Indiana home explosion now being treated as homicide investigation

Nov. 11, 2012: This aerial file photo shows the two homes that were leveled and the numerous neighboring homes that were damaged from a massive explosion that sparked a huge fire and killed two people in Indianapolis. (AP/The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS –  Authorities launched a homicide investigation Monday into the house explosion that killed a young couple and left numerous homes uninhabitable in an Indianapolis neighborhood.

Indianapolis Homeland Security Director Gary Coons made the announcement after meeting with residents affected by the Nov. 10 blast and shortly after funerals were held for the victims, who lived next door to the house where investigators believe the explosion occurred.

“We are turning this into a criminal homicide investigation,” Coons said, marking the first time investigators have acknowledged a possible criminal element to the case.

Search warrants have been executed and officials are now looking for a white van that was seen in the subdivision the day of the blast, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said. Federal authorities are offering a $10,000 reward for information in the case.

Curry said the investigation is aimed at “determining if there are individuals who may be responsible for this explosion and fire,” but neither he nor Coons took questions or indicated if investigators had any suspects.

Officials have said they believe natural gas was involved in the explosion, which destroyed five homes and left dozens damaged, some heavily. Investigators have been focusing on appliances as they search for a cause of the explosion, which caused an estimated $4.4 million in damage.

“We thought something like this was not just an accident,” said Doug Aldridge, who heads the neighborhood Crime Watch.

Aldridge said he and other residents frequently saw a white van parked outside the home, though he didn’t know who owned it. He said residents were angry and upset, but he expects most of them to stay in the neighborhood.

“It’s surprising that it finally came to that. Everyone had their suspicions,” Chris Sutton, who lives a street away from the blast site, said after learning about the homicide investigation.

“It’s kind of scary that someone might set off a gas explosion,” he added. “It’s really scary.”

Hundreds of people attended the funerals earlier Monday for the couple killed in the explosion, 34-year-old John Dion Longworth and 36-year-old Jennifer Longworth.

She was a teacher remembered for knitting gifts for her students, while her husband, an electronics expert, was known as a gardener and nature lover.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who spoke at the news conference, said he went to the Longworths’ funeral and had a hard time coming to peace with what had happened.

“There is a search for truth and there is a search for justice,” Ballard said.

The couple lived next door to the house where investigators are focusing. The co-owner of that house, John Shirley, told The Associated Press he had recently received a text message from his daughter saying the furnace in the home, which she shares with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend, had gone out.

Shirley’s ex-wife, Monserrate Shirley, said her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, had replaced the thermostat recently and the furnace had resumed working.

She and her boyfriend were away at a casino at the time of the blast. The daughter was staying with a friend, and the family’s cat was being boarded.

Monserrate Shirley’s attorney, Randall Cable, declined comment Monday night.  source

 

Judge rejects Hobby Lobby’s case against ObamaCare contraceptive coverage rule

A federal judge Monday rejected Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.’s request to block part of the federal health care overhaul that requires the arts and craft supply company to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after and week-after birth control pills.

In a 28-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton denied a request by Hobby Lobby to prevent the government from enforcing portions of the health care law mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives the company’s Christian owners consider objectionable.

The Oklahoma City-based company and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government in September, claiming the mandate violates the owners’ religious beliefs. The owners contend the morning-after and week-after birth control pills are tantamount to abortion because they can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s womb. They also object to providing coverage for certain kinds of intrauterine devices.

At a hearing earlier this month, a government lawyer said the drugs do not cause abortions and that the U.S. has a compelling interest in mandating insurance coverage for them.

In his ruling denying Hobby Lobby’s request for an injunction, Heaton said that while churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions, “Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations.”

“Plaintiffs have not cited, and the court has not found, any case concluding that secular, for-profit corporations such as Hobby Lobby and Mardel have a constitutional right to the free exercise of religion,” the ruling said.

