Mother, father accused of child abuse

HOUSTON -
A mother and father have been accused of physically abusing and neglecting their three young children.
Darren Denley, 22, and Elise Penn, 22, were both charged with two counts of injury to a child.
According to court documents, police were called out to the family's southwest Houston apartment on July 25 after Penn's mother called Child Protective Services about the children's welfare. The grandmother said the children had cigarette burns, bruises and were malnourished. 
An officer said he found the children upstairs and the 11-month-old, 2-year-old and 3-year-old appeared dirty and malnourished. The officer said the 2-year-old also had a black eye.
According to court documents, Denley told the officer the grandmother had no business calling the police because nothing was wrong with the children.
The children were taken to Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital where they were treated for malnutrition and broken bones.
Denley and Penn are being held on $30,000 bond for each count.

Peachtree Corners Home Real Estate Market on the Upswing

The housing market continues to improve. Buyer and seller optimism is paying off, and we are seeing a spring market with many opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Realtors are excited about all the changes we are seeing in the housing industry.

It is time for buyers to react and they have not disappointed us. We are seeing multiple offers on many properties. It seems that buyers realize that these interest rates are as good as it gets. Buying power changes greatly with each small change in interest rates.

If in the position to buy, you need to act on it before the interest rates go up. Sellers are at this time realistic in their pricing and a well priced home will sell quickly. These are two reasons that the market conditions make if favorable for both buyer and seller.

A review of the market in January and a comparison to this same time last year will help us get a feeling for how much the local housing market has rebounded. In January, 2012 we had 96 active listings. In January, 2013 we had 53 homes for sale.

This represents a drop in available inventory of 45 percent. There is a 3.5 months supply of homes available for sale. There was a 16 month supply at this same time one year ago. That market definitely favored the buyer.

Many experts in the real estate industry feel that a market with a 3 to 6 month supply of homes is in balance. This means that the market does not favor the buyer or seller. However, when the supply of homes drops below a 3 months supply it clearly becomes a sellers market.

The number of distressed properties has dropped about 20 percent compared to this same time last year. The numbers were 124 distressed properties in January, 2012 and 101 in January, 2013. Distressed properties include not only foreclosures but notices to homeowners who have defaulted on their mortgage.
New on the market in Peachtree Corners 4315 Fitzpatrick Way

Roast beef products distributed in Chicago recalled due to a Listeria risk

Addison, Ill. company, Perfect Pasta Inc., has recalled more than 300 pounds of  ready-to-eat roast beef products that were distributed in the Chicago area due to the potential of Listeria monocytogenes contamination, according to a  U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) press release Feb. 14.

 The affected product is 5-lb. packages of “GINA FULLY COOKED ROAST BEEF WITH SEASONED JUICE” with a lot code number of “040615RB” and a pack date of “02-06-13.”

The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 19829” inside the USDA mark of inspection.
Listeriosis, a serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is an important public health problem. The disease primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems. However, rarely, persons without these risk factors can also be affected.
Food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled. Listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk. Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild, flu-like illness, however, infections during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn, or even stillbirth.
Consumers and members of the media with questions regarding the recall should contact the company’s Quality Assurance Manager, Connie DeMarco, at (630) 543-8300.

4 injured in two-vehicle crash in San Carlos

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Residents in San Carlos are calling for increased road safety measures after a serious two-car accident Friday that sent four women to the hospital.
It happened at about 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Cowles Mountain Boulevard and Boulder Lake Drive. According to investigators, a driver with two passengers in a Honda Civic were attempting to cross Cowles Mountain Boulevard when their vehicle was broadsided by a driver in a Chevy sedan.

"We were sitting right here, we heard it. We were out the door in 10 seconds. It was horrible," a resident said.
Two of the women in the crash sustained serious injuries, and the other two were treated for minor injuries.
It's a sight neighbors say they've seen way too often, and they're demanding a four-way stop.
"This could have been avoided because we've had this petition for four months and they keep dragging their heels," a neighbor said. "We just want traffic to slow down and we want to be more safe before somebody gets killed here."

2 people hospitalized after collision in Lake Murray

SAN DIEGO - Two people were hospitalized Friday afternoon following a two-car collision in the Lake Murray area.

The crash was reported just before 1:30 p.m. on Cowles Mountain Boulevard and Boulder Lake Avenue, authorities said.

San Diego Fire-Rescue crews responded and had to cut open the roof of a green car to extract a woman trapped inside. She was taken to the hospital with what was described as major trauma. Another person from the car was also hospitalized.

