UNCLE POOH'S BLOG

(CNN) -- Alabama health officials seeking to find the source of bacteria suspected in the deaths of nine hospital patients and the sickening of 10 others announced Thursday they found the same bacteria in a pharmacy in Birmingham. "Looking at the DNA fingerprints, that organism is an exact match of the organisms that the patients had, so we know it wasn't inserted after it left the pharmacy," Dr. Don Williamson told CNN. The pharmacy, IV Meds, of Birmingham, had prepared the intravenous feeding solutions that were administered to all of the patients in six hospitals in the state. Bacteria in their blood matched bacteria in a bag of the suspect product found in the pharmacy, he said. "Now it's just a matter of identifying the source of it from the pharmacy other than from the bag," said Dr. Mary McIntyre, a medical officer with the Bureau of Communicable Disease within the Alabama Department of Public Health. "That's still ongoing." She ...

New York (CNN) -- An Egyptian cobra that drew thousands of Twitter fans has been found alive after it went missing for days from a New York City zoo. "As you can imagine, we are delighted to report that the snake has been found alive and well," Bronx Zoo Director Jim Breheny said Thursday. Zoo officials conducted around-the-clock searches for the 3-ounce, 20-inch long reptile, he said. Breheny said the cobra had sought a secure hiding spot within the holding areas of the zoo's reptile house -- a complex environment with pumps, motors and other mechanical systems. But it was lured out after zoo officials sprinkled wood shavings from exhibit beds across areas where they guessed the cobra was hiding. "It was the scent of rodents (on the wood clippings) that we hoped would bring her out," Breheny added. "The key strategy here was patience," he said in a prepared statement. The snake went missing Saturday from an off-exhibit enclosure, prompt...

Atlanta (CNN) -- Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins was attacked at Philips Arena in Atlanta by a man who claims that Wilkins owes him money, police say. Wilkins, who is currently Atlanta Hawks' vice president of basketball and an analyst for the team, was doing a live broadcast following Wednesday night's game against the Orlando Magic when Rashan Michel began yelling at him, according to police spokeswoman Kimberly Maggart. Michel then followed Wilkins and was restrained by a security officer, prompting the man to swing his arms and strike Wilkins in the chest and a security guard in the face, he said. Michel claimed that Wilkins owes him $17,000 for dress suits that were made, Maggart added. Michel later tweeted, "I call what happened at Phillips Arena earlier, Operation Repo...next time have my money!" Wilkins was not immediately available for comment. Michels was arrested and charged with one count of simple battery following the incident, po...

(CBS/WCBS) - The outraged family of New York murder victim Caroline Wimmer is taking on Facebook. A paramedic took a cell phone photo of the crime scene and posted it on the site in a case of what parents Martha and Ronald Wimmer are calling "disrespecting the dead." "This is on the second anniversary of our daughter's death. I just want to get by, day by day," Martha Wimmer said. Her 26-year-old daughter Caroline was strangled with an electric cord in March 2009 on Staten Island. The convicted killer, Calvin Lawson, got 25 years to life. One of the first on the scene, former emergency medical technician Mark Musarella, used his cell phone camera to snap a grisly photo of the corpse, which he then uploaded to Facebook. He pleaded guilty to official misconduct and lost his job, reports CBS station WCBS. A civil suit now names Musarella and Facebook. "I found my daughter. I seen what she looked like. She was horrible. And I know that people at nigh...

Associated Press HOUSTON — One person was killed and five others were injured Wednesday in a shooting at a football field at a Houston high school that witnesses and police said appeared to be gang-related. Witnesses say the shooting happened about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday as a group of young men watched their girlfriends play football at the Worthing High School field in southern Houston. The game was not a school-sanctioned activity and the shooting did not happen while school was in session. Homicide Lt. John Zitzmann said witnesses told police that a Ford Taurus full of young men drove onto the field and a brief fistfight broke out. The fight appeared to be over when the shooting started, Zitzmann said. Police said witnesses told them someone in the crowd of spectators may have fired back at the gunmen. Police have not released the names of those who were shot. Tordre McMillan told KTRK-TV of Houston that he was playing baseball nearby when gunfire erupted. "Too many pe...

