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Cell phone stop leads to drug arrest

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:31:37 +0000

The Connecticut Post reports ( http://bit.ly/LdcdGR) that Glenn Hines faces charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of narcotics with intent to sell and possession of narcotics outside the proper container.

Article source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2012/05/18/cell_phone_stop_leads_to_drug_arrest

Sacto 911: Man arrested on suspicion of snatching cell phone in Oak Park

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:31:36 +0000

A woman standing near a market in Oak Park had her cell phone snatched from her hand — but police were later able to recover it.

The woman was talking on the phone in the 3400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 7:45 p.m. Thursday when a man came up from behind and attempted to pull the cell phone away.

She held on to the phone in a struggle with the man who dragged her a short distance. Eventually, the phone was wrested from her grip and the suspect fled on a bicycle with the cell phone.

Later, an observant Sacramento police officer spotted a man matching the description of the cell phone thief and arrested Joseph Stanley, 37, on suspicion of possession of the stolen phone, robbery and a parole violation.

Stanley had the phone, according to police.

Article source: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/18/4499910/sacto-911-man-arrested-on-suspicion.html

Cell phone of slain bride's husband tracked to Texas

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:31:34 +0000

Burbank Police Department via AP

This undated photo, released May 15, 2012, by the Burbank Police department, shows Arnoldo Jimenez.

The FBI has tracked the cell phone of a Burbank, Ill., man suspected of killing his new bride to the Texas-Mexico border.

A federal warrant was issued Thursday for the arrest of 30-year-old Arnoldo Jimenez.

Jimenez was born in Texas and owns property in Pharr, Texas, according to a federal criminal complaint and attached affidavit. He has relatives in North Carolina, and his parents live in Mexico.

For more, visit NBCChicago.com

Estrella Carrera was still in her wedding dress when she was found stabbed to death in the bathtub of her apartment on Sunday, two days after the pair were married in a City Hall ceremony, officials said. Jimenez disappeared.

Law enforcement said they tracked his cell phone from the Chicago area to an area near Memphis, Tenn., through Arkansas, to Houston, Texas, and finally to Hidalgo, Texas, at 10:45 p.m. on Monday.

His sister told police Jimenez called her and said he and Carrera had a bad fight and he left her bleeding, the affidavit said. Authorities said the couple were last seen at about 4 a.m. Saturday following a post-wedding celebration at a Chicago nightclub.

Relative: Groom had ‘bad fight’ with bride found in bathtub
Illinois police on the hunt for groom of slain bride found in bathtub

Jimenez told another close associate that he was leaving Illinois and the associate should tell police he has fled to Mexico.

Carrera, 26, is the mother of two children. Jimenez is the father of the youngest, a 2-year-old boy, the victim’s family said.

Jimenez, according to officials, was last known to be driving a black, four-door 2006 Maserati with Illinois license plates.

Just two days after her wedding, Estrella Carrera, 25, was found stabbed to death in her own bathtub. She was still in the dress she wore at her wedding reception. WMAQ-TV’s Lauren Jiggetts reports.

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Article source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/18/11755343-cell-phone-of-slain-brides-husband-tracked-to-texas?lite

Cell phone driving bill dies In Senate committee

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:13:07 +0000

Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News
Email: pmurphy@wwltv.com | Twitter: @pmurphywwl

BATON ROUGE, La – Once again, Louisiana lawmakers put the brakes on a bill that would have outlawed handheld cell phone use while driving.

New Orleans East State Representative Austin Badon appeared before the Senate Transportation Committee asking members to make Louisiana the 11th state in the nation to pass such a ban.

Badon says driving while talking on the phone is a deadly epidemic on America’s roadways.

“We see it every single day, drivers swerving in their lanes, stopping at green lights, running red lights, driving below the speed limit,” said Badon.

Badon’s proposal was more restrictive than previous cell phone bills.

As a primary offense, violators could be stopped by police.

The measure would have allowed drivers to use a hands-free device such as a speaker or blue tooth headphone.

