The Associated Press
TACOMA, Wash. —
Thirty-two alleged gang members, their lawyers and dozens of deputies crowded into a Tacoma courtroom Tuesday where a judge considered how how they all would be tried.
KOMO-TV reports prosecutors and lawyers are arguing over whether everyone should be tried in one group, smaller groups or individually.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Thomas Felnagle granted a 60-day continuance to sort out the logistics.
The men were arrested in a Feb. 9 roundup of alleged members of Tacoma's Hilltop Crips gang. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist filed criminal conspiracy charges that carry a possible 10-year sentence.
Ricky Martin has thanked his loyal fans for their support following his announcement that he is gay.
The superstar ended years of speculation about his sexuality on Monday by revealing he's a "proud homosexual" in a statement on his official site.
Officials at leading gay rights group the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) saluted his decision to 'come out', and his dedicated fans have been equally as supportive.
Martin took to Twitter on Tuesday to thank the public for their acceptance.
He writes, "What's going on gang? I'm doing great! Stronger than ever! I'm here relaxing @ home enjoying ur messages! I feel the love! Thanx for all! Peace."
Posted: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 5:00 PM by Alan Boyle
Does the Shroud of Turin show the "real face of Jesus"? That claim is impossible to judge, even though it serves the title of a documentary about the 3-D analysis of the Shroud of Turin premiering tonight on the History Channel. What can be said is that the centuries-old image wasn’t just painted freehand. Computer analysis of the imprint on the shroud suggests that it had to be left behind by someone draped in cloth.
"Is this the artifact of a real person or not? Definitely it is," Ray Downing, the digital illustrator at the center of the show, told me today.
Downing worked with specialists on the shroud to come up with a photorealistic representation of the man whose body's imprint appears faintly on a famous 14-foot-long length of linen. For some Christians, the stain serves as the miraculous snapshot of their risen Lord. For most scientists, it is a cleverly done fake from the 13th or 14th century, but nothing more.
History Channel
A rough computer model shows the 3-D face imprinted on the Shroud of Turin.
Back in 1988, carbon-14 dating tests were conducted on a sample from the shroud in an effort to determine whether the cloth was created in Jesus' time. The verdict from three laboratories was that the cloth was produced in medieval times. But the shroud's fans have insisted that the sample was actually taken from a patch, rather than from the original linen. Just this month, a chemist proposed a new series of non-destructive dating tests that would give an estimate for the entire cloth.
From a marketing perspective, the timing of the History Channel show couldn't be better: Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the Christian holy days that mark Jesus' death and resurrection, are just a few days away. What's more, the shroud is due to go on display for six weeks at Turin Cathedral, starting April 10. The last time the relic was exhibited, a decade ago, more than 3 million people came to Turin to see it. More than a million reservations have been received already for next month's viewing.
Have scientists been wrong about the shroud? Downing noted that historical records referring to the shroud predate the current carbon-14 estimate. "We know the carbon-14 [test] is wrong," he said. "The question is, how wrong are they? The further back you go, the less likely it is that anybody could have faked it."
History Channel
Digital illustrator/animator Ray Downing and John Jackson look at a high-quality
replica of the Shroud of Turin, displayed at Jackson's research center in Colorado.
But the dating debate isn't the focus of Downing's work: Rather, he concentrated on what the shroud shows. Could the faint outlines preserved in the cloth match up with the outlines of a specific person? Downing found that they could, and he drew up a 3-D image that fit the data.
"It's just like how a police investigator will question an eyewitness, and from that information he can draw a complete sketch," Downing said. "The shroud is a silent witness. It's like the witness in an investigation."
Downing started out with high-resolution photographs of the shroud from the Holy Shroud Guild and the Shroud of Turin Research Project. "Between the two of them we were able to come up with a good image," he said.
He also consulted with John Jackson, a physicist who has come to specialize in studying the shroud at his research center in Colorado. Once all the imagery was computerized, Downing used software to massage the 2-D data into 3-D imagery.
History Channel
A computer reconstruction shows a body image that matches up with the faint
imprint seen on the Shroud of Turin. The imagery was used to develop 3-D models.
3-D visualizations of the face in the shroud have been done before, but Downing found that the data couldn't be matched up with a realistic representation if he just added another dimension to the shroud's flat plane. The image looked more like a reflection in a funhouse mirror - and that's because the cloth had to be draped around the body's form to produce a match.
Downing said the cloth "encoded" the 3-D data on a 2-D surface. "It's as if there is an instruction set inside a picture for building a sculpture," he explained in a news release.
By manipulating the computer model, Downing matched up the shroud's imprint with anatomical features drawn from more than 100 human scans. "The nose might have come from here, the nostrils from there," he told me. The result is a realistic illustration, based on the data encoded in the shroud.
History Channel / Ray Downing
Illustrator Ray Downing tweaked graphic representations of human models to come
up with a realistic 3-D image of the person whose imprint is on the Shroud of Turin.
Downing said the depiction shown in the History Channel program represents his best effort to put flesh and bones on the shroud's imprint - and he would argue that it's the best effort anyone has made. "This is the closest one, anatomically," he said.
Over the years, not everyone has agreed that the shroud can fit a realistic form. Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator for Skeptical Inquirer magazine, told an interviewer a decade ago that if the draping effect is taken into account, the body beneath the shroud would have to have been "unusually narrow ... so very long and narrow that one pro-Shroud pathologist suggested that Jesus must have had Marfan's syndrome."
If Downing's analysis played it straight, the shape beneath the shroud is at least plausibly human. But is it Jesus? Or some anonymous person from the first or the 13th century? Feel free to weigh in with your comments below, before or after the show airs.
Update for 8:18 p.m. ET March 30: In a follow-up telephone interview, Skeptical Inquirer's Joe Nickell noted that questions have surrounded the Shroud of Turin since the 14th century, when it showed up in France. Nickell suggests that the shroud could have been forged by applying a red ochre pigment to the linen, then modeling it on a body with a bas-relief mask over the face.
Nickell said an Italian chemist, Luigi Garlaschelli, used the recipe to create a shroudlike replica. "He made a 'shroud' using the theories of mine that I told you, then artificially aged it by baking, and then he washed it to remove the pigment - and voila! There was the yellow stain," Nickell said. The effect was similar to the effect seen on the Shroud of Turin.
You can read more about Garlaschelli's experiment here and here.
"There are two approaches to this," Nickell told me. "There's ordinary science, and then there's what I call shroud science. Ordinary science starts with evidence, and lets the evidence lead wherever it will. This is the approach used by a 'CSI' team. Shroud science is quite different, and it starts with the answer. They start by saying, 'This is the shroud of our Lord,' and then they take whatever steps they need to get to that answer."
