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

Lance Armstrong cited after 2 parked cars hit by SUV

Dec. 28, 2014: This photo provided by the Aspen Police Department shows one of the two vehicles involved in a hit-and-run in Aspen, Colo. (AP)

DENVER –  Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong hit two parked cars with an SUV after a night of partying in Aspen, Colorado, but agreed to let his longtime girlfriend take the blame to avoid national attention, police reports show.

Police cited Armstrong with failing to report an accident and speeding weeks after the Dec. 28 accident, but only after his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, acknowledged lying for him.

Armstrong declined immediate comment on Tuesday. His attorney, Pamela Mackey, didn’t immediately return a call.

Hansen initially told police she had been driving home from an Aspen Art Museum party when she lost control of Armstrong’s GMC Yukon on icy roads, hitting the cars. She said she drove because “Lance had a little bit to drink,” according to the reports.

A man who had been renting one of the damaged cars told a police detective that Hansen came running up to his house in high heels, apologizing and promising to pay for the repairs.

“She said, `I’m Anna, we’re the Armstrongs, my husband’s Lance, he was just driving maybe too fast around the corner or something,”‘ the man, Thomas Van Allen, told police, according to the reports.

Police say Hansen and Armstrong left the scene before police arrived.

Detectives later interviewed Hansen, who eventually told them Armstrong was driving, but the couple had decided to let her take the blame.

“We’ve had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and honestly, I’ve got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family,” Hansen told police, the reports state. “I thought, gosh, Anna Hansen hit some cars, it’s not going to show up in the papers, but Lance Armstrong hit some cars, it’s going to be a national story.”

Failure to report an accident is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a fine of between $150 and $300.  Driving too fast for conditions is punishable by a fine between $15 and $100.

Hansen is not charged with a crime.

The Aspen Daily News first reported the citation. Armstrong is scheduled to appear in court March 17.

Armstrong won the Tour de France every year from 1999 to 2005. Those titles were stripped after a massive report by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency detailed the use of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong and his U.S. Postal Service teammates.

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Lance Armstrong cited after 2 parked cars hit by SUV

Oneil mullings back on the track after injury

After numerous falls and injuries, jockey Oneil Mullings with his never-say-die attitude continues to do what he loves best–ride racehorses.

On August 16, 2014, Mullings was among four jockeys involved in a spill during the day’s last race. Mullings and apprentice O’Brien White were both taken to hospital by Caymanas Park emergency personnel for treatment. Mullings was diagnosed with a broken right leg, the same leg which he had broken before, while White was treated and released. The other jockeys involved in the spill, Aaron Chatrie and Delroy Beharie were both sent home after receiving treatment. Mullings, who is still on the racetrack exercising horses in the mornings, returned to competitive race riding on Saturday when he partnered the Andrew McDonald-trained Albebaran, who finished third in the last race.

THE ‘WASP’ RETURNS

Longtime jockey Barrington ‘Wasp’ Harvey returns to the saddle tomorrow. Harvey, who mainly rides in the United States at the Golden Gate racetrack in California, is listed to ride Jarreau and Golden Opportunity.

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Oneil mullings back on the track after injury

Pope leaves Manila after drawing record crowd of 6M

Jan. 18, 2015: Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Quirino Grandstand to celebrate his final Papal Mass in Manila, Philippines (AP Photo/Ron Soliman)

MANILA, Philippines –  Pope Francis flew out of this Catholic bastion in Asia on Monday after a weeklong trip that included a visit to Sri Lanka and drew what Filipino officials says was a record crowd of 6 million faithful in a Manila park where he celebrated Mass.

President Benigno Aquino III, church leaders and 400 street children yelling “Pope Francis we love you,” saw him off at a Manila air base, where the pontiff, carrying a black travel bag, boarded a Philippine Airlines plane for a flight to Rome. Standing at the top of the stairs, the pope waved to the crowd, slightly bowed his head, then walked into the plane.

Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos lined Manila’s streets, with police keeping a close watch, to have their final glimpse of Francis, who smiled and waved aboard an open-sided, white popemobile.

“He’s my No. 1 world leader,” said Rita Fernandez, a 63-year-old mother of four, who stood on a street near the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila where Francis stayed during his four-day visit.

“He rides on a bus. He flew to Tacloban to visit the typhoon survivors despite the storm and he stops to talk to the poor. He’s a living saint,” said Fernandez, who held a cellphone with a camera and wore a yellow shirt showing a smiling Francis.

A crowd estimated at a record 6 million people by officials poured into Manila’s rain-soaked streets and its biggest park Sunday as Pope Francis ended his Asian pilgrimage with an appeal for Filipinos to protect their young from sin and vice so they can become missionaries of the faith.

