Hostage-Taker in Sydney With Islamist Flag Killed by Police; 2 Hostages Dead

A gunman who held staff and patrons of a chocolate shop in Sydney's business district was shot and killed by police as they stormed the building in the early morning hours of Monday. However, the gunman- identified as an Iranian immigrant who went by the name of Man Haron Monis- reportedly shot and killed two of his hostages before being brought down by police gunfire.

The scene unfolded on Sunday when Monis- who was already facing charges for conspiracy to commit murder and more than 40 counts of sexual assault- stormed into the Lindt Café chocolate shop in the business district of Australia's largest city with a sawed off shotgun. Authorities were reportedly kept at bay when freed hostages claimed the self-styled 'Sheikh' had explosives. Monis also forced his captives to hold up a flag with Arabic script to the window that read "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his Messenger". The flag was incorrectly identified as an ISIS flag by various media outlets, but similar banners have been used by other Islamist groups such as Boko Haram out of Nigeria or Somalia's Al Shabaab. In fact, Monis had reportedly listed an ISIS flag as part of his demands, along with a telephone debate with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot.

Monis was known to local police and was out on bail when he entered the chocolate shop. In addition to charges of conspiracy to commit murder in the death of his ex-wife Monis was facing at least 40 charges of sexual assault after a 27 year old woman filed a complaint with police.

In January this year, a 27-year-old woman complained to police that she had been sexually assaulted by Monis, after attending "spiritual healing sessions" in response to an advertisement placed in newspapers aimed at the Fijian-Indian, Macedonian, Spanish and Chinese communities.

That complaint triggered a police investigation, which saw Monis charged on April 14 with three sexual assault charges against one woman. The charges were sexual intercourse without consent and two charges of assault with act of indecency.

The woman was visiting him at a property in Station Street, Wentworthville, in August 2002. He appeared before Magistrate Christine Haskett at Kogarah Local Court. He was refused bail.

On May 26, he was granted bail at Parramatta Local Court by Magistrate Joan Baptie. The conditions placed on him in December 2013 were reinstated although he was to live at an address in Wiley Park.

On October 10, he was charged with a further 40 sexual assault charges against six women. This included 22 counts of aggravated sexual assault, 14 counts of aggravated indecent assault, one count of aggravated act of indecency, one count of sexual assault and two counts of assault with act of indecency. The women were visiting him at Wentworthville where he was offering services as a "spiritual healer". His bail was continued by Magistrate Dorelle Pinch.

He was due to appear in Penrith Local Court on Friday, December 12, but this was vacated and changed to February 27, 2015.

Apparently, despite being on bail for numerous serious criminal charges against him, Monis was still able to obtain a firearm in a nation with strict gun control laws. Although Monis' then-partner Amirah Drouids also faced charges in the stabbing death of Moni's ex-wife, it appears as though Monis acted on his own in the siege.

Monis also claimed that he was in contact with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's office and sought to send "237 baskets of flowers with 237 condolence letters" to families of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan- but Australian officials prevented him from having any contact after the self-styled 'sheikh' sent poison-pen letters to families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan referring to them as 'sons of pigs' no better than Hitler.

He came to the attention of police between 2007 and 2009, when he wrote poison pen letters to the families of Australian servicemen killed in Afghanistan.

During court hearings over the letter-writing, Monis claimed he was a peace activist and chained himself to the court, waving a small Australian flag.

He described his letters as "flowers of advices" [sic], saying: "From now on when I want to advise people not to kill civilians I should do it by hand delivery."

In August 2013, he was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, but refused to accept the court's verdict. Despite pleading guilty to all 12 charges against him, he appealed, claiming his trial was "politically motivated" and that his children were taken away from him.

The two murdered hostages were identified as 34 year old Tori Johnson, who was the manager of the shop and 38 year old Katrina Dawson, a mother of three. According to other hostages, Johnson was killed when he attempted to wrestle the gun away from Monis while Dawson placed herself between Monis' weapon and a pregnant colleague.

Riots Erupt in Ferguson, MO After Grand Jury Declines to Indict Police Officer for Shooting Black Teenager

For the third straight night, authorities in the St Louis area struggled to contain arson and looting after a St Louis County Grand Jury decided there wasn't enough evidence to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the August 9th shooting death of 18 year old Michael Brown. Brown was black while officer Wilson is white, and the shooting underscored racial tensions throughout the region.

Brown and a friend were videotaped stealing cigars and threatening the clerk of a convenience store in Ferguson, MO. Minutes later, officer Darren Wilson spotted the two walking down the middle of a nearby street, apparently unaware of the strong-arm robbery that took place. After exchanging words, Brown reportedly reached into Wilson's cruiser, punching the officer and attempting to take his sidearm. Two shots were fired, one of them grazing Brown before he fled a short distance. According to Darren Wilson, Brown was about 40 feet away when he turned around, reached into his waistband and charged at him. Wilson emptied the remaining magazine of his department issue SIG-Sauer P229 .40S&W, striking Brown four more times. Witnesses, including Brown's accomplice in the convenience store robbery, claimed that Wilson had shot Brown in the back as he was fleeing or when his hands were raised when he was trying to surrender- although this testimony was contrary to both forensic evidence and other eyewitness accounts.

Despite pleas from officials and Brown's family, shortly after St Louis County DA Robert McCoullough announced that no criminal charges would be filed against Wilson on Monday night, shops along Ferguson's main thoroughfare had their windows broken by looters as they swarmed in and picked shelves clean. As many as 25 buildings were burned since Monday night, including a number of locally owned and operated shops, stores and restaurants. At least 100 arrests were made after shots were fired and some St Louis county police cruisers were also torched, but not before having weapons stolen from them- including at least one AR-15 rifle. A body was found in a burned-out car in Ferguson on Tuesday morning, a death that police are ruling 'suspicious'.

One of the businesses damaged in the rioting was Natalie's Cakes and More, owned by Natalie DuBose who had been in business for just over a year. Prior to that she had been selling cupcakes at flea markets and the single mother said that the store was her only source of income. After an online appeal, DuBose reportedly received more than $110,000 through online fundraiser site GoFundMe to help rebuild her business and she said she plans to stay in Ferguson.

UPDATED: View a map of businesses that were set fire last night after the #FergusonDecision: http://t.co/dpTTAwCWZN http://t.co/z79ld5v1n0

— KMOX St. Louis News (@kmoxnews) November 25, 2014

Other store owners were more proactive in protecting their businesses, arming themselves and guarding each others' businesses in shifts as the rioting and looting spread while the police or National Guard were nowhere to be seen. One white-run business in Ferguson was protected by armed black volunteers from the neighborhood who were regular customers.

Muslim Convert Attacks, Beheads Former Co-Worker at Oklahoma Food Distribution Center

A 30-year old Oklahoma man with a criminal background beheaded 54 year old woman at a food distribution warehouse he recently was fired from and attacked another woman in the building before being shot by the company's Chief Operating Officer last week.

The suspect, Alton Nolen, 30, was recently fired from Vaughan Foods in Moore prior to Thursday’s attack. Moore Police Department Sgt. Jeremy Lewis told KFOR that Nolen drove to the front of the business and struck a vehicle before walking inside. He then attacked Colleen Hufford, 54, stabbing her several times before severing her head. He also stabbed another woman, 43-year-old Traci Johnson, at the plant.

Lewis said Mark Vaughan, the company’s chief operating officer and a reserve county deputy, shot Nolen as he was stabbing Johnson, who remains hospitalized in stable condition Friday.

Nolen, who had previously served jail time on drug and assault charges and also goes by the name of Jah'Keem Yisrael, had Islam listed as his religion according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. In addition to tattoos of praying arms and one that spelled 'Jesus Christ', Nolen also had 'As-salam alakyum' ['Peace be upon you' in Arabic- NANESB!] as one of his tattoos. Although it isn't known exactly when Nolen converted to Islam, the content of his Facebook page shifted from sports and rap lyrics to almost exclusively Islamic content in the Spring of 2013- including pictures of masked ISIS and Al Qaeda fighters in Syria and beheading videos.

