In the News; May 7, 2008

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Barack Obama is closer to the Democratic presidential nomination after winning in North Carolina and falling just short in an Indiana cliffhanger.

Latest Poll Numbers
Indiana
Clinton (W) 51%
Obama 49%
»100% of precincts reporting

North Carolina
Clinton 42%
Obama (W) 56%
» 100% of precincts reporting

The Race for Delegates
Democrats Needed to Win = 2,025
Candidate- Pledged -Superdels.- Total
Obama 1584 252 1836
Clinton 1415 266 1681

Republicans Needed to Win = 1,191

McCain Projected Nominee 1331

A campaign aide says Hillary Rodham Clinton loaned herself $6.4 million in the past month.

Britney Spears will get more time with her sons during visitation, a court ruled Tuesday.

"We are so pleased with Britney's progress, and we are appreciative of the court's recognition of this progress," Spears's parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, said in statement after a hearing attended by the pop star and her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

U.S. military deaths in Iraq War at 4,072
Since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Georgia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.Since the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, 30,004 U.S. service members have been wounded in hostile action, according to the Defense Department's weekly tally.

75 students arrested in Calif. drug bust

San Diego State University has suspended six fraternities after a sweeping drug investigation that landed members of three fraternities in jail on suspicion of openly dealing drugs on campus.
The probe was prompted by the cocaine overdose death last year of a freshman sorority member. It led to the arrests of 96 people, 75 of them San Diego State students.
There were raids at nine locations including the Theta Chi fraternity, where agents found cocaine, Ecstasy and three guns. Eighteen of those arrested were wanted on warrants for selling to undercover agents. Authorities said some fraternity members openly dealt drugs, and that one sent a mass text message advertising special prices on cocaine.
Profits may have been used to finance fraternity operations, according to an affidavit.

A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas for a fraternity formal, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices on bulk quantities.
Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security.

AP Photo: Cars sit in the driveway of the Theta Chi fraternity house at San Diego State,

Canadian researchers are reporting that Suicide victims who were abused as children have clear genetic changes in their brains. According to researchers, this that shows neglect can cause biological effects.

CNN and Health Magazine are reporting that there are some vaccines that adults should look into talking to their physician about.

Whooping cough vaccine: Tdap

The good news: If you get your regular tetanus-diptheria (Td) booster every 10 years, you won't need an extra jab for pertussis. Vaccine makers have added a pertussis component to that booster, so next time you're due for your Td booster request the Tdap.

Chicken pox vaccine: Varivax

More than 90 percent of women in their childbearing years are immune to chicken pox because they had it as kids. The rest should be vaccinated before they try to get pregnant because catching the illness during pregnancy can lead to devastating birth defects.

Shingles vaccine: Zostavax

If you've had chicken pox then you may have a significant risk of developing shingles. In nearly 50 percent of cases in adults in their 50s, shingles progresses to postherpetic neuralgia, an often agonizing form of nerve damage that can linger for years. (The risk increases with age.)

The mumps vaccine: MMR booster

The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, a must for kids, is back in the adult-vaccine lineup, too.

The number of Americans who caught this viral disease jumped to 6,584 in 2006 from 300 or less in most years.Mumps cause swelling of salivary glands around the neck and in rare instances, mumps can trigger life-threatening encephalitis.

Travelers' diseases vaccine:

Visitors to Asia should talk to their doctors about vaccine protection against typhoid and Japanese encephalitis.

For more specific recommendations, see the CDC's travelers' health destination list.

Hepatitis B vaccine: Recombivax HB or Engerix-B

Both vaccines protect against the hepatitis B virus, which is spread through sexual contact or contaminated needles and blood. An infection can lead to dangerous liver disease.

Each year, more than 78,000 Americans become infected and about 5,000 die of associated liver diseases, including cancer, yet few know that the CDC recommends the vaccine for all sexually active people who are not in long-term relationships.

A New York Yankees' fan was accused on Monday of murdering a Boston Red Sox supporter and injuring another by running both down with a car after a heated argument over one of America's oldest sporting rivalries.

One city commission wants to divide Florida into two states: North Florida and South Florida. The North Lauderdale City Commission says in a resolution that it's not confident in state leaders when it comes to collecting and spending their own money.

Don't forget about mom...