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Investigation says Prince was isolated, addicted and in pain

MINNEAPOLIS — After Prince had to be revived from a drug overdose a week before his death, one friend told the musical superstar that he needed to stop taking painkillers. But Prince said he couldn’t — his hands hurt so much that if he quit, he’d have to stop performing.

“This piano tour I think was getting to his hands,” singer Judith Hill told investigators, according to a transcript of her interview.

Those words, found amid hundreds of pages of interviews between investigators and Prince’s closest confidants, provide insight into just how much the man known for his energetic performances and larger-than-life personality was suffering. The documents open parts of Prince’s life that the intensely-private celebrity tried to keep from even his closest confidants.

“How did he hide this so well?” Prince’s closest friend and bodyguard Kirk Johnson said in an interview with detectives. While Johnson said he didn’t realize that opioids were a problem until that overdose, he had noticed Prince was unwell before that and took him to a doctor.

In their zeal to protect Prince’s privacy, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz said some of the singer’s friends might have enabled him.

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park studio compound in suburban Minneapolis on April 21, 2016. An autopsy found he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. Authorities say it is likely Prince didn’t know he was taking the dangerous drug, which was laced in counterfeit pills made to look like a generic version of the painkiller Vicodin.

The source of those pills is unknown and no one has been charged in Prince’s death.

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Barbara Bush, Republican matriarch and former first lady, dies at 92

(CNN)Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a first lady who elevated the cause of literacy, died Tuesday, according to a statement from her husband’s office. She was 92.

Only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected President (Abigail Adams was the first), Bush was seen as a plainspoken public figure who was instantly recognizable with her signature white hair and pearl necklaces and earrings. She became a major political figure as her husband, George H.W. Bush, rose to become vice president and president. After they left the White House, she was a potent spokeswoman for two of her sons — George W. and Jeb — as they campaigned for office.

The mother of six children — one of whom, a daughter, Robin, died as a child from leukemia — Barbara Bush raised her fast-growing family in the 1950s and ’60s amid the post-war boom of Texas and the whirl of politics that consumed her husband.

She was at his side during his nearly 30-year political career. He was a US representative for Texas, UN ambassador, Republican Party chairman, ambassador to China and CIA director. He then became Ronald Reagan’s vice president for two terms and won election to the White House in 1988. He left office in 1993 after losing a re-election bid to Bill Clinton.

Quick-witted with a sharp tongue, the feisty Barbara Bush was a fierce defender of her husband and an astute adviser.

As first lady, her principal persona as a devoted wife and mother contrasted in many ways with her peer and predecessor, Nancy Reagan, and her younger successor, Hillary Clinton, both of whom were seen as more intimately involved in their husbands’ presidencies.

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Female McDonald’s cashier charged with incest after she and brother have baby with ‘severe medical problems’

A Florida woman was charged with having an incestuous relationship with her brother after she gave birth to a child with serious medical problems.

Investigators said Pauline Elizabeth Martin, 33, was arrested Friday after genetic testing revealed the child she gave birth to on Nov. 21 had parents that were closely related.

The Orlando Sentinel reported Martin, a McDonald’s cashier, told deputies in Groveland she had a “romantic sexual relationship” with her brother for the past five years. She said the last time they had sex was March 21.

“She said she was going to end her relationship with her brother because she knows it is wrong,” deputies wrote in the arrest documents.
According to authorities, they began investigating after Martin’s baby was transferred to Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in Orlando within hours of being born because of “severe medical problems.”

Police said neither Martin nor her brother filled out Medicaid paperwork or obtained a birth certificate for the baby.
The paperwork was not completed until Feb. 26, authorities said.

Authorities interviewed Martin at her workplace in Leesburg on Thursday. She was arrested the next day and charged with incest and resisting law enforcement without violence.

She was released from the Lake County Jail on $3,000 bond.

Authorities are searching for her brother, the Sentinel reported.

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The 13 siblings Who Were Held Captive In California Basement See Freedom For First Time

After what is described as a lifetime of imprisonment in a cramped, squalid home near Riverside, California, seven of the 13 siblings who were allegedly held captive by their parents got their first taste of freedom last week, ABC News has exclusively learned.

The newly freed siblings — who are now adults — were discretely whisked away Thursday from the Corona Regional Medical Center, where they had been nursed back to health after police rescued them in January. After being described as on the brink of starvation, the survivors were taught the basics about a world police say they never quite experienced.

But now, the young adults, ages 18 to 29, were taken by their attorney and public guardian from the carefully controlled ward of the hospital to an undisclosed rural house they now call home.

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Hall of Famer Joe Montana advocates cannabis for pain relief, healing

© Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports Count the legendary Montana among the former and current pro athletes advocating for the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

As the NFL and NFLPA move toward potentially removing cannabis as a banned substance in the coming years, yet another high-profile former NFL star — four-time Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana — has come out in favor of utilizing this medicine.