Before being fired, Nolen was said to have attempted to convert some of his co-workers to Islam- his dismissal came after he reportedly said he supported stoning women for offenses committed under Islamic Shari'a law.

Vaughan Foods Chief Operating Officer and Oklahoma County Reserve Deputy Mark Vaughan grabbed a rifle he kept in his office and fired two shots, striking Nolen as he was stabbing Traci Johnson. Nolen survived and is undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital.

Local police and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol have asked the FBI to investigate whether or not the knife attack was linked to any terrorist activity. Intelligence agencies had warned that he Islamic State in Iraq and Syria- better known as ISIS- had called upon supporters in the west via social media to carry out 'lone wolf' attacks in the west. Days before the Moore, OK beheading an 18 year old Muslim named Numen Haider stabbed two police officers outside a police station in Victoria, Australia. Haider, who reportedly unfurled an ISIS banner at a local mall and made plans to travel to Syria, was fatally shot during the altercation while the two policemen are expected to survive.

National Guard Deployed to St Louis Suburb After Week of Protests and Looting

After criticizing the presence of 'militarized' police in the St Louis suburb of Ferguson, MO last week, Missouri governor Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard into the city to restore order on Sunday night.

The unrest started last weekend when a Ferguson police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager named Mike Brown. Although some witnesses gave conflicting accounts that claimed Brown was fleeing or surrendering when he was shot, the police claim that there was an altercation before the shooting where Brown tried to take the officer's service weapon.

After the shooting, a number of vigils and protests in Ferguson where demonstrators called for the officer to be charged with homicide took place [there are some unconfirmed reports out of St Louis that seem to corroborate the officer's version of events- NANESB!].

As tensions between citizens and area law enforcement escalated- with looting and clashes with police in riot gear following the shooting- state and local officials decided to hand over authority to the Missouri Highway Patrol and Captain Ron Johnston. Johnson espoused a hands-off approach to de-escalate tensions, in some instances outsourcing public safety to domestic terror groups like the Black Panthers. However, the clashes and looting continued over the next several nights [further agitated by outside groups such as the Revolutionary Communist Party and New Black Panther Party- NANESB!].

Heading into the weekend, Gov Nixon ordered a midnight curfew for the city of Ferguson as the looting and clashes continued. However, looters ignored the curfew and raided a Dominoes Pizza, Family Dollar store, a self-storage unit and an auto parts store. Ferguson police chief Thomas Jackson also released surveillance video purportedly showing Brown committing a strong-arm robbery of a nearby convenience store shortly before the shooting took place, despite pleas from the DOJ not to do so.

An autopsy was also conducted that determined Brown was shot six times- none of them in the back, contrary to early eyewitness accounts. US Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered a federal autopsy of Brown and ordered FBI agents to canvas the neighborhood to search for possible additional witnesses to the shooting.

Six Murdered in Santa Barbara, CA Killing Spree

At least six people were killed after the 22 year old son of a Hollywood assistant director fatally stabbed his roommates before getting in his BMW and shooting at pedestrians and into storefronts in the early morning hours on Saturday. Santa Barbra Police responded and exchanged gunfire- during the pursuit, the gunman's Beemer reportedly hit a bicyclist before crashing into a parked car. The killer- who was identified later that day as Elliot Rodgers- then turned the gun on himself shortly after crashing the car.

Officials in Santa Barbara say that the death toll on Friday was six- three stabbed by Rodgers and three shot during his rampage- with 13 injured by gunfire or getting mowed down by Rodger's speeding car.

Elliot Rodgers, the son of The Hunger Games assistant director Peter Rodgers, left behind an online video and lengthy manifesto in which he railed against women- particularly blondes which he claimed he was entitled to date. Two of the victims were identified as women who attended University of California Santa Barbara- 22 year old Katherine Cooper and 19 year old Veronika Weiss. Even before the online videos and manifestos were known, angry loner Rodgers engaged in belligerent and erratic behavior at off-campus parties, including trying to shove partygoers off a ledge and throwing a cup of coffee on a couple outside a coffee shop. The spoiled, misogynist loner was reportedly rewarded with a broken ankle for his trouble and lost his Gucci sunglasses after one altercation at an off-campus party. According to his own writings, spoiled misogynist loner then stumbled around banging on the door of another house demanding they give him back his sunglasses- only to start a fight with the occupants of that house.

Despite California having some of the strictest gun laws in the USA, Rodgers legally obtained his firearms after passing a background check. At the urging of some of his relatives, police in Santa Barbara conducted a welfare check on Rodgers at the end of April but found nothing out of the ordinary. In one of his videos, the killer claimed he nearly panicked that authorities would discover his planned rampage and convinced the deputies on his doorstep that it was all a misunderstanding. Elliot then reportedly mailed his manifesto to his family and therapists just hours before he started his rampage.

Other victims from Saturday's killing spree include Weihan Wang, Chen Yuang Hong, George Chen and Chris Michael Martinez.

Another VA Whistleblower Comes Forward- This Time in Florida

As more and more VA Centers throughout the country find themselves coming under scrutiny for mismanagement and intentionally delaying and withholding treatment from veterans, another whistleblower has come forward.

A detective in the VA's police department [yes- the VA has its own police department- NANESB!] has come forward with allegations of abuse and drug dealing on the grounds of the Miami Veterans Affairs center.

Fiore, a criminal investigator for the VA police department in South Florida, contacted CBS4 News hoping to shed light on what he considers a culture of cover-ups and bureaucratic neglect. Among his charges: Drug dealing on the hospital grounds is a daily occurrence.

“Anything from your standard prescription drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and of course marijuana, cocaine, heroin, I’ve come across them all,” he explained.

Even inside the hospital, he says he was stopped from doing his job – investigating reports of missing drugs from the VA pharmacy. When the amount of a particular drug inside the pharmacy doesn’t match the amount that the pharmacy is supposed to have, a report, known as a “discrepancy report” is generated. Normally it was his job to investigate the reports to determine if they were the result of harmless mistakes or criminal activity. But all that changed, he said, about two years ago.

“I was instructed that I was to stop conducting investigations pertaining to controlled substance discrepancies,” he recalled.

He said he was personally told to stop investigating them by the hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Vincent DeGennaro.

“I have no idea why,” he said. “He’s the chief of staff he doesn’t have to tell me why.”

Referring to drug dealing on the hospital grounds, Fiore said, “It’s been a problem for a while, for a very long while.” But administrators refuse to address it.

Fiore said the dealing usually takes place near the front entrance to the hospital, where patients and other gather to smoke. Patients will sometimes sell portions of the prescriptions they just filled. Other individuals will bring illegal drugs onto the grounds to sell. He said he has seen individuals in the drug treatment program time their smoke breaks so they can do downstairs and meet their dealers.

The VA police, who are all sworn federal law enforcement officers, can do little to stop it. The handful of VA police officers who patrol the hospital grounds are easy to spot since they are always in uniform and are well-known to patients.

“The patients know us, they see us every day,” Fiore said. “So I had brought up a plan to bring in somebody from a different facility where these patients don’t know them and basically go undercover into this [drug rehab] program or into this area at least and try to give us some good leads, so we can try to eliminate or reduce the amount of drugs that are coming in there.”

He said it wasn’t simply a matter of trying to make arrests. He said his goal was “to protect the patients.”

Fiore said he even found someone with undercover experience who was ready to do it. He said he presented his plans to his superiors, but never heard back from them.

“I’m still waiting,” he said. “And it’s been a couple of years now.”

Fiore said another reason drug dealing became a problem was the lack of working surveillance cameras inside and around the hospital. The lack of security cameras was an issue the Inspector General raised in its report earlier this year into Cutter’s death. They said the cameras had not been working for at least six months prior to Cutter’s overdose.

In fact, Fiore said, the cameras have not worked for at least four years. In 2010 he was assigned the responsibility of conducting a “vulnerability assessment” of the VA facilities in South Florida. He noted the problem with the cameras back then. As a result of his report, he said the Miami VA was allocated money to improve security. He said he believes the amount was somewhere between $2.5 million and $3.5 million.

