WKNJ NIGHT NEWS

Good night, it Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 11 o'clock and you're listening to 90.3 WKNJ-FM, Union, New Jersey, and I'm Blondie Alexander with the night news. 

In Local News. . .

A 50-year-old man was slashed yesterday while protecting a female passenger from being harassed as she waited for a bus outside Newark’s Penn Station.  A man in his twenties was apparently bothering the woman in a waiting area for westbound buses along Market Street when the other man intervened.  A fight ensued, leading to the younger man pulling a knife and slashing the other man.  Hours later the stabbing victim remained at University Hospital in Newark, where he had been taken for the treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

In National News. . . .

Congress could have to pay twice as much as expected to keep U.S. agricultural disaster programs in operation at a time when farm spending is under scrutiny, according to budget projections.  The Congressional Budget Office estimates extension of the expiring disaster programs would cost $9 billion for five years and $18 billion over 10 years, half of it for the disaster fund. Reuters obtained a copy of the estimate this week. The administration's deficit reduction commission suggested last winter that crop subsidy, land stewardship and export promotion programs should be cut by $15 billion over 10 years, with $5 billion of the savings earmarked "to extending the Agriculture disaster fund program."

In World. . .

The African nation of Congo has been called the worst place on earth to be a woman. A new study released Wednesday shows that it's even worse ?than previously thought: 1,152 women are raped every day, a rate equal to 48 per hours. Congo, a nation of 70 million people that is equal in size to Western Europe, has been plagued by decades of war. Its vast forests are rife with militias that have systematically used rape to destroy communities.  On average 29 Congolese women out of every 1,000 had been raped nationwide. That means that even in the parts of Congo that are not affected by the war, a woman is 58 times more likely to be raped than a woman in the United States, where the annual rate is 0.5 per 1,000 women.

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In Entertainment

When organizers of the Cannes Film Festival announced weeks ago that it would open with Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," which features French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in a small but much-hyped role, the paparazzi had visions of the one-time top model and President Nicolas Sarkozy racheting up the bling factor on the red carpet.

In Weather. . .

Its’ a high of 75 degrees on campus. Tonight will be a cool 63 degrees.

WKNJ EVENING NEWS

Good Eveing, it's Wednesday, May 11, 2010 at 4 o'clock and you're listening to 90.3 WKNJ-FM, Union New Jersey, and I'm Blondie Alexander with the evening news

In Local News. . .

On Tuesday, O’Sullivan, 59, was released from the hospital and subsequently arrested and charged with the attempted murder of his 61-year-old wife, Linda, On April 27 at about 3:36 a.m., O’Sullivan stabbed his wife in the chest during an argument at their Thornbury Lane home. It was after the stabbing that O’Sullivan apparently tried to commit suicide by stabbing himself in the chest three times. His wife called 911 for help and then fled to a neighbor’s home for assistance, according to a news release from police.

In National News. . . .

The Postal Service is continuing to hemorrhage money, reporting a loss Tuesday of more than $2 billion over the first three months of the year and warning it could be forced to default on federal payments. Such a default would not interrupt mail service to millions of Americans, but it could further hobble an agency struggling with a sharp decline in mail because of the Internet and a tough economy. In the last three years, the agency has cut over 130,000 jobs. And it's making more cuts, with the elimination of about 7,500 administrative jobs in regional offices. The Postal Service does not receive tax money for its operations.

In World. . .

May 9, 2011, medical workers attend to conjoined twin babies with a single body and two heads born on May 5 in a hospital in Suining city in southwestern China's Sichuan province. The local Huaxi Metropolis Daily says the twins weighed nine pounds and measured 20 inches have two spines, two esophaguses and shared other organs. Doctors were quoted as saying it would be nearly impossible to separate them.

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TECH News. . .

The CEOs for the two telecom companies told a Senate antitrust subcommittee that their $39 bil merger would benefit consumers and not stifle innovation. If federal regulators approve the acquisition, AT&T and its rival, Verizon Wireless, would handle about 80% of U.S. wireless customers. AT&T said the merger would allow the company to improve services, handle more data traffic and bring mobile Internet to more consumers than it could do on its own. AT&T shares fell 1% to 31.38.

In Weather. . .

Its’ a high of 79 degrees on campus. Tonight will be a cool 68 degrees.

WKNJ MORNING NEWS

Good Morning, it's Wednesday,  May 11, 2011 at 8 o'clock and you're listening to 90.3 WKNJ-FM, Union New Jersey and I am Blondie Alexander with the news. 

In Local News. . .  .

Married congressman Christopher Lee, a two-term Republican is accused of sending shirtless photos of himself to a woman he met on Craigslist.  Lee,  refused to comment on a report from media gossip website Gawker that implied he had sent pictures of himself and emails to a Washington, D.C.-area woman he met on the classifieds website. The New Yorker has abruptly resigned, and dismayed constituents.

In National News. . . .

South Carolina prisoners caught with banned cell phones, can face solitary confinement and loss of visitation and canteen privileges.  But those caught updating their status on their Facebook page, by cell phone or any other means, might soon be looking at 30 extra days behind bars and a $500 fine. Wendell Gilliard, a Democrat from Charleston, has introduced a bill that would make it unlawful for an inmate to be a member of any internet social-networking site, and would provide a penalty on conviction for the offense.

In World News. . . . 

A small commuter aircraft carrying 12 people crashed and caught fire Thursday while trying to land in heavy fog at Cork Airport in southwest Ireland, killing at least six people. The Irish Aviation Authority responsible for running the airport said the fog was so thick that air traffic controllers in a nearby tower could not see the crash, only hear it.  Television footage of the crash scene showed that the aircraft's wings were shorn off and the entire front half of the fuselage was crushed.

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In Sports. . . 

The NBA announced the suspension Tuesday, two days after Bynum was ejected for the foul late in the two-time defending champions’ 36-point loss to the Mavericks in Game 4. The league also fined Bynum $25,000 for ripping off his jersey while heading to the locker room, which means the suspension will cost Bynum more than $700,000. Bynum hit Barea with a flying elbow in the ribs while the Dallas guard drove to the basket for a layup in the fourth quarter.  Barea wasn’t seriously hurt, but he stayed down for an extended time while Bynum left the court.

In Entertainment 

A newly slimmed-down Jennifer Hudson went back to school in her hometown of Chicago on Tuesday, but she skipped over the classrooms and headed straight for the gym. The 29-year-oldOscar winner a visited Namaste Charter School, where she talked to students about her healthy new regimen and even joined them in some exercises as part of the Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge, meant to encourage Americans to participate in a 5K walk or run in their community on May 22.  Hudson who's a Weight Watchers spokesperson and credits the program with helping her shed a whopping 80 pounds  also presented a check for $100,000 to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit working to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015. Let's hope they do it ...