UNCLE POOH'S BLOG

(CNN) -- As emergency responders continued to tally the dead on Saturday, surviving family members and friends prepared to bury loved ones who perished in what has become the second deadliest single-day tornado outbreak in U.S. history. Among the victims for whom memorial services are planned in the coming days are three students of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The area has emerged as the focal point for the Wednesday disaster that swept through six southern states and has killed 342 people so far. According to the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, at least 45 people people died during the storms in Tuscaloosa County, more than in any of the other five southern states that recorded deaths from Wednesday's violent weather. By early Saturday morning, emergency management officials tallied 254 deaths in Alabama, 34 in Tennessee, 33 in Mississippi, 15 in Georgia, 5 in Virginia and 1 in Arkansas. Hundreds are unaccounted for in Tuscaloosa alone, though not all ha...

(AllHipHop News) Rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are in the news again, as a former associate has filed a $27 million dollar lawsuit against the members. Roland Brown filed the lawsuit yesterday (April 28th) accusing the group of breach of contract, over unpaid royalties related to a Mo Thugs Records album. The lawsuit was filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Please in Cuyahoga County, Ohio against Sony, Ruthless Records, Relativity, Loud Records, WMG, Mo Thugs Inc.. and each member of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. According to the lawsuit, Roland Brown wrote two songs on the multi-platinum album Mo Thugs Family Scriptures. According to Roland Brown, he wrote the songs "Take Your Time" and "Here With Me" by the female group Tre. The album, which was released in November of 1996, is currently being sold on various outlets, including the Internet. The lawsuit claims Mo Thugs Inc. never paid a dime in royalties, despite the fact that the album sold over 1 m...

Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- Daylight illuminated a scene of utter devastation across many areas of the South Thursday, following storms of near-epic proportions that killed as many as 231 people in six states. The vast majority of fatalities occurred in Alabama, where as many as 149 people perished, although Gov. Robert Bentley told reporters Thursday there were 131 confirmed deaths. A breakdown provided by Bentley's office showed that violent weather claimed lives in 16 Alabama counties. Thirty people perished in DeKalb County in northeastern Alabama; the death toll in the hard-hit city of Tuscaloosa, in west-central Alabama, was at 36 as of Thursday morning, said Mayor Walter Maddox. "I don't know how anyone survived," Maddox said. "We're used to tornadoes here in Tuscaloosa. It's part of growing up. But when you look at the path of destruction that's likely 5 to 7 miles long in an area half a mile to a mile wide ... it's an amazing s...

(CNN) -- Severe storms pummeled Alabama and cut a path of destruction across several other southern states Wednesday, killing dozens of people, leveling buildings and trapping residents in their homes. Authorities said at least 39 people died in storms across the region. Alabama appeared to be the hardest hit Wednesday night, with at least 25 people killed in severe storms and tornadoes, emergency management director Art Faulkner told CNN. The National Guard dispatched hundreds of personnel to some of the state's hardest hit areas. "This has been a very serious and deadly event that's affected our state, and it's not over yet," Alabama Gov. Robert Brantley told reporters Wednesday evening. At least one strong tornado swept through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, leaving dozens of roads impassable and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. Video from CNN affiliates there showed a massive whirling cloud darkening the sky as it approached. "It literally ...

(CNN) -- A toddler shot and killed his mother, the boy's father told South Florida police, who say they will talk to the 2-1/2-year-old. The father, who called 911, told police he was trying to take the firearm away from the child when it discharged. The boy's mother -- Julia Bennett, 33 -- was shot once in the back and died from the injury, said Miramar Police spokeswoman Tania Rues. "What we do know is that last Wednesday, shortly after 7 o'clock, we received a 911 call from a gentleman stating that his 2-1/2-year-old son accidentally shot his mother -- the boy's mother," Rues told HLN's Vinnie Politan. Rues said investigators will talk to the toddler about the shooting, but that "due to the age, we're not expecting to get much." The boy's father has not been identified by police. They said he has cooperated fully with the investigation, which started with a 911 call he placed on April 20. In that roughly 4-1/2-minute ca...

