Robert L. Scoggins
19-year-old killed by shark attack off California coast LOS ANGELES (AP) — The victim of a fatal shark attack at a Central California beach cried out to his friend for help as the shark flashed out of the water, bit into his leg and pulled him under in a tide of red blood, the friend said Friday. Matthew Garcia was two feet away from his friend, 19year-old Lucas Ransom, when the shark attacked, he said. The whole incident lasted seconds. “When the shark hit him, he just said, ‘Help me, dude!’ He knew what was going on,” Garcia told the AP. “It was reRANSOM ally fast. You just saw a red wave and this water is blue — as blue as it could ever be — and it was just red, the whole wave.” Garcia did chest compressions as he brought his friend to shorem but Ransom already appeared dead and his leg was mauled, he said. The University of California, Santa Barbara, junior had a severe wound to his left leg and died a short time later at Surf Beach, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Deputies recovered the boogie board, which had a 1-foot segment on the side bitten off. The last shark attack on Surf Beach was in 2008, when what was believed to be a great white shark bit a surfer’s board. The surfer was not harmed. The last fatal attack in California was that same year, when triathlete David Martin, 66, bled to death after a great white shark bit his legs about 150 yards off of a San Diego County beach.
Insurers tepid to repeal of health law, still donating to GOP critics WASHINGTON (AP) — Health insurers flirted with Democrats, supported them with money and got what they wanted: a federal mandate that most Americans carry health care coverage. Now they’re backing Republicans, hoping a GOP Congress will mean friendlier regulations. They may get more than they’re wishing for if the so-called individual mandate that has provoked tea party conservatives end up getting the broader health care law repealed. Attorneys general from some 20 states — mainly Republicans — are challenging the mandate as unconstitutional. “If you ended up repealing that one provision, the whole thing blows up,” said Bill Hoagland, the top lobbyist for Cigna Corp. “It doesn’t work. The cost would explode.” Still, Cigna, which early last year had been funneling money to Democrats from its political action committee, has shifted from a 50-50 split between the parties to around 7030 in favor of Republican candidates.
Democrats seek former President Clinton to help their campaigns WASHINGTON (AP) — Bill Clinton, out of the Oval Office for nearly a decade and once considered a political liability, is campaigning for Democratic candidates at a pace no one can match, drawing big crowds and going to states that President Barack Obama avoids. If the Republican wave on Nov. 2 ends up a bit weaker than many now predict, at least some of the credit will have to go to the former president, the most sought-after surrogate for dozens of anxious Democratic congressional and gubernatorial nominees. Always an intuitive campaigner who could slap backs and dissect policy with equal ease, Clinton has another appealing quality in these economic hard times: He left office amid high employment and a government surplus. Some people attending his rallies wear buttons saying “I miss peace, prosperity and Clinton.” Clinton’s staff says he has campaigned this
Randy Quaid, wife seek asylum away from ‘murderers of Hollywood’ in Canada VANCOUVER (AP) — Actor Randy Quaid told Canada’s immigration board Friday that he and his wife are seeking asylum from “the murderers of Hollywood” and will therefore apply for refugee status in Canada, after they were arrested on U.S. warrants related to vandalism charges. The pair were arrested on Thursday afternoon in a shopping area of an affluent Vancouver neighborhood and were jailed on outstanding U.S. warrants. The Quaids are wanted in Santa Barbara, where they missed a court hearing Monday on felony vandalism charges. The Quaids were ordered released from custody Friday, but must each post $9,750 bail and fulfill their promise to appear for their next hearing Thursday. Bail in the U.S. for Quaid, known for his part in “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” and his wife was increased to $500,000 apiece. Their attorney, Robert Sanger, said he hoped the situation could be resolved but declined further comment. The couple told the immigration adjudicator they are being persecuted in the United States. Evi Quaid begged a Canadian immigration adjudicator not to force them to return, saying on Friday that friends, such as actors David Carradine and Heath Ledger, have been “murdered” under mysterious circumstances and she worried something would happen to her husband next.
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the bite from a shark measures a foot at the edge of a boogie-board recovered Friday off the coast of california. Lucas ransom died from wounds in the attack. year for more than 65 candidates at nearly 100 events. Many of the appearances took place in the past few weeks, when Clinton slowed his work on charitable projects, such as fighting AIDS and malaria, to focus on the election’s final sprint. The pace would tax anyone, not just a 64year-old who had major heart surgery in 2004.
Latest WikiLeaks batch shows mistreatment claims left alone LONDON (AP) — U.S. forces often failed to follow up on credible evidence that Iraqi forces mistreated, tortured and killed their captives in the battle against a violent insurgency, according to accounts contained in what was purportedly the largest leak of secret information in U.S. history. The documents are among nearly 400,000 released Friday by the WikiLeaks website in defiance of Pentagon insistence that the action puts the lives of U.S. troops and their coalition partners at risk. Although the documents appear to be authentic, their origin could not be independently confirmed. The Pentagon has previously declined to confirm the authenticity of WikiLeaks-released records, but it has employed more than 100 U.S. analysts to review what was previously released and has never indicated that any past WikiLeaks releases were inaccurate. The 391,831 documents date from the start of 2004 to Jan. 1, 2010, mostly by low-ranking officers in the field. In terse, dry language, they catalog thousands of battles with insurgents and roadside bomb attacks, along with equipment failures and shootings by civilian contractors. The documents describe shootings at military checkpoints, contractors firing on Iraqis and savage acts committed on prisoners. A group that counts casualties from the war said the files also document 15,000 previously unreported deaths.