Washington (CNN) -- There is no health risk from consuming milk with extremely low levels of radiation, like those found in Washington state and California, experts said Thursday, echoing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "When we have a disaster like we've had with a nuclear power plant in Japan, we're probably going to find things that are truly not a public health risk, but I think it's very difficult for the public to assimilate this information and understand the risks," said Dr. Wally Curran, a radiation oncologist and head of Emory University's Winship Cancer Center. The federal agency said Wednesday it was increasing its nationwide monitoring of radiation in milk, precipitation, drinking water, and other outlets. It already tracks radiation in those potential exposure routes through an existing network of stations across the country. Results from screening samples of milk taken in the past week in Spokane, Washington, and in San Luis Obi...

Federal and state health officials were trying to figure out how intravenous feeding bags became contaminated with bacteria after nine critically ill patients died and 10 others were sickened at Alabama hospitals after being treated with the commonly used solutions. Health officials on Tuesday would not directly link the deaths to the outbreak of serratia marcescens bacteria at six hospitals, but the bags were pulled off the market. "There is nothing to suggest the deaths were directly related to the bacterial infection," said State Health Officer Donald Williamson who declined to give details on the patients including their ages and illnesses. On March 16, two hospitals reported increased cases of serratia marcescens to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Officials linked the infection to TPN, a common nutritional supplement delivered directly from the plastic bags into the bloodstream through IV tubes. A single pharmacy, Birmingham-based Meds IV, made the bags...

(CNN) -- Authorities in Ohio say they may have found the body of Summer Inman, a 25-year-old mother who was reported abducted last week. Police in the southeastern Ohio city of Logan have scheduled a Wednesday morning news conference where they are expected to release more information about the case. "Tonight, the investigation into the kidnapping of Summer Inman has taken a sad turn, as investigators may have located Summer's body just off U.S. 33," the Logan Police Department said in a statement released Tuesday night. Inman's abduction and the arrests connected to her case have made national news recently. Inman, a mother of three, was working as part of a cleaning crew at a local bank on March 22, police said. When she stepped outside, she was grabbed and forced into a white vehicle. Days later, police announced that they arrested her estranged husband William Inman Jr.; her father-in-law William Inman Sr.; and her mother-in-law, Sandra Inman. The thr...

Shariatpur, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Hena Akhter's last words to her mother proclaimed her innocence. But it was too late to save the 14-year-old girl. Her fellow villagers in Bangladesh's Shariatpur district had already passed harsh judgment on her. Guilty, they said, of having an affair with a married man. The imam from the local mosque ordered the fatwa, or religious ruling, and the punishment: 101 lashes delivered swiftly, deliberately in public. Hena dropped after 70. Bloodied and bruised, she was taken to hospital, where she died a week later. Amazingly, an initial autopsy report cited no injuries and deemed her death a suicide. Hena's family insisted her body be exhumed. They wanted the world to know what really happened to their daughter. Sharia: illegal but still practiced Hena's family hailed from rural Shariatpur, crisscrossed by murky rivers that lend waters to rice paddies and lush vegetable fields. Hena was the youngest of five children born to ...

A deadly superbug, thought to be rare on the West Coast, is appearing in large numbers in Southern California, according to a new study. In seven months last year, there were 356 cases of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), according to the study by the Los Angeles County Department of Health. The cases were in health care facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. People outside such facilities were not affected. CRKP has been officially reported in 36 states, but health officials expect it’s in the 14 others states as well, where reporting is not required. Only one antibiotic, called colistin, is effective against CRKP, and it doesn’t always work and can cause kidney damage, according Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, associate director for health care associated infection prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s not known how many people died in L.A. County from the bacteria, but previous outbreaks have shown a 35% death rate, ...

LONDON – Masked rogue protesters battled police and attacked landmark London shops and hotels Saturday, overshadowing a peaceful march by more than a quarter of a million Britons against government cuts. Another group of black-clad protesters hurled paint bombs and ammonia-filled light bulbs at police. Organizers of the March for the Alternative said people from across the country were peacefully joining in the demonstration, the biggest protest in London since a series of rallies against the Iraq war in 2003. Commander Bob Broadhurst of the Metropolitan Police confirmed that more than 250,000 people had marched peacefully, but said around 500 had caused trouble in London's main shopping streets. He said nine people had been arrested, for public disorder and criminal damage. Police said 28 people had been injured during the demonstration, and seven were admitted to hospitals for a range of problems, including shortness of breath and a suspected hip fracture. Five police of...

An East Boston woman is being held on $250,000 bail today after law enforcement stopped her at Logan International Airport with more than 1,000 grams of cocaine in a “diaper-like” garment, state police said. Karen Morla Ramos, 22, was arrested yesterday morning after disembarking from a JetBlue [JBLU] flight from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, state police said. Authorities said Customs and Border Protection officials conducted a pat down search on Ramos after she provided “conflicting answers” about her travel. “The pat down revealed a powdery substance concealed in a diaper-like garment Ramos was wearing under her outer clothing,” state police said in a statement. The substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed a little bit more than 1,000 grams, state police said. After her arraignment in East Boston District Court, the suspect’s lawyer said her client was a “drug mule.”