Heaton wrote that “the court is not unsympathetic” to the problems cited by Hobby Lobby and their owners, the Green family. He said the health care law’s expansion of employer obligations “results in concerns and issues not previously confronted by companies or their owners.”

“The question of whether the Greens can establish a free exercise constitutional violation by reason of restrictions or requirements imposed on general business corporations they own or control involves largely uncharted waters,” Heaton wrote.

Hobby Lobby’s attorney said the companies’ owners will appeal.

“Every American, including family business owners like the Greens, should be free to live and do business according to their religious beliefs,” Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said in a statement.

The morning-after pill works by preventing ovulation or fertilization. In medical terms, pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it can reduce a woman’s chances of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent.

Critics of contraception say it is the equivalent of an abortion pill because it can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. The lawsuit also alleges that certain kinds of intrauterine devices can destroy an embryo by preventing it from implanting in a woman’s uterus.

Hobby Lobby is the largest business to file a lawsuit against the mandate.

Hobby Lobby calls itself a “biblically founded business” and is closed on Sundays. Founded in 1972, the company now operates more than 500 stores in 41 states and employs more than 13,000 full-time employees who are eligible for health insurance coverage. The company, which is self-insured, has said it will face a daily $1.3 million fine beginning Jan. 1 if it ignores the law.

“It is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” said David Green, founder and CEO. “Therefore we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles.”

The Green family has said it has no moral objection to the use of other contraceptives and will continue covering them for its employees  source

 

Rupert Murdoch, apologized for posting a message on Twitter slamming the “Jewish owned press” for its anti Israel coverage of the Gaza conflict.

Founder and chief executive of News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, apologized for posting a message on Twitter slamming the “Jewish owned press” for its anti Israel coverage of the Gaza conflict.

Murdoch reportedly received angry responses to his tweet, which asked: “Why Is Jewish owned press so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis?”

“Middle East ready to boil over any day. Israel position precarious. Meanwhile watch CNN and AP bias to point of embarrassment,” Murdoch wrote in a second tweet in support of the Jewish state.

Due to negative backlash, the media mogul tweeted an apology saying, “‘Jewish owned press’ have been sternly criticized, suggesting link to Jewish reporters. Don’t see this, but apologize unreservedly.”

 

Miami self-imposes 2nd straight bowl ban

 

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami officials said Monday that the university is making what it called an “unprecedented decision” to self-impose a postseason ban for the second straight year, ending any chance of the Hurricanes playing in either the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game or a bowl.

Just like last year, Miami’s decision was made with regard to the status of the ongoing NCAA investigation into the school’s compliance practices. The inquiry began in 2011 after a former booster went public with allegations that he provided dozens of athletes and recruits with extra benefits such as cash and gifts.

By sitting out again, Miami — which still has not been presented with its notice of allegations from the NCAA — is hoping to lessen the hit of any looming sanctions that could be handed down when the investigation ends. Schools often self-impose penalties with hope that the NCAA takes those measures into account when doling out punishment.

Miami clearly hopes that a pair of postseason bans, especially when the Hurricanes still had a chance at a Bowl Championship Series berth this year, helps its cause with the NCAA. Whenever the process ends, sanctions against the football and men’s basketball programs are expected, with penalties likely to include probation terms and scholarship reductions.

The university said interim athletic director Blake James informed the team of the decision Monday morning. University President Donna Shalala and the school’s legal counsel were also involved in the decision.

“Considerable deliberation and discussion based on the status of the NCAA inquiry went into the decision-making process and, while acknowledging the impact that the decision will have on current student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans, a determination was made that voluntarily withholding the football team from a second postseason was not only a prudent step for the University to take but will also allow for the football program and University to move forward in the most expedited manner possible,” said the university’s statement.

It continued, “The University and President Shalala have been clear from the start of the inquiry that Miami will cooperate fully and will seek the truth, no matter where the path might lead and that the institution will be stronger because of it. The University has already taken proactive measures to ensure more strict compliance with NCAA rules and continues to evaluate further steps.”

