Thousands mark Elvis's death, get surprise visit

(sadly it was not Zombie Elvis. I sometimes wonder if this is what Christianity looked like a thousand years ago)

By ADRIAN SAINZ, APMEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thousands of devotees converged on Graceland to mark the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death and got a surprise welcome from the King's former wife and daughter, the first time Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley have appeared together at the annual gathering.

The two women appeared on an elevated stage in front of the crowd Wednesday night, the eve of the Aug. 16 date when the rock and roll icon died at home in 1977 from a heart attack after battling prescription drug abuse.

Fans held up lit candles, illuminating their faces in orange light as they stood in the street outside the gates of Graceland, Elvis' longtime home and his burial place.

"You should see this from our point of view. It's amazing," Priscilla Presley said, standing alongside Lisa Marie. "The candles are lit. It's truly a sight to behold."

The two women stunned the crowd with their unexpected appearance. It was the first time both of them had appeared together at the annual gathering.

Later, fans who participated in the vigil moved up the tree-lined driveway to the right of the mansion, where the gravesite is located near a swimming pool. Heart-shaped wreaths made of red and white flowers lined the entrance to the site.

Mourners walked slowly through the tomb area, their candlelight casting shadowy figures against a stone wall.

Some teary-eyed fans laid flowers on the gravesite, where Presley's father Vernon, mother Gladys, and grandmother Minnie Mae Hood Presley also are buried.

"This is something that Elvis would never, ever have believed could have taken place here," she said.

Elvis admirers from around the United States and the globe have flocked each anniversary to Graceland to celebrate his life and career. His abrupt death at 42 shocked legions of fans still mesmerized today by his singing, sex appeal and on-stage charisma.

The vigil, which was set to run through Thursday morning, marked the high point of Elvis Week, an annual celebration of Presley's life and career. Organizers said about 75,000 people were expected by authorities to take part in the vigil.

Lisa Marie Presley told the fans she loved them for their devotion to her father. She also acknowledged she had shied away from making public appearances at past anniversary vigils.

"I've always avoided this because I felt that it would be too emotional, but I really felt it was important to come down here tonight," the singer's daughter told the crowd. "I love you very, very, very much."

Outside, some fans used chalk to draw pictures of Elvis's face on the street, where groups of fans set up folding chairs to wait for the line to die down.

Sergio Galleguillo, of Santa Cruz, Argentina, said he became emotional when he walked past the graves.

"I felt the spirit of Elvis there, as if he was alive," said Galleguillo, who was making his first visit to the United States. "It really was a beautiful experience."

Earlier Wednesday, a group from a Brazilian fan club waved that nation's flag, danced and sang Presley's early-70s hit "Burning Love" in the street in front of the entrance.

Steps away, an Elvis impersonator, complete with a white-sequined jumpsuit and red sash, sat alone in the street in front of the entrance, lip synching "In the Ghetto."

Many fans set up chairs along Graceland's outer wall starting early Wednesday morning, eager to get a good spot in line for the vigil.

Allen Black, 47, braved the scorching afternoon sun as he sat alongside the outer wall of Graceland. Black — who is from Aurora, Colo., scene of the July 20 movie theatre shooting massacre — said Elvis was a great performer but also someone who treated others well.

"For some people, it's the music, but for a lot of people, it's the man, the charisma, the humanitarian," Black said. "At first, they probably got drawn in by the music, and then the more they learn about the man, and the way he treated people, it draws them in even more."

Paul McCartney sends support to Russian punks

(the spirit of rock and roll is alive and well and living in Russia, little did the Beatles know at the time “back in the USSR” would be prophetic. Rock on you wild Russian Punks!!)

LONDON — Paul McCartney has sent support to a Russian punk band whose members face prison for a stunt against President Vladimir Putin.

In a letter released Thursday, the former Beatle urged three members of all-female band Pussy Riot to "stay strong" and called on authorities to allow them freedom of speech.

McCartney said that "I and many others like me who believe in free speech will do everything in our power to support you and the idea of artistic freedom."

