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CNN Live Today
Two Teens Shot Near Olney High School in Philadelphia; SUV Suit; Sugar-Free Kids
Aired May 03, 2006 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get an update now on that school shooting near Philadelphia. Carol Lin is following that story for us -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn, for people who are just tuning in on this situation, at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time, just as Olney High School was about to open in Philadelphia, two teenagers were shot close by. One report has just across the street at a store, another report has a few blocks away.
But after the shooting, these students ran into the high school to get help. That school, as far as we know, is still in a lockdown.
Now, a short time ago, I spoke with someone at the Philadelphia Police Department, and she says that they do have someone in custody. They don't know for sure yet whether that is the shooter. She doesn't know the circumstances around the shooting. She does believe, though, that the students are in good condition, that they are going to survive their injuries.
A girl, shot in the back. A boy, shot also on his right side.
So, Daryn, just taking a look at the situation in the Philadelphia school district, I found that it's a dangerous situation in some of those schools. Olney High School, for example, the state of Pennsylvania, has ranked as one of the most dangerous schools since the year 2000. That means 20, at least 20 incidents of violence leading to an arrest, either assault or homicide or rape or a gun or a knife possession charge.
So, this is something that the Philadelphia school system is grappling with. But so far, two teenagers wounded there this morning.
KAGAN: All right. We'll continue to check back with you, Carol. Thank you.
And we get started in our second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Daryn Kagan.
A lot of us are looking of ways to fill our tanks without emptying our wallets. Better gas mileage, especially in gas-guzzling SUVs could help. Now, 10 states are driving that point home in court.
CNN's Mary Snow has the story. Her report was prepared for "THE SITUATION ROOM".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They are the bane of environmentalists. Now sports utility vehicles, or SUVs, are the main target of a legal showdown. Representatives for 10 states and two cities are suing the Bush administration, accusing it of not being tough enough on automakers when it comes to mileage standards for SUVs.
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, CONNECTICUT ATTORNEY GENERAL: These regulations are really a gift to the automobile industry. They're a sham.
SNOW: In Charlotte, North Carolina, today, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta touted the new standards that are the subject of the suit.
NORMAN MINETA, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: In March, I announced the president's tough new mileage requirements for light trucks, minivans and SUV, and that was the second in just three years.
SNOW: Last year, the president announced new fuel economy standards.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When these reasonable increases in mileage standards take full effect, they will save American drivers about 340,000 barrels of gasoline a day.
SNOW: Some of those new standards, for example, for the largest SUVs, by the year 2011, they must, on average, get 24 miles to the gallon. Critics say it's not good enough and blame the administration for not pushing automakers to use better technology.
BRENDAN BELL, SIERRA CLUB: The technology exists to make all vehicles, from cars, to SUVs, to light trucks, average 40 miles per gallon within 10 years. And taking that step would save the average driver about $500 per year at the gas pump and it would save four million barrels of oil per day.
SNOW: Automakers say hundreds of factors, including safety, are taken into account when determining mileage standards.
A spokesman for General Motors took aim at the claims that the auto industry persuaded the Bush administration to go easy on automakers, saying, "The idea that these were a gift is clearly coming from people who don't have a full grasp of the complexity of the dynamics involved here."
(on camera): While the mileage battle goes to court, consumers may be voting with their pocketbooks. In April, automakers reported a drop in sales of SUVs and a boost in smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAGAN: And you can join Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" this afternoon at 4:00 Eastern, and then the prime-time edition comes your way at 7:00 Eastern.
Cars lined up for blocks. A gas shortage? No. These drivers are cashing in on the spoils of a gas war. We'll explain just ahead.
And then, just a short time ago, former president Bill Clinton announced a plan to take the sugar out of schools -- school drinks that is. Clinton is joining forces with the American Heart association and the nation's beverage makers.
Their plan will pull sugary drinks from school vending machines. If the students at one sugar-free school in suburban Atlanta are any indication, the Clinton plan might be a sweet idea.
Here's CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Inside this red brick schoolhouse is a sugar-free zone. When the principal Yvonne Sanders-Butler arrived at Browns Mill Elementary School eight years ago, she said she noticed a direct link between diet and academic performance.
YVONNE SANDERS-BUTLER, PRINCIPAL: What are we having today? I saw kids very overweight. I saw large percentage of kids coming to the clinic for headaches, and stomachaches, even before we started class. And I would look at what they would eat in the morning. Or what they would not eat.
COHEN: Butler could relate. Her nickname was once "Sugar Woman". She remembers feeling high after first tasting chocolate milk at school in rural Mississippi. Her sharecropper parents served food they grew, but her mother was also known for baking sugary treats.