Nickell is skeptical ... not only about the Shroud of Turin, but also about the prospects for settling the shroud debate to everyone's satisfaction.
"Shroud science is backward from ordinary science," he said. "It's very discouraging to me that the media have been so willing to give it a pass."
Update for 2:50 p.m. ET March 31: I've been wading through thousands of comments on this item - an exercise that has revealed once again how fallible mortals (and software) can be. I apologize to those whose messages I have not approved, either because I just couldn't get to them or because they struck a slightly wrong or redundant chord. I also apologize to those who may take offense at some of the messages that were approved. Thanks to all of you who wrote in - and whether you're Christian or Jew, Muslim or Buddhist, of some other faith or of no religious faith at all, have an uplifting week!
NEW YORK — The first football game in the new Meadowlands Stadium will be between the owners of the $1.6 billion facility.
The NFL announced Wednesday that the Giants and Jets will play the first game Aug. 16 when they meet Monday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
The Dallas Cowboys will play the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game to open the NFL's preseason schedule in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8.
Carolina will play at Baltimore on Thursday night, Aug. 12, then the Jets and Giants meet the following Monday before the rest of the league gets into action later in the week.
Super Bowl champion New Orleans opens the preseason at New England. The date is still to be determined.
The Jets and Giants traditionally play the second-to-last preseason game against each other, but with the new stadium both teams wanted to be the first to play in it.
The Giants will play the first regular season game in the new Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 12. The Jets will open their regular season with the first Monday night game at the new stadium.
That decision caused some controversy.
Both teams also wanted to play the first regular-season game at the new stadium. But since the Giants and Jets are not on each other's schedule, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell flipped a coin to determine which would play first at home.
The Giants won the toss, but Jets owner Woody Johnson was upset that a representative of the team was not present when the coin was flipped.
The AFC champion Indianapolis Colts open their preseason at home against San Francisco.
The Minnesota Vikings, with or without Brett Favre, start the preseason at St. Louis.
Pete Carroll's first preseason game as Seattle Seahawks coach will be against at home against Tennessee.
New Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan opens the preseason at home against Buffalo.
Few players have risen to No. 2 in the world with less fanfare than Steve Stricker.
When he won so convincingly at Riviera in February, it was his fourth PGA Tour victory in his last 15 starts, the highest rate of winning this side of Tiger Woods. It was enough for Stricker to be considered among the best players who haven't won a major, and with his pure putting stroke, he figures to be a contender at the Masters.
Not that anyone will notice in the days leading up to the year's first major.
"I'm sure we'll get a ton of Tiger questions, and rightly so,'' Stricker said. "It's been a huge story.''
The biggest story in golf - at least inside the ropes - in the month leading to Augusta National has been Ernie Els. He ended two years without a victory by winning his second World Golf Championship title, then made it two in a row with a victory at Bay Hill. That made Els the first player in 2010 with multiple PGA Tour victories, and a big favorite at the Masters.
Now, he's expecting a quiet week.
"People are not going to be talking about who's in form until probably Thursday morning when we start the event,'' Els said. "It's going to be all about Tiger and him coming back and everything. So I think we will all be sideshows until Thursday morning. And I think we're fine with that. Everybody is fine with that.''
Stricker and Els are among the half-dozen players who can be considered favorites at the Masters. Any other year, they would be getting more attention than usual on the road to Augusta.
This year has been a little different.
Rarely has a tournament gone by without top players - just about any player, for that matter - getting asked about Woods.
"For a guy not being around, he sure has drawn a lot of attention,'' Stricker said.
Few other players have stood out. Seven of the top 15 players in the world ranking have won this year, with Els the only multiple winner on the sport's toughest circuit. Geoff Ogilvy opened his season with another victory at Kapalua. Ian Poulter captured his first victory in America. Camilo Villegas threatened in two tournaments before winning the Honda Classic. Jim Furyk won for the first time in 2 1/2 years.
All of them could be expected to do well at the Masters.
Being overshadowed by Woods might work to their advantage. They already feel pressure to perform without having to be constantly asked about the state of their game and whether this could be the year they break through at Augusta.
Mike Weir knows what that's like from experience.
He had won the Bob Hope Classic and Riviera early in the 2003 season, along with a tie for third at Pebble Beach. The Canadian was as hot as anyone headed to the Florida swing in March, the month when the focus turns to the Masters. Indeed, media activity was busier than usual that year, but not because of Weir or how he played.
That was the year of Martha Burk's campaign to have Augusta National change its all-male membership. While the issue wasn't nearly as salacious or shocking as Woods' infidelity, it dominated the conversation. Weir quietly went to the Masters, and emerged with a green jacket.
"Going in 2003, I don't think anybody was playing any better,'' Weir recalled. "I was hardly asked a question before the tournament started. So there's some truth to that. When there's a singular focus like this year, you're going in under the radar.''
Once the questions get beyond Woods' stunning fall, his public apology and his decision to return to the Masters, they shift toward how Woods will fare at the Masters after not competing in five months.
Els, Stricker, Furyk, Poulter, Ogilvy, Villegas and Martin Kaymer of Germany already have shown what they can do.
Now it's a question of anyone noticing before the Masters gets under way.
"It's a good thing, especially for me,'' Stricker said. "I don't care to be looked at as a favorite or a top player. I would rather do my own stuff, my own business, and slide under the radar.''
That might not last once the tournament begins on Thursday, heads into the weekend and onto the back nine on Sunday. The course has not gone through any significant changes, and Masters officials showed last year they are interested in bringing some noise back by setting up the course for birdies and eagles.
There is no shortage of players capable of taking advantage, even if all eyes are on one guy.
"I think it could be one hell of a year,'' Els said before winning at Bay Hill. "There's a really good group of players playing well, and I think that bodes very well for the first major and the rest of the year. It's not going to be a walkover for anybody.''
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/golf/wires/03/31/2070.ap.glf.masters.forgotten.contenders.adv03.0901/#ixzz0jnFgNKYJ
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By Emily Newell
Special to Page 2
Archive
I went to nearly every home basketball game this season, but never was there such intensity as there was on campus Saturday after the Bulldogs' win over the No. 2-seeded Kansas State Wildcats.
The win clinched a spot for Butler in the Final Four, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, just a few miles from campus.
As soon as the game ended, I headed over to the main part of campus. Police had already shut down Hampton Drive, home of three dorm buildings and many of the fraternities and sororities.
A thousand or more students were in the street, hugging, celebrating, yelling and enjoying what is truly a historic moment for Butler University.
