Possible link found between some Utah suicides, electronics

December 1, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY

Researchers studying a spike in teen suicides in Utah found that 18 of the 150 youngsters who took their own lives in a five-year period had recently lost privileges to use their electronic devices such as phones, tablets and gaming systems, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report made public Thursday.

The report was released after outside researchers earlier this month issued findings based on CDC data showing an increase in suicide rates among teens across the U.S. over the 2010-2015 period occurred at the same time social media use surged. Teen suicides had declined in the two previous decades.

Both reports stop short of blaming electronics and social media for the rise in suicides, but say the findings beg for more research on the topic.

Rare quake shudders through Northeast; centered in Delaware

DOVER, Del.

A rare earthquake jolted the Mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast on Thursday evening, prompting some to flee offices and homes, but causing no serious damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 4.1-magnitude quake struck just after 4:45 p.m. and was centered about 6 miles east-northeast of Dover, Del. People from as far away as Washington and New York City reported to the USGS that they felt the movement.

The coordinates of the quake put its center in the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, at a depth of about 5 miles.

Midler to Rivera: Apologize for alleged sexual assault

LOS ANGELES

Bette Midler renewed an allegation of 1970s sexual misconduct against Geraldo Rivera on Thursday, a day after Rivera called the news business “flirty” amid Matt Lauer’s dismissal by NBC.

In the tweet posted by the actress-singer and confirmed by her publicist, she included a video from the 1991 interview with Barbara Walters in which Midler made the allegation against Rivera.

“Tomorrow is my birthday. I feel like this video was a gift from the universe to me. Geraldo may have apologized for his tweets supporting Matt Lauer, but he has yet to apologize for this,” Midler posted, adding the harassment-solidarity hashtag “MeToo.”

A representative for Rivera didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Channel, which currently employs Rivera but didn’t in the ’70s, didn’t immediately comment on Midler’s post.

Meanwhile, even as Lauer apologized for sexual misconduct and NBC prepared for life without him at the “Today” show Thursday, questions lingered about who knew about his behavior and whether women at the network could have been protected.

OPEC, allies extend production cut

VIENNA

The OPEC cartel and a group of allied oil-producing nations agreed Thursday to extend crude-output cuts until the end of 2018, continuing a policy that led to a significant rise in the price of oil over the past year.

At the same time, the 24-nation alliance led by OPEC member Saudi Arabia and Russia gave notice that it stands ready to revisit the move if price increases bring U.S. shale operators – who suspended operations while crude was cheap – rushing back into the market.

Benchmark oil prices are now close to $60 a barrel, depending on the grades, up almost 20 percent from a year ago.

Associated Press