The crowd estimate, which could not be independently verified, included people who attended the pope’s final Mass in Rizal Park and surrounding areas, and lined his motorcade route, said the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Francis Tolentino.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the Vatican had received the figure officially from local authorities and that it was a record, surpassing the 5 million who turned out for St. John Paul II’s final Mass in the same park in 1995.

Francis dedicated the final homily of his Asia trip to children, given that the Mass fell on an important feast day honoring the infant Jesus. His focus was a reflection of the importance that the Vatican places on Asia as the future of the church since it’s one of the few places where Catholic numbers are growing — and on the Philippines as the largest Catholic nation in the region.

“We need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected,” Francis said. “And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to a life on the streets.”

Francis made a triumphant entry into Rizal Park, riding on a popemobile based on the design of a jeepney, the modified U.S. Army World War II jeep that is a common means of public transport here. He wore the same cheap, plastic yellow rain poncho handed out to the masses during his visit to the typhoon-hit eastern city of Tacloban a day earlier.

The crowd — a sea of humanity in colorful rain ponchos spread out across the 60 hectares (148 acres) of parkland and boulevards surrounding it — erupted in shrieks of joy when he drove by, a reflection of the incredible resonance Francis’ message about caring for society’s most marginal has had in a country where about a quarter of its 100 million people lives in poverty.

Francis dedicated his four-day trip to the Philippines to the poor and marginal. He denounced the corruption that has robbed them of a dignified life, visited with street children and traveled to Tacloban to offer prayers for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, the deadly 2013 storm that devastated one of the Philippines’ poorest regions.

Earlier Sunday, Francis drew a huge crowd to Manila’s Catholic university, where he came close to tears himself hearing two rescued street children speak of their lives growing up poor and abandoned.

The pope ditched his prepared remarks and spoke off the cuff in his native Spanish to respond to 12-year-old Glyzelle Palomar, who wept as she asked Francis why children suffer so much. Palomar, a former street child rescued by a church-run foundation, told him of children who are abandoned or neglected by their parents and end up on the streets using drugs or in prostitution.

“Why is God allowing something like this to happen, even to innocent children?” Palomar asked through tears. “And why are there so few who are helping us?”

A visibly moved Francis said he had no answer. “Only when we are able to cry are we able to come close to responding to your question,” he said.

“Those on the margins cry. Those who have fallen by the wayside cry. Those who are discarded cry,” the pope said. “But those who are living a life that is more or less without need, we don’t know how to cry.”

And he added: “There are some realities that you can only see through eyes that have been cleansed by tears.”

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Pope leaves Manila after drawing record crowd of 6M

SELFIE SPAT Miss Lebanon disavows Miss Israel pic after uproar

Jan. 11, 2015: Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, poses for photos after she painted her country’s name on a wall in Miami’s Wynwood area. Miss Universe contestants visited pop artist Romero Brittos studio for an interactive painting event. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

When does a selfie featuring two beauty queens become an international incident? When the countries involved are Israel and Lebanon, of course. 

The trouble started last week, when this year’s Miss Israel Doron Matalon posted a photo on Instagram featuring herself alongside Saly Griege, this year’s Miss Lebanon, and her fellow contestants from Japan and Slovenia. 

The picture caused an uproar in Lebanon, which has a law forbidding its citizens from fraternizing with Israelis. In 1993, the government disqualified its Miss Universe representative after Agence France-Presse moved a photo of her smiling arm-in-arm with her Israeli competitor. 

For her part, Griege claimed that she had been the victim of a sinister photobomb, writing on Facebook and Instagram, “I was very cautious to avoid being in any photo or communication with Miss Israel (that tried several times to have a photo with me) … I was having a photo with Miss Japan, Miss Slovenia and myself; suddenly Miss Israel jumped in, took a selfie, and put it on her social media.”

Matalon responded with a Facebook post of her own, saying that Griege’s reaction “doesn’t surprise me, but it still makes me sad.” Addressing her rival, she added, “Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game, only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighbouring [sic] country.”

The New York Post reports that the Lebanese government has launched an investigation into the photo. The Miss Universe pageant is scheduled to take place Sunday in Miami. 

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SELFIE SPAT Miss Lebanon disavows Miss Israel pic after uproar

Military tightens password security after CENTCOM Twitter hack - Obama says US must up its game on cyberthreats - Centcom hack shows US fails to get ahead of hackers

 (Shown here is an image of the compromised U.S. Central Command Twitter account.)

The hack attack that seized the U.S. Central Command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts on Monday has prompted the military to tighten its social media password security.

Officials have launched an investigation into the alarming hack, which saw the accounts briefly carrying messages promoting the Islamic State.

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters that he has ordered all 50 Office of Secretary of Defense social media websites to change their passwords and increase the strength of their passwords — and offered a tip sheet to social media account administrators on “how to keep their accounts more secure.”