Three people in the other car were not injured.

There is no word on what caused the crash.

Father says he's still paying child support for 3-year-old son who died 25 years ago Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/father-says-hes-still-paying-child-support-for-3-year-old-son-who-died-25-years-ago

DETROIT (WXYZ) - Lional Campbell's son, Michael, passed away at the age of three from acute meningitis.
"It took a lot out of me," says Campbell who is from Detroit and now lives in Kentucky. And it's that distance that is making even more difficult for Campbell to wage a fight with Wayne County Friend of the Court over child support that Campbell says he is still paying for Michael.
A spokesperson for the Friend of the Court says no one ever notified them of the boy's death until Campbell began asking why he still owed child support in 2011 for a child that was deceased by the age of 3.
For years, Campbell never questioned paying child support to Friend of the Court because he thought the money was for what he owed for an older son he fathered with Michael's mother.
The older son was born seven years before Michael and is now 34 years old.
Believing his payments, that included arrearages, should have ended by now, Campbell asked why the payments had not stopped.
He says he was told the continuing payments were back child support for his son Michael.
Campbell drove to Detroit to show court officials a death certificate, proof that Michael died in 1988, but says he was told that he still owed about $43,000 for Michael.
Campbell asked for several audits. Each time he was given a lesser amount. He was then told he owed a little less than $20,000.
Campbell says even clerks at the Friend of the Court have been baffled.
"The lady said 'how you owe on a child been dead 23 years?' I said I don’t know and she said we’ll do another audit".
Campbell reached out to 7 Action News and while a spokesperson for the Friend of the Court could not talk specifically about Campbell's case because of privacy issues, they did tell us that surcharges drastically raise the amounts owed by non-custodial parents.
One court official likened the surcharges, that ended several years ago, to "loan sharking".
Court officials admitted to 7 Action News that the calculations from the audits were wrong and that they would expedite another one.
The latest audit resulted in what court officials believe is an accurate amount Campbell still owes: $6,460.08.
And after so many erroneous audits, Campbell still doubts he owes that amount because for so many years he was paying for what court officials believed were two children.
A spokesperson for Friend of the Court tells 7 Action News that there is no clear reason other than human error to explain why multiple audits generated such varied amounts.
The case is also complicated by factors that include: appropriately detangling the surcharges; gaps in Campbell's employment history; and payments for two children that were being made for many years.
Campbell plans on seeking another audit before filing his taxes for fear that any refund will be swallowed up by the Friend of the Court that continues to garnish his checks.
Court officials call the mistakes they believe were made on their part "regretful". And they believe the errors in Campbell's case are isolated.
Michael's mother declined to comment on the story.

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Oscar-nominated ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ gets plug from Michelle Obama at White House

WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama on Wednesday gushed over the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” calling it one of the “most powerful and most important” movies in a long time in a ringing endorsement delivered less than two weeks before this month’s Academy Awards ceremony.
The first lady commented during a Black History Month workshop at the White House for about 80 middle- and high-school students from the District of Columbia and New Orleans. The movie was set in Louisiana.

Students saw the film, then got to question director Benh Zeitlin and actors Dwight Henry and 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis. Wallis stars in the mythical tale of a 6-year-old girl named Hushpuppy struggling to survive in the southern Delta with her ailing father as a storm approaches. Her world consists of a tight-knit, shantytown community on the bayou with wild animals, both real and imagined.
The film won four Oscar nominations, including for best picture, best actress and directing.
Mrs. Obama said she saw the 93-minute film over the summer with a large group of friends and family who ranged in age from 3 to 73, and they were enthralled by it.
“It’s rare these days to find a movie that can so completely and utterly captivate such a broad audience and that was one of the things that struck me about this movie,” she said. “It managed to be beautiful, joyful and devastatingly honest.”
The first lady said “Beasts” makes viewers “think deeply about the people we love in our lives who make us who we are” and shows the strength of communities and the power they give others to overcome obstacles.
“It also tells a compelling story of poverty and devastation but also of hope and love in the midst of some great challenges,” she said.
Mrs. Obama also said it was “cool” that “there are so many important lessons to learn in that little 93 minutes.”
“That a director and a set of writers and producers can say so much in just 93 minutes,” the first lady told the students. “And it doesn’t always happen in a movie, quite frankly, but this one did it, and that’s why I love this movie so much and why our team wanted to bring it here to the White House and share it with all of you.”
Mrs. Obama also used the film to inspire her young audience, noting that Wallis was just 5 years old when she auditioned for the part and Henry, who runs a bakery, had never acted a day in his life.
“You all have to really be focused on preparing yourselves for the challenges and the opportunities that will lie ahead for all of you. You’ve got to be prepared,” she said, urging them to go to school, do their homework every day and follow her husband’s example by reading everything they get their hands on.