Hawaiian island puts off Friday night football to protect seabirds KAPAA, Hawaii (AP) — The tradition of Friday night football on the island of Kauai has been disrupted by an unusual culprit: Young seabirds migrating to the ocean mistake stadium lights for the moon and stars, causing them to become disoriented, drop from the sky and fall prey to cats. School officials canceled Friday night football for almost all of the season on Kauai and moved the games to Saturday afternoon, angering residents who are upset that their beloved fall tradition has been thwarted because of a bird. They have been showing up to games wearing T-shirts that disparage the policy, and occasionally voicing their displeasure from the stands during games. “Because we’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, we don’t have much to have to offer our kids. On a Friday night, this is what our kids would look forward to,” said Lori Koga, whose 17-year-old son is a Kauai High School varsity linebacker and running back. “And then they took that away from us.” At issue is a bird called the Newell’s shearwater, which numbered about 80,000 in the mid-1990s. Its population has plunged 75 percent in recent years as Kauai grew in size and added more lights that confuse the birds.
Billionaire must pay $10 million in support for child that wasn’t his LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian agreed Friday to pay more than $10 million in back child support plus $100,000 a month for a child his ex-wife has admitted is not his biological daughter. Lisa Bonder Kerkorian, who was married briefly to the casino mogul after a long relationship, acknowledged during a child support battle that she had faked a DNA paternity test by using saliva she obtained from Kerkorian’s adult daughter. She said the biological father actually was Hollywood movie producer Stephen Bing. Michael Trope, the attorney for Bonder Kerkorian, filed the settlement Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court. He declined to comment, as did Kerkorian’s lawyer. Kira Kerkorian is now 12, and court papers have said that she has known for quite some time that she has “two papas.” Kerkorian, 93, has had joint custody of the girl, who lives with her mother. The settlement, which provides $100,000 a month until Kira turns 19 or until she graduates from high school, no longer is a full-time student or no longer is living with her mother full-time. After that, the settlement says, the amount will be reduced to $50,000 a month. The agreement also provides for Kerkorian to pay other expenses. Bonder Kerkorian, 45, was married to Kerkorian for 28 days in 1999. They had been romantically linked for years. The legal battle had been going on since 2002.
SALISBURY — Robert Lee Scoggins, age 63, of Yates Road, died Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at his home. Mr. Scoggins was born in Madison County, Ga., on June 30, 1947, a son of the late Eugene L. Scoggins and Ellie Lou Collins Scoggins. He was a of the U.S. Air Force and worked in the trucking industry. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Jack Scoggins and Ronnie Scoggins. Survivors include two sisters, Lynda S. McDaniel and husband John of Drexel and Madeline Carroll and husband Pat of Abbeyville, S.C.; three brothers, Paul Scoggins of Monroe, Charlie Scoggins and wife Lynda of Kannapolis, Tim Scoggins and wife Donna of Granite Quarry; a number of nieces and nephews; and special friends of more than 40 years, George and Janet Chance. Service and Visitation: Funeral services for Mr. Scoggins will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday in Lady's Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Michael Taylor will officiate. Burial will follow at West Lawn Memorial Park, China Grove. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 2 until 2:45 p.m. Sunday prior to the funeral service. Memorials: Memorials for Mr. Scoggins may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202. Lady's Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family with arrangements.
Frances T. Downes SALISBURY — Mrs. Frances Troutman Downes, age 88, formerly of Holmes Avenue, passed on Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, at Brian Center Health and Rehabilitation. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced at a later date by Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home, Inc.