DoD has thousands of social media websites that it is operating in an official capacity.

Security experts say that the Central Command hack should serve as a wake-up call for military social media. “They probably could have avoided this using ordinary [password] hygiene,” Roger Kay, president of research firm Endpoint Technologies, told FoxNews.com.

Standard security procedures include the use of long passwords with multiple characters and ensuring that only a small number of people can access the accounts, according to Kay. “You want to have just one or two individuals responsible for the account,” he said. “They should be named individuals, so that if there’s a problem, you can go to those people.

Tim Junio, a cybersecurity fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, also highlighted the risks posed by weak passwords.

“If, in fact, the accounts were breached due to poorly chosen passwords and security challenge question responses, the advice would be to make sure that the staff responsible for social media for DoD are well trained in best practices for strong passwords and unique security question answers,” he told FoxNews.com, in an email.  

Twitter and YouTube have not yet responded to a request for comment on this story. A DoD spokeswoman told FoxNews.com that the FBI is investigating the intrusion and working with the department to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

In a statement released on Monday evening, Central Command said that its Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised for approximately 30 minutes, before being taken temporarily offline while officials investigated the incident. The Twitter account and YouTube channel were back online late Monday.

In its statement, Central Command explained that the sites reside “on commercial, non-Defense Department servers.”

Endpoint Technologies’ Kay said that, while the hack is clearly embarrassing, moving the sites to specially-built servers within the Defense Department is not necessary. “They should continue to use commercial servers, but secure them using normal methods,” he said. “My sense is that they were a little bit careless with their security.”

Ofer Hendler, CEO of cloud security specialist Skyfence, told FoxNews.com that multi-factor authentication, which uses a combination of passwords, personal information, and device verification is a powerful way to protect against account takeover. “It forces would-be attackers to present at least two forms of authentication — one that involves something you own (e.g., a mobile device) and the other something you know (e.g., a one-time password),” he explained, in an email.

In its statement, Central Command noted that its operational military networks were not compromised in the hack and downplayed the incident as “a case of cybervandalism.” 

The Twitter account, while it was compromised, carried an image identifying the page as “CyberCaliphate” with a message that said, “I love you ISIS.” 

The hacker group may be the same one that is under FBI investigation for hijacking the websites or Twitter feeds of media outlets in the last month, including a Maryland television station and a New Mexico newspaper. 

The intrusion on the military Twitter account carried the same logo, CyberCaliphate name and photo that appeared on the Albuquerque Journal’s website in late December when one of its stories was hacked. And earlier this month, it appeared that the same hackers breached the Journal’s Twitter account and also took over the website and Twitter feed of WBOC-TV in Salisbury, Md. 

During the Central Command hack, tweets contained what appeared to be military plans and contact information for military officials — one posting even showed what appeared to be an image from a computer webcam in a military facility.

Central Command said that, based on its initial assessment, no classified information was posted and that none of the information came from its server or social media sites.  “Additionally, we are notifying appropriate DoD and law enforcement authorities about the potential release of personally identifiable information and will take appropriate steps to ensure any individuals potentially affected are notified as quickly as possible,” it said, in its statement.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Military tightens password security after CENTCOM Twitter hack - Obama says US must up its game on cyberthreats - Centcom hack shows US fails to get ahead of hackers

GOP senators push bill to limit Gitmo transfers, call for ‘time out’ after attacks

This March 1, 2002 file photo shows a detainee at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. (AP)

Republican senators on Tuesday introduced new legislation to clamp down on President Obama’s ability to transfer terror suspects out of Guantanamo Bay, calling for a “time out” on releasing detainees in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire introduced the far-reaching legislation to “extend and enhance prohibitions and limitations” on transferring or releasing Guantanamo prisoners.

She cited the steady stream of detainees allegedly tied to Al Qaeda who have been transferred in recent months, even to Yemen, which she called the “wild West” for terrorists.

“It’s clear that we need a time out,” she said.

A Yemeni government official briefed on the investigation into last week’s terror attacks in France told Fox News that one of the suspects in that attack met with American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen in 2011 at an Al Qaeda camp.

The Yemen connection has raised new concerns about transfers to that country and elsewhere, and GOP senators who joined Ayotte on Tuesday said the Paris attack shows that governments are limited in their ability to monitor suspects.

Joining Ayotte in backing the measure were Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain of Arizona; Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina; and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

The measure would repeal current law that has allowed the administration to transfer prisoners to foreign countries and reduce the population at Guantanamo to 127. The bill also would prohibit transfers of terror suspects to foreign countries if there has been a confirmed case where an individual was transferred from Guantanamo and engaged in any terrorist activity. It would specifically bar transfers to Yemen for two years.