But he doesn’t know what happened to the money.

“I can tell you it wasn’t spent on cameras or any of the other recommendations that were made in that assessment,” he said, “because they still have yet to be corrected.”

Fiore said that he's also seen marks and bruises on elderly patients in the VA Center that are consistent with abuse- something he claims the hospital prefers to deal with administratively rather than as a criminal matter. There is also the matter of theft of items ranging from computers to medical equipment inside the facility.

A four year veteran of the Marine Corps, Fiore reportedly came forward after the recent death of one of the VA Center's patients- a 27 year old Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran named Nicholas Cutter who was being treated at the VA drug rehab center. Cutter died from a cocaine overdose inside the center, but Fiore wasn't told about the circumstances behind Cutter's death until two days after the fact. Fiore said that although drug overdoses are to be investigated as a criminal matter, materiel from Cutter's room had already been cleaned out despite the fact that it was supposed to be treated as a crime scene.

Meanwhile, President Obama gave a terse press conference from the White House this week in which he claimed he didn't know about the myriad VA Scandals until reading media reports about it this month. Obama then expressed outrage before defending VA Secretary Shinseki's tenure and flying off to a $35,000 per plate fundraiser for Senator Dick Durbin on Friday.

Multiple Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate in San Diego County

At least nine separate wildfires throughout northern San Diego county have forced thousands of residents in the cities of Carlsbad, Escondido, San Marcos and Fallbrook, CA as well as the 4S Ranch section of San Diego and the nearby Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base to flee their homes as firefighters battled the approaching blaze.

Most of the fires were sparked on Thursday and spread quickly due to dry vegetation, unseasonably warm weather and 50 MPH Santa Ana winds blowing in from the desert. Although firefighters have been going after the wildfires with a sustained air and ground attack, the Poinsettia fire in Carlsbad has destroyed at least 30 homes while the San Marcos fire was large enough to spawn its own weather system as it moved southeast to the neighboring city of Escondido.



Authorities have not ruled out arson and arrests have been made in Escondido and Oceanside, CA of individuals who were seen staring small brushfires in a dry riverbed and city parks. A 57 year old man in Oceanside was arrested after witnesses saw him fanning flames of a fire in the San Luis Rey riverbed while two teenagers were arrested in Escondido on Thursday after multiple witnesses saw them trying to start brush fires in a city park and by a street adjacent to a shopping mall. In Escondido, the fires were quickly doused by nearby homeowners and investigators believe the two teenagers- identified as 19 year old Isiah Silva and a 17 year old accomplice- were copycats who played no role in the larger fires in San Marcos, Carlsbad and Camp Pendleton.

The Poinsettia fire in Carlsbad has already caused one fatality- on Thursday night, firefighters checking an already-burned area for hot spots discovered the charred remains of a man in what was believed to be a transient camp in Carlsbad. A local TV station also broadcast amateur video of what they believe to be the ignition point for the Carlsbad blaze- a golf course along Poinsettia Lane.

Authorities were able to get the San Marcos fire 10% contained on Thursday night and evacuation orders were lifted for parts of San Marcos and Fallbrook overnight- although police set up a checkpoint and would only allow local residents with ID into some of the affected areas.

Meanwhile, military and civilian crews were battling to contain a 14,500 acre wildfire on USMC Camp Pendleton on Friday- although the Marine Corps base is generally wide open, evacuation orders were given to for some housing areas and the town of Fallbrook at the eastern end of Camp Pendleton.

Son of Calgary Police Inspector Charged in Canadian City's Worst Mass Murder

Five people were fatally stabbed by the 22 year old son of a Calgary police inspector during an off-campus party near the University of Calgary earlier this week. According to the Calgary Herald, the slashing spree that took place in the early morning hours of Tuesday is the worst mass murder in the western Canadian city's 140 year history.

The victims — Lawrence Hong, Josh Hunter, Kaitlin Perras, Zackariah Rathwell and Jordan Segura — were, by all accounts, celebrating like everyone else when they became the subjects of an unprovoked attack just after 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Police Chief Rick Hanson said the victims were "targeted one by one" during a house party at 11 Butler Cres. N.W.

"These were all good kids. There’s no question about that. They did nothing wrong, and nothing that they did contributed to what happened to them," Hanson said.

Police have a suspect — the son of a well-regarded senior officer from their ranks — and the names of the victims quickly spread among grief-stricken family members, friends and classmates as Tuesday wore on.

While the police have yet to specify a precise motive, they charged de Grood with five counts of first-degree murder — a charge that indicates evidence of planning and deliberation.

Two of the victims, Josh Hunter and Zackariah Rathwell, were members of a popular local band, Zackariah and the Prophets.

Hunter, 23, was also an accounting major at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. Rathwell, 21, was a first-year student at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

"They were amazing, they were really creative and they inspired me," said Eric Grant, a friend of the bandmates who attended a candlelight vigil for all five victims at U of C on Tuesday night.

"Today has been the hardest day of my life."

Segura, 22, was a religious studies student at the University of Calgary. Perras was 23; Hong was 27.

Investigators were still trying to sort out if any of the victims lived at the rented house that hosted the party, but police said it was mainly a gathering of University of Calgary students celebrating Bermuda Shorts Day, a long-running tradition to mark the last day of classes.

Tuesday's stabbing was the single deadliest crime in Alberta since March 2005, when 4 RCMP officers attempting to impound a truck discovered a marijuana grow-op and stolen vehicle parts on the property of John Roszko in Mayerthorpe, some 75 miles northwest of Edmonton. The officers were ambushed by Roszko while searching his property and Roszko turned his weapon on himself as RCMP reinforcements surrounded him in a shed.

Look for the Union Label- NLRB Accuses Longshoreman's Union of Threatening to Rape Family Members of Grain Terminal Manager; Buffalo Area Union Boss Found Guilty of Racketeering

The National Labor Relations Board has accused striking dockworkers from the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union of assaulting security guards hired by United Grain at the port of Vancouver, WA and in at least one instance, locked out ILWU workers had threatened to sexually assault the daughter of a United Grain manger during a yearlong lockout.

The most shocking accusations are contained in Hooks’ case against International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 4 in Vancouver.

After investigating charges filed by the company, Hooks alleged longshore picketers shone spotlights into vehicles entering and exiting United Grain’s terminal, blocking drivers’ vision and causing permanent eye injury to a security officer. Hooks alleged locked-out workers recklessly pursued company vans, threatened to harm Columbia River pilots and pinned a security officer’s leg under a moving vehicle.

Hooks alleged that Local 4 members “threatened to rape the daughter of one of the employer’s managers,” and implied threats to harm a manager’s children by telling him they would “see his children at school” and asking, “are (his) children okay today?”

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this is not that members of the international Longshoreman and Warehouse union were capable of this, but the accusations come from a NLRB board perceived by critics as being packed with individuals far more sympathetic to labor bosses than business.

This would not be the first time in recent years an ILWU Local in Washington state resorted to threats, extortion and intimidation during a contract dispute. In 2011, members of the ILWU Local 21 in Columbia, WA blocked trains, cut air lines and dumped grain from rail cars, vandalized vehicles belonging to non-union employees at the port and threatened security guards with baseball bats and axe-handles during a dispute with EGT Grain in Longview. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against ILWU Local 21 and the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Department arrested more than 100 workers on various charges. The Longshoreman's Union then attempted to launch a recall campaign against Cowlitz County Sheriff Mark Nelson, which went absolutely nowhere.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the president of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 17 in Buffalo, NY was found guilty in a federal court of running a criminal enterprise out of the IUOE Local.

Prosecutors claim the criminal conduct by Operating Engineers Local 17 touched many of the region’s biggest construction projects, including Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Ralph Wilson Stadium, and added millions of dollars to the cost of those projects.

The verdict, which came after a six-week trial featuring 80 witnesses, ends a prosecution that began with the indictment of 12 union members in 2008.

Most of those defendants eventually pleaded guilty, but five elected to stand trial, and four of those five were found not guilty Friday.