We're a small (about 4,500 including graduate students), private university located in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. Suddenly, campus is flooded with people. Members of the media are here to cover any small story that is, in some way, related to Butler basketball.
PAGE 2 ON CAMPUS
Page 2 taps a student journalist on each Final Four campus to paint a picture of March Madness.
• Emily Newell at Butler
• Gabe Starrosta at Duke
• Brian Gawthorpe at West Virginia
• Joey Nowak at Michigan State
During the postgame celebration, music blared outside Atherton Union, which houses several offices, a computer lab, a dining hall, Starbucks and the bookstore. Students gathered together to sing Queen's "We Are the Champions," "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
Even Butler University President Bobby Fong got in on the action as he crowd-surfed across the student body that stood in the street.
What was most entertaining, however, was the growth of sophomore Gordon Hayward's rap he recorded with friends over spring break.
"Too Big Yo" has become the theme for almost everything. It was the first song played during the celebration. Students who had learned the words sang along. Facebook pages and Twitter feeds flooded with messages such as "We're too big yo!" It grew from spring break boredom to one of the anthems for the team.
I was already astonished by the outpouring of support that came in the street celebration after the game. What followed early the next morning brought me chills.
Butler students received an e-mail from the university informing us the team would be arriving home from Salt Lake City late Saturday night/early Sunday morning at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The goal was to get as many students and band members who had not made the trip to Hinkle to welcome the team home.
I immediately knew, win or lose, I would be there.
Around 1:45 a.m., I put on a sweatshirt and headed out to welcome home the team that could.
I was absolutely blown away when, as the minutes passed, more and more students, faculty and community members arrived.
People from the neighborhood showed up with little kids. Our adorable, beloved bulldog, Blue II, showed up, looking a bit tired.
By 2:30 a.m., more than 3,000 people were standing in the misty rain to welcome the boys home.
Finally, around 2:45 a.m., the band led in the buses, and the first bus, carrying the team, stopped right in front of me.
Senior Nick Rodgers was the first to exit the bus, carrying the West Regional trophy.
The crowd erupted in screams. People held out their hands to try to get high fives. Cameras flashed. Video tape rolled.
With such a small campus, seeing the players around campus is a daily norm. Seeing the reaction by the entire Butler community and how the players became overnight celebrities has grown my Butler pride tremendously.
Sunday, the bookstore was flocked with patrons, all trying to get their hands on Butler gear. The bookstore has reported an increase of up to 500 percent in sales.
To see this kind of support from the community, to see how, finally, the basketball world has recognized the greatness of Butler basketball, is incredible. I'm elated the team is getting the recognition it deserves.
Emily Newell is a sophomore at Butler University, majoring in journalism. She is sports editor of the school newspaper, the Collegian.
Published March 30, 2010 in Movie InterviewsBy Fred Topel | Image property of Warner Bros
Louis Leterrier, director of the first two Transporter films and The Incredible Hulk, brought his high energy approach to a remake of Clash of the Titans. Instead of Ray Harryhausen stop motion monsters, Leterrier’s Perseus fights intense CGI creatures. There may be one easter egg for Harryhausen fans, but Leterrier wanted to stay away from too many references to the original film.
Leterrier Behind Clash of the Titans
“I met a few of the original cast members, but I didn’t want to do it,” Leterrier said. “Bubo was the only thing we wanted to pay homage to the artistry of Ray Harryhausen and not make it like an homage movie. We wanted to make this movie our own movie and just wink at Desmond Davis/Ray Harryhausen’s movie.”
For Perseus, Leterrier went a very different way from Harry Hamlin. “Obviously I met a lot of actors going from the Harry Hamlin idea of what Perseus would look like: golden skin, long locks and that stuff. I met a lot of people. There was this actor who had been shooting for four years with James Cameron on this crazy project that everybody had heard about but no one had seen anything and he was finally available, extremely tired, but finally available. He was in L.A. so I sat down with him and frankly I had seen one of his films, Somersault, which he was in. He was not the character. He was not doing any action in it or anything but he was a great actor and a great face.”
That actor, of course, was Sam Worthington. “I sat down with him and I loved him. Actually it was quite tough for us because our idea was that we had done this sort of doe-eyed Perseus discovering the world but with Sam I couldn’t do this. Sam has a true idea, a definite idea of where he is and everything. That’s what was nice with him because we could break him and I decided to go for him because we loved each other. We grew up in opposite sides of the world but we feel the same way. We just love the same movies. We like the same stories and this story spoke to both of us.”
Also, he put Worthington in a miniskirt for battle, as well as all the other Greek warriors. “Mads [Mikkelsen]’s skirt is very mini because he likes to show his legs. Mads is like, ‘Yeah. Bring it up a little bit.’ That’s part of the accent. Sam was like ‘Mate, you want me to do this thing, wear a mini-skirt, fight giant scorpions and then put on an English accent. I can’t.’ I said, ‘Yeah, concentrate on the acting.’ But it was a challenge. We thought about it. Will the mini-skirt look goofy? That’s also part of why we didn’t put the girls in togas because we didn’t want this boring look of togas on Mt. Olympus. It’s coming back. Watch out this summer. Lots of us will be wearing mini-skirts.”
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins tells ESPN's Rachel Nichols that as of Tuesday afternoon, it is "very doubtful" that point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant can play in Saturday's Final Four game against Duke.
Before West Virginia's win over Kentucky in the Elite Eight, Bryant had told reporters that, despite breaking a bone in his right foot just a week before, he'd been medically cleared to play in the Final Four. On Sunday, he traveled to North Carolina to be fitted for an orthotic for his shoe.
But Bryant was not scheduled to participate in major parts of the Mountaineers' practice on Tuesday. While Huggins did not completely rule out Bryant's return to the floor, he did say that, "if he can't practice, he's not going to play."
"We're not going to throw him out there without knowing what he's going to do," Huggins said. "I think it's a whole lot different walking, or jogging on a treadmill, than it is coming out here and cutting and doing the kind of things we have to do out here."
“How to Train Your Dragon,” a coming-of-age story, has little new to offer about that time of life. But it has more wall-to-wall action than previous animated films.
Hiccup is the wimpy son of Berk’s Viking leader, Stoick. The town is old but the houses are new, due to the fact there are far better Viking fighters than Stoick’s tribe. Enemies destroy it regularly. So it is imperative that Hiccup become a warrior.
It is not in the boy’s nature. Inventing is, but when one of his gadgets nails a dragon, he cuts the creature loose. Payback comes during the child’s training when the dragon, Toothless, helps him defeat the fearsome creatures required to complete the course.
