Don"t eat this at a diner

By Dan Myers

Published January 28, 2015

Diners aren’t exactly known for their healthy options, and tend to be loaded with gut-busting breakfast items, which can pack far more of a caloric punch than you may imagine, as well as other unhealthy options like burgers and fried foods. 

While it’s difficult to gauge the exact calorie count of foods served at the nation’s diners, we are able to look at the calories of menu items at Denny’s, “America’s Diner,” and can round up the five unhealthiest types of foods that you can find there. 

Here are a few menu items that can boast more than 1,000 calories.

Milkshakes are a diner staple, but are also extremely unhealthy, as you might imagine when you’re putting ice cream, whole milk, and Oreos in a blender. You’d be hard-pressed to find a milkshake that contains less than 750 calories, and some go all the way up to 1,500.

A couple pancakes may be full of carbs, but it’s something that can be worked off by raking some leaves. When paired with cheesy eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns, however, you’re asking for a serious calorie and cholesterol bomb that even hours at the gym won’t work through.

Most diner omelettes contain upwards of four eggs, but can still be moderately healthy if loaded with vegetables (egg whites are even better). But once you start adding in cheese and meats like bacon, ham, and sausage, the calorie counts go off the charts.

A quarter-pound beef patty isn’t that bad for you, but most diners serve half-pounders, topped with bacon, cheese, and other unhealthy toppings. Pair that with a side of fries and you’re pushing 1,500 calories.

See more super unhealthy diner dishes.

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Don"t eat this at a diner

SHOTS IN THE DARK 2 students hurt in overnight shooting at Md. high school

Feb. 4, 2015: Officials enter Frederick High School. (AP)

Two students were shot outside a Maryland public high school Wednesday night while a basketball game was being played inside causing panic as parents rushed to the scene to make sure their children were OK.

The Frederick High School students were flown to a Baltimore hospital. The injuries they suffered did not appear to be life-threatening, Frederick Police Capt. Richard Hetherington said. He did not know the ages or gender of the students.

Hetherington said the shooter or shooters were still at large early Thursday.

Frederick Police Department Lt. Bruce DeGrange told FoxNews.com the shooting took place at 8 p.m. and the authorities immediately locked down the building.

Officers took about 200 people who were at the game into the cafeteria. Police secured the building and questioned witnesses, Hetherington said. Students were released to their parents in the parking of a nearby bowling alley.

Frederick High School junior Sofia McCluskey said she was watching the game and heard a muffled shot. “Someone yelled, `Yo, they’re shooting,”‘ she said. “And we just ran as fast as we could.”

She and her friend, Stephanie Sanchez, said they ran to the locker room and were taken to the cafeteria, where they waited and were briefly interviewed by police.

Sanchez said it was a frightening experience. “I was, like, shaking the whole time. I still am,” she said.

Dejuan Jones, a sophomore, said, “You would expect it to happen at a varsity game, but it was like a JV game,” he said. “Nobody hardly comes to those.”

Frederick County Public Schools officials tweeted that all other staff and students were safe and accounted for.

The high school has about 1,300 students. The district said that the school would be closed Thursday for students.

FoxNews.com’s Karl de Vries and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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SHOTS IN THE DARK 2 students hurt in overnight shooting at Md. high school

Bobby Brown claims daughter Bobbi Kristina never got married - DR. MANNY: What can happen to the brain during a near-drowning

FILE – In this Aug. 16, 2012, file photo, Bobbi Kristina Brown, left, and Nick Gordon attend the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Sparkle’ at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

An attorney representing pop singer Bobby Brown claimed Tuesday that Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late Whitney Houston, is not and has never been married. 

Brown’s attorney Christopher Brown released a statement Tuesday disputing reports that Bobbi Kristina is married to Nick Gordon. Bobbi Kristina Brown has been hospitalized since Saturday after being found unresponsive in a bathtub at a suburban Atlanta townhome. Gordon and a friend called police.

In January 2014, a representative for the family confirmed to The Associated Press that Brown and Gordon had gotten married, but did not release additional details.

WAGA-TV reported Tuesday that Bobbi Kristina Brown had been moved from North Fulton Hospital, where she had originally been taken Saturday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that she had been moved to Emory Hospital in Atlanta. Brown’s exact condition has not been disclosed, though a statement issued by her family Monday said she was “fighting for her life.”

Authorities are investigating what caused Brown’s medical emergency. Roswell, Ga. police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Holland said detectives had interviewed everyone who was inside the house when officers arrived and had obtained a search warrant for the premises. 

The Journal-Constitution reported that police records showed that one of the men inside the home Saturday, 24-year-old Maxwell Byron Lomas of Duluth, Ga., faces drug charges stemming from an arrest last month. 

Houston, who died after she was found unresponsive in a hotel bathtub in 2012, left her entire estate to her daughter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bobby Brown claims daughter Bobbi Kristina never got married - DR. MANNY: What can happen to the brain during a near-drowning

3 healthy V-Day treats

With Valentine’s Day around the corner it seems like all we see stocking the shelves are chocolates and sweet treats. Pair the chocolates with a few sweetheart candies and before you know it we’re headed into March without a proper game plan for our diets. This Valentine’s Day try swapping out the calorie-heavy treats for guilt-free sweets with your sweetie. 

1. KIND Bar- Instead of buying the typical chocolate bar for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, grab one of KIND’s dark chocolate bars. Their new Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond bar is a perfect option as it only has 5 grams of sugar, with nothing artificial and is made with real, wholesome ingredients. To boost, it is a great source of fiber and protein.

2. POM Wonderful- An 8oz bottle of POM contains the juice from two whole pomegranates, and nothing more- no added sugar, artificial ingredients or cheap filler juices. Powered by pomegranate antioxidants, POM’s 100 percent pomegranate juice is authentic, delicious and 100 percent natural. POM’s 100 percent pomegranate juice is a good source of potassium, naturally gluten-free, non-GMO project verified and contains polyphenol antioxidants.100 percent pomegranate juice helps protect the body against “free radicals,” which are unstable molecules that cause damage to our bodies over time.

3. In The Raw-Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to derail those healthy eating New Year’s resolutions. You can have your cake and eat it too! Create slimmed down treats perfect for the Valentine with a sweet tooth. Replace sugar with zero calorie sweeteners like Stevia In The Raw, which gets its sweetness from a leaf extract, or Monk Fruit In The Raw, which gets its sweetness from a fruit extract. These tasty sugar alternatives from In The Raw are a wholesome way to cut down on sugar and calories, while enjoying a sweet treat with your sweetheart. They come in a variety of options, including a Bakers Bag that measures cup for cup like sugar. Use these sugar-free sweeteners to substitute sugar in any Valentine’s Day recipe such as chocolate truffles and you’ll have a guilt-less treat you can feel good about digging into!

Amie Valpone is a celebrity chef based in New York City and editor-in-chief of TheHealthyApple.com. Specializing in simple, gluten-free recipes, Amie has been featured in numerous magazines and on well-known websites, as well as TV. Visit Amie on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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3 healthy V-Day treats

Florida man admits serving alligators for Super Bowl meal

A Florida man was arrested Sunday after admitting he caught and killed five small alligators and served them for Super Bowl dinner.

Richard Nixie cut off the gators’ tails to prepare the meal, the Orlando Sentinel reports. 

The alligators were less than five feet in length, the Daytona News-Journal reports.

“No one should have possession of a Florida alligator unless they are a state nuisance-alligator trapper,” Greg Workman, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told the paper.

Alligators are federally protected while their considered threatened. It is legal to hunt them, but only during harvest seasons and with a permit, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation website.

The 30-year-old was arrested three hours before the start of the big game at his home. 

His prior arrest record included misdemeanor drug possession, felony weapon possession and armed burglary, the paper reports. He also served three years in prison for trafficking stolen property in Seminole County, Florida.