At the heart of the case was the allegation that a “Local 17 Criminal Enterprise” operated from 1997 through 2007 with the intention of forcing construction companies into hiring its members and punishing those that refused.

The defendants were accused of vandalizing work sites by pouring a sandlike abrasive into the engines of heavy machinery and throwing sharp metal objects called “stars” under the tires of trucks.

In one instance, a Local 17 member, Michael J. Caggiano, was accused of stabbing the president of a local company in the neck with a knife.

The verdict followed a trial in which the prosecution painted Local 17 as a union knee-deep in corruption.

Dozens of contractors and former union members, many of them testifying as part of plea deals with the government, took the witness stand to tell stories of threats, fear and vandalism.

In the end, the jury found Kirsch, the union’s longtime president and business manager and a well-known figure in government and political circles, responsible for much of the wrongdoing.

They also found him to be part of a racketeering conspiracy that prosecutors claim existed at Local 17

The FBI, which also played a major role in the investigation, said the verdict is simply the last chapter in a story of how Local 17’s “pompous attitudes and violence-riddled acts had a tremendous impact on this city.”

“The union members who pleaded guilty and were found guilty in this case made honest working people go to work in fear of being stabbed or assaulted, even more so than I do as a law enforcement officer,” said Brian P. Boetig, special agent in charge of the FBI in Buffalo.

Kirsch will be sentenced at a later date- the charges carry a maximum of 20 yeears.

Truck Carrying Radioactive Waste Stolen in Mexico

The theft of a truck outside of Mexico City that was carrying radioactive waste triggered international alarms last weeks as authorities searched for both the pilfered vehicle and it's contents.

The shipment originated from a hospital in Baja California and was destined for a waste storage facility in the state of Mexico. The materiel was identified as cobalt-60 and was used for radiation therapy at the hospital in the border city of Tijuana, across the US-Mexican border from San Diego, CA.

Of particular concern was the possibility that the stolen cobalt-60 could be used by terrorist groups to construct a 'dirty bomb'- a conventional explosive device that's capable of spreading radioactive materiel over a concentrated area.

According to local police, the 2.5 ton Volkswagen truck was stolen by armed men at a truck stop at Tepojaco on the outskirts of Mexico City last week.

Mexican Federal Police alerted the US Department of Homeland Security and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna while searching for the stolen radioactive materiel.

After a dragnet for the stolen truck and its cargo, a family discovered the stolen cobalt-60 and discarded medical equipment in a field near the rural village of Hueypoxtla north of Mexico City. The area was quickly cordoned off by Mexican troops as nuclear safety officials moved in to contain the radioactive materiel.

The material, which the International Atomic Energy Agency called "extremely dangerous," was found removed from its protective container. The pellets did not appear to have been damaged or broken up and there was no sign of contamination to the area, the agency said on Thursday, quoting Mexican nuclear safety officials.

Juan Eibenschutz, director general of the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, said it could take at least two days to safely get the material into a secure container and transport it to a waste site.

"It's a very delicate operation," Eibenschutz said. "What's important is that the material has been located and the place is being watched to guarantee no one gets close."

Eibenschutz said the pellets are inside an unbroken copper cylinder about 4-inches (10-centimers) long and 1.2-inches (3-centimeters) in diameter.

"What we are trying to do is put (the cobalt-60) in a receptacle that can contain its radioactivity and send it (to the nuclear waste site) to be confined," Eibenschutz said.

Alerts had been issued in six Mexican states and the capital when the cargo went missing, and also with customs officials to keep the truck from crossing the border, he said.

With police and military resources involved in combatting a bloody narco-insurgency between several Mexican-based drug cartels since 2006, some organized gangs have taken advantage of corrupt, inefficient or indifferent law enforcement by targeting trucks and freight trains and re-selling the stolen goods on a thriving black market. Between 2006 and 2010, trucking, logistics and insurance experts claim cargo thefts have increased as much as 40% annually south of the border- although more recent numbers indicate a slight decline.

Officials believe that the thieves were unaware of the radioactive cargo and were likely after the truck from a company identified as Transportes Ortiz, which had an attached crane to hoist and unload cargo. Experts from Mexico's nuclear regulatory body said that if the cargo had in fact been tampered with and the thieves exposed to the cobalt-60 without any protective gear, it was likely they could die in a matter of days [or possibly gain cool superhuman powers- NANESB!].

After the radioactive materiel was discovered, six men were taken into custody in the neighboring state of Hidalgo on suspicion of their involvement in the theft. The suspects- who range from 16 to 38 years of age- underwent tests at a hospital in Hidalgo but showed no signs of radiation poisoning.

Dozens of Cases of Popular Whisky Stolen From Kentucky Warehouse

More than 60 cases of a bourbon the Wall Street Journal described as "So Popular Even Billionaires Can't Find It" have gone missing from a Frankfort, KY warehouse, prompting a flood of media inquiries and tips [but mostly media inquiries- NANESB!] to the local sheriff's office.

Authorities following up on a number of leads have reason to believe the $20,000 oak-barreled heist was an inside job.

By the time supervisors at Buffalo Trace realized what had happened, dozens of cases were gone — to the tune of about $25,350 retail — along with nine cases of 13-year-old Van Winkle Family Reserve rye, valued at a total of about $675.

“It appears that (the whiskey) was taken off the back of the pallets in the back of the area where they were being stored,” Melton said. The missing Pappy was being stored in an especially secure area of the Buffalo Trace Frankfort facility, one with limited access, so police are examining who would have had regular access to the whiskey, he said.

The 20-year-old bourbon retails for about $130 but the price can skyrocket on the secondary market — generally $300-$400 a bottle, or more. One California liquor store with two bottles of 20-year-old Pappy in stock Thursday was asking about $1,200 each in its online store.

Melton said he did not know how the thief would unload the pilfered Pappy, but was sure they would find a way. “I think you can be creative as you want to be,” he said.

Fortune once described it as “the ultimate cult brand,” and Buffalo Trace’s website describes Pappy as “the No. 1 rated Bourbon Whiskey in the world, with a 99 out of 100 rating by the World Spirits Championship.”

There have been thefts reported from Buffalo Trace in the past, but nothing close to this scale, Melton said. The way the bourbon was stolen — small amounts taken slowly over time — made it difficult to notice it had gone missing until is was far too late, Melton said.

A July 2013 piece in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the cult following of the Pappy Van Winkle brand, including a 500 person waiting list for bottles that have been aged anywhere from 10 to 23 years and fetching as high as $5000 per bottle [although it clarifies that prices ranging from $100 to $500 are more typical- NANESB!].

Connecticut Woman Shot to Death Outside of Capitol Hill After Police Chase in Washington DC

A dental hygienist from Connecticut was shot and killed by Capitol police after leading officers from several departments on a wild chase across the District of Columbia on Thursday.

Miriam Carey, 34, was killed after attempting to ram the barrier along House of Representatives after some sort of incident near the barriers along Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House earlier. After Carey reportedly tried running over police officers and federal agents, she was forced off the road and anywhere from 10 to 15 shots were fired at her by pursuing officers.

The shooting triggered a brief lockdown in the House of Representatives and led to a number of erroneous reports that some of the shots were fired from inside the House building. Carey was later pronounced dead at the scene. It was later determined that Carey had no gun on her person, but her one year old daughter was in the vehicle with her throughout the ordeal and escaped unharmed.

A camera crew from Iraq's al Hurra News was in the area and managed to catch some of the dramatic chase on video:



Carey's neighbors and co-workers in Stamford, CT described her as good-natured and dedicated, but behaving erratically after a recent head injury and had also treated for post-partum depression. One neighbor said the only time they saw Carey visibly upset was when she discovered the tires had been stolen off of her car one night in the apartment parking lot.

However, the New York Daily News reports that her boyfriend had called the police on her more than once, she was taking anti-psychotic medication and she claimed at one point that President Obama had her apartment under elaborate electronic surveillance and was broadcasting her life in a manner similar to the premise of the 1998 film The Truman Show.

Meanwhile, liberal pundits and supposedly objective journalists took to social networking sites to call for more gun control laws as the situation was still unfolding.

