Indonesian volcano spews new burst of ash

TANAH KARO, Indonesia (AP) — An Indonesian volcano that was quiet for four centuries shot a new, powerful burst of hot ash more than 10,000 feet in the air Friday, sending frightened residents fleeing to safety for the second time this week. The force of the eruption — the strongest so far — could be felt five miles away. “This was a big one,” said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, still shaken after abandoning his coffee shop in the middle of the danger zone. “We all ran as fast as we could. … Everyone was panicking.” The eruption of Mount Sinabung on Sunday and Monday — which caught many scientists off guard — forced more than 30,000 people living along its fertile…

Police: Discovery building suspect dead

Three hostages were safely recovered after police shot and killed a man armed and believed to be carrying explosives following a standoff at the Discovery Channel offices Wednesday, Montgomery Couny Police Chief Tom Manger said. Shortly before 6 p.m., Manger confirmed the death of the suspect. The shooting came after police had negotiated for hours with the gunman, who entered the lobby of the televison network around 1 p.m. ET. Manger said police took the action because “we believed the hostages lives were in danger.” DISCOVERY SITUATION: The news as it happened He said one of the devices believed to be an …

More Mexican civilians get caught in crossfire

MEXICO CITY — It was Easter weekend and the Almanza family was heading to Mexico’s Gulf coast, its Chevrolet Tahoe stuffed with people, coolers and blankets. “Everybody was excited — we were ready for the beach,” said Martin Almanza Sr., who was driving. On the road ahead, Almanza saw a convoy of army trucks on the shoulder, a common sight in Mexico, where soldiers have been leading a battle against drug cartels since 2006. What happened next has ignited a debate over whether …

Pea in the lung? Try jewelry, bones, dentures among inhaled items

Reports of a Massachusetts man with a pea sprouting in his lung didn’t faze Ali Musani, an interventional pulmonologist at National Jewish Health in Denver. He has found surprising things in people’s lungs — thumbtacks, batteries, beans, even a two-decade-old fishbone. In the case of the pea, it came to light when Ron Sveden, 75, arrived at Cape Cod Hospital with a collapsed left lung and pneumonia. Biopsies ruled out lung cancer. That’s when Jeff Spillane, a critical-care surgeon, ran a bronchoscope down Sveden’s airway and discovered the sprout. Sveden apparently had inhaled a pea, which then sprouted in the moist, warm environment. Once removed, Sveden quickly recovered. “You’d be …

‘Disturbing trend’ for kids in sports: ER visits for concussions soar

CHICAGO (AP) — Emergency room visits for school-age athletes with concussions has skyrocketed in recent years, suggesting the intensity of kids’ sports has increased along with awareness of head injuries. The findings in a study of national data don’t necessarily mean that concussions are on the rise. However, many children aren’t taken for medical treatment, so the numbers are likely only a snapshot of a much bigger problem, doctors say. “It definitely is a disturbing trend,” said lead author Dr. Lisa Bakhos, an…

Leapster Explorer keeps the kids entertained while learning

Kid-friendly apps, e-books, videos, games: The touch-screen-based device I’ve been checking out with my little ones isn’t an iPad, it’s the new $70 Leapster Explorer from LeapFrog (LF). The popular maker of educational toys and learning tools has delivered a digital handheld platform for youngsters 4 to 9, with games and activities that cover everything from art and music to geography and math. You or your child can add content in several ways. First are…

Livescribe updates smartpen with new Echo

BERKELEY, Calif. — Mark Hunter, a doctoral student here at the University of California, uses a new kind of pen to take notes in class. His Livescribe Pulse digital pen writes on special paper, records lectures with audio at the same time, and transfers it all to his computer as a digital copy. “I like the security that having the lectures combined with the notes gives me,” he says. “Truth be told, I hardly …

Amputees worry about airport security screening

Eileen Casey doesn’t want to travel by air anymore, because security personnel at some airports require her to be screened by an X-ray device for passengers with prosthetic limbs. Casey, a former competitive swimmer, says she lost her right leg from radiation treatments for a skin condition in the 1970s before the dangers of the treatment were understood. “It’s ironic to lose my leg to a radiation overdose, and now, if I want to travel, I have to expose myself to more radiation,” says the Burlington, Vt., resident. HANDS ON: TSA tests ‘enhanced patdowns’ Many people with prosthetic limbs complain about the CastScope…

Some amputees worry about airport security screening

Eileen Casey doesn’t want to travel by air anymore, because security personnel at some airports require her to be screened by an X-ray device for passengers with prosthetic limbs. Casey, a former competitive swimmer, says she lost her right leg from radiation treatments for a skin condition in the 1970s before the dangers of the treatment were understood. “It’s ironic to lose my leg to a radiation overdose, and now, if I want to travel, I have to expose myself to more radiation,” says…

Mother labored to find reason for son’s developmental delays

Adults who encountered Adam Driscoll as a baby tended to be impressed by his quiet, easygoing nature. He seemed happy, cried little and, by the age of 6 weeks, even slept through the night. But his mother, Jen, though grateful for Adam’s placidity — a marked contrast to his rambunctious older brother — viewed his undemanding behavior with an uneasiness that grew as he did. A former day-care provider who worked in a genetics lab at the University of Delaware, Driscoll knew that siblings’ personalities and development varied considerably. But she worried that Adam’s behavior reflected something more ominous: His muscle tone was poor, and he was stumped by things that seemed almost instinctive to other children, such as playing with toys. Driscoll repeatedly…

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