The filmmakers have inserted a girl, Astrid, who is not in the books by Cressida Cowell on which the movie is based. Although Astrid is competently voiced by America Ferrera, she registers as the routine feisty female of other films.
Jay Baruchel makes an appealing Hiccup, and the animation of his character is more expressive than most similar films. Gerard Butler is solid as his dad, delivering a father who loves his son even though the boy disappoints him as a fighter.
The 3-D swoops moviegoers through the battles with dazzling effects. Yet it does not ignore subtlety. Children won’t notice, but adults will appreciate the sparks that fly in their face from an off-screen campfire.
By Nick Gholson
Posted March 29, 2010 at 12:56 p.m. , updated March 29, 2010 at 4:31 p.m.
WICHITA FALLS — Scott Ponder spent much of Monday morning just driving around in his truck with an empty feeling in the pit of his stomach.
He felt lost.
It was the Rider football coach’s way of mourning the death of a player.
When he left Harris Memorial Hospital in Fort Worth on Sunday, Ponder knew he had just said his final goodbye to Zach Shaver.
“He’s going to die,” the coach said, trying hard but unable to hold back the tears.
The 18-year-old Shaver — a 2009 Rider graduate — died Monday morning.
Tarleton State head coach Cary Fowler was at the hospital when the announcement was made.
“My guide is God, which is good, because there aren’t many coaches you can call who know how to deal with something like this,” Fowler said.
Shaver, a redshirt freshman for Tarleton, suffered a head injury during a spring practice in Stephenville on Saturday.
The 6-2, 280-pound defensive tackle got tangled up with an offensive lineman on a play. The two players fell over the back of a pile with the offensive lineman on top of Shaver, who hit his head on the turf and never recovered.
“It looked like an ordinary football play,” said Brad Keith, sports editor of the Stephenville Empire-Tribune, who was at the practice. “An assistant coach said that the offensive lineman said Shaver fell limp in his arms.
The young Wichitan was air-lifted by helicopter to the Fort Worth hospital and never regained consciousness.
“He was a winner on and off the field,” Fowler said. “He had a big smile on his face all the time, but when he was on the football field, there was no give-up station in him. He played his guts out on every play.”
“He was a great kid, and I loved him dearly,” Ponder said. “He was so positive and so well-liked. He loved people and had a lot of friends. This is a tragic blow to everyone.”
Shaver was a first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state defensive tackle for the Raiders his senior year.
In his two seaons playing on the varsity, Rider won 20 games and a pair of district chapionships.
Eric Ward — a redshirt freshman at Texas Tech — struggled to deal with the premature death of his high school teammate.
“I don’t want to believe it,” he said. “When you are family for ROHO, you are family for life.”
Ward said Shaver’s mother had been his teacher in elementary school before he and her son met at McNiel Junior High.
“He was always laughing and being funny,” he recalled. “Back when I was trying to decide whether to go to OU or Tech, Zach told me to go to Tech. He was an influence on me coming here.”
Ward remembers James Chambers, Tyler Tackett and Shaver spending a lot of time in the weight room together to become better players.
“They were all like brothers. You would see them in there working every day,” he said.
Fowler, who was the defensive coordinator for Midwestern State from 2001 through 2007, knew Shaver long before he ever coached him.
“When we were in Wichita Falls, I lived next to Cole Vitolo. They were in the fifth grade, and we all used to play football in my front yard,” he said.
Vitolo was Shaver’s teammate at Rider and Tarleton State.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this young student-athlete,” Tarleton athletic director Lonn Reisman said in a
press release by the school Monday afternoon. “This is a tragic loss for the Shaver family, and my heart goes out to them. I am thankful for our athletic training staff, the emergency medical teams and the hospital staff for their professional response.”
“It is always difficult to lose one of our Tarleton family members, especially when they are so young,” Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio said in the release. “(Wife) Lisette and I will keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.”
Shaver is survived by his parents, Robbie and Jennifer, and a sister, Emily.
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 29, 2010 9:49 p.m. EDT
(CNN) -- Oklahoma authorities are determining whether two bodies found Monday are those of a murder suspect and his wife's missing 7-year-old daughter, a spokeswoman for investigators said.
The bodies and a car authorities said was used in the kidnapping of the girl were found in a heavily wooded area in Norman, outside Oklahoma City, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.
Lester Williams Hobbs, 46, was charged in the death of his estranged wife, Tonya, and the kidnapping of her daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson. Hobbs and the girl have been missing since January.
Brown said the bodies are those of an adult and child, but positive identification has not been made due to decomposition.
"There's no reason to believe it's not" Hobbs and the child, she said.
The medical examiner will attempt to identify the bodies using Hobbs' fingerprints and Johnson's dental records, Brown said. The cause of death was unknown, though a note found near the car described what happened, she added. The details of the note were not released.
The car had been left in the woods for several weeks, possible a month, Brown said.
The search for Hobbs and Johnson took investigators through Oklahoma and Texas.
Lester Hobbs is not Johnson's biological father and has an extensive criminal history, police say.
Johnson's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City.
At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
March 28, 2010, 11:41PM
Duke, West Virginia, Butler and Michigan State represent a well-balanced Final Four, in an unbalanced sort of way.
In the first of Saturday's semifinals at Indianapolis, Butler and Michigan State will be the first No. 5 seeds to compete in the Final Four since the 2005 Spartans. Never before have two No. 5 seeds advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
Saturday's nightcap will match Duke, which on Selection Sunday was considered the most tenuous of the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 seeds (albeit now the only one to make the Final Four), and West Virginia was the team most frequently cited by pundits as overlooked for a top seed.
So the teams are well-matched, even if the brackets are slightly out of whack as this unpredictable Tournament reaches the final stretch.
“It's one of those years where everybody thought it would be a little wacky and a little crazy in the preliminary rounds,” CBS Sports analyst Clark Kellogg said. “But we have a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed. We have a Butler team that is as impressive defensively as I've seen, and we have a similar team in Michigan State.”
Butler probably is the top seed on the wacky index as the smallest school (with about 3,900 undergraduates) to make the Final Four in more than 30 years and as the only school to play a Final Four in its home town since UCLA won the 1972 title at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
The Bulldogs, however, enter with 24 consecutive victories and the aura of destiny's darling. It is an appropriate role, given that Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted the 1954 Indiana high school championship game in which Milan defeated powerhouse Muncie — the game that inspired the film Hoosiers.
“They have two legitimate stars in (Gordon) Hayward (who had 22 points with nine rebounds in the regional final against Kansas State) and Shelvin Mack (who had 16),” Kellogg said.