(CNN) -- A hacker has obtained the personal information of PlayStation Network account holders and subscribers of the Qriocity streaming service, Sony said in a message to customers Tuesday. Sony's investigations over the past week determined that an "unauthorized person" had obtained users' names, home addresses, e-mail addresses, birth dates and passwords, according to a statement being sent to all account holders. The attack also has crippled Sony's PlayStation Network, which has some 70 million subscribers and has been down since April 20. The network lets customers download video games from the Web and play against each other online. "While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility," said Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment, which manage the two services, in a joint statement. The hacker could have taken credit card numbers, card expiration dates, billing add...

(CNN) -- At least nine people were injured Tuesday evening when lightning hit a soccer field in Portage, Michigan, authorities said. The injured were a mix of adults and students, said Charles Wellman, the Portage battalion chief. Seven people -- one with serious injuries -- were transported to area hospitals, with two others seeking medical treatment on their own, he said. Portage is six miles south of Kalamazoo in southwestern Michigan.

WASHINGTON (April 15, 2011) -- Hispanics now outnumber African-Americans for the first time in most U.S. metropolitan areas, shifting the political and racial dynamics in cities once dominated by whites and blacks. Census figures released Thursday highlight the growing diversity of the nation’s 366 metro areas, which were home to a record 83.7 percent share of the U.S. population. The numbers from the 2010 count are already having a big effect on redistricting in many states, where district boundary lines are being redrawn based on population size and racial makeup. Hispanics became the largest minority group in 191 metropolitan areas last year, their population lifted higher as blacks left many economically hard-hit cities in the North for the South and new Latino immigrants spread to different parts of the country. That’s up from 159 metro areas when the previous Census was taken in 2000, when Hispanics were most commonly found in Southwest border states. The new metro areas ...

Waco, TX (April 12, 2011) -- You can get hot, juicy burgers with crispy tots or fries at a new restaurant in Waco, Texas. But it’s not the food that’s getting the attention at Fat Ho Burgers. That’s right. The restaurant is named after a fat (as in hefty) ho (not the garden tool). “It’s not calling people a ho. It’s just like they say, 'Oooh that ho is big,' or, 'That ho is tight!’” said Lakita Evans, the restaurant’s owner who by the way is African American. The 23-year-old worked her way through college to open her burger joint and said the name is mostly a bit of humor in an otherwise serious world. “Look what’s going on in Japan. It’s like clear this world is not gonna get any better. Why cry and be depressed? The economy is bad. Somebody gotta keep a sense of humor around here,” Evans said. For now, that means grilled favorites including the Sloppy Ho Brisket or the Supa Dupa Fly Ho with Chz for a lunch crowd that’s spilling out of the front door. But not ...

(Mashable) -- Facebook is finally launching local Deals -- a feature that will compete with Groupon's core product, not Foursquare's -- in five cities today. The five communities in question are San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta and San Diego. Facebook revealed to The New York Times that the local offers made to Deals users will be delivered via email and will also appear in users' news feeds. Any Facebook user can sign up for Deals notifications on the feature's landing page now; users in the five test cities should be able to see and use Deals. Facebook's first local deals product was announced as part of Facebook's overarching locations feature, Places. Mobile check-ins were linked to deals; in this way, Deals served as an incentive for Facebook users to integrate Facebook Places in their daily lives -- and they were also an incentive for marketers and major brands to put more money into the Facebook platform. Facebook even briefly launche...

(CNN) -- A rare and dangerous outbreak of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes could erupt Tuesday afternoon across parts of the South, from northeast Texas to the Mississippi River, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. Locations including northeast Texas, far southeast Oklahoma, extreme northwestern Louisiana and the southern half of Arkansas are at high risk for severe thunderstorms late Tuesday afternoon and into Tuesday night, according to the Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. "Dangerous tornado and severe thunderstorm outbreak expected late this afternoon into tonight from northeast Texas ... to the Mississippi River," forecasters said. Typically, only a handful of days per year reach high-risk criteria, said CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. "Very large hail and damaging winds" can also be expected, forecasters said. On Wednesday, portions of Kentucky and Tennessee will be at moderate risk of severe thun...