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Florida man admits serving alligators for Super Bowl meal

Dead Argentinian prosecutor feared for safety of his family and himself

Women holds sign that reads in Spanish; “Argentine justice stinks,” second left, “and “Justice for Nisman,” right, during a march for justice and against impunity in the case of the mysterious death of late prosecutor Alberto Nisman, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. Investigators examining the death of Nisman, who accused Argentine President Cristina Fernandez of agreeing to shield the alleged masterminds of a 1994 terror bombing, said Tuesday, they have found a draft document he wrote requesting her arrest. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) –  A prosecutor whose mysterious death has rocked Argentina’s government confided to an opposition congresswoman that he believed his case against President Cristina Fernández was going to cost him his position, the lawmaker said Friday.

Alberto Nisman was found shot dead in his bathroom on Jan. 18. The discovery came shortly before he was to appear in Congress to detail his allegations that Fernández helped Iran cover up the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center, which killed 85. Fernández and Iran deny the accusations.

Congresswoman Laura Alonso said Nisman spoke to her privately on Jan. 14. She said he feared for his safety and for his daughters, confirming what several other friends and colleagues of Nisman have said.

Alonso said that three days before Nisman died, he had sent her a text message saying, “I’m going with everything,” a reference to the case he was going to present to lawmakers.

She said Nisman told her: “The government knows that I’m bringing this investigation forward.”

Alonso said that even though Nisman felt threatened, he was committed to his investigation and rejected the possibility that he killed himself.

Investigators initially said it appeared Nisman committed suicide, then later said they also were investigating the possibility of a homicide.

Alonso said in another text message sent on Jan. 6, Nisman wrote from London to say he was cutting short a vacation to return to Argentina. Several days later, he publicly accused Fernández of the cover up, speaking to several media outlets.

Investigators, however, have rejected the idea that Nisman altered travel plans, noting he returned on Jan. 12 in keeping with his original plane ticket.

Conspiracy theories swirl around Nisman’s death and the 1994 bombing, which has never been solved. Over the last few weeks, thousands of Argentines have taken to the streets for protests and vigils demanding justice.

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Dead Argentinian prosecutor feared for safety of his family and himself

Costner on Bobbi Kristina

Kevin Costner co-starred with Whitney Houston in 1992’s “The Bodyguard” and he opened up about the late singer’s daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown’s hospitalization during a press junket for his upcoming film “McFarland USA.”

NEWS: Whitney Houston’s Mother Flying to Atlanta to Be With Bobbi Kristina Brown

“We understand absolutely the pressure that the family’s under,” Costner told ET. “We want her to have a second chance. That’s what we want for her. And if Bobbi could maybe retrace her steps, she’d maybe want a second chance at this, because life is precious. You get this one time, and sometimes in getting a second chance we’re able to make the most of our lives. That’s what we hope for … If you pray out there, that’s what you pray for. We pray for all our children out there who somehow fall off. It’s so easy to do.”

While friends of Whitney continue to keep Bobbi Kristina on their minds, emotions have been at a high between the Houston and Brown families.

A source tells ET that Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law Pat Houston confronted Bobbi Kristina’s unofficially adopted brother Nick Gordon last week. Pat has a protective order keeping him away from her immediate family.

NEWS: Bobbi Kristina Brown’s Family Speaks Out

And there was more family drama as police tell ET that Bobby Brown’s sister Tina hit her son Shayne in the head with a bottle at a nearby Atlanta hotel.

A witness tells ET that about 40 people were involved in the bloody brawl but that Bobby was not involved.

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Costner on Bobbi Kristina

Jeb Bush touting conservative policies to aid middle class

The nation’s economy can grow much faster by unshackling government burdens on business, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told an audience of influential Detroit-area business leaders on Wednesday in his first major economic speech as a 2016 Republican presidential prospect.

In his address to the Detroit Economic Club, the son and brother of former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush offered the economic principles that would form the foundation of an economic platform, should he continue on the path toward a campaign. Bush was also expected to attend a fundraiser Wednesday evening in Detroit.

Bush spoke mainly about improving the economic fortunes of middle- and low-income families, especially in cities, such as Detroit, which has recently emerged from bankruptcy.

“I know some in the media think conservatives don’t care about the cities. But they are wrong. We believe that every American and in every community has a right to pursue happiness,” he told the audience of 600. “They have a right to rise,” Bush said, borrowing from his economic mantra and the name of the political action committee he formed in December. Wednesday’s speech was the first in a series of stops his aides are calling his “Right to Rise” tour.

Bush said the federal government needs to encourage economic growth among the middle class, which, he argues, has languished despite the ongoing economic recovery. Conservative economic policies, he says, would provide incentive for middle-income families to reach higher income.

Bush touted education as a way forward for struggling families, an issue he has long supported. In his second term as Florida’s chief executive, Bush enacted the nation’s first school voucher program, aimed at allowing families in failing school districts to choose charter and private schools at state cost.

The former governor also is in favor of paring down government, calling bloated bureaucracy, onerous taxes and voluminous regulations shackles to economic growth and American families’ ability to climb.

The Detroit event represents a departure for Bush, who has spoken only at paid events and private fundraisers.

Aides also confirmed that Bush plans to make his first trip to Iowa as a presidential prospect in March. Bush plans to participate in an agricultural policy forum hosted by Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and agribusiness leader Bruce Rastetter.

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Jeb Bush touting conservative policies to aid middle class

Soap star in horrible accident

Soap opera star Linsey Godfrey, severely injured in a horrific accident in Los Angeles on Monday, is expected to make a full recovery, her rep tells FOX411.

“Linsey is improving and is expected to make a full recovery,” Theo Swerissen said.

“The Bold and the Beautiful” star had both of her legs broken when a car veered onto the sidewalk and struck her, TMZ reports.

Godfrey had been moved from the wreckage by the time paramedics arrived, and she was then rushed to the hospital where she went into surgery, the report said.

Godfrey, 26, plays Caroline Spencer Forrester on the long-running soap. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2006 and completed treatment. She gave birth to her first daughter last year.

WATCH: Four4Four: Hollywood’s sexual double standard?

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Soap star in horrible accident

EPA "free reign"? GOP rips plan to give feds control of all waterways - Expert: EPA turning regulatory eyes to natural gas - FULL COVERAGE: Keystone pipeline battle

Shown here is a picture of a stock pond in Wyoming that led to the property owners being threatened with $75,000 a day in fines because they didn’t get a federal permit. (Credit: Andrew Johnson)

Jan. 30, 2015: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy listens to reporters’ questions during a meeting in Rome. (AP)

Republican lawmakers warned Wednesday that a complex EPA proposal in the works would give the federal government “free reign” to regulate virtually any waterway or wetland in the country. 

In a rare joint House-Senate hearing, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy was called to explain the plan, which has prompted complaints from farmers and agriculture groups, as well as local environmental officials who worry the EPA is claiming authority that should be left to the states. 

House transportation committee chairman Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said that if the policy takes effect, “It will open the door for the federal government to regulate just about any place where water collects.” 

Shuster claimed the proposal would “trample the rights” of state governments and hurt the middle class by driving up prices through additional regulation. 

“This rule is an end-run around Congress and another example of overreach by the administration,” he said.   

Since 2013, the EPA has floated new rules that would define what kinds of waterways fall under its jurisdiction. The Clean Water Act already gives the EPA the ability to regulate “U.S. waters,” but Supreme Court rulings have left the specifics unclear when it comes to waters that flow only part of the year. 

To address that, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers want to define that authority — and are eyeing waterways deemed to have some significant connection to major rivers, lakes and other systems. This would include, according to the EPA, “most seasonal and rain-dependent streams” as well as wetlands near rivers and streams. The EPA has assured, though, that most farming activity would not require a permit. 

The EPA is planning to release a final rule in the spring of this year. 

McCarthy said Wednesday that the point is to make the rules “easier to understand” and more “consistent.” She said the EPA is working to address the concerns of farmers and others, and stressed that the final rule “will not change in any way” those who are already exempted from the Clean Water Act. Speaking to farmers’ concerns, she said the new plan would even reduce the law’s jurisdiction over features like ditches. 

“We are in fact narrowing the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act,” McCarthy said. EPA officials clarified at Wednesday’s hearing that groundwater would not be covered under the new rule, potentially allaying some concerns. 

