An early taste of spring came through parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama early Monday as a line of “strong to severe storms” that contained tornadoes blew through the southeastern states. Marlene Mickelson, National Weather Service forecaster in Memphis, Tenn., told The Associated Press that the Memphis area had some damage from winds that reached 60 to 70 mph.
The strong storms swept through Jefferson County near Birmingham, Ala., where at least three people were killed.
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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced last week that she would resign from Congress.
It was a year ago this month when Giffords was shot in the head at a rally in Tucson, Ariz. Six other people were killed in the attack. “I don’t remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me,” Giffords said in a video posted on uTube.
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The NCAA Division I head coach who won more football games than anyone died last week due to complications from lung cancer.
Joseph Vincent “Joe” Paterno coached the Penn State Nittany Lions for 46 years, from 1966 through 2011. Nicknamed “JoePa,” Paterno led his team to 409 wins. He coached five undefeated teams and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.
Last Nov. 5, Paterno’s former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested on 40 counts relating to sexual abuse of eight young boys over a 15-year period, including alleged incidents that occurred at Penn State. A 2011 grand jury investigation reported that then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary told Paterno in 2002 that he had seen Sandusky abusing a 10-year-old boy in Penn State football’s shower facilities. The grand jury report would later detail that McQueary saw Sandusky sodomizing the boy. According to the report, Paterno notified Athletic Director Tim Curley the next day about the incident, and later notified Gary Schultz, director of business and finance, who oversaw the University Police.
In a statement from his lawyer Sandusky said, “This is a sad day! Our family, Dottie and I would like to convey our deepest sympathy to Sue and her family.”
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On Jan. 21, Newt Gingrich defeated Mitt Romney to win the South Carolina primary. Rick Santorum came in third and Ron Paul fourth in the southern state contest that hoped to clarify for the GOP who would be President Obama’s chief challenger in November.
Gingrich claimed a landslide victory, winning virtually every county in the Palmetto State save for a handful that went to Romney. His support was influenced by the pre-primary debates, and contained a strong evangelical base. Romney congratulated his main opponent on Saturday, then went on the offensive after a night’s sleep saying the former speaker was a “failed leader” who “resigned in disgrace.”
The candidates next head further south to Florida for that state’s Jan. 31 primary.
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It was a good ending in Colorado Springs last week when a 9-year old girl who had been kidnapped for a day was able to escape her captor. The girl, unidentified due to her age, ran into a convenience store on Friday and called 911, causing the suspect, Jose Garcia, 29, to run away. Garcia is also a suspect in an alleged molestation involving a different girl, his former stepdaughter, Pueblo police Capt. Eric Bravo said.
“Once she realized she had that window of opportunity, she became a hero and rescued herself by calling 911,” Colorado Springs police spokeswoman Barbara Miller said in a statement.
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The small town of Port Colborne, Ontario has decided after all to show a little heart by forgiving a customer’s water bill. Well, former customer, that is.
Allister MacPherson passed away so suddenly last September 28 that he left the water running in his bathroom, which stayed on until family members discovered him, three weeks later. The bill for the flow came to $586.44 - including $14.30 as a late payment charge.
MacPherson’s daughter, Cara Zandvliet, contacted the city, hoping for some sympathy and relief on the bill. City staffers told her there was nothing they could do and the bill would have to be paid in full, and Mayor Vance Badawey agreed.
But after further debate, the city council agreed to only charge the estate $162.85 – or the average water bill cost for the time period.