The band members have been in jail for more than five months because of an anti-Putin prank in Moscow's main cathedral, and face a maximum seven years in jail.

Celebrities including Madonna and Bjork have called for them to be freed.

A judge is due to rule on their case Friday.

Indiana museum discovers glass Picasso piece

(Picasso’s bedazzled Jean jacket sadly is still lost)

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana museum plans to sell a work of glass art by Pablo Picasso that sat unnoticed in storage for nearly 50 years.

The Evansville Museum says the piece titled "Seated Woman with Red Hat" was donated to the museum in 1963.

Museum officials say it was cataloged as art inspired by a design for a Picasso painting but credited to an artist named Gemmaux. That name turned out to be plural for "gemmail," which is the type of glass used in the work.

President Steven Krohn told the Evansville Courier & Press ( http://bit.ly/N2w5Ec) that trustees decided to have New York auction house Guernsey's sell the piece because of the costs to display, secure, preserve and insure it.

Krohn says it's not yet known how much the piece is worth.

Gunmen attack Ivory Coast jail, free prisoners

(this sounds like an action movie in real life! Way to go Africa, first pirates now this? Awesome..)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — An Ivory Coast official says gunmen have freed 100 inmates from a prison in the latest attack on the country's military.

Kouassi Kakao, a spokesman for the military chief of staff, said all 150 inmates had been temporarily freed from the prison in the town of Dabou, but that 50 have since been recaptured.

Officials said the attack began at 11 p.m. Wednesday night with the storming of a military checkpoint in Dabou, and that sporadic gunfire could still be heard Thursday morning.

The attack was the sixth targeting Ivory Coast's military in less than two weeks. At least 11 soldiers have been killed in the violence.

Ivory Coast officials have blamed the attacks on rogue soldiers and loyalists of former President Laurent Gbagbo.

Man fires insect repellent in Oregon robbery

(worst Batman Villain ever. Beware the rampage of…THE SPRAYER!!)

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Police in Roseburg, Ore., say a man who robbed a restaurant was armed with a can of bug spray.

Sgt. Aaron Dunbar says the robber entered Elmer's Restaurant late Monday wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, gloves and a beanie atop a shoulder-length blond wig that was pulled partly across his face.

A bartender tried to bat away the can of insect repellent when the robber brandished it, but the employee got a direct spray to the face.

The Roseburg News-Review reports ( http://bit.ly/RhuR9F) the robber grabbed money from a cash box behind the bar and fled. The amount of the take wasn't disclosed.

1 man dead from rodent disease at Yosemite

(funny how you never find statistics for this going the other way how many rats die of human borne diseases? )

By TRACIE CONE, APFRESNO, Calif. — A man died and a woman became seriously ill after contracting a rare rodent-borne disease that might have been linked to their stay at a popular lodging area in Yosemite National Park, officials said Thursday.

The man was the first person to die from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome contracted in the park, though two others were stricken in a more remote area in 2000 and 2010, officials said.

Testing by the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Public Health showed the virus was present in fecal matter from deer mice trapped near Curry Village, an historic, family friendly area of cabins.

"There's no way to tell for sure, but state health officials feel they may have contracted it here in Curry Village," park spokesman Scott Gediman said.

The woman was expected to survive. Their names weren't released.

Hantavirus develops from breathing in particles transmitted by rodent droppings, urine or saliva. Early symptoms of hantavirus can include fever and muscle aches, chills, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and coughing. Symptoms can show up within one to six weeks after exposure.

There is no specific treatment for the virus, and about one-third of people who contract it will die.

Curry Village is the most popular and economical lodging area in the park, a picturesque assemblage of rustic cabins at the base of the 3,000-foot promontory Glacier Point. Earlier this summer park officials placed some of the area off limits when a geologist's report revealed it is a rock fall hazard zone.

Both victims stayed at the park on overlapping days in June in canvas tent cabins located about 100 feet apart from each other, park officials said. Tent cabins are built on wooden platforms and are impossible to completely seal.

