Man accused in Ala bar rampage faced troubles

This booking photograph released by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department shows Nathan Van Wilkins, 44, who was charged in an early morning shooting that left 17 people injured in a bar in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Police said Wilkins was charged initially with one count of attempted murder, but other charges will be filed. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department)

This booking photograph released by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department shows Nathan Van Wilkins, 44, who was charged in an early morning shooting that left 17 people injured in a bar in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Police said Wilkins was charged initially with one count of attempted murder, but other charges will be filed. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department)

In this Tuesday, July 17, 2012 image captured from video and provided by the Tuscaloosa Police Department, a gunman walks near a Tuscaloosa, Ala., bar. Tuscaloosa police say 17 people were wounded when a gunman opened fire outside a crowded bar in downtown Tuscaloosa. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa Police Department)

This booking photograph released by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department shows Nathan Van Wilkins, 44, who was charged in an early morning shooting that left 17 people injured in a bar in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Tuesday, July 17, 2012. Police said Wilkins was charged initially with one count of attempted murder, but other charges will be filed. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Department)

Tuscaloosa Police responded to the scene of a shooting early Tuesday morning July 17, 2012 in downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala., after a gunman who opened fire outside a crowded bar, wounding 17 people. Police were still searching for a suspect. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Robert Sutton)

Tuscaloosa Police are on the scene of a shooting Tuesday morning July 17, 2012 in downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala. after a gunman who opened fire outside a crowded bar, wounding 17 people. Police were still searching for a suspect. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Robert Sutton)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) ? There were signs Nathan Van Wilkins' life was unraveling.

The man charged with opening fire with an assault rifle at an Alabama bar, injuring 17, had declared bankruptcy last year ? court records show it was for the third time since 1991 ? and faced a hearing in a couple weeks. The move prevented a credit union from garnishing his wages at his then-employer, Capstone Oilfield Services, to collect a $15,000 debt. In 2005, his wife of 16 years divorced him.

And when Wilkins walked into a FedEx store where he turned himself in to police, he talked about being high on drugs during the shootings, the store's co-owner said.

Police were not sure of a motive, though they were investigating whether the shootings came from a dispute between rival motorcycle gangs. They accuse the 44-year-old Wilkins of standing outside a crowded downtown Tuscaloosa bar and opening fire from two different positions early Tuesday, sending patrons running or crawling for cover in a chaotic and bloody scene. Bullets ricocheted and glass shards and brick chunks fell around the nightclub.

Wilkins surrendered about 10 hours after the 12:30 a.m. shooting near the University of Alabama campus, police said.

"He came up to me and said, 'I'm the one they are looking for that shot the 17 people in Tuscaloosa," said the FedEx store's co-owner, Ken Barfield.

Wilkins is charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and was being held on $2 million bond, Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson said. It wasn't clear whether he had an attorney. A lawyer who represented Wilkins in the bankruptcy case did not return a phone call seeking comment.

The rampage started a couple of miles away about 45 minutes earlier, police said, when Wilkins knocked on the door to a home and waited for a person to answer it. He then started firing, wounding the person. That was included in the 18 counts he is facing.

Outside the Copper Top bar, pools of blood were visible Tuesday afternoon. A trail of bloody footprints could be seen on the sidewalk for about two blocks before crews cleaned the mess.

"There were sparks coming off the ground and then I felt a sting and I knew I'd been hit," said Rachel Studdard, who was sitting on the bar's patio with a group of friends, enjoying the 50-cent draft beer special when the shooting started.

A bullet hit Studdard's toe, and debris hit her in the side and in the leg. She was using crutches to walk Tuesday and still had dried blood on her leg.

Most of the injured were hit by bullet fragments or debris, and they were treated and released, said Brad Fisher, a spokesman at DCH Regional Medical Center. Two people were in intensive care, including one in critical condition.

At least three of the injured were university students.

It appeared the gunshots were fired through the glass of the front double French doors and a door on the side of the building. The front doors were covered by a black material Tuesday and two windows were missing from wooden doors on the side door, where a bullet left a hole in the frame.

Elizabeth Walters was inside when the shooting began. She described a ghastly scene of people clutching wounds as blood splattered on the floor.

