Wireless Guide News

A lawyer on trial on charges she let a suspect in the slaying of a Chicago police officer use her cellphone in an interrogation room testified Wednesday that she had no intention of obstructing the investigation and didn’t know it was against the law to bring the phone with her.

Taking the stand in her own defense, Sladjana Vuckovic, who at the time was volunteering for a free legal service for indigent suspects, said she had made at least 100 client visits at police stations and had never been told that cellphones were prohibited.

Vuckovic, who is charged with a felony count of bringing contraband into a penal institution, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted and would likely be disbarred.

The unusual nature of the charge has drawn a curious audience of defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges, who packed Judge Evelyn Clay’s courtroom Wednesday to hear Vuckovic testify.

“I think I’m the first case ever in the country, pretty sure anyway,” Vuckovic testified with a slight smile when her lawyer asked if she had ever heard of a colleague being accused of a similar crime.

Vuckovic, 44, told jurors she was vaguely aware of a state law prohibiting bringing contraband into a penal institution but thought it barred “knives, guns, drugs.” She also said that unlike a police lockup where suspects are behind bars, sh…………… continues on Chicago Tribune

November 28, 2012

HTC EVO 4G Android Cell Phone for Sprint
Packed full of powerful mobile communication and multimedia features, the HTC EVO 4G has a large, vibrant 4.3 inch display and a b…

Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android Phone, Blue 16GB (Verizon Wireless)
(view larger). One of the thinnest 4G LTE smartphones (view larger). Samsung Galaxy S IIIAt a Glance: A…

The third suspect wanted in a cellphone store break-in that led to a SWAT incident Saturday night in Chamblee was arrested Wednesday, police said.

Cornelius Mario Cook, 36, was taken into custody around 1:30 p.m. by Georgia Department of Corrections employees when he reported to his probation officer. Cook had been identified by investigators, and the U.S. Marshals Service Counter Gang Unit assisted the Chamblee police and the DeKalb Sheriff’s Fugitive Squad with his apprehension.

Saturday around 8:30 p.m., three suspects tied up the owner of a cellphone store at gunpoint and robbed the business in the 4400 block of Chamblee Dunwoody Road. Police said the men took approximately $ 15,000 and tripped a silent alarm.

Two of the men eventually surrendered to the North Metro SWAT team after trying to hide in the ceiling, authorities said. Rico Cook and Randy Felton were arrested on the scene and made their first court appearances Monday afternoon, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The third suspect escaped out of the back door as police arrived at the store. Police believe that man was Cornelius Cook.

All three men are…………… continues on Atlanta Journal Constitution

Are cell phones dangerous to health? A recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association stirred up concerns once again that cell phone use when held close to the head could potentially cause brain cancer from radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation emissions.

The article reported that handheld cell phone use increases neural functio…………… continues on South Bend Tribune

Ty William Wright for The New York Times

Robert Bales was outgoing in high school, receiving dancing accolades in his yearbook. Sergeant Bales is now accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan. More Photos »

He was not the star, just a well-regarded young man who seemed to try to do the right thing. That was Robert Bales, “our Bobby,” friends said. He was a busy, popular kid, but he made time for the auti…………… continues on New York Times

State governments lack transparency and accountability to citizens, and remain at high risk for corruption, according to a new study of all 50 statehouses.

Not a single state received an A in the State Integrity Investigation ranking, a product of the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International and Global Integrity.

“It’s telling that no state received an overall grade of A,” said Caitlin Ginley, a staff writer for the Center for Public Integrity and a project manager on the study. “In every state, there’s room to improve the ethics laws, the level of transparency on government proceedings, the disclosure of information, and — most importantly — the oversight of these laws.

“One of the major findings was that even when ethics laws are passed, they are difficult to enforce and lack meaningful consequences for violators.”

Only five states got rankings of B, led by a surprising recipient: New Jersey. It got a B-plus, with an overall score of 87 out of a possible 100.

Despite — or perhaps because of — recent corruption scandals, New Jersey got the top ranking because of steps it took to combat corruption, including tough ethics and anti-corruption laws it adopted in response.

New Jersey has a colorful tradition of corruption in government, including a U.S. congressman taking a bribe from an FBI agent p…………… continues on ABC News

TOPEKA, Kansas (Reuters) – Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum swept the Kansas caucuses on Saturday with 51 percent of the vote, giving him a…………… continues on Reuters

CHARDON, Ohio – A gunman opened fire inside a high school cafeteria on Monday, killing one student and wounding four others, authorities said.

