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Oldest American Dies at 114

Mamie Rearden died at age 114

A 114-year-old South Carolina woman who was the oldest living U.S. citizen has died.

Two daughters say Mamie Rearden of Edgefield, who held the title as the oldest person in the country for about two weeks, died Wednesday at a hospital in Georgia.

Sara Rearden of Burtonsville, Md., said Saturday that her mother broke her hip after a fall about three weeks ago.

Robert Young of the Gerontology Research Group said Mamie Rearden’s September 1898 birth was recorded in the 1900 U.S. Census. The group, which verifies age information for Guinness World Records, listed Rearden as the oldest living U.S. citizen after last month’s passing of 115-year-old Dina Manfredini of Iowa.

Rearden was more than a year younger than the world’s oldest person, 115-year-old Jiroemon Kimura of Japan.

Tantrum Throwing Passenger on Flight Restrained with Tape

Icelandair says it had to restrain an unruly passenger on a flight from Reykjavik to New York City because he was hitting people, screaming profanities and spitting.

Thursday’s flight was gaining attention after a photograph circulated online purporting to show the passenger tied to his seat with tape and plastic restraints.

The man who posted the picture, Andy Ellwood, says it was taken by a friend on the flight.

Icelandair spokesman Gudjon Arngrimsson said passengers and crew restrained the man after his behavior became threatening. He says he couldn’t validate the photo’s authenticity, but says airlines commonly carry plastic handcuffs and tape to restrain potentially dangerous passengers.

The airline says police took the man off the plane after it landed at Kennedy Airport.

Man Found Paralyzed in NE Jail Cell Drops Lawsuit

Lancaster Co. Detention Center

A Nebraska man found paralyzed in his jail cell has asked a judge to dismiss his federal lawsuit against the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports an attorney for Arok Atem filed the motion last week. The filing says there may be an additional defendant in the case but it not elaborate.

Atem was arrested in April 2011 after police suspected he was drunk at a hospital. He was later found in his cell with spinal cord fractures. He is now a quadriplegic.

Atem’s lawsuit said he suffers from mental illness, and police should have known he was a danger to his own safety.

The newspaper reports Atem’s attorney did not respond to messages about any plans to refile the case in state court.

Gun Shows Cancel in Wake of Conn. School Shooting

Four gun shows, all about an hour’s drive from Newtown, Conn., all canceled.

Organizers say they weren’t appropriate just weeks after a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown.

But gun advocates aren’t backing down from their insistence on the right to keep and bear arms.

One gun show will go on as scheduled next weekend in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a bit farther away from Newtown, about 120 miles. But city officials have asked organizers not to display military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Organizer David Petronis says it’s not fair that the shows and their organizers are seen as the brunt of the problem. But he says he understands the reaction, and the group agreed to the city’s request.

Man Kills Grandma After Fighting About What to Watch on TV

Police say a New York man has killed his grandmother after they argued over what TV show to watch.

They say Clarence Newcomb was arrested Friday at the home he shared with 82-year-old Kathleen Newcomb in Kings Park, on New York’s Long Island.

Suffolk County police say a man called them at 4:35 a.m. to report the woman was lying on the floor. Officers say they found her dead.

Medical officials haven’t determined how she died. No weapons have been recovered.

Police say 25-year-old Clarence Newcomb told them he and his grandmother had argued over what to watch on TV. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick says he doesn’t know what shows were involved.

Newcomb is in custody and can’t be reached for comment. Police say he’s unemployed. He faces arraignment Saturday.

Tsunami Warning Cancelled for Alaska after 7.5 Mag Quake

A tsunami warning was canceled early Saturday for portions of British Columbia, Canada, and southeastern Alaska, officials said.

A wave generated by a strong earthquake off Alaska isn’t strong enough to produce damaging effects. The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says a tsunami warning issued after the quake has been canceled. The magnitude 7.5 quake struck about 60 miles west of Craig, Alaska. The police chief in Craig says houses shook, but there were no reports of injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was followed by six aftershocks. The strongest registered a 5.1 and came nearly four hours after the initial quake.

State Employees See Pay Raise

About 10,000 state employees will see a 2.25 percent pay raise over each of the next two years, following a newly ratified union contract.

Bill Wood, chief negotiator for the state, says the contract for state employees covered under the Nebraska Association for Public Employees was ratified last month.

The raises are an improvement from what the employees have seen over the last two years. Unionized state workers went without pay raises in the 2011-12 fiscal year to help cover a $1 billion gap in the state’s budget. This year, they received a 2 percent raise.

State employees will see some higher health care costs under the new contract.

Employees’ health insurance premiums will not rise the first year, but employees will be charged higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs.

Nebraskan Trucker Attacked In Oregon

The Oregon State Police say a trucker from Nebraska stopped along Interstate 84 reported that an assailant cut him Friday morning.

The police say the trucker reported he pulled over at a viewpoint parking area east of Corbett in the Columbia Gorge because it appeared traffic was stopped after a crash.

He said two men approached asking for money and cigarettes. The police said the driver told them he didn’t have any to give them, and one of the two men pulled a knife and attacked.

The police say the driver struggled with the two men, who fled in a dark SUV. The driver was treated for minor hand, arm and stomach wounds and released from a hospital. He was identified as 39-year-old Edwin J. Jones of Plymouth, Neb.

Whooping Cough Cases Peak In 2012

Health officials say 2012 was the nation’s worst year for whooping cough in nearly six decades.

About 42,000 cases were reported last year, the most since 1955. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still gathering information, and the number could rise to as much as 50,000.

Whooping cough tends to run in multi-year cycles, and experts say last year appears to have been a peak. Also, a newer version of the whooping cough vaccine doesn’t last as long as expected.

The good news: Deaths from the disease were down last year, to 18. Experts think that doctors were faster at diagnosing and treating the disease during outbreaks.

Whopping cough used to be a bigger problem until a vaccine was developed in the 1940s.

Chicago Man Sentenced For Binding 22-Month-Old Daughter-Posting Picture On Facebook

A Chicago man accused of binding his 22-month-old daughter with tape and posting a picture on Facebook has been sentenced to 18 months of probation.

A Cook County judge on Friday also ordered 22-year-old Andre Curry to attend parenting classes and submit to periodic drug testing.

Curry posted the picture with a caption that read, “This is wut happens wen my baby hits me back.”

He was convicted in November of aggravated domestic battery and aggravated battery. He’d faced up to seven years in prison but received probation because he has no prior criminal record.

Curry’s lawyer had argued the father was merely having fun with the child and that she wasn’t in danger. But the judge disagreed and criticized Curry for obstructing his child’s breathing for his own enjoyment.

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