Further, the bill would prohibit the transfer of terror suspects considered to be high-risk or medium-risk – some of the recently transferred detainees fell into those categories.

The administration is currently conducting an assessment of all detainees at the facility, and is almost certain to oppose the Senate legislation.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said closing the facility is “in the clear national security interest” of the country.

“That continues to be the goal that this administration has,” Earnest said. 

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf echoed the White House in calling it a security priority to close the prison camp. Asked about the specific legislation, she said, “that’s not something we think is going to help us close Guantanamo” and stressed the importance of working with other countries to transfer detainees. 

Obama has pushed to close Guantanamo since his inauguration in January 2009, but has faced strong opposition from congressional Republicans and some Democrats who argued that the facility is the best location for terror suspects since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Past laws have repeatedly included provisions barring any transfer of terror suspects to U.S. prisons.

The administration has been transferring detainees cleared for movement to other countries. Five men who were held for a dozen years without charge at Guantanamo were sent to the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan for resettlement in late December.

Nearly 30 prisoners were resettled in third countries last year as part of Obama’s renewed push to close the detention center.

The Senate measure also would bar the use of any government funds, whether in the budget for the Defense Department or in any other agency, to construct or modify facilities in the United States to house terror suspects.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GOP senators push bill to limit Gitmo transfers, call for ‘time out’ after attacks

Patriots crush Colts, reach sixth Super Bowl with Belichick and Brady - Seahawks stun Packers in OT after late comeback

Jan. 18, 2015: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates LeGarrette Blount’s touchdown during the second half of the NFL football AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. –  Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are headed to a special place where no coach or player has gone more — the Super Bowl.

They earned their trip with the second most lopsided AFC championship victory ever.

The New England Patriots dominant duo earned a sixth trip to the Super Bowl with a 45-7 wipeout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game before a raucous, rain-soaked crowd Sunday night.

The Patriots tied Dallas and Pittsburgh for most appearances in the big game with eight.

Scoring touchdowns on their first four second-half possessions, the Patriots (14-4) moved on to face defending champion Seattle (14-4) for the NFL title on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona. Belichick will face Pete Carroll, whom he replaced as Patriots coach 2000. The Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime in the NFC title game.

In his first year as a starter, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win in the 2001 season, starting a run of three championships in four years. Now he and Belichick have a chance for their first in 10 years.

Brady threw three touchdown passes, LeGarrette Blount ran 30 times for 148 yards and three scores and the Patriots charged away after leading just 17-7 at halftime.

With his sixth Super Bowl berth, Brady surpassed John Elway for the most by a quarterback and tied defensive lineman Mike Lodish for most by any player. Belichick’s sixth visit tied him with Don Shula’s for most by a coach.

Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards before being replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo with 3:20 left. Brady went to the sideline where he was embraced by Belichick. Moments earlier, while sitting on the bench, Brady was shown on the video board with soaked hair. He pumped his fist in the air 12 times then slapped hands with teammates.

The biggest blowout in AFC title history was Buffalo’s 51-3 win over the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1990 season.

For Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, it was the worst game of his three-year career and the fourth rout in his four career games against the Patriots, all by at least three touchdowns. He completed 12 of 33 passes for 126 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

He lost 43-22 in last season’s divisional playoff with Blount rushing for 166 yards and four touchdowns. And on Nov. 16, he lost 43-22 as Jonas Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

The Indianapolis defense was porous against the run again Sunday night. They weren’t much better against the pass.

And when Luck threw an interception that Darrelle Revis late in the third quarter, Blount ran 13 yards for the touchdown that made it 38-7.

One fan held up a sign: “No Luck In Our House”

But there was plenty of skill — and a touch of surprise — from the Patriots.

Eight days after baffling  Baltimore with a four-man offensive linemen formation that drew a loud protest from Ravens coach John Harbaugh in the Patriots 35-31 divisional win, Belichick called a pass to left tackle Nate Solder, who was eligible, that resulted in a 16-yard touchdown that made it 24-7 with just under five minutes gone in the third quarter.

The Patriots kept rolling with touchdowns on each of their next three series — a 5-yard pass from Brady to Rob Gronkowski, and Blount’s runs of 13 and 2 yards.

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Patriots crush Colts, reach sixth Super Bowl with Belichick and Brady - Seahawks stun Packers in OT after late comeback

6 injured after car smashes through California Macy"s

Jan. 14, 2015: Scene at NewPark Mall where a driver plowed through a Macy’s store. (KTVU)

A car plowed through the front of a California Macy’s store leaving six people injured, Wednesday night.

A 63-year-old driving a blue Honda Fit went through the doors at the NewPark Mall in Newark, Calif. The driver suffered a medical episode and crashed into the store, KTVU reports.

The youngest victim was an eight-year-old who suffered minor injuries, while another man hit on the sidewalk suffered serious injuries.

