Struck by cancer, beauty blogger is transformed by illness and outpouring of support

CHICAGO — Over the last five years, Meechy Monroe has built a reputation and international following among black women who turned to her for hair care tips and inspiration as they turned from chemically treated hair to natural styles.

Through her blog, social media and YouTube channel, Monroe won tens of thousands of followers who longed to know just how she twisted, twirled, patted and puffed her signature, textured Afro into an elegant, bouffant-esque style. Her YouTube channel piled up more than 2.4 million views. She gained 36,000 followers on Instagram and reached thousands more through Twitter and her blog.

But recently, the 29-year-old West Pullman resident has been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor that affects just 1 percent of cancer patients in the U.S. The disease, along with the radiation and chemotherapy necessary to treat it, has changed everything for Monroe. She lost her ability to write clearly. Her speech became halting.

Added to those huge losses was another one: her hair, the glorious, dark black, curly mane that helped catapult her to icon status within the natural hair community.

"This is who I am now," said Monroe, in an interview in her home.

Once tall and lean with striking hair, Monroe is now bald and has a circular scar on the left side of her scalp from two surgeries. Her medication has added 40 pounds to her frame.

As she has battled her cancer, she has found a new mission: teaching women that beauty is not all about hair.

"It's just a new journey for me," she said. "I've learned to be pretty confident in my skin. Chubby cheeks. Bald head. It's beautiful. I have to show other women — no matter what, you're still beautiful."

Monroe's real name is Tameka Moore, but online she is known by the nickname her sister gave her in high school. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 2008. After college, she returned to Chicago to work for a marketing firm.

In 2009, after receiving an unflattering cut at a salon, she decided to chop off all her chemically treated hair and start fresh with a short Afro. As her soft, curly hair began to grow and she experimented with styles, she said she often was stopped on the street by women asking for tips. She happily gave them advice.

"I wanted to help people, and I was still learning, too," she said. "People would come up to me and ask what I did to my hair. They'd ask to touch it and I'd let them. I understood that so many black women didn't know their natural hair. They wanted to learn. I'd stop and have a 20-minute conversation in the train station."

Eventually she got the idea to start a blog and post videos demonstrating how she'd get her hair to hold its shape and look glossy and textured. She taped herself, at first in her father's bathroom in the basement of their modest home, edited the videos and posted them online.

Quickly, they became popular.

"Meechy had always been shy and an introvert," said her sister, Vaughn Moore. "But on her videos, her personality shined through. When she taped them, it felt like it was one-on-one. But she was speaking to hundreds and thousands of people."

As her popularity and fan base grew, so did the opportunities. She was still working full time, but on the side she was spending hours creating her videos, testing new styles and writing about her newfound craft. She upgraded her equipment and paid more attention to details — what she was wearing, what products she was using.

She'd even borrow relatives' bathrooms so she could tape in new spaces.

Just a year into her project, she was asked to help with social media campaigns for hair care products and later asked to review brands on her blog. She was tapped to speak at events and paid to give demonstrations in Atlanta and New Orleans.

Fans labeled her signature look the 'Meechy twist-out,' because she'd section her hair in bunches, twist it at night, and by morning her hair would fluff into a soft, textured, vibrant Afro.

"I became popular because of my hair," she said. "I never expected that."

Last year, she was asked to serve as the brand ambassador for a hair steamer. Not only did that mean her face was placed on packaging and in print ads, she was flown to Paris and Amsterdam to talk about her hair care regimen.

"I was immediately struck by how genuine and passionate she was about hair and beauty," said Ken Burkeen, the founder and CEO of Huetiful, a chain of hair salons that has trademarked the steamer and also sells hair care products. "She was really caring, really supportive. She was positive and uplifting."

As he got to know her work, Burkeen was impressed.

"I don't think she saw herself as a cover girl," he said. "But she is both relatable and aspirational. She's the girl next door. She's the South Side Chicago girl, and she looks like she lives down the street from you. At the same time, women around the world say her look and style is one they want to emulate."

Just as her career was reaching new heights, Monroe woke up one April morning feeling confused and having trouble concentrating. She went to the hospital but was sent home when doctors couldn't find anything wrong.

A few days later, Monroe woke up and one side of her face was drooping. Doctors determined that she had suffered several minor strokes. She underwent rounds of tests and exams.

In May, when doctors conducted surgery, they found a brain tumor — one that normally forms in other places on the body and rarely appears in the brain, said Dr. Leslie Schaffer, her neurosurgeon at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

"It's very rare and it's not easy to treat," Schaffer said. "Sarcomas don't respond to radiation very well, and they don't respond to chemotherapy very well."

Schaffer has surgically removed part of the tumor. Monroe has completed radiation and is currently undergoing chemotherapy even though the treatments are often unsuccessful.

Monroe will learn later this year if the cancer is in remission.

"Only time will tell how she responds to treatment and how the tumor behaves," Schaffer said. "She's a very exceptional young lady. She's bright and very caring. She's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, and it's a privilege to care for her."

Nearly every day, Monroe is relearning to speak with punch, to write with precision and pull herself together with vigor. She is pushing herself to regain her stamina, her poise and the eloquence that made her a force online.

She's also coming to terms with everything that she has lost.

"At first, I couldn't talk at all," she said. "I've been making drastic improvements. The muscles in my jaw are building up. I couldn't move my hand at first, and I can now. I'll see more changes real soon."

Recently, Monroe was only a few minutes into her speech therapy session in a cramped hospital office when she began pressing her therapist to challenge her more. She wanted to try tougher exercises that would help her regain her skills.

But as she read over a worksheet asking her to dissect a family tree, tears rolled down her face. She tucked her chin to her chest, and her hands trembled as she struggled with her emotions.

"Can we do this later?" Monroe asked, her voice shaking. "I'm not comfortable."

"This is a challenge, I know," said her therapist, Michelle LaMantia. "I know you're doing your best. We've made a lot of gains lately. We don't want to just be on easy street here."

When she was at her best, Monroe saw her mission as inspiring other African-American women to embrace themselves in their most natural state. These days, as she battles cancer, her followers and fans have given her inspiration, she said.

When she got sick, she disappeared from the Internet. Rumors floated and many of her followers tweeted and posted messages looking for her. With help, she decided to write a post about her challenges.

"Who knows how strong you have to be until you are faced with so many life-changing decisions," she wrote.

Since she disclosed her illness on her blog, she has received hundreds of cards, letters and emails. Her followers have sent her hats and turbans, books and poems and have even raised money to help with her medical bills.

"I know we've never met ... but continue being a fighter. God has your back," wrote one follower from Metairie, La.

"Many prayer warriors are praying for you," wrote a woman from Gary who knows her from social media.

Shortly after she posted about her illness, the hashtag #GetWellMeechy trended both on Instagram and Twitter.

On a Sunday morning, as she prepared for church, Monroe looked through her box of cards and letters. She patted her heart as she read them over and tried to hold back her tears.

"That's the sweetest part of it all," she said. "They don't have to do this, but they feel it in their hearts. People have been so kind and I'm thankful for it.

"I can't do it alone."

Comet Buzzes Mars in Once-in-a-Lifetime Flyby

A comet zoomed by Mars today (Oct. 19) in an extremely rare close encounter that scientists billed as a "once-in-a-lifetime" event that may help researchers better understand the earliest days of our solar system.

Comet Siding Spring came within just 87,000 miles (139,500 kilometers) of the Martian surface at 2:27 p.m. EDT (1827 GMT) today — about one-third of the distance between Earth and the moon. At the time of closest approach, the comet barreled by at 126,000 mph (203,000 km/h) relative to the Red Planet, NASA officials said.

All seven spacecraft currently operating on or around Mars were scheduled to observe the close shave, with the aim of learning more about comet composition and behavior. [See photos of Comet Siding Spring]

"We cannot plan missions to comets like this — this one was discovered less than two years ago. It is incredible luck that it is saving us the trouble of going to it, as it flies by Mars, which is being explored by seven active robots," Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, a camera team member for NASA's Curiosity and Opportunity Mars rovers, said in a statement. "So this very much is a once-in-a-lifetime event, for us and our rovers."

Planetary scientist David Grinspoon, who tracked Comet Siding Spring flyby in real-time during a live webcast by the Slooh Community Observatory, compared the significance of the event with the epic impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter in 1994.

"It's very rare," Grinspoon said of such a close encounter between a comet and planet. "And it's certainly the first time that I can think of that I've seen it happen with Mars."

A unique opportunity
Comets are time capsules of a sort, remnants left over from the solar system's formation 4.6 billion years ago. Studying them can reveal insights about the conditions prevailing when the planets first started coming together, researchers say.

And Siding Spring, which was discovered in January 2013, is an especially pristine time capsule. It's making its first-ever trip to the inner solar system from the Oort Cloud, a shell of trillions of comets that lies perhaps 50,000 astronomical units from the sun. (One astronomical unit, or AU, is the distance from Earth to the sun —about 93 million miles, or 150 million km.)

