U News

Teen prospect injured, dad killed in crash, We have more unfortunate news to pass along on what has already been a sad Sunday here at Big League Stew. The Cincinnati Reds have confirmed a Jennifer Rios report in the San Angelo Standard-Times that their 2012 fifth-round draft pick, Mason Felt, 18, was critically injured in a one-car accident on Saturday morning just outside of Ozona, Texas. The accident happened a little after 10 a.m. on Interstate 10, according to Rios' report. Felt, who was driving his 2004 Ford F-150 truck, began drifting into the shoulder and then over corrected, causing him to cross over both lanes of traffic and then flipped over. He's now considered to be in critical, but stable condition. Unfortunately, his father, Roger Felt, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.As we noted, Mason Felt, a left-handed pitcher out of Hoschton, Ga., was the 172nd overall pick in this past June's amateur ...

Children's choir pays tribute to victims, "Saturday Night Live" closed out 2012 with its strongest episode in weeks. "SNL" alum Martin Short, who appeared on the 1984-85 season, livened up what's been a dull string of episodes with his kinetic, sprightly style. He brought with him a bounty of celebrity cameos (more on that later). Plus, we'll never tire of seeing Paul McCartney perform. The episode started with, instead of a cold open, the New York City Children's Chorus singing a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night" in a nod to Friday's heartbreaking school shooting tragedy. It was classy and dignified, and incredibly moving to hear the kids sing, "Sleep in heavenly peace/Sleep in heavenly peace." The rest of the evening didn't hold back on trying to be funny, and for the first time in weeks, actually succeeded. The monologue set the evening's zany tone, with Short singing a lascivious version of "It'...

Don't get audited: Twelve IRS red flags, Ever wonder why some tax returns are eyeballed by the Internal Revenue Service while most are ignored? The IRS audits only slightly more than 1% of all individual tax returns annually. The agency doesn't have enough personnel and resources to examine each and every tax return filed during a year. So the odds are pretty low that your return will be picked for review. And, of course, the only reason filers should worry about an audit is if they are fudging on their taxes. However, the chances of being audited or otherwise hearing from the IRS increase depending upon various factors, including your income level, whether you omitted income, the types of deductions or losses you claimed, the business in which you're engaged and whether you own foreign assets. Math errors may draw IRS inquiry, but they'll rarely lead to a full-blown exam. Although there's no sure way to avoid an IRS audit, you should be aware of red flags that...

Gunman's mother kept hardships hidden, At the bar, everybody knew her name. Nancy Lanza was the one who, if she heard you were short on cash, regularly offered to pick up the tab at My Place. Two or three nights a week, Lanza — the mother of the gunman in Connecticut's horrific school massacre — came in for carryout salads, but stayed for Chardonnay and good humor. The divorced mother of two — still smooth-skinned and ash blonde at 52 — clearly didn't have to work, but was always glad to share talk of her beloved Red Sox, gardening and a growing enthusiasm for target shooting. But while Lanza spoke proudly about her sons and brought them in for breakfast when they were younger, friends say she held one card very close: home life, especially its trials and setbacks, was off limits. Now, the secrets Lanza kept are at the center of the questions that envelop this New England town, grieving over the slaughter unleashed by her 20-year-old son Adam, who investigators say ...

Funerals begin for young Newtown victims, The first two funerals for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre are scheduled for later today when Newtown, Conn., will bury 6-year-olds Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto. Noah's family will greet the public before the funeral service begins at 1 p.m. at the Abraham L. Green & Son Funeral Home in Fairfield, Conn. The burial will follow at B'nai Israel Cemetery in Monroe. Jack's service will take place at 1 p.m. at Honan Funeral Home in Newtown. The burial will follow the service at Newtown Village Cemetery.Noah and Jack were two of the 20 children who were killed Friday morning at Sandy Hook Elementary School when Adam Lanza allegedly sprayed two first-grade classrooms with bullets that also killed six adults. Noah's twin sister, Arielle, was one of the students who survived when her teacher hid her class in the bathroom during the attack. As millions of Americans try to make sense of the shootings, memo...