Crews from the Almeda County Fire Department arrived on the scene with three fire engines and six ambulances, spokeswoman Aisha Knowles said.

Four of the six injured resulted from the crash, while two others were not directly hurt when the car drove into the store, but required medical attention.

Five people were transported to a local hospital, one of them the driver.

No arrests have been made.

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6 injured after car smashes through California Macy"s

Chelsea sole leaders after City slip

LONDON, England (AFP) — Chelsea took sole possession of first place in the Premier League table after they beat Newcastle United 2-0 yesterday and Manchester City drew 1-1 at Everton.

Chelsea began the day dead-level with City, but with the defending champions dropping points for only the second time in 10 matches, Jose Mourinho’s side moved two points clear.

Newcastle had beaten Chelsea 2-1 in the reverse fixture and despite still being without a manager following Alan Pardew’s departure, they looked capable of pulling off a repeat in the first half at Stamford Bridge.

Petr Cech was deputising in goal for Chelsea due to a finger injury to Thibaut Courtois and he had to save from Remy Cabella and Yoan Gouffran, while Moussa Sissoko powered a shot against the post.

Chelsea lost Cesar Azpilicueta to an apparent groin injury in the 37th minute, but they went ahead six minutes later when Oscar tapped in Branislav Ivanovic’s cross after Willian took a quick corner.

Mourinho’s team were far from their best, but they added a delightfully constructed second goal just before the hour, with Diego Costa gathering a clever back-heel from Oscar and drilling in his 15th goal of the campaign.

“You always want to play well, but that’s not always possible,” said Chelsea assistant coach Steve Holland.

“It is important that when you don’t play as well as you’d like to, you still get the result.”

At Goodison Park, Everton enjoyed the best of the first half against City, with Seamus Coleman hitting the bar.

City went ahead in the 74th minute when Fernandinho helped a deflected shot from David Silva over the line with his head, but Steven Naismith equalised four minutes later, glancing home a free-kick from Leighton Baines.

Tottenham Hotspur squandered an opportunity to climb into the top four after losing 1-2 at Pardew’s Crystal Palace, who clambered out of the relegation zone.

Harry Kane’s low drive put Tottenham ahead in the 49th minute, but Dwight Gayle equalised from the penalty spot before Jason Puncheon thrashed in an 80th-minute winner.

It was Spurs’ first defeat in seven games and left Mauricio Pochettino’s side in fifth place, two points below Southampton, who visit third-placed Manchester United today.

Serbian winger Lazar Markovic scored his first league goal as improving Liverpool closed to within four points of the top four by winning 1-0 at Sunderland, who had Liam Bridcutt sent off for two bookable offences.

West Ham United spurned a chance to climb to fifth place after being held to a 1-1 draw at Swansea City.

Andy Carroll put West Ham ahead in the 43rd minute with a fine effort, chesting down a high ball and then dancing across the box before slamming a left-foot shot into the top-right corner from 15 yards.

But Swansea equalised in the 74th minute when a header from France striker Bafetimbi Gomis hit the post, struck West Ham midfielder Mark Noble and rebounded into the net for an own goal.

Gomis celebrated by displaying a France flag in tribute to the victims of this week’s Islamist killing spree in Paris.

Burnley climbed out of the relegation zone and dragged Queens Park Rangers into the bottom three with a 2-1 home win over Harry Redknapp’s side.

Scott Arfield’s opener was cancelled out by a penalty from former Burnley striker Charlie Austin, but Danny Ings gave the hosts victory in the 37th minute by rolling the ball past Rob Green after a neat piece of control.

Bottom club Leicester City closed to within three points of safety by winning 1-0 at home to Aston Villa, with Paul Konchesky slamming in the only goal in first-half stoppage time.

Leicester’s Matty James and Villa’s Ciaran Clark were sent off in added time after clashing in the centre circle.

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Chelsea sole leaders after City slip

Wesley Brown on cloud nine after golf rankings debut

JAMAICA’S rising golfing star Wesley Brown has officially made it on the international golf rankings. He has been listed at number 1,548 in the latest release, which is topped by world number one Rory McIlroy.

An elated Brown, who has been on a roll recently winning his last two tournaments in Jamaica, said making the international rankings was a dream come true.

“I am elated and so happy. I have worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices and now all this is paying off, ” Brown said.

He was full of praise for his sponsor Sandals Resorts International for its support which has allowed him to participate in the international tour.

Brown, who is currently on a break until January, said his plan is to steadily move up the rankings and is confident that next year will be an even more successful one.

The Jamaican ace recently won the Alliance Buccaneer Memorial Event at Caymanas Golf Club as well as a charity event in Montego Bay.