But several GOP lawmakers were not convinced, worried that the new EPA language would be used to force people and businesses to obtain “costly permits” for their land. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. — citing the case of a Wyoming family that was threatened with $75,000 a day in fines over a stock pond built on their property without a federal permit — said he would introduce legislation along with Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., to “stop this bureaucratic overreach.”

Republicans, as well as farmers and other groups, say the plan could endanger private property rights by giving the EPA a say over temporary waterways like seasonal streams, under the Clean Water Act. Critics warn this could create more red tape for property owners and businesses if they happen to have even small streams on their land. 

The EPA claims, though, this does not expand its authority, and only clarifies it. 

“Let’s set aside fact from fiction,” Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said at the hearing. She rejected the notion that the regulation might allow the government to claim jurisdiction over miniscule water bodies. 

“Puddles, swimming pools, stock ponds are not regulated,” she stressed.

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EPA "free reign"? GOP rips plan to give feds control of all waterways - Expert: EPA turning regulatory eyes to natural gas - FULL COVERAGE: Keystone pipeline battle

Fire Volcano covers Guatemala towns with rock, ash

Feb. 7, 2015: A tourist covers his face as he walks next to a car covered with ash from the eruption of the Fuego Volcano at Antigua Guatemala. (AP)

GUATEMALA CITY –  The Fire Volcano in southern Guatemala exploded incandescent rock and ash over surrounding towns Saturday.

David de Leon, spokesman for the national disaster preparedness office, said authorities had put area on alert, but no evacuations had been made so far.

Karina Lopez, a resident of nearby Antigua, said ash mixed with a drizzle to reduce visibility and the volcano continued to rumble.

The National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction agency issued instructions urging people to take shelter, wear masks, cover water tanks and be aware of evacuation routes. Firefighters were standing by.

The volcano sits on the border of the Guatemalan states of Escuintla, Sacatepequez and Chimaltenango. It has a height of 3,763 meters (12,346 feet) above sea level.

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Fire Volcano covers Guatemala towns with rock, ash

Brother of Sen. Harry Reid arrested, accused of punching Nevada state trooper

Feb. 2, 2015: This photo provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows Larry Reid, the brother of U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid. The Nevada Highway Patrol said that Larry Reid was arrested on misdemeanor driving under the influence, weapon, battery on an officer and other charges after he was found in a vehicle parked in a dirt median of a state highway. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

The younger brother of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly driving under the influence and punching a Nevada state trooper during a traffic stop. 

Larry Reid, 73, was found sitting inside a Lexus SUV that had been driving in the median of Highway 95 near Searchlight, Nev. shortly after noon. According to KVVU, the arrest report for Reid said that the trooper asked him why he was driving in the median. Reid responded with what was described as “incoherent, slurred speech.”

Reid then asked the trooper if he could leave. When he was told that he could not, the report said Reid cursed at the trooper and then put the vehicle into gear. The trooper ordered Reid to stop before reaching inside the vehicle to put it back into park.

At that point, the report claims, Reid punched the trooper twice in the face. The trooper was then able to pull the keys from the ignition and eventually arrest Reid after a short struggle.

The trooper suffered bruising under his right eye, according to the report, while Reid suffered cuts to his head, nose and wrist. When asked about the incident, Reid told investigators that he had no recollection of his interaction with the trooper, according to the report. Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson told the Associated Press that Reid was released after spending a night at the Clark County jail.

Reid was charged with misdemeanor driving under the influence, battery on a protected person, driving in or across a median, failure to obey or comply with an officer, violation of the seatbelt requirement and possession of a gun while under the influence of alcohol. A criminal complaint had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon and no court date had been set.

A spokeswoman for Sen. Reid confirmed Wednesday that Larry Reid is his brother, but had no further comment on the arrest. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brother of Sen. Harry Reid arrested, accused of punching Nevada state trooper

Behavior of SUV driver under scrutiny in deadly NY commuter train crash probe - 6 killed, 15 hurt when NY commuter train slams SUV - VIDEO: Six dead after train hits SUV

Feb. 4, 2015: Emergency personnel work to remove the wreckage of a deadly SUV and commuter train accident in Valhalla, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Federal investigators probing a deadly crash involving a New York commuter train and a SUV have focused on the behavior of the vehicle’s driver, who was identified Wednesday as a 49-year-old mother of three. 

Five men on the train, as well as the SUV’s driver, were killed late Tuesday in the deadliest accident in the 32-year history of the Metro-North commuter rail. The train smashed into the Mercedes ML350 driven by jewelry store employee Ellen Brody, which had become stuck on the tracks between the railroad crossing gates. 

“The big question everyone wants to know is: Why was this vehicle in the crossing?” said Robert Sumwalt, National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman.

The wreck happened after dark in backed-up traffic in an area where the tracks are straight but driving can be tricky. Motorists exiting or entering the adjacent Taconic State Parkway have to turn and cross the tracks near a wooded area and a cemetery.

Witnesses said Brody calmly got out of her vehicle after the crossing gates came down around her and hit her car. She then got back in and drove forward before the train hit the car, killing her instantly. 

“It looks like where she stopped she did not want to go on the tracks but the proximity of the gate to her car, you know, it was dark — maybe she didn’t know she was in front of the gate,” Rick Hope, who was in the car behind Brody, told WNYW.

“I said to myself, ‘The clock is ticking here, the gate is down, the bells are ringing — what are you going to do here?"” Hope added. “She looked a little confused, gets back in the car and pulls forward on the tracks.”

Traffic was moving slowly at the time, choked with drivers seeking to avoid the Taconic State Parkway because of an accident, Hope noted.

As of Wednesday evening, investigators had no evidence the crossing gates weren’t working properly, but their examination was just beginning, Sumwalt said.

Among other things, investigators also planned to examine the tracks, interview the crew and find out whether the SUV had a data recorder of its own.

Railroad grade crossings typically have gate arms designed to lift automatically if they hit a car or other object on the way down, railroad safety consultant Grady Cothen said. The wooden arms are designed to be easily broken if a car trapped between them moves forward or backward, he said.

Acknowledging that collisions between trains and cars rarely cause rider deaths, Sumwalt said the NTSB would also examine the adequacy of the train’s exits and the intensity of the fire, which investigators believe was sparked by the SUV’s gas tank.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said early indications are that the train was going 58 mph, or within the 60-to-70-mph speed limit in that area. The NTSB said it wanted to confirm speed and other data extracted from the recorder before releasing it.

It was not the first deadly crash at the site: A Metro-North train hit a truck, killing its driver, at the same Commerce Street crossing in 1984, according to Federal Railroad Administration records.

Rep. Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., said Tuesday’s accident underscores the need for positive train control, a technology that uses WiFi and GPS to monitor trains’ exact position and automatically applies the brakes to prevent collisions or lessen their severity. While not specifically designed to address grade-crossing accidents, the technology can be expanded for such purposes, he said.

Congress passed a 2008 law that requires all railroads to install positive train control by the end of 2015, but it’s clear most of them will not meet the deadline.

The crash was so powerful that the electrified third rail came up and pierced the train and the SUV, and the SUV was pushed about 1,000 feet, Sumwalt said. The blaze consumed the SUV and the train’s first car.

Elizabeth Bordiga was commuting home from her New York City nursing job when she suddenly felt the train jerk a few times. She and other passengers in the middle part of the train started calmly walking to the back. But then they started smelling gasoline, and somebody said there was a fire.

But they couldn’t open the emergency window or figure out how to escape until a firefighter got a door open, she said. Commuters lifted each other down from the train to the ground about 7 feet below, said Bordiga, who uses a cane.

“When I was on the ground, I looked to the right and saw flames,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

The train’s engineer tried to rescue people until the smoke and flames got so severe that he had to escape, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said

While officials did not immediately release any victims’ names, employers confirmed that the dead included Walter Liedtke, a curator of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Eric Vandercar, 53, a senior managing director at Mesirow Financial.

Every day, trains travel across more than 212,000 highway-grade rail crossings in the U.S. There are an average of 230 to 250 deaths a year at such crossings, down over 50 percent from two decades ago, FRA figures show.

Risky driver behavior or poor judgment accounts for 94 percent of grade crossing accidents, according to a 2004 government report.