Siding Spring — whose core is between 0.5 and 5 miles (0.8 to 8 km) wide — has never been baked by the sun, so the comet likely looks much as it did 4.6 billion years ago.

Today's Mars flyby therefore presented a unique opportunity, scientists say. No space mission has ever visited an Oort Cloud comet; indeed, the core of such a body has never been resolved in an image before.

"NASA's Planetary Science assets – including the MAVEN spacecraft which just entered Mars’ orbit last month – are in prime positions to gather data and record this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon,"  Congressman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, said in a statement after the comet flyby. "These are the events that inspire our imaginations and remind us why we must continue investing in planetary science and NASA's primary mission of space exploration."

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) aimed to photograph Siding Spring's core today. Curiosity and Opportunity were going to try to make history as well, capturing the first-ever images of a comet from the surface of another world.

"Opportunity and Curiosity are on opposite sides of the planet," Lemmon said. "Opportunity will take images from the surface in the dawn twilight, hours before the comet buzzes Mars. After the sun sets on the other side of the planet, Curiosity will take pictures as the comet departs Mars."

NASA's Mars Odyssey and newly arrived MAVEN spacecraft (short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution), India's Mangalyaan orbiter and Europe's Mars Express probe were also slated to observe the encounter from orbit. MAVEN is especially suited to study any interaction between Siding Spring's dust and Mars' upper atmosphere, which could reveal insights about the Red Planet's air.

While a collision with any shed cometary material could result in serious damage, NASA officials are not too worried about their spacecraft. The orbiters were moved to be on Mars' "safe side" during the time of highest dust exposure, and Curiosity and Opportunity are protected by the planet's atmosphere.

Results coming soon
Don't expect the most spectacular images of the comet encounter to pop up on NASA's website right away. It  will likely take a few days to receive and process data from the various Mars probes, researchers said.

"The best data probably won't actually be available until about three or four days after [closest approach]," Carey Lisse, a senior astrophysicist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, said during a NASA news conference last week. "We don't want to over-promise."

The flyby data are part of a larger Siding Spring observation campaign, which began well before today and will continue as the comet heads back out toward the Oort Cloud. (Siding Spring's closest approach to the sun comes on Oct. 25.)

Analyzing the data gathered during this campaign could keep researchers busy for years to come.

"There are so many observations involved," said Kelly Fast, program scientist at NASA's planetary science division. "The science analysis will go on for a long time, especially to get all the science out of all the data that aren't necessarily pictures."

'S.S. Ebola' passengers show good humor on cruise despite viral anxiety

GALVESTON, Texas — They dubbed the ship the S.S. Ebola, bellied up to the bar to spend $200 vouchers, and shared wild rumors for several days at sea. But when passengers of the Carnival Magic stepped ashore in Galveston on Sunday morning, their vacation smiles soon faded to frowns of wary bemusement at the television cameras there to greet them.

The Ebola scare was over. The media infestation was in full force.

A Dallas hospital worker had long since left the ship, escorted off shortly after 5 a.m., after blood tests ferried by helicopter from the vessel the day before confirmed what her lack of symptoms suggested: She had no evidence of infection by the deadly Ebola virus that was in blood samples analyzed by the laboratory she supervises at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas.

Sunday, in fact, was the first time the captain or crew had used word "Ebola" in daily announcements informing them about the status of an unnamed passenger holed up in her cabin with her husband, according to several passengers.

"The first time that word was said was this morning," said Stephanie Kirbo, 38, of Brownwood, Texas.

"We all knew," said her friend, Billy Willis, 57. "We had CNN in our rooms. We knew."
The party had been waiting to go ashore in Cozumel, on a prepaid excursion, but after several hours of waiting while Mexican authorities came aboard, passengers soon realized no one was going ashore.

"They did us right," said Willis. "They gave us $200 off our tickets, half off a cruise, free drinks at dinner."

None of the group was too concerned about Ebola contagion, having learned about the disease over the weeks since a Liberian man was diagnosed with the infection, and later died of it, at the Dallas hospital.

"If I get Ebola, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket," Willis said.

Some were less blase about contagion, and less charitable about the cruise line's response.

"Nobody knew what was going on. Carnival didn't give us much information," said Mike Gray, 50, an aviation worker from Wichita, Kan. "They didn't come out and say what was going on until we already heard about it on CNN."

"Lots of rumors" filled in the gaps, Gray said. "We heard all kinds of stories—everything but the truth," Gray said. "That was the part that irritated me more than anything. Other than that, it was a good time."

The family was going to swim with sea turtles during the Cozumel stopover, they said.

But ship officials soon told passengers they would be headed back to Galveston, and offered each passenger a $200 voucher and 50 percent off another cruise, Gray said. "Bars were three or four deep once they made that announcement" he said.

"It's an unknown, so of course you're a little bit worried about it—We've got kids," said Cedric Roberson, 54, of Lancaster, Texas. "But everything turned out OK. The good Lord took care of us. We're good to go," he said.

On Sunday, passengers clutched letters from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The information sheet did not mention the negative test for signs of the virus, but said that by Monday, the passenger would reach the end of the 21 days in which Ebola generally causes symptoms.

The ship was notified Wednesday of the woman's presence on board, and after she spoke with officials from the CDC, she agreed to stay in her cabin, said Carnival Cruise Lines' chief marketing officer, Jim Berra. "She was completely asymptomatic," he said. "As a matter of fact, she was monitoring her temperature even before she got on board."

Ship medical personnel monitored her condition and took her temperature, Berra said.

Passengers said the ship lingered several hours past its scheduled departure from Belize, while it appeared that officials debated whether the passenger could get off the ship there. When it arrived in Cozumel, Mexican police and port officials boarded the ship, and soon it was announced that no one could set foot on Mexican soil.

Carnival Corp. Chief Executive Arnold W. Donald traveled to Galveston and went aboard the Magic, talking with passengers, a company spokeswoman said. He was not available for comment. Carnival sent Berra and a squad of public affairs staff, bolstered with hired personnel from PR firm FleishmanHillard in Houston to handle the media.

The Carnival Magic was cleared to sail again Sunday without any special cleaning required, Berra said. But workers were using bleach foggers and wiping down all surfaces, from its decks and railings down to casino chips, he said.

Its sailing offers a measure of consolation to health authorities who have faced criticism over their handling of those who may have had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian man who was treated at the hospital, where he died Oct. 8.

A nurse tested positive for the virus after traveling to Ohio last weekend and returning to Dallas on Monday, reporting a fever. The nurse, Amber Vinson, was transferred Wednesday to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

CDC officials said Vinson had been told to avoid public transportation, including commercial airlines, while she monitored herself for symptoms. Agency director Dr. Thomas Frieden said her trip, which began before fellow nurse Nina Pham had been diagnosed with an Ebola infection, violated that restriction. The agency, however, approved her return trip.

Pham was transferred Thursday to the National Institutes of Health clinical center in Bethesda, Md.

Vinson's airline travel sparked a flurry of calls to passengers who shared her flights on Frontier Airlines, and those who traveled on the aircraft on its subsequent trips. But only a handful of the passengers who were seated close to Vinson are being actively monitored for signs of Ebola, according to CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. Scores of others, however, remain under monitoring in Texas, effectively quarantined by voluntary orders.

Several of Duncan's family members, as well as others who had close contact with him, will reach the end of their quarantines this week.

Passengers appeared relieved Sunday that no such restrictions would apply to them. But several still clung to the humor that got them through the last few days of their one-week western Caribbean cruise.

"I called my boss, to see if they wanted me to come to work tomorrow or take three more weeks off," Gray said.

No such luck, he added.

U.S. Steps Up Airstrikes in Iraq's Anbar Province

WASHINGTON—The U.S. said Sunday that it had expanded airstrikes in Iraq’s Sunni-dominated Anbar province, a stronghold of Islamic State militants.

U.S. warplanes struck a berm near the Fallujah Dam that American military officials said had been used by Islamic State militants to flood Shiite neighborhoods in East Fallujah. U.S. military officials said because the berm was used to flood canals and control downstream water supplies, it was a legitimate military target.

“Initial reports indicate the berm was destroyed, enabling water again to flow freely,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said.

In all, the U.S. struck 10 targets in Iraq and conducted 13 strikes in Syria on Saturday and Sunday. The strikes in Syria were conducted with allied fighter planes from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. military said.

Over the weekend, the attacks by the U.S. and its coalition have intensified.

With strikes on the berm and additional oil refineries, the military has struck more and varied targets in both Iraq and Syria.

A senior military official said Sunday it is still possible the city could fall, though Islamic State militants don't have the advantage.

Despite the intensified strikes, Republicans continued their criticism of the administration.

A damaged police station is seen in the Anbar province town of Hit on Oct. 6. The U.S. said it has broadened its airstrikes in the region in an effort to defeat Islamic State militants. © Provided by The Wall Street Journal.
“The approach of the Obama administration has been fundamentally unserious,” said Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas). “It has really been a photo-op foreign policy.”