"It sounded like it would never end," Walters said. "There was a lull and then it started up again."

After the two bursts of gunfire ended, the music in the bar continued to play for several minutes until someone turned it off.

Wilkins was also suspected of setting three fires to equipment or property owned by his former employer, an oil and gas company. At about 3 a.m., volunteer fire chief Billy Garner said he received a call about fires at two different Capstone Oilfield locations in Brookwood, which is on the way from Tuscaloosa to Jasper where he surrendered to police.

One of the fires damaged a Capstone building and two adjacent buildings. The other was set at a yard where Capstone vehicles and equipment were kept, Garner said. A Capstone vehicle was also set on fire in Northport, he said.

Workers at Capstone declined to talk. It wasn't clear if Wilkins quit his job or was fired.

Wilkins' wife Amy filed for divorce in July 2004, according to Tuscaloosa County court records. She claimed she was beaten and that Wilkins threatened to kill her and sexually assaulted her. They had two children, and a judge ordered him to pay $1,300 a month in child support in the divorce decree in March 2005.

Wilkins also has a record of arrests and legal scrapes in Tuscaloosa County dating to the mid-1980s.

Police said Wilkins walked away from the bar after the shooting and at about 10:30 a.m., he walked into a FedEx store about 45 miles north of the shootings to turn himself in.

Barfield said he talked to the man and offered him something to drink, even though he was terrified.

"I told him to keep his hands out in the open so police could see them when they got here."

___

Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Atlanta and Bob Johnson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-07-18-Tuscaloosa%20Bar%20Shooting/id-5407e2adcea740e48095f8807c4196b0

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New Hong Kong leader takes office amid discontent

A protester, center left, is ushered away by security officials after he shouted "(for China) To reverse its condemnation of the brutal June 4, 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square and to end to one-party rule in China " before Chinese President Hu Jintao's address after Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was sworn in at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Sunday, July 1, 2012. Hong Kong's new Beijing-backed leader was sworn in on Sunday amid a rising tide of public discontent over widening inequality and lack of full democracy in the semiautonomous southern Chinese financial center. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

A protester, center left, is ushered away by security officials after he shouted "(for China) To reverse its condemnation of the brutal June 4, 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square and to end to one-party rule in China " before Chinese President Hu Jintao's address after Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was sworn in at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Sunday, July 1, 2012. Hong Kong's new Beijing-backed leader was sworn in on Sunday amid a rising tide of public discontent over widening inequality and lack of full democracy in the semiautonomous southern Chinese financial center. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying smiles during the flag raising ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the Hong Kong handover to China in Hong Kong Sunday, July 1, 2012. Leung was sworn in on Sunday amid a rising tide of public discontent over widening inequality and lack of full democracy in the semiautonomous southern Chinese financial center. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Chinese President Hu Jintao, right, administers the oath to Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, left, as he is sworn in for a five-year term in office at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Sunday, July 1, 2012. Hong Kong's new Beijing-backed leader was sworn in on Sunday amid a rising tide of public discontent over widening inequality and lack of full democracy in the semiautonomous southern Chinese financial center. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

The Hong Kong Chief Executive-elect Leung Chun-ying, left, speaks besides the newly appointed principal officials during a news conference to announce the lineup in Hong Kong Thursday, June 28, 2012. Chinese President Hu Jintao is due in Hong Kong for weekend ceremonies marking the 15th anniversary of the end of British colonial rule and the inauguration of its third post-colonial leader, Leung Chun-ying. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, right, hugs with chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying, after the grand variety show as part of the ceremony on the 15th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong, in Hong Kong Saturday, June 30, 2012. Chinese President Hu Jintao is in Hong Kong to install a new but already unpopular governor of the semiautonomous Chinese territory. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

HONG KONG (AP) ? Chinese President Hu Jintao was interrupted by a pro-democracy heckler Sunday at the swearing in of Hong Kong's new leader, an incident underscoring rising tensions between Beijing and the semiautonomous territory 15 years after it returned to Chinese rule.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets later in the day in an annual protest that is an occasion for ordinary people to air their grievances over a range of issues. There is rising public discontent over widening inequality and lack of full democracy in the southern Chinese financial center.