With his golfing season now closed for the year, Brown said he will be back in action in Jamaica in January, but will open his overseas tour in February. “I am expecting even better things on the Carolina Series this year,” Brown noted.

He will next year be playing on the high-level USA Pro Series circuit following sterling play abroad. He had previously competed on the National Golfing Association (NGA) Carolina Series, which is a notch below the Pro Series, but due to his outstanding performances, had earned a shot at the higher rated Pro Series.

The NGA Tour consists of several tours: Pro Series, Carolina Series and Winter Series.

Brown is a caddy at Sandals Golf and Country Club in St Ann.

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Wesley Brown on cloud nine after golf rankings debut

12-year-old boy in custody after school stabbing

Wednesday, December 17, 2014 | 12:07 PM    

SYRACUSE, New York (AP) — Authorities say a 12-year-old boy has been charged with stabbing a 12-year-old girl inside a New York school.

Syracuse Detective Sergeant Thomas Connellan says the girl was stabbed once in the forearm at about 7:40 am Wednesday inside the HW Smith School, which has students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

He says the injury isn’t life-threatening.

A teacher subdued the boy and he’s in custody. He’ll appear in Onondaga County Family Court later Wednesday on a charge of second-degree assault.

Investigators are looking into what led to the stabbing. Connellan says the two children were believed to have been involved in an ongoing fight.

No names have been released.

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12-year-old boy in custody after school stabbing

Dutch woman arrested after confessing to smuggling cocaine in her "private parts"

Tuesday, January 06, 2015 | 11:53 AM    

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) – Police say they have arrested a 38-year-old woman on drug related charges as she attempted to board a flight at the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport on Sunday.

A police statement Tuesday said that the woman, identified only as Rachel A and the holder of a Dutch passport, had checked in for a flight to The Netherlands.

“During inspections it turned out that she had hidden cocaine in one of her body cavities,” the police said in a statement adding that the woman had also admitted to swallowing some of the cocaine pellets.

Police said “so far” they confiscated 310 grams from Rachel A and that the case has been transferred to the Narcotics Unit for further investigation.

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Dutch woman arrested after confessing to smuggling cocaine in her "private parts"

Dortmund stay in bottom three after Wolves draw

by Ryland JAMES

Thursday, December 18, 2014    

Ailing German giants Borussia Dortmund remain in the Bundesliga’s relegation places after twice throwing away the lead in a 2-2 draw with second-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

The draw leaves defending champions Bayern Munich 11 points clear at the top of the table.

A piece of sloppy defending five minutes from time ultimately cost Dortmund the three points when Wolfsburg’ Brazil defender Naldo headed home having been left unmarked at a corner.

“That was an intensive game against a very good opponent, Wolfsburg are a top team,” said Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp.

“We played well and that was okay for today.”

Despite reaching the last 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Juventus, Dortmund have the worst record in the Bundesliga with nine defeats in their first 16 matches and are 16th in the table.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s early goal for Dortmund was cancelled out by a Kevin de Bruyne free-kick in the first-half.

Ciro Immobile restored Dortmund’s lead with a stunning strike 14 minutes from time before Naldo rescued a point for Wolves.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” admitted Klopp when he saw a replay of Wolfsburg’s late equaliser when renowned header Naldo was allowed to roam unmarked in the area.

“But that’s the way things are for us at the moment and now we go on.”

Ten-man Werder Bremen, who host Dortmund on Saturday, remain rooted to the bottom of the table after their 4-1 defeat at Borussia Moenchengladbach, who move up to third.

Striker Max Kruse and defender Oscar Wendt put Gladbach 2-0 up at the break before Bremen’s dead-ball specialist Zlatko Junuzovic smashed home a second-half free-kick.

But Bremen had Luca Caldirola sent off with an hour gone for a second bookable offence before Christoph Kramer and Swedish striker Branimir Hrgota added Gladbach’s goals.

Bayer Leverkusen drop to fourth on goal difference despite Stefan Kiessling’s goal giving them a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Alexander Meier rescued his side with two goals in added time to seal a stunning 4-4 draw at home to Hertha Berlin.

Hertha were 4-2 up with 90 minutes played before Meier struck to take his tally to a Bundesliga best 12 goals.

Schalke are up to fifth after a 2-1 come-back win at Paderborn.

On Tuesday, Bayern beat Freiburg 2-0, Netherlands winger Arjen Robben scoring his 100th goal for the German champions.

Only a superb display from Freiburg goalkeeper Roman Burki kept the scoreline respectable as Bayern fired in 31 shots on goal — a Bundesliga record this season.

Goals by Robben and Thomas Mueller sealed Bayern’s win ahead of their final match of the year at Mainz on Friday.

Victory came at a price with defender Mehdi Benatia ruled out with a groin strain.

Striker Robert Lewandowski, midfielder Xabi Alonso and Jerome Boateng are all doubts as well, having taken knocks during the game.