School Shooting Details, That's what President Barack Obama told those attending a memorial service Sunday in Newtown, Connecticut, two days after a man shot his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 people -- 20 of them children no older than 7, who would never go on a date, drive a car, marry or have kids of their own.....CNN Obama offered his condolences, saying, "All across this land of ours, we have wept with you." He praised the residents of Newtown for having pulled together and "loved one another" with a spirit all could emulate. And he asked whether more could be done to prevent more parents, sisters and brothers, like those in this quiet New England town, from suffering similar heartaches. "Can we honestly say we're doing enough to keep our children -- all of them -- safe from harm?" Obama said, adding that "if we don't get that right, we don't get anything right." "If we're honest with ours...

Instagram Deal, Weeks before he accepted a $1 billion offer from Facebook Inc, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom had verbally agreed to sell his photo-sharing company to Twitter Inc for $525 million in March - but then called off the deal, according to a New York Times report citing unnamed sources. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ultimately acquired Instagram after pushing through a cash-and-stock deal just weeks before Facebook's May initial public offering. The transaction closed in September at a $715 million valuation, reflecting Facebook's stock drop since the offering. During negotiations with Instagram, Twitter executives had handed Systrom a term sheet outlining the details of the proposed deal, the Times reported, but Systrom later told California state regulators under oath that his company had not received any "formal offers or term sheets" from potential buyers aside from Facebook. Relations between Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have soured since Facebook...

Saber-toothed cat fossils,  Researchers say a pair of fossils unearthed in the hills north of Las Vegas belonged to a saber-toothed cat. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports a team from California's San Bernardino County Museum identified the fossils dug up in June as being front leg bones from the extinct predator. Kathleen Springer, the museum's senior curator, says the saber-tooth fossils are thought to be approximately 15,590 years old. The discovery marks the first of its kind in the fossil-rich Upper Las Vegas Wash. Springer heads a team that's been studying the wash for a decade and been collecting fossils there under a contract with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management since 2008. She says the bones of Las Vegas' only known saber-toothed cat are still being studied. There are no immediate plans to display them, but Springer expects that to happen eventually.

'The Hobbit' tops box office with $84.8 million, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" led the box office with an opening of $84.8 million, a start better than the three previous "Lord of the Rings" films. Studio estimates Sunday had the Warner Bros. 3D epic as the biggest December opening ever, surpassing Will Smith's "I Am Legend," which opened with $77.2 million in 2007. Despite generally poor reviews, the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's first novel in the fantasy series was an even bigger draw than the last "Lord of the Rings" films, "The Return of the King." That film opened with $72.6 million. While Jackson's "Rings" movies drew many Oscar nominations, the path for "The Hobbit" has been rockier. It received no Golden Globes nominations on Thursday. Its 48-frames-per-second, double the usual rate, also has been criticized.

Holiday regifting common among colleagues, survey finds,  Candy dishes, winter scarves, unmemorable vacation souvenirs – if your office exchanges holiday gifts, unwanted presents from birthdays and holidays past, or even something unwrapped at last year's office party, may find their way under the tree for you. When it comes to holiday cheer in the workplace, nearly four in 10 workers have passed a gift from a family member off to a colleague or friend, according to an Accounting Principals survey. Less common, but far from unheard of, is regifting within the same office. About one in six workers admit to having accepted a gift from a colleague, only to then pass it off to another colleague. Related: Holiday shoppers may see big discounts soon And, if you do get something brand new, your officemate is likely to have spent less than $50. Three-quarters of workers spend that amount on an office gift exchange, the survey found. A gift to a manager is likely to be more expensi...

Millions face higher taxes without 'cliff' fix, Millions of families and businesses will get hit by big tax increases a lot sooner than many realize if Congress and the White House don't agree on a plan to skirt the year-end fiscal cliff of higher tax rates and big government spending cuts. In fact, they already have. More than 70 tax breaks enjoyed by individuals and businesses expired at the end of 2011. If Congress doesn't extend them retroactively back to the beginning of this year, a typical middle-class family could face a $4,000 tax increase when it files its 2012 return in the spring, according to an analysis by H&R Block, the tax preparing giant. Infographic: What the 'fiscal cliff' means to you At the same time, businesses could lose dozens of tax breaks they have enjoyed for years, including generous credits for investing in research and development, write-offs for restaurants and retail stores that expand or upgrade, and tax breaks f...