Self-made millionaire Leung Chun-ying became Hong Kong's third chief executive on the 15th anniversary of China regaining control of the city after more than a century of British colonial control. There were sporadic scuffles between demonstrators and police outside the convention center where his inauguration took place.

A demonstrator who tried to interrupt Hu as he began his address was bundled away by security officials. The man, one of the guests invited to the inauguration, waved a small flag and yelled slogans calling for China's leaders to reverse their condemnation of the brutal June 4, 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square. He also called for an end to one-party rule in China before security agents swiftly pounced. Hu took no notice and continued to read his speech but the incident marred what was supposed to be a carefully orchestrated visit intended to emphasize strengthening ties between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Leung, a 57-year-old police officer's son who became a millionaire, replaces career bureaucrat Donald Tsang, who took office in 2005 and is barred from another term.

Leung takes over Hong Kong's top job amid swelling public anger over a yawning income gap, skyrocketing property prices and rising unease about mainland China's growing influence on the semiautonomous region.

"We will focus our energies on major and pressing issues," said Leung, who outlined plans to even out Hong Kong's widening inequality. He vowed, for example, to provide more affordable housing and land for property development, though he also said "there is no need for a major reversal of policy."

But Leung could find it hard to push through his social reforms because he takes office with an approval rating far lower than his predecessors, reflecting not only mounting public frustration but also a recent corruption scandal involving illegal additions on his mansion.

Leung was chosen as chief executive in March, winning 689 votes from a 1,200-seat committee of business elites who mostly voted according to Beijing's wishes. Hong Kong's 3.4 million registered voters, who can vote for neighborhood councilors and half of all lawmakers, had no say.

Calls for democracy have been catalyzed by the way in which Leung got his job and by corruption scandals surrounding his predecessor. Ordinary Hong Kongers fear that the political system in place since July 1, 1997 has resulted in the city's billionaire tycoons having too much influence on senior government officials.

Beijing has pledged that Hong Kong could elect its own leader in 2017 and all legislators by 2020 at the earliest, but no road map has been laid out.

Pro-democracy activists were scheduled to hold an annual march later Sunday that is expected to draw tens of thousands. The yearly event began in 2003, when half a million people turned out to protest anti-subversion legislation that was later shelved. The huge number shocked China's authoritarian leaders, who are obsessed with maintaining control. Organizers said last year's event drew more than 200,000 people, although police said the number was much lower.

The scandal over Leung's mansion has added to worries about his integrity because he took advantage of gaffes by rival Henry Tang, including the discovery of a huge, luxurious but illegal basement extension, to win the contest. At the time, he promised that he had no illegal structures but reporters at a local newspaper discovered over the past week that Leung's upscale home in an exclusive neighborhood on Victoria Peak had six, including a small basement.

The scandals have stirred anger among Hong Kong residents, many of whom can only afford tiny apartments.

Leung is not seen as friendly to the billionaire tycoons that dominate Hong Kong and who initially backed Tang. Trained as a land surveyor and holder of a British degree in estate management, he worked his way up to the top of a property consultancy firm.

Some in Hong Kong also fear that Leung is an underground member of China's Communist Party because he was named to lead a committee helping to draft the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution that would take effect on July 1, 1997, while still in his early 30s. Leung denies that and said his volunteer activities helping to develop China's land use rights following the country's economic reform that began in 1978 earned him a good reputation in China.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-07-01-Hong%20Kong-New%20Leader/id-7b35485ec8f745aaa37fd5ca1362f451

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100 degrees plus as millions suffer power outages

As temperatures again reached triple digits Saturday, millions of people in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest were without power after violent storms toppled trees, cut power lines and killed at least 13 people, 6 of them in Virginia.

Ohio also saw up to 1 million homes and businesses without power due to overnight storms, and at least one person died there.

Two cousins, ages 2 and 7, were killed by a falling tree at a campsite in New Jersey's Parvin State Park. Two people were also killed in Maryland, one in Kentucky and one in Washington.

Five other deaths in recent days are thought to have been tied to the heat wave hanging over much of the nation.

100-degree plus temperatures were expected in areas across 25 states, a heat scenario impacting 47 million people, the Weather Channel's Julie Martin said on NBC's TODAY show.