Metro-North is the nation’s second-busiest commuter railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road, serving about 280,000 riders a day.

Late last year, the NTSB issued rulings on five Metro-North accidents in New York and Connecticut in 2013 and 2014, repeatedly finding fault with the railroad.

Among the accidents was a 2013 derailment in the Bronx that killed four people, the railroad’s first passenger fatalities, The NTSB said the engineer had fallen asleep at the controls because of a severe, undiagnosed case of sleep apnea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Behavior of SUV driver under scrutiny in deadly NY commuter train crash probe - 6 killed, 15 hurt when NY commuter train slams SUV - VIDEO: Six dead after train hits SUV

Autoworkers repeat bid to boot union for "rigged" vote

Workers in Alabama are staging a fourth attempt to kick the United Auto Workers (UAW) out of their plant following claims that stuffed ballot boxes derailed their last vote.

Employees at the NTN-Bower Corporation, a ball bearings manufacturer, have unsuccessfully tried to boot the labor giant out of their factory for two years.

Workers voted to decertify the UAW in an earlier election, but an Obama-appointed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) panel threw out the election.

Another election was held in January of this year. The UAW prevailed, but it was later revealed that 148 ballots were cast—eight more than the entire workforce. Employees convinced the NLRB to throw out those results with the help of the National Right to Work Foundation.

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Autoworkers repeat bid to boot union for "rigged" vote

Local officials complain they were left in dark on New Jersey Ebola quarantine center

Local officials in central New Jersey are complaining they were left in the dark on plans to convert a shuttered military base into an Ebola quarantine center — and say they only found out about it when fire officials arrived for an inspection last week. 

“Nobody was happy about this situation,” Eatontown Mayor Dennis Connelly told FoxNews.com. 

Connelly says he had learned earlier that the military post, Fort Monmouth, could be used as a secondary quarantine site — the state already uses a psychiatric hospital in Hunterdon County — but only found out that the plan had moved forward last week. 

The Asbury Park Press reported that the state Department of Human Services had been in contact with a select number of local officials regarding the plan for this center. However, they asked that the plans not be made public. Local officials complain there was never an opportunity for the community to discuss the matter and be part of the planning. 

According to Connelly, the concern wasn’t just that patients potentially exposed to Ebola could be housed there. Officials also have been preparing the Fort Monmouth property to be put up for sale, and the Ebola center plans create problems for that effort. 

“Officials … are concerned that such actions have the potential to undermine the economic development of the Fort Monmouth property in the long run as it is necessary for the Board and the public and the State to work together openly and for the betterment of all residents,” Connelly said in a joint statement with Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian Burry, Oceanport Mayor Michael Mahon and Tinton Falls Mayor Gerry Turning. 

Fort Monmouth was closed as a military post in 2011. Shortly afterward, a committee — the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) — was created to assist in the economic transition of the surrounding towns. The committee assumed control of the base from the Army, with the power to lease and sell parts of the property. According to reports, FMERA recently leased a portion of Fort Monmouth for six months to the Department of Human Services to use as the Ebola quarantine center. 

The local officials said in their statement that the lease, though, was “imposed” on the committee by Gov. Chris Christie’s government and “was not vetted at a public meeting or voted on by the entire Board.” 

While the state is being accused of keeping the plans close to the vest, dozens of other treatment centers already are operational across the country to handle Ebola and other outbreaks. There are 48 treatment centers and 20 quarantine centers, overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fort Monmouth was not previously among them. 

Local and state officials have sent a letter to the Department of Human Services requesting answers for why Fort Monmouth was chosen as the site for this center. 

The quarantine center is still in the developing stages, and no Ebola patients have been treated there.   

The Asbury Park Press reported that the center will only treat patients who have been exposed to the virus but show no symptoms, suggesting the health risks would be minimal. If patients were to become symptomatic, according to the report, they would be transferred to another facility immediately. 

Representatives in the Christie administration have not yet commented on the local officials’ concerns. 

FoxNews.com’s Jean Lee contributed to this report.

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Local officials complain they were left in dark on New Jersey Ebola quarantine center

"WORST I"VE EVER SEEN" 7 people shot, 5 dead in shooting near Atlanta

Feb. 7, 2015: Police stand in the doorway of a home while investigating the shooting scene where authorities say five people are dead, including the gunman, in Douglasville, Ga. (AP)

A gunman killed five people Saturday, including himself, after a shooting in near Atlanta that also left two children injured, authorities said.

Authorities arrived at the Douglasville subdivision of two-story homes, about 20 miles west of Atlanta, after receiving a 911 call around 3 p.m., Douglas County Sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Daniel told The Associated Press.

Daniel said a man came to a house and shot his ex-wife and several children. Investigators have not released the names of the suspect or the victims because their family members have not yet been notified.

Daniel told Fox News that the gunman was among the five killed, and that the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. MyFoxAtlanta.com reported that two additional children were injured, and taken to a nearby hospital.

It was not immediately clear when the couple divorced or whether the family had prior contact with police.

“I’ve been in law enforcement out here 20 years and this is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Daniel said.

Daniel said that neighbors apparently heard or saw the shooting and came outside to assist the victims until rescuers arrived. Some victims appeared to have been shot inside the residence while others were apparently shot outside.

Investigators obtained a warrant to enter the home, now surrounded by crime scene tape, on Saturday so they could take and exam evidence from the crime scene.

Kenya Beyah, who lives about four doors down from the home where the shooting began, left flowers at the scene Saturday evening. She didn’t know the family but said she saw kids playing outside from time to time, she told The Associated Press.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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"WORST I"VE EVER SEEN" 7 people shot, 5 dead in shooting near Atlanta

North Korea might be restarting nuclear plant, US institute says - Ex-South Korea leader says Kim Jong-il wanted $10B in exchange for talks

Jan. 2, 2015: U.S.-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies shows an annotated satellite photo indicating signs of new activity at the 5 MWe Plutonium Production Reactor at North Korea’s Nyongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. (AP)

SEOUL, South Korea –  North Korea may be attempting to restart its main nuclear bomb fuel reactor after a five-month shutdown, a U.S. research institute said Thursday.

If true, the finding, which is based on recent commercial satellite imagery, will be an added worry for the United States and the North’s neighbors at a time of increasing animosity over recent U.S. sanctions against the North and Pyongyang’s fury about a U.N. push to punish its alleged human rights abuses.

Activity at the 5-megawatt Nyongbyon reactor is closely watched because North Korea is thought to have a handful of crude nuclear bombs, part of its efforts to build an arsenal of nuclear tipped missiles that could one day hit America’s mainland. Nyongbyon, which has produced plutonium used for past nuclear test explosions, restarted in 2013 after being shuttered under a 2007 disarmament agreement. It has been offline since August.

Possible signs in satellite imagery from Dec. 24 through Jan. 11 that the reactor is in the early stages of being restarted include hot water drainage from a pipe at a turbine building that indicates steam from the reactor and growing snow-melt on the roofs of the reactor and turbine buildings.

The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, however, said that since the recent observation period was only about two weeks, it’s too soon to reach a definitive conclusion about what’s happening and more monitoring is needed. The institute’s website, 38 North, published the findings.

Nyongybon can likely produce about one bomb’s worth of plutonium per year. A uranium enrichment facility there could also give it a second method to produce fissile material for bombs. It is not clear if North Korea has yet mastered the technology needed to make warheads small enough to be mounted on missiles, but each nuclear test presumably moves its scientists closer toward that goal.

North Korea has said it is willing to rejoin international nuclear disarmament talks last held in 2008, but Washington demands that it first take concrete steps to show it remains committed to past nuclear pledges.

The United States also rejected a recent North Korean offer to impose a temporary moratorium on its nuclear tests if Washington scraps its annual military drills with Seoul; Pyongyang claims those drills are invasion preparation. The U.S. called the linking of the military drills, which it says are defensive and routine, with a possible nuclear test “an implicit threat.”

Always rocky ties between Pyongyang and Washington dipped lower because of a recent Hollywood movie depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The U.S. blames the North for crippling hacking attacks on the movie’s producer, Sony, and subsequently imposed new sanctions on the country, inviting an angry response from Pyongyang, which has denied responsibility for the cyberattacks.