(CNN) -- Investigators on Monday will return to the scene of a fire at a one-story residence in Vancouver, Washington, that killed six people on Easter morning. Authorities had initially said two people died in the fire about 1:30 a.m. Sunday. On Sunday evening, Vancouver police revised the number saying firefighters found the additional bodies after sifting through the rubble of the home. Investigators do not yet know what caused the fire, but have not ruled out arson. Neighbors told CNN affiliate KOIN they heard a loud explosion just before the home went up in flames. "My fiancee ran up, beat on the car trying to set the car alarm if there was one. Tried to run up to the door. But the glass had blown out at the front of the house about 20 feet and it covered the whole entire front of the house," resident Jon Himes told the affiliate. "So she couldn't even get up there to bang on the door." Police spokeswoman Kim Kapp said arson investigators and the d...

San Francisco (CNN) -- Two people died and four were wounded early Monday in a shooting outside an Oakland, California, nightclub, police said. Investigators were looking for three suspects who may have been armed with an assault rifle, according to the Oakland Police Department. Two of the people injured remained hospitalized in critical condition, the police department. Two others were hospitalized in stable condition, according to the department. A second shooting was reported about a block away, police said, but it was unclear if the two incidents were related. The sole shooting victim in that incident was reported in stable condition, police said. Police do not have anyone in custody, the department said.

(Mashable) -- Nintendo has officially confirmed it will launch a successor to its vastly popular gaming console Wii in 2012. Nintedo has sold 86.01 million Wiis from 2006, when the console was launched, to the end of March 2011. However, in 2010 the company sold only 15.1 million Wiis -- a 25% drop from 2009 when it sold 20.1 million units globally. The company also revealed its yearly financial results for 2010, marking a big drop in net profit which was $825 million -- 66 percent less than in 2009. The declining Wii sales paired with the shoddy financial results make this a perfect moment for Nintendo to announce the next version of Wii. A "2012 launch" is as vague as launch dates come, but Nintendo promised to have a playable unit, as well as more details and specifications of the upcoming Wii model, at the E3 Expo, which is held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Bill collectors have upped their game. They've added social media to their arsenal of tools. That's right, they're on Facebook, too! "Normally, collectors use social media to locate people or see if there are any assets that might be collectable," notes Joel Winston with the Federal Trade Commission. "But we have received a few complaints about collectors who are using social media to either impersonate the person's friends or otherwise use it for harassment." For debt collectors who don't want to play by the rules, social media can be a powerful way to badger someone. They can post messages that let the world know you owe a debt — a clear violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Florida attorney Billy Howard, head of the consumer protection department at the law firm of Morgan & Morgan, calls social media "a dangerous weapon" that some debt collectors use to deliberately harass people. "They're using ...

(AllHipHop News) The Attorney Generals of 17 states in the U.S. are calling on Pabst Brewing Company to decrease the alcohol content of Blast by Colt 45, a new controversial drink endorsed by rapper Snoop Dogg. Illinois' Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the drink promotes abuse and "binge drinking" amongst young people, due to the packaging, flavors and the inclusion of Snoop as a spokesman for the drink. The AG's believe Pabst Brewing Company is purposely marketing the drink to underaged children, although reps for Pabst maintain that Blast by Colt 45 strictly for those over the legal drinking age of 21. “Alcohol abuse among young people is a serious and alarming epidemic,” Illinois' Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement. “A product like this only serves to glamorize alcohol abuse and promote binge drinking, threatening the safety of those consuming it.” According to Madigan, a single can of Blast is equivalent to almost five servings of al...

(CNN) -- The wife of Miami Dolphins star receiver Brandon Marshall has been charged with stabbing him in the abdomen with a kitchen knife during a domestic violence incident, according to a report from the Broward County, Florida, sheriff's office. Michi Nogami-Marshall, 26, was charged Friday evening with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, which allegedly occurred in their Southwest Ranches, Florida, home, according to the sheriff's report. Brandon Marshall's injuries are nonlife-threatening, said spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright of the sheriff's office. His wife was released Saturday from the county's main jail in Fort Lauderdale after posting a $7,500 bond, according to Coleman-Wright and other authorities. The case remains under investigation, Coleman-Wright said in a statement. Miami Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene said Saturday that the team is aware of the matter, but his comments were limited because of the ongoing lockout between NFL owners...