(CNN) -- A pipe bomb hidden inside a newspaper exploded when an elderly Vacaville, California, man picked up the paper near his doorstep Sunday morning, ATF spokesman Marc Willis said. The man, who suffered "certainly serious, but not life-threatening injuries," was airlifted to a hospital, Vacaville city spokesman Mark Mazzaferro said. Residents of a dozen neighboring homes were evacuated for several hours, but they were allowed to return home later Sunday afternoon, Mazzaferro said. Investigators were questioning neighbors and relatives to determine why the man may have been targeted by a bomb, he said. It was not immediately known if the victim was targeted. "Neighbors are telling authorities that an unidentified man in camouflage was seen in the neighborhood Saturday night," Willis said. A bomb squad from Travis Air Force Base and federal investigators combed the neighborhood with explosives-sniffing dogs in the Brown's Valley section of the to...

New York (CNN) -- A popular television and radio DJ was shot to death in Staten Island early Sunday morning, according to New York City police. Corey McGriff, known to fans as DJ Megatron, died of a gunshot wound to the torso shortly after 2 a.m. The incident is still under investigation and no arrests have been made, police said. McGriff, 32, was best known for his appearances on the BET's music countdown show, "106 & Park." He had worked for both the show and BET.com since 2006, according to a statement released by the network. "The BET Networks Family is saddened by the news of the untimely loss of our friend and colleague, Corey 'Megatron' McGriff," the statement said. "We extend our deepest condolence to his family. He will truly be missed."

New York (CNN) -- A venomous Egyptian cobra went missing from New York's Bronx Zoo, prompting the closure of the zoo's reptile house until further notice. Staff was alerted Saturday that the adolescent Egyptian cobra was missing from an off-exhibit enclosure, according to a statement from the zoo. Staff members closed and secured the reptile house. Zoo officials said they are confident the 20-inch-long snake is contained in a nonpublic, isolated area of the building. "Based on our knowledge of the natural history and behavior of snakes, we know they seek closed-in spaces and are not comfortable in open areas," the zoo statement said. The Egyptian cobra is most commonly found in North Africa. Its venom is so deadly that it can kill a full-grown elephant in three hours -- or a person in about 15 minutes, according to wildlife experts. The venom destroys nerve tissue and causes paralysis and death due to respiratory failure. Scholars believe the Egyptian cobra...

(CBS/WISH) MARTINSVILLE, Ind. The family Chance Jackson, the 15-year-old victim of a school shooting in Martinsville, Ind., says the boy is in stable condition following surgery. A statement released by the family reads: "Chance Jackson is out of surgery and is currently in stable condition. We appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers and support and ask that you also pray for the families of all involved. Please respect our privacy as we focus on Chance's recovery." A 15-year-old is in custody following the Friday morning shooting at Martinsville West Middle School, according to police. Indiana State Police say the shooting happened at just after 7 a.m. when the suspect, a suspended student, opened fire with a handgun. Police told CBS affiliate WISH that the victim had been shot twice in the stomach. He was flown from the scene to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. All Martinsville schools were locked down following the shooting. The schools will be di...

(CNN) -- A Maine judge handed down a 15-year prison sentence to a woman convicted of sexually abusing her 2-year-old daughter and streaming the acts over the internet to a teenager in the United Kingdom. Julie Carr, 33, received a 20-year sentence last week after she was convicted on child pornography charges, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock imposed the second sentence Tuesday, which will run concurrently with the first. Carr was convicted of producing child pornography and gross sexual assault and exploitation of a minor. "When I see child-pornography, I ask myself: Where are the parents? Where are the people who are supposed to be protecting the child?," Woodcock said, according to the court transcript. "Well, Ms. Carr, in your case, we know where the mother was." The acts took place in June 2009 when Carr used a webcam to deliver four live videos of herself performing oral sex on her youngest daughter, according to the d...

