News

Very sad news today out of Fairmont, North Carolina:

Christopher Stanlane was cleaning his gun on Sunday afternoon when it accidentally fired and and a bullet struck his 10-year old son in the head.

The boy, who was watching TV at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Most people think that guns are what kill people, and it’s not,” said Sgt. Eric Gavaghan, a county sheriff’s official, who teaches gun safety classes. “The people and their inexperience, their lack of training, that’s what hurts other people with firearms.”

No charges have been filed, while deputies are still investigating the incident.

It may be too late for Kailyn Lowry, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York City's Human Resources Administration is hoping it isn't too late for other teenagers around the country.

The government has placed a series of ads around the subway system, each one depicting an infant and carrying a message to potential young mothers.

"Honestly Mom," reads one poster. "Chances are he won't stay with you. What happens to me?"

Said Mayor Bloomberg of the controversy: "This campaign makes very clear to young people that there's a lot at stake when it comes to deciding to raise a child."

That may be true, but are the posters appropriate? Sound off now: Do these subway ads go too far?

Yahoo has announced its acquisition of Summly, an app that lets users easily skim through news and articles on mobile devices, for $30 million.

Its founder is only 17 years old.

Nick D’Aloisio, who founded the company when he was 15, launched it in December 2011, backed by investors including Yoko Ono and Ashton Kutcher.

The service sums up news articles in 400 characters, making it easy for users to scan for information and get to full articles if they want a more in-depth read.

Born in 1996, D’Aloisio is younger than Yahoo itself (1995).

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Hearing challenges to state laws that limit marriage to heterosexual couples, the Supreme Court indicated that it may be hesitant to strike down such laws.

NBC News reports that it is “obvious that the U.S. Supreme Court is not prepared to issue any sweeping ruling” declaring a constitutional right to gay marriage.

Pete Williams, reporting for the network, said there seemed to be “very little eagerness” on behalf of any of the justices to “embrace that broad a ruling.”

At issue in Tuesday’s argument was California’s Proposition 8, the state amendment enacted by voters in 2008 that limits marriage to heterosexuals.

Williams said that both the liberal and the conservative justices seemed wary of issuing a decision that would apply to any state outside of California.

Even if that's the case, how will they rule on Prop 8?

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Scientists in Europe and the United States are preparing for Cosmic Crash 2022.

But rest easy, folks. This event won't be nearly as catastrophic as it sounds.

The plan - concocted by the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment mission (AIDA) - is to crash a spacecraft into a giant asteroid and thereby study the insides of the latter space rock.

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A fellow hotel patron went all Mike Tyson on Game of Thrones actor Clive Mantle this week in Newcastle, the Press Association confirms, biting off his ear in response to a request to keep the noise down.

Mantle - who appeared on Season 1 of the HBO smash as Greatjon Umber - reportedly approached a guest around 4:30 a.m. Sunday and requested he lower his voice.

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Italy’s highest court overturned the 2011 acquittal of Amanda Knox on Tuesday, ordering a new trial in the sensational murder case that began in 2007.

The ruling means that the case against Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, will be sent back to be reheard at an appeals court in Florence.

The two were convicted of killing Meredith Kercher of Britain in 2007, but fought the charges tooth and nail until winning their release in 2011.

With the decision by the court this week, however, it appears the case is far from over, even as the full implications of the ruling were unclear.

It is not known if Amanda Knox would return voluntarily from the United States or be extradited by Italy, a process that would require major legal steps.

If she does not appear, the case could proceed in her absence.

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Bill Deeley, the President of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle and Punxsutawney Phil's chief handler, is taking the blame on this one.

The beloved Pennsylvania rodent rightly predicted six more weeks of winter last month, but Deeley says he incorrectly interpreted Phil's "groundhog-ese."

As a result, the Ohio prosecutor who light-heartedly indicted Punxsutawney Phil for his botched early spring prediction is now considering a pardon.

"I'm the guy that did it; I'll be the fall guy. It's not Phil's fault," Deeley said in Phil's defense.

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If your wedding was called off at the 11th hour, Bridal Brokerage is there to pick up the pieces.

Only financially, though. Emotionally, you're still scarred for life. Still, better than nothing!

The new business was founded by Lauren Byrne, who thought of the idea after a friend's elaborate St. John's destination wedding was canceled.

Simply put, she looks to pay people for the expenses they've already incurred as part of wedding plans gone awry and re-package them to someone else.

At a discount, of course. Win-win!

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Ford has pulled an ad in India featuring fallen reality star Paris Hilton driving a car with Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian bound and gagged in the back.

The drawing featuring the reality TV show rivals was created by JWT India, the agency that produces ad campaigns for Ford Figo in that country.

Tagline: “Leave your worries behind with Figo’s extra large boot.”

That presumably means trunk, not Kim's globally famous booty.

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