WMOT

Costa Concordia Captain To Face Manslaughter Charges

Scott Neuman — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:14:00 +0000

A judge in Italy on Wednesday ordered the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany last year, killing 32 people, to face charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, 52, is accused of negligence that led to the grounding of the ship and for abandoning the vessel while a rescue of the 4,200 passengers and crew was still underway.

said Wednesday.

A 4-month-old girl came down with paralysis on April 30, and then two healthy kids nearby also tested positive for the virus.

But this handful of infections with poliovirus has the potential to set back global efforts to eradicate polio, WHO spokeswoman Sona Bari tells Shots.

"Polio is a virus that spreads silently," she says.

Oregon's Cash-Strapped Counties Reject Public Safety Levies

Bill Chappell — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Two Oregon counties have reportedly rejected property tax increases that would have funded law enforcement and public safety services. The counties once received federal timber subsidies, but those days are over — and now they're scrambling to pay for essential services.

In Josephine County, where nearly 70 percent of the land belongs to the U.S. government, Tuesday's vote that was too close to call last night.

Go East, Young Marijuana Dealer

Marianne McCune — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:04:00 +0000

Chuck used to sell marijuana in California. But the legalization of medical marijuana in the state meant he was suddenly competing against hundreds of marijuana dispensaries. So he moved to New York, where marijuana is still 100 percent illegal. Since making the move, he says, he's quadrupled his income. (For the record: His name isn't really Chuck.)

He spends pretty much every day dealing what he calls "farm-to-table" marijuana.

Tenn. Woman's "Fresh Start" Ends in Tragedy

AP/WMOT — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:30:13 +0000

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WMOT) — A Tennessee woman who moved to North Carolina two weeks ago for a new job and a fresh start is dead and charges have been filed in her murder.

Authorities in Wake County, North Carolina, say they've found no prior connections between Melissa Dawn Huggins-Jones and the three people charged with killing her.

Huggins-Jones' 8-year-old daughter found her mother covered in blood inside their new home and sought help from construction crews working nearby.

Male Sergeant May Have Filmed Female Cadets At West Point

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:24:00 +0000

A male sergeant at West Point has been accused of secretly videotaping at least a dozen female cadets, sometimes when they were showering, The New York Times reports.

Gen. John F. Campbell, the army's vice chief of staff, tells the Times that "once notified of the violation, a full investigation was launched, followed by swift action to correct the problem."

The accused, Sgt.

Research Reveals Yeasty Beasts Living On Our Skin

Rob Stein — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:18:00 +0000

Scientists have completed an unusual survey: a census of the fungi that inhabit different places on our skin. It's part of a big scientific push to better understand the microbes that live in and on our bodies.

"This is the first study of our fungi, which are yeast and other molds that live on the human body," says Julie Segre, of the National Human Genome Research Institute, who led the survey.

Trillions of microbes live everywhere in and on our bodies. Most of these viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms are harmless.