As an adult, Butler packed on the pounds. At age 39 she was obese and in trouble, dangerously high blood pressure, joint pain from the weight. She almost suffered a stroke. So after 20 years of yo-yo dieting, Butler joined overeaters anonymous and started to take control.
BUTLER: It's a lifestyle change. There is no magic bullet. There is common sense.
COHEN: A lesson she brought to Browns Mill.
BUTLER: We took out everything that was obviously sugar. We took out chocolate milk. We took out sugary desserts. We took out ice cream, all of those things that kids just like to gorge on. Children were more on task, more attentive in class, during class time. The other thing that we saw our test scores increased by 10 percent.
COHEN: Children at Browns Mill now start their day with stretching.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Relax. Stand up tall.
COHEN: Lots of exercise. And lunches with whole wheat breads, fruits and vegetables. Butler has a new book filled with recipes. A guide for families in the fast lane. Last spring Browns Mill Elementary did not pass a USDA check for calcium levels. Now Butler has made the grade by adding vanilla and strawberry flavored milk and animal crackers to the menu.
The Georgia Department of Education says the best approach to combating obesity in elementary school is a greater emphasis on nutrition education for students and parents. Yvonne Sanders-Butler says she knows some may see her approach as radical but she's out to change the world one child at a time.
BUTLER: We all have sort of like a treadmill life. So we're just trying to maximize the moment. I know that we can do that and still be healthy.
COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: The big medical issue before the White House today, we'll have full coverage of that ahead, 12:30 p.m. Eastern. You'll see it live here on CNN.
As we move on, it's six minutes past the hour. Stealing money from a dead Marine. The mayor of a Colorado town stands accused by a grieving mother.
Reporter John Ferrugia of our affiliate KMGH has details from Fort Lupton, Colorado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIS SEPULVEDA, JASON SEPULVEDA'S MOTHER: My son died instantly and the other marines died approximately two weeks after.
JOHN FERRUGIA, REPORTER, KMGH (voice over): Jason Sepulveda, a Marine, was training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, preparing to go to Iraq, when, in an evening off base, he was killed in a car accident.
SEPULVEDA: This was the last picture of him leaving home.
FERRUGIA: His parents, who spoke with him weekly, knew he had been saving his money for a long weekend when they would all be together.
SEPULVEDA: We were going on vacation for the Fourth of July to visit him. And I know he had been sacrificing, because they don't get paid very much.
FERRUGIA: Jason's body was returned to Colorado for burial, and records show the funeral was paid for in full by the Marines. But after closing out her son's account, Jason's mother realized the probate court had sent the proceeds of Jason's savings account to the funeral home, run by this man, Jim Bostick.
SEPULVEDA: And I called Mr. Bostick. He just kind of really blew me off a lot.
FERRUGIA (on camera): Did he give you any other receipts or bills?
SEPULVEDA: Never.
FERRUGIA: He just kept the money?
SEPULVEDA: He just kept the money.
FERRUGIA (voice over): Jim Bostick not only owns two funeral homes, he is also mayor of Fort Lupton and heads the city council. In that role, he is heavily involved in overseeing the finances of the town.
SEPULVEDA: You know, I told Mr. Bostick, "Well, that's my son's money."
FERRUGIA: Now, Elis Sepulveda took Bostick to court over the money he wouldn't return to her family, and the judge's order in the case was final.
SEPULVEDA: She gave damages, interest, court fines, everything. And I assumed that if you go to court, that you're just supposed -- you know, you pay it.
FERRUGIA (on camera): I'm John Ferrugia. I'm from over at Channel 7.
(voice over): But despite the judgment of more than $7,500, Jim Bostick has refused to pay.
(on camera): Why are you still holding the money for this Marine family?
MAYOR JAMES BOSTICK, FORT LUPTON, COLORADO: Well, I'm not holding the money for them. You know, and I don't want to be on camera right now.
FERRUGIA: Clearly, Bostick was not happy to see us.
(on camera): These aren't the only people you owe money. You owe people -- other people money. You've got other judgments out there. You want to talk to me about that?
BOSTICK: No, I don't.
(voice over): In fact, court records show Bostick has several current unsatisfied debts to creditors from Greely (ph) to Montana, and that doesn't include money he owed when he took bankruptcy in 2001.
(on camera): This is a city building.
BOSTICK: I know, sir. I just don't want to be on camera.
FERRUGIA (voice over): He claims he's trying to repay the money. But he didn't want to talk about the money he owes to the Marine family, or whether given his personal financial problems he should be making fiscal decisions for the town of Fort Lupton.
(on camera): I want to know if you think it's appropriate for the mayor, who has fiduciary responsibility, to owe this kind of money?
(voice over): We've obtained letters written by Bostick to the family saying he would resolve the issue. But...
SEPULVEDA: That's a point where he would just not even accept our phone calls and just say, "I can't hear you. I can't hear you."
