News - KADN.com

Conan O'Brien's tour starts April 12

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:54:27 -0600

Conan O'Brien is back! He's hitting the road starting April 12 for his "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour" and will perform across the country until June 14.

Conan is barred from having his own TV show until September, according to his severance deal from NBC.

He will appear on stage performing musical numbers, skits and "occassional awkward silence," with his Tonight Show crew, including sidekick Andy Richter and The Tonight Show band, The Wrap reports.

Federal budget deficit breaks record

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:39:38 -0600

WASHINGTON — The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year.

The Treasury Department said Wednesday that the February deficit totaled $220.9 billion, 14 percent higher than the previous record set in February of last year.

The deficit through the first five months of this budget year totals $651.6 billion, 10.5 percent higher than a year ago.

Sony unveils PlayStation motion controller

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:21:30 -0600

Sony is on the Move.

During an event at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, the company officially unveiled the name of their upcoming Playstation 3 motion control device: Playstation Move. The controller will hit shelves this fall.

"It's fast, precise and accurate," said Peter Dille, Sony's senior VP of marketing. "We like to think this is the next generation of motion-gaming...we're really approaching this as a platform launch."

Vehicle tow rates rising

mwesp — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:20:03 -0600

LAFAYETTE - Vehicle's towed will cost more to get them back.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission has approved a 20% increase in rates for non-consensual tows.

Before 2008, the rates had not changed since 1999.

Can Nancy Pelosi Get the Votes?

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:53:44 -0600

Are there enough votes in the House to pass the Senate's health-care bill? As of today, it's clear there aren't. House Democratic leaders have brushed aside White House calls to bring the bill forward by March 18, when President Barack Obama heads to Asia. Nevertheless, analysts close to the Democratic leadership tell me they're confident the leadership will find some way to squeeze out the 216 votes needed for a majority.

Minority births on track to outnumber white births

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:20:41 -0600

WASHINGTON – Minorities make up nearly half the children born in the U.S., part of a historic trend in which minorities are expected to become the U.S. majority over the next 40 years.

In fact, demographers say this year could be the "tipping point" when the number of babies born to minorities outnumbers that of babies born to whites.

Texas education board's social studies vote may have wide impact

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:20:38 -0600

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas' state education board, rocked by primary elections that may push the influential panel's far-right leanings toward the center, is set to take its first vote on a new social studies curriculum that could reverberate in classrooms nationwide.

7.2 aftershock hits Chile as new president takes office

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:29:44 -0600

SANTIAGO, Chile – The strongest aftershock since Chile's devastating earthquake rocked the South American country Thursday as President Sebastian Pinera was sworn into office.

The 7.2-magnitude aftershock was stronger than the quake that destroyed the Haitian capital on Jan. 12.

Law officials rewarded for DWI enforcement

mwesp — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:10:12 -0600

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana law enforcement agencies in the area got more than 7,700 drunk drivers off the roads in 2009.

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission honored officers from all over the state for their DWI enforcement last year on Tuesday.

More than 15 agencies and several officers received awards.

Chief Jeff LeDuff says the Baton Rouge Police Department has a task force that specifically deals with DWI's every single day.

An estimated 451 people were killed in alcohol related accidents in Louisiana in 2008.

Mexico’s Slim tops the list of world’s richest

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:32:47 -0600

Carlos Slim Helu takes No. 1 spot on Forbes World's Billionaires list as a record 164 10-figure titans return to the ranking amid the global economic recovery.

For the third time in three years, the world has a new richest man.

Riding surging prices of his various telecom holdings, including giant mobile outfit America Movil, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu has beaten out Americans Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to become the wealthiest person on earth and nab the top spot on the 2010 Forbes list of the World's Billionaires.

Jamie Jungers wins Tiger Woods mistress beauty pageant

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:53:42 -0600

Jamie Jungers won the Tiger Woods Mistress Beauty Pageant on the "Howard Stern Show" this morning. The winning alleged mistress earned $75,000 for her championship performance, and listeners were treated to juicy tidbits from Jungers, Jaimee Grubbs and Loredana Jolie.

According to tweets from listeners and attendees, Jungers claimed that Woods was well endowed. "Tiger's wood was nine inches," she evidently said. Former Playboy model Loredana Jolie, meanwhile, claimed Woods was "bigger and better" than Michael Jordan.

Unemployment rises in 30 states in January

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:20:41 -0600

WASHINGTON - Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.
The data is somewhat better than December, when 43 states reported higher unemployment rates, but worse than November, when rates fell in most states.

Still, five states reported record-high joblessness in January: California, at 12.5 percent; South Carolina, 12.6 percent; Florida, 11.9 percent; North Carolina, 11.1 percent; and Georgia, 10.4 percent.

House to vote on pullout from Afghanistan

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:05:37 -0600

WASHINGTON – In a test of congressional support for President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would direct him to pull U.S. forces out of the war.

The resolution by liberal Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich is not expected to pass. But it could be an important indicator of how Obama's Democrats feel about the war, particularly ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.

Former hospital CFO sentenced to 18 months

mwesp — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:24:28 -0600

LAFAYETTE - A former Louisiana hospital executive has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for embezzling almost $200 thousand from the student loan repayment program.

Melissa Bordelon was CFO of the Acadian Medical Center in Eunice.

80's icon Corey Haim dies at 38

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:56:27 -0600

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Actor Corey Haim has died, Access Hollywood has confirmed.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office confirmed the actor died at 2:15 AM on Wednesday at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank, Calif.

The Los Angeles Police Department said they received a call from the hospital before 4 AM confirming the actor's death.