Eleven of the strikes in Syria took place near Kobani, which has been the site of the most intense fighting with Islamic State militants in recent weeks. U.S. Central Command said those strikes hit 20 Islamic State fighting positions, five of the group’s vehicles and two buildings used by militants.

Other strikes in Syria were aimed at destroying the militant group’s financing, ruining its ability to collect, refine and transport crude oil. U.S. B-1 bomber aircraft, which fly from the American air base in Qatar, struck a modular oil refinery.

In Iraq, the U.S. also conducted additional strikes south of Beiji, the site of Iraq’s largest oil refinery. One strike south of the refinery destroyed an Islamic State check point.

Two other strikes hit what the U.S. military called a large Islamic State unit, an armored truck and a checkpoint. In addition, there were five airstrikes east of Fallujah on an Islamic State command post and large unit, the U.S. military said. Another strike hit west of the Mosul dam, destroying an ammunition truck, the military said.

Hannah Graham Investigators Scour Area Where Remains Were Found

Authorities investigating the disappearance of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham were combing over a rural area Sunday where human remains were discovered the day before.

The remains were found on an abandoned property near Old Lynchburg Road in Albemarle County, less than 10 miles away from where Graham was last seen, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said Saturday. Although Graham's parents had been notified of the discovery, Longo said forensic tests needed to be conducted to determine the identity of the remains.

Crews spent Sunday canvassing roadsides for several miles surrounding the site and interviewing residents who live near Old Lynchburg Road, according to NBC Washington. Investigators did not disclose what they were looking for. Albemarle County Police Chief Col. Steve Sellers had appealed Saturday for people who live in the area to report anything suspicious that they may have seen on the night Graham went missing nearly five weeks earlier. Jesse Leroy Matthew, 32, the last person believed to be spotted with Graham, has been arrested and charged with abduction with the intent to defile in connection with the case. Graham went missing in the early hours of Sept. 13 after leaving an off-campus party.

A volunteer-assisted search scheduled for Sunday in a park four miles from where the remains were found was called off because "authorities are focusing their attention on recent evidence," the Albemarle County Police department said in a statement.

Notre Dame sees mixed, frustrating results on final play

TALLAHASSEE — Afterward, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly noted how his team had hit nearly all of its pregame goals.

The Fighting Irish wanted to control the tempo offensively, something they achieved with a hustling style that had Florida State on its heels for the entirety of the first half. The offense was balanced between the run and the pass, per Kelly's expectations.

The defense did enough, Kelly said, holding Florida State's attack down "for as long as we could."

It's entirely painful, therefore, that a team that largely achieved what it had set out to do — with very few exceptions, Kelly said, such as the play of its defensive ends and outside linebackers — missed upsetting the defending national champion by a single play.
Doubling Notre Dame's pain is the nature of the play itself. In the first half, quarterback Everett Golson had found an open Corey Robinson for a red-zone touchdown with help from a wisely designed scheme:

Robinson would run toward a defender and then cut toward the outside; a teammate, wide receiver C.J. Prosise, would zig in while Robinson zagged out, essentially cutting off the defender tasked with Robinson from his intended target.

It worked the first time, giving Notre Dame a 14-7 lead three minutes into the second quarter. On the second try, however, with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Notre Dame on Florida State's doorstep, Prosise was flagged for an offensive pass interference penalty — with officials ruling that he had deliberately blocked an FSU defensive back from keeping pace with an open Robinson.

"We needed to make one more play," Kelly said.

To officials, it was an illegal play; to Kelly, still bristling at the call more than 30 minutes after the final whistle, it was anything but.

"(Prosise) did exactly what he's supposed to do," he said. "We execute that play every day. And we do it legally and that's the way we coach it. We don't coach illegal plays. I mean, it is what it is, right?"

Echoed Golson, "They called offensive pass interference. That's something you can't argue with. You just have to play through it."

TOP 25: How they fared in Week 8

Notre Dame will accept the flag — begrudgingly, and with some semblance of outrage despite words to the contrary — but the team's disappointment is impossible to ignore.

The College Football Playoff will be far kinder to one-loss teams than the Football Bowl Subdivision's previous postseason format, the Bowl Championship Series, but only to a degree: The Southeastern Conference, for example, may very well land a pair of one-loss teams in the Playoff.

Yet for teams without the benefit of a strong conference affiliation, such as Notre Dame or Florida State, a loss could prove catastrophic. That's what made Saturday night such a must-win for both parties — because either team would have pointed to the matchup as its résumé-building win of the season.
Here's where it really stings: Notre Dame will enter the final weekend of October without a single win against a ranked team, thanks in some part to Stanford's tumble to three early losses. In Notre Dame's case, a win against Florida State would have likely placed the Irish among the four likely Playoff participants heading into the home stretch; instead, it could send the Irish tumbling.

"We're obviously very disappointed," Kelly said. "We're just disappointed it didn't come out the way we scripted it in our minds. We came down here expecting to win."

Yet a silver lining remains. If Notre Dame can rebound from a painful loss, it's possible to envision a scenario where Kelly and Irish regain some solid footing in the Playoff race — with some help, of course.

The Irish can help their own cause down the stretch. Notre Dame will face a pair of ranked teams from the Pac-12 Conference, Arizona State and USC, in November, and face both teams on the road. In conjunction with losses from the SEC's best — and Florida State, perhaps — these wins could remove the sting of a single play gone awry and return Notre Dame to top-four contention.

"We have a lot of football ahead of us," Kelly said. "We have a lot of really good teams left to play. We have a very good football team and we're just going to take it one week at a time and we're going to work on getting better and hopefully it doesn't have to come down to the end."

Colt McCoy steps in during the second half, leads Redskins to 19-17 victory over Titans

Colt McCoy gripped both sides of the podium and tried to control his emotions as he reflected on the 19-17 comeback victory he and the Washington Redskins engineered over the Tennessee Titans at FedEx Field on Sunday.

McCoy took over at the start of the second half and completed 11 of 12 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown . He was not intercepted and was a perfect 5 for 5 on the final drive, which culminated with Kai Forbath’s 22-yard field goal with three seconds left to lift Washington to a victory that snapped a four-game losing streak.

McCoy began that drive by stepping into the huddle looked at a group of faces he hadn’t taken practice reps with since training camp.

“I looked them in the eyes and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to do my job, you do yours and we’re going to win this game,’ ” McCoy recounted.

Job complete — and the Redskins improved to 2-5.
Nearly three years had passed since McCoy’s last meaningful game appearance. The garbage-time cameos with San Francisco last season and in 2012 with Cleveland didn’t count. He once was viewed as the franchise savior in Cleveland, but he lost his job with one month remaining in his second season, and spent the next two years charting plays and running the scout teams.

“This league is very unforgiving, and I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to still be able to play,” McCoy said, his voice cracking.

McCoy signed with Washington back in April although chances of playing time looked bleak because of the heavy investments in Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

But there he was Sunday, trotting onto the field at the start of the third quarter, charged with leading the Redskins back from a 10-6 halftime deficit. Griffin remained on the shelf, still working his way back from the ankle injury suffered in Week 2, and Cousins stood on the sideline, helmet on, arms folded, benched after a first half that saw him lose a fumble and throw his ninth interception of the season.

Gruden had opted to stick with Cousins this week, even after he threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss at Arizona. He believed the third-year quarterback needed to continue to work his way through his turnover tendencies, and that eventually he would achieve a breakthrough.

But the problems resurfaced, and when Cousins threw right to linebacker Wesley Woodyard, Gruden had seen enough.

“After the interception, we decided to go with Colt,” Gruden explained. “ . . . I thought after the interception — turning the ball over — we talked about accountability, ball security. That was a standard pass play that we’ve run for a long, long time and he threw it right to him, unfortunately, and I decided to go with Colt in the second half.”

Washington’s offense needed a spark. In addition to Cousins’s two turnovers (he almost had a third, but a Titans defender dropped one sure first-quarter interception), the unit had managed only 184 yards while converting only 2 of 7 third downs. The defense didn’t provide much support outside of rookie Bashaud Breeland’s interception just one play before Cousins’s interception forced Gruden’s hand.

The defense couldn’t get off the field on crucial third downs, and safeties Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather whiffed on a red-zone tackle that could have prevented Kendall Wright from scoring on a 14-yard reception from Charlie Whitehurst in the second quarter.

But as his team headed to the locker room at halftime with the home crowd raining down a smattering of boos, Gruden believed the lack of ball security stood out as the most concerning element of all.

And so, the coach went to his one-time third-string quarterback and told him he was getting the nod.

“I don’t know what the problems are right now,” Gruden said after the game. “It was just a bad throw and a bad situation, and I just thought Colt has earned the right to get an opportunity if Kirk struggled in the first half turning the ball over. That’s the basic reason. Had I not thought Colt had been ready, I would’ve stuck with Kirk, but I just thought Colt was ready to go. I know he felt ready. He’s been champing at the bit to play, but he’s always been a supportive backup in this time. When his number was called, he produced.”