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Lady Gaga Cancels Remainder of Born This Way Ball Tour Due to Injured Hip

Sorry, Little Monsters, Lady Gaga is bowing out.
The pop star has decided to cancel the remainder of her Born This Way Ball tour after announcing that she would postpone four shows due to a hip injury.
"After additional tests this morning to review the severity of the issue, it has been determined that Lady Gaga has a labral tear of the right hip," Live Nation said in a release. "She will need surgery to repair the problem, followed by strict down time to recover. This unfortunately, will force her to cancel the tour so she can heal."
Lady Gaga postpones four shows
Initially, concerts scheduled for today and Thursday in Chicago, Saturday in Detroit and Sunday in Hamilton, Canada, had been the only shows canceled, with makeup dates to be announced later, however Mother Monster's injury has clearly become a bigger issue than before.
  
According to the release, refunds for the canceled performances will be available at point of purchase starting Feb. 14, 2013.
Lady Gaga goes on tirade after former assistant sues her
"I've been hiding a show injury and chronic pain for sometime now,over the past month it has worsened," Gaga tweeted yesterday. "I've been praying it would heal." She continued: "I hid it from my staff, I didn't want to disappoint my amazing fans. However after last nights performance I could not walk and still can't."
Gaga added, "It will hopefully heal as soon as possible, I hate this. I hate this so much. I love you and Im sorry."
Here's to a speedy recovery!

Kamal to release 'Vishwaroopam 2' this year

Bangalore: Actor and director Kamal Haasan said on Saturday that his next production 'Vishwaroopam 2' will be launched in a few days and release this year.
Speaking to reporters here at a meet organised by Raj Kamal Enterprises, along with film distributor H.D. Gangaraj, Kamal Haasan said he would ensure that there will be no delay in the release of the new film as he has been making preparations in right earnestness.
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The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Nominees:

 

Amour (2012):

 Margaret Ménégoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Michael Katz

 

Describe:Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested. 

 

Nominated for 5 Oscars

Argo (2012):

Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney

A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran. 

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 47 wins & 63 nominations

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012):

Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald

Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love. 

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 50 wins & 60 nominations

 See more Nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year

The Hobbit picks up technical Oscar

The team from The Hobbit picked up an Academy plaque for 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has earned its first Academy Award after being recognised at an early pre-Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles.

The Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards recognize people who have made significant behind-the-scenes contributions to movie making.
The ceremony, hosted by Star Trek co-stars Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana, gave nine awards to 25 people.
Those responsible for the computer graphics in Shrek were also honoured.
Unlike the main Oscars ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, 24 February and will only recognise movie achievements from 2012, the Scientific and Technical Awards gave awards to behind-the-scenes innovators whose breakthroughs in computer technology and other fields have helped make several feature films over a number of years.

The technique makes Gollum appear more lifelike

Simon Clutterbuck, James Jacobs and Dr. Richard Dorling won for inventing a technique which has made huge advances in bringing to life computer-generated characters such as Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit.
Richard Mall received perhaps the greatest applause of the night, for his invention of the Matthews Max Menace Arm, a portable device which allows studio lights to be moved and positioned all over a set, often where normal lighting cannot be used because of on-site restrictions or other difficult conditions.
"I am a little humbled to be up here with all this technology, because basically I built something in my garage," Mall said to applause and cheers. He thanked his wife for enduring all the strange noises that had come out of that garage.
His invention has been sold to over 40 countries and used in more than 300 films.
Lawrence Kesteloot, Drew Olbrich, and Daniel Wexler at DreamWorks were honoured with an Academy certificate for the creating one of the most versatile lighting delivery systems in film production,
The system, which combines light, colour and rendering in one, was used in the likes of Shrek and Madagascar.
Portions of the event will be seen during the televised Oscars ceremony later this month.

BREAKING NEWS (WWE Fans): Alberto Del Rio suspended from this week’s SmackDown

General Manager Booker T made astartling announcement Tuesday evening that he is preventing the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio from being part of this week's SmackDown.