Baby bump for N. Korea's first lady? State TV video suggests so, The wife of North Korea's young leader might be pregnant, judging by video that shows her with what appears to be a baby bump. In the video aired on state TV, Ri Sol Ju is shown walking slowly next to her husband, Kim Jong Un, at the mausoleum where his late father's body was unveiled Monday. There is no official word from Pyongyang about a pregnancy. On the video, Ri is shown wearing a billowing traditional Korean dress in black that makes it difficult to know for sure. North Koreans are reluctant to discuss details of the Kim family that have not been released by the state. Still there are rumors even in Pyongyang about whether the country's first couple is expecting.

In Newtown, an anguished debate over gun rights, contTwo days after a gunman opened fire in a Connecticut elementary school, killing 26 people, several dozen parents and children gathered in a circle at Newtown's public library to draw something positive from the town's sudden, tragic notoriety. After several hours of anguished discussion about gun control, and of the responsibilities of parents and community members to prevent more bloodshed, Newtown United was born. A Facebook and Twitter presence is on the way, and the group is already talking about meetings with elected officials and forming alliances with neighboring towns to push for such action as local automatic weapon bans. "We have the benefit and the misfortune of being on the national stage right now," said Craig Mittleman, a 49-year-old father of four and an emergency physician. "In a week, everybody's going to be gone and Newtown is going to be just like Columbine, just like Virginia Tech...

Remembering the victims of the Newtown shooting, After the gunfire ended Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the trail of loss was more than many could bear: 20 children and six adults at the school, the gunman's mother at home, and the gunman himself. Here is a glimpse of some of the victims, many who were at the start of their young lives. Additional victim portraits will be added as they become available.

Obama at Newtown vigil: US 'will have to change', He spoke for a nation in sorrow, but the slaughter of all those little boys and girls left President Barack Obama, like so many others, reaching for words. Alone on a stage after what he described to Gov. Dannel Malloy as the most difficult day of his presidency, the commander in chief was a parent in grief. "I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depth of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts," Obama said at an evening vigil in the grieving community of Newtown, Conn. "I can only hope that it helps for you to know that you are not alone in your grief." The massacre of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday elicited horror around the world, soul-searching in the United States, fresh political debate about gun control and questions about the incomprehensible — what drove the suspect to act. It also left a newly re-elected president openly grappling for bigger ...

Funerals begin for victims of Conn. school shooting, Mourners in Newtown, Connecticut, headed for the first two of 20 funerals of schoolchildren massacred in their classroom as the rest of the nation on Monday anxiously sent children back to school with tightened security. Tiny caskets marked the first wave of funerals for the 20 children and six adults killed in the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday. Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both 6 years old, will be laid to rest on Monday afternoon. President Barack Obama, who said in Newtown on Sunday that the 20-year-old gunman acted out of "unconscionable evil," was heralded by the family of teacher Victoria Soto, 27, who was slain as she tried to protect her first-grade students. "He really made us feel like she really was a hero and that everyone should know it," her brother, Carlos Soto, said on CBS on Monday. Obama, addressing an interfaith vigil in the small Connecticut town on Sunday n...

Students nervously return to school after shooting,  Richard Cantlupe is bracing himself for his students' return to class. The American history teacher at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Fla., has been wrestling with how best to quell their fears when he sees them again Monday, just days after the Connecticut school shooting that left 20 children dead. Cantlupe says the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., "was like our 9/11 for school teachers." He and teachers and parents across the country are doing their best to make their children — and themselves — feel safe following Friday's tragedy. School administrators have pledged to add police patrols, review security plans and make guidance counselors available.

Nervous return to school after shooting, By the time Richard Cantlupe received the news of the Connecticut school shooting that left 20 children dead, his students had already gone home for the weekend. And so the American history teacher at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, Fla., was bracing himself for an onslaught of painful, often unanswerable questions when they returned to class Monday. "It's going to be a tough day," he said. "This was like our 9/11 for school teachers." Cantlupe, whose school is about 50 miles north of Miami, and teachers and parents across the country were wrestling with how best to quell children's fears about returning to school for the first time since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. School administrators have pledged to add police patrols, review security plans and make guidance counselors available. And yet, it was pretty near impossible to eliminate the anxiety and apprehension man...