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Dortmund stay in bottom three after Wolves draw

WEATHERMAN AMBUSH Police seek gunman after TV meteorologist shot

Patrick Crawford, a meteorologist, managed to flag down a construction worker, who called for help. (KCEN-TV)

Authorities were searching for a gunman after a TV meteorologist was shot multiple times during an altercation Wednesday in a Central Texas TV station’s parking lot.

The Texas Department of Public Safety says the shooting occurred around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday outside KCEN-TV’s rural studio on Interstate 35 near Bruceville-Eddy, 75 miles north of Austin.

The station website reports the suspect exchanged words with the victim, on-air meteorologist Patrick Crawford, before pulling out a handgun and shooting several times. Crawford backed his car away from the shooter and drove up to a highway construction crew that called 911. Jim Hice, the station’s news director, says Crawford was wounded in the shoulder and the abdomen.

The shooter fled the scene and police have not yet determined a possible motive.

WacoTrib.com reported that Crawford was stable and resting after undergoing surgery. 

Trooper D.L. Wilson said law enforcement was constructing a forensic map of the scene and said it was still not clear if Crawford knew the suspect.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WEATHERMAN AMBUSH Police seek gunman after TV meteorologist shot

SIX MONTHS AFTER CRASH,TRACY MORGAN ISN’T MUCH BETTER

Tracy Morgan was seen weak and limping as he headed into a New Jersey post office with his fiancee Megan Wollover on Wednesday, just the third time the actor has been seen in public since he was involved in a horrifying car accident this past June.

The actor was leaning on a walker as he slowly moved down the sidewalk and said he was still ‘fighting every day’ after being involved in the crash, which claimed the life of his friend James McNair and injured 3 others.
Morgan suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a broken leg, a broken nose and broken ribs in the accident.

At one point as he returned to his car from the post office, the actor even had to briefly stop and catch his breath before moving on. In addition to his fiancee he was also accompanied by an aide who was there to help him get into the car.

Morgan was critically injured in early June when a Wal-Mart tractor-trailer rammed into a limousine bus he and his friends were travelling in on the New Jersey Turnpike. The comedian, known for his roles on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock, was returning home to New York City from a show at a Delaware casino. He spent almost two months in the hospital and rehab following the accident before he could return home, and the extent of his brain injury is still unknown.

‘He’s fighting to get better, and if there’s a chance for him to be back to the Tracy Morgan he once was, he’s going to try to do that,’ said his lawyer Benedict Morelli last month. ‘But we just don’t know because of the severity of the injuries that he sustained and the fact that he had such a severe brain injury.’

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Kevin Roper, was charged with death by auto and four counts of assault by auto in a New Jersey state court. Earlier this week, Morgan and his attorneys accused Wal-Mart of stalling in a federal lawsuit that have brought against the company over their safety practices after it was reported that Roper was asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash.

Morgan was forced to put an FX series he had in development on hold after the accident, though his new film with Chris Rock, Take Five, will be released this month.

He came out against Wal_mart in a public statement this past September after they accused him of being at fault during the accident for not wearing a seatbelt. ‘I can’t believe Walmart is blaming me for an accident they caused,’ he said at the time.

‘I’m fighting hard every day to get back.’

We’re pulling for you Tracy!

DM/SPLASH

Posted in: Black History, Celebs, Environment, Gossip. Tags: SIX MONTHS AFTER CRASH, TRACY MORGAN ISN’T MUCH BETTER.

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SIX MONTHS AFTER CRASH,TRACY MORGAN ISN’T MUCH BETTER

Bermuda begins cleaning up after Hurricane Gonzalo - Hawaii hit by winds, rains from Hurricane Ana - FOX NEWS WEATHER CENTER

October 18, 2014: An uprooted tree lies across a sea front street after Hurricane Gonzalo hit the island in Hamilton, Bermuda. (AP Photo/David Skinner)

Crews cleared away downed trees and power lines Saturday after Hurricane Gonzalo battered this tiny, wealthy British territory for several hours but caused no deaths or serious injuries.

The storm’s center crossed over Bermuda late Friday and Gonzalo quickly moved northward over the Atlantic on a track that could take it just off the shore of Newfoundland in Canada early Sunday.

More than 18,000 homes in Bermuda were still without power Saturday night, but Premier Michael Dunkley said cleanup efforts were going smoothly. He said the U.S., Britain and other nations have offered assistance.

“All hands were on deck and worked very well,” he tweeted Saturday night. “Much to be done but we are roaring back!”

Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm then weakened to Category 2 strength just before coming ashore with sustained winds of 110 mph. Even after beginning to move away, its fierce winds battered the island for hours.