Describing his mind-set as his role suddenly changed, McCoy said, “I like Jay a lot, and when Jay came and told me to be ready to play, I just didn’t want to let him down. You’ve always got to be ready to play. If he goes with you and you go in there and turn the ball over or don’t start fast or don’t win the game or don’t play well, that just doesn’t look good.”

On his first attempt, McCoy completed a short pass to wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who juked cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson and raced 70 yards to the end zone. McCoy bounced and high-stepped his way downfield after Garcon, celebrated and returned to the sideline with the home crowd whipped into a frenzy as “Hail to the Redskins” blared.

“After the play, I always want to do something with the ball, and I just ran. It felt good, but I just try to play like that regardless. You want to get the ball in your hand and I was just happy it came out. We need to stop any losing streak, but they were losing, so we are definitely glad against them, though.”

The Titans (2-5) took a brief 17-16 lead after Whitehurst completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Derek Hagan, but Washington got the ball back with 3 minutes 14 seconds left and McCoy had the chance to orchestrate a game-winning drive.

He went out and completed his next five passes. A sixth attempt — a deep ball along the sideline to DeSean Jackson — drew a pass interference call that placed the ball at the Tennessee 7.

The Redskins milked the clock until calling a timeout with three seconds left, and on came Forbath, who had made his first three field goal attempts of the game and had never gone 4 for 4 in a game until Sunday.

Forbath said he told himself to approach the kick as if it was an extra-point attempt, and following a timeout by the Titans, he made the kick, delivering the victory.

New Orleans Saints surrender big lead vs. Lions, dealt stunning 24-23 loss

Detroit -- The New Orleans Saints were on the verge of completing their most impressive game of the season when a haunting finish demonstrated the problems that have plagued them all season are far from buried.

The Detroit Lions stunned the Saints 24-23 Sunday afternoon at Ford Field, scoring two late touchdowns and then shutting down a last-gasp Saints effort.

Drew Brees marred an otherwise flawless day by throwing an interception with 3:20 left in the game. Lions safety Glover Quinn returned the pick to the Saints' 13, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Corey Fuller. New kicker Matt Prater split the uprights to give the Lions the lead and send the sleepy Ford Field crowd into a frenzy.

Brees threw three straight completions before dashing 13 yards for a first down on the Saints' last-gasp effort. But it wasn't enough as the drive ended near midfield when a pass intended for Robert Meachem fell incomplete.

For three quarters, everything had gone the Saints' way.

With tight end Jimmy Graham hampered by an injury, Brees simply moved on to other options.

Marques Colston and Kenny Stills both had more than 100 receiving yards and the Saints dominated the Lions' struggling offense early.

The Saints (2-4) missed a chance to tie the Carolina Panthers (3-3-1) for first place in the NFC South. The loss also extended a seven-game regular season losing streak away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

The deep ball that had been missing from an otherwise productive Saints offense returned at an ideal time.

Brees opened the second half with a 46-yard bomb to Stills, breaking open the game and offering a 17-3 cushion for the Saints' resurgent defense.

Graham, who injured his shoulder two weeks ago vs. Tampa Bay, returned to the field in limited situations but was not targeted until the fourth quarter.

The Lions reached the end zone for the first time with 6:19 left in the third quarter, as Joique Bell scored from 1-yard out to cut the Saints lead to 17-10. More worrisome for the Saints was the length of the 12-play, 80-yard, seven-minute drive that included two third-down conversions.

But the defense stiffened and the Saints answered with a 48-yard field goal by Shayne Graham to build a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter.

The Saints appeared to all but seal the victory when safety Kenny Vaccaro intercepted Stafford near the end zone and returned it 45 yards. Shayne Graham kicked another field goal, this one from 36 yards, to give the Saints' a 13-point lead with 5:24 left.

A big breakdown on defense started the Saints' downfall. Golden Tate turned a short pass from Stafford into a 73-yard touchdown, leaving the Saints' secondary confused and winded.

The Saints' offense, lacking a run game against the stout Lions' defensive line, couldn't run out the clock.

Both offenses were plagued by poor field position and penalties early.

The Saints and Lions each punted twice in the first quarter, but the game shifted when Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis intercepted Stafford near the end of the first quarter.

Brees found an unlikely target -- fullback Austin Johnson -- for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Saints a 7-0 lead.

It was Johnson's first NFL touchdown, a feat made more impressive because it was unclear whether he would even be active Sunday. Veteran fullback Erik Lorig returned from injury earlier in the week, but coaches opted to stick with Johnson in the backfield.

The Saints gave the ball back in the second quarter when running back Khiry Robinson coughed up the ball after being hit by Lions tackle C.J. Mosley. Safety James Ihedigbo fell on the fumble.

Saints rookie cornerback Brian Dixon was called for pass interference, giving the Lions a 31-yard gain to the New Orleans 8. But rookie safety Vinnie Sunseri broke up a third-down pass two plays later, forcing the Lions to settle for a 21-yard field goal that new kicker Matt Prater barely converted after banging the ball off the upright.

The Saints executed an impressive two-minute drill before halftime, driving 80 yards in 92 seconds for a 27-yard Shayne Graham field goal as time expired. Like Prater a few minutes earlier, Graham bonked the short kick off the goal post before going in.

It was the first time the Saints have held an opponent without a first half touchdown on the road since Dec. 11, 2011 at Tennessee.

DeMarco Murray breaks NFL record with 7th straight 100-yard game

DeMarco Murray breaks NFL record with 7th straight 100-yard game

As DeMarco Murray scampered past the century mark on Sunday against the New York Giants, he became the only player in NFL history to begin a season with seven consecutive 100-yard rushing games. The Dallas Cowboys running back came into the game tied with the legendary Jim Brown, who started off on a six-game streak in 1958. With a 3-yard carry in the fourth quarter, Murray put himself in rarefied air.

Through seven games, only Terrell Davis in 1998 (1,001 yards) and Jamal Lewis in 2003 (977 yards) have rushed for more yards through seven games. Murray is well out-pacing his contemporaries this season:
The fourth-year pro entered Week 7 leading the league in rushing and averaging 131 yards per game. He's been the catalyst for a Dallas offense that has led the team to a 5-1 start.

Murray's monster start has been one of the league's biggest surprises in 2014, but not because anyone doubted the 2011 third-round pick's abilities. It's been injuries that have allowed him to break the 1,000-yard mark just once in his first three seasons. He missed 11 games in that span, and was constantly hampered by nagging issues even when he was healthy enough to make it onto the field.

If he can stay healthy, Murray is on pace to become just the eighth player in league history to break 2,000 yards rushing in a season and the first do so since Adrian Peterson in 2012. So far, so good.

DeMarco Murray (born February 12, 1988) is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.

DeMarco Murray attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was an all-conference pick three consecutive years. During his time at Gorman, his team was 3-time Conference Champions. As a senior in 2005, he rushed for 1,947 yards and 27 touchdowns and also caught 22 passes for 624 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning him all-state honors and the 2005 Sunset Region Offensive Player of the Year award. Murray played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl Considered one of the top running backs of his class alongside Chris Wells, C. J. Spiller and Michael Goodson, Murray drew offers from Miami (Fl.), Penn State and Texas A&M among others. He chose Oklahoma over Southern California at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

College Career
Murray redshirted the 2006 NCAA football season. In his first game for the Oklahoma Sooners on September 1, 2007 vs. University of North Texas, Murray rushed for 87 yards and five touchdowns, becoming the first player to score four touchdowns in a half in his Sooner debut.[2] On September 15, 2007 against Utah State University, Murray entered the Oklahoma football record book when he had a touchdown run of 92 yards, which is the third longest in Oklahoma football history.[3]

Murray tied Adrian Peterson's freshman touchdown record in 2007 with 15.

He logged a 4.40 (team best) 40 time[4] and a 36.5-inch vertical jump[4] during the 2007 winter testing.

On October 16, 2010 Murray passed Steve Owens as the all-time touchdown leader at the University of Oklahoma with 58 touchdowns. He ended his college career with 65 touchdowns, becoming only the fifth player in Big 12 conference history to score at least 60 career touchdowns.

Murray had 3,685 career rushing yards (4.86 avg.) with 50 touchdowns, 157 career catches with 13 touchdowns, and 1,462 kickoff return yards with 2 touchdowns.

Career Records at University of Oklahoma[edit]

Former All-Time Leader in Points Scored (390) Surpassed by Kicker Michael Hunnicutt in 2014
All-Time Leader in Touchdowns (65)
All-Time Leader in All Purpose Yards (6,718)
All-Time Leader in Receiving Yards for a Running Back (1,571)
All-Time Leader in Kickoff Return average (27.6)

Murray was drafted in the third round (71st overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.[6] Murray was the sixth running back chosen in the draft after Mark Ingram (1st round university of Alabama, 28th overall by New Orleans Saints), Ryan Williams (2nd round University of Virginia Tech, 38th overall by Arizona Cardinals), Shane Vereen (2nd round University at California, 56th overall by New England Patriots), Mikel Leshoure (2nd round University of Illinois, 57th overall by Detroit Lions) and Daniel Thomas (2nd round Kansas State university, 62nd overall by Miami Dolphins).