FERRUGIA (on camera): You wrote them letters and you said, "I want to settle this," and you never have. Why not?
BOSTICK: I don't recall ever writing letters to no one.
FERRUGIA: Do you want to see them?
BOSTICK: Well, I don't recall that.
FERRUGIA: You don't recall the letters?
BOSTICK: No.
FERRUGIA (voice over): Finally, using the same apparent double talk that has frustrated the Sepulvedas, Bostick seemed to make clear he has no intention of settling the claim.
BOSTICK: It will be worked out with them.
FERRUGIA (on camera): Worked out? You've been saying that for how many years? How many years you've been telling them that?
BOSTICK: I can't even remember when it happened.
FERRUGIA: It's not a real top priority, is it?
BOSTICK: Yes, it is a priority.
FERRUGIA: It's a priority to them.
BOSTICK: But I feel that it's money that I do not owe them.
SEPULVEDA: You know, my son was in the Marines. And he went there to do what was right for his country. You know? And I know for a fact that for -- you know, for somebody to actually steal from him is not right. This is -- me, as a mother, I need to do this. This was my son's money, and I'm -- and I'm not going to go away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: A fascinating story. John Ferrugia from Denver -- thank you.
It should have been a happy time for a new mother. Instead, it became a professional and financial nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: How devastating was it for you to lose your job when Chloe (ph) was two and a half months old?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Economically, more than anything just devastating. And we lost our home, and we had to move in to my grandfather's apartment with our young baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Paula Zahn takes a closer look at the latest front in the mommy wars.
A fallout with FEMA? We'll tell you about the dispute between FEMA and officials coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.
And it's one of life's embarrassing moments. A Wal-Mart shopper and a toilet seat make headlines. That story is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, Anna Nicole Smith proved that love is ageless. The bosomy blonde took a much older husband. J. Howard Marshall was 63 years her senior and filthy rich.
But Mahmoud of Malaysia says he didn't marry Madame Wook (ph) for her big bank account. She's poor. Get this: he's a 30-something, she's a ripe but spry 104 years old. The difference in ages is a lifetime. It's also a punch line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": You're not going to believe this. A 38-year-old guy in Malaysia -- a 38-year-old guy in Malaysia, marries, marries, gets married to a 104-year-old woman in Malaysia. Thirty-eight and 104 years. I want to tell you something, in his defense I've seen pictures of her, she's pretty hot.
But it was her 21st marriage, 21st marriage. She'd been married 21 times. And here is the surprising part: not one of them was to Larry King. Weird?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: We love you, Lar.
Well, here's the thing, we don't know what happened to Wook's (ph) 20 other husbands. But even at 104 she says she hopes this marriage will last.
Let's check in with Susan Lisovicz.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: And as we turn today's headline on its head, gas prices in one town taking a dive. You have to travel to the Pittsburgh area to see what we mean. So many drivers did, in fact, it caused a traffic tie-up.
Reporter Shannon Perrine from our affiliate WTAE has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON PERRINE, WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: For 24 hours, the prices dropped hour by hour, it seemed at one point, all the way down to $2.45. But look at this right now. The BP across the street, they're checking in at $2.39. That's the final price for today here at the Glassmere gas station. They topped that, $2.36 a gallon for the cheap stuff.
(voice over): First, BP drops the price. Then a small but scrappy independent station drops by a few cents more. Back and forth, all day. Just when you think it can't go any lower..
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's crazy love.
PERRINE: ...it's not over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, she's going to down again. I have no idea what's going on.
PERRINE: Actually, we do. It turns out BP is doing this on purpose, a plan to draw attention to a new credit card promotion. Customers say, "Whatever."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I should have waited 10 more minutes. I'd have saved 18 cents.
PERRINE: Glassmere is always a couple of cents cheaper than the other local stations. The one-upmanship goes on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is the best day to get gas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen it drop down. It's dropping down in the $2.30s now. I've seen it drop down 10 cents in the past five minutes.
PERRINE: To the (INAUDIBLE), the traffic, cars stretched on and on and on, on Route 30. State troopers try to keep things moving. Inching toward the pump of promise, a 30-minute wait can save you about 20 bucks a tank, maybe. Some take every drop they can, taking full advantage while the war wages on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's about time somebody helps out the little guy. Tired of paying high prices and working minimum wage. You can't do it anymore. This is great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the best thing that happened for a long time.
PERRINE: Great for drivers, exhausting for two gas station managers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well, the gas station owners are hoping to catch their breath and recover their losses. One of them joining me on the phone right now. Dell Cromie owns Glassmere Fuel Service.
Dell, good morning.
DELL CROMIE, GLASSMERE FUEL SERVICE: Good morning.
KAGAN: So, by the time it was over, how low did you go?