Maria Frith, who owns Grape Bay Cottages on Bermuda’s south coast, said in a phone interview that the hurricane woke her up before dawn when it tore the patio roof off her house.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I was terrified, partly because of the noise,” she said. “It was really scary.”

Some Bermudians woke up to toppled concrete walls, uprooted palm trees and boats run aground. Gonzalo ripped part of the roof off the island’s legislature as well as the roof of an exhibit at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo.

No catastrophic damage was reported on Bermuda, which has one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world and is known for strict building codes meant to ensure homes can withstand sustained winds of at least 110 mph.

Officials had not yet announced whether government offices and schools would reopen Monday. The island’s international airport remained closed Saturday night but officials said it might reopen Sunday afternoon.

The last major hurricane to strike Bermuda was Fabian in September 2003. That Category 3 storm killed three police officers and a civilian and caused more than $100 million in damage.

The island was still recovering from last weekend’s blast from Tropical Storm Fay, which also damaged homes and toppled power lines.

“To be struck twice by two different cyclones is unusual, to say the least,” said Max Mayfield, a former director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gonzalo weakened as it moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and then across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland.

Late Saturday, the storm was centered 360 miles southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it moved northeast at 39 mph.

Forecasters said it would pass close to Cape Race early Sunday. Officials said there could be some flooding.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for the Grand Banks area, where three major offshore oil installations are located. Operators of the Hibernia, Terra Nova and SeaRose sites announced no plans to evacuate the three crews, which generally total more than 700.

Across the Atlantic, Britain’s meteorological agency issued an alert for strong winds and heavy rain expected Tuesday from the remains of Gonzalo. It warned of the potential for significant disruption of travel and difficult driving conditions.

Gonzalo earlier claimed one life in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten and the hurricane center said it could still whip up dangerous surf on portions of the U.S. coast and Canada.

In southern Mexico, the brief Tropical Storm Trudy was downgraded to a tropical depression as it continued to dump heavy rain. Authorities warned of the danger of flash floods and landslides.

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Bermuda begins cleaning up after Hurricane Gonzalo - Hawaii hit by winds, rains from Hurricane Ana - FOX NEWS WEATHER CENTER

Brazil leader "dizzy" after debate

17 October 2014 Last updated at 23:05 President Dilma Rousseff went on to the southern city of Curitiba after she recovered Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says she is in good health after a bout of dizziness at the end of a TV debate.

She was debating policy with her opponent in the presidential run-off vote on 26 October, Aecio Neves.

Latest polls say the two candidates are running neck and neck in what has become an increasingly bitter campaign.

After the debate, Ms Rousseff issued a video on social media looking upbeat and saying she had experience a bout of low blood pressure but had recovered.

She had appeared live on air after the debate, fumbling her words and saying she felt dizzy and had to sit down.

“I think a debate demands a lot from people, so that is what happened to me. Now I am feeling better and can conclude my interview and apologise to the viewer but that is how it is,” she said on air.

During the debate, Ms Rousseff accused her opponent of nepotism. Mr Neves, hit back saying officials in the President’s Workers Party were implicated in a huge corruption scandal involving the state oil company, Petrobras.

President Rousseff’s doctor said she had not eaten enough, and it was not necessary to give her a medical examination.

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Brazil leader "dizzy" after debate

Man steals awning after calls to owner went unanswered

Saturday, October 18, 2014 | 11:53 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A man, who confessed to stealing an awning from a woman’s backyard, has been given next month to make restitution to the complainant.

Horace McLean was given until November 12 to pay the woman $50,000 for the awning after pleading guilty to a charge of simple larceny when he appeared before the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court.

He’s also to be sentenced on that day.

McLean’s bail was extended after he told the court that he needed to “hustle” to come up with the cash.

“If I don’t get the money by November 12, you will know which God you a serve,” Senior Magistrate Judith Pusey told McLean.

The complainant told the court that she was doing renovation on her house and had the awning in her backyard when McLean stole it. She said when she confronted the accused he told her that only God could make him bring back her awning.

Asked by Pusey why he shouldn’t be sent to prison over the theft, McLean said, “It [the awning] was mash up. I was calling and me nuh hear nobody.”

“You caa throw down things in your yard,” Pusey lamented. “A man house his is palace, you caa go round there.”

He said he sold the awning for $800.

Racquel Porter

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Man steals awning after calls to owner went unanswered

VIDEO: Bermuda cleans up after Gonzalo

Bermudans are clearing up after a direct hit from Hurricane Gonzalo left a trail of damage in its wake on the tiny Atlantic territory.

Bermuda was “bruised” but came out of the storm better than expected, Premier Michael Dunkley said in a radio broadcast.

The storm made landfall on Friday, with strong winds and rain causing power cuts for most residents.

Neha Bhatnagar reports.

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VIDEO: Bermuda cleans up after Gonzalo