By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer
Posted: 09/27/2011 06:28:23 PM MDT

A University of Colorado student is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being hit by a pickup truck on Regent Drive near Kittredge Loop on the CU campus about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The pedestrian suffered a serious head injury in the crash and was taken to Boulder Community Hospital.

Police said both the driver and victim are male CU students, but their names weren't released.

Boulder police Sgt. Jack Walker said the pedestrian was crossing Regent -- and was not in a crosswalk -- when he was hit by a blue Toyota pickup truck.

Police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said no speeding, drugs or alcohol appear to have been involved, and the driver is cooperating with police. The driver told police he was going slowly because the sun was impairing his view.

According to police radio scanner traffic, officers initially reported that the accident was fatal.

An 18-year-old student was seriously injured when he was struck by a truck near Curie Metro High School in the Archer Heights neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

A witness told police the student was wearing headphones and did not yield to the truck when he was hit about 11:10 a.m. in the 5000 block of South Pulaski Road, according to a law enforcement source.

The student was pinned under the truck and suffered a dislocated hip and facial lacerations, the source said. A CTA bus was traveling behind the truck, according to the source.

The youth was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, according to Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Ron Gaines.

Chicago Public School officials said the victim is a 12th grade student at the high school and was hit during his lunch period.

The student's aunt, Gloria Rodriguez, said she had been in contact with her nephew's parents, who were at the hospital where the boy was in surgery as of 4:30 p.m.

“His face is broken and his jaw,’’ she said. “He had a lot of dislocations on his knee, lower foot and hip,’’ said his aunt, who added that no one had been able to talk to him yet to find out what happened.

His aunt said the acccident occurred around the time as he normally would have been going home for lunch since he lives near the school.

“It was shocking, this is something he does every day.’’

dawilliams@tribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-teen-struck-and-critically-injured-by-truck-near-curie-high-school-20120124,0,6382486.story

The northern lights show was sparked by an intense solar flare that erupted from the sun, unleashing a wave of charged particles and triggering the strongest solar radiation storm since 2005.

By Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Managing Editor / January 25, 2012

Power Steering Problems Affect Chevy and Pontiac Models in North America - Posted: Mar 02, 2010

Owners reported failures that went away after restarting the car.

"Power steering started to go out occasionally," said one complaint filed February 18 of this year on a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. "It would come back on if I turned off and restarted the car. Quickly became more frequent."

GM has said that drivers can still control the affected models in the event of loss of power steering assist, though controlling the cars may require greater steering effort under 15mph.

"While greater steering effort under 15 mph may be required, if the customer experiences loss of power steering assist, it is important to note that the vehicle can still be safely controlled because the customer can still steer the vehicle,” Hresko said. “When the condition occurs, both a chime will sound and a ‘Power Steering’ message will be displayed.”

GM has not announced a remedy yet, but has noted that plans are being developed and that customers will be notified when the plan is finalized.

Automotive recalls are nothing new, but their reception as of late has been extremely hostile. The GM recall comes at a time in which lapses in automotive quality are met with extreme scrutiny, especially by the U.S. government.

Last week, Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda appeared in front of a House Committee in Washington, D.C. to testify and apologize for safety issues related to several Toyota models.

Owners of the recalled cars can contact their dealer or GM directly at their owner center website http://www.gm.com/gmownercenter/gm/.
http://autos.aol.com/article/gm-recall-power-steering/

 http://us.cnn.com/2011/12/18/world/asia/north-korea-leader-dead/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Kim's funeral will be held on December 28, state media reports
NEW: South Korea's president cancels all planned events, local Yonhap media reports
Kim died of a heart attack while on a train, North Korea's state news agency reports
Kim Jong Il was the son of Kim Il Song, the founder of the communist nation

(CNN) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is dead, North Korean state TV said Monday.

Kim, 69, died at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, state media reported.

A broadcaster reported that Kim died due to "overwork" after "dedicating his life to the people."

Kim died of "great mental and physical strain" while in a train during a "field guidance tour," North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported.

A look back at the life of Kim Jong Il

More specifically, the agency reported that Kim suffered a heart attack and couldn't be saved despite the use of "every possible first-aid measure."

He had been treated for "cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases for a long period," KCNA noted.

His funeral will be held December 28 and the national mourning period extends until December 29, said the news agency.

All South Korean military units have been placed on "emergency alert" following Kim's death, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. South Korean officials have not noticed any unusual activity from North Korea, the agency reported early Monday afternoon.

Kim's death also prompted South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to cancel all events on his schedule, Yonhap said.

North Korean and communist party officials "released a notice on Saturday informing" members of the Workers' Party of Korea, military "and all other people" of Kim's passing, according to KCNA.

The son of Kim Il Song, the founder of the communist nation, Kim Jong Il had been in power since 1994 when his father died of a heart attack at age 82.

The enigmatic leader was a frequent thorn in the side of neighboring South Korea, as well as the United States. There have been reports in recent years about his health, as well as that power will be transitioned to his son, Kim Jong Un.

North Korea's nuclear program -- and international attempts to hinder its nuclear weaponry potential -- put Kim at odds with many world leaders in recent years, as did his governing style.

Under his leadership, North Korea was largely closed off to outside influences, fearful of threats from its neighbors and subject to decades of political socialization. At the same time, it also sought international aid after extensive famines that contributed to the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

Both North Korea and South Korea have shown signs of concession in recent years -- Pyongyang has expressed willingness to engage with countries involved in multilateral talks aimed at North Korea's denuclearization, while Seoul recently sent humanitarian aid through U.N. agencies to help the malnourished population in the North.

But relations between the two rival nations soured yet again when North Korea launched an attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians.

North Korean news reports earlier this fall indicated that Kim Jong Il had been traveling around the country and visiting China, a big change from 2009 when he was thought to be ill with cancer.

Two senior U.S. military officials said then that they believed the pace of North Korea's planned regime change from Kim to his 20-something son appeared to have slowed.

The son, also known as Kim, started his career as a four-star general and in recent years was given more official duties by his father.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer, who traveled to Pyongyang a year ago with former U.S. ambassador Bill Richardson, said that "the assumption (then) was that he was sick" but still in "decent shape."

Now it is a "totally uncertain situation," Blitzer said.