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NYC basement searched for Etan Patz, first milk carton child

USA TODAY -
By Michael Winter, USA TODAY New York City police and the FBI are searching the vacant basement of a lower Manhattan building for the possible remains of a 6-year-old boy who disappeared 33 years ago and was the first missing child to appear on milk ...

US Agencies Probe Secret Service Prostitution Scandal

Voice of America -
April 19, 2012 US Agencies Probe Secret Service Prostitution Scandal Kent Klein | White House Top US lawmakers are calling for more firings at the Secret Service, after a prostitution scandal diminished the reputation of the agents who protect the ...

Levon Helm, co-founder of The Band, dead at 71

CNN -
By Todd Leopold, CNN Drummer, singer and multi-instrumentalist Levon Helm, of The Band, pictured in Woodstock, New York, circa 1968.

Romney struggles to close favorability gap with Obama

msnbc.com -
Salon.com's Steve Kornacki and Mother Jones' David Corn join MSNBC's Martin Bashir to dig in to Mitt Romney's problem with store-bought cookies and the President's golf game - and whether those comments could explain why polls consistently rank him ...

Microsoft's Windows sales pick up, but gaming softens

CNNMoney -
By Julianne Pepitone @CNNMoneyTech April 19, 2012: 5:04 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Microsoft's sales growth for Xbox and Kinect slowed sharply last quarter, but other sectors like Windows helped the company post earnings that beat analysts' estimates ...

Norway killer sharpened aim with video games

Sydney Morning Herald -
Anders Behring Breivik makes a right-wing salute at the start of the third day of his trial in Oslo. Photo: Reuters Anders Behring Breivik knew it would take practice to be able to slaughter dozens of people before being shot by police.

Pentagon: America will be ready if needed in Syria

The Associated Press -
By DONNA CASSATA, AP - 2 minutes ago WASHINGTON (AP) - US military leaders clearly expressed reluctance about using American might to stop the unending violence in Syria, insisting that diplomacy remains the best option to force President Bashar Assad ...

UN chief urges 2 Sudans to step back from war

The Associated Press -
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging Sudan and South Sudan to step back from the brink of war and return to the negotiating table.

Clinton Raises Possible NATO Syria Role as UN Increases Monitors

BusinessWeek -
By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Nicole Gaouette on April 19, 2012 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the possibility of NATO involvement in Syria as the UN Security Council made clear the Assad regime's truce violations won't prevent deployment of ...

Trayvon Martin suspect George Zimmerman could go free Friday

New York Daily News -
George Zimmerman arrives for a bond hearing at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility April 12, 2012. George Zimmerman is likely to be freed on bond Friday - even though behind bars may be the safest place for him.

Texas nurse hears charges in mother's killing, baby snatching,

Reuters -
By Deborah Quinn Hensel | HOUSTON (Reuters) - The nurse accused of fatally shooting a mother leaving a Texas pediatric clinic and abducting her newborn son appeared in court on Thursday to hear the charges against her.

Florida governor names "Stand Your Ground" task force

Chicago Tribune -
TALLAHASSEE, Florida (Reuters) - A week after murder charges were filed against George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin, Florida Governor Rick Scott on Thursday named members to a task force set up to review the state's "Stand Your Ground" law.

B of A cuts money its sets aside for bad loans

CBS News -
(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Bank of America (BAC) said Thursday that it set aside less money to cover bad loans in the first three months of the year than it has since before the 2008 financial crisis.

Starbucks nixes crushed-bug dye in frappes and pastries

Los Angeles Times -
By Tiffany Hsu Your Strawberries & Creme frappuchino will no longer feature a splash of bug - enough customers didn't want to slurp crushed cochineal insects that Starbucks Corp.

Romney's strategy: talk to 'friendly' press, avoid major issues

msnbc.com -
Politico's Ken Vogel, TheGrio.com's Joy-Ann Reid, and social activist Marcia Dyson discuss Mitt Romney's strategy to only speak with the “friendly” press, Sen. John McCain's “dog” humor, and the Ted Nugent fallout.