At Least 12 Killed After Gunman Opens Fire in Washington DC Naval Facility

A former Naval reservist who was recently working as a defense contractor shot and killed 12 people after using his pass to gain entry to the Washington Naval yard on Monday.

The gunman was identified by authorities as 34 year old Aaron Alexis after numerous conflicting reports about the weapons used, number of shooters and identity of the shooters from the media, the Department of Defense and the Washington DC Metropolitan Police. Alexis reportedly had a history of misconduct and mental health problems, although neither apparently prevented him from legally purchasing a Remington 870 shotgun in Virginia or obtaining top secret clearance at a sensitive Naval facility. Originally from Brooklyn, Alexis served in the US Navy reserves from 2004 to 2011.

While in the Navy, Alexis had a number of incidents including unauthorized absences, insubordination and disorderly conduct on his record. After a 2008 incident in which he was thrown out of an Atlanta nightclub after damaging some of the furnishings, the Navy reportedly sought a general discharge against Alexis. While not carrying the same stigma as a dishonorable discharge, it still would've made it more difficult for Alexis to find work as a civilian. Instead, Alexis received an honorable discharge from the Navy and eventually found work as a civilian contractor.

Alexis was allegedly involved in two prior incidents involving guns- while living in Seattle, he allegedly shot out the tires of a construction worker's car in 2004. In 2010, he fired a shot into the apartment above his while living in Ft Worth, TX in what he claimed was an accident.

More disturbingly, Alexis told Newport, RI police six weeks prior to Monday's shooting that he was hearing voices while he had checked into a hotel in town and claimed that three people were following him and using some sort of microwave machine to keep him awake by sending vibrations into his body. The Newport police officer contacted Naval police who assured him that they would follow up on it.

Alexis reportedly had his security credentials renewed over the summer and is believed to have used them to gain access to the building on Monday where he shot and killed a security guard before taking the guard's sidearm and continuing his rampage, firing on a cafeteria area where some workers were having breakfast. Police and security took anywhere from five to seven minutes to respond, with some eyewitnesses reportedly directing them to a different building. Numerous media outlets erroneously reported that Alexis had used an AR-15 in his rampage, with the New York Daily News proclaiming 'Same Gun, Different Slay' on their front page. There were also reports from a police spokesman of additional gunmen which later turned out to be erroneous. Alexis was reportedly shot and killed by Washington DC police officers from the SWAT team.

Authorities are retracing Alexis' steps and searching for a motive. Alexis reportedly told some friends that he felt cheated out of some benefits he felt the Navy still owed him after his discharge.

Middlesex County DA Charges Man With Poisoning of Former Bulger Witness

Police have made an arrest in the death of  59 year old Stephen Rakes, who's body was found in Lincoln, MA last month. Initially ruled a suicide, an autopsy revealed that Rakes had died after drinking an iced coffee laced with cyanide.

William Camuti, 69, of Sudbury, is charged with attempted murder, misleading police, and unlawful disposition of human remains in Rakes' death. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday and was ordered held without bail until a hearing Tuesday.

At a press conference Friday afternoon, Ryan said Camuti lured Rakes to a McDonalds restaurant in Waltham. Ryan said Camuti put two teaspoons of potassium cyanide in Rakes' iced coffee and then drove around with Rakes in the car until he died. Ryan said he then dumped the body and removed all his identification.

Ryan said investigators believe Camuti acted alone and Rakes' death was not connected to the Bulger trial.

Camuti was convicted in 1993 of 11 counts of mail fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud investors. Court records show Camuti was soliciting money from a group of Waltham businessmen, promising to invest their money in mortgages and never following through.

Investigators say that Camuti owed Rakes a substantial amount of money and that was a likely motive in the poisoning. The Middlesex County DA's office believes the Bulger connection was a coincidence, since Rakes wasn't even on the prosecution's witness list for the current trial.

In the 1980s, Rakes owned a South Boston liquor store that he alleged Bulger and his right-hand man Steve Flemmi extorted him into selling for $67,000 in cash one night in 1984. Rakes and his family briefly fled to Florida before being summoned back to Boston by Bulger. Rakes then-wife reported the case to her uncle, a Boston Police detective, who in turn reported the takeover of the store to FBI agent John Connolly- unaware that Bulger and Flemmi were informants for the FBI and that Connolly was their handler.

Rakes said that Bulger then threatened him into changing his testimony and perjuring himself when an earlier criminal complaint was brought against Bulger in 1991, claiming the sale was voluntary. When Whitey went on the run, Rakes was charged with perjury.

Bulger and his girlfriend Catherine Greig were arrested by the FBI in Santa Monica, CA in June 2011 after more than 15 years on the run. Agents were following up on a tip from one of their neighbors [a former Miss Iceland pageant winner, no less!- NANESB!]. The agency broke the case open shortly after they decided to air a series of announcements focusing in Greig on daytime TV talk shows geared more towards women.

Rhythmic Method Sports Chowdah Update- Despite Choppy Waters in Game 1, Smooth Sailing for Boston Against Mariners; Poetry in Motion- Ceremonial First Pitch in South Korean Game A Thing of Beauty; Crazy Hot- Ex Baseball Wife Anna Benson Arrested After Home Invasion

Rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo-ji seen winding up for her now-famous ceremonial first pitch in Jamsil Stadium, Seoul Korea. Chosunilbo photo

SOUTH KOREA- This has been making the rounds for the last couple of days, but I thought it would be worth a look since it combines a number of things that I enjoy.



That's actually putting it mildly- I think I'm absolutely smitten. But then again, I'm pretty sure the guys in the Doosan Bears dugout are too.

South Korean rhythmic gymnast Shin Soo Jii became an immediate internet sensation with her acrobatic ceremonial first pitch prior to a game between the Doosan Bears and Samsung Lions on July 6th.

In performing her ceremonial pitch ahead of a game between the Doosan Bears and Samsung Lions at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Friday, Shin executed what is known as a backward illusion turn.

Leaving one foot planted on the ground, she twisted her body around in a full flip before straightening and launching the ball forward -- somehow still managing to throw an accurate pitch.

A video clip showing her flashy delivery was uploaded to MLB.com the following day.

The clip garnered more than 10 million hits in the span of just a few days and was also featured on the MLB Network's Intentional Talk, hosted by Chris Rose and former Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar [and hopefully consigning Psy's Gangham Style to the dustbin of history for South Korean viral videos- NANESB!].

Shin Soo Ji competed for South Korea during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and also during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. By 2012, she had retired from competitive gymnastics but worked as a commentator during the London Summer Olympics.

GEORGIA- Oh lord....why is it always the quiet ones?

Former reality TV star and baseball wife Anna Benson was arrested in Georgia on Monday morning after threatening her estranged husband- former Mets, Orioles and Rangers pitcher Kris Benson- with a gun and collapsible metal baton after storming into his suburban Atlanta, GA residence.

According to a police report, a fully armed Anna confronted Kris in the Smyrna, Ga., home they once shared, but that she now is under order to vacate. She was carrying a handgun and wearing a bulletproof vest. The former Penthouse model also had a hatchet, expandable baton and a taser in her possession.

Once she was arrested and searched, officers found Anna wearing an ammo belt and carrying a red knife inside her waistband. A bag of syringes was also found in the house, according to the police report.

Kris and Anna were married in 1999 when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates and she was an exotic dancer in an Atlanta nightclub. The Mets acquired Benson at the 2004 trading deadline but he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles the following offseason. Some speculate the trade was fuelled by Anna's antics, which included dressing up as a sexy Mrs Santa Claus for a Mets family-friendly Christmas party and a radio interview on the Howard Stern show where she said she would sleep with all of Kris's teammates if she caught him being unfaithful to her.

While Kris made his last MLB start for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, Anna continued to do interviews and appeared in the World Series of Poker and the reality TV series Baseball Wives.

RED SOX- After their west coast road trip got off to a promising start with a 6-2 win over the Angels last Friday, the wheels started to come off following the Saturday night game where the Red Sox squandered a late 4-run lead only to have Josh Hamilton win it for the Angels in extra innings. The Sunday night game was a nationally televised affair and saw Angels starter Jared Weaver and the Angels bullpen throw a shutout against former teammate John Lackey in a 3-0 loss for Boston.

