Cops search next door to house where bodies found

Cops search next door to house where bodies found

CLEVELAND — A stench around the home of a suspected serial killer returned stronger than ever Wednesday as police searched the house next door for more bodies and carried out bags of evidence.

Four plainclothes officers carried bags of evidence from the house next door to Anthony Sowell’s early Wednesday afternoon, but police did not indicate what had been removed.

The 50-year-old Sowell has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder. He was indicted Monday on one count of attempted murder, two counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault in an alleged attack Sept. 22 that led to the search of his home.

In all, the remains of 11 women have been found in Sowell’s home or yard. All of the women were black, and most had been strangled, the coroner said. Nine have been identified through DNA and dental records.

UN: Malnutrition affects growth of 200M children

ROME — Nearly 200 million children in poor countries have stunted growth because of insufficient nutrition, according to a new report published by UNICEF Wednesday before a three-day international summit on the problem of world hunger.

The head of a U.N. food agency called on the world to join him in a day of fasting ahead of the summit to highlight the plight of 1 billion hungry people.

Jacques Diouf, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization, said he hoped the fast would encourage action by world leaders who will take part in the meeting at his agency’s headquarters starting Monday.

Brazilian blackout raises concerns about Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO — Heavy rain and strong wind caused blackouts that left nearly a third of Brazilians — 60 million people — in the dark, officials said Wednesday as they scrambled to restore confidence in the country’s infrastructure before soccer’s 2014 World Cup and Rio’s 2016 Olympics.

The weather made transformers on a vital high-voltage transmission line short-circuit, Brazil’s energy minister said. Two other transmission lines also went down as part of an automatic safety mechanism.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee would not comment on Tuesday’s blackout, but among the guarantees made to the International Olympic Committee is that Rio will be isolated from the nation’s power system exactly to avoid problems like this.

Kids pay for test points

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — A middle school in North Carolina is selling test scores to students in a bid to raise money.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday that a parent advisory council at Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro come up with the fund-raising plan after last year’s chocolate sale flopped.

The school will sell 20 test points to students for $20.

Students can add 10 extra points to each of two tests of their choice. The extra points could take a student from a “B” to an “A” on those tests or from a failing grade to a passing grade.

Officials at the state Department of Public Instruction say exchanging grades for money teaches children the wrong lessons.

Lou Dobbs leaving CNN

NEW YORK — CNN’s Lou Dobbs, a lightning rod for criticism after his transition from a business journalist to an opinionated anchor on such issues as illegal immigration, told viewers Wednesday that he was quitting his nightly show to pursue new opportunities.

Dobbs was a CNN original, signing on when the cable network started in 1980. For much of that time, he hosted a nightly business broadcast that became one of the most influential shows in the corporate world, and CNN’s most profitable show for advertising revenue.

But Dobbs said his world view changed after the 2001 terrorist attacks and corporate corruption scandals, and he began to more freely express his opinions. He was particularly persistent in bringing the immigration issue to the fore, winning him both higher ratings and enemies. Latino groups had an active petition drive seeking his removal.

N. Korea warns S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea warned South Korea on Thursday that it could face consequences over a naval clash that occurred between the rival countries off their west coast earlier this week.

The North’s government-run Minju Joson newspaper said in a commentary that South Korea would face “costly consequences” if it continues to assume a confrontational posture against the North.

Associated Press