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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A school principal has apologized to one of his students and her family after they protested that she'd been told to sing the Star-Spangled Banner in a more "traditional" way. The formal apology by Bloomington(IN) High School North principal Jeff Henderson was made public Thursday after a nearly two-hour meeting with student Shai Warfield-Cross, her family and other supporters.

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing Co. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Summit Aeronautics Group, a Montana manufacturer of titanium and other hard metal structures for commercial and military aircraft. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/nov/22/boeing-to-buy-montana-aircraft-part-maker-summit/#ixzz162Xsgu00

During 2009, violent crime declined for the third year in a row, with an estimated 5.3 percent drop from 2008 figures. Property crime continued to fall as well—for a seventh straight year—with an estimated decrease of 4.6 percent. That’s according to our just-released report, Crime in the United States, 2009. These latest statistics come 80 years to the month after we took over the responsibility of compiling and publishing the nation’s crime data from the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The categories back in 1930 were almost identical to what we have today—murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, larceny-theft, burglary,...

China Sky One Medical Inc. has received Conformité Européenne (CE) certification for its Myocardial Infarction and Urine Microalbumin Diagnostic Kits, approving them for sale in the European Union member countries. The AMI diagnostic kit can be used by consumers for the early diagnosis of myocardial infarction. It requires the user to place a blood sample on a marker after which a plus or minus sign will appear, indicating whether the user should seek medical attention. It is based on an assay of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (hFABP), which peaks as early as one hour after myocardial damage occurs, much...

Anti-Terrorist And Monetary Crimes Division FBI Headquarters In Washington, D.C. Federal Bureau Of Investigation J. Edgar Hoover Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 Attn: Beneficiary, This is to officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly completed an Investigation with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you legally won the sum of $3,200,000 USD from a Lottery Company outside your country. During our investigation we discovered that your e-mail won the money from an Online Balloting System and we have authorized this winning to be paid to you via...

We consider the influence of a terahertz field on the breathing dynamics of double-stranded DNA. We model the spontaneous formation of spatially localized openings of a damped and driven DNA chain, and find that linear instabilities lead to dynamic dimerization, while true local strand separations require a threshold amplitude mechanism. Based on our results we argue that a specific terahertz radiation exposure may significantly affect the natural dynamics of DNA, and thereby influence intricate molecular processes involved in gene expression and DNA replication.

BENTON, Ill. — Gallatin County, Ill., Sheriff Raymond M. Martin has been ordered held in jail without bond until a yet-to-be-set trial on federal drug trafficking charges. At a brief detention hearing Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Philip Frazier granted a U.S. attorney's motion to detain Martin, 46, of Junction, until his trial. Martin is charged with three counts of distribution of marijuana and two counts of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug crime. Illinois State Police drug agent Glenn Rountree presented three surveillance photos during testimony about the government's case against Martin.

We have some troubling news to report tonight regarding one of the actors in the Harry Potter films. Stemming originally from a UK tabloid, world wide media have now carried the story that actor Jamie Waylett, who portrays actor Vincent Crabbe in the beloved film series, was arrested on charges of possessing an illegal substance. A rep for Scotland Yard told the BBC that police made the arrest after searching a car carrying 19 year old Jamie and a friend. "The car was searched and officers found eight bags of a substance believed to be cannabis," he said. The report...

A couple from Montana were riding the range, he with his rifle and she (fortunately) with her camera. Their dogs always followed them, but on this occasion, a Mountain Lion decided he wanted to stalk the dogs (you'll see the dogs in the background watching). Very, very bad decision. The hunter got off the mule with his rifle and decided to shoot in the air to scare away the lion, but before he could get off a shot, the lion charged in and decided he wanted a piece of those dogs. With that, the mule took off and decided HE...

A 20-year-old Evansville woman is recovering at St. Mary's Medical Center after being shot three times by police officers early Saturday. Samantha McDaniel, 1054 Hatfield Drive, was wounded after she allegedly threatened officers with what ultimately proved to be a BB pistol. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on the Lloyd Expressway east of Boeke Road where officers stopped her after she reportedly enticed police to chase her Ford Mustang. At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Evansville Police Chief Brad Hill questioned whether McDaniel might have been attempting "suicide by cop." He explained she repeatedly had called dispatchers and initiated...

