New England Sun-Times

BOSTON (CBS) – The state of Massachusetts has approved a liquor license for a toy store in Danvers. But don’t expect to pick up a six-pack there with some Legos. Last week, the governor signed a bill that granted a beer and wine license to the business at 13 Elm Street. The business there is Green Elephant Toys. “The situation was there was an Italian restaurant that was trying to lease the building we’re in now, well over a year ago,” store co-owner Andrew Schylling told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 Thursday. “We’ve been here for about 6 or 7 months and, apparently, the governor signed off on a liquor license for this address. Come to find out, liquor licenses, they go with a specific address. They don’t go with the actual business or the business owner and they’re non-transferrable. So we’re in a pretty unique situation right now.” That means the restaurant has to re-start the process for getting a liquor license for its new location.

The students and staff at New Jersey’ Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, paid tribute to the late singer today, reciting poems on the lawn, flying the flag at half mast and walking down the street to the house she lived in as a youth. Houston died Saturday in Beverly Hills, Ca., of as yet undetermined causes. The school in East Orange was named Franklin Elementary when Houston attended decades ago, but one thing remains the same: the principal, Henry W. Hamilton, who is in his 41st year there.   Hamilton said in an interview this morning that he remembers Whitney Houston well, and, while he knew she was talented, he was surprised at how far she went in the music industry. “I remember her when she was 15 years old. She was a fine young lady,” he said. “She had the potential to be great and she became great. She had a good family that supported her well.... But I didn’t think she’d become the greatest singer in the world, to be honest with yo...

METCO held a rally for increased funding at the Lila Frederick Middle School in Dorchester on February 15th to prep parents for Lobby Day at the State House. In attendance were METCO's Executive Director Jean McGuire, State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Representative Gloria Fox, Representative Liz Malia, and Representative Carlos Henriquez. At stake is $19 million in funding needed for METCO to operate smoothly, and parents were there to have their voices heard about why the funding was important and necessary for their children. Unfortunately, the audience consisted of about 12 mothers, 16 children, one white father, and NO BLACK MEN. This turnout was disappointing to say the least, and come Lobby Day, we are hoping the parents who want or have children in METCO show a little more enthusiasm and interest. Call your local representative and tell them "GIVE METCO THE $19 MILLION" State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz speaks at the METCO rally

It costs 2.4 cents to make a penny, making the face value of a penny less than its actual value. The cost to make a penny first exceeded the face value of pennies in 2006, briefly rising to almost 2¢ in 2007 before falling again. The rising cost of making a penny has led to some serious reconsideration of the composition of the penny at the United States Mint, the government agency responsible for printing money and striking new coinage. The cost of a penny is largely dictated by the materials used to make it. Pennies contain 97.5% zinc, with 2.5% copper to give them their distinctive coppery color. Prices of these metals have risen dramatically in the early 21st century, in response to market demands and increasing regulation of mining, which has made the cost of metals extraction much higher. The obvious solution to make a penny less expensive is to change the composition of the coin, integrating cheaper metals or perhaps even plastics, as is done with some Europea...

(CBS News) On Wednesday, China Vice President Xi Jinping will do something that every serious presidential candidate does in this country -- he'll visit Iowa. CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews in Muscatine tells us Xi just wants to catch up with some old friends. It was 27 years ago when Xi Jinping -- the man who might lead China -- led a six-man agriculture delegation to Muscatine, Iowa. Sitting on a bend of the Mississippi, Muscatine has huge grain-processing plant, but small town values. So Sarah Lande, who organized the visit, booked Mr Xi in the spare room of a friend. "He was treated just like one of us," she remembered. "He stayed in a room with Star Wars wallpaper?" Andrews asked. Obama: Strong relationship with China is "vital" China's likely next leader in U.S. at testy time "Yes that's right," said Lande,"just in the kid's room!" For three days Lande took him on tour...

(real Avastin on top/Fake Avastin on bottom) The maker of the widely used Avastin cancer drug said Tuesday that it is warning doctors, hospitals and patient groups that a counterfeit version of the medicine has been found in the U.S. Tests of counterfeit vials of Avastin showed that they didn't contain the active ingredient in Roche Holding AG's intravenous drug, according to the Swiss company's Genentech unit. It isn't clear how much of the counterfeit product was distributed in the U.S. or whether it has caused any harm. A Genentech spokeswoman said the company doesn't know if any patients were given the fake drug. The Food and Drug Administration is investigating, and has sent letters to 19 medical practices in the U.S. that the agency says buy unapproved cancer medicines and might have bought the counterfeit Avastin. An FDA spokeswoman said it hasn't received any reports of patient side effects that appear to be linked to the counterfeit product. ...

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County coroner’s office has issued subpoenas for medical and pharmacy records from Whitney Houston’s doctors and medical providers, which is standard procedure in such investigations, an official said. Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the request is made in virtually all death investigations because it can shed additional light on how people died and whether they had any serious medical conditions. “We’ve already contacted a number of doctors with requests for records,” he said. Winter said that at this point, there is nothing unusual about how his office is proceeding with the Houston death investigation and that requests for medical records are requested through subpoenas. “If somebody even dies in a crash, a blunt force trauma, we will still take medical issues into account,” he said. “Anything helps.” Investigators in the Houston case found several bottles of prescription medication in the Beverly Hills, ...