Montana was one of eight former NFL players interviewed by Playboy magazine on this topic.

“Legalization is picking up steam on a global level and I feel like now is the time to spread information about the curing capabilities of this plant,” Montana said. “As with any medicine, increased accessibility comes with the need for education. Cannabis eased my pain. It also put me in a state of healing and relief.”

Eugene Monroe was also interviewed by the magazine. As he did when he spoke with Sportsnaut about this topic, he continues to spread the message that cannabis is so much more beneficial than opiates. It’s a message that is gaining steam, especially in light of the research that shows cannabis can be extremely helpful for players dealing with concussions.

At this time, marijuana is still a Schedule I drug in the United States of America, though many states have legalized it for medicinal and recreational use. There is political pressure being applied from both sides of the issue, and it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming years in regard to its legality.

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Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died at 76

Stephen Hawking, one of the most influential scientists in the modern era, has died at age 76.
A representative for his family released a statement saying he died at his home in Cambridge, England, on Wednesday.

“It is with great sadness we announce the death of Professor Stephen Hawking,” the statement said. “Professor Hawking died peacefully at his home in the early hours of this morning.

“His family have kindly requested that they be given the time and privacy to mourn his passing, but they would like to thank everyone who has been by Professor Hawking’s side — and supported him — throughout his life.”
Hawking is survived by his three children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim. The three also released a statement:

“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

“He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever.”
Fellow scientists offered their condolences on social media, including the renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake,” Tyson said on Twitter. “But it’s not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure.”

“Stephen Hawking was the rare famous scientist who deserved every bit of his fame,” Sean Carroll, a physicist at Caltech, tweeted. “A brilliant physicist and an inspirational person. And quite a character.”

“A star just went out in the cosmos,” the theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss said on Twitter. “We have lost an amazing human being. Stephen Hawking fought and tamed the cosmos bravely for 76 years and taught us all something important about what it truly means to celebrate about being human.”

Hawking, a theoretical physicist, made several discoveries that transformed the way scientists viewed black holes and the universe.

Though he had Lou Gehrig’s disease, the neurodegenerative malady also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, that impaired his motor functions, he went on to become a mathematics professor and eventually the director of research at the University of Cambridge’s Center for Theoretical Cosmology.

“I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many,” Hawking, who long used a wheelchair, reportedly wrote on his website. “I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.”

Hawking was also known to bridge the gap on complicated subjects by infusing humor and wit during his lectures. His character and personality produced several infamous anecdotes and references in pop culture, including appearances on various TV shows.

“I recall when we has giving lectures and it was a huge effort for him to speak (before the tracheotomy and the computer voice) he still made the effort to throw jokes in,” Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said on Twitter.
“That says something.”
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He’s 16 and he’s gigantic: Meet world’s tallest teenager

A British boy, who stands at 7 feet and 4 inches, is making headlines as the tallest teenager in the world, according to SWNS.

Brandon Marshall is 16 years old and is still growing.

“People stop him, asking for photos with him,” his mother, Lynne Quelch, told the news service.
Quelch said her son, who loves basketball and plays for the Wales National Team, is shy and introverted.

“When people notice his height, he says ‘Oh, here we go again, yes I am tall, yes I am Britain’s tallest teenager’,” the 49-year-old mother said.

Brandon shot up 5 inches from last year, when he was 6 feet 11 inches tall. “I was normal size up until the age of 9,” he explained. “I then had a big growth spurt. I was about 6 feet when I was about 13 [years old] and I started to grow a lot more by then.”

“When I was in year nine [at school] I got to 6 feet, 7 inches; and in year 10, I got to 7 feet.”

Brandon, who trains three times a week with the team, is getting ready to play his first professional tournament in Lithuania.
The 7-feet-4-inch teen has been able to slam dunk since the age of 13.

His mother said, “All the good colleges that have good basketball academies attached to them are all fighting over him as to who will get him. He absolutely loves it.”

His height, however, can sometimes pose a problem, “He does tend to struggle with roofs, ceilings, doorways — just everything normal-size people take for granted,” his mom shared.

She added, “He has got a super king bed at the moment, but we are having one made for him.”
Because of his size, Brandon consumes 8,000 calories a day, and Quelch said she is “constantly shopping to keep the fridge stocked.”

Doctors in England are trying to learn more about the teenager’s height. He tested negative for Marfan syndrome ꟷ a genetic disorder of connective issues ꟷ but a genetics team is still investigating why the 16-year-old is reaching such dramatic heights.

Brandon is just 3 inches shorter than 7-feet-7-inch Paul Sturgess from the U.K., who currently holds the title for Britain’s tallest man. The American Robert Pershing Wadlow, who is 8 feet, 11 inches tall, has the title for the world’s tallest man.