That was the rub for some committee members who argued that there is no data to suggest talking on a phone hands free is any safer than hand held.

“The type of research I’ve done shows that cell phone use is a distraction, period, whether it’s in your hand or you’re talking hands free,” said Sen. Dale Erdey, R-Livingston.

Badon testified that one nationwide study showed that a driver using a handheld cell phone is four times more likely to get into an accident than other drivers.

But, Bobby Breland from the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission admitted that there is not enough information to draw that conclusion.

“At the present time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not been able to draw a direct correlation between cell phone use and crashes,” said Breland.

With barely a quorum present to cast a vote, the cell phone bill failed 2 to 1.

Representative Badon admits with time running out, the measure is likely dead for the session.

“The will of the committee has been to not push this forward and it’s unfortunate because it’s probably going to take a catastrophic accident or fatality by somebody close to a legislative member,” said Badon.

Badon hopes to come back with the bill next year with more conclusive data.

Another bill that makes the use of handheld cell phones while driving a secondary offense is currently tied up in the house.

Louisiana already has a ban on texting while driving.

Article source: http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Cell-Phone-Bill-Dies-In-Senate-Committee-151958795.html

Cell phone use during class? Sure! MAU ponders experiment with technological devices

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:13:07 +0000

Friday May 18, 2012

DAWSON RASPUZZI

Staff Writer

BENNINGTON — If a student is caught using a cell phone in the classroom they are generally disciplined, or at least asked to put it away. So, why are Mount Anthony Union High School officials proposing a class in which cell phones — as well as netbooks, laptops, e-readers, and other technological devices — are not only allowed, but encouraged?

“This is the direction the whole world is going in … information is everywhere if we can access it,” says Frank Barnes, technology director for Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union.

Barnes and Principal Sue Maguire are proposing a pilot program that would provide an array of one-to-one technology across subjects to gauge what devices are the bets fit for students in different classes. Earlier this week the school board postponed a decision on the pilot until its next meeting.

One of the most intriguing pieces of the proposal allows students to bring their own devices to access the Internet and applicable programs in social studies teacher Mike DiMaio’s classes next school year.

“Students would be allowed to bring in their own computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone or whatever is needed,” Barnes said. “A cell phone would be the lowest common denominator. You can do an awful lot on a cell phone.”

With the long strides that have been taken in recent years, even a cell phone would provide a student handheld access to the

endless digital world of information through the high school’s wireless Internet.

“There is good research that shows if the student feels they own the device they are working on they treat it better for one thing, and they prefer it because they are familiar with it,” Barnes said.

For those students who may not own a device, the pilot would provide a cell phone equipped with Wi-Fi for that student to use.

In addition to bringing their own devices, the proposed pilot would also equip one English teacher with a set of Chromebooks for her classes, laptop computers for a science teacher’s classes and iPads in a math teacher’s classes.

“Every device isn’t good for every purpose,” Barnes said. “The reason it would be a pilot is to really see what’s going to work best.”

The laptops would be useful for science class where they could be equipped with software students would need for lessons and labs. For math, iPads are being recommended because the teacher wants to use digital textbooks, which could be purchased for $15 apiece compared to more than $100 apiece for paper copies that will be bought otherwise. For English, Barnes said the Chromebooks are being recommended because the teacher wants to use Google applications that Chromebooks offer and there is no need to load additional software.

“The English teacher is real excited about using Google Docs and Google Apps, and that is really all she needs. She can get to anywhere she needs on the Internet (and) papers can be written using Google documents and that would save paper and ink,” Barnes said.

While the best way to access the information may not be known yet, Barnes said it is understood that digital information needs to be obtainable.

“More and more, teachers are including technology in their teaching, partly because it’s embedded in the Common Core State Standards,” he said.

Once students reach high school it is also necessary that they have technology in the classroom since they are coming from the middle school where every student is given a netbook to use for classes.

