Britney Spears' Former Body Guard Allegations Untrue, Says KFed
Celeb Parents, In The News, New In Pop Culture
Did Britney do bad things? Credit: X17online
Fernando Flores, who worked on the singer's security detail, sued Spears on Wednesday claiming sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His lawsuit claims Spears repeatedly exposed herself to him and that he witnessed her punish her young sons with his belt and act inappropriately in front of them.
Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told The Associated Press that Flores' accusations had been looked into before the suit was filed and warranted no action. He said Federline takes any allegations of abuse or wrongdoing regarding the former couple's children seriously.
Young Golfer Disqualifies Self, Gives Up Medal
Zack Nash, 14, is returning the first place medal he won at the Dretzka Invitational, after he realized he inadvertently played the match with an illegal number of clubs in his bag. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel / MCT
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Zach Nash was shocked when he discovered he had one too many golf clubs in his bag a couple hours after winning a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.
But rules are rules, and the 14-year-old from southern Wisconsin made a decision that might surprise some people: He disqualified himself and surrendered his medal.
"I knew right away I couldn't live with myself if I kept this medal, so it was pretty instantaneous," Nash said during a phone interview from his home in Waterford on Wednesday, his first day of high school.
Scientists Expect C-Section Rate to Keep Rising
In The News, Delivery, Research Reveals Babies
C-sections rates have increased by more than half since the mid-1990s. Credit: Getty Images
Overall, cesarean deliveries account for about a third of births in the U.S. While much attention has recently focused on women having repeat C-sections, researchers with the National Institutes of Health found that nearly one third of first-time moms delivered by cesarean.
That is "somewhat surprising," said Dr. Jun Zhang, lead author of a study that looked at nearly 230,000 deliveries in 19 hospitals around the country. "It has consequences for future pregnancies."
Many doctors and hospitals follow a policy of "once a cesarean, always a cesarean."
ER Visits for Concussions Soar Among Kid Athletes
In The News, Research Reveals Big Kids, Research Reveals Teens
Physicians are seeing a trend in young athletes with head injuries. Credit: Corbis
The findings in a study of national data don't necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren't taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say.
"It definitely is a disturbing trend," said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an ER physician in Neptune, N.J.
The study examined concussions in organized youth sports involving ages 8 to 19. ER visits for 14- to 19-year-olds more than tripled, from about 7,000 in 1997 to nearly 22,000 in 2007. Among ages 8 to 13, visits doubled, from 3,800 to almost 8,000.
While awareness has increased, many parents, coaches and players still don't understand how serious concussions can be, Bakhos said. Many often seem less concerned with the injury than with how soon kids can return to sports.
"They want to know if they can play tomorrow, and you're just like, 'No!'" she said. "It's not just as simple as get up, shake it off and you'll be fine.
Australian Police, Facebook Crack Child Porn Ring
The child porn investigation includes police in the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, South Africa and Switzerland, Credit: Adrian Wyld, AP
Eleven people have been charged in Australia, Britain and Canada in connection with the syndicate, which involved people using Facebook to distribute and view graphic sexual images, police said.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported Friday that Facebook management knew about the pornography on its website and had deactivated accounts of people involved, but had not informed police.
Facebook and Australian Federal Police issued a joint statement in response to the report saying the networking site had immediately taken action once a police investigation began, and its assistance was "integral to bringing down this international child pornography syndicate."
Colleges See Prospective Donors Among New Students
University of Michigan senior D.J. Heebner, left, leads a prospective student tour on campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. Prospective Wolverines learn about the importance of private contributions while touring the campus. Credit: Paul Sancya, AP
On a growing number of campuses, first-year students are hearing another message. Please give. Not for tuition, but instead as a young donor.
With alumni-giving rates at record lows and lagging state support of postsecondary education, public and private schools alike are focusing their efforts on building lifetime loyalty among still-impressionable students.
Henson Donates Original Kermit to Smithsonian
Jane Henson, left, kisses Willard Scott goodbye after donating some of Jim Henson's early puppets to the Smithsonian Institution on Aug. 25. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin, AP
The first Kermit creation from Jim Henson's Muppet's collection appeared in 1955 on the early TV show "Sam and Friends," produced at Washington's WRC-TV. Henson's widow Jane Henson on Wednesday donated 10 characters from the show to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
She said the original characters provided five minutes of fun each night after the local news.
"I think people realized that if you put Kermit's face up there, it was just as powerful," Jane Henson, 76, said. "We were mostly just doing it to entertain ourselves."
9 States, DC Get $3.4B in Education Grants
In The News, Education Big Kids, Education Tweens, Education Teens
Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks about the federal "Race to the Top" school reform grant competition in Washington. Credit: Drew Angerer, AP
The department chose nine states - Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Rhode Island - and the District of Columbia for the grants. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said 25,000 schools will get money to raise student learning and close the achievement gap.
The "Race to the Top" program, part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, rewards states for taking up ambitious changes to improve struggling schools. The competition instigated a wave of reforms across the country, as states passed new teacher accountability policies and lifted caps on charter schools to boost their chances of winning.
"These states show what is possible when adults come together to do the right thing for children," Duncan said in a conference call with reporters. "Every state that applied showed a tremendous amount of leadership and a bold commitment to education reform. The creativity and innovation in each of these applications is breathtaking."
Anxiety Still Rampant in Hurricane Katrina Kids, Study Says
In The News, Behavior Big Kids, Behavior Tweens, Behavior Teens
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu talks about the city's recovery and future in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 19. Credit: J. Scott Applewhite, AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A startling number of Gulf coast area children displaced by Hurricane Katrina still have serious emotional or behavioral problems five years later, a new study found.
More than one in three children studied - those forced to flee their homes because of the August 2005 storm - have since been diagnosed with mental health problems. These are children who moved to trailer parks and other emergency housing.
Nearly half of families studied still report household instability, researchers said.
"If children are bellwethers of recovery, then the social systems supporting affected Gulf Coast populations are still far from having recovered from Hurricane Katrina," the researchers said.
The study was published online Monday in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.
Lead author David Abramson of Columbia University said researchers were astonished by the level of distress.
Young 'Lion King' Actor Doing Well Post-Transplant
Shannon Tavarez, who has leukemia. is recovering after receiving an umbilical-cord blood transplant in a New York hospital Credit: Rick Maiman, AP
Shannon Tavarez (tuh-VAHR'-ehz) received an umbilical-cord blood transplant Tuesday at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, on New York's Long Island.