Dallas Cowboys[edit]
Murray signed a four-year contract with the Cowboys worth $2.97 million including a signing bonus worth $622,000 on July 29, 2011.[7][8]

2011 Season (Rookie)[edit]
DeMarco Murray started the year as the third string running back on the team behind starter Felix Jones and second string running back Tashard Choice. From week one to week four, Murray had 14 carries for 39 rushing yards (2.78 average) and added 3 receptions for 16 receiving yards. On October 16, the Cowboys traveled to Gillette Stadium to face the New England Patriots. Felix Jones went down with a high-ankle sprain, which increased the amount of opportunities for Murray. Murray finished the day with 11 carries for 34 yards and added 1 reception for 7 yards.[9][10]

With the Cowboys owning a record of 2-3, the Cowboys faced the St. Louis Rams in week seven. Felix Jones was declared out for the game due to the high ankle sprain injury sustained the week before. The team declared Tashard Choice as the starter for the game and Murray as the second string running back. Murray ran for 253 yards on 25 carries against the St. Louis Rams[11] breaking Emmitt Smith's single game rushing record for a Cowboys running back of 237 yards (set at Philadelphia against the Eagles on October 31, 1993). The record total included a first-quarter 91-yard touchdown run that is second longest in Cowboys history, after a NFL-record 99-yard run by Tony Dorsett in January 1983. Among the other records he set during this game were a rookie rushing record for a game in club history, previously held by Tony Dorsett (206 yards in 1977). His 10.1 yards-per-carry is the highest rushing average with 20-or-more attempts for a game in club history, previously held by Tony Dorsett (8.96 in 1977), the 10th most rushing yards in a game in league history, the second-most rushing yards in a game by a rookie in league history, second-longest touchdown run on a player’s first career rushing touchdown in league history, and the most rushing yards by a running back in one game ever allowed by the Rams in club history (Los Angeles and Saint Louis). Murray earned the Rookie of the Week award and FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week for his game against the Rams. After the St. Louis Rams' game, Tashard Choice was released leaving the team with only two healthy running backs, rookie Phillip Tanner and Murray, with Felix Jones still sidelined with an injury.[12][13][14]

Murray followed his record-breaking game by getting the first start of his career against the Eagles in week nine. In week eight and nine, Murray totaled 30 carries for 213 rushing yards (7.1 average) and 5 receptions for 45 yards. With his second 100+ yard rushing game of the season, Murray became the first Cowboy since Julius Jones in 2004 to post multiple 100+ yard rushing games as a rookie. With 466 rushing yards over the last three games, Murray tied Eric Dickerson for the fifth-highest total all-time by an NFL rookie during a three-game span. The record is 577 set by Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos in 2000. The 466 rushing yards in the three game span is the most ever by any Cowboys player, surpassing 446 yards by Emmitt Smith during his MVP season of 1993.[15][16][17][18][19][19]

From week ten to week thirteen, Murray had a total of 79 carries for 333 rushing yards (4.21 rushing average) and added 16 receptions for 109 receiving yards and one rushing touchdown as the Cowboys went 3-1 during this stretch. In week ten against the Buffalo Bills, Murray fumbled the ball for the first time in his professional career, although the fumble was recovered by Murray himself. In week fourteen vs. the New York Giants, Murray carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards and added one reception for 6 yards before suffering a fractured right ankle and high ankle sprain that ended his rookie season. Murray was named NFL Rookie of the Month for the month of November.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

At the end of the 2011 season, Murray led all NFL rookie players (with 40 or more carries) in average per carry (5.5 per carry), yards per game (69.0 yards) and rushing yards (897 yards) on 164 carries (second most among rookie players, Daniel Thomas had 165 carries). Murray tied for third among rookie players for rushing touchdowns with 2; Carolina Panthers' quarterback and 2011 Rookie of the Year Cam Newton led all rookie players with 14 rushing touchdowns. Murray also was 14th in receptions among all rookie players and 2nd among rookie running backs with 26 receptions. He was also 4th in receiving yards among rookie running backs with 183. Among all NFL running backs, Murray with 7 starts in 12 games, tied for the second highest average per carry for a running back with 80 or more carries trailing only Darren Sproles' 6.9 yards per carry on 63 attempts. Murray's 897 rushing yards ranked 22nd among all NFL running backs and 9th in the NFC.The Cowboys went 5-0 for the season when Murray received 20+ touches in the game and 2-5 when he did not. In the five games where Murray got 20 or more touches, starting quarterback Tony Romo averaged a passer rating of 112.10, 246.6 yards per game, along with 12 combined touchdown passes with 2 interceptions and a 66.99% pass completion rate.[27]

Storm passing 'dangerously close' to Hawaiian area

HONOLULU — A powerful Pacific storm was passing "dangerously close" to Kauai, prompting the forecasters to issue a tropical storm warning for the Hawaiian island.

Early Sunday, the center of Hurricane Ana was about 120 miles south of Kauai and 125 miles southwest of Honolulu, the National Weather Service said.

Senior forecaster Tom Birchard said island beaches have been buffeted by 10- to- 15-foot surf but heavy rains have largely held off. He said early Sunday the warning could remain in effort for several more hours.

The hurricane was packing sustained winds of 80 mph. But it has lost some momentum, moving along a northwestern track at just 6 mph, compared with 14 mph earlier.

Meanwhile, the weather service issued a hurricane watch for parts of the remote northwestern Hawaiian islands, saying hurricane conditions are possible sometime late Monday around the island of Nihoa in a largely uninhabited marine sanctuary.

Since the tempest grew to hurricane force on Friday, it has moved generally parallel to Hawaii's islands, with the center remaining more than 100 miles from land.

The result has been high surf, occasional heavy rains and strong winds in parts of the island, but no reports of significant damage.

Still, the storm was being taken seriously on Kauai, which was devastated by Category 4 Hurricane Iniki in 1992 that killed six people and destroyed more than 1,400 homes.

"Those of us that were here during that time remember, and so we are very cautious," said Mary Daubert, a county spokeswoman. "Until she's passed us, we all have to remain vigilant."

Officials said three emergency shelters were opened on Kauai as a precaution.

The NWS said the storm was expected to pass "dangerously close" to Kauai with the eye coming within 115 miles of the island, closer that first predicted.

Earlier in the day, strong winds and heavy rains prompted flash-flood warnings and lured surfers with high waves.

A tropical storm watch remained in effect on Oahu but was lifted for Maui, Lanai and the Big Island.

On Oahu, tourists and surfers at popular Waikiki Beach enjoyed ample waves created by the storm in the early afternoon that later gave way to choppy water.

"When the waves are good, you've got to get in," said surfer Emile Meder, 23, who squeezed in a session before heading to work. "Every time we have a hurricane we know it's going to be good."

Rain fell early in the day on the island's North Shore and Koolau Mountains, and slickened the island's southeast shores. Waves were expected to crest to 10 to 20 feet on the south shores of the islands and remain high through Sunday.

At Sandy Beach State Park, where President Obama enjoys bodysurfing when he visits Hawaii, people ignored the "no swimming" signs.

In Kau, a coffee-growing area of the Big Island, the weather forced officials to close Mamalahoa Highway — the only road connecting some communities to the eastern side of the island.

Nearly a foot of rain fell north of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and heavy rains also drenched the Puna district, which was hit hard by Tropical Storm Iselle in August. Still, no one on the Big Island reported storm damage, said Darryl Oliveira, director of Hawaii County civil defense.

Arrests after pumpkin festival turns to mayhem

KEENE, N.H. (AP) — Disturbances lasted until early Sunday near Keene State College after an annual pumpkin festival erupted into mayhem and led to arrests, injuries and police in riot gear using tear gas.

Keene State student Ellery Murray told The Boston Globe that she was at a party Saturday that had drawn a large crowd when people started throwing things. She said police responded in riot gear and used tear gas to break up the crowd.

"People were just throwing everything they could find — rocks, skateboards, buckets, pumpkins," she said. "People just got too drunk."

The parties around the school were part of the annual Keene Pumpkin Festival, where the community tries to set a world record of the largest number of carved and lighted jack-o-lanterns in one place.

WMUR-TV in Manchester showed footage of a crowd toppling over a car, people running from tear gas clouds, street signs being torn down and fires burning in the streets. Police dressed in riot gear ordered crowds to disperse.

College officials provided few specifics on the melee but said Keene State students and out-of-town visitors were involved.

At least 30 people were injured near the school before evening Saturday, and 20 of them were taken to hospitals, Keene Fire Chief Mark Howard told New England Cable News. Twelve arrests had been made by that time.

The Southwestern New Hampshire Fire Mutual Aid organization said on Twitter that several people were injured from thrown bottles at a party involving hundreds of people.

Gov. Maggie Hassan said state and local safety officials worked to defuse what she called "the situation."