The cost for the entire pilot would be $63,000 over the next three years, which would include leasing 20 Chromebooks, 30 laptops, and 30 iPads. All products would include insurance and at the end of the three-year lease the school district would own the equipment.

In addition to some offsetting costs from purchasing digital textbooks, there are also potential savings from cutting back on paper and ink.

Some board members voiced concerns at Monday’s meeting about both the cost and students using different devices, which they said may pose problems if teachers and school technicians are not familiar with the products.

If the school were to chose only one device, Barnes said it would have to be laptops with an array of software loaded onto them because they would meet the most demands. Laptops, though, are the most expensive of the different devices.

“It’s a substantial amount of money, I understand that, but in the long-run of looking at what would work best for us, in what scenarios, rather than buying all laptops and then finding out that you know what, we could have gotten away with 300 Kindle Fires for $200 apiece or something,” Barnes said.

Because the board did not receive supporting documents related to the request prior to Monday’s meeting it decided to postpone a decision until next month. If approved in June, the equipment will be purchased in time to allow teachers to spend the summer planning how to integrate the technology into classes by fall.

Contact Dawson Raspuzzi at draspuzzi@benningtonbanner.com or follow on Twitter @dawsonraspuzzi

Article source: http://www.benningtonbanner.com/ci_20650223/cell-phone-use-during-class-sure-mau-ponders?source=rss_viewed

Cell phone bill fee offers free phone to others

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:13:06 +0000

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) These days almost everyone has a cell phone or a land line, or both, which means everyone, including those with pre-paid plans, is paying a Universal Service Fee (USF) on the monthly bill. That fee is easy to overlook, but it adds up to nearly $2 billion a year going to the U.S. government’s Lifeline program, which helps the poor get phone service.

Lifeline is a program that some people say is understandable assistance, while others debate the program has gotten too big and out of control.

“I would probably have to spend over 200 and some dollars on a regular cell phone each month, and I don’t have 200 and some dollars,” commented Lifeline user Melanie Rockwell.

Lifeline started in the mid 80s as a discount to people who could not afford a landline phone. Since 2005, the program has expanded to provide free cell phones with free or discounted monthly plans. It has become more widespread in recent years, which may explain why some people associate the program with President Barack Obama. South Carolina began Lifeline’s cell phone service in 2010.

“Because I can’t afford to get a cell phone, it’s very useful with my daughter being in school,” Rockwell said. “If I’m out and about her teachers can call me on it. Her doctor can call me. My mother can call me if she needs me. If I have an emergency it always has 911 for free. Even if you’re out of minutes you can always call 911.”

Rockwell said just recently her daughter fell on the school playground and needed stitches. Teachers called her on her cell phone so she could take her daughter to the hospital.

As with most Lifeline participants, Rockwell qualifies because she is already in another federal assistance program, such as food stamps. Anyone who makes 135% or lower of the federal poverty level also qualifies. This year nearly 140,000 South Carolinians are using Lifeline.

“It’s just turned into another part of the nanny state, I would call it, where everybody seems to want everything for free,” argues self-described government watchdog Ronald Hughes.

He believes Lifeline has moved beyond its intended purpose, and reported abuse across the country only fuels his fire.

There is a one-per-household limit for Lifeline. People can either get a discount on a landline or a free cell phone. However, in some states people have gotten multiple free phones.

Some companies have been aggressive in getting more customers, even those who do not qualify, because they get reimbursed for each customer through the federal and state Universal Service Fees regular customers pay.

In South Carolina the kickback breaks down to $9.25 from the federal USF and $3.50 from the state USF. So the companies in South Carolina get $12.75 per customer each year, which adds up to $1.7 million for the companies operating in South Carolina.

“It was well-intentioned when it started,” Hughes commented. “The problem is what it’s morphed into.”

Nonetheless, Dawn Hipp with South Carolina’s Office of Regulatory Staff defends how well Lifeline operates in South Carolina. She is the director of the agency’s Telecommunications, Transportation and Water/Wastewater division.