“They have two legitimate stars in (Gordon) Hayward (who had 22 points with nine rebounds in the regional final against Kansas State) and Shelvin Mack (who had 16),” Kellogg said.
Michigan State advanced to the Final Four for the sixth time under coach Tom Izzo with a 70-69 victory over Tennessee. The Spartans are the only team from last year's Final Four to make it to Indianapolis, and they made it despite the loss of Kalin Lucas with a torn Achilles' tendon and with Delvon Roe and Chris Allen suffering from knee and foot injuries, respectively.
“Tom Izzo amazes me,” Kellogg said. “This is a team that never found itself with injuries and other factors in play, and he has them in the Final Four. ”
Under head coach and native son Bob Huggins, West Virginia is in the Final Four for the first time since Jerry West led the Mountaineers to the 1959 title game against California. Joe Mazzulla scored 17 points in replacing injured guard Darryl Bryant, who suffered a broken foot during practice Tuesday.
“Joe Mazzulla looks like a guy who can handle the ball and run the show,” Kellogg said. “They are a streaky shooting team, but they are an excellent defense and rebounding team. They don't have the explosive guard scorers like Baylor, but they have wing guys who are long and athletic and can give you problems in the basket area.”
As for Duke, which won the South Regional at Reliant Stadium, the Blue Devils proved once more against Baylor that they are cut from different stylistic cloth than most other Mike Krzyzewski teams.
Down by three at the half to the Bears, Duke won with a combination of tough defense, holding Baylor to 41.2-percent shooting in the second half, and timely rebounds (the Blue Devils were plus-six in the second half and led 43-37 for the game).
“It was our adjustments that we made in the second half, how we came out and tried to thread their zone a little more and not let the first half get to us,” center Brian Zoubek said.
“West Virginia has been through some adversity with injuries, and they play in the Big East, which is a tough game every night. It will be a tough matchup, and we will have to match their intensity.”
With two fifth-seeded teams en route to Indianapolis, this is the highest combination of seeds — at 13 — since the 2006 Final Four that did not include any No. 1 seeds and featured 11th-seeded George Mason, which was the last double-digit seed to make the Final Four.
Along with Izzo's 2005 team, Florida in 2000 and Indiana in 2002 were the other fifth seeds to advance this decade to the Final Four.
Should the Spartans or Bulldogs win the title, they would be the lowest-seeded team to do so since sixth-seeded Kansas won the 1988 championship.
After being hounded for months about how it plans to make money, Twitter (finally) is set to provide an answer, likely at the company’s Chirp conference in mid-April. What’ll it be? The consensus is that an ad platform of some sort will be announced. But by our count, over the past 18 months or so, Twitter executives and investors have mentioned no fewer than five different possible sources of revenue. Here, in anticipation of the unveiling next month, is what Twitter has said about each, and which of those aspirations they’ve actually done something about.
Advertising
What they said: Twitter has said as far back as November 2008 that it would consider adding ads to search-result pages. More recently, though, executives have said that “traditional web banner advertising isn’t interesting to us,” and instead have said the ad model they will reveal will be “fascinating,” “non-traditional,” “really cool” and “amazing.” So specific! As of February, it was in the “test phase.”
What they’ve done: Nothing—although head of product management and monetization Anamitra Banerji said in late February that the ad platform would likely launch in the next month or so.
E-commerce
What they said: Twitter board observer Todd Chaffee said in June that the company was considering e-commerce as a revenue stream. Since people are using Twitter to get product recommendations, he said, it would only make sense that people would be able to buy products via the site too.
What they’ve done: Nothing.
Premium accounts
What they said: Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said in August that the company would charge users for “premium accounts.” In November, Stone said the plans were well on their way and that a pay-for-package offering that would include verified streams and analytics would launch by the end of the year.
What they’ve done: The company has not started charging for premium accounts. However, it has rolled out free business-friendly features like “contributors,” which helps differentiate between multiple users of a single Twitter account.
Mobile deals
What they said: At our own EconSM conference, Kevin Thau, Twitter’s director of mobile business development, said the company would make money from handset deals and also by getting some sort of cut of the carriers’ data business.
What they’ve done: Twitter has dozens of relationships with carriers—financial details of which are unknown. The company did, however, partner with Peek in November to launch a $99 device designed for the frequent Tweeter.
What they said: Thau also said at our conference that Twitter would monetize search “in some way.”
What they’ve done: Twitter has since licensed its stream of Tweets to Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO)—which are all using the data to add real-time results from Twitter to their search engines. The Microsoft and Google deals alone are believed to be worth as much as $25 million.
By Maxim Tkachenko, CNN
March 27, 2010 7:41 a.m. EDT
Moscow (CNN) -- The world's largest country by land mass is challenging time: This weekend, Russia is cutting the number of its time zones from 11 to 9.
"The less fractional division of the country will enable us to resolve a number of transport and communications issues, will increase its manageability and strengthen the position of Russia as an important chain in the world's global infrastructure," President Dmitry Medvedev said at a special Kremlin meeting devoted to the issues of time change.
Technically speaking, five Russian regions -- two in European Russia and three in Siberia -- will not join the rest of the country in moving the clock one hour forward to daylight saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday, thus coming a little closer to Moscow.
Aman Tuleyev, governor of the Siberian coal-mining region of Kemerovo, which will undergo a time zone change, said at the Kremlin meeting that the existing time zone span doesn't make a lot of sense.
"You travel just a 100 miles to any neighboring city in our area and need to switch your watch one hour back, then move it one hour forward again upon return. This has been creating needless confusion for both businesses and regular people," he said.
Some local governments of the regions where the time zone change will take place have been lobbying in favor of this measure for years, and overwhelmingly supported the proposed federal initiative.
H ave you ever heard of "Penny Auctions"? If you haven't, but you're the type always looking for bargains and amazing deals, then you're in luck! Penny auctions are a new auction model that are rapidly becoming very popular in the US and Europe. Penny auctions allow individuals to do just what it implies, win popular products for pennies on the dollar. Leading the way in this new auction model is QuiBids.com, an Oklahoma based company. QuiBids auctions off brand new popular products such as Macbooks, HDTVs, Digital Cameras, Gaming Consoles, and more for steep discounts of 75%, 85%, or even 95% off retail price.
Sounds too good to be true right? Surprisingly, it's not. See, QuiBids is a isn't run like your typical auction. Along with people snagging great deals at a fraction of the product's cost is the fact that users pay to participate in these auctions. Each bid placed on QuiBids costs users $0.60. By collecting $0.60 for each bid placed, QuiBids is able to afford giving away such products on the cheap such as a Macbooks for $23.72 or a Nikon Digital Cameras for $57.42.