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North Korea might be restarting nuclear plant, US institute says - Ex-South Korea leader says Kim Jong-il wanted $10B in exchange for talks

FOX NEWS POLL: Voters disagree with vision Obama expressed in State of the Union - Fox News Poll: Nearly half of voters say Obama downplaying Islamic terror threat - READ THE POLL RESULTS

January 20, 2015: U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington. (REUTERS/Larry Downing)

Many American voters are not on the same page as President Obama when it comes to the mood of the country and his economic proposals. Yet significant improvements in perceptions of the economy are boosting approval of the president — and less than half of voters want his executive actions repealed.

First, Americans don’t think we’re the happy family President Obama described in his State of the Union speech.  A new Fox News national poll released Wednesday finds that by a three-to-one margin, voters see America as a dysfunctional family rather than as the “tight-knit” grouping Obama claimed we are (73-24 percent).

Click here for full results of the poll (pdf)

Men, women and voters of all age groups endorse the dysfunctional description, and even a majority of Democrats — 61 percent — agrees. Still, Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to call America a tight-knit family (37 vs. 14 percent).

Voters also sharply disagree with the president’s strategy of taking government actions to help improve economic conditions specifically for the middle class. By a 26-point margin, they think government policies should help improve the economy for everyone (61 percent) rather than target actions just for the middle class (35 percent). Even voters describing themselves as middle class think the focus should be on improving the economy overall (59 percent) rather than just for the middle class (37 percent). 

When it comes to helping everyone versus the idea of “spreading the wealth,” voters are more evenly divided. Forty-six percent think it is a good idea and 45 percent a bad idea to use some of the money government collects in taxes to “spread the wealth” to others who are less well off. That’s unchanged since 2008 when it was also 46 percent good idea vs. 45 percent bad.

Perhaps predictably, that view breaks down along income-related lines. Voters in households earning less than $50,000 like the idea of spreading the wealth (by a 12-point margin), while those earning $50,000 or more don’t like it (by a 9-point margin). Those voters describing themselves as middle class are more evenly divided: 45 percent call it a good idea and 47 percent say bad idea.

Roughly two-thirds of Democrats think spreading the wealth is a good idea (69 percent), while two-thirds of Republicans say the opposite (68 percent).

There’s more agreement that things are improving, as 53 percent of voters think the economy is getting better. That’s up 10 percentage points from 43 percent in September — and marks a new high during Obama’s presidency. The previous high was 49 percent recorded in both October 2012 and May 2010. Still, for 36 percent of voters it feels like economic conditions are getting worse. 

Those living in higher-income households (58 percent) are more likely than those in lower-earning households (48 percent) to say the economy is getting better. In addition, voters under age 45 (59 percent) are more likely than those ages 45 and over (48 percent) to feel things are improving.

Democrats (72 percent) are more than twice as likely as Republicans (35 percent) to say things are looking up on the economy. 

Despite a record-high number saying the economy is improving, only 19 percent say they are better off financially now than when Obama took office. Some 28 percent feel they are worse off, while a slim 52-percent majority says their family’s financial situation is about the same.

Sunnier perceptions of the economy have helped Obama’s job rating: 45 percent of voters approve of how he is doing, while 51 percent disapprove. While his rating is still in negative territory, this is the first time since October 2013 that approval of the president’s performance has been this high. Last month, 42 percent approved and 53 percent disapproved. 

The increase in approval of Obama comes mainly from independents: 45 percent approve now, compared to just three in 10 in early January (31 percent) and December (30 percent).

And Congress also gets its best ratings in more than a year, although that’s not saying a lot: 18 percent approve, while 73 percent disapprove. The last time approval of Congress was this high was July 2013. In December, 14 percent approved of Congress and 80 percent disapproved.

Now that Republicans control Congress, some wonder if GOP lawmakers will try to cancel or repeal the unilateral actions Obama has taken through executive orders. Voters have mixed views: 45 percent want Congress to repeal Obama’s unilateral actions, yet 39 percent disagree. 

Political identification plays a big role in that assessment: most Republicans want Obama’s executive orders repealed (by 71-17 percent), while Democrats oppose that idea (60-23 percent). Independents split: 40 percent for repeal and 40 percent against.

Pollpourri

Voters resoundingly reject Obama’s proposal to start taxing so-called 529 college savings accounts: fully 82 percent call that a bad idea, including 80 percent of Democrats. The disapproval climbs to an overwhelming 88 percent among parents. The White House announced late Tuesday it will withdraw plans to tax these accounts. 

More than four in 10 American voters describe themselves as middle class (43 percent), and another 13 percent say they are “upper” middle class. Even 38 percent of those with household annual income over $100,000 consider themselves middle class.

Just 15 percent of voters think the country is safer than when Barack Obama became president. More than twice as many — 34 percent — feel the country is less safe now. The largest number — 50 percent — say things are the same.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,009 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from January 25-27, 2015. The full poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

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FOX NEWS POLL: Voters disagree with vision Obama expressed in State of the Union - Fox News Poll: Nearly half of voters say Obama downplaying Islamic terror threat - READ THE POLL RESULTS

Easter Island mystery solved?

This undated photo released by Explora en Rapa Nui shows some of the massive Moai statues on Easter Island. (AP Photo/Explora en Rapa Nui)

The ongoing debate over what prompted the decline of Easter Island’s native Polynesian inhabitants, known as Rapa Nui, is being clarified by scientists digging for answers in the soil.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers explain that they examined agricultural soil chemistry and land use trends to get a better picture of any shrinking and swelling in population numbers.

While some have argued the Rapa Nui’s collapse occurred only after the Europeans first arrived in 1722, the researchers found “evidence of some communities being abandoned prior to European contact,” explains UC Santa Barbara’s Oliver Chadwick in a press release.

To gauge population trends, the researchers reviewed six agriculture sites on the 63-square-mile island. At each one, they measured how much water had penetrated the surface of obsidian spear points, which told them how long the obsidian had been exposed and thus how old the spear points were.

They determined that a very dry area of the island located in a volcano’s “rain shadow” and a very wet area that featured a low nutrient supply were given up prior to 1722.

But the area that balanced a moderate level of rain and a healthy nutrient supply maintained a “robust population” even after the Europeans arrived—bringing with them smallpox, syphilis, and tuberculosis.

Chadwick views the pullback as a reaction to the people’s inability to “maintain the food resources necessary to keep the statue builders in business. So we see the story as one of pushing against constraints and having to pull back rather than one of violent collapse.” (Tooth plaque has revealed more about how the Rapa Nui lived.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: Researchers Solve Piece of Easter Island Mystery

More From Newser

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Easter Island mystery solved?

A "BIG LIE"? Gallup CEO blasts official 5.6 percent jobless rate

The chairman of the venerable Gallup research and polling firm says the official U.S. unemployment rate is really an underestimation and a “big lie” perpetuated by the White House, Wall Street and the media.

What CEO and Chairman Jim Clifton revealed in his blog Tuesday about how the Labor Department arrives at the monthly unemployment rate is no secret — including that Americans who have quit looking for work after four weeks are not included in the survey.

The department’s current rate of 5.6 percent unemployment is the lowest since June 2008, with President Obama using his State of the Union address and campaign-style stops across the country to tout an economic recovery.

“Our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999,” Obama said in the opening lines of his January 20 address before Congress.“Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis.”

Clifton says the “cheerleading” for the 5.6 number is “deafening.”

“The media loves a comeback story,” he writes. “The White House wants to score political points, and Wall Street would like you to stay in the market.”

Since the start of the Great Recession, which economists largely agree began in late 2007, the unemployment rate peaked at 10 percent in October 2009 and finally got under 6 percent in September 2014.

Clifton says Americans out of work for at least four weeks are “as unemployed as one can possibly be” and argues that as many as 30 million of them are now either out of work or severely underemployed.

He points out that an out-of-work engineer, for example, performing a minimum of one hour of work a week, even mowing a lawn for $20, also is not officially counted as unemployed.

In addition, those working part time but wanting full-time work — the so-called “severely underemployed” — also are not counted.