Hours after the commotion broke out, emergency officials said they were still working the scene and couldn't provide any details.

College President Anne Huot said in an emailed statement that the festival has been promoted by others "as a destination for destructive and raucous behavior" and the college had tried on the front end, in working with the city and campus, to prevent this from happening.

"We deplore the actions of those whose only purpose was to cause mayhem," she said, adding that the students involved will be held accountable.

U.S. hospitals gird for Ebola panic as flu season looms

NEW YORK, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A young woman complaining ofabdominal pain and nausea who had traveled to Africa arrived ata Long Island hospital fearful that she had contracted Ebola.She did not have the virus, but the pregnancy test was positive.

The woman had been to South Africa, more than 3,400 miles(5,400 km) from the three West African countries enduring theworst Ebola outbreak on record, and the trip ended six weeksprior, or twice the potential incubation period for Ebolainfection.

"It tells you how ready for panic we can get ourselves,"said Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious diseases specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. "There'sa lot of anxiety and the answer to anxiety is information andtraining."

The woman's fear was emblematic of panic across the country since Liberian traveler Thomas Eric Duncan became the firstperson diagnosed with Ebola in the United States on Sept. 30.Two of the nurses who treated him at a Dallas, Texas hospitalhave since become infected, and several hundred more potentialcontacts, both direct and indirect, have been tracked.

Already dozens of false Ebola scares have been reported byhospitals even though the virus is spread through direct contactwith bodily fluids from an infected person and the virus is notairborne.

With the annual flu season looming, hospitals and doctorsare preparing themselves for emergency rooms that may becomeflooded with patients who fear Ebola but instead have influenza,which can cause similar symptoms in the early stages such asfever and body aches.

But fear often trumps common sense, even though peopleshould be far more worried about the flu given the toll it isknown to take every year, doctors said.

"You're far more likely to die at this point from notreceiving a flu shot," said Dr. Sampson Davis, an emergencymedicine physician at Meadowlands Hospital Center in Secaucus,New Jersey.

The severity of the flu season, which varies from year toyear, and any spread of Ebola in the United States, will becritical factors in how strained hospital resources may become.And while there are tests for influenza and screening protocolsbeing put in place for Ebola, hospitals could also face patientswith all sorts of ailments looking to allay misplaced fears.

"I think there will be an increase of people who want to getchecked out just because of the fear factor, especially if westart to see more of a spread of Ebola," Davis said.

INFLUENZA'S TOLL

Flu season typically begins in November and peaks in Januaryor February. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized onaverage for flu-related complications each year, according tothe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Annual U.S. flu deaths have ranged as low as 3,000 and as highas 49,000.

Doctors and public health officials interviewed by Reuterssaid many hospitals are implementing protocols that limit Ebolatesting to people who had direct contact with the disease, suchas a healthcare worker, and recent travelers to Liberia, SierraLeone and Guinea.

Fears that Ebola may spread in the United States intensifiedwhen it became public this week that the second Dallas-basednurse confirmed with Ebola had traveled on two domesticcommercial flights days before she was diagnosed. U.S. healthofficials insist the likelihood of an outbreak here remains low.

"Outside of West Africa you are just not at risk," said PaulBiddinger, head of emergency preparedness at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital in Boston. Travel screening "is by far and awaythe most important part of our frontline intervention."

Ebola symptoms that mirror flu include fever, muscle aches,nausea and general weakness.

But most flu sufferers "also have cough, runny nose,scratchy throat, very congested," which can help differentiatethe two illnesses early on, said Dr. Michael Parry, aninfectious diseases specialist at Stamford Hospital inConnecticut. Emergency room staff also have a rapid flu testthat can confirm influenza in a matter of minutes.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases specialist at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, said hospitals also expect to see moreof what they call the "worried well" - people who are generallyhealthy but believe they have a devastating disease. (Editing by Michele Gershberg and Grant McCool)

Hopes fade for 40 missing after Nepal blizzard

KATHMANDU - Hopes faded on Sunday for survivors of one of Nepal's worst mountain disasters as villagers joined an intensive search by troops and government officials for as many as 40 people missing after an unseasonal blizzard killed 39.

More than 500 people have been rescued from a route popular with foreign adventure tourists that circles Annapurna, the world's tenth-tallest peak, among them 230 foreigners.

Rescuers turned to villagers familiar with the rugged, snow-clad terrain in the hunt for trekkers stranded in isolated areas after the tail end of a cyclone that hit neighboring India last weekend triggered the snow and avalanches.

"We are not clear where the missing people are and whether they are safe or not safe," Yadav Koirala, the chief of Nepal's disaster management authority, told Reuters in Kathmandu, the capital.

"We can only hope and pray that they are not dead."

Since Wednesday, rescue teams have recovered 30 bodies and identified nine more from the air.

"The snow is very thick and the rescue teams are finding it difficult to pull the nine bodies out," said K.P. Sharma, an administrator in Dolpa, a district of glaciers and ravines.

Army helicopters continued to search for survivors on parts of the trail at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet). Solders fanned out through some of the most treacherous terrain where helicopters cannot land.

The dead include Canadian, Indian, Israeli, Japanese, Nepalese, Polish and Slovak trekkers. Survivors said many victims perished trying to descend from the trail's highest pass in freezing, whiteout conditions.

The incident was the year's second major mountain disaster in Nepal, after an avalanche killed 16 guides on Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, in April.

This week's disaster was the worst since avalanches crashed down peaks in the Mount Everest region in 1995, killing 42 people, army officials said.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains. Income from tourism, including permit fees for trekkers, who made up more than 12 percent of its 800,000 tourists in 2013, accounts for four percent of its economy.

MH17 Parents Plead For End To 'Pointless War'

The parents of three children killed in the MH17 tragedy have issued a heartbreaking statement, calling for the Ukraine war to end.

The bodies of the Maslin children, Mo, 12, Evie, 10, and Otis, 8, were returned to Australian soil on Thursday.

They died along with their grandfather, Nick Norris, after a missile shot the Malaysia Airlines jet out of the sky on 17 July, killing 298 people.

Anthony Maslin and Marite Norris said: "Our lives are an ongoing hell.

"The pain we are enduring is unfathomable, and we grieve alongside families in the Ukraine, the Netherlands, Russia, Malaysia, Australia and elsewhere.

"Please respect our children's memory, and stop this pointless war.

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for our children, for Mo, for Evie, for Otis.

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for Grandad Nick.

"No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for each other."

The couple paid moving tributes to their three children, who were among 38 Australians killed in the crash.

"We honour Mo - his wisdom, his compassionate heart, and his total selflessness. Mo is peaceful and inclusive," they said.

"We honour Evie and her boundless, unlimited love. She is empathetic, beautiful, funny, artistic and creative.

"We honour Otis and his complete and humbling fascination with all things outdoors, big and small, near and far.

"Oti provides all of us with carefree joy and laughter - perhaps the most powerful gift of all."

The Boeing 777 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

The Maslin children had been travelling home to Perth with their grandfather while their parents stayed on in the Netherlands to enjoy a few extra days of holiday.

The couple go on to say they have been two of the "luckiest and happiest people on the planet" and their love for their children will never weaken.

"Our children were taken from us by a war in which we, and our country had no part. It is impossible to understand the reason they were blown out of the sky," they said.

Australia wants investigation teams to re-examine the crash site.

Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, recently held a "detailed discussion" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

She said she received assurances from Mr Putin that he would help get access to the site, but could not give details of when that might happen.

Life in Quarantine for Ebola Exposure: 21 Days of Fear and Loathing

DALLAS — The refrigerator in Youngor Jallah’s small apartment broke down last week, and it did not take long for the stench of rotting food to grow unbearable. But when she reported the problem to the front office, the complex’s manager said that a repairman would not be sent until Monday.

That is the expiration date for the 21-day, self-imposed quarantine that Ms. Jallah, her partner and her four children have endured since the day her mother’s boyfriend, Thomas Eric Duncan, was hospitalized here with Ebola. Because her mother was at work, it was Ms. Jallah, 35, who last cared for Mr. Duncan, making him tea and handing him a thermometer — but, she said, never touching him — before summoning an ambulance.

The complex’s manager urged Ms. Jallah to move her food to the apartment across the stairwell, which has been empty since a new renter decided against moving in after hearing about the neighbors. When the landlord sent a maintenance man to deliver the key, he arrived wearing two pairs of rubber gloves.

So it has been in Quarantine Nation. As the Ebola scare spreads from Texas to Ohio and beyond, the number of people who have locked themselves away — some under government orders, others voluntarily — has grown well beyond those who lived with and cared for Mr. Duncan before his death on Oct. 8. The discovery last week that two nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital here had caught the virus while treating Mr. Duncan extended concentric circles of fear to new sets of hospital workers and other contacts.

Officials in Texas announced on Thursday that nearly 100 health care workers would be asked to sign pledges not to use public transportation, go to public places or patronize shops and restaurants for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for Ebola. While this is not a mandate, the notices warn that violators “may be subject” to a state-ordered quarantine.

