may day

may day

Historic Rock Hill will host a May Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the lawn of the White Home in downtown Rock Hill. Old-fashioned activities such as May pole dancing, croquet, a cakewalk, horse races and face painting are planned.

Azalea cuttings from the White Home gardens, Billy White books and brass Chirstmas ornaments will be sold. Hot dogs, chips, beverages and desserts will be served. The $5 entry fee includes lunch and activity tickets.

Historic Rock Hill purchased the 169-year-old White Home in January 2005 and has been raising money to restore the historic local residence. In 1837, newlyweds George and Ann White bought 180 acres with a hunting cabin from Alexander Templeton Black, and much of that land is where downtown Rock Hill is located today.

kelly mcgillis

kelly mcgillis

Hear that? It's the sound of a million middle-aged hearts breaking. 'Top Gun' star Kelly McGillis - otherwise known as the boyhood crush of anyone with a beating heart in 1986 - has confirmed longstanding rumors that she is a lesbian.

RadarOnline reports that McGillis said, "I'm done with the man thing. I did that, I need to move on in life. That's another part of being true to yourself... that's been a challenge for me personally."

"I think [accepting being homosexual] that was an ongoing process from the time I was about 12," she added. "I had a lot of things happened that convinced me that God was punishing me for being gay. That was a hard process."

swine flu april 30

swine flu april 30

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- A swine-flu patient in Spain who hadn’t traveled to Mexico may signal a new front of the outbreak, potentially heralding the first influenza pandemic in 41 years.

The World Health Organization raised its six-tier alert to 5, the second-highest, and said a pandemic declaration may come soon. It urged countries to make final preparations to deal with a virus that may sweep across the globe.

elizabeth edwards

elizabeth edwards

Elizabeth Edwards writes in a new memoir that news of her husband's affair made her vomit in a bathroom.

In the book scheduled to be published May 12, Edwards says her husband, John, admitted to the betrayal just days after declaring his run for president in 2006. She says she wanted him to drop out of the race to protect the family from media scrutiny, but stood by his side anyway.

John Edwards went public with the affair in August after the National Enquirer reported he was the father of videographer Rielle Hunter's daughter.

Elizabeth Edwards never identifies Hunter by name. But she says that while her life may be tragic, Hunter's is "pathetic."

69 reade street

69 reade street

The New York City Fire Department says a building at a construction site in lower Manhattan has collapsed.

Fire officials say the structure appeared to have been vacant. The address is listed as 69 Reade Street.

Les pompiers de New York ont annoncé tôt jeudi matin l'effondrement d'un immeuble du sud de la presqu'île de Manhattan, non loin du district financier

On ignore encore si l'immeuble situé au 69 Reade Street était occupé au moment de son effondrement.

fslr

fslr

First Solar Inc.'s (FSLR) first-quarter net income more than tripled as the solar-power-module maker reported surging revenue and margins.

Following the strong results, which easily beat analysts' estimates, shares were up 6.3% to $161.16 in after-hours trading.

Many solar companies have been cutting production and lowering their outlooks recently amid lower demand. But First Solar has continued to post strong results on the strength of its thin-film solar panels, which are less efficient than silicon-based panels but also less expensive. In February, it detailed plans to provide financing as customers find it difficult to raise capital amid the credit crunch.

zodiac killer

zodiac killer

SAN FRANCISCO — In the pantheon of unsolved mysteries, few can top the Zodiac, the shadowy killer blamed for five Bay Area murders in the late 1960s and untold numbers of stranger-than-fiction theories ever since.

Add to that roster the tale told Wednesday by Deborah Perez, who announced to a skeptical crowd of reporters and Zodiac aficionados here not only that the killer was her adoptive and long-dead father, Guy Ward Hendrickson, but that she had been present at at least one killing and had even scribbled some of the taunting notes the Zodiac sent to the press and the police.

