gunman in Sunday's shootings that wounded 19 people at a local Mother's Day parade. Authorities are asking for the public's help to identify the man, one of three suspects in the shootings.

Teens Who Text And Drive Often Take Other Risks

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:30:00 -0700

Almost half of teenagers cop to texting while driving. And those texting teens are more likely to make other risky moves while in the car, too.

That includes not wearing seat belts, drinking and driving, and riding with a driver who's been drinking, a study just published in the journal Pediatrics finds.

IRS Targeted Additional Conservative Groups, Probe Shows

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:26:00 -0700

"The Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of conservative groups went beyond those with 'tea party' or 'patriot' in their names — as the agency admitted Friday — to also include ones worried about government spending, debt or taxes, and even ones that lobbied to 'make America a better place to live,' " The Wall Street Journal reports.

'I Hope He Rots,' Says Brother Of Cleveland Kidnap Suspect

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:00 -0700

Calling his brother a hateful monster, Onil Castro has told CNN he hopes Ariel Castro "rots in that jail."

"I want him to suffer," he said of Ariel, the 52-year-old man accused of holding three young women captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade — years in which Ariel Castro allegedly raped them repeatedly and subjected them to other physical and mental torment.

A Mother's Day Gift That Makes You Feel Better, Too

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:37:00 -0700

Dear reader,

Mother's Day is upon us and I'm here to share some news with you. While there's nothing wrong with a well-chosen gift, recent research in psychology suggests your time might be better spent writing a well-crafted card to mom.

U.S. Gas Prices Expected To Remain Low For Summer

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:29:00 -0700

Drivers will find this summer's gas prices are lower than last year's, the result of a spike in crude oil production. Government forecasters say a gallon of regular gasoline will cost about $3.50 this summer — a slide of more than 10 cents from last year.

Free On Mother's Day, Former Captives Ask For Time, Privacy

Sun, 12 May 2013 09:32:00 -0700

The three women who were rescued from years of captivity in a house in Cleveland released a statement on this Mother's Day to let their supporters know that they're glad to be home. They also asked for privacy and time to reconnect with their families.

How New York Became One Of The Most Corrupt States

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:35:00 -0700

It's happening again. Rarely a month seems to pass when there isn't some state legislator in New York facing indictment.

The latest, former Democratic state Sen. Shirley Huntley, was sentenced Thursday to spend a year and a day in prison for stealing $88,000 from a charity she controlled.

IRS Apologizes For Singling Out Conservative Groups

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:01:00 -0700

Saying that it was wrong, insensitive and inappropriate, a top official from the Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday to conservative groups that were singled out for additional IRS scrutiny during the 2012 campaign.

What Does 'Sexual Coercion' Say About A Society

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:10:00 -0700

Listen to the news story

Anthropologists, sociologists and biologists have explored over several decades many factors that shape the likelihood of sexual coercion of women by men.

Such research cannot, of course, definitively explain the recent case in Cleveland involving Ariel Castro, who has been charged with abducting and raping three women over many years.

Colorado Lawmakers Set Taxes And Rules For Marijuana Sales

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:08:00 -0700

Colorado is set to become the first U.S. state to regulate and tax sales of recreational marijuana, after lawmakers approved several bills that set business standards and rules. Legislators expect enforcement of the rules to be paid for by two taxes on marijuana — a 15 percent excise tax, and a 10 percent sales tax.

DNA Shows Cleveland Suspect Is Girl's Father, State Says

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:07:00 -0700

Update at 10:45 a.m. ET. DNA Testing Confirms Suspect Is Child's Father, Ohio Attorney General Says:

Preliminary DNA tests confirm that Ariel Castro, the man charged with kidnapping and repeatedly raping three young women held captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade, is the father of a girl born to one of the victims six years ago, Ohio's attorney general announced Friday morning.

'Monkeemobile' Creator Dean Jeffries Dies

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:03:00 -0700

Dean Jeffries, the car customizer who created the "Monkeemobile" for The Monkees TV show, "Black Beauty" for The Green Hornet and who painted two famous words on actor James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder, died last weekend at his Hollywood home. He was 80. A son says Jeffries died in his sleep.

FBI Says Data About Probe Of Bombing Suspect Was Shared

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:52:00 -0700

Boston Police Chief Edward Davis told Congress on Thursday that before the Boston Marathon bombings, his department wasn't aware the FBI had questioned Tamerlan Tsarnaev in recent years about whether he had been in contact with Muslim extremists in Dagestan.

As far as he knew, Davis said, the FBI did not share that information with local authorities.

Cultural Sexism: What If Amanda Knox Had Been Andrew Knox?

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:01:00 -0700

Sexual thrill-seeker. Sex-mad flatmate.

These phrases, as reported by ABC News's Diane Sawyer, have been used by the media to describe Amanda Knox, the American study abroad student who, while living in Perugia, Italy, in 2007, was charged with murder.

Boston Bombing Suspect's Body Finally 'Entombed,' Police Say

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:29:00 -0700

The statement does not reveal where Tsarnaev's remains were taken, only that "as a result of our public appeal for help, a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased. His body is no longer in the City of Worcester and is now entombed."

On Behalf Of [BLANK] People Everywhere...

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:26:00 -0700

When Cleveland officials announced charges against Ariel Castro — the suspected kidnapper of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Christine Knight — the prosecutor Victor Perez wanted to make sure people knew where the city's "Puerto Rican community" stood.

Do GOP's Benghazi Charges Harm Hillary Clinton For 2016?

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:17:00 -0700

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hasn't said whether or not she's running for president in 2016. Indeed, if her husband, President Clinton, is to be believed, she hasn't even told him of her intentions.

Polling suggests, however, that among potential Democratic candidates, Clinton is the runaway favorite — at least at this early stage.

Cleveland Kidnappings: Horrors Began With Offers Of Rides

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:06:00 -0700

The three young women who were missing for about a decade before being rescued Monday from a home in Cleveland where they say they were chained, tortured and sexually assaulted, have given police similar accounts about how their long nightmares began.

Cleveland Kidnappings: Wednesday's Developments

Wed, 08 May 2013 15:49:00 -0700

We're following the latest news about the three young women who were rescued Monday from a home in Cleveland where authorities suspect they had been held captive for about a decade, and the investigation into what happened to them.