The suspect, believed to be a student, was taken into custody near his car a half-mile from the suburban Cleveland school, the FBI said.

FBI agent Scott Wilson would not comment on a possible motive for the attack.

Panicked students screamed and ran through the halls when gunfire broke out at the start of the school day at 1,100-student Chardon High School.

Heather Ziska, 17, said she was in the cafeteria when she and other students heard popping noises in the hall. She said she saw a boy she recognized as a fellow student come into the…………… continues on USA TODAY

February 29, 2012, 12:41 AM EST

By Seth Stern

Feb. 29 (Bloomberg) — Seven people in Texas billed U.S. government health programs for $ 374 million in services that weren’t provided or necessary in the largest at-home health-care fraud scheme, according to the Justice Department.

HTC myTouch 3G Unlocked Android Phone with 3G Support, GPS, and Touch Screen – US Warranty – White
Stay connected on the go with the sleek, lightweight T-Mobile myTouch 1.2 Android phone, which combines full touchscreen functiona…

LG Optimus Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile)
Fast 3G connectivity via Sprint’s 3G network Powered by the Android 2.2 operating system with deep integration of Google services…

(AP) 

CHARDON, Ohio – A teenager opened fire in the cafeteria at a suburban Cleveland high school Monday, killing one student and wounding four others before he was chased from the building by a teacher and captured a short distance away, authorities said.

A student who saw the attack up close said it appeared that the gunman targeted a group of students sitting together and that the one who was killed was gunned down while trying to duck under the cafeteria table.

FBI officials would not comment on a motive. And Police Chief Tim McKenna said authorities “have a lot of homework to do yet” in their investigation of the shooting, which sent students screaming through the halls at the start of the school day at 1,100-student Chardon High.

An education official said the suspected shooter is a Lake Academy student, not a student at Chardon High. Brian Bontempo declined to answer any questions about the student. Bontempo is the superintendent of the Lake County Educational Service Center, which operates the academy.

The alternative school in Willoughby serves 7th through 12th grades. Students may have been referred to the school because of academic or behavioral problems.

The suspect’s name has not been released because he is a juvenile. The FBI said he was arrested near his car a half-mile from Chardon. He was not immediately charged.

<…………… continues on CBS News

Locking up a core

SportsTalk: Ryan Zimmerman agrees to a six-year, $ 100 million extension with the Nationals, giving the franchise a young group that can grow together.

A cell phone number, a sketch and an alias, backed by hundreds of hours of tedious detective work, helped deputy U.S. Marshals, Westport police and State Police detectives to track Andrew Robert Levene across the Northeast and western Europe before arresting him Monday night in Spain.

Levene, 41, who had gone by the name “Robert Thomas,” was charged by federal authorities with federal murder, robbery and firearm charges in connection with killing Yekutiel Zeevi, the 65-year-old owner of Y.Z. Jewelry and wonding a business associate on the night of Dec. 8.

“We did everything we could, used every investigative tool at our disposal and in the end our guys did an unbelieveable job,” said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Bri…………… continues on Westport-News

Unable to get a broader ban, state lawmakers moved last Wednesday to crack down on cell phone use on one group unable to vote: new teen drivers.

Without dissent, the Senate Committee on Public Safety and Human Services voted to make it illegal for youngsters with a learner’s permit to use a cell phone for any reason except an emergency. That covers both texting and actual chatting.

SB 1056 also imposes the same restrictions for the first six months that a teen has an actual license. The only exception to that would be if the new motorist already is at least 18.

Sen. John McComish, R-Ahwatukee Foothills, said his legislation is simply an extension of existing restrictions Arizona already places on new drivers.

For example, for the first six months of driving, a teen is permitted to have only one other teen in the vehicle.

“There was a lot of data which showed that, as you would expect, that was a great cause of accidents,” he said. “This is an expansion of that.”

Stuart Goodman, lobbyist for AAA Arizona, said the issues are the same: distracted driving.

He said the state needs to step in because 82 percent of 16-year-olds have cell phones.

Goodman also said a AAA nationwide survey from 2010 found that 84 percent of teens questioned said they answer their cell phones while driving and 52 percent…………… continues on Ahwatukee Foothills News