CROMIE: Well, the BP station was at $2.39.9, we went to $2.36.9.
KAGAN: So, how much did you actually lose during the price war?
CROMIE: Oh, for the day, I'm going to guess $3,000 to $4,000.
KAGAN: Whoa. But you sold more gas than ever, right?
CROMIE: Well, that's part -- that's part of the reason we lost so much. We tripled what we normally would pump.
KAGAN: Whoa. On an average day. So, how did it finally end?
CROMIE: Well, they -- at about 9:00, they went back up to $2.89.9 and I went up to $286.9.
KAGAN: What was the response you were getting from customers as this was going on?
CROMIE: Oh, it's needless to say they're very happy about it and a little disappointed that now it's over. But other than that, it was very positive.
KAGAN: What about police? Were they a little frustrated with all the traffic?
CROMIE: Yes, very much so. And that's -- and really, it was something we had to do, because it was getting out of hand. Like I could barely get my own truck to drop a load of gasoline.
KAGAN: Would do you it again? Would you go to a gas price war again? CROMIE: Possibly. One thing I do want to clarify, however, though, that this isn't a David and Goliath thing. This is -- the BP station across the street from me is not a company-operated station. It's a jobber (ph). It's the same type of person I am, a small businessman, who just happens to franchise the BP flag.
And, you know, I know that he couldn't do it very long, and neither could I. And, you know, it happened, and now it's over.
KAGAN: And now you're getting out of town?
CROMIE: No. No.
KAGAN: No, I don't mean closing up shop, but getting a break?
CROMIE: Oh, yes. Yes, we have to. You know, nobody could operate losing 40 cents a gallon indefinitely.
KAGAN: Yes.
CROMIE: But it was just one of those things where you just have to protect your market share, and I think we accomplished that.
KAGAN: Yes. A little economics there. And it also made some drivers very happy for the day.
Thanks for sharing the story.
CROMIE: OK.
KAGAN: Dell Cromie.
Thank you.
Keeping it on cars, have you seen this, little tiny women driving these really big cars?
(MUSIC)
KAGAN: A couple of songwriters drive home a point.
More toe-tapping ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: You've seen them, those big SUVs with tiny, little women behind the wheel. Now there's a song dedicated to those little drivers. The catchy tune is catching on. Here's Jeanne Moos. Her report revved up first on CNN's "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You would dance, too, if it were your song. Step on the gas and pump up the volume.
(MUSIC) ROZANNE GATES, SONGWRITER: It's a national phenomenon. The cars are getting bigger and the ladies are getting smaller. And they practically need a step ladder to get up into these rigs.
MOOS: Rozanne Gates and Suzy Sheridan drive the opposite of an SUV.
Everywhere they drive around Westport, Connecticut, they see little women driving big SUVs.
GATES: There goes one.
MOOS: So they penned a song about it.
SUZANNE SHERIDAN, SONGWRITER: It's something that's meant to be lighthearted.
MOOS: There goes one. Wait there goes one. Hey.
SHERIDAN: There goes another one, yeah.
MOOS: Oh, look, she's 90 pounds.
SHERIDAN: Yes, she's our next door neighbor.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: Speaking of wives, you're a couple.
SHERIDAN: Yeah, we are.
GATES: You don't say a couple of what.
MOOS: Sealed with a civil union. They want America to wean itself off oil, and they are hoping their SUV song drives home the point.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: They had a singer in Nashville record the song. It started to take off when the radio show "Car Talk" played it. Now you can buy it on iTunes. It's no wonder that people who don't drive SUVs like it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is so true.
MOOS: But it seems to strike a chord even with those it skewers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is so dead on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's pretty funny.
MOOS: In fact, the only quibble female SUV drivers had was with the 90-pound part.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ninety isn't it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a little more than 90 pounds, but this is awesome.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: Rozanne and Suzy dream of a certain singer for their song.
Dolly Parton?
GATES: Yes.
SHERIDAN: Please, you've got to do this song.
GATES: This is going to be the biggest hit you have ever had.
MOOS: But so far, Dolly hasn't bitten.
GATES: You have an SUV.
MOOS: Yes, but we have all this equipment we have to carry.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: If you really want to get mileage out of this song, try making sightings while you listen. GATES: She's got her cell phone in her ear.
MOOS: She's talking, baby! There's another one, yes!
Jeanne Moos, CNN, Westport, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Jeanne, two hands on the wheel, Jeanne. For more stories from Jeanne Moos, take a ride with Paula Zahn. "PAULA ZAHN NOW" airs weeknights at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
All right. Laundry, having to give baths, make breakfast. It's the job of being a mom. It is priceless. Until now, that is.
Adding up, how much would be the salary that mom should be paid? We're going to see if you agree with the number they came up with when LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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