Why QuiBids is Gaining Popularity
In a poor economy, it's not a surprise why Americans are out to get a great deal, and users of the website are winning products that they wouldn't normally be able to afford. Quibids popularity seems to be growing by the day. This is mostly due to QuiBids users recommending this site to everyone they know, as a way for friends, colleagues, and loved ones says Matt Beckham, QuiBids CEO.
We took the time to talk with a few of QuiBids customers to see exactly what their thoughts are on this new and trendy auction model. One QuiBids customer, Cyril Bennett, had this to say about QuiBids and winning one of their auctions:
"As I was bidding, my roommate was asking me how the auction was going. At that moment, gazing at the screen, I watched as the timer read "3... 2... 1... END" and i won this VIZIO 32" HDTV for $2.60. Answering his question, I did some awesome air kicks to liberate the adrenaline that was pumping through me. True story. Oh and I recently had won a 120 GB Playstation 3 that they generously upgraded me to a 250 GB model. I've really enjoyed using QuiBids...it's kind of awesome!" -Cyril B. / Arizona
How Does QuiBids Work?
QuiBids works by utilizing their state of the art "Penny Auction" model. Users pay just $0.60 to place a bid in an auction. Â Each time a user bids, time is added to the clock so that other users may decide whether they would like to continue bidding or not. Â If you are the last person to bid when the clock runs out, you win!
What this revolutionary auction model offers, that no other website has, are the huge savings! Users save an average of 95% off of retail when using QuiBids! Users have been able to snag amazing deals, such as an Apple Macbook Pro for $23.90, a Nikon D90 Camera for $45.84, or a Sony Playstation 3 for $12.32!
But what puts QuiBids.com head and shoulders above the rest? Their "Buy It Now" option! If users participate in an auction that they do not win, they may choose to use our 'Buy it Now' option so that all of the bids that they spent can go towards buying the item at regular retail price! That's why QuiBids has become so popular. There's no reason not use to it to save!
"QuiBids isn't your typical auction website. Whereas Ebay users can usually save 5-15% off retail through their online auctions, we save our users an amazing 85-95% on average! The catch is, every time a user bids, it costs them $0.60. This allows us to be able to sell popular products like Digital Cameras, HDTVs, Laptops, and more for pennies on the dollar." - Matt Beckham - QuiBids CEO
The End of Shopping Around?
There is no longer a need to spend several hours online looking to see
where the best deal is. The answer is simple. It's on QuiBids!
Whereas scouring the internet for to save an extra 5% works for some
people, why waste your time when you could save 95%!
QuiBids is so much more than economical. It's entertaining too! Their
users rave about the rush they get when bidding in a highly
competitive auction! And with the potential to save as much as people
do on QuiBids, you can see why!
If you are a frugal spender who wants to save some serious cash, then
you will be pleased with QuiBids. We see QuiBids as a monumental
step towards bringing the users savings they've only dreamed of!
And in this type of economy, the average American can't afford not to use any means necessary to save as much as possible.
An In-depth Explanation of How QuiBids Works
As we already mentioned, QuiBids.com isn't your typical auction site. Users, on average, save 80-90% off retail for brand new products they win, but pay $0.60 for each bid they place. The process of participating in QuiBids auctions is fairly straight forward. We've outlined it below:
•1. Register and Purchase bids by buying a bid pack.
•2. Choose which auction you want to participate in.
•3. Bid on the product you want to win and save!
But if you're like me, you're probably wondering, "What if I spend money on bids, but don't win the auction?" Seems like you could lose money in pursuit of a great deal, but end up with nothing right? Not exactly...
QuiBids' "Buy it Now"
One of QuiBids' best features is their "Buy it Now". The QuiBids "Buy it Now" allows users to apply the money they spent bidding on a product towards the "Buy it Now" price if they don't win. For example, let's say a user bids 50 times on a $50 Best Buy gift card, but doesn't win the auction. That user spent $30 on bids placed (50 bids x $0.60/bid). He or she can then pay the difference between the "Buy it Now" price (typically internet retail price) and the value of bids placed ($20), and purchase the item. That way, even though they didn't win, all bids placed on the QuiBids auction can go towards buying the product.
If you're looking for a deal, QuiBIds and other penny auction websites, might be the best way to snag an amazing bargain these days.
Image by Getty Images via DaylifeBy MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
Associated Press Writer
DETROIT -- Adam "Pacman" Jones is trying hard for a 2010 comeback.
At least three teams, - the Lions, 49ers and Bengals - have expressed "great interest" in the troubled cornerback, though no signing was imminent, agent Ray Savage said Friday.
Savage said he hoped to set up in-person visits with those teams in the near future.
"Nothing's imminent, and I'm hopeful to schedule visits here in the next week or two," said Savage, whose comments came two days after Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said the Lions were "definitely interested" in signing Jones.
Schwartz said Wednesday at the NFL meetings that the Lions were gathering more information about Jones' level of commitment and how he could fit in Detroit's system.
The Lions were among a few teams that worked out Jones last week in New Orleans. Savage said Jones worked out earlier in the year for the Bengals "and we're hopeful that we'll be back in Cincinnati here in the next week. And we're trying to coordinate with San Francisco to get out there and meet with them."
In the meantime, trainer Duke Rousse is putting Jones through two-a-days in New Orleans. Rousse said Jones has put on 13 pounds - he's now at 181 - and still clocks in the sub-4.5-second range in the 40-yard dash.
"He looks awesome," Rousse said. "Physically he's ready" to play in the NFL next season, but "the big question is not his speed or what he can do on the field."
Jones once was considered a promising NFL star, but his repeated run-ins with the law have derailed his career.
The 26-year-old ex-West Virginia standout was an elite cornerback and kick returner in his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where Schwartz was the defensive coordinator.
But Jones was suspended for the 2007 season by league commissioner Roger Goodell for a number of off-field incidents.
The Dallas Cowboys traded for him in 2008. Before that time, he had been arrested six times and involved in 12 episodes requiring police intervention since being drafted in the first round. He got into a scuffle with a bodyguard who was part of a team-employed security detail in October 2008 and again was suspended.
The Cowboys released Jones after the 2008 season in which he averaged only 4.5 yards per punt return and was spotty at cornerback.
He didn't play last year.
During their training sessions, Rousse said, Jones has been a model citizen, even spending time with a few dozen high schoolers who visit the training complex some afternoons.
"I have a lot of kids that came from the same background that he's come from," Rousse said. "And he basically preaches: 'Learn from your mistakes.' ... Just from a mentorship (standpoint), he's been awesome for the guys down here - all my high school athletes."
Rousse said he believes Jones won't get in trouble again if an NFL team gives him a chance.