To the casual observer, Monday night's opening game of the Red Sox and Mariners series at Safeco Field had the potential to be a pitcher's duel with Felix Hernandez going up against Jon Lester. However, the reality was that the Red Sox had their skulls caved in by an 11-4 final on Monday night- not a promising start to the series.

Tuesday night's contest at Safeco was a slugfest that saw both starters get chased early- Andrew Webster lasted only 2⅓ innings while Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma went all of three innings. The Red Sox would ultimately go on to win by an 11-8 final and David Ortiz would go 4-5 with a solo homer to tie Harold Baines for the all time hits by a designated hitter.

The following night, in the house that Edgar Martinez [mostly] built, Big Papi set the all-time record for hits by a DH with a leadoff double in the top of the 2nd inning, giving him 1689 total hits as DH. He was just getting started, too.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the second thanks for sac-flies from Saltalamacchia and Iglesias, Ortiz would double the Red Sox lead with a 2-run homer in the top of the 3rd, followed by an RBI single from Victorino in the 4th to make it 5-0 Boston. The Red Sox would blow it wide open in the 6th by putting up four more runs and Doubront would cruise to a fairly easy win after allowing all of one earned run on five hits in seven innings of work. The Red Sox would handily win Wednesday night's game by an 11-4 margin.

Seattle still had a chance to salvage a split of the series during Thursday afternoon's game, although it didn't look that way at first. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury gave the Red Sox the early 1-0 lead after leading off the game with a solo homer, but the Mariners would jump all over Ryan Dempster in the bottom of the second for four runs, followed by another run in the bottom of the 3rd to give Seattle a 5-1 lead. But the Red Sox would rally in the top of the fourth with a RBI singles from 3B Brock Holt, Jose Iglesias and Jacoby Ellsbury. By the time the fifth inning ended, the game was tied 7-7.

Pawsox callup Steven Wright (not the comedian) went 5⅔ innings without giving up a run after the Mariners bats chased Dempster. The game headed to extra innings and Daniel Nava broke the deadlock with a two out RBI single in the top of the 10th before Koji Uehara closed out the ballgame with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th. The Red Sox go on to win by a final of 8-7 and take three out of four from the Mariners in Safeco.

Their West Coast road trip continues Friday night when they head to Oakland to take on the Red Sox West Oakland A's at the Coliseum. John Lackey [6-6; 2.80 ERA] will get the start against Jarrod Parker [also 6-6 with an ERA of 4.04]. First pitch is set for 10:05 ET and the game will be televised on NESN. Among the former Red Sox currently on the Division-leading A's are outfielders Coco Crisp and Josh Reddick along with infielders Jed Lowrie and Brandon Moss.

OTHER RED SOX NEWS- Three Red Sox players have been named to the 2013 AL All Star Team after weeks and weeks of balloting. DH David Ortiz, 2B Dustin Pedroia and starting pitcher Clay Buchholz were voted in to make an appearance at the 2013 All Star Game next week in Citi Field, however, Buchholz is expected to remain on the DL until after the All Star break, so it will just be Ortiz and Pedroia.

Koji Uehara was among the names listed on an MLB 'Final Vote' ballot, but ultimately lost out to Toronto reliever Steve Delabar when the Final Vote balloting was tallied.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS-  Former Husker and current Patriots cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was arrested on charges of DUI in Lincoln, NE on Thursday.

This wouldn't be Dennard's first run-in with police in the Nebraska capital- in 2012, he punched a Lincoln police officer who was responding to a call about a fight outside a club and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 2 years probation and 100 hours of community service.

BOSTON BRUINS- Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli announced this week that the organization has signed both G Tukka Rask and C Patrice Bergeron to 8 year contract extensions. Both Rask and Bergeron's contract are worth an estimated $52 million- or just under $6 million annually.

All American Sports Chowdah Update- Forgive Me Padres, For I Have Sinned; Beat-All Bailey, Red's Starter Part of No-No Homers Club Again; The Butler Did It- Celtics Wrap Up Short Head Coaching Search With Stevens Hire

NEW POLL UP- With about 10 days to go until Major League Baseball's All Star Break, look to the left for a new poll to vote in. Feel free to weigh in on what you think is the most difficult division in MLB this season. For some reason, Blogspot will only let me put in four possible answers (instead of being able to list all six divisions), so looks like you can only choose from those four.

Jim Rogash, Getty Images

BOSTON RED SOX- The Red Sox second interleague series of the season got off to a pretty good start on Tuesday night when John Lackey allowed just one unearned run during eight innings of work against the Padres during Boston's 4-1 win. Lackey allowed six hits- including a solo homer to San Diego 1B Jesus Guzman in the 7th- and struck out six while recent Paw Sox callup Brandon Snyder continues to impress, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the fourth by hitting a 1-out bases-clearing double off the Monster towards deep center to give Boston a 3-0 lead [although he got greedy attempting to and was thrown out at third attempting to stretch it out into a triple- NANESB!].

Wednesday night's matchup was more of a pitcher's duel with Lester getting the start against San Diego's Edinson Volquez. Playing in an American League park, the Padres slotted OF Kyle Blanks into the DH spot and it paid immediate dividends as he drove in a two out RBI in the first inning to give San Diego the early lead.

Although the Red Sox were able to get runners on board in the bottom of the first thanks to a ground-rule double by Victorino, an infield hit by Dustin Pedroia followed by a stolen base, a familiar face put the kibosh on any further attempts at bringing a run home when Padres SS Pedro Ciriaco caught a line drive off the bat of Big Papi and stepped on second to get Pedroia out and end the threat.

The Red Sox were able to tie the game up at 1-1 after Mike Carp led off the bottom of the 4th with a single and came home on a Saltalamacchia RBI double. The Padres looked like they were in trouble in the bottom of the 7th after Nick Vincent led off the inning by giving up a double to Dustin Pedroia and then intentionally walking David Ortiz, but Luke Gregerson came out of the bullpen and struck out Daniel Nava, got Carp to fly out to shallow center before striking out Saltalamacchia to end the Red Sox threat.

After Junichi Tazawa struck out the side in the top of the 8th, Koji Uehara came on in the top of the 9th and got the first two batters out before walking Guzman. However, he got Yasmani Grandal to fly out and end the inning for the Padres.

For the bottom of the 9th, John Farrell decided to lead off the inning with Johnny Gomes coming on as a pinch-hitter. That paid off handsomely, as this happened after working the count to 2-2:

Red Sox win it in walkoff fashion for the 8th time this season, with Gomes' pinch hit solo homer giving Boston the 2-1 win in the bottom of the 9th. The Red Sox will wrap up their homestand with a 4th of July day game at Fenway- Eric Stults [6-6; 3.51 ERA] gets the start against Allen Webster [0-2; 9.50 ERA]. The game gets underway at 1:35 PM ET, 10:35 AM Pacific and will be televised on NESN.

After the Independence Day game at Fenway, the Red Sox will take off for a 10-game west coast road trip, starting with the Angels in Orange County on Friday night before moving on to Seattle for a four-game series and then a 3-game set against Oakland before the All-Star break.

AP Photo/Al Behrman

OTHER MLB NEWS- Cincinnati's Homer Bailey threw a complete game no-hitter against the defending World series champion San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. This is the first no-hitter of the 2013 and second of Bailey's career- the first of which was the second most recent no-hitter in MLB, dating back to September 28, 2012 when Bailey no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park towards the end of the regular season.

Bailey's no hitter was in jeopardy in the top of the 7th- after a leadoff walk to San Francisco outfielder Gregor Blanco, former Red Sox and Blue Jays SS Marco Scutaro grounded out to third as Blanco advanced to second. Giants catcher Buster Posey then hit a broken-bat ground ball towards first with Reds 1B Joey Votto shaded about midway towards second. Bailey broke late from the mound to first and it looked like Posey would reach first and break up the no-no until Votto threw to third base where Blanco was caught in the rundown.