(CNN) -- Antoine "Bed Intruder" Dodson, the man whose TV news rant against a would-be rapist became a viral music video and his ticket to celebrity, was arrested for marijuana possession, according to Alabama authorities. Judging by his tweets, Dodson, 24, isn't all that upset about it. "Let me be the first to tell it!!" So just got out of jail off a weak charge!!!," Dodson said in a Saturday afternoon tweet. "Got pulled over in my Benz and they got me ... I never been in jail except that time in grade school." Dodson used an Internet acronym, part of which typically means, "rolling on the ... floor" laughing. The Madison County Sheriff's Office website confirmed Dodson was arrested for possession of marijuana and four other minor charges early Saturday morning. He was booked into the county jail at 2:30 a.m. and was later released. Dodson became famous on "YouTube" after speaking to a local television news sta...

(CNN) -- Two people charged in a staged Texas bank heist apparently didn't think twice when they typed messages in the "What's on your mind?" portion of their Facebook pages, court documents show. "Get $$$(;.," wrote bank employee Estefany Danelia Martinez, 19, two days before $62,201 was taken from the International Bank of Commerce in Houston, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Kevin J. Katz. According to the affidavit, filed with a criminal complaint in federal court this week, her boyfriend, Ricky Gonzalez, 18, wrote on his page on March 24, the day after the robbery, "Wipe my teeth with hundereds (sic)." Those postings, plus an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip on March 30, landed the pair and two others in custody, according to the federal complaint. The tip advised there was information about the heist on Facebook. Martinez's attorney said Friday the Facebook postings may show his client was immature and deserving of a ...

(CNN) -- Daybreak Saturday in storm-ravaged St. Louis gave workers at its closed airport an opportunity to survey significant damage from an apparent tornado that rocked and moved airplanes. Aerial footage from CNN affiliate KSDK showed crews on terminal roofs and cranes and other equipment moved into place at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. The airport was uncertain as to when it may be able to reopen. "It may be an hour by hour situation," said spokesman Jeff Lea. Major damage was evident in several communities, including Bridgeton, near the airport. Airport officials were relieved that the severe storm Friday evening injured only a few passengers while smashing terminal windows. A van was left hanging precariously off the edge of a parking garage. A video posted on YouTube showed strong winds pushing a Southwest Airlines plane away from a walkway and passengers moving quickly away from tall windows. Five people were taken to hospitals for minor inju...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy For one small black town near Lake Michigan, things are about to change drastically thanks to a controversial law that allows for an "emergency financial manager" to take over a city. Emergency Manager Joe Harris was appointed by then Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to "correct financial problems" and save the city from complete financial disaster. What Harris did was come to Benton Harbor - an 85.5 percent black town across the river from 89.5 percent white St. Joseph - and completely remove power from all the elected officials in the city.

(AllHipHop News) The new owners of Death Row Records lost a round in court yesterday (April 19th), when a judge ruled that the label does not have the rights to sell Dr. Dre's hit album The Chronic digitally. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ruled that Dr. Dre has never received the proper royalties from sales of the hit album The Chronic, which has sold over eight million copies since being released in 1992. While The Chronic can still be online, Judge Snyder ruled that Dr. Dre should receive 100 percent of all of the proceeds from online sales of the album. The judge also ruled that the new owners of Death Row Records do not have the rights to sell Dre's music from The Chronic on a compilation or any other albums. The judge ruled that Death Row could only sell The Chronic in four formats: CD, cassette, vinyl and 8-Track.

Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- A man causing a disturbance outside a movie theater near Universal Studios died Friday after being handcuffed and shocked with a Taser stun gun, Orlando police said. Two off-duty officers who were working security in the area tried to deal with a man who was acting "irrational," early Friday morning, said Sgt. Barb Jones, an Orlando police spokeswoman. The suspect -- identified as Adam Spencer Johnson, 33, of Winter Haven, Florida -- began to "violently" resist after one of the officers tried to detain him, Jones said. An officer shocked the man with a Taser stun gun, then he was handcuffed, police said. While on the ground, Johnson became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. The officers involved were placed on routine administrative leave pending an investigation of the deaths, according to police.