"I think he's learned, and he's matured," he said.
Associated Press Writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this report from Orlando, Fla.
Florida State University reportedly spent more than $172,000 in legal costs while unsuccessfully challenging part of an NCAA penalty for an academic fraud scandal that took away 12 of former coach Bobby Bowden's victories. In turn, that raises a question: What else could FSU have purchased for the same amount of money?
Page 2 breaks it down:
Marvin Gentry/US Presswire• Academic scholarships (one year of in-state tuition): 41
• Textbooks (Chemistry, Houghton Mifflin, 12th edition): 967
• Mandatory student activity fees (one year, $20 per student): 8,600
• Laptop computers (HP Pavilion): 287
• Campus police officers (one year, $42,000 average salary): 4
• Assistant professors (one year, $56,000 average salary): 3
• Research grants ($10,000 each): 17
• Glossy, tri-fold 9x12 color brochures touting Bowden's accomplishments: 162,000
• Copies of "The Bowden Way: 50 Years of Leadership Wisdom" by Bobby Bowden: 9,071
• Copies of Florida State 1994 Orange Bowl national championship video: 6,893
• Hours lobbying state legislature to make Bobby Bowden Day an official holiday (reduced fee of $250 per hour): 688
• Hours of airplane pulling sky sign reading "BOWDEN IS AWESUM!!!": 430
• Bronze busts of Bowden ($50,000 per, estimated): 3
• Twelve-foot-tall bronze statues of Bowden: ($150,000 per, estimated): 1
Sources: Florida State University Controller's Office, Amazon.com, Best Buy.com, Indeed.com, University of Central Florida, Printrunner.com, Aerial Messages of Orlando, SF.com
Thursday March 25, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY -- Willie Veasley scored five of his 13 points during Butler’s 11-0 run down the stretch, and the Bulldogs rallied to upset top-seeded Syracuse 63-59 on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals.
The fifth-seeded Bulldogs (31-4) fought through Syracuse’s zone defense and kept the Orange (30-5) from getting their fast break going most of the night.
Butler is now one win from going home to Indianapolis for the school’s first Final Four.
Gordon Hayward scored 17 points for Butler and started the celebration while dribbling out the clock after the Bulldogs forced Syracuse into its 18th turnover.
Wes Johnson had 17 points and nine rebounds for Syracuse.
West Virginia 69, Washington 56
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Kevin Jones scored 18 points in leading second-seeded West Virginia to a 69-56 win over Washington on Thursday night in the East Regional semifinals.
Da’Sean Butler shook off a sore right hand that he hurt in the second half to score 14 points for the Mountaineers (30-6), who won their ninth straight game and set a school record for victories.
Sports broadcasting and cable pioneer, Chester R. "Chet" Simmons, who served as president of ESPN when it launched in 1979, died of natural causes Thursday in Atlanta. He was 81.
As a founding father of sports television, Simmons started in 1957 with Sports Programs, Inc., which soon evolved into ABC Sports, where he was instrumental in the development of Wide World of Sports. He became president of NBC Sports and later of ESPN, and was founding commissioner of the USFL.
Chet Simmons, 1928-2010
Simmons was instrumental in the development of SportsCenter and coverage of the NFL draft during his time at ESPN. He received a Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Here's a look at his life's work:
Years Job
1982-85 First USFL commissioner
1979-82 President for ESPN launch
1977-79 President of NBC Sports
1964-77 NBC Sports executive
1961-64 ABC Sports
1957-61 Sports Programs, Inc.
"Chet Simmons' leadership and vision in our first years were absolutely critical to ESPN's survival," said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN and ABC Sports. "He was the only industry president to have pioneered both sports broadcasting in the late '50s and cable television in the late '70s. His legacy lives on in ESPN's culture, stellar employees and commentators, and innovative programming. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Harriet, and his children."
Added ESPN anchor Chris Berman, hired by Simmons approximately one month after the network launched: "Chet did so much more than take a chance on us young people 30 years ago. He took a chance on ESPN. What you see today would have never been possible without him. We'll miss him as a mentor and as a friend. All of us will be forever indebted to Chet Simmons."
ESPN anchor Bob Ley, whom Simmons hired for SportsCenter the first week of the network's operation, added: "I will forever treasure the trust that Chet placed in all of us at the beginning in 1979. He brought this young network immediate expertise and credibility. His legacy is seen in his family and his grandchildren, and professionally in the foundation he laid so well and profoundly with those of us who now celebrate his life."
ESPN.com news services
Simmons was born on July 11, 1928, in New York City, and was raised in Ossining, N.Y., and Pawtucket, R.I. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in broadcasting from the University of Alabama, and did graduate work in radio and television at Boston University. He served in the Coast Guard after leaving BU.
Simmons had been living in Savannah and Atlanta, Ga., since 1986. He is survived by his wife Harriet of 53 years; his four children Pam, Jed, Pete and Nikki; his daughter-in-law Jana Simmons; his sons-in-law Randy Miller and Micah Goldstein; and nine grandchildren Ella, Zach, Claudia, Streeter, Ben, Zander, Jack, Reid, and Tyler.
JOHANNESBURG -- World Cup organizers will talk to David Beckham about having a role at the tournament's opening ceremony.
Organizing committee chief executive Danny Jordaan told The Associated Press on Thursday there have already been indications that Beckham will travel to South Africa with England's squad, even though he has been ruled out of playing because of a torn Achilles tendon.
Beckham is expected to be involved in promoting England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Jordaan said the organizing committee would approach the former England captain about taking part in the opening ceremony at the Soccer City Stadium in Soweto on June 11.
"I think that already there is an indication that he will come with the England team and he will work for the 2018 bid," Jordaan told the AP at a FIFA event in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra. "So we will meet him when he comes here."
The England team is expected to arrive in South Africa on June 3.
The 34-year-old midfielder ruptured his Achilles' tendon playing for Italian club AC Milan this month. He underwent surgery in Finland and is expected to be sidelined about six months.
England coach Fabio Capello has invited Beckham to join the squad at the monthlong tournament. Beckham had been hoping to become the first Englishman to play in four World Cups.
Beckham's presence at the opening ceremony could be a massive boost for local organizers, who have experienced disappointing ticket sales for soccer's biggest event.
The local organizing committee expressed its disappointment after Beckham was injured on March 14, saying Beckham was a "household name" who would "enhance spectator presence in South Africa."
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo joined the chorus of denial regarding reports that the Rams are close to a deal for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
Spagnuolo said Thursday while visiting the St. Louis Cardinals spring training camp that "there's nothing to that."