He was transported from the home he shared with his mother, Judy, in Toluca Hills, Calif. to the hospital.

Social Security checks may get smaller

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:23:49 -0600

A little–noticed law could soon result in smaller Social Security checks for hundreds of thousands of the elderly and disabled who owe the U.S. money from defaulted loans and other debts more than a decade old.

Social Security benefits are off–limits to creditors, such as credit–card companies and banks. But the U.S. can collect debts to federal agencies by "offsetting," or withholding Social Security and disability payments.

'Jihad Jane' indictment shows terror's evolution

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:47:43 -0600

PHILADELPHIA – The self-described "Jihad Jane" who thought her blond hair and blue eyes would let her blend in as she sought to kill an artist in Sweden is a rare case of an American woman aiding in foreign terrorism and shows the evolution of the global threat, authorities say.

The suburban Philadelphia woman, Colleen R. LaRose, is accused in the indictment filed Tuesday of trying to recruit fighters, as well as agreeing to murder the artist, marry a terrorism suspect so he could move to Europe and martyr herself if necessary.

Pit Stop Truck Wash & Detail Host Saints & NFL Autograph Signing

christi-tv — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:29:47 -0600

Pit Stop Truck Wash & Detail, a locally owned company, is celebrating their Grand Opening by hosting a New Orleans Saints & NFL autograph signing at their new location at 230 North Ambassador Caffery Pkwy - Exit 100 North of I-10. Readthe entire release by clicking here.

State senator proposes plan to bypass health bill

mwesp — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:06:09 -0600

UNDATED - A Louisiana lawmaker has a plan to bypass the health care reform bill, if its approved.

State senator A.G. Crowe proposed a measure that allows the state to refuse the federal mandates included in health care reform bill.

30 other states have similar legislation pending.

Crowe believes the federal government does not have the right to force states to pay for proposals opposed by citizens.

3D TV pricing revealed — with a catch

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:52:35 -0600

The biggest TV manufacturers are finally starting to reveal prices for their new 3D TV sets, and believe it or not, several of the new sets will actually cost about the same or even a bit less than last year's equivalent 2D models. That said, there's a catch: The active-shutter LCD glasses that you'll need to watch 3D video cost a pretty penny.

Samsung was the first of the big four TV makers to flip its 3D pricing cards over this week; Panasonic is up tomorrow, while Sony and LG will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Christians flee after Nigeria's massacre

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:10:35 -0600

JOS, Nigeria – Christian villagers in Nigeria fled their homes following threats of new attacks in the aftermath of a massacre, despite the presence Tuesday of troops designed to restore calm to the region.

As mass burials for some of the hundreds of victims of a three-hour orgy of violence took place near the city of Jos, survivors nursed wounds in hospitals.

China says committed to U.S. debt, wary on gold

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:52:28 -0600

China, the world's biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, renewed its commitment to the U.S. Treasury market on Tuesday but said it would be wary of substantially boosting its gold holdings.

China

The country's chief currency regulator said China would attract more capital inflows this year, partly reflecting expectations of a stronger yuan, but he left the market none the wiser as to when Beijing might let the currency resume its rise.

Obama to push climate change in White House meeting

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:19:38 -0600

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will corral on Tuesday key Republican and Democratic senators whose support is critical for passing a climate change law, seeking to jump-start stalled efforts to overhaul energy policy.

Obama called the White House meeting with top lawmakers and members of his cabinet to reinvigorate one of his policy priorities, which even his advisers admit has suffered from the president's intense focus on healthcare reform.

Policy could prohibit citizens from fishing many bodies of water

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:01:29 -0600

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

ULL basketball coach let go

mwesp — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:36:40 -0600

LAFAYETTE - Robert Lee will not coach the ULL basketball Ragin' Cajuns next season.

Lee was not re-hired after six years with the team and a 63-92 overall record.

The coach lost his final game last Saturday against UL-Monroe in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.

U.S. sitting on rare tech-crucial minerals

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:19:37 -0600

China supplies most of the rare earth minerals found in technologies such as hybrid cars, wind turbines, computer hard drives and cell phones, but the U.S. has its own largely untapped reserves that could safeguard future tech innovation.

Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:01:29 -0600

TOKYO – Japan confirmed for the first time Tuesday the existence of once-secret Cold War-era pacts with the U.S. that tacitly allowed nuclear-armed warships to enter Japanese ports in violation of Tokyo's postwar principles.

While declassified U.S. documents have already confirmed such 1960s agreements, Tuesday's revelation broke with decades of official denials.

Prius with stuck accelerator glides to safe stop

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:01:27 -0600

EL CAJON, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol officer helped slow a runaway Toyota Prius from 94 mph to a safe stop on Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck on a San Diego County freeway, the CHP said.

Prius driver James Sikes called 911 about 1:30 p.m. after accelerating to pass another vehicle on Interstate 8 near La Posta and finding that he could not control his car, the CHP said.

Controversy swirls around White House Chief of Staff Emanuel

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:31:44 -0600

Will the real Rahm Emanuel please stand up? The hard-charging chief of staff for the Obama administration has lately been stirring up new speculation in Washington as the White House enters a critical push to finalize tortuous congressional negotiations on health care legislation.

Why 'Avatar' lost big at the Oscars

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:58:33 -0600

Really, looking back, did "Avatar" even stand a chance?

"Avatar" is still raking in the profits, but failed to produce the critical success that Cameron's previous film, "Titanic," generated 12 years ago. In fact, "Avatar" — the most financially successful film of all time — was easily the most mocked film of the evening.