By early Saturday afternoon, cities across the Southeast -- from Tennessee to the Carolinas -- saw triple digits, while Washington, D.C. was in the 90s and Baltimore at 100.

Atlanta saw 106 degrees, breaking its all-time record of 105 degrees, set in 1980.

How are you faring? Tell us on Facebook

The storms cut power more than 2 million homes and businesses across the Mid-Atlantic area -- including 1.5 million in the Washington, D.C., area, NBCWashington.com reported.

"We have more than half our system down," said Myra Oppel, a spokeswoman for Pepco, a utility serving the D.C. area that had 400,000 customers without power after 80 mph gusts knocked down trees and power lines.

"This is definitely going to be a multi-day outage," Oppel added -- not good news for those relying on air-conditioning to deal with the muggy, triple-digit temperatures this weekend.

Repairing damage "is a monumental task," added Ed McDonough, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Emergency Management. "This is something that is going to take days, not hours."

Water restrictions were? ordered in Montgomery and Prince George's counties because the storms had knocked out power to its filtration plants and other facilities.

And the high heat prompted the AT&T National golf tournament at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., to close the competition to spectators and volunteers on Saturday. Play was delayed for hours as crews cleaned up fallen trees.

In suburban Washington, residents were told to call non-emergency phone numbers or go to fire and police stations if they needed help because even 911 emergency call centers were without electricity.

Trees were blamed for two deaths in Springfield, Va. ? a 90-year-old woman in her home and a man driving a car.

Gov. Bob McDonnell in a statement said four others were killed by falling trees in Virginia, which saw its largest non-hurricane power outage in history. Some 250 roads in Virginia were blocked by trees, the state said.

In addition, a park police officer was injured by an uprooted tree in northern Virginia, and an 18-year-old man was struck by a power line. He was in stable condition after receiving CPR.

Damage in the D.C. area included a rooftop blown off a 7-story apartment building, and dozens of damaged homes.

Widespread power outages were reported from Indiana to New Jersey.

On Friday, the nation's capital reached 104 degrees ? its hottest June day on record.

'Everything good is down': Storm knocks out Netflix, Instagram

The heat is also suspected to have been the cause of the deaths of two young brothers in eastern Tennessee, Reuters reported. The boys, aged 3 and 5, had been playing outside Thursday. The younger boy died Thursday, and the older boy on Friday afternoon, according to Eric Blach, administrator for the Bradley County Medical Examiner's Office.

Video: Record Heat and Big Storms Possible (on this page)

In Kansas City, Mo., city health officials said Friday they were investigating the deaths of three area residents, including a baby boy, to determine if they were heat-related, according to Reuters.

Early Saturday, the National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for parts of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and Arizona.

It said the temperatures could get "dangerously hot."

Video: Drought hits cattle ranchers' wallets (on this page)

Weather.com published a map of the U.S. showing areas at risk of severe thunderstorms Saturday, with an area from Iowa to the Mid-Atlantic at risk.

"A powerful derecho developed Friday over Indiana and marched eastward across Ohio, the Virginias and into Maryland and Delaware, causing widespread wind damage with gusts over 90 miles per hour in some cases," it added.

"Another round of widespread damaging winds may materialize in these hard-hit areas," it warned. "A second area of severe weather is possible for the central and northern Plains, but those storms may be more isolated in nature."

Slideshow: Summertime living (on this page)

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency after more than 500,000 customers in 27 counties were left without electricity because of the storm.

More than 20 elderly residents at an apartment home in Indianapolis were displaced when the facility lost power due to a downed tree.

In Ohio, the storms damaged property and toppled three tractor trailers on Interstate 75 near Findlay.

"I'm in Columbus, Ohio," Brittney Mettke posted on msnbc.com's Facebook page. "I haven't had power since 6 pm yesterday and it's about 100 degrees now. It's pretty tough with a toddler. More storms tonight, and temps in the high nineties all week. They are saying about to week to restore power."