When officials revealed that one of the infected nurses had flown from Dallas to Cleveland and back before being hospitalized, nearly 300 fellow passengers and crew members faced decisions about whether to quarantine themselves. The next day, a lab technician who had begun a Caribbean cruise despite possible exposure was confined to a stateroom. Medical workers, missionaries and journalists returning from West Africa — especially from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Ebola is rampant — are also staying home.

Dr. Howard Markel, who teaches the history of medicine at the University of Michigan, said the quarantines recalled the country’s distant epidemics of cholera, typhus and bubonic plague.

“Ebola is jerking us back to the 19th century,” he said. “It’s terrible. It’s isolating. It’s scary. You’re not connecting with other human beings, and you are fearful of a microbiologic time bomb ticking inside you.”

While a quarantine is designed to protect those on the outside, it also fuels the community’s fear, and sometimes its cruelty.

In Payson, Ariz., paranoia ignited after word spread that a missionary who had traveled to Liberia on a church trip was spending three weeks under a self-imposed quarantine with his wife and four children. The missionary, Allen Mann, strung yellow caution tape and a “No Trespassing” sign around his front door and left a bucket in the yard for neighbors to drop off food and treats for his children.

While most neighbors understood there was scant risk that Mr. Mann, 41, had carried the disease home, rumors nevertheless coursed around town that he had tested positive for Ebola and would soon be medically evacuated. Mr. Mann said an anonymous commentator on a local news website had suggested burning down his house.

“People had this lynch-mob mentality,” he said.

As with other aspects of the Ebola response, the criteria for recommending or requiring quarantine have often seemed ad hoc, random and evolving.

In Dallas, the four people who shared an apartment with Mr. Duncan during his brief visit from Liberia have been the only subjects of a state-mandated quarantine. With their apartment contaminated, they were moved to a residence provided by a local benefactor.

It has been particularly wrenching for Louise Troh, 54, Mr. Duncan’s girlfriend, who has had to mourn his passing in isolation. When her pastor, the Rev. George Mason, arrived to break the news of Mr. Duncan’s death and she collapsed to the floor in tears, he could not console her with a hug. On his regular visits to the house, he stands three feet away and signals his affection by crossing his arms in an X over his chest.

Mr. Mason said it was not yet clear where Ms. Troh and her 13-year-old son, Timothy, would live once their quarantine ends on Monday. Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas County’s top official, said it had been hard to find a willing landlord.

Ms. Troh has taken comfort in cooking Liberian food and talking to relatives by phone, Mr. Mason said. She listens to gospel music on a CD player, while Timothy and the two young men in the house, Oliver Smallwood and Jeffrey Cole, kill time watching action movies.

“They all want to get out,” Mr. Mason said. “They want their liberty and to be able to touch and be human beings. But they fear they’re not going to be normal human beings again. When I asked them if they heard about the second nurse, Oliver looked at me and said, ‘Are they going to blame us for that?' ”

The day after Mr. Duncan’s illness was diagnosed, Ms. Jallah and her family received verbal instructions to stay inside. Her partner, Aaron Yah, who had not been exposed to Mr. Duncan, was cleared by county and federal health officials to leave the apartment after four days, the couple said.

Sweden searches for suspected Russian submarine off Stockholm

Swedish ships, helicopters and troops are scouring the waters off Stockholm for what was officially described as “foreign underwater activity”, amid reports that a Russian submarine might have had mechanical problems while on a secret mission in the archipelago.

In scenes reminiscent of the cold war when neutral Sweden regularly swept the island-strewn Baltic Sea coastline around the capital for Soviet spy submarines, more than 200 service personnel were mobilised along with helicopters, minesweepers and an anti-submarine corvette fitted with stealth-type anti-radar masking.

The operation began late on Friday following what Sweden’s ministry said was a reliable tipoff about “foreign underwater activity” in the archipelago. The officer leading the operation declined to give more details, saying only that there had been no armed contact.

“We still consider the information we received as very trustworthy,” Captain Jonas Wikstrom told reporters. “I, as head of operations, have therefore decided to increase the number of units in the area.”

The Svenska Dagbladet newspaper said it was believed the intruder was a Russian submarine or mini-submarine that may be damaged. It said the operation was launched on Friday after a visual sighting of a “human-made object” in the waters. The day before, Swedish intelligence operators intercepted a radio conversation in Russian on a frequency usually reserved for emergencies, the paper said.

Another signal was intercepted on Friday night, but this time the content was encrypted. However, the report said, Swedish intelligence was able to pinpoint the locations of the participants. One was in the waters off Stockholm, while the other could be traced to Kaliningrad, the port that is the home of Russia’s Baltic Sea fleet.

The military sources would not confirm that a Russian craft was in distress, Svenska Dagbladet reported, but Russia does have mini-submarines based at Kaliningrad, it added.

Defence analysts cited in other reports speculated that a submarine might be have been replacing old spy equipment or monitoring a Swedish naval exercise.

Sweden is among a series of Nordic and Baltic nations on increased alert over growing tensions with Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis. In September two Russian Su-24 attack jets reportedly violated Swedish airspace over the Baltic, prompting Sweden’s air force to scramble its own fighters.

Last week Finland complained that the Russian navy had twice harassed one of its environmental research ships in international waters, ordering it to change course and later sending a helicopter and submarine to pass close by.

The submarine hunt is an early political test for Stefan Lofven, the new prime minister, whose centre-left minority government took office this month. Peter Hultqvist, the defence minister, told Svenska Dagbladet that the government hoped to be more open than its predecessor about military activity.

“What’s been happening in the Baltic Sea, including airspace incursions, shows that we have a new, changed situation,” he said. “Russia has made enormous military investments … with their increased strength they are training more, and that influences the security environment.”

Alerts were not uncommon during the cold war. The most famous incident took place in 1981 when a Soviet submarine hit rocks near Karlskrona, the main Swedish naval base, in the south of the country. The Russian captain claimed that the submarine had strayed off course and got lost.

After a tense standoff in which a Russian recovery convoy turned back after Swedish coastal artillery and warships trained their guns on it, Sweden interrogated the captain and inspected the submarine, before towing the craft off the rocks into international waters.

‘August: Osage County’ Actress Misty Upham Confirmed Dead at 32

After a body was found Thursday believed to be that of “August: Osage County” actress Misty Upham, filmmaker friend and family spokesperson Tracy Rector confirmed that the body has been identified as Upham. She was 32.

Upham was found dead in Seattle suburb Auburn in a wooded area. While police were not originally sure the body was Upham’s, they did report that a purse was near the body containing identification of the actress.

Rector told Variety that she and the family believes the Auburn Police Department could have done more to locate the actress.

“We just want to make it clear that the Auburn police had nothing to do with looking for her or finding her,” she said. “It was friends and family that led the search and rescue teams that found Misty.”

Rector says friends and family confirmed her body at 6 p.m. Thursday, and that no cause of death has been revealed yet.

A statement on the Auburn Police Department Facebook page said it took five hours and a 10-person team to recover the body.

“The Auburn Police Department states that there is no initial evidence or information to indicate foul play; however the Medical Examiner will make the final determination,” the statement wrote.

Upham, also known for roles in “Frozen River” and “Django Unchained,” was reported missing by her family on Oct. 6, a day after they told police she was suicidal. Her father, Charles Upham, noted that she had stopped taking her medication for anxiety and bi-polar disorder.

Upham had moved to Seattle to help care for her father, who was recovering from a stroke. Charles Upham said that he didn’t believe his daughter would commit suicide, saying she  “just decided to leave home for awhile.”

“She doesn’t believe in killing herself,” he told KIRO-TV. “She believes that is a sin and she would never do that.”

Misty Upham played Johnna Monevata in “August: Osage County,” the cast of which was nominated for a 2014 SAG Award. She was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2009 for her work in “Frozen River.”

The King County Coroner’s Office is expected to make a statement on the death on Friday.

Brady throws 3 TDs as Patriots escape with win over Jets

FOXBOROUGH, MASS.   —

chris Jones wasn't going to make the same mistake he did last year when Nick Folk tried another potential winning field goal Thursday night.
This time, the New England defensive tackle didn't commit a penalty to give the Jets kicker another chance.
Jones blocked Folk's 58-yard attempt on the final play and the Patriots had just enough offense with Tom Brady's three touchdown passes to edge surprisingly competitive New York 27-25.
"It's good to feel that ball hitting my hand and it's good to get the win," Jones said. "I just played it legally and did all that I could."

Last season, Folk was wide left on a 56-yard attempt in overtime, but Jones was penalized under a new rule against players pushing a teammate into the opponent's formation. Folk then connected from 42 yards, giving the Jets a 30-27 victory.
"After what happened last year, I thought it was fitting that he made that play," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.
Folk's longest field goal in his career traveled 56 yards, but he had made all 13 of his attempts this year so the 58-yarder was makeable.

