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What began as a peaceful and solemn remembrance for victims of the Connecticut shooting massacre was shattered on Sunday by a telephoned bomb threat that forced the evacuation of a Roman Catholic church, deepening the distress of a town in mourning.
The Saint Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church has been a sanctuary for people disturbed by the tragedy in the heavily Catholic town of Newtown, a wealthy suburb surrounded by wooded hills some 80 miles from New York City.
Eight of the funerals for the shooting victims have been scheduled at Saint Rose.
On the direction of police, Monsignor Robert Weiss asked people at the noon Mass service to quickly evacuate on Sunday, two days after the shooting.
Seven men from a SWAT team emerged from an armored vehicle in fatigues and body armor, carrying rifles and shields.
They searched the church and rectory, finding it was safe to re-enter, though the building would remain closed for the rest of the day, an officer at the scene said.
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Authorities investigating the deadly US school shooting warned Sunday of misinformation circulating on social media about the massacre.
Those spreading such fake details could be subject to arrest, Lieutenant Paul Vance of Connecticut State Police told reporters in the wake of Friday's attack on the Sandy Hook Elementary School that killed 26 people -- including 20 children between the ages of six and seven.
Shortly after the story first broke, news reports surfaced referencing a Facebook page attributed to Ryan Lanza, the name initially believed to be that of the gunman, who was later identified as Adam Lanza.
It had first been floated after police found an ID bearing that name on the gunman's body. The ID turned out to belong to the 20-year-old's brother.
US media said reporters swarmed the home of another Ryan Lanza in New Jersey. A wrong Ryan Lanza also picked up a slew of followers on Twitter.
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Viewers, beware: while you’re watching TV, your TV might be watching you back. A security firm discovered that Samsung’s Smart TV can give hackers access to the device’s built-in camera and microphones, allowing them to watch everything you do.
The Malta-based firm ReVuln posted a video showing its team of researchers hacking into one of the Samsung TVs and accessing its settings, channel lists, widgets, USB drives, and remote control configurations. The security flaw allows hackers to access any and all personal data stored on the TV.
With this access, hackers can use the Smart TVs built-in camera and microphones to see and hear everything in front of it. Instead of just watching TV, viewers could themselves be watched without knowing it.
But this flaw isn’t present in just one specific model. The vulnerability affects all 11 Samsung televisions of the latest generation. The Smart TVs have many of the same features as a computer, but lack the same kind of protection. The devices do not have security features such as firewalls and antivirus software.
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Indeed, it's that time of year again: the Chicago strip club-sponsored toy drive that last year
nabbed a mention on "Saturday Night Live" is back.
The RedEye reports that the Admiral Theatre, which bills itself as the city's only "gentleman's club" showcasing fully nude dancers, will
again be holding its "Lap Dancing for the Needy" toy drive through Dec. 22.
For the third year in a row, the Admiral, located at 3940 W. Lawrence Ave., will be offering its guests a free lap dance in exchange for their donation of an unused, unwrapped children's toy. In years past, participants were
limited to receiving just one lap dance per customer per visit -- regardless of how many toys they bring in. Toys and disbursement of "pleasure bills" are up to the discretion of management according to the club's website.
The Admiral is well known for their unusual, publicity-grabbing promotions, which in the past have included a Sarah Palin lookalike contest and a "Bride of the Stripping Dead" burlesque show.
The Admiral, too, is not alone among gentlemen's clubs giving back to children in need this holiday season. The Platinum Cabaret in Fayetteville, Ark.
is hosting a "Tatas for Tots" toy drive this month.
