• Oklahoma Insurance Department says preliminary tornado damage estimate could top $2 billion

           
  • When Associated Press photographer Sue Ogrocki saw the tornado warnings for the Oklahoma City area Monday, she didn't run into a storm shelter or take cover in her office.

    She grabbed her camera equipment and her car keys. Then she rushed outside, got into her car and raced towards the approaching twister.

    "We had advanced warning that tornadoes would probably be developing again yesterday afternoon," Ogrocki told ABC News. "So I know I had to get down here quickly. I had to get down here before it hit or at least be on my way before it hit."

    Today, the National Weather Service said that Monday's tornado, which killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds when it sliced a 12-mile-long path of destruction from Newcastle to Moore, Okla., is the first top-of-the-scale EF-5 tornado of the year. The EF-5 rating, based on wind speed and inflicted damage, means winds exceeded 200 mph.

    The monster twister, reportedly 1.3 miles wide,

    Read More »from PHOTOS: AP Photographer on Capturing Kids Rescued From Tornado-Ravaged Okla. School
  • BEIJING - The opening moments of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's new video ( available on the artist's website) set the tone for the next five minutes and 13 seconds. Against pounding guitar chords reminiscent of a Metallica classic, Ai is seen handcuffed and wearing a black hood in a dimly lit cell.

    He described it as an "inch accurate" replica of the one in which he spent 81 days in detention after his arrest in 2011. Two guards stand over him when, suddenly, his hood is ripped off and the artist stares straight into the camera as the cadence builds to a crescendo. In the corners of his mouth and glint of his eyes is the familiar hint of rebellion seen before in his previous video work. It's just the starting point.

    The music video tells the story of Ai's time behind bars after he was arrested in the spring of 2011 in a crackdown on dissidents and outspoken, creative thinkers. Eventually, the Chinese government charged him with tax evasion. He was

    Read More »from 'Dumbass' Ai Weiwei Heavy Metal Video Rants Against State Control
  • Okla. Mayor Wants to Require Tornado Shelters

    Mayor of Oklahoma City suburb hit by tornado wants to require new homes to have safe rooms

           
  • Suspect pretended to buy a Minnesota gas station and then sold fuel at cut-rate prices.

           
  • US Home Sales Tick up to Highest in 3 ½ Years

    US home sales rise slightly to 4.97 million in April, highest in 3 ½ years; inventories rise

           
  • One of the most gripping images to emerge from the deadly tornado that devastated the town of Moore, Okla., Monday was of a man in a red shirt grasping a young student in an emotional hug, both of them covered in debris and surrounded by devastation.

    The story behind the photo is even more emotional, the story of a first responder who was the first familiar face the young boy saw when he realized he'd survived the EF-5 twister that killed 24 people Monday and injured hundreds more.

    READ MORE: 2 Devastated Okla. Elementary Schools Had No Safe Rooms

    "I was so happy that I saw him," the boy, Hezekiah Darbon, 6, said today on " Good Morning America." "I didn't know that he was coming. I thought my mom and dad were going to be the first ones."

    The "he" in the photo is Jim Routon, 47, a first responder from Moore who rushed to one of the most devastated spots in the city, Briarwood Elementary school, where Hezekiah is a first-grade

    Read More »from Okla. Tornado Survivors Reunited in Dramatic Photo
  • Cleveland Kidnapping Victims Grateful for Support, Privacy in Letter

    The three Cleveland women rescued from the kidnappings that kept them in captivity for over a decade say they are "happy and safe" as they continue to recover from the harrowing ordeal.

    The attorneys for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight released a letter on behalf of their clients thanking the public for their encouragement, as well as for respecting their requests for privacy.

    "The outpouring of public support has been nothing short of remarkable," the letter stated.

    "To have complete strangers offer loving support in the form of money, goods and services, reaching out to help like a family member, is appreciated in ways that are impossible to put into words. Amanda, Gina and Michelle, who have asked for nothing, are frankly overwhelmed by it all."

    RELATED: How to Help the Women Rescued in Cleveland Kidnapping

    The women escaped from Ariel Castro's home on May 6.

    A charity established to help the women in the aftermath of the kidnappings has raised more than

    Read More »from Cleveland Kidnapping Victims Grateful for Support, Privacy in Letter
  • Cleveland Kidnapping Victims 'Happy and Safe'

    The three Cleveland women rescued from the kidnappings that kept them in captivity for over a decade say they are "happy and safe" as they continue to recover from the harrowing ordeal.

           
  • Synthetic Peas Soothe Injured, Achy Joints

    Sir Isaac Newton found his inspiration in an apple. MaryCarol Dolivier found hers in a bag of frozen peas.

    After Dolivier tumbled down a flight of stairs a few years ago she was forced to lay on the couch for several weeks, a bag of frozen peas propped on her swollen knee.

    The bag leaked when it melted. When she refroze it, the peas formed a lumpy iceberg. The squishy mess they became when microwaved made them a totally unacceptable choice for heat therapy.

    Dolivier knew she could do better.

    Along with her partner, Arthur Blackwood, Dolivier invented Frozenpeaz, green-tinted, pea-shaped glass beads that heat and cool a lot like… well, frozen peas.

    "If you just get a simple bump or bruise, we are not what you are looking for," Dolivier said. "But if you're serious about sports or if you have a chronic injury or you are someone who is relying on hot and cold therapy on a regular basis, a bag of peas simply will not do."

    The $65 Frozenpeaz kit

    Read More »from Synthetic Peas Soothe Injured, Achy Joints

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