Romney Meets Falwell Following

Bloomberg -
By Mark Silva Mourners after a memorial service in remembrance of the Rev. Jerry Falwell in Lynchburg, Virginia. Four and a half years ago, Republican Mitt Romney traveled to the campus of Texas A & M University to explain the role of his religion in ...

Pennsylvania bakery turns Romney's cookie joke into sales campaign

Los Angeles Times -
By Morgan Little A Pennsylvania bakery teased by presidential candidate Mitt Romney for cookies that looked like “they came from the local 7-Eleven bakery or whatever” has turned a joke that fell flat into a marketing opportunity.

Facebook IPO may come as early as May 14

San Jose Mercury News -
By Peter Delevett A Facebook sign marks the entrance to their new offices in Menlo Park, Calif. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. Their move from Palo Alto to Menlo Park is the first time a local major corporation has moved in quite some time.

Verizon First-Quarter Profit Beats Estimates on Smartphones

San Francisco Chronicle -
(Adds comment from finance chief in 13th paragraph.) April 19 (Bloomberg) -- Verizon Communications Inc., the second-largest US phone company, posted earnings that beat analysts' estimates as smartphone demand boosted subscriber count and slowing sales ...

Could the next iPhone be like the T-1000 Terminator?

Los Angeles Times -
By Michelle Maltais How cool would it be if the next iPhone had something in common with a futuristic sci-fi character from the '90s?

Apple rumored to be working on 7-inch iPad

USA TODAY -
By Peter Svensson, AP Jeff Chiu, AP Jeff Chiu, AP There's a constantly spinning mill of rumors about Apple products, most of which turn out to be untrue.

Ryan Seacrest Talks Dick Clark: "I Was Always in Awe of Him"

E! Online -
Ryan Seacrest was getting ready for last night's live taping of American Idol when he heard the news that his longtime friend and mentor Dick Clark had died.

Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Chicago Tribune -
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Pitt, Kidman films to premiere at Cannes in 2012 PARIS (Reuters) - Movies starring Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman will premiere in Cannes this year, as the world's biggest film festival held on ...

'Dark Shadows' Jonathan Frid Dies on Friday the 13th

Chicago Tribune -
HAMILTON, Ontario -- Jonathan Frid, the man known to fans around the world as Barnabas Collins, the suave vampire from the cult hit soap opera "Dark Shadows" has died at age 87.

Larry Brown named coach at Southern Methodist

USA TODAY -
Chuck Burton, AP Larry Brown is taking over an SMU program that has not won a game in the NCAA touranment since 1988, the season Brown last coached a college team.

AP source: Colts picking Andrew Luck at No. 1

SI.com -
A person with direct knowledge of the situation said Thursday that the Colts have notified Luck that they plan to take the Stanford quarterback with the No.

Viewers' guide to UFC 145

CNN -
Jon Jones (left) and Rashad Evans (right), shown here during better times, fight Saturday for the UFC light heavyweight title. We've all been down this road before, haven't we?

Pat Summitt to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Los Angeles Times -
By Melissa Rohlin The White House announced Thursday that former Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt will receive the nation's highest civilian honor, The Medal of Freedom.

Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates (+video)

Christian Science Monitor -
Polar bears were previously thought to have split from brown bears some 150000 years ago. But a study of the bears' mitochondrial DNA indicates that they became a distinct species about 600000 years ago.

Last flight of shuttle Discovery

USA TODAY -
A band marches past the space shuttle Enterprise, left, and Discovery during a ceremony at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

CDC: 2011 was worst measles year in US in 15 years

CBS News -
ATLANTA - Last year was the worst year for measles in the US in 15 years, health officials said Thursday. There were 222 cases of measles, a large jump from the 60 or so seen in a typical year.

GUEST OPINION: Commonwealth Care rates go tumbling down

Fall River Herald News -
By Glen Shor There was plenty of reason to celebrate on April 12. Not only did it mark the sixth anniversary of Massachusetts health reform, but it also provided more solid evidence that health care reform is working.

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