Mystery of Clintonville, Wisconsin Solved

The mystery of Clintonville, Wisconsin has apparently been solved. The mysterious noises that had begun to plague the town were identified by scientists as small barely measurable earthquakes.

Ironically though, scientists had previously ruled out earthquakes. Now scientists say that the noises were caused by a combination of the unique bedrock under the town, and the shallowness of the quakes.

The largest quake measured at 1.5 on the richter scale. So small that most seismographs are not regularly calibrated to read instances that low.

It is unknown for how much longer the quakes will occur, or why they've been only really happening at night. Only time will tell when and if they'll stop. The reasoning behind them, may never be known.

Syria Accuses CNN of Aiding Rebels

On Thursday, Syria's government controlled media stated that CNN journalists either took part in, or at least helped rebels blow up an oil pipeline near Homs. Anchors on one TV station stated that there is "conclusive evidence of the involvement of CNN and the American journalists who were present there in the detonation of the oil pipelines in Homs".

SANA, the Syrian state TV channel, added on Friday that CNN footage "revealed that the camera operators were CNN correspondents who entered Syria illegally through the Lebanese borders and seemed to have coordinated with the saboteurs to film a video of the attack and send it to their channel." And said that CNN's stated that the "Syrian army was behind the attack to deflect suspicion of any coordination, if not to say involvement, with the terrorist saboteurs."

The executive vice president and managing director of CNN International, Tony Maddox, called the assertions "ridiculous". Adding, "We stand firmly behind our excellent reporting on Syria. It is a pity that its citizens did not get to see this important documentary without these ridiculous interventions."

Syria has repeatedly in the past stated that outside sources have been causing and spurring on the rebellion, which started over a year ago. Since that time the government has taken total control of their media outlets, and blocked foreign ones from entering the country. As al-Qaeda is known to be aiding some of the rebels, it is hard to entirely discount the Syrian government's accusations of outside sources being involved.

To date between 12,000 and 15,000 have been killed in Syria over the past year.

Man Shot Dead at Red Light in Aurora

A man died today after being shot whilst he was sitting a red light.

According to police, about one o'clock this afternoon, the man stopped at a red light at the intersection of Dayton Street and East Montview Boulevard. He had been headed northbound on Dayton.

As he was stopped at the light, a dark SUV pulled up behind him. Someone got out of it, walked up to the man's jeep, and shot several times through the windshield. The shooter then returned to their vehicle and it drove off.

The victim was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

The motive of the shooting is totally unknown at this time. It could be a hit against a specific person, or completely random. Most likely though, it is a targeted hit.

Police asked anyone with information to call Detective Tom Welton at 303-739-6107. People wishing to remain anonymous can Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Remembering: The Great One, Wayne Gretzky's 802nd

March 23, 1994 Wayne Gretzky scores his 802 goal, breaking the record of Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. In his career, Gretzky broke sixty-one records, gaining the nickname of The Great One.

By age six, Gretzky was playing in a league for ten year olds. At 10, he scored 378 goals in one season of pee wee hockey. He started being the cause for sold out crowds and soon all his games were being televised.

At sixteen he was drafted into the Ontario Hockey Association and scored six goals in his first game. The next year he went pro signing into the World Hockey League. And the following year, he was picked up by the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.

In his rookie year, he had 137 scores, a record for a rookie. The next year he had 164, a record for a single season. His third year, he became the first player to ever hit the 200 score mark, he would hit that two more times in his career. When he retired after the 1999 season, he did so with 2,857 scores, 1,000 more than Gordie Howe had when he set the record.

Not just a goal scorer his points (assists plus goals) just from assists, were higher than any player's points from scoring. He wore 99 throughout his career, in honor of Gordie Howe, his childhood hero, who had worn #9.

Remembering: Patrick Henry and 'Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death'

March 23, 1775, in a speech at the Second Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry makes one of the most remembered statements of American history. As he speaks against the increasingly oppressive rule of Britain, he concludes with, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

Patrick Henry had been one of the first in the colonies to speak for colonial independence. He began his rise to fame in 1763. In 1765, during the Stamp Act, he said, "Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third ....may he profit by their example." From then

Before the constitution would serve twice as governor of Virginia. Later, Henry was a leader of the anti-federalists in Virginia, who opposed the Constitution, fearing that it endangered the rights of the States, as well as the freedoms of individuals. His role in the anti-federalists put him in a position to help shape the Bill of Rights.

Ironically after seeing the fate of France, after their revolution, Henry would switch to the side of the Federalists. He was especially against the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which called for the rights of a state to nullify a federal law it considered unconstitutional. Henry stated that it would only lead to civil war.

Police Arrest Owner of Drunk Dog

A Montana man has been arrested on charges of animal cruelty.

Police were called to investigate a call about a drunk dog at a bar. They found Arly II, a Pomeranian, unable to walk without falling over.

The dog had drunk in a car outside the bar and was reported to police by customers and staff who then took care of the dog until police arrived. "We basically saved the dog’s life," bar manager Joe Wieck said. An intoxicated person who claimed part ownership of the twenty pound dog told police that Schrier had given the dog about a "to go cup of vodka," police wrote.