Kathryn McIntyre Cauble GOLD HILL — Kathryn McIntyre Cauble, of Gold Hill, passed away Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at her home. Mrs. Cauble was born in Norwood to the late Walter Thomas and Ida Florence Gallimore McIntyre. She attended school in Stanly and Rowan counties. She worked at Cannon Mills in Rockwell and retired from the former Fiber Industries. As a member of First Baptist Church in Rockwell, Mrs. Cauble was a member of the Genesis Sunday School Class and the Senior Saints Group. In addition, she was a past Sunday School teacher, GA leader, Women's Missionary Union officer, choir member, and she served in various other church activities through the years. Mrs. Cauble was an active member of Liberty Home Demonstration Club and Rockwell Senior Citizens. She enjoyed flower and vegetable gardening, yard work, crocheting and creative sewing. Her family was her life, and she adored her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. “Mother Cauble,” as she was affectionately called, and Papa Cauble, were true gifts from God, and their family will forever cherish the Christian principles and family values that they instilled. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Sebe Alexander Cauble, who died in 1999 after 65 years of marriage; five brothers, Roy, Joe, Tom, Seabury and William McIntyre; and one sister, Mary McIntyre James. Survivors include her daughter, Carolyn Hartung of Salisbury and her son Ronnie Cauble of Gold Hill. In addition, she is survived by five grandchildren, Phil (Nanette) Hartung of Cost, Texas, Dr. Chris (Dr. Beverly) Hartung of Salisbury, Marc (Monica) Cauble of Lexington, Alaina (Brent) Martin of Rural Hall and Revonda Britt of Salisbury. Great-grandchildren include Lydia and Kenan Hartung of Salisbury, Kathryne, Sara, Caroline and Olivia Hartung of Cost, Texas; Sarah, Anna Claire and Noah Cauble of Lexington and Xander Martin of Rural Hall. One step-grandchild, Monica Dyck of Asheville, also survives. Funeral Services: 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24 at First Baptist Church in Rockwell with the Rev. Matthew Laughter officiating and Dr. Benny L. Vickrey assisting. Mrs. Cauble will lie in state 30 minutes prior to the Funeral Service. Entombment will follow at the Brookhill Memorial Garden Mausoleum. Visitation: The family will receive friends at Powles Funeral Home from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23. At other times, the family will be at the Cauble residence. Memorials: Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 756, Rockwell, NC 28138. Powles Funeral Home of Rockwell is assisting the family of Mrs. Cauble. Online condolences can be made at www.powlesfuneralhome.com.
Thomas Cecil Hicks
Harvey Lee Pulliam
SALISBURY — Thomas Cecil Hicks, 86, of Salisbury, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010, at W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete with Lyerly Funeral Home in charge.
MOCKSVILLE — Mr. Harvey Lee Pulliam, age 74, of Highway 601 South, passed Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced at a later date by Noble and Kelsey Funeral Home, Inc.
Vicky Steele SALISBURY — Vicky Steele, 43, of Patriot Place Drive, departed this life on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at her residence after a brief illness. Rowan Funeral Services is assisting the Steele family.
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Watergate prosecutor James Neal dies NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Outside the courtroom, James F. Neal had an amiable, backslapping way with friends and foes alike. Inside the chamber, the face of one of America’s greatest trial lawyers often became fixed in a steely gaze. The attorney who regularly grabbed national headlines — whether prosecuting Jimmy Hoffa or key Watergate figures, or defending Elvis Presley’s doctor or the Exxon Corp. after the Alaska oil spill — died Thursday night. He was 81. Law partner Aubrey Harwell said Friday that Neal died at a Nashville hospital after a monthslong battle against cancer. In the words of Fred Thompson, already a lawyer in real life before he became one on TV, “Jim Neal was the greatest trial lawyer of his time.” For former Vice President Al Gore, Neal was a “brilliant attorney” and close friend. “As a prosecutor, he served our nation with brilliance and dedication at a time when his skill was greatly needed by the American people,” Gore said in a statement. And prosecute, by all accounts, was something Neal did well. The government had tried four times to convict the Teamsters president Hoffa before Neal got it done in 1964 in a jury-tampering case. As a special prosecutor, Neal lat-
er put Watergate conspirators and Nixon aides John Mitchell, Robert Haldeman and John Ehrlichman behind bars. In private practice, Neal successfully defended Ford Motor Co. against reckless homicide charges in Indiana after the gas tank of a 1973 Ford Pinto exploded, killing the car’s driver. In 1981, he successfully defended Dr. George Nichopoulos of Memphis against charges that he overprescribed drugs to the late rock ‘n’ roll idol Presley. Neal’s rise to prominence began in 1964. As a special assistant to then-U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Neal succeeded in convicting Hoffa, sending him to prison. In private practice, Neal developed a reputation for his dogged defense of clients facing a tide of adverse public opinion. “If you got in serious in trouble, that’s who you wanted,” said George Barrett, a prominent civil rights attorney and classmate of Neal’s in law school at Vanderbilt University. “He was a hell of a lawyer.” After actor Vic Morrow and two children died in 1982 when a helicopter fell on them during filming of the movie “Twilight Zone,” Neal successfully defended director John Landis in 1987 against charges of involuntary manslaughter. Neal was considered an unusual choice for the high-profile Hollywood case.
Mummified corpse left in car seat for months identified COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) — Medical examiners have identified a mummified corpse that was left in a car’s passenger seat for 10 months in Southern California, a police spokesman said Friday. Authorities had said earlier it could take weeks to identify the homeless woman, but the Orange County coroner’s office was able to rehydrate the desiccated body’s fingertips to obtain a usable fingerprint, said Costa Mesa police Detective Sgt. Paul Beckman. The office will not release the name until next-of-kin are notified, he said. The woman’s remains, discovered Monday in a car parked illegally in Costa Mesa, are little more than skin and bones and weigh 30 pounds, police official said. Authorities have not determined if the driver, whose name has been withheld, will face any charges in the case.
“A practical choice.”
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