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Disneyland’s Tower of Terror making way for ‘Guardians’ ride

disneylandANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disney’s decision to remake the popular “Twilight Zone Tower of Terror” ride at Disneyland’s California Adventure into a “Guardians of the Galaxy” themed attraction isn’t sitting well with fans.

The plan was greeted with boos as soon as it was announced to fans at Comic-Con in San Diego in July, and the outrage has been simmering since. Negative votes are outpacing positive ones by a 3-to-1 margin on a YouTube video describing the project. A Slate article on the plan to close the ride in January described it as “a national tragedy.”

The ride opened in 2004 and treats thrill-seekers to a freefall plunge down a mock hotel’s elevator shaft.

Disney hasn’t announced any changes to a sister attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Teacher fired after video shows her dragging student by hair

schoolGREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Officials in a Mississippi school district have fired a special education teacher after a video showed her dragging a special-needs student by her hair across the floor.

The Greenville Public School District’s Board of Trustees voted Monday to terminate Linda Winters-Johnson.

The decision comes 11 days after the video began circulating on the Internet.

A state Office of Educator Misconduct investigator has accused Winters-Johnson of “grabbing, hitting in the head and dragging of a special-needs student during P.E. class at Greenville High School” around Sept. 21. The commission on Nov. 4 will decide whether to suspend or revoke her special education teaching license.

Police have said they are investigating, but have filed no charges.

The Associated Press could not find a phone number for Winters-Johnson.

Affleck’s ‘The Accountant’ tops charts with $24.7 million

box-officeLOS ANGELES (AP) — Ben Affleck is still a box office draw outside of the bat suit.

His new thriller “The Accountant” opened to a chart-topping $24.7 million this weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Gavin O’Connor directed the R-rated thriller, starring Affleck as an autistic mathematician. Audiences were 58 percent male and gave the film an “A” CinemaScore.

The comedy concert film “Kevin Hart: What Now?” debuted in second place with $11.98 million, marking a minuscule edge over last week’s champ “The Girl on the Train,” which netted $11.975 million. The films could easily switch places when final numbers come in on Monday.

Holdovers “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children” and “Deepwater Horizon” rounded out the top five.

The weekend’s other new opener, the Mattel-inspired “Max Steel,” bombed with only $2.2 million.

Feds: 80 charged in prison racketeering, drug conspiracies

prisonBALTIMORE (AP) — Federal authorities say correctional officers at Maryland’s largest prison for years helped scores of inmates smuggle narcotics, tobacco, pornography and cellphones into the facility in exchange for money and sex.

A pair of sweeping federal indictments against 35 inmates, 18 jail guards and 27 “outside facilitators” was unsealed Wednesday.

Officials have scheduled a news conference in Baltimore for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the indictments.

The indictments allege a racketeering scheme at the East and West compounds of the Eastern Correctional Facility that involved smuggling heroin, cocaine, MDMA, ecstasy and Suboxone, among other narcotics, into the jail in exchange for cash, money orders and in some cases, sexual favors. The indictments say guards were able to bypass security screenings and deliver the contraband to inmates in their cells or at pre-arranged “stash” locations.

Supreme Court rejects challenge to military death penalty

supreme-courtWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to the death penalty for members of the military.

The justices on Monday rejected an appeal from the former soldier who was sentenced to death for killing two fellow soldiers and injuring 14 others in an attack in Kuwait in 2003.

The appeal from Hasan Akbar focused on whether the way in which the armed forces impose a death sentence complies with recent Supreme Court rulings.

Akbar is being held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was convicted of killing Army Capt. Christopher S. Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory L. Stone in Kuwait during the early days of the Iraq war.

The military hasn’t carried out an execution since 1961.

9 states to vote soon on expanding legal access to marijuana

High_Quality_Marijuana_1SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Americans in nine states have a chance to vote Nov. 8 on expanding legal access to marijuana.

Collectively, the ballot measures amount to the closest the U.S. has come to a national referendum on the drug.

Five states — Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — will consider legalizing the recreational use of pot. Three others — Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota — will decide whether to permit marijuana for medical purposes. Montana will weigh whether to ease restrictions on an existing medical marijuana law.