On Saturday, after the Hurricanes (6-5) became bowl-eligible with a 40-9 win over South Florida, Miami coach Al Golden raved about how his team handled what has seemed like a never-ending amount of adversity.

“Come at me. Bury me all you want. Attack me all you want,” Golden said. “These kids who have stuck it out, who have stayed here, who have never gotten one week in two years without hearing about all this nonsense, don’t blame them. And I appreciate all those kids that not only stayed here, but those guys that answered the bell, that answered the call to come here and fix this. And we will get it fixed.”

It’s the first time since the 1981 and 1982 seasons that Miami will go consecutive years without a bowl trip. In 1983, the Hurricanes won the school’s first of five national championships.

Schools that do not self-impose things like bowl bans when facing NCAA investigations often regret that decision. Most recently, Ohio State — still unbeaten — chose not to ban itself from a bowl last season, before the NCAA handed down punishments for the memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal. Instead of being in the mix for a BCS berth, and possibly a shot at the national title, the Buckeyes’ season will end this weekend.

Miami’s move, which was not unexpected, denies Miami the chance of playing in its first ACC title game — the Hurricanes almost certainly would have gotten there if they beat Duke — and also ends any chance that the team finishes its season playing what would amount to a home game at Sun Life Stadium, the site of the Orange Bowl.

The ACC champion goes to the Orange Bowl, and Miami’s decision effectively ends the Coastal race. Georgia Tech will play Atlantic Division winner Florida State in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 1 for the conference title and automatic BCS spot.

Miami, however, still has a championship game of sorts waiting. If the Hurricanes beat Duke, they will finish tied for first in the Coastal. And for a program that’s has been starting over in many respects, that alone would provide a boost heading into 2013.

“It’s critical,” Golden said. “It’s critical for our seniors, for them to have weathered what they will have weathered and be able to have an opportunity to go out like that. And if you just look at it all the way down the line, if you’re a freshman and you’re playing for that your freshman year, now you become accustomed. You changed the culture. They start to understand what it means.”

The rogue booster who sparked the investigation, convicted and jailed Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro, pleaded guilty to charges that he orchestrated a $930 million scam in September 2010 — three months before Golden arrived in Coral Gables.

“I’ve never been in a kids’ home recruiting where I didn’t have to answer those questions,” Golden said. “And I can’t wait for that day. I thank the parents and the players that stayed here to fight through this.”

Miami’s decision will add to the ACC’s bowl dilemma this season.

The ACC has affiliations with eight bowl games, but this year, it will be unable to fill those spots. North Carolina is ineligible because of NCAA sanctions, Miami is choosing to be ineligible, and Maryland, Boston College and Virginia have already lost too many games to be bowl-qualified — so at most, seven teams will be going to the postseason. Wake Forest (5-6) and Virginia Tech (5-6) could merit bowl invitations if they win this coming weekend.

The ACC pools its bowl revenue and shares it among all 12 of its member schools, but it’s unclear how that process will be affected — if at all — since the league will not receive payouts from the usual number of postseason matchups  source

 

Feed the Children focuses on South Florida’s hunger issues

1 in 5 children in Miami go to bed hungry every night, says group

When most people think of mission work, they may associate church groups going to Africa or South America to feed the hungry. But here in South Florida, the poverty rate has grown tremendously.

One in five children in South Florida go to bed hungry every night, according to Feed the Children, which is why the faith based group is focusing its efforts in Miami.

This week, Feed the Children set up shop at the Overtown Youth Centerand provided food, personal care items, and other essentials to more than 800 families in need.

Families waited hours, some even overnight, just to get a few boxes of food for their family.

Morgan Logan with Feed the Children said the work has to start here.

“I think it’s really important to take care of one another. If everyone tried to help their neighbors, they would lessen the problem a little bit,” said Morgan.

Feed the Children is a Christian non-profit organization that started its outreach in the 1970s by focusing their efforts on worldwide hunger. The founder, Minister Larry Jones, took a mission trip to Haiti and started the non-profit.