“There’s no other way to say this,” Clifton says. “The official unemployment rate … amounts to a big lie.”

His arguments are similar to those made by Washington Republicans after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced the rate each month during the height of the recession. However, Gallup is an 80-year-old, nonpartisan firm.

The bureau did not return a request for comment.

Clifton suggests the biggest misconception about the official rate is that it doesn’t denote “good” full-time jobs.

“When the media, talking heads, the White House and Wall Street start reporting the truth — the percent of Americans in good jobs; jobs that are full time and real — then we will quit wondering why Americans aren’t ‘feeling’ something that doesn’t remotely reflect the reality in their lives. And we will also quit wondering what hollowed out the middle class,” he said.

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A "BIG LIE"? Gallup CEO blasts official 5.6 percent jobless rate

Divorce hits "Sister Wives"

“Sister Wives” star Kody Brown confirmed to E! News that he legally divorced his first wife Meri to marry his fourth wife Robyn.

Brown, who is also married, not legally, to Christine and Janelle, explained the decision was made by the entire family.

“We have chosen to legally restructure our family,” the Brown family said in a statement obtained by E! News. “We made this decision together as a family. We are grateful to our family, friends and fans for all their love and support.”

Robyn’s marriage woes played out on the TLC show about the polygamist family. She admitted on camera her doubts in being a part of a “plural marriage.”

“I’m happy on the good days and when Kody shows love and affection, but on a bad day, I question my importance to the family and if Kody still care about me,” Robyn admitted on “Sister Wives.”

Brown has 1 child with Meri, 6 with Janelle, 6 with Christine, 1 with Robyn who has 3 children from a previous relationship.

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Divorce hits "Sister Wives"

Unfamiliar superfoods

While an apple a day may keep the doctor away, there’s a whole world of interesting, often unfamiliar, foods that offer a variety of health benefits. 

A few of these superfoods come from around the globe but some may be right under your feet. From ancient Ethiopian grains to vitamin-rich “weeds,” these health boosters may not all be household staples yet—although we see no reason why they shouldn’t be. Nutrient-dense, versatile and easily incorporated into your daily diet, this unique collection of seeds, spices, grains and greens makes for a delicious way to eat healthy.

Used in dishes from Indian curry to traditional American apple pie, the once rare bark of the cinnamon tree is now ubiquitous. However, few are aware of this sweet spice’s healing powers. A daily dose of cinnamon can help balance blood sugar, prevent diabetes and alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. Among its many other uses, cinnamon also inhibits the growth of food-borne bacteria, making it a natural food preservative and digestive aid.

A staple in Ethiopian cooking for thousands of years, teff was one of the earliest domesticated plants, and remains an important part of the North African diet today. Don’t let its small size fool you — this tiny grain is high in dietary fiber, protein, calcium, and other essential vitamins and minerals. While Ethiopians traditionally grind teff into flour to make injera, a sourdough-risen flatbread, it can also be steamed or boiled whole, or mixed in with soups and salads for an extra nutritional punch. As a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour, teff can be used in pancakes, breads and other baked goods.

While the dandelion may be considered a weed, home gardeners should think twice before discarding this small flowering plant. Long used as an herbal remedy in Native American and Eastern medicine, the dandelion is high in essential vitamins and minerals such as potassium, zinc, beta-carotene and vitamin C. As a natural diuretic, the dandelion can also help improve kidney and liver function, and lower blood pressure. Although the entire dandelion is edible, we prefer the root, which can be taken in supplement form or as an herbal tea.

The same seeds known for sprouting grass-like plants in terra cotta figurines also make for an energizing, detoxifying and heart-healthy addition to your diet. Just two tablespoons of chia seeds distributed over the course of the day provide your body with high levels of protein, fiber and omega-3. In fact, the ancient Aztecs believed that a single tablespoon could sustain a warrior for up to 24 hours. Almost flavorless with a crunchy texture not unlike poppy seeds, chia seeds can easily be snuck into foods such as yogurt, oatmeal or salad for an added dose of calcium, iron, copper and zinc.

In some regions of the world, watercress is regarded as a weed; in others it’s known as an aquatic vegetable or herb. However, with its wide range of health benefits, watercress should definitely not be dismissed. Most potent when consumed fresh and raw, this leafy perennial helps combat a variety of cancers and has long been used to treat scurvy. Due to its high iodine content, watercress has a strengthening effect on the thyroid gland—which makes it beneficial for sufferers of hypothyroidism.

Discover more of the best surprising superfoods

More from Gayot

All-Natural Immune System Boosters

Healing Green Teas

Top-Rated Paleo Cookbooks

Heart-Healthy Restaurants Near You

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Unfamiliar superfoods

HEADACHE CONTINUES New England snowstorm could last several days

Feb. 7, 2015: A worker uses a front-end loader to remove piled snow Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, from a street in Marlborough, Mass. (AP)

BOSTON –  Winter-weary New England saw more snow flurries on Saturday and braced for several days of heavy snowfall, possibly totaling a foot or more.

A winter storm warning posted by the National Weather Service was to begin at 10 p.m. and remain in effect for a large swath of southern New England, including in Boston, in Providence, Rhode Island, and in Hartford, Connecticut, until the early morning hours of Tuesday. Light snow began falling in the Boston area earlier in the day, but what forecasters are calling a “long duration” storm is expected to become more intense on Sunday.

By Monday night, 12 to 18 inches of fresh snow could be on the ground in parts of the region, which is still coping with the aftereffects of storms that hit over the last couple of weeks and dumped record-high snowfall totals in some places.

Michelle Currie, a mother of five whose kids have already missed several days of school, posted on her Facebook page a photo of a weather map showing up to 18 inches of snow could fall on her home in Dracut, less than an hour’s drive north of Boston.

“I have to laugh because otherwise I may cry,” she said.

The snow is likely to cause problems for commuters on Monday, though it’s not expected to accumulate as rapidly as in some of the earlier storms, including a record-busting late January blizzard. There also is little risk seen of significant coastal flooding, a problem during last month’s winter blasts.

Boston’s transit system, the nation’s oldest, has been particularly hard hit. The buildup of snow and ice on trolley tracks combined with aging equipment has stalled trains in recent days, delaying and angering commuters. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Beverly Scott said Saturday that crews were doing everything they could, including deploying massive jet-powered snow blowers, to clear tracks before the next storm.

Gov. Charlie Baker acknowledged on Friday that the MBTA was handed an extraordinary situation with old equipment but said the system’s overall performance was unacceptable.

In many New England communities, the obvious problem is where to put the next batch of snow.

In Revere, just outside Boston, schoolteacher Ingrid Samuel said there were “mountains of snow” and the streets “can’t take another hit of snow on top of what’s here.”

“There’s a bunch of snow everywhere, and there’s no more place to put it,” said Samuel, who lost a week of work after the last snowstorm canceled classes. “There are no sidewalks left in Revere. My whole yard is covered with snow. Where will it end?”

David Lombari, public works director for West Warwick, Rhode Island, told the Providence Journal his town was already clogged with snow piles several feet high and school buses were parked in the usual snow storage lot.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do yet,” Lombari said. “It’s tough trying to find a place that meets all the proper (environmental) criteria.”

State snow disposal guidelines require that communities use locations that won’t harm environmental resources and have barriers that prevent contaminants from seeping into groundwater when the snow melts.

Adding injury to insult perhaps, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency warned that potentially record cold temperatures and wind chills are expected to move into the region later in the week after the storm.

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HEADACHE CONTINUES New England snowstorm could last several days

Big news for Garth, Tricia

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwoodare working on a holiday duets album. The two have both said recording a full album together is a priority, and recent statements from the ‘Mom’ singer indicate the project is a priority for 2015.

“Right now, the album that we are starting is the Christmas duets,” Brooks said earlier this month during a press conference in Tulsa, Okla. (quotes via the Oklahoman). “Its our first duet album ever, and itll be a Christmas one. And for me, thats a great way to stick your toe in the water. Were finally under the same label together.”

Of course, it’s not the first time the married couple have recorded together. They’ve done numerous duets, including ‘In Another’s Eyes’ and most recently, ‘The Call.’ Yearwood also sang backing vocals on many of Brooks’ albums during his ’90s prime.