According to national polls, a solid majority of Americans support legalization. Gallup’s latest survey gauged support at 58 percent, up from 12 percent from when the question was first posed in 1969. Gallup says 13 percent of U.S. adults report using marijuana at present, nearly double the percentage who reported using pot in 2013.

Just how much sugar do Americans consume? It’s complicated

Medical-ChartNEW YORK (AP) — Sugar is the latest nutritional enemy, but saying how much of it Americans are consuming is complicated.

Government data shows the amount is down from its high in 1999, and a big reason for the decline is the drop in soda consumption, which is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. Government figures are estimates, so it’s an inexact science.

But the data and industry trends indicate we’ve actually made progress in cutting back. On average, Americans’ total consumption of caloric sweeteners like refined cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup is down 15 percent from its peak in 1999.

Soda consumption started falling around the same time, and is down 24 percent since 1998. That’s according to industry tracker Beverage Digest.

Jails, prisons still trying to meet federal anti-rape rules

jailHOUSTON (AP) — Four years after they were supposed to take effect, federal guidelines intended to prevent prison rape in part by separating young offenders from adult inmates are proving difficult to adopt in the nation’s crowded jails and penitentiaries.

Since 2012, states have been working to meet the standards set forth by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA. It was partially inspired by the 1996 death of Rodney Hulin, an undersized 17-year-old inmate who hanged himself in Texas after his requests for help following repeated rapes by adult inmates were denied.

Texas sheriff’s offices say separating the two populations has been a challenge because of overcrowding and steep financial costs.

The law was also supposed to provide for better staff training, better investigation of sexual assaults and more money for research.

The Latest: Emergency official says no injuries after quake

usgs.gov
usgs.gov

PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — The Latest on the large earthquake in Oklahoma (all times local):

9:10 a.m.

The Pawnee County emergency management director says no injuries have been reported and no buildings have collapsed following a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that ties a 2011 temblor for the strongest in Oklahoma history.

Mark Randell said the Saturday morning quake did cause cracks and damages to city buildings, some of which date to the early 1900s.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake struck at 7:02 a.m. about nine miles northwest of Pawnee, a town of about 2,200 about 70 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

The U.S.G.S. also reports a 3.6 magnitude aftershock in the same area at 7:58 a.m.

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8:55 a.m.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says that crews are checking bridges and structures for damage after the 5.6 magnitude earthquake, which ties a 2011 temblor for the biggest on record in the state.

Fallin tweeted Saturday morning that the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is checking bridges in the Pawnee area for damage. The quake was centered about 9 miles northwest of the town of about 2,200 people.

Fallin also tweeted that state officials want structural engineers to look at building safety in the wake of the quake, which the U.S. Geological Society happened at 7:02 a.m.

No major damage was immediately reported. The quake was felt as far away as Nebraska.

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7:20 a.m.

CHICAGO (AP) — An earthquake has rattled a swath of the Great Plains from Nebraska to North Texas.

The United States Geological Survey said that a 5.6 magnitude earthquake happened at 7:02 a.m. Saturday in north-central Oklahoma. It also tweeted that aftershocks may occur.

People in Kansas City, Missouri; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Norman, Oklahoma, all reported feeling the earthquake. Dallas TV station WFAA tweeted that it felt the quake, too.

Sean Weide in Omaha, Nebraska, said he’d never been in an earthquake before and thought he was getting dizzy.

Weide said he and one of his daughters “heard the building start creaking” and said it “was surreal.”

Dog swims over 6 miles, walks 12 more to find family

good-newsBEULAH, Mich. (AP) — A dog swam more than 6 miles and walked a dozen more to find its family after falling overboard into Lake Michigan during the weekend.

Edward Casas was boating on the lake Sunday with his wife, Kristin, and the family dog, a 10-month old Belgian Malinois (MAL’-ehn-wah) named Rylee. Casas tells ABC News Rylee went overboard while he was in the engine room trying to figure out a mechanical problem with the boat and his wife was steering.

Casas says he sent out a mayday call on the radio and was connected to a volunteer group that searches for lost dogs.

The next morning someone spotted Rylee going into a nearby campground. Edward Casas says there was a lot of sobbing and hugging when the family was reunited with him.

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