An Oklahoma School Is Being Sued for Alleged Sex Abuse of Students
Posted on December 25, 2017 in Oklahoma, onetime, overnight, Time
(OKLAHOMA CITY) — An Oklahoma school and its board of directors are being sued on behalf of 15 girls who say they were molested by a teacher’s aide.
The federal lawsuit filed Friday in Oklahoma City seeks unspecified damages from the Perry school district and the school board for allegedly failing to protect the elementary students from molestation by 86-year-old Arnold Cowen.
No attorney for the school or board is listed in court documents.
Cowen has pleaded not guilty to 19 felony charges of committing lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, one count of making an indecent proposal and one count of possessing child pornography.
Former principal Kenda Miller and former teacher Jeffrey Sullins face misdemeanor charges of failing to report child abuse.
A Bus Crashed into an Underground Passageway in Moscow, Killing Four People
Posted on December 25, 2017 in onetime, overnight, russia, Time
(MOSCOW) — Russian authorities say a bus careened off a road and onto steps leading into an underground passageway in Moscow, killing at least four people and leaving 13 others injured.
Moscow police said passengers and pedestrians were among those killed in Monday’s crash. Police immediately ruled out a possibility of it being an attack, saying that they suspect a mechanical fault or that the driver lost control of the vehicle. Police were questioning the driver.
Photos taken at the scene show the bus on the steps leading into the underground passageway.
Russian news agencies reporting from the scene quoted Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin as saying that he has ordered all city buses to be checked in the aftermath of the crash.
The U.S. Says it Negotiated a $285 Million Cut in the United Nations Budget
Posted on December 25, 2017 in onetime, overnight, Time, United Nations
The U.S. government says it has negotiated a significant cut in the United Nations budget.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.’s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million. The mission said reductions would also be made to the U. (more…)
Lots of People Already Crashed Their Brand New Drones This Christmas
Posted on December 25, 2017 in Drones, onetime, Time
With gifts given and Christmas Day drawing to a close, drone expert Faine Greenwood is taking up a different kind of holiday tradition: rounding up all the spectacular drone crashes and accidents that take place mere hours after the airborne presents are unwrapped.
Greenwood, an assistant researcher in the signal program on human security and technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, is compiling some of the best drone accident tweets of the day, and tagging them #DroneCrashmas. The mishaps are as frequent as they are varied, with drones falling victim to everything from 30-miles-per-hour gusts of wind to bodies of water to trees to innocent bystanders.
‘Sound of Music’ Actress Heather Menzies-Urich Dies at 68
Posted on December 25, 2017 in movies, onetime, Time
LOS ANGELES — Actress Heather Menzies-Urich, who played one of the singing von Trapp children in the hit 1965 film, “The Sound of Music,” has died. She was 68.
Her son, actor Ryan Urich, told Variety that his mother died late Sunday in Frankford, Ontario. She recently had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
“She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest,” Urich said.
Menzies-Urich played Louisa von Trapp, the third-oldest of the seven von Trapp children, in the film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.
Jennifer Lawrence Spent Her Christmas Eve with Children’s Hospital Patients
Posted on December 25, 2017 in celebrities, onetime, Time
Jennifer Lawrence spent her Christmas Eve spreading holiday cheer to patients at Norton Children’s Hospital, in her hometown of Louisville, Ky.
The hospital posted photos of the movie star posing with hospital patients and staff on Sunday, writing that the visit has “become a tradition for Lawrence each Christmas.”
“Thank you, Jennifer! You sure do bring a smile to us all!” the hospital added.
People Across the Country Are Celebrating a White Christmas Today
Posted on December 25, 2017 in onetime, Time, Weather
All that dreaming must have paid off: Many parts of the U.S. are celebrating a white Christmas today.
Large swaths of the Northeast woke up to a Christmas snowstorm on Monday morning, with some parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York reporting an inch of snow per hour, according to the Weather Channel. Maine’s Cumberland County, meanwhile, got hammered with 3.7 inches per hour late on Christmas morning.
The Weather Channel adds that the Boston and Pittsburgh areas got even more unique Christmas weather: thundersnow.
‘We Wish You Joy and Peace.’ See the Obamas’ Festive Holiday Photo
Posted on December 25, 2017 in Barack Obama, onetime, Time
Former President Barack Obama posted a photo of his family celebrating Christmas on Monday morning, and the internet is getting emotional.
In the photo, Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama are posing in front of a giant Christmas tree surrounded by a crew of young “elves” and plenty of ornately wrapped gifts.
“On behalf of the Obama family, Merry Christmas! We wish you joy and peace this holiday season,” Obama wrote in the caption. The photo may have been taken on a previous Christmas.
‘MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!’ President Trump, First Lady Share Holiday Greetings
Posted on December 25, 2017 in Donald Trump, onetime, Time
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wished “America and the entire world” a merry Christmas in a holiday address posted on Twitter on Monday.
“In the season of joy, we spend time with our families. We renew the bonds of love and goodwill between our citizens. And most importantly, we celebrate the miracle of Christmas,” President Trump says in the video, before quoting from the Book of Isaiah.
Melania Trump used the address to praise Americans coming together to support the troops, their neighbors and their communities during the holiday season.
“At this time of year,” Melania Trump says, “we see the best of America and the soul of the American people.”