UK tabloid The Mirror is reporting tonight that a stuntman "who doubles for Harry star Daniel Radcliffe," was injured as part of prep work for filming on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The paper says that the accident with the stuntman happened while "rehearsing a flying sequence using a harness when he was sent plummeting by the blast, which was part of the stunt. He was conscious after smashing to the ground but told horrified colleagues: “I can’t feel my legs.” The paper continues: A source said: “The stunt double was badly hurt. He was rehearsing a flying scene...

More people had measles infections in the first seven months of this year than during any comparable period since 1996, and public health officials blamed growing numbers of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. Many of these parents say they believe vaccines cause autism, even though multiple studies have found no reputable evidence to support such a claim. In Britain, Switzerland, Israel and Italy, measles outbreaks have soared, sickening thousands and causing at least two deaths.

The sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, originally scheduled for a November 21 release, has now been moved to July 17, 2009 in the US and major international markets, according to MarketWatch.com. WB has confirmed the move to TLC. The press release says the reason for the move was two-fold: First, the studio says summer releases are better for "family tentpole" events, and second, they are still feeling the aftereffects of the writers' strike and need the time to make sure the film reaches the widest audience possible. The new date, said Jeff Robinov, president of...

TALLAHASSEE— The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) South Florida Unlicensed Activity (ULA) Unit announced that their joint investigation with the Coral Gables Police Department Special Investigations Section (CGPD) has led to the arrest of Juan J. Aguirrechu in connection with the unlicensed practice of medicine, a third degree felony and punishable by up to five years in prison. A CGPD investigation that was initiated from an anonymous tip indicated Aguirrechu was practicing medicine from his residence located at 5627 Granada Blvd. in Coral Gables . Specifically, it was alleged that Aguirrechu was representing himself as a doctor and was providing...

Three Berea men are among the ten men that were arrested earlier this week on charges of illegally buying, selling and possessing wildlife. 30-year-old Brian Fryer, 46-year-old John Rowland and 21-year-old Jerrod Allen were all arrested as part of a two year investigation by state wildlife officials called "Twice Shy." Members of Fryer's family told 27 NewsFirst that they believe he captured the snakes in the wild and took them to services at the Harmon's Lick Holiness Church in Berea. They also say they doubt Fryer had any idea that he was doing anything illegally. Fellow church members also describe...

To slow its production of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, the Toyota plant in Princeton, Ind., is letting employees decide if they will come to work on six days between now and August. The company announced today that it would refrain from producing the Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia SUV at the Princeton plant on six days before the end of August. Both vehicles are made in the west side of Toyota's factory in Princeton. The "nonproduction days" will affect about half of the 4,500 employees at the plant. The other half works in the east side of the...

May 28, 2008 — Periodontal disease is associated with a small but significant increase in cancer risk, researchers report. The association between periodontal disease and overall cancer risk was found in both smokers and nonsmokers, according to a study that appears in June issue of Lancet Oncology. The authors note that periodontal disease might be a marker of a susceptible immune system or might directly affect cancer risk. Periodontal infections have previously been found to have systemic implications; individuals with gum disease have increased concentrations of circulating inflammatory markers, and disease severity directly correlates with serum concentrations of inflammatory markers....

Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada 's Hudson Bay:The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in, but The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

The Telegraph has reported today that Dame Maggie Smith, known to Potter film fans as Prof. McGonagall, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had a tumor removed and has undergone a course of chemotherapy; the prognosis “looks good,” a friend of hers told the paper. Everyone on staff at, and, we’re sure, reading Leaky wishes this fine actress a double measure of luck and health to counteract this difficult turn of events. You can write to Dame Maggie Smith at Leavesden Studios: c/o Harry Potter Production Leavesden Studios P.O. Box 3000 Leavesden, HertfordshireWD25 7LT United Kingdom

Big News everyone! The L.A Times is reporting an exclusive today: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be made in two films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 , and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Furthermore, the paper cites producer David Heyman confirming the return of David Yates as director for both films, with Steven Kloves to finish out his duties as screenwriter. The movies are to be filmed at the same time, and will be released several months apart, with Part One due November 2010, and Part Two, May 2011.