The Reds got runs on a Votto sac-fly in the first off of Giants starter Tim Linceum and a 2-run Brandon Phillips homer in the bottom of the 6th for the 3-0 win. While there have been a couple of flirtations with no-hitters, the closest anyone came prior to Tuesday night was Texas' Yu Darvish, who was one out away from a perfect game against Houston when Astros SS Marwin Gonzalez singled the first week of the regular season.

ELSEWHERE IN MLB- The Dallas Morning News is reporting that former Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians outfielder Manny Ramirez has signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. The controversial slugger tested positive twice for banned performance enhancing drugs- the most recent of which took place in 2011 before the outfielder abruptly announced his retirement rather than face a 2nd suspension.

In 2012, the Oakland A's signed Manny to a minor league contract where he batted .302 with 19 hits and 14 RBI in 17 games with the AAA Sacramento River Cats. The deal called for a $500,000 bonus if he was called up from the minors, but within two weeks of his reinstatement, he requested (and was granted) an outright release from Oakland.

Since then, he has been playing ball for Águilas Cibaeñas of the Dominican Winter League and the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese professional league over in Taiwan. Since the 2008 trade that sent him from Boston to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny has played for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

Manny is expected to start as a DH for the AAA Rangers affiliate, the Round Rock Express. Manny will report to Round Rock on July 4th and participate in team exercises before being activated.

The Rangers have a history of giving second chances to players long suspected of using performance enhancing drugs. Texas was the last MLB team Sammy Sosa played for in 2007- two years after his English-speaking abilities seemed to abandon him while being questioned about steroid use in Major League Baseball. Sosa reportedly tested positive for performance enhancing drugs as far back as 2003- the findings were uncovered as part of a federal investigation of the infamous BALCo labs.

PATRIOTS- A witness in the Aaron Hernandez case that police were hoping to interview was killed in a single-car accident in Connecticut over the weekend.

Police say 33-year-old Thaddeus Singleton III of Bristol was killed when the car he was driving slammed into the Farmington Country Club early Sunday morning. The Hartford Courant reported that investigators wanted to speak to Singleton because of his relationship with Hernandez.

Singleton is married to Hernandez's cousin, and police say the car involved was registered to Hernandez's uncle. Their home has been searched several times by Massachusetts police investigating a 2012 double homicide linked to the former NFL star.

Police seized a vehicle from that home on Friday.

The cause of the accident has not been determined. Police said a woman in the car was in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Her name has not been released.

Meanwhile, investigators continue to gather and search for more evidence as Hernandez remains in a jail cell charged in the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, of Dorchester

Police documents show that police located a white hooded-sweatshirt and a baseball cap allegedly worn by Hernandez the night Lloyd was murdered at an apartment Hernandez rented in Franklin.

Investigators said they also found a valet parking ticket from the W Hotel, which is within walking distance of the Rumor nightclub.

Investigators initially believe that Hernandez had Odin Lloyd killed after the semipro player was seen talking to people at the Rumor nightclub that Hernandez had a falling out with. However, police are also looking at Hernandez's involvement in a 2012 double homicide in South Boston and believe that the former Patriots TE orchestrated Odin's death because they thought he knew too much about the South Boston killings.

BOSTON CELTICS- With the Doc Rivers era over for barely a week, the Celtics made an early and highly unexpected move to fill their coaching vacancy on Wednesday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Celtics GM Danny Ainge announced the hiring of Butler University head coach Brad Stephens to replace Doc Rivers as head coach of the Boston Celtics. Stephens led the Butler Bulldogs to back to back NCAA Men's title games in 2010 and 2011 (where they lost to Duke and UConn, respectively). Most recently, Butler lost to Marquette in the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament.

The Celtics and the 36 year old head coach agreed to terms on a 6 year, $22 million contract. This would not be the first time the C's had hired a coach out of the NCAA- in 1997, the Celtics hired Rick Pitino away from the Kentucky Wildcats. However, this would be the first time since 1948 that the Celtics would hire a collegiate coach with no professional experience when the NBA's predecessor- the Basketball Association of America- was only two years old.

Meanwhile, the Butler basketball program made official their move from the Atlantic-10 to the Big East effective July 1st.

Sports Chowdah Update- Former Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez Arrested, Charged With Murder; Red Sox Kick Wang Around; What's Up Doc? Blockbuster Trades By C's Wipe Away Any Trace of Big 3 Era as Rivers Flows West

PATRIOTS- Former Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez was arrested on charges of murder this week after the body of an acquaintance was found less than a mile away from his N. Attleboro, MA home. I say 'former' because the Patriots cut him within two hours of his arrest on Wednesday afternoon.

The prosecution alleges that Hernandez orchestrated the murder of 27 year old Odin Lloyd during the overnight hours of June 16th and June 17th. Lloyd, a semipro linebacker with the Boston Bandits, had been dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée at the time of the murder.

According to investigators, after seeing Odin talking to a some people at a Boston nightclub who earlier had a falling out with Hernandez, the tight end summoned two friends from Connecticut. After texting Lloyd, Hernandez and two accomplices arrive at Lloyd's house around 2:30 AM. Lloyd's sister sees him get into a silver Altima and receives a final text message from him at 3:23 AM- around the same time a silver Altima that Hernandez had rented is seen on a security camera driving into a secluded area of an industrial park less than a mile from Hernandez's home. Shortly before 3:30 workers at a nearby business report hearing the sound of gunshots.

The following day, Hernandez returns the Altima to the rental agency and asks for another vehicle, after the driver's side mirror is damaged. Hernandez claims he doesn't know how it happened while getting another vehicle. After Hernandez leaves, the attendant finds a spent shell casing from a .45 pistol. Later that day, Odin's body is discovered at an area where sand and gravel are stockpiled at the North Attleboro industrial park.

A subsequent search of the Hernandez's apartment turned up a clip from a .45 semiautomatic. Investigators also learned that Hernandez's cell phone and home security system were destroyed (likely deliberately) shortly after Lloyd's slaying and the tight end hired housekeepers to scrub his mansion after the slaying.

In addition to Hernandez, police have arrested three suspected accomplices in Florida and Hernandez's hometown of Bristol, CT this week. All of them are facing extradition to Massachusetts to stand trial for their role in Lloyd's murder and Hernandez was denied bail after being deemed a flight risk.

The Bristol County Sheriff also said that police are looking into Hernandez's alleged involvement in a 2012 double slaying in South Boston and that Lloyd may have been killed because Hernandez thought he knew too much.

A civil-suit alleging that Aaron Hernandez shot a man in the face outside a Miami nightclub was filed in a Florida federal court last week as well. Meanwhile, the Patriots announced that they would offer a free jersey exchange to fans who had purchased a Hernandez #81 jersey at the team's shop in Gillette Stadium or through the team's website.

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

RED SOX- After completing a sweep of the brief two game series against Colorado- including Tuesday night's outing where the Red Sox notched 20 hits in their 11-4 win- the Red Sox had a chance to add to their lead in the AL East and cool off the torrid Blue Jays, who had won 17 of their last 22 games in June to put them within striking distance of the AL East lead [although still dead last- NANESB!]. The last time Toronto starter Chen-Ming Wang faced the Red Sox was four years ago while wearing pinstripes, and he lost to knuckleballer Time Wakefield in the Bronx.

Although Wang would get through the first inning without allowing a hit, the wheels came off in the second inning when he allowed 7 runs in just ⅔ of an inning. Dustin Pedroia's two out, two run homer knocked Wang out of the game. With plenty of run support early on, Lester seemed to be cruising along- although he gave up a 2-RBI double to Maicer Izturis in the top of the 5th and allowed two singles to lead off the top of the 8th where the runners eventually came home when Jinuchi Tazawa gave up a sac-fly to Jose Reyes and an RBI groundout to Jose Bautista to make it 7-4. That would be the final, though, as Koji Uehara came in for his second straight save- and like Wednesday's afternoon game against the Rockies, he got all three batters he faced out in order.