"It's a wilderness setting and the inspections have shown that the park concessionaire has done an excellent job at keeping them clean," Gediman said. "But there are rodents in the wilderness and some of them are infected and that's what happens."

There have been 60 cases in California and 587 nationally since hantavirus pulmonary syndrome was first identified in 1993. These two new cases bring to four the number of people stricken in California this year.

Most cases are in the eastern Sierra at higher elevations. The park's two previous cases were contracted in Tuolumne Meadows at 8,600 feet. Yosemite Valley is 4,000 feet.

Health officials say people should avoid contact with mice and other rodents. People should wear gloves and spray areas contaminated with rodent droppings and urine with a 10 percent bleach solution then wait 15 minutes before cleaning the area.

State health officials said their investigation showed that park concessionaire Delaware North Co. used good cleaning practices.

Company officials are telling visitors when they call to make reservations that the outbreak has occurred, said spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro. She said the company is working with the park service to come up with a plan to educate visitors about the potential danger.

"We are trying to see what ways we can educate visitors about hantavirus and the things they can do to keep themselves safe," she said. She said it's too early to tell whether the announcement has led to cancelled reservations at the hard-to-book village.

Starting next week, park officials will begin trapping and testing deer mice in Yosemite Valley.

"There's no way we're going to eliminate rodents, but we will continue to test and monitor them," Gediman said.

297-lb Texas boy too big to play peewee football

(it’s easy to see both sides of this one the one hand the parents “wow my boys huge! Football? What a great idea!” on the other hand the coach,” gadzooks the other kids will die if I let that kid on the field!” Now I’d like to think there must be some compromise to let this kid play, it would be a shame to not allow him the opportunity, after all in a few years he could be looking at scholarships and maybe even go pro, who knows. Lord knows the All American sport needs more blood for the blood god. Maybe if they let him play in his own weight class like wrestling or maybe extra pad the other teams.)

By LINDA STEWART BALL, APMESQUITE, Texas — A suburban Dallas boy has been barred from playing peewee football because the league says he is just too big at nearly 300 pounds.

Mesquite Pee Wee Football Association President Ronnie Henderson said the rules are clear and 12-year-old Elijah Earnheart is not eligible. The 6-foot-1-inch boy exceeds the 135-pound limit for seventh-graders, and he got the bad news last Sunday when the league held its official weigh-in.

Henderson said he asked Elijah whether he was in sixth or seventh grade, then told him "no need going" any further.

Cindy Earnheart, the boy's mother, said she was incensed and Elijah was humiliated.

"They would not even let him weigh in on the scales like every single boy out there," she said. "He might be the size of a grown man but he's 12 years old and he has feelings, too."

Elijah, who describes himself as a "gentle giant" and dreams of someday playing pro football, said the turn of events was unfair.

"I'm not sad, I'm mad that I don't get to play," Elijah said. "I've been practicing for three weeks."

Henderson said three other boys were turned away that day because of safety concerns for other players.

"We've got little boys that play against him that are 85, 95 and 100 pounds," Henderson said. "We have to look out for all the kids, not just him."

Cindy Earnheart said her son was feeling self-conscious about his size until he discovered peewee football. His barber happened to coach a team, the Mesquite Vikings, and suggested the boy join. Coach Marc Wright said a passage in the rulebook seemed to indicate that youths who weigh more than 135 pounds could play, but only on the offensive or defensive line.

At his physical last month, Elijah's doctor said he weighed 297 pounds and stood 6-feet-1 1/2 inches tall. His mother said they special-ordered his helmet, shoulder pads, pants and jersey because of his size, which she said is hereditary in her family.

Elijah took the practice field, looming over boys more than half his size, and was thrilled..

When he's playing football Elijah said, "I feel energetic. I feel happy."

He practiced with the Vikings for three weeks and even took part in a scrimmage. Then came the weigh-in.

Henderson said the exception in the rulebook was meant for sixth-graders who can weigh as much as 160 pounds. He suggested Elijah play for his middle school team, but the boy doesn't have much football experience and was hoping to feel his way in peewee first.