Today, its reach has become more localized. With the growing demand in the U.S., the face of hunger has changed.

Miami resident Ilya Williams has a job, but sometimes it’s not enough.

“It’s really, really hard these days. Sometimes, I don’t know where my next meal will come from, but I do trust in God,” said Williams.  source

 

Rubio breaks it down: Pitbull is no Eminem

 

Since winning his U.S. Senate seat in 2010, Marco Rubio of Florida has frequently weighed in on immigration, education and the economy.

But the 42-year-old freshman lawmaker apparently has a lot to say about another topic: Rap music.

“The only guy that speaks at any sort of depth is, in my mind, Eminem. He’s a guy that does music, that talks about the struggles of addiction and before that violence, with growing up in a broken family, not being a good enough father,” Rubio said in an interview with GQ released Monday.

Saying he “came of age” during the East Coast v. West Coast rap debate of the ’90s, a cross-country rivalry between various artists, Rubio considers himself a serious fan of hip hop, which he says has transformed into a new genre altogether.

“Hip hop’s 30 years old now and it’s crossed over and sort of become indistinguishable from pop music in general,” Rubio said. “You know, many people say Nicki Minaj is a rapper, but she’s also a singer. Kanye’s another guy who’s also a rapper, but his songs aren’t pure rap anymore.”

Rubio, who was vetted as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney, has stolen the spotlight in the days after the election by traveling to Iowa to headline a fundraiser for Gov. Terry Branstad. The move quickly stirred rumors of a potential 2016 bid, given Iowa’s standing as the first-in-the-nation state to hold a presidential primary caucus. The senator has also been vocal on the need for immigration reform and a more inclusive Republican Party, echoing post-mortem refrains heard across the GOP.

And while Rubio is known for giving carefully-crafted statements, he gave a simple answer when asked about his three favorite rap songs: “‘Straight Outta Compton’ by N.W.A. (1988) ‘Killuminati’ by Tupac (1996). Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ (2002).”

He was also asked if he has one song in particular that “psyches” him up. Rubio, however, said his life doesn’t have much room for a warm-up routine. “I don’t have time for that. You know you can’t put on earphones and then storm the floor and vote.”

Also during the interview, Rubio was asked to name his best friend. Other than his wife, the senator pointed to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, a tea party favorite who played an instrumental role in helping Rubio get elected two years ago.

“He’s a great source of wisdom as a person who’s had to make decisions that have made him unpopular in his own party,” he said, also naming former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as a mentor.

Rubio may be a student of rap, but he’s no scholar of science, he argued. Asked how old the Earth is, Rubio said such an answer was not his to give.

“I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all,” he said, adding that he thinks parents should be able to teach both creationism and evolution.

“Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that,” he said. “It’s one of the great mysteries.”

The answer will no doubt fuel liberal blogs and many scientists who point firmly to the widely-held belief that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. But by appealing to both sides of the argument, his answer also gives him room to court more moderate voters–many of whom can be found in Iowa.

For now, though, Rubio seems to be more precise on his music tastes. Of the hip artists he doesn’t favor, Rubio says Pitbull–who’s known for “Back in Time” (2012) and “I Know You Want Me” (2009)–doesn’t quite do the trick.

“(Pitbull’s) songs are all party songs. There’s no message for him, compared to like an Eminem,” he said. “But look, there’s always been a role for that in American music. There’s always been a party person, but he’s a young guy. You know, maybe as he gets older, he’ll reflect in his music more as time goes on. I mean, he’s not Tupac. He’s not gonna be writing poetry.”  source

 

Israeli Airstrike Kills Top Islamic Jihad Commander

An Israeli strike on a Gaza City high-rise today has killed one of the top militant leaders of Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian militant group said.

The second strike in two days on the downtown Gaza City building that houses the Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, has killed Ramez Harb, who is a leading figure in Al Quds Brigades militant wing, according to a text message Islamic Jihad sent to reporters.