Indiana Jones mail, University of Chicago officials are puzzled by a mystery piece of mail seemingly linked to the Indiana Jones movie series. The Chicago Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/UKalM8) that the university's admissions department received a package last week addressed to "Henry Walton Jones Jr." That's the main character's name in the popular film franchise that began in 1980s. The package contained a replica of the journal from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" film — and no explanation. University officials turned to Tumblr for answers.Admissions counselor Grace Chapin says one theory is that it's an "alternate reality" game where players plant clues for others. Officials with Lucasfilm, the studio that made the movies, say they weren't responsible for the package. University officials say they haven't decided what to do with the journal.

School shooting social media, Residents of Newtown, Connecticut, took to social media Friday to share their fear, shock and horror over the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School......CNN Several people on Twitter expressed concerns about relatives who attend or work at the school, where a law-enforcement official said at least 18 children were slain after gunfire erupted Friday morning. Others posted images from the scene and from a nearby fire station, where survivors were taken. A hospital in nearby Danbury posted a Facebook update late Friday morning saying that three victims were being treated there. In what now seems like a much more innocent time, the school hosted a winter concert Thursday. Principal Dawn Hochsprung, who was killed in the shootings, had posted a photo on Twitter Wednesday of a rehearsal for the concert.

Southwest No-Show Fee, Southwest Airlines Co. will start charging a no-show fee for passengers who fail to cancel tickets before their flights.The company also said Friday that fees on early check-in and oversized bags are going up. And it repeated a longtime goal for boosting profits that could only be met next year if it doubles earnings. Southwest brags that it doesn't charge ticket-change fees, and it lets customers apply the price of an unused ticket to a later trip. But customers who take advantage of those policies are leaving too many seats empty, the airline says. So beginning sometime next year, Southwest will charge a no-show fee on its cheapest fares, known as "Wanna Get Away" tickets. Neither the date nor the amount of the fee has been set. CEO Gary Kelly said the Southwest fee will bring the airline closer in line with policies at other airlines and won't alienate customers."By our research, customers understand that we all could benefit — ...

Two police officers killed, Police in Topeka, Kansas are mourning the loss of two of their own, as Cpl. David Gogian and Officer Jeff Atherly lost their lives on Sunday, December 16. Topeka Police Chief Ronald Miller, who describes the incident as "unspeakable," explains that, immediately after the officers arrived at the scene, a man shot at them from inside the vehicle. They were detached to a grocery store, when another officer called for back-up. The third officer was not injured, reports say. "I don't believe they had any idea this situation was going to go this direction as quickly as it did," Miller says. 50-year-old Gogian and 29-year-old Atherly responded to a report about a suspicious vehicle, after 6 p.m., CBS News writes. While the latter was "just getting started" in law enforcement, having been with the department in April 2011, Gogian has a long career with the PD. He joined the Topeka police in September 2004. Prior to that, ...

Furious Patriots rally, The San Francisco 49ers blew a 31-3 third-quarter lead but managed to pull out a wild 41-34 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday night. The win clinched an NFC playoff spot for the Niners (10-3-1), while the Patriots (10-4) saw their seven-game winning streak end. The loss also New England's 20-game home December winning streak and a 13-game overall December winning streak. After Colin Kaepernick threw three touchdown passes, one to ex-Patriot Randy Moss, to give the visitors a 28-point lead with 10:21 left in the third quarter on a cold, rainy night, Tom Brady brought the Patriots all the way back. Danny Woodhead scored on two runs, and Brady scored on a fourth-down sneak and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez, Brady's 467th consecutive game with a TD pass. After Woodhead tied the game with a 1-yard run with 6:43 left, it took the Niners, who have won four of their last five, 20 seconds to get the decisive touchdown. ...

Kelly Osbourne weight loss, As the daughter of Sharon and Ozzy, and one of the stars of the iconic reality show The Osbournes, Kelly Osbourne has been taunted and criticized in the tabloids, not so much for her wild-child ways—or even her drug addiction—but for her weight. "I was called fat and ugly in the press almost my entire life," says the 26-year-old. "I understand that being judged by others comes with the territory, but it broke my heart and ruined my self-esteem. It sets you up to hate yourself in a huge way. I was so angry about the things people said about me. I truly believe it's the main reason I turned to Vicodin and ended up in rehab three times. I just hated myself."In early 2009, Kelly Osbourne walked out of Oregon's Hazelden Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Center drug-free—but still dealing with major confidence issues. "I replaced the drugs with food and just got fatter and fatter," she says (see Kelly’s Then and Now photos)...