(CNN) -- A powerful earthquake hit Myanmar Thursday near its borders with China, Thailand and Laos, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake hit in eastern Myanmar, about 55 miles (89 km) north of Chiang Rai, Thailand, the survey reported. It had a magnitude of 6.8, the survey said, revising the estimate down from an initial reading of 7.0. It was a relatively shallow quake, which can be very destructive. The Geological Survey initially said the quake had a depth of 142 miles (230km), but it later revised its estimate to say the quake was 6 miles (10 km) deep, putting it fairly close to the surface. A second quake hit about half an hour later, with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The center of the quake was 589 km (365 miles) northeast of Rangoon, the capital of Myanmar, and 772 km (479 miles) north of Bangkok, Thailand. It was 104 miles (168 km) south-southwest of Yunjinghong, Yunnan, China. A d...

EDMONTON, Ky. — Police who issued an Amber Alert for a 15-year-old, fearing he might be in danger after his guardians were found dead in their home, instead charged him Wednesday with murder in their killings. The alert was issued Tuesday after a relative found the bodies of 50-year-old Gary Holloway and 51-year-old Barbara Holloway at their home near Edmonton, a rural area dotted with dairy farms more than 100 miles south of Louisville. They also asked the public to be on the lookout for a 12-year-old girl who had been reported missing by her parents and was later found unharmed with the 15-year-old. She has not been charged. "At the onset of the investigation we had to consider every possible scenario, the possibility that they were perpetrators as well as victims," state police trooper Bill Gregory said. Steve Massey, who identified himself as Gary Holloway's brother, said Wednesday he did not know of any problems the couple had with the teenager. "That...

Spc. Jeremy Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska, was court-martialed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, and one count each of conspiracy, obstructing justice and illegal drug use in exchange for a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison. Morlock was accused of taking a lead role in the killings of three unarmed Afghan men in Kandahar province in January, February and May 2010. Asked by a military judge whether the plan was to shoot at people to scare them, or shoot to kill, Morlock replied: “The plan was to kill people.” Morlock is the first of five soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade to be court-martialed — something his lawyer Geoffrey Nathan characterized as an advantage. “The first up gets the best deal,” Nathan said by phone Tuesday, noting that even under the maximum sentence, Morlock would serve no more than eight years before becoming eligible for parole. Under the plea deal, Morlock also has agreed to testify aga...

LOS ANGELES – Paris Hilton told a friend “I can’t stand black guys. I would never touch one” according to a new book by Neil Strauss called “Everyone Loves You When You’re Dead.” HILTON: I went out with that guy last night. STRAUSS: Which guy? HILTON: (points to an actor in Saving Private Ryan): We were making out, but then we went somewhere where it was bright and I saw that he was black and made an excuse and left. I can’t stand black guys. I would never touch one. It’s gross. (pauses). Does that guy look black to you? STRAUSS: How black does a guy have to be? HILTON: One percent is enough for me.

According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, nearly half of all 12-year-olds in the U.S. are using social network sites, despite not meeting the minimum age requirements for sites like Facebook. And such popularity only balloons once the teens grow older: roughly 64% of 13-year-olds are social networking; between the ages of 14 to 17, that figure jumps to 82%, says Pew. But that doesn't mean Facebook isn't trying to stop kids from becoming addicted to the network at such a young age (though indoctrination does have its benefits!). According to a report by the Daily Telegraph, Facebook is kicking out roughly 20,000 underage users per day. In a meeting with Australia's cyber-safety committee, Facebook's chief privacy adviser Mozelle Thompson agreed that underage users were taking advantage of the site. After all, any user no matter his or her age can register for the site by simply lying when signing up -- Facebook has no mechanisms to de...

Two children, who were the subject of an Amber Alert, have been found safe -- and authorities say they are key to an investigation into the death of two people in a south-central Kentucky home. "They were found safe," said Kentucky State Trooper Billy Gregory late Tuesday night. A firefighter spotted 15-year-old Christopher Endicott and 12-year-old Kyra Shockley while they were driving a missing 1997 white Chevrolet Lumina on a highway in Barren County, Gregory said. The Amber Alert was issued after Gary and Barbara Holloway were found dead in a Metcalfe County home and the children could not be found. Asked if the children are possible suspects in the deaths of the Holloways, Gregory said authorities are considering "every possible scenario." "We can't ignore the possibility," he said. "I think they are the key to the investigation." The Holloways were married and became legal guardians of Endicott earlier this year, according t...

Tragedy struck Soulja Boy on Sunday (March 20), as the 20-year-old rapper's half-brother was killed in a car accident. Deion Jenkins, 14, was fatally injured as a passenger in a crash that occurred in Charleston, Mississippi. On Monday (March 21), Soulja Boy posted on Twitter to express his sorrow. A funeral is being scheduled for this coming Saturday (March 26th).