Witnesses told the AP that the Israeli airstrike, part of a widening effort to suppress Hamas rocket fire into Israel, struck the building Monday afternoon, and ambulances quickly rushed to the scene. Paramedics told the AP that one person was killed and several wounded.

It is also the second high profile commander taken out in the Israeli offensive, which began six days with a missile strike that killed Ahmed Jibari, Hamas’ top military commander.

Today mourners buried the 11 victims of an Israeli air strike on Sunday, the single deadliest incident since the escalation between Hamas and Israel began Wednesday. Among the dead were nine members of the Daloo family, killed when an Israeli warplane targeted their home in Gaza City while trying to kill a Hamas rocket maker, whose fate is unknown.

Hatem Moussa/AP Photo

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Palestinian deaths climbed to 96 Monday when four more, including two children, were killed in a strike on a sports stadium the Israel Defense Forces said was being used to launch rockets. Gaza health officials said half of those killed were children, women or elderly men.

With the death toll rising, Egypt accelerated efforts to broker a cease-fire, but so far the two sides are far apart. Egypt is being supported by Qatar and Turkey in its peacemaking mission and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is scheduled to arrive at the talks later today.

Israel carried out 80 air strikes this morning, down from previous morning totals. There were 75 militant rocket launches, the Israeli military said, also a relatively low tally. The Israel Defense Forces said that since Wednesday, around 1,100 strikes had been carried out in Gaza while militants have launched about 1,000 rockets towards Israel.

Three Israeli civilians died from militant rocket fire in one attack Thursday and dozens have been wounded.

Sunday proved to be one the deadliest days of what Israel has called “Operation Pillar of Defense” with at least 23 Palestinians reported killed. Of those, at least 14 were women and children, according to a Gaza health official. The Israel Defense Forces told ABC News it was targeting Hamas rocket maker Yehiya Bia, who lives near the Daloo family in a densely populated Gaza neighborhood and has not been accounted for.

Israel shifted its tactics this weekend from striking rocket arsenals and firing positions to targeting the homes of senior Hamas commanders and the offices of Hamas politicians in Gaza. Doing so brought the violence into Gaza’s most densely populated areas.

Israel hit two high-rise buildings Sunday that house the offices of Hamas and international media outlets, injuring at least six journalists. source

 

National Security Reporter: Petraeus Was a ‘Total Flirt Both With Men and Women’

Tara McKelvey, who writes about national security for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, told CNN on Sunday that former CIA Director David Petraeus flirted with both men in women in the media to get favorable press coverage.

Following his resignation earlier this month, McKelvey recalled her experience with Petraeus and his mistress, Paula Broadwell, in a piece for the The Atlantic.

“Like many successful people in Washington, Petraeus was a flirt, with both men and women,” she wrote. “Ebullient, energetic, even bubbly, he had cultivated relationships with male journalists for years, selling them on controversial programs such as counterinsurgency, as well as on his own ‘super-human, perfect-warrior image,’ as one military officer puts it. … In short, Petraeus was good at his job, as a military man, as head of the CIA, and as director of a media charm campaign in Washington.”

The Washington Post‘s Rajiv Chandrasekaran explained to Kurtz on Sunday that the access Petraeus provided “could be intoxicating for journalists.”

“You get to zip around the battlefield on a Black Hawk helicopter popping into frontline bases, it’s a thrill traveling with a four star [general],” Chandrasekaran said, adding that “Petraeus was an assiduous emailer.”

“At one point it did sort of prompt a thought in my head, ‘Boy, don’t you have a war to run here?'”

“He was really fun to be around,” McKelvey agreed. “I met him at a party and he was just a lot of fun to talk to and I can see how intoxicating it would be. … He was a total flirt, both with men and with women. You know, people respond to it. They like to be flattered and he was good at it.”

McKelvey had also noted that “classified information is used as a pickup line” in Washington, but would not give Kurtz any specifics.

“I really can’t reveal anything more than that,” she chuckled.

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