The officers took Arly II to the vet who found that the dog had a blood alcohol level of 0.348 percent. Which is more than four times the legal driving limit, for humans, of 0.08. A level of 0.4 can be lethal to humans.

Considering the poisoned state of Arly II, one must wonder what happened to the first Arly.

Student Told to Sound 'Blacker'

Jordan Shumate, a ninth grader at George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, Virginia says that his English teacher told him to read in a "blacker manner". The teacher had him reading Langston Hughes' "Ballad of the Landlord" aloud, when she interrupted him. "She told me, 'Blacker, Jordan. Come on, blacker. I thought you were black."

After he refused to continue she read it herself to show him what she meant. Shumate says, "She read the poem like a slave, basically". When he asked whether she thought all black people speak that way, he says she told him to take his seat and that he was reprimanded for speaking out of turn.

The poem was written in 1940 about a black tenant thrown in jail for challenging a landlord.

"It's very, very unprofessional," Shumate continued. "It should not happen. She didn't do it to any other kids. Why did she have to do it to me?"

Jordan brought the issue to his mother's attention after he said the teacher singled him out again during a lesson about stereotypes. Shumate said he was asked to explain why blacks like grape soda and rap music. His mother, Nicole Page, that she is "very sad for her child's loss of innocence" because of the ordeal. Page added that the teacher had also previously asked the student to rap out a poem by black rapper and actor Tupac Shakur.

11 Year Old Removed From Choir for Refusing Drug Test

The American Civil Liberties Union is filing a lawsuit against Solanco School District, in Pennsylvania on behalf of an eleven year old girl and her parents.

The student attends Swift Middle School, and was removed from choir and the orchestra, as well as banned from athletic and academic teams, because she refused to give a random urine test.

The district's policies require that every student pass drug tests, before they can take part in school activities other than classes. The family and ACLU say that the policy violates privacy rights under the state constitution and are requesting that a judge prevent the enforcement of the policy.

While it does seem a little ridiculous for kids of that age to have to pass drug tests for even things such as choir, that is the district's policy. The policy may be a little too tough, but it does seem fair.

Also, I'm very much wondering, what an eleven year old has to hide from them. Why is she afraid to take the test? To me that would at least suggest she is taking drugs, and doesn't want to be caught. Or it could be she really just was uncomfortable doing so.

Atheists Spread Unholy Water to Counter Christian Blessing

The Humanists of Florida Association, in an attempt to "cleanse Polk County from the influence of Christianity" spread "unholy water" upon a stretch of Highway 98, along the county line. They chose the specific spot as it is one of many that had been blessed as a part of the Polk Under Prayer project.

PUP's "objective is to place Holy Angels at all roads that lead into or out of Polk County. A strip of anointed oil has been placed over all lanes of highway at the county line and a prayer has been given at each location asking God to have angels inspect every vehicle that travels into or out of this county and to bring under conviction to those who seek evil and we asked God to bring them to a state of submission and repentance. If they will not submit to God’s way of living, then the prayer is to have them incarcerated or removed from the county."

Apparently it is working as HFA president Ellen Beth Wachs, who has won awards as Florida's Atheist Activist of The Year, has been arrested twice since the anointing. The first time it was for pretending to be a lawyer. The second for lewd and lascivious behavior. Wachs has in the past offered to shoot any Christian so that they can prove there is a heaven.

According to PUP there have been an increase in arrests of many different kinds of criminals in the county, since the anointing. Specifically in the drug trade and manufacturing sector. They also say that crime in general has gone down since they blessed the highways.

PUP may have gone a little over board with their desire to see non Christians removed from the county. That definitely does not sound like freedom of religion, and maybe they could have worded it better. But it is completely ironic that one of the main arrests since their blessing was that of someone who has made a mission of attacking them.

The HFA clearly seems to think that cursing the site will free their leader of her criminal mindset. I'm almost scared to ask, but what exactly is "unholy water"? Vinegar? Piss? Did you do a prayer of cursing over it? Black magic? O and if you're atheists, how does any form of religious ceremony have anything in it for or power over you?

Mysterious Sounds Troubling Clintonville, Wisconsin

Clintonville, Wisconsin has been assaulted the last few days by strange booming noises and shaking. The town of 5,000, located near Green Bay, has become greatly concerned as no reason for the noises and shaking has been discerned so far. Residents have begun to leave to town due to their concern about them.

"I think we can rule out that standard earthquake activity, [that] some swarm of earthquakes is happening in that region. It also really looks like it’s not connected to, say, unusual drilling activity or some other kind of real obvious human induced signal," Harold Tobin, one of those professors in the Geoscience department at the University of Wisconsin told WKOW.

Tobin, and other scientists that have been called in, have not yet been unable to figure out what could be causing the noises. So far they've managed to rule out problems with the water and sewer system, elevated gas levels, area blasting or mining, industrial businesses, and even military operations. They hope to bring in instruments that record noise in the air, and also ground vibrations at a higher frequency. In doing so they would hopefully be able to identify the sounds, and locate the source.

"I think that right now the greatest possibility is that it is some sort of natural phenomenon. I think that it’s a possibility that there is some earth shifting going on underneath the ground that creates those popping sort of exploding popping or vibrating noises that people feel," City Administrator Lisa Kuss said to WBAY.