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Texas Mom Discovers Her Baby Has Down Syndrome During Emotional Water Birth

When a couple finds out that they are pregnant, all they really want is to have a healthy, happy baby. Amber Rojas from Cedar Hill, Texas, knew that something was different about her daughter, Ami, from the moment she was born.

Amber told PEOPLE, “Having four kids at that point, I knew exactly what every single one of my kids looked like when they were born. But as soon as I picked Ami up out of the water, I noticed her eyes were slanting opposite the way that my kid’s eyes slant…”.

The mom continued, saying “…I thought to myself, ‘I think she has Down Syndrome’”. According to People.com, the mom of five is 35-years-old and named her fifth baby Amadeus. Her and her husband, Fernando, have nicknamed the baby Ami.

The baby was born in September and this is Amber’s second water birth. According to PEOPLE, the mom also notes that throughout her pregnancy she could sense that something was “different”.

On top of something being “different” throughout her pregnancy, she also felt that the actual birthing process was much harder than her last water birth. Her first water birth was with her fourth child.

 

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From suicidal to ‘thriving’: Montel Williams details his emotional journey with MS

At the age of 43, author, actor, TV host, and entrepreneur Montel Williams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). “I was on an airplane flying from New York to Utah to shoot an episode of the show Touched by an Angel. I got on this plane in the morning and my feet caught on fire,” Williams tells Yahoo Lifestyle, holding back tears. “The pain was so extreme, and when I focus in on it I can sense it, I can remember it. It was so bad that I literally couldn’t stand up at the end of the flight.”

When Williams was diagnosed with MS shortly thereafter, he says the doctor who diagnosed him gave him a “death sentence” and a litany of opioid prescriptions to dull the pain. “I was walking around in this pseudo-suicidal state,” Williams says. “After my second attempt at taking my own life, I recognized that I was going to not just live with this, I was going to figure out — in some way, shape, or form — how to turn this into something I could thrive at.”

Williams took control of his care and now, nearly 20 years after his diagnosis, lives a lifestyle tailor-made to managing his symptoms. “I just hate this whole idea of spending all my time getting ready to die from MS,” he says. “I’d rather live.”

MS, a chronic, often debilitating disease of the central nervous system, affects 2.3 million people around the world — Williams being one of them. People of all different ancestry and genetic backgrounds have it, and as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society says, “The myth that black people do not get MS is just that — a myth.”

“Everything from my vitamin regimen to my eating regimen to my exercise regimen — these things have all combined together to where I am now thriving with MS,” Williams says.

Since Williams came to terms with his diagnosis, he has been hard at work doing all he can to help the MS community at large. He has helped fund MS research all across the country and even founded a company, Helius Medical Technologies, that is putting forth something called a PoNS device which he thinks has the potential to drastically reduce the amount of pain people with MS endure.

“I have MS,” Williams says of the disease. “MS will never have me.”

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Rick Ross Is Hospitalized After Getting Unconscious at Home, but Not on ‘Life Support’

Rick Ross was rumored to be on a life support machine today following reports that he had been hospitalized after being found unresponsive at his Miami home this morning (March 2). His close friend and fellow MMG artist Fat Trel is now taking to Instagram to dispel those rumors.

Ross was reportedly on a machine that was taking over the functions of his heart and lungs, but Fat Trel claims he spoke to Rozay and he’s alive and well.

Fat Trel did confirm that Ross is in the hospital but denied that the rapper is on life support. “JUS TALKED 2 MY BIG HOMIE… HE GOOD… HE IN DA HOSPITAL BUT HE IS NOT ON “LIFE SUPPORT” … HE GOOD💯💯💯,” he wrote.
ORIGINAL STORY:

Earlier today (March 2), it was reported that Rick Ross was hospitalized with possible pneumonia after being discovered unresponsive at his Miami home. Now, sources close to Ross have said he’s been put on a form of life support.

According to TMZ, Rozay has been hooked up to a machine that takes over the function of his lungs and heart. It’s believed the rapper is in the cardiac unit of a Miami-area hospital, which is a strong sign that Ross may have suffered a heart attack.
Doctors are reportedly using a technique called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ECMO, which oxygenates blood outside of the body before being pumping it back into the body.

Rick Ross
Mastermind
Press photo 2014

According to earlier reports, someone from the Rather You Than Me rapper’s home called 911 after they found Rozay “slobbing from the mouth” around 3:30 A.M. on Thursday (March 1). The caller also allegedly said Ross was “breathing heavily” while unresponsive in the middle of the night.
While Ross’ team has not confirmed his whereabouts, a rep for the rapper did reveal he had to cancel an appearance last night due to his hospitalization, but a family member of Ross denies the reports.

The “Trap Trap Trap” artist has had a history of medical problems, and has previously suffered from multiple seizures on two different flights. After the health scare, he decided to change his diet and lifestyle, which led him to eventually drop 100 pounds.
XXL has reached out to Rick Ross’ team at Epic Records for a comment about his current health status.

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