“I was a child and just thought I was helping my dad,” said Ms. Perez, a 47-year-old real-estate agent from Southern California. “I didn’t know.”

robin wright penn

robin wright penn

Sean Penn has filed for legal separation from his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn, according to Fox News. The duo appeared together at the Oscars in February, but the actor did not thank his wife in his acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar he received for Milk. The couple has two children together, daughter Dylan Frances, 18, and son Hopper Jack, 15. They previously filed for divorce in 2007 but then requested that the request be denied in April of last year.

sqnm

sqnm

Several firms commenting on Sequenom (NASDAQ:SQNM) after the co announced it has delayed the launch of its Down syndrome (T21) test due to “employee mishandling” of R&D study data in both the RNA & DNA arms. As such, the company is no longer relying on previously reported results as “the clinical performance appears questionable”. SQNM is also reviewing data from its other Dx tests, and a special independent committee is investigating.

- Stephens is downgrading SQNM to Equal Weight from Overweight while lowering their tgt to $6 from $30. Clearly SQNM has taken a substantial credibility hit here and will likely lose a significant portion of its market capitalization today. Furthermore, they believe a delay in the launch of the prenatal diagnostics franchise exacerbates potential liquidity risk. Firm believes the best way to currently value the business is to look at a sum of the net parts. Given current uncertainty surrounding SQNM's diagnostic franchise, they recommend investors move to the sidelines until we receive externally validated data.

andrew speaker

andrew speaker

An Atlanta lawyer whose tuberculosis case caused an international health scare has sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for invasion of privacy.

Andrew Speaker, 33, filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. He seeks unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees.

“They had no right to stand up and talk about my private medical information,” Speaker said Wednesday. “It gave them an opportunity to create a big story they could use to get funding.”

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said the agency does not discuss pending litigation.

selena roberts

selena roberts

Although the slugger insists he dabbled in steroids only while with the Texas Rangers, the book “A-Rod” strongly suggests he didn’t give up performance enhancers when he came to New York.

Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts, who broke the story that A-Rod flunked a steroid screening in 2003, reveals fellow Bombers nicknamed the third baseman “B—h T–s” in 2005. That was after he put on 15pounds in the off-season and seemed to develop round pectorals, a condition called gynecomastia that can be caused by anabolic steroids, she writes.

building collapse nyc

building collapse nyc

A vacant five-story building collapsed in Lower Manhattan Thursday morning, flattening a car and showering debris in every direction.

Emergency crews - some using dogs - sifted through the rubble at Reade St. after the 6 a.m. accident. Officials haven't reported any injuries.

"It was like 37 train cars coming right by your head," said Nick Palmacci, 24, who lives nearby and was awakened by the booming collapse between Broadway and Church St.

rielle hunter

rielle hunter

Darien, CT – As one of the country’s most beloved political figures, Elizabeth Edwards has experienced difficulties that have unfolded in front of millions of people. From the unexpected death of her 16-year-old son to her ongoing battle with cancer, Edwards showed Americans that the best way to handle adversity is with dignity and strength.

Mrs. Edwards will donate her time to share her experiences during a keynote address at the Center for HOPE’s Annual Luncheon, which will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20 at Woodway Country Club in Darien. In addition to discussing how her own personal struggles impacted her life and that of her family, Mrs. Edwards will reference inspirational passages from her new book, Resilience.

grade gov

grade gov

President Barack Obama marked his 100th day in office Wednesday with a primetime news conference in which he told the American people he was pleased but not satisfied with the progress of the nation's economy, and twice advised citizens to wash their hands and cover their mouths when they cough to prevent the spread of pandemic flu.

"I think we're off to a good start, but it's just a start," Obama said of his three-month-old administration. "I'm proud of what we've achieved, but I'm not content. I'm pleased with our progress, but I'm not satisfied."

gradegov.com

gradegov.com

After 26 years spent working for the Senate, Elizabeth Letchworth knows a thing or two about Congress — including how much of a bubble it can be.

Now off Capitol Hill, Letchworth is poised to launch a new website next week that aims to keep members in touch with the rest of the country. Gradegov.com will allow users to give individual members a letter grade, A through F. The site will display each lawmaker’s average, as well as breakdowns by political party and by grades sent by voters who actually live in a member’s district.