“We have not seen that type of [abusive] behavior here in South Carolina,” Hipp said. “We have seen it in other states.”

Hipp said South Carolina has been more restrictive than the Federal Communications Commission’s national guidelines, and her office keeps a close eye on the lifeline providers.

“It becomes a numbers game at a certain point, so we’re looking to make sure that they’re getting the exact reimbursement that they should – trying to close the loop, which is something that the FCC hasn’t been able to do,” adds Hipp.

Hipp admits FCC guidelines were loose, which left states to fill the gap and prevent fraud. Some states have not done as well as South Carolina she said.

Also, there is still the possibility that small-scale abuse of Lifeline is happening in South Carolina, even if the Office of Regulatory Staff has not heard about it.

That is why just this year, the FCC introduced an overhaul of Lifeline that is supposed to cut down on spending and catch fraud in every state. The goal for 2012 is to reduce the cost by $200 million nationwide. New databases will show who is eligible and who already has a free phone.

Hipp thinks the overhaul will make big improvements to a program she believes is needed.

“Every dollar that we save a consumer here through the Lifeline program is a dollar they can spend in another location – they can spend for medication, they can spend for groceries, towards independence or whatever their end-goal is,” Hipp said.

“What I can offer is a balance, that you’re not paying any more in taxes or USF fees than you should have to, the bare minimum to support what’s going on in South Carolina for those individuals that need it,” she claims.

However, some say the overhaul cannot do enough to get Lifeline on track. They believe the program is simply too big and that most of it is unnecessary.

“Something else for free, and I just feel there needs to be some limits to it,” Hughes expresses.

Even Rockwell admitted some apparent waste is nearly impossible to prevent. She pointed to some people who qualify for Lifeline, yet still buy their own personal cell phones.

“[I see] people are on their smart phone and then they have their little Safelink phone too,” Rockwell said. “I’m like, ‘there’s someone who could really use that’.”

Now a bill is under consideration in Washington, D.C., that would take the program back to its original format – land line discounts only and no free cell phones. Arkansas Congressman Tim Griffin proposed the bill.

Even as some people such as Congressman Griffin stand up to cut Lifeline, the FCC is working to put some Universal Service Fee money toward providing broadband internet service for low-income Americans.

So with the bill under consideration to make drastic cuts, now is the time to call for lawmakers to consider if the cell phone service is important and worth saving or if it needs to go away completely.

Article source: http://www.wmbfnews.com/story/18494072/cell-phone-bill-fee-offers-free-phone-to-others

Cell phone store robbery suspects apprehended

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:22 +0000

Cell phone store robbery suspects apprehended

Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:52 am
|

Updated: 11:29 am, Thu May 17, 2012.

Cell phone store robbery suspects apprehended

From Community Reports

Houston Community Newspapers

Harris County Sheriff’s officials say five suspects are in custody in connection with a cell phone store robbery in northwest Harris County. Investigators are still trying to figure out whether the same suspects may be responsible for similar robberies of Humble area cell phone stores in recent weeks.

The five suspects, including one juvenile, have been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon in connection to with a May 15 armed robbery of a cell phone store located at 20140 North Freeway.

The suspects, at least one of them armed with a handgun, entered the store demanding cash and merchandise.

They then fled the store in a green van. A witness followed the suspects’ vehicle while calling 911 to report the description of the vehicle and suspects and their location. The suspects fired at the witness vehicle.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office patrol units spotted the vehicle and pursued the suspects. As they attempted to exit the feeder road at Rankin, the suspects’ vehicle crashed into a traffic light pole. All five suspects were taken into custody. No injuries were reported.

Bryan Singleton, 19, of Houston; Jose Eugene Godfrey, 23, of Channelview; Trevion Sherman, 17, of Houston; and Darrell Lynn Harvey, 17, also of Houston, are being held in Harris County Jail on a $30,000 bond each. Authorities are withholding the name of the juvenile suspect.