"We were hit with 80+mph winds and rain last evening," added Suzanne Peterson Helt, who said she was from Ohio, too. "They say there weren't any toronados near us but when the rain travels horizontally down the street and the roof is missing from the local Subway ... I have to wonder. So many fallen trees at power poles that the State Route I live on was closed for hours while they cleaned up the mess."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48024138/ns/weather/

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New Moms Reveal the Truth About Postpartum Sex

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/moms-reveal-truth-postpartum-sex-154743578.html

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Shrew Soft VPN

Shrew Soft VPN Client (Free) is a freely available IPSEC client for Windows and Linux machines used to connect to a Virtual Private Network. Organizations are increasingly offering employees remote VPN access to protect their network, data, and applications from outside threats. However, many of the vendor client offerings can be expensive and difficult to install. The Shrew Soft VPN client takes the complexity out of the equation and makes establishing the VPN connection as simple as possible for the end-user.

Shrew Soft's VPN software is a true VPN client in that it connects to an existing VPN server, whether that's from the big giants such as Cisco or Juniper, or from smaller players such as Cisco's Linksys. If you already have a VPN server, then you should definitely consider Shrew Soft. If you don't have a VPN server handy?either as a stand-alone product or as a feature on a firewall or a router?you would be better served looking at one of the all-in-one VPN software such as our Editors' Choices Logmein Hamachi and Comodo Unite. With these products, you can create a VPN connection between individual endpoints and have secure connection on the fly.

Features
Shrew Soft's VPN client is capable of working with VPN servers from several major commercial vendors, including Cisco, Zyxel, and Juniper Networks. The software's website has instructions on configuring the software to work with Adtran NetVanta, Check Point NGx, Cisco ASA, Cisco IOS, Cisco PIX, DrayTek, Fortigate, Fritz!Box, Juniper SSG (with and without certificates), Lancom, Linksys, NetASQ, Netgear, Sidewinder 6.x, Sidewinder 7.x, Sonicwall, and ZyXEL Zywall. There are instructions on the Juniper Networks knowledgebase on configuring the client to work with SRX Services Gateway and ScreenOS firewalls, as well. It can handle Cisco VPN connections that rely on pre-shared keys or certificates (IPSec) or with AnyConnect (SSL VPN).

The client supports a variety of operating systems, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, several Linux distributions, and OpenBSD. For organizations with a heterogeneous network, Shrew Soft's software allows them to standardize on one VPN client, regardless of the operating systems running.?

The fact that Macs aren't supported is disappointing. Considering the increasing numbers of Macs in the workplace, having a single client for all platforms would make the software a much stronger competitor.

Some advanced features are supported, including Split Tunneling, Split DNS, Nat Traversal, IKE Fragmentation, Packet Pre Fragmentation, Dead Peer Detection, Hybrid XAuth and automatic client configuration.

Support
The Shrew Soft Website offers a thorough wiki with detailed setup instructions and screenshots on how to configure products from specific vendors. There are how-tos for open source gateways including OpenSWAN, StrongSWAN, m0n0wal, and pfSense.

One thing I like about Shrew Soft is the fact that it supports multiple VPN servers. In a scenario where a user needs to connect to multiple networks, and if they don't have the same type of server, that user would normally have to install client software for each connection. That can easily get messy and difficult, if the tools wind up conflicting with each other. With Shrew Soft, everything is configured easily under one tool, making it easy to switch back and forth.

Installation and Setup
Getting started is a breeze, as the user downloads the desired version for the operating system directly from the website. No registration required. After downloading and installing the software, users can launch Shrew Soft VPN Access Manager.

If the IT department has a Cisco .pcf VPN configuration file already available, the process is even easier. All the user has to do is save the .pcf file somewhere on the local computer, and then go to the VPN Access Manager's File menu to import the file. Once the file has been imported, an icon with the file name will appear on the screen. Click on it once and hit connect to establish a VPN tunnel.

If the .pcf file has an encrypted password, some versions of Shrew Soft VPN may not be able to access that information. You will then need to obtain the required information from the IT department and replace the encrypted password.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/YUfAwGIzqVQ/0,2817,2406561,00.asp

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US heat Wave: Three-digit temperatures recorded across Midwest

US heat wave: Record-breaking temperatures have closed schools and sent people seeking refuge ... at the zoo

By Kevin Murphy,?Reuters / June 29, 2012

As temperatures soar with heat indexes in the 100 degree plus range in the New Orleans Metro area, children and adults find the will to chill by taking in the Cool Zoo water park area at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Wednesday, June 27, 2012.