"At this time of the year, there are going to be all kinds of things. But no, there's nothing there," Spagnuolo said.
Spagnuolo was at Cardinals camp in Jupiter, Fla., following the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. He visited manager Tony La Russa and will watch some spring training games.
Spagnuolo said he doesn't put much stock in trade rumors. Multiple media outlets in Philadelphia reported Wednesday that the Rams had offered a second-round draft pick and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe for McNabb.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- With a stern look and some finger-pointing, Florida coach Urban Meyer had harsh words for a reporter following spring practice Wednesday.
Meyer, speaking for the first time in a week, confronted an Orlando Sentinel reporter and defended receiver Deonte Thompson.
It was unclear why Meyer took issue with the Sentinel's story.
Reporter Jeremy Fowler quoted Thompson as referring to John Brantley as "a real quarterback," in comparison to Tim Tebow.
The exchange was caught on video, captured by a photographer and witnessed by a dozen or more people -- including several fans leaving spring practice.
"You'll be out of practice -- you understand that? -- if you do that again," Meyer told the reporter. "I told you five years ago: Don't mess with our players. Don't do it. You did it. You do it one more time and the Orlando Sentinel's not welcome here ever again. Is that clear? It's yes or no."
Meyer was reacting to a story posted on the Sentinel's Web site following Monday's practice. Thompson was asked what the biggest difference was between Tebow and Brantley.
"You never know with Tim," Thompson said. "He can bolt. You'll think he's running, but then he'll just come up and pass it to you. You just have to be ready at all times. With Brantley, everything's with rhythm, time. Like, you know what I mean, a real quarterback."
Thompson was embarrassed by the remark and the attention it got, mostly because he likes Tebow and never wanted to say anything negative about him.
Meyer, who has praised Thompson for being a good student, a hard worker and a player who has not gotten into any trouble, eventually got word of Thompson's distress and relayed his concern to school officials. The school responded by canceling post-practice interviews Wednesday.
But as reporters were hanging around following the session, Meyer walked over to the group and began the exchange with Fowler.
"You're a bad guy, man. You're a bad guy," Meyer said. "If that was my son, we'd be going at it right now."
Meyer turned and walked away, then met his daughter on the practice field and pointed back at the reporter. He also avoided reporters by leaving through another exit.
An initiative to legalize marijuana and allow it to be sold and taxed will appear on the November ballot, state election officials announced Wednesday, triggering what will probably be a much-watched campaign that once again puts California on the forefront of the nation's debate over whether to soften drug laws.
The number of valid signatures reported by Los Angeles County, submitted minutes before Wednesday's 5 p.m. deadline, put the measure well beyond the 433,971 it needed to be certified. Supporters turned in 694,248 signatures, collecting them in every county except Alpine. County election officials estimated that 523,531 were valid.
The measure's main advocate, Richard Lee, an Oakland marijuana entrepreneur, savored the chance to press his case with voters that the state's decades-old ban on marijuana is a failed policy.
"We're one step closer to ending cannabis prohibition and the unjust laws that lock people up for cannabis while alcohol is not only sold openly but advertised on television to kids every day," he said.
Lee, tapping $1.3 million from his businesses, has put together a highly organized campaign that he emphasized Wednesday would be led by a team of experienced political consultants, including Chris Lehane, a veteran operative who has worked in the White House and on presidential campaigns.
"There's all kinds of big professional politicos who are coming on board now to take it to the next level," Lee said.
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Archive
UTEP's Tony Barbee has accepted Auburn's head coaching job, the school confirmed on Wednesday.
Barbee, 38, will be formally introduced as Auburn's 20th head coach at 6 p.m. ET Thursday in the $92 million Auburn Arena, the first event held in the Tigers' new home.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tony Barbee into the Auburn Family," director of athletics Jay Jacobs said in a school statement. "Coach Barbee has a vision of competing for championships at Auburn, and the passion to get us there. He is a phenomenal coach, an outstanding recruiter and a fierce competitor."
Barbee was one of at least four candidates interviewed for the position in Atlanta in the last two days. Barbee will replace the fired Jeff Lebo, who was let go after six seasons after failing to reach the NCAA tournament.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to join the Auburn Family and proud to be the next head coach at Auburn," Barbee said in the statement. "We have challenges in front of us, but we also have great opportunities with everything Auburn has to offer -- a great university, outstanding community, tremendous fan support, and a terrific new arena and practice facility. The time is now to take Auburn basketball to new heights."
Barbee was set to interview with DePaul later this week.
Barbee coached the Miners to the Conference USA regular-season title with a record of 15-1 and was named the conference coach of the year in his fourth season. Barbee (82-52) improved the Miners from 14 to 19 to 23 to 26 wins. The Miners lost the C-USA championship game to Houston and then fell as a No. 12 seed to No. 5 Butler in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Barbee was an assistant for Kentucky coach John Calipari at Memphis from 2000-06 when the program averaged nearly 25 wins a season. He also played for Calipari at UMass on teams that reached the round of 16 in the 1992 NCAA tournament and the NIT Final Four the previous year.
Barbee gives Calipari a former assistant in the league. Fellow rival Billy Donovan at Florida has two former assistants as head coaches in the SEC in John Pelphrey (Arkansas) and Anthony Grant (Alabama).
Barbee replaces Lebo, who got the East Carolina job last week, at a time when Auburn is upgrading its program with a brand new facility. The Tigers haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2003.
Barbee is the school's first black head coach in men's or women's basketball. Auburn was criticized by some a year ago when the football program hired Gene Chizik -- a white coach who had a losing record at Iowa State -- instead of black candidate Turner Gill, now leading the Kansas program.
He played professionally in Spain and France after leaving UMass, where he had two stints as an assistant coach sandwiched around a season with Wyoming.
Barbee also had recruiting successes that included helping land six straight top-10 classes at Memphis, including a 2001 group that was rated No. 1 nationally.
Four of his former players are in the NBA: Rodney Carney (Philadelphia 76ers), Joey Dorsey (Sacramento Kings), Chris Douglas-Roberts (New Jersey Nets) and Marcus Camby (Portland Trail Blazers).
UTEP may look to former Miners assistant Tim Floyd, a former head coach at USC and a current New Orleans Hornets assistant, as well as former UTEP, Texas A&M and Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie and Sam Houston State's Bob Marlin. Arkansas assistant and former Arizona State head coach Rob Evans and Marquette assistant Tony Benford may also be in the mix.
The question for the Miners is will center Derrick Caracter return to the team or declare for the NBA draft. Caracter averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds a game after transferring from Louisville. The Miners should return junior guard Randy Culpepper, the leading scorer at 17.9 points a game.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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