Last August, Yearwood told Taste of Country that making a duets album was something she finally hoped to do with her husband.That was one of the things that was important to us,” she explained. “We wanted to be on the same label so that we could do that easily.

Brooks and Yearwood’s World Tour continues this weekend with multiple shows in Pittsburgh, Pa.

How Well Do You Know Garth?

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Big news for Garth, Tricia

Brady sacked with ‘super’ tax

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots may have won Super Bowl XLIX, but the Internal Revenue Service is about to sack the MVP quarterback.

The four-time NFL champion owes a hefty tax bill after leading the Patriots to a 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Brady will be taxed for his Super Bowl winnings, as well as the Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck given to the game’s most valuable player.

For winning the Super Bowl, Brady’s taxes will exceed $62,164 based on rates compiled by Americans for Tax Reform.

The NFL pays Brady, 37, and his Patriots teammates a Super Bowl bonus of $97,000 each. Brady is subject to the top income tax rate of 39.6% plus the top Medicare tax of 3.8%, which is split with the NFL. That amounts to approximately $40,700 in additional income taxes for winning the Super Bowl.

SUMMARY

BRADY’S ‘SUPER’ TAX BILL

$97,000 Super Bowl Bonus

39.6% Top Income Tax Rate 

3.8% Top Medicare Tax  (split with the NFL)

$40,700 Income Tax for Super Bowl Bonus

$21,464 Tax Bill for the MVP’s Chevy Truck

$62,164 TOTAL TAX BILL

Brady’s prize from General Motors (GM) also carries a big tax bill. The Colorado—the same truck made famous during the World Series for its “technology and stuff”—is a taxable price under section 74 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Taxes are levied on the fair market value of the Colorado. Americans for Tax Reform went with a conservative estimate of $34,000, according TrueCar (TRUE) data.

So Brady owes $13,464 in prize taxes, or 39.6% of the market value. But it doesn’t end there.

Brady has said he is giving the Colorado pickup to cornerback Malcolm Butler, who secured the Super Bowl victory with a last-minute interception near the goal line.

As a result, Brady owes a gift tax on the transaction. The tax code allows up to $14,000 in tax-free gifts, meaning the Colorado is a taxable gift of $20,000. At the top rate of 40%, Brady needs to pay another $8,000, bringing his total tax bill for the truck to $21,464.

Brady is also on the hook for Arizona’s “jock tax.” The Grand Canyon State, in addition to nearly every other state, taxes athletes for each day they spend within its borders.

The likely Hall of Famer recently restructured a contract with the Patriots that will pay a base salary of $27 million over the next three seasons.

Follow Matthew Rocco on Twitter @MatthewRocco

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Brady sacked with ‘super’ tax

Bobbi: Who really found her?

An attorney said Wednesday that it was his client who found Bobbi Kristina Brown face-down in a bathtub last week and called 911, not Brown’s partner.

Maxwell Lomas, 24, of Duluth, Georgia — not Nick Gordon — found Brown on Jan. 31 at a townhome in suburban Atlanta, said attorney Philip Holloway. Lomas and the 25-year-old Gordon were both listed in the police report as being at the home when investigators arrived.

“He immediately pulled her from the water and called 911 as well as alerting other people in the house,” Holloway said of Lomas. “He did whatever he could do to assist in resuscitative measures until first responders arrived.”

Previously, police in Roswell, Georgia, where the townhome is located, had said that Gordon and Lomas found the woman in the bathtub and that Lomas called 911 while Gordon performed CPR. Gordon has not spoken publicly since then.

Brown is the only daughter of singers Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, who was also found unresponsive in a bathtub on Feb. 11, 2012 and later died. Authorities found a dozen prescription drug bottles in her Beverly Hills Hotel suite and listed heart disease and cocaine use as contributors, but concluded that she accidentally drowned.

On Jan. 15, 2015, Lomas was arrested and charged with weapons offenses, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a prescription anxiety medication. Lomas pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to Holloway, who said the arrest is unrelated to Brown being found in the bathtub.

“He remains in the Metropolitan Atlanta area and has been questioned by police as have many other people,” Holloway said. The attorney described Lomas as a close friend and frequent house guest of Brown’s.

Bobbi Kristina Brown has commented often about her marriage to Gordon, the orphaned young man she grew up with after Houston brought him into the family. But her father’s lawyer says they never wed.

“To correct earlier reports, Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick Gordon,” reads a statement released Tuesday by R&B singer Bobby Brown’s attorney, Christopher Brown.

Legal authority over Bobbi Kristina’s health care and money could become a critical issue for the fractious Houston-Brown family, which has said that Bobbi Kristina “is fighting for her life” in a hospital.

Whitney Houston never formally adopted Gordon, but raised the two teenagers together after divorcing Brown.

Bobbi Kristina became the sole inheritor of her mother’s estate when she died in 2012, and shortly thereafter, she and Gordon went public with their romantic relationship.

Then, on Jan. 9, 2014, Bobbi Kristina posted a photo on Twitter of the couple’s hands wearing wedding rings, with the caption “#HappilyMarried. So #InLove. If you didn’t get it the first time that is.”

And as recently as Dec. 25, she was still telling the world that Gordon is her husband:

“MerryChristmas!! :)(:Snuggling in a beautiful hotelroom with MYbeautiful husband @nickdgordon :)(:Life couldn’t be sweeter at the moment!”

Relations between Gordon and some other family members soured last year: He remains subject to a protective order barring him from being within 200 feet of Bobbi Kristina’s aunt, Patricia Houston.

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Bobbi: Who really found her?

Jonas: Dating Miley was...

If you thought Nick Jonas was talented singing his hit song “Jealous,” just wait until you watch him rap.

The 22-year-old joined U.K. radio station Capital FM for an interview, which led to a little sing-along version of instant karaoke.

Not only did he almost flawlessly rap “Baby Got Back,” but Jonas also held his own to Drake’s “Started From the Bottom” and even hit the high notes in Iggy Azalea‘s “Fancy.”

And speaking of karaoke, his ex Miley Cyrus — who happens to be a big fan of rapping the Sir Mix-a-Lot classic herself — was also brought up during the interview.

When asked about his favorite memory with the “We Can’t Stop” songstress, he answered, “It feels like so long ago! You’re talking like ten years ago.”

However, he finally concluded, “We went on tour together, that was pretty amazing and it was a really big tour and got a great response, so that probably.”

“She was like 14 so she [wasn’t that wild],” he added. “I was crazy!”

Check out his karaoke skills in the video below:

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Jonas: Dating Miley was...

Pilot"s mayday call cited "engine flameout" in deadly Taiwan plane crash - Video captures Taiwan plane crash that killed 31 - WATCH DRAMATIC VIDEO : TransAsia plane crash

TAIPEI, Taiwan –  A pilot of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 said “mayday, mayday, engine flameout” moments before the propjet banked sharply and crashed into a river, an aviation official said Thursday, but declined to comment on a possible cause for the accident.

Engine flameout refers to flames being extinguished in the combustion chamber of the engine, so that it shuts down and no longer drives the propeller. Causes of a flameout could include a lack of fuel or being struck by volcanic ash, a bird or some other object. “Mayday” is an international emergency call.

Video images of the plane’s final moments in the air captured on car dashboard cameras appear to show the left engine’s propeller at standstill as the aircraft turned sharply over Taipei, with its wings going vertical and clipping a highway bridge before plunging into the Keelung River on Wednesday.

At least 31 people on board were killed, and 15 people were injured, including a toddler and his father. The search continued for 12 people still missing.

An audio recording of the pilot’s communications with the control tower at takeoff and during the minutes-long flight were widely broadcast. A Taiwan Civil Aeronautical Administration official who declined to be named confirmed the distress call and its wording Thursday, but did not say how it might relate to a cause for the crash.

About 10 Taipei fire agency divers were looking for any more bodies that may be at the cold river bottom. A crane was used to bring the rear section of the plane to the shore Wednesday night. The fuselage was largely dismantled by hydraulic rescue tools and now lay alongside recovered luggage.