Packers VS. Bears, The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 21-13 at Soldier Field to add to their recent dominance of the Monsters of the Midway. The Packers have beaten Da Bears six straight times now, including four straight at Soldier Field and the 2010 NFC Championship Game. The victory was very important to the Packers in many ways, as I'll name my winners and losers for the Pack in Sunday's game.

Berlusconi Engaged Francesca Pascale, Silvio Berlusconi has sought to draw a line under his "bunga bunga" parties when he announced he was engaged to his girlfriend 50 years his junior, who makes him feel "less lonely".In a wide-ranging interview aired on the talk show 'Domenica Live' on his Canale 5 TV network, the 76-year-old billionaire said he was engaged to Francesca Pascale, his 27-year old girlfriend. "Finally I feel less lonely," Mr Berlusconi said. "I am engaged to a Neapolitan, it's official. "She is 27 years old, with very solid values, beautiful on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside. "She is very close to me, she loves me very much and I feel the same. My daughter Marina appreciates her and loves her very much too." Mr Berlusconi does not appear to have let his second marriage get in the way of his engagement announcement.He has five children from two marriages but is yet to reach agreement w...

Names of Sandy Hook Victims,  Authorities have released the names of the 26 people gunned down in a rampage at a Connecticut elementary school. All six adults killed at the school were women. Of the 20 children who were shot to death, eight were boys and 12 were girls. All the children were ages 6 or 7. Charlotte Bacon DOB 2/22/06 Daniel Barden DOB 9/25/05 Rachel Davino DOB 7/17/83 Olivia Engel DOB 7/18/06 Josephine Gay DOB 12/11/05 Ana M. Marquez-Greene DOB 4/4/06 Dylan Hockley DOB 3/8/06 Dawn Hocksprung DOB 6/28/65 Madeleine F Hsu DOB 7/10/06 Catherine V Hubbard DOB 6/8/06 Chase Kowalski DOB 10/31/05 Jesse Lewis DOB 6/30/06 ale James Mattioli DOB 3/22/06 Grace McDonnell DOB 11/4/05 Anne Marie Murphy DOB 7/25/60 Emilie Parker DOB 5/12/06 Jack Pinto DOB 5/06/06 Noah Pozner DOB 11/20/06 Caroline Previdi DOB 09/07/06 Jessica Rekos DOB 05/10/06 Avielle Richman DOB 10/17/06 Lauren Russeau DOB Mary Sherlach DOB 02/11/56 Victoria Soto DOB 11/04/85 Benjamin Wh...

Rahm Emanuel Gun Control, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Saturday joined politicians calling for new gun-control measures in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Conn. “There is no parent and no grandparent in America that is not a resident to Sandy Hook, Connecticut,” the former White House chief of staff said. A ban on carrying concealed weapons in Illinois was overturned by an appeals court just last week. “There is nobody that had their child last night, that didn’t hold them a little closer, pull them in a little tighter, didn't hug them a little more,” Emanuel said.

Missing ASU Student, The body of a missing Arizona State University student who hails from Orange County has reportedly been found. A candlelight vigil was held last Thursday evening for 19-year-old Jack Culolias. Family and friends gathered in Brea where Culolias went to high school. Culolias, who was a freshman at ASU, was last seen after a fraternity party on November 30th. One of his shoes was found near the Salt River.

Philippines Typhoon Death Toll, The death toll from a typhoon that ravaged the southern Philippines in early December has risen to more than 1,000 and could go higher, the government said on Sunday. Typhoon Bopha was the worst natural disaster to hit the country this year.The death toll from a typhoon that devastated the southern Philippines earlier this month has topped 1,000 as hundreds more remain missing, the government said on Sunday. Typhoon Bopha killed 1,020 people, mostly on the southern island of Mindanao where floods and landslides caused major damage on December 4, civil defence chief Benito Ramos said. A total of 844 people remain missing, about half of them fishermen who ventured out to sea before Bopha hit, Ramos said, adding he feared many of the missing were dead. "The death toll will go higher. We found a lot of bodies yesterday, buried under fallen logs and debris," he told AFP. He added the toll from Bopha, the worst natural disaster to hit the co...