'Following the incidents last Friday on SmackDown as well as this week on Raw,' Booker told WWE.com in no uncertain terms, 'it is my duty as GM to suspend Alberto Del Rio. He will not be in action this Friday night and will not be in the building.'

The offending incidents in question involved the Mexican Superstar attacking Big Show with a steel pipe as the giant was coming out of his bus last Friday and then in his hotel room on Monday night.

While there is no question these latest developments will make a profound impression on this week's edition of the blue brand, one has wonder how it will affect the upcoming World Title Match between Del Rio and The World's Largest No. 1 contender at Elimination Chamber.

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Emma Watson Talks Kristen Stewart In Vanity Fair Italy

She looks stunning on the cover of Vanity Fair Italy's latest issue, and Emma Watson is frustrated with how folks have treated her fellow movie star Kristen Stewart.

The “Perks of Being a Wallflower” actress explained that KStew’s cheating scandal over the summer wasn’t handled fairly in the public eye.

Emma began, "Those who criticized her are the same people that think that being rich and famous is like being covered in some kind of magic powder that makes life perfect: Nothing can go wrong in your wonderful world.”

"For these people, Kristen deserves all the bad things that have been thrown at her because she had an amazing life and she ruined it."

"I thought that the media picked on her in a very horrible way. Kristen is human, just like everybody else, and she's so young. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone. It's not fair to consider them matters of public interest. On one hand, I can understand why it happened: people felt really involved in her relationship with Robert Pattinson. But it's also true that they both have done everything in their power to keep their relationship as far from the public eye as possible."

Justin Bieber's Mom: Keep Me Out of Abortion Debate!

Justin Bieber finds herself in the middle of a heated debate, and not over whether or her son ought to reconcile with Selena Gomez.

Yes, Pattie Mallette is promoting the film Crescendo because she hopes it will raise money for centers that assist pregnant women - but, no, she is not taking any kind of pro-choice stance.

"The press has been saying that I'm producing an anti-abortion film and taking this big stance," Mallette told The AP. "You know, I haven't shared my stance with anyone and I'm not here to make a political statement, so there's been a lot of assumptions made."

Mallette gave birth to Bieber at 18 and has been open about the pressure on her to terminate the pregnancy at the time. She also attempted suicide many years ago and dabbled in drugs and alcohol.

But the promotion of this movie, Mallette says, is to support programs such as the one that essentially saved her life after she was kicked out of her parents' home.

"The pregnancy center that I lived in is now closed because of lack of funds, so I thought it was a really important thing that [producers are] doing to raise money."

On a lighter side, Mallette was also asked about Justin's butt crack, which he shared last month with Instagram followers.

"I don't want to see him doing that kind of stuff," she said. "But, you know, he's 18. He's making some of his own decisions and he's going to make some mistakes and he's going to make some good choices, too."

DJ Paul to Justin Bieber: Stay Off the Sizzurp!

Take heed, Justin Bieber.

Stopped on the street last night by TMZ, Three 6 Mafia rapper DJ Paul offered up some advice to the young singer.

With photos of Bieber taking sizzurp allegedly making the round, Paul - who is known for his song "Sippin on Some Syrup" - said of the risky cocktail:

"I can't say don't do [sizzurp] because I did my rounds with it. But I stay away from it these days because I had a lot of friends that passed away from it. It's dangerous if you do too much of it."

Seriously, JB. We do not want you to die.

What about Lil Za and Lil Twist? Bieber's close friends who many consider to be bad influences?

"Nah, friends are friends," Paul said. "It's just a phase they're going through."

Emma Watson Defends Kristen Stewart in Rupert Sanders Cheating Scandal

Emma watson replaced insted of Kristen Stewart - Emma Watson is sticking up for her friend, “Twilight Saga” star Kristen Stewart, saying that her cheating scandal from last summer held her up to an unfair standard.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair Italia the “Perks of Being a Wallflower” actress came to the defense of Stewart, 22, who was caught in a cheating scandal over summer with her married “Snow White and the Huntsman” director Rupert Sanders.

"Those who criticized her are the same people that think that being rich and famous is like being covered in some kind of magic powder that makes life perfect: Nothing can go wrong in your wonderful world,” Watson explained. “For these people, Kristen deserves all the bad things that have been thrown at her because she had an amazing life and she ruined it."

"I don't know how to explain it, but it sure isn't perfect,” continued the “Harry Potter” heroine. “I thought that the media picked on her in a very horrible way. Kristen is human, just like everybody else, and she's so young. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone. It's not fair to consider them matters of public interest.”

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