Oregon Supreme Court to decide circumcision case

A divorce dispute over whether to circumcise a 12-year-old boy will be decided Friday by the Oregon Supreme Court.

The nationally-watched case pits a father who converted to Judaism and wants his son to undergo the religious ritual, against his mother, an orthodox Christian who claims the boy doesn't want to be circumcised.
The case has drawn attention from national Jewish groups concerned that Oregon's highest court will accept Lia Boldt's contention that circumcision is dangerous.
An anti-circumcision group based in Seattle also joined the fray, arguing the safety of the procedure.

James Boldt, a former Grants Pass man who has custody of the boy and lives near Olympia, said his son wants to be circumcised so he can convert to Judaism.

Oregon Supreme Court to decide circumcision case Friday

Autopsy on Heath Ledger Inconclusive

An autopsy on Heath Ledger was inclusive, and more tests are needed, the medical examiner's office said this morning. It will take about 10 days to complete the investigation according to the medical examiner.
Earlier, police said the death was caused by a possible drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.
Fans left flowers and candles outside the apartment building in Manhattan's SoHo where the body of the Oscar-nominated star of "Brokeback Mountain" was found. Fans also left flowers outside the home in Brooklyn where Ledger and Michelle Williams once lived.
Ledger was known for grueling, intense roles that became his trademark after he got his start in teen movies like "10 Things I Hate About You."
The Australian-born actor was found dead Tuesday by his housekeeper and masseuse — lying naked and face-down at the foot of his bed, with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.
It was a shocking end to a career built on unpredictability. Ledger avoided the safe path in favor of roles that forced him to bury Australian accent and downplay his leading-man looks: a tormented gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."
In what may be his final finished performance, he took a rare role in a guaranteed summer blockbuster, playing Batman's nemesis, the Joker, in the upcoming "The Dark Knight." But the role was nothing he could phone in; it forced him to rebrand a character last played on the big screen by Jack Nicholson.

Heath Ledger found dead at 28

Heath Ledger was found dead today at a New York apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28.

It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide. He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and onlookers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger's body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door.

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in ``Brokeback Mountain,'' where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in ``The Dark Knight,'' a sequel to 2005's ``Batman Begins.''

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, ``Seat.''

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in ``10 Things I Hate About You,'' a teen comedy reworking of ``The Taming of the Shrew.''

The website TMZ has stated that they learned that Ledger had been sick with pneumonia when he died.

Robber shoots self in groin!

KOKOMO, Ind. -- A man accidentally shot himself in the groin as he was robbing a convenience store Tuesday, police said.

The store clerk told police a man carrying a semiautomatic handgun came into the Village Pantry demanding cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk put the cash in a bag and as she turned to get the cigarettes, she heard the gun discharge.

Police say surveillance video shows the man shooting himself as he placed the gun in the waistband of his pants. The clerk wasn’t injured.

A short time later, police found 25-year-old Derrick Kosch at a home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg.

Kosch was released from the hospital Tuesday and booked into the Howard County jail on a charge of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery. He’s being held on a $100,000 cash bail.