(CNN) -- The body of a 16-year-old honor student from North Carolina -- missing since December -- has been found in a Maryland river, her father and police said Thursday. Russell Barnes, the girl's father, said that a female body found in the Susquehanna River in northeast Maryland is that of his daughter, Phylicia Barnes. It was recovered about 40 miles from where she was last seen, in the city of Baltimore. On Thursday night, Maryland State Police Superintendent Terrence Sheridan and Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld confirmed at a press conference that the body is that of the teenager student from Charlotte, North Carolina. "All of us, since that fateful day, have been praying and hoping for a different outcome," said Bealefeld. "But unfortunately, we are here today." Phylicia Barnes' body was one of two found Wednesday in the river -- one south and the other north of the Conowingo Dam -- state police said. Her body was recovered aro...

Atlanta (CNN) -- A nuclear reactor at Georgia's Vogtle Electric Generating Plant has been taken off line indefinitely until investigators determine the cause of an automatic shutdown earlier this week, according to a statement Friday by the Southern Co., which supplies power to much of the state. A plan to restart the reactor, which has been in operation since 1987, will be implemented once the investigation has been completed. The reactor shut down early Wednesday, the statement said. "There were at no time impacts to public health or safety," said Alyson Fuqua, a company spokeswoman. The Southern Co. made "all appropriate notifications" to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to the statement. Plant Vogtle's second reactor continues to operate at full power, Southern said. The Vogtle Electric Generating Plant is near Waynesboro in eastern Georgia. 214

                Mathew Nellesen, Azari Braden, Marlon Green, and Armon Braden (from left). Angry that his father wouldn't give him money he believed he was due, Mathew Nellessen and his friends bound him with duct tape until he handed over his bank account information, prosecutors said today. The 19-year-old freed his father's left hand so he could sign a $100,000 check, then he beat George Nellessen in the head with a baseball bat and stabbed him with a kitchen knife, prosecutors said as the son was denied bail on murder charges. Just a week before,the 55-year-old Nellessen had told someone he feared his son would kill him one day, according to Assistant State's Attorney Maria McCarthy. On Thursday morning, a friend found him dead in his home in the 1000 block of North Wilshire Lane in suburban Arlington Heights, officials said. He was still gagged and bound to the chair, with a bag over his head, authorities said. Judge Kay Hanlon ord...

(CNN) -- Six people were arrested this week and accused of luring a 15-year-old boy to a Florida home, shooting him several times, burning his body in a fire pit and putting the remains into paint cans, authorities said. The killing occurred Sunday in the central Florida city of Ocala, according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Two females in the group allegedly lured the victim, Seath Jackson, to the home, and the group beat him with a wooden object. He was then shot several times with a .22-caliber gun, authorities said. As the wounded teen attempted to flee, he was tackled and shot again, according to the sheriff's statement. His body was allegedly placed in a sleeping bag and burned in a fire pit outside the home. His ashes were placed into several paint containers and thrown into a large garbage can, authorities said. Authorities said they learned of the alleged plot from a member of the group who confessed to witnessing the killing. Fou...

A fight broke out during McDonald's national day of hiring and ended with a hit-and-run accident. WJW reports.

An Orange County Republican Party official is under fire after sending an email with an altered photo depicting President Barack Obama as an ape. The email, sent Friday afternoon by party central committee member Marilyn Davenport, depicts a family portrait-style image of apes with Obama's face superimposed on one of them. The photo is accompanied by text that reads, "Now you know why no birth certificate." By Saturday evening, the news story and image had been widely reported by The Associated Press, Huffington Post, OC Weekly and television news programs. Scott Baugh, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party, has called on Davenport to resign and said the party's ethics panel will hold a hearing into the incident if she does not do so. The panel will make findings, and a majority vote of the entire 73-member committee can oust her. "It's just highly inappropriate, it's a despicable message, it drips with racism and I think she should step ...