At midday Thursday, about a dozen relatives of Taiwanese victims arrived at the riverbank in the capital to perform traditional mourning rituals. Accompanied by Buddhist monks ringing brass bells, they bowed to the river and held aloft cloth inscriptions tied to pieces of bamboo meant to guide the spirits of the dead to rest.

Police diver Cheng Ying-chih said search and rescue efforts were being hampered by “zero visibility” in the turbid river and cold water temperatures that were forcing divers to work on one-hour shifts.

He said the front of the plane had broken into numerous pieces, making the job all the more difficult.

“We’re looking at a very tough search and rescue job,” Cheng told reporters gathered on the river bank beside the wreckage where luggage had been removed and placed in neat rows.

The mangled rear part of the fuselage lay upside down, its wings and tail assembly sheared off and multiple holes torn into its side.

Soldiers and rescue workers worked to shore up the bank with sandbags and steel plates in preparation for lifting further wreckage under cloudy skies. Relatives of some of the Taiwanese victims were expected to visit the scene to carry out traditional Buddhist mourning rituals.

The pilots’ actions in the flights final moments have led to speculation that they attempted to avoid high-rise buildings by following the line of the river and then banked sharply in an attempt to bring it down in the water rather than crash on land. Taiwan’s aviation authority said it had no evidence of that.

Both the administration and the airline, Taipei-based TransAsia Airways, declined to speculate on causes for the crash at about 10:55 a.m. Wednesday near the capital city’s downtown airport. The plane’s black box was found overnight. The pilots’ bodies have not yet been recovered.

The crashed aircraft, which is less than a year old, had once changed an engine, TransAsia Airways Vice President Wang Cheng-chung told a news conference Wednesday. He said the original one was returned to the manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney Canada, after a glitch was found.

“P&WC gave a complete, brand new engine to TransAsia . and installed it for us,” Wang said.

The engine was replaced in April before the aircraft went into use, an airline publicist said.

The ATR 72 turbo-propeller jet suddenly banked 90 degrees within two minutes of takeoff and descended on its side into the Keelung River. It clipped a bridge and a taxi moments before the crash, injuring the driver and a passenger.

Relatives of some of the 31 passengers from China will reach Taipei on a charter flight Thursday afternoon. Local television filmed a mainland Chinese man scolding a travel agency for its handling of injured passengers.

The 15 people who survived the crash were pulled from the open door of a relatively unscathed portion of the fuselage which jutting above the river’s surface after the crash.

Among the survivors was a family of three, including a 2-year-old boy whose heart stopped beating after three minutes under water. He recovered after receiving CPR, his brother Lin Ming-yi told reporters.

Another ATR 72 operated by the same Taipei-based airline crashed in the outlying Taiwan-controlled islands of Penghu last July 23, killing 48 at the end of a typhoon for reasons that are still under investigation.

ATR, a French-Italian consortium based in Toulouse, France, said it was sending a team to Taiwan to help in the investigation.

The ATR 72-600 that crashed Wednesday is manufacturer’s best plane model, and the pilot had 4,900 hours of flying experience, said Lin Chih-ming of the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

The plane has a general good reputation for safety and reliability and is known among airlines for being cheap and efficient to use, said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor at Flightglobal magazine in Singapore. About 1,200 of the planes are currently in use worldwide.

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Pilot"s mayday call cited "engine flameout" in deadly Taiwan plane crash - Video captures Taiwan plane crash that killed 31 - WATCH DRAMATIC VIDEO : TransAsia plane crash

5 digital tricks

File photo. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)

Whether you’re skiing or going to the beach, place your phone in a sandwich bag to prevent damage — and best of all, you can still use the touch screen. Need a fast charge? Put your phone in airplane mode to speed up the process by around 25 percent. And if you need to pump up the volume in a flash, set your phone inside a plastic, glass or paper cup, sans liquid of course.

Today’s gadgets, apps and sites are so powerful and do so many different things that most of us will use only a fraction of their built-in features. I put together some of the greatest tricks that you will use every day, or at least on occasion, to impress family and friends.

1. Take a picture with your voice

Smartphones and tablets are great for snapping candid pictures, but tapping the screen or pressing a hardware button can jiggle the gadget and ruin the shot.

Of course, you can avoid this by using your headphone control buttons to take a picture. It’s a definite, crowd-pleasing, “How’d you do that?” moment. Click here for detailed steps on how to do this slick trick and a few others.

But that’s old school now. How about telling your phone to take a picture? In Android, an app like Camera ZOOM FX ($3) has voice-activation. VoiceSnap for iOS ($1) does the same thing for iPhones and iPads. These are also great for taking group pictures from a distance.

There’s a lot more to taking a great picture than snapping the shutter. To increase your digital photo smarts, here are five secrets for Android and Apple to help you take professional-looking photos.

2. Clean up your Facebook News Feed

If you scroll through your Facebook News Feed, trying to get past the ads, game invites and political rants to find actual information about your friends, this tip is for you.

Click the downward triangle in the upper right corner of any Facebook post to see a number of options. You can choose to see less from that friend or unfollow him so you don’t see anything. If a friend is fond of posting stories, videos, and pictures from a specific app or site, you can usually just block that app or site.

For even more News Feed customization options, click the downward triangle in the upper right corner of your profile and select “News Feed Preferences.” Here you can see and choose what people, pages and groups you’re following and unfollowing.

Finally, add friends to your Close Friends list to see more from them, and add people to the Acquaintances list for less. To manage your friend lists, click the “Friends” heading in the left column next to your News Feed.

If the Facebook app is devouring your data, try turning off the auto-playing videos in your news feed. Click here for the steps to make this welcome change.

3. Really use Google

It’s safe to say that without Google Search, the Internet as we know it wouldn’t exist. But it’s more than just looking up websites.

What other ways can Google be useful, you might ask? Well, enter the package tracking number directly into the search box and Google will pull up quick links that let you track the status of your shipment. Travelers love this one: Type your airline name and flight number into Google and you’ll instantly see the flight’s arrival and departure status — and terminal and gate information, too. Need the weather? Type weather along with the city name or zip code.

If you’re watching your weight, type something like “calories carrots vs potatoes” in the Google search bar to get instant nutritional facts. Be sure to click the down arrow to see the details.

Google isn’t all about work. Click here to learn more about Google’s fun side, such as the little Easter eggs programmers slip into search.

4. Your favorite sites in one place

You probably visit a number of websites daily. You might pin a few and bookmark the rest, but that still means you have to look at individual sites and scan the page to see what’s new.

What if you could get every new post on your favorite sites to appear in one place? That’s what aggregators do. Don’t let the fancy name fool you; they’re simple to use and make life a lot easier.

Feedly (free) and Flipboard (free) are two popular options. Just add your favorite websites, organize them however you want, and whenever you open Feedly or Flipboard you’ll have plenty of new content to read. Love this one!

5. Remotely control a computer

This isn’t a trick you’ll use every day, but when you need it, you’ll want to have it. Say you’re helping a friend or family member with a computer issue over the phone, and you know you could fix the problem in 30 seconds if you were standing there. Unfortunately, trying to walk your friend or relative through the fix is going to take an hour.

Instead, log in and take control of his computer with a free remote access program like TeamViewer. It lets you see the other person’s screen and control his computer like you’re sitting in front of it.

I use programs like this all the time with my friends and relatives. In fact, when I’m setting up their computers, I usually install a remote access program so it’s ready to go when they need help down the line.

Bonus trick:

Have you ever considered adding a second screen to your computer? If you haven’t, then you probably will after you consider that a second monitor lets you move videos, music, email, chat and many other windows without interrupting what you’re doing on your main monitor.

Your tablet or smartphone can function as a second monitor to your PC.

First, pick up a stand for your tablet or phone. I sell my recommended model in my store. Then go ahead and download the app iDisplay, follow the setup instructions and you’ll have a more useful computer in no time. It’s one of these things that once you try, you get it.

On the Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show, Kim takes calls and dispenses advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. For her daily tips, free newsletters and more, visit her website at Komando.com. Kim also posts breaking tech news 24/7 at News.Komando.com.

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5 digital tricks