Eliot Kamenitz,The Times-Picayune/AP

Enlarge

Temperatures soared?across?the Midwest on Thursday, reaching a blistering 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) in?St. Louis, and possibly causing two deaths in?KansasCity,?Missouri, as a massive?heat?wave pressed eastward from the Rockies.

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In?Kansas?City, where the temperature rose to 105 (40 C), the city health department said two deaths were being investigated to determine if they were?heat-related.

A massive high-pressure system over the Midwest caused triple-digit temperatures in?Chicago?and several other cities. The oppressive?heat?is expected to linger for several days.

The searing?heat?presented a challenge for the?St. Louis?Zoo, which provided misting machines, large fans and cooling stations for visitors and took steps to cool down the animals.

"When it gets hot like this, we like to take a bone and freeze it into a big block of ice then throw it into a pool where the big cats can play with it," said?Jack Grisham, who heads the zoo's animal collection. "We'll freeze bananas and oranges and throw them to the primates as well."

Hill City,?Kansas, which has been the hottest spot in the nation for five days, reached 108 (42 C) Thursday afternoon, the?National Weather Service?said. The thermometer hit 115 (46 C) on Wednesday in the?northwest Kansas?farm community.

"It feels like you have a big old furnace blowing in your face," said?Rayson Brachtenbach, a technician at Elliott Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning and Electric in Hill City.

Brachtenbach said the hot weather kept the company busy repairing air conditioning systems.

A city in the Midwest having the nation's high temperature for five days in a row is very unusual, said?Chris Foltz, a weather service meteorologist in?Goodland,?Kansas.

"It's what you expect in the desert of?Nevada?or?California," Foltz said.

Sustained heat

Drought conditions have contributed to the early and sustained?heat?this summer, said?Alex Sosnowski, expert senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.com.

"A lot of these places haven't had a lot of rain, and dry soil contributes to?heat," Sosnowski said, when asked why the high temperatures are being seen so early in the summer. "The sun's energy doesn't go into evaporating moisture, so it heats the ground and that heats the air. It takes a really big rainfall event to bust a drought like this."

Though scattered thunderstorms are expected to dial down the?heat?in the Midwest on Friday, Sosnowski does not see anything that would make much of an impact in dry areas.

The weather conditions have contributed to?Colorado?wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes. The?heat?and drought conditions also are damaging crops. U.S. corn prices have soared 17 percent this month as the hot dry weather persists in the main growing area of the Midwest.

Farther to the east, it was 102 (39 C)in?Cincinnati?and 103 (39 C) in?Nashville,?Tennessee.

"It's when you stop sweating and you get goose bumps that you worry," said?Sean Lachendro, one of a trio installing fiber-optic line for?T-Mobile?along a south?Nashville?roadside.

In?Chicago, the high temperature reached 100 degrees (38 C) for the first time in seven years. Summer school was closed Thursday for 10?Chicago?public schools without air conditioning.

In?Indiana, burn bans are in effect in 74 of 92 counties, and 45 counties have restrictions on shooting off fireworks.

With temperatures soaring, officials from?Kansas?to the?Carolinas?asked residents to take steps to stay cool and check on friends and neighbors. In Birmingham,?Alabama, police were checking on the sick and elderly.

"We want to ensure our citizens remain safe during the excessive?heat?outbreak,"?Birmingham PoliceChief A.C. Roper said. (Reporting by Mary Wisniewski, Kevin Murphy, Bruce Olson, Tim Ghianni, Christine Stebbins, Keith Coffman, and Susan Guyett; Editing by David Bailey and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/science/~3/zkcFEWz0sVk/US-heat-Wave-Three-digit-temperatures-recorded-across-Midwest

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Wikileaks' Assange vows to defy British extradition

Julian Assange will stay in Ecuador's embassy in London, having decided not to comply with a British police order to turn himself in for extradition to Sweden, a spokeswoman for the WikiLeaks founder said Friday.

"Julian will remain in the embassy under the protection of the Ecuadorian government," spokeswoman Susan Benn told reporters outside the embassy.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-police-serve-extradition-notice-assange-002000356.html

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