Howard Berkes

U.S. Olympic Skater's Sabotage Gets Day In 'Court'

Howard Berkes — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:53:00 +0000

Months of claims and counterclaims come to a head in a hotel conference room in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, when the International Skating Union considers the deliberate sabotage of a speed skate involving an American Olympic medalist and, allegedly, his former coach.

The ISU's disciplinary commission is scheduled to hear testimony behind closed doors from Simon Cho, a Vancouver Olympic bronze medalist in short track speedskating, former American short track coach Jae Su Chun, and at least two witnesses.

Uzbek national charged with aiding a terrorist group and training others in how to build and use a weapon of mass destruction.

The reason?

Hands-Free Gadgets In Car Don't Mean Driving Is Risk-Free

Howard Berkes — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:48:00 +0000

If you've felt smug and safe using built-in, voice-controlled technology for text messages, email and phone calls while driving, forget it. There are some sobering findings about the risk of distraction from the American Automobile Association and the University of Utah.

The proliferation of hands-free technology "is a looming public safety crisis," AAA CEO Robert Darbelnet says.

Amid Data Controversy, NSA Builds Its Biggest Data Farm

Howard Berkes — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:58:00 +0000

As privacy advocates and security experts debate the validity of the National Security Agency's massive data gathering operations, the agency is putting the finishing touches on its biggest data farm yet.

The gargantuan $1.2 billion complex at a National Guard base 26 miles south of Salt Lake City features 1.5 million square feet of top secret space.

Salt, Flies, Pickled Tongues: A Perfect Great Salt Lake Swim

Howard Berkes — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:54:00 +0000

It's the "liquid lie of the desert," as writer Terry Tempest Williams describes it, a vast inland sea so salty it triggers retching when swallowed. Brine shrimp swarm its waters and brine flies blanket the shore. In the right wind and weather its putrid smell reaches Salt Lake City neighborhoods 16 miles away.

The Iceman Swimmeth, Chanting 'F Cancer'

Howard Berkes — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:03:00 +0000

Goody Tyler isn't just any hard-core Great Salt Lake swimmer. He's a certified "ice swimmer." In December, Tyler swam 1 mile in the lake when the water temperature was only 41 degrees, the maximum temperature for an official "ice swim."

"You're only allowed to wear one cap, one pair of goggles and a Speedo," Tyler says. "And that's it."

It took 40 minutes in the snow-fringed lake, and the 36-year-old schoolteacher, husband and father of two girls had more to prove than his own wacky toughness.

Grain Deaths Fall In 2012 But Industry Share Grows

Howard Berkes — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:16:00 +0000

A new report from grain safety researchers at Purdue University says eight people died while trapped in grain last year, another steep drop from the record year of 2010, when 31 people lost their lives in grain bins and other grain storage facilities.

The continued decline in incidents since 2010 is credited to drier and smaller harvests since then. The grain stored in bins in 2010 was generally harvested wet and tended to spoil and clog.

U.S. Skater Will Boycott Disciplinary Hearing On Tampering

Howard Berkes — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:12:00 +0000

U.S.

Idaho Terror Suspect Waives Detention Hearing

Howard Berkes — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:05:00 +0000

The 30-year-old Uzbek national accused of a terrorist conspiracy in Idaho and Utah waived his right to a detention hearing in Boise on Tuesday, and apparently avoided public disclosure of details of his alleged crimes.

According to a federal court document, an attorney for Fazliddin Kurbanov withdrew his client's request for the hearing.

Big Changes At U.S. Speedskating Body, But Scandals Linger

Howard Berkes — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:40:00 +0000

Rebellious athletes, drained budgets, dysfunctional management and a string of embarrassing scandals forced a major reorganization of U.S. Speedskating over the weekend.

The group governs a sport that has produced 85 Winter Olympic medals for the United States — more than any other sport.