"It felt pretty good off my foot," he said. "I did kick it low, in order to give it enough to get it there."
But when Jones batted it down, the Patriots (5-2) raced onto the field in celebration of a win that was much tougher than expected.
The Jets (1-6) suffered their sixth straight loss, the longest streak in Rex Ryan's six seasons as coach, after taking a 19-17 lead with just under 9 minutes left in the third quarter on Chris Ivory's 1-yard run.
Stephen Gostkowski put the Patriots ahead to stay with his second field goal, a 36-yarder with 4:10 to go in the third. Brady's 19-yard touchdown pass to Danny Amendola gave them an eight-point lead with 4:10 remaining.

The Jets made it 27-25 on Geno Smith's 10-yard scoring pass to Jeff Cumberland with 2:31 left, but Smith's pass for the 2-point conversion was incomplete.
Ivory finished with 107 yards rushing.
"This is extremely frustrating," Smith said. "I felt it was going to happen for us."
Smith, last in the NFL in passer rating, had a solid game with 20 completions in 34 attempts for 226 yards and no interceptions.

Brady was 20 for 37 for 261 yards and no interceptions.
Each team played without two key starters who went on season-ending injured reserve after being hurt Sunday -- cornerback Dee Milliner and left guard Brian Winters for the Jets and linebacker Jerod Mayo and running back Stevan Ridley for the Patriots.

"As a whole offense we needed to step up," running back Shane Vereen said. "You can't replace Stevan."
The Patriots led 17-12 at halftime despite having the ball for just 7:57, while the Jets held it for 22:03.
When the defense is out there as much as they were tonight it's going to be tough for them," Brady said. "We've got to help them out."

The Jets got inside the New England 30 on all four of their first-half possessions. But they managed just four field goals by Folk, covering 22, 47, 46 and 27 yards.
The Patriots went three-and-out on two of their possessions in the half but made the most of the other two as Brady threw touchdown passes to Vereen -- a 49-yarder on their fourth offensive play and a 3-yarder that made it 14-9 with 4:22 left in the half.

After Folk's fourth field goal, the Patriots got the ball with 55 seconds remaining in the half. On third-and-10 at the New York 44, Antonio Allen was called for defensive pass interference on Amendola, putting the ball at the 12.

An unnecessary roughness penalty against guard Jordan Devey pushed the ball back to the 27. After a 6-yard run by Vereen, Gostkowski kicked a 39-yard field goal on the last play of the half.
The Jets were competitive against a top team for the second straight game. They lost to the Denver Broncos 31-17 on Sunday.

"The result is not showing on the scoreboard, but I think we are getting there," Ivory said.
NOTES: The Jets outgained the Patriots on the ground 218 yards to 63. ... Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law was honored at halftime for his induction into the team's Hall of Fame. ... Amendola had four catches in his first six games but came up with a big one then watched his team hold the lead. "I almost had a heart attack at the end," he said, "but the defense came up huge." ... Brady got his 41st straight regular-season home victory against an AFC opponent.

Shot Brings Echo of ’51: Giants Win the Pennant

SAN FRANCISCO — It was 63 years ago and a continent away that the Giants, then in New York, won the National League pennant on the strength of Bobby Thomson’s home run. And while that shot might have been heard round the world, as baseball lore persists, the one that Travis Ishikawa hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday night might have been more remarkable.

Ishikawa’s one-out, line-drive blast into the right-field bleachers of AT&T Park gave the San Francisco Giants a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the best-of-seven league championship series, sending the Giants to their third World Series in the past five seasons.
“I’m sure he’s going to wake up and realize what happened,” Manager Bruce Bochy said.
Ishikawa, 31, nearly retired over the summer, stuck in the grind of the minor leagues. But he was called up by the Giants in July and wiggled his way into the lineup when other players were injured. Bochy only recently positioned Ishikawa, a career first baseman, in left field with a mix of instinct and desperation.
And with two teammates on base in the ninth inning, the scored tied at 3-3, Ishikawa hammered a 2-0 fastball from St. Louis reliever Michael Wacha. He immediately raised his arms, knowing that it was enough to clear the right fielder and drive in the winning run.

“I remember hearing the crowd just going crazy,” Ishikawa said, “and so my thought was, ‘O.K., if this gets out, it’s going to be fantastic.’ ”

The ball barely cleared the right-field wall. It sent fans into a frenzy, fireworks into the air and Giants onto the field. Some nearly interfered with Ishikawa’s trip around the bases as they escorted him through the final two legs of his trot.

“I think a lot of us forgot that we had to let him touch home plate,” pitcher Madison Bumgarner said. “We wanted to run and tackle him around second base.”

The Giants, World Series champions in 2010 and 2012, will face the American League’s Kansas City Royals, who are in the postseason for the first time since their championship season of 1985. The World Series is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Kansas City.

The clinching blast was the third home run of the night by the Giants, who had not hit one in their previous six playoff games. During their power failure, they put themselves on the verge of the pennant with unusual victories in Games 3 and 4 to take a 3-1 series lead.

On Tuesday, they scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a throwing error by St. Louis reliever Randy Choate. On Wednesday, they scored the tying and winning runs in the sixth inning on two ground balls, both handled clumsily by Cardinals first baseman Matt Adams.

St. Louis outhomered San Francisco, 6-0, in the first four games, yet lost three times. The Giants, who entered the postseason as a wild-card team, have befuddled opponents — none more than the Cardinals — with more guile and timeliness than power and pizazz. They have dispensed with all nine playoff foes they have faced since 2010.

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“No baseball game’s ever the same,” catcher Buster Posey said in a clubhouse soaked with celebratory beverages. “You come to the ballpark and see something different every day. That’s kind of how all three of these trips have been.”

Thursday’s game featured a rematch of aces. In Game 1 on Saturday in St. Louis, Bumgarner pitched seven and two-thirds scoreless innings, the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright was erratic, and the Giants emerged with a 3-0 victory.

This time, a tightly wound matchup between Bumgarner and Wainwright came undone as soon as they left the game in the late innings. San Francisco’s Michael Morse, pinch-hitting for Bumgarner to start the bottom of the eighth inning, hit a game-tying home run.

With the score 3-3 in the ninth, the Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs against reliever Santiago Casilla. Jeremy Affeldt took the mound, captured a chopper from pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras and ran to first base to get the third out.

That set up the climax. Pablo Sandoval opened the bottom of the ninth with a sharp single off Wacha and was replaced by pinch-runner Joaquin Arias. After Hunter Pence flied out, Brandon Belt walked. Ishikawa came to the plate.

Ishikawa was drafted by the Giants in the 21st round in 2002 and was a bench player on the 2010 World Series team, but he was the opening day first baseman this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Soon demoted, he was signed to a minor league contract by the Giants. He struggled through much of the summer at Class AAA Fresno. Married with three children, Ishikawa called a friend and cried over the phone, unsure what to do.

“There’s times where it crosses your mind, that you wonder if God is continuing to put me through this trial, or if it’s him telling me that it’s time to hang ’em up and do something else,” he said.

“I just thank them, a first-class organization, for this second opportunity and bringing me up — and I wasn’t even planning on it,” he added.

Fans arrived on a pleasantly mild evening expecting a coronation and the raising of a pennant, and Bumgarner took the mound with the weight of expectation reserved for a dominating staff ace. A 6-foot-5-inch left-hander from North Carolina, his lean face framed in a beard and his dark hair flopping from the back of his cap, Bumgarner was 2-1 with an 0.76 earned run average in three previous playoff games this season, allowing two runs and striking out 23 batters in 232/3 innings.

But Bumgarner was not as sharp as usual at the outset, digging himself out of trouble through several innings. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the third. After Bumgarner surrendered two walks, Jon Jay doubled over the head of Ishikawa, who misjudged the ball, and Tony Cruz scored.

San Francisco went ahead in the bottom of the third on Joe Panik’s two-out, two-run homer off Wainwright. It was the first home run for the Giants since Game 2 of their division series against Washington, ending a string of 242 homerless plate appearances.
But Adams led off the fourth inning with a home run into the right-field bleachers, hushing the crowd and tying the game, 2-2. Two outs later, Cruz crushed a Bumgarner pitch into the left-field seats, leaving Bumgarner doubled over in frustration.

The 3-2 score held deep into the game as both pitchers settled into a dominating rhythm. In the sixth, Wainwright struck out the side — Posey, Sandoval and Pence, the heart of San Francisco’s lineup. He left after seven innings with a 3-2 lead that did not last.

Bumgarner, later named the most valuable player of the series, departed after a perfect eighth inning. Morse batted for him in the bottom half. He crushed a ball over the left-field wall off reliever Pat Neshek, tying the game.

“I like homers,” Bochy said. “We’ve been looking for them.”

None will be remembered like the one that came next. Ishikawa, his career rescued by the Giants and elevated by Bochy, was 0 for 2 with a walk before he came to the plate in the ninth inning. Bochy did not think seriously of pinch-hitting for him.

“He can do what he did,” Bochy said.

Maybe it was not heard round the world. But it was loud enough to create an echo from 63 years and a continent away.