Washington (CNN) Four elementary students who were given cocaine by one of their classmates last week were back in school on Monday according to District of Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Safiya Simmons. Each of the four children had either ingested cocaine orally or inhaled the substance after their classmate allegedly brought an undetermined amount to Thomson Elementary School. The students were evaluated by the school nurse and taken to the hospital as a precaution. The child accused of bringing the illegal substance to school was not back at Thomson Elementary on Monday. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance last week. A source familiar with the case said the boy who allegedly brought the cocaine to school is 10 years old. School officials did not release information about the ages or grade levels of the students involved, nor did they release further details about the incident itself. Monday was the first day back in the classroom for the studen...

Tripoli, Libya (CNN ) -- A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in Libya after experiencing an equipment malfunction, but both crew members ejected safely and are now out of Libya and in U.S. hands, the U.S. military and a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. A pilot and weapons officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle had flown from Aviano Air Base in Italy to Libya when the fighter experienced problems, the U.S. military command for Africa said in a statement. Both pilots ejected, the statement said. The pilot and weapons officer suffered minor injuries but landed safely in Libya, the military said. A U.S. military plane picked up the pilot, a senior defense official said. Libyan rebels recovered the second crew member and "took good care of him" until coalition forces "could come get him," the official said. Both crew members are out of Libya, the official said. The jet was based out of the Royal Air Force base at Lakenheath, England. It flew to Libya ...

New York (CNN) -- Hall of Fame NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor is expected to be sentenced to six years probation with sex-offender status during a court hearing Tuesday, according to the Rockland County District Attorney's Office. Taylor pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in the case in January. Taylor was arrested last May on charges of "improper sexual conduct involving an underage girl in a Rockland County hotel," the District Attorney's office said. Prosecutors said Taylor paid the teen $300 after "sexual acts." The girl was 16 years old, according to a statement from prosecutors. Taylor entered a guilty plea to one count of sexual misconduct and one count of patronizing a prostitute in the third degree, both misdemeanor charges, the prosecutor said. Taylor was arrested in a Ramapo, New York, Holiday Inn room on May 6, a few hours after the alleged encounter took place, authorities said at the time. Ramapo is about 30 miles northwest o...

(AllHipHop News) A Harris County, Texas man has filed a lawsuit against rapper Slim Thug, who is accused of assaulting the man during a business meeting. Clarence Evans filed the lawsuit against Slim Thug and Raymond Thomas II on March 18th, in the District Court of Harris County, Texas. According to the lawsuit, Plaintiff Clarence Evans attended a meeting at a residence in Harris County with Slim Thug and several associates. Evans claims that he was "suddenly and without warning" attacked by Slim Thug, who allegedly struck Evans in the face with the end of a pistol. The lawsuit claims that Slim Thug ordered his associates to attack Evans and rob him of his money. "Defendants participated in the attack and directed the other attendees of the business meeting to attack Plaintiff and steal any money Plaintiff had in his pockets at the time," the lawsuit claims. Evans is seeking an disclosed amount for a variety of charges. Evans is suing Slim Thug and ...

(CNN) -- A Texas woman who allegedly fled to Nigeria after authorities say four children died in a fire at her day care facility is on her way back to the United States, a U.S. congresswoman said Sunday. Jessica Tata was charged after she left a group of children alone inside a home with the stove on, officials have said. Four children died and three others were injured in the February blaze. "I am glad she decided to make the right decision, which is to return to this country of which she is a citizen in order to face the charges against her," U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said in a statement. Lee, D-Texas, said Tata left on a flight from Lagos, Nigeria, at about 5:30 p.m. ET and is expected to arrive in Houston within the next 24 hours. "Hopefully, the return of Ms. Tata will begin to bring the right kind of closure, even as these families continue to mourn their loss, most likely throughout their lives," she said. The U.S. Marshals Service declined to c...

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The heart of Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli lay in shambles Monday following bombing by the United States and its allies, prompting a debate about whether the allies were trying to kill the Libyan leader. A coalition military official insisted neither Gadhafi nor his residence were intended targets of the bombing late Sunday. The official -- who was not being identified because of the sensitivity of the information -- said the compound was targeted because it contained command-and-control facilities for Libyan forces. U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney concurred. "We are not going after Gadhafi," he said at a Pentagon press briefing. Asked about reports of smoke rising from the area of Gadhafi's palace, Gortney said, "We are not targeting his residence." Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Alec Fraser suggested that Gadhafi might end up being a casualty even if he was not the intended target, but indicated he would not blame the coalition ...