Lester went seven complete innings and improves to 8-4 after struggling mightily while Toronto falls back to .500 with the loss. The 7-run second inning was enough for Boston and Dustin Pedroia led the scoring by going 1-2 with a homer and 2 RBI. Lester threw a total of 94 pitches and the seven innings was his longest outing of the season so far. Game two of the four game weekend series will get underway from Fenway Friday night at 7:10 ET. The pitching matchup will feature Allen Webster [0-2; 11.25 ERA] against Toronto's Josh Johnson [1-2; 4.60 ERA] and the game will be televised by NESN.

OTHER SOX NEWS- The Red Sox selected New Castle, IN high school pitcher Trey Ball as their first overall draft pick in the 2013 MLB draft. The 6'6" left from the Hoosier State is the highest selection for Boston since the 1993 pick of outfielder Trot Nixon.

BOSTON CELTICS- Shortly after the NBA approved of an unorthodox trade that sent head coach Doc Rivers to the LA Clippers for a first round pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Celtics GM Danny Ainge orchestrated a blockbuster deal that sent two-thirds of the Big Three to Brooklyn in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Reggie Evans, Kris Joseph, a signed-and-traded Keith Bogans and first round picks in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 draft- plus the right to trade up if the Nets' pick is higher than Boston's in 2017. The Nets will be getting Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce- the longest tenured member of the Celtics. Garnett apparently had to waive his no-trade clause for the deal to go through and have the Nets agree to take on his entire salary through the 2014-2015 season.

The trade was foreshadowed by weeks of on-again/off-again talks between the Celtics and Clippers over Doc's exit from Beantown and landing on the west coast. The Celtics are still on the hook for the final three years and $21 million of his contract. In addition to head coach, Doc was also named vice-president of basketball operations- a position that would give him a greater say in the front office.

Friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Person of Interest in 2011 Waltham Triple Homicide Shot and Killed by FBI

A friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot killed by FBI agents at an apartment complex near Orlando, FL last month.

The shooting happened inside an Orlando apartment complex as an FBI agent and Massachusetts State Police detectives were questioning Ibragim Todashev about his friendship with Tsarnaev.

Law enforcement sources said the two Chechen immigrants once trained together at a Boston area gym. But evidence also suggests a criminal connection, involvement in a grisly triple murder that occurred in September 2011, in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Three men, including one who trained at the same gym, were found with their throats cut, their bodies had been covered with marijuana and thousands of dollars in cash. No one has been charged.

But sources say during questioning Tuesday night, Todashev implicated himself and Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the killings. As investigators pushed at him towards a confession, he snapped, reported Orr.

Law enforcement officials say the 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter made a move that threatened the investigators. The FBI agent, who suffered cuts in the altercation, shot and killed Todashev.

The FBI became interested in him after phone records suggested a connection to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Over several weeks agents kept tabs on Todashev and questioned him a handful of times. The FBI found nothing connecting Todashev to the Boston attacks.

Todashev, who lived in the u.s. for the past several years, was arrested two weeks ago on an aggravated battery charge. But now investigators want to find out if he had any connections at all to anything worse, including radical extremists overseas.

Earlier, CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reported that Todashev was a mixed-martial-arts fighter. Fighting was at least one interest that Todashev shared with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was once a boxer.

Miller also reported that Todashev had been to Chechnya before and was scheduled to return to Chechnya this week but canceled his flight.

While Todashev wasn't considered a suspect in the April 15th bombing of the Boston Marathon finish line, authorities believed that both Todashev and the older Tsarnaev brother were involved in the September 2011 triple slaying of Raphael Teken, Brendan Mess and Erik Weissman at their Waltham, MA apartment.

Todashev was granted permanent legal status to the USA in February, despite a 2010 arrest for assault after a traffic accident. Last month, Todashev was arrested at gunpoint in Florida after allegedly beating up a man in a parking lot.

Elvis Has Left the Building- "Ricin Elvis" Released From Federal Custody

In a massive blow to those who enjoy numerous corny puns with their current events, a 45 year old Elvis impersonator suspected of mailing poisoned letters to President Obama and other elected officials earlier this month is now a free man.

Federal authorities released Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis from custody this week after the Mississippi man was charged with mailing ricin-laced letters to President Obama and Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker earlier this week.

While the man dubbed 'ricin Elvis' was no doubt all shook up, a thorough search of Curtis' property turned up no traces of ricin or the ingredients to make ricin. Instead, investigators followed through on the defense's claim that he was framed by a business rival of Curtis' brother.

Although Curtis was no doubt all shook up over the arrest, the FBI's suspicious minds soon turned to another Tueplo, MS man. 41 year old Taekwondo instructor, Everett Dutschke was doing the jailhouse rock this weekend as he was arrested without incident and investigators in hazmat suits searched the man's home and Taekwondo studio.

J. Everett Dutschke was picked up around 12:50 a.m. Saturday, according to a release from FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden.

"Dutschke was arrested, without incident, at his residence in Tupelo ... by Special Agents of the FBI," the release reads, then directs requests for further information to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

He has been charged with knowingly developing, producing, stockpiling, transferring, acquiring, retaining and possessing a biological agent, toxin and delivery system, for use as a weapon, and with with attempting, threatening and conspiring to do the same, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Dutschke appeared to have slipped police surveillance twice last week, but both times reappeared as officials searched his studio and a hunting cabin that belonged to a friend of his. Basham claimed that Dutschke had been cooperative throughout the investigation.

Dutschke already had legal problems. Earlier this month, he pleaded not guilty in state court to two child molestation charges involving three girls younger than 16. He also was appealing a conviction on a different charge of indecent exposure.

Some of the language in the letters was similar to posts on Curtis' Facebook page and they were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message." Curtis' signoff online was often similar.

And Dutschke and Curtis were acquainted. Curtis said they had talked about possibly publishing a book on a conspiracy that Curtis insists he has uncovered to sell body parts on a black market. But he said they later had a feud.

A local judge, who presided over a 2004 assault case in which Curtis was the defendant, also recieved a ricin-tainted letter shortly before the ones to the US Senate and White House were recieved. However, the judge's son is a state representative who Dutschke unsuccessfully ran against in 2007.

Report: Gunman Exchange Fire With Security at Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Plant

Just in case a massive deadly explosion in Texas, an Elvis-impersonating conspiracy theorist mailing poisoned letters to elected officials or terrorists bombing the Boston Marathon wasn't enough to set you on edge, federal officers and local police are searching for a gunman who opened fire on a Tennesee Valley Authority security officer at the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant in Spring City, TN in the early morning hours Sunday.

The suspect fired multiple rounds at a Tennessee Valley Authority security officer who was on a routine patrol near the banks of Chickamauga Lake about 2 a.m. Sunday, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said.

The officer encountered the suspect in a clearly marked restricted area several hundred yards from the site’s protected area, which houses the reactor and power production facilities, but still within the plant property.

When the officer confronted the person, “The individual fired on the officer, striking the officer’s vehicle,” said Hopson. “The officer returned fire, and as the officer was calling for backup, the individual fled the scene.”

Both parties fired multiple rounds, he added. The security officer was not hurt and, as of yet, authorities have found no evidence that the gunman was struck either, according to Hopson.

The FBI responded, along with personnel from the Rhea and Meigs County sheriff’s offices, who searched both sides of the lake for the suspect. The plant is located on the Rhea County side of the lake, south of Watts Bar Dam.

The facility, which is located about an hour northeast of Chattanooga, was placed on heightened alert into Sunday afternoon. Officials from the Tenessee Valley Authority [NYSE: TVE] said it was the first such incident since the plant opened in 1996 [This weekend's incident could be much ado about nothing or an attempt to probe the plant's security- NANESB!]. The TVA had agreed to a contract with the Pinkerton agency from around the time the Watt's Bar plant opened until 2008 when they replaced the Pinkertons with their own in-house security.

The TVA is a federally-owned corporation that provides electricity generation, navigation and flood control services throughout the Tennessee Valley and owns 11 coal-fired power plants, 3 nuclear stations, 11 natural gas-fired power plants and 29 hydroelectric plants.