HCSO Robbery investigators are still trying to determine if these suspects are connected to other cell phone store robberies in the last couple of months.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Callers remain anonymous.

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Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:52 am.

Updated: 11:29 am.

Article source: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cypresscreek/news/cell-phone-store-robbery-suspects-apprehended/article_6982de42-a03d-11e1-b1dd-001a4bcf887a.html

Cell phones may be OK'd for students

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:21 +0000

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – See it, hear it, lose it.

That’s the emphasized rule laid out by Norfolk Public Schools Cell Phone Task Force if students are allowed to carry phones next year.

According to the NPS website , the task force has recommended to the school board that middle and high school students should be allowed to carry cell phones beginning next school year if they are kept stowed away throughout the school day.

Students are currently not allowed to have cell phones at school.

The task force met at the request of the school board after parents petitioned the board to allow phones in school.

The task force also recommends the following disciplinary actions for cell phone offenses.

First offense – The phone would be confiscated for two days, with parents required to retrieve the phone and sign a form acknowledging the rules and the consequences.
Second offense – The phone would be confiscated for one month, and a parent would have to retrieve the phone and sign a form acknowledging the rules and consequences.
Third offense – The phone would be confiscated for the balance of the school year, and a parent would have to pick it up afterward and sign the acknowledgment form.

NPS administration will review this recommendation in June.

Article source: http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/norfolk/cell-phones-may-be-okd-for-students

Behavior problems & cell phones linked?

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:53:08 +0000

NEW HAVEN, Conn., (WPRI) – A new study links radiation from cell phones to behavioral problems in the offspring of pregnant mice.

The study does not say whether or not cell phone radiation may also be dangerous for pregnant women.

A professor at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Dr. Hugh Taylor, led a team of researchers who studied pregnant mice and their babies. They wanted to find out what happens to mice whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to electro magnetic radiation from a cell phone.

“We had a control (group) that had a cell phone on top of the cage that was turned off, and the experimental group had a cell phone on top of the cage that was turned on,” Dr. Taylor explained.

Read: Yale University cell phone study

Researchers learned that the offspring of the pregnant mice exposed to radiation developed behavioral problems. They also learned that the longer the mice were exposed to radiation, the more problems they developed.

“They were more hyperactive. They were running around the cage a lot more than the mice that weren’t exposed to cell phones,” said Dr. Taylor.

Dr. Taylor and his team of researchers did not learn whether or not the radiation that hurt pregnant mice would hurt pregnant women.

Dr. Taylor characterized the results as a “warning that we should be careful and investigate it further. It’s not saying this definitely occurs in women or humans, but it may.”

Yale’s researchers have advised pregnant women to keep their cell phones away from their bodies, especially their abdomens, because the radiation weakens dramatically after only small distances. For example, moving a cell phone four feet away makes the radiation it emits 16 times weaker. At eight feet away, it’s 64 times weaker, and so on.

The researchers also want pregnant women to know that cell phones emit radiation when they’re turned on, regardless of whether anyone is talking.

Outside a children’s store in Warwick, a new mother, Armanda Dominguez, appreciated the significance of the results.

“This is my second child. I don’t plan on having another one, but if I do, that’s something that will be in my mind nowadays,” she said.

Researchers at Yale emphasize that there’s no link yet between cell phone radiation and behavior problems in humans — only in mice at the moment – but until more studies are done, they advise caution. As Dr. Taylor put it, “Why take a chance?”

Article source: http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpps/news/local_news/behavior-problems-and-cell-phone-radiation-may-be-linked_4176708

Man accused of taking lewd pictures of children with cell phone camera

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:50:28 +0000

Jonestown, Mississippi is a tiny town near Clarksdale that, like many in the Delta, has seen better days.

But residents say things would be a lot worse if not for the work of Catholic nuns like sister Teresa Shields.

Article source: http://www.wmctv.com/story/18439468/man-accused-of-taking-lewd-pictures-of-children-with-cell-phone-camera