Cindy Earnheart said barring her son was discrimination.

"No one is telling boys who are too thin or too small that they can't play football," she said. "Why tell my kid he's too big?

She added: "Isn't bigger better in football? Football is a contact sport. If you don't want your son tackled, get him off the field."

Police seeking crash notification find 3 dead

(this also seems to be a trend lately families killed by fathers who are found dead miles from the crime. It all seems a bit too odd but people get up to all kinds of outrageous things. I’m sure with a little effort my fellow conspiracy nuts can come up with something.)

By COREY WILLIAMS, APVAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Officers tasked with the grim job of notifying a woman about the death of her husband stumbled onto a grisly crime scene Thursday when no one responded at the suburban Detroit home, which had been left unlocked.

Inside, the woman's body and the couple's two young children were found dead in separate bedrooms. Investigators were probing whether the man killed his family then committed suicide by driving the wrong way on an interstate highway in neighboring Indiana, instantly killing a stranger too as he slammed into the man's car.

Police agencies in Michigan and Indiana spent the day trying to connect the dots. Authorities said they hadn't turned up any suicide notes from Michael VanDerLinden, 39, who was killed in the fiery crash some 200 miles from the home where his family members were found dead.

"We have no other leads to push us to any other suspects. It's one of those puzzles you have to put together," said Gregory Laurain, the police captain in Van Buren Township, Mich. "There is a lot of speculation right now that it could possibly be the father. We want to get a taste of the relationship of the people who lived here ... were there problems here?"

VanDerLinden and the other driver, 45-year-old Juan Nelson, Jr., of Portage, Ind., were killed in the pre-dawn crash on Interstate 94 near Michigan City, not far from the Michigan state line, said John Sullivan, the coroner in LaPorte County, Ind.

Indiana State Police say VanDerLinden had just left a highway rest area and was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of the freeway when he collided with Nelson's car, engulfing both in flames. The crash closed two westbound lanes of I-94 for several hours.

Police in the semi-rural Van Buren Township, about 25 miles west of Detroit, were asked by Indiana authorities to notify VanDerLinden's family about the crash. But when officers arrived about 8 a.m. no one answered the door at the two-story home with an attached garage and a children's swing set in the spacious backyard.

Neighbors told authorities that seemed odd.

"She was a stay-at-home mom and the kids are out from school. This time of morning there should be somebody here," Laurain said.

Officers went back to the house and found one of the doors unlocked.

Inside they found the bodies of the two boys — identified by neighbors as 7-year-old Julien and 4-year-old Matthew — in beds in their own rooms. Their mother's body was found in her bedroom.

"There were no signs of forced entry. No signs of robbery," Laurain said.

Public records showed VanDerLinden co-owned the house with his wife, 34-year-old Linda VanDerLinden.

Officials weren't confirming the identities of the bodies in the house. Laurain said a possible murder weapon was recovered, but he would not say how they were killed. Autopsies were scheduled for Friday.

Laurain said officials would go over the ripped and burned wreckage from the Indiana crash "to make sure nothing is there ... no type of notes." Computers, answering devices and other items were taken from home Thursday.

Officers had not previously responded to the home on any reports of domestic violence, but firefighters were called out in November after Michael VanDerLinden took some type of pills in an apparent suicide attempt, Laurain said.

Laurain said Michael VanDerLinden had ties to Belgium and performed informational technology work from home.

Rita Jones, who lives next door to the family's home, said that while Linda VanDerLinden was friendly and outgoing, Michael VanDerLinden seldom made conversation with the neighbors.

"He was more, like, to himself," she said. "He wouldn't stay out and talk. He wasn't as friendly as she was."

Another neighbor, Litonya Hendricks, said she often saw the VanDerLinden boys playing outside their home.

"The whole purpose of moving out here is to get away from the crime," said the 31-year-old Hendricks who lives across the street. "You want to be around neighbors who can be trusted."

___

Associated Press writer Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind., and AP news researcher Judith Ausuebel in New York contributed to this report.