DOGS HELP SNIFF OUT OVARIAN CANCER IN PA. STUDY: PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Researchers trying to develop a diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer are hoping dogs' keen sense of smell will lead them down the right path.
An early detection device that combines old-fashioned olfactory skills, chemical analysis and modern technology could lead to better survival rates for the disease, which is particularly deadly because it's often not caught until an advanced stage.
Using blood and tissue samples donated by patients, the University of Pennsylvania's Working Dog Center has started training three canines to sniff out the signature compound that indicates the presence of ovarian cancer.
If the animals can isolate the chemical marker, scientists at the nearby Monell Chemical Senses Center will work to create an electronic sensor to identify the same odorant.
"Because if the dogs can do it, then the question is, Can our analytical instrumentation do it? We think we can," Monell organic chemist George Preti said.
TEXAS TEENAGER FINDS HIS MOTHER'S BODY IN FREEZER: MINERAL WELLS, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a teenager has discovered the body of his mother in a freezer at her North Texas home.
Mineral Wells Police Chief Dean Sullivan says the body was discovered Thursday evening and that the death is being investigated as a possible homicide. He says no suspects have been identified.
Police are withholding the name of the woman, believed to be in her 40s. Texas Rangers are assisting in the investigation. Authorities are awaiting autopsy results.
The teenager called the police after finding the body in a deep freezer often used to store meat and other foods for long periods. It's not clear what led him to look in the freezer.
Mineral Wells is about 50 miles west of Fort Worth.
POLICE: W. PA. MAN BEAT WIFE WITH FROZEN MEAT: ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a western Pennsylvania man beat his wife with a package of frozen ground beef, then ran away when police were called.
Police were called to the Aliquippa home of 51-year-old William Neugebauer on Tuesday for a report of a dispute with his wife. They found Wendy Neugebauer suffering from swelling on her rib cage, where she told police her husband hit her with the meat.
Police say William Neugebauer ran away, but they found him a half hour later when he returned home. He was then arrested.
The Beaver County Times reports that he faces a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges including simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and public drunkenness.
ORE. JURY DENIES OCCUPY PROTESTER'S POLICE LAWSUIT: PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A seven-person jury has found the city of Portland and two of its police officers not liable for an Occupy Portland protester's injuries.
The Oregon jury took four hours to return a verdict saying that the officers did not use excessive force when one of them struck protester Liz Nichols in the throat with a baton and the other one sprayed her open mouth with pepper spray.
The officers' defense team said in closing arguments that the police were doing their job in a difficult situation during the November 2011 protests.
Despite the loss, Nichols' attorneys say they're happy that the issue has been aired publicly and that attention has been trained on the police reaction to demonstrations.
NY LIBRARY SELLING 22,000 VINYL LPS FOR $1 EACH: NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of vinyl-record aficionados descended on the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on Friday for a rare sale of LPs from the library's collection.
The three-day sale of 22,000 records started Thursday. It's intended to clear out space and to raise money for future acquisitions and for preserving the library's collection, curator Jonathan Hiam said.
The sale is the first of its kind since 1984, Hiam said. All the albums for sale are duplicates of others owned by the library, which is at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. All are priced to sell at $1, even boxed sets.
Bradley Coufal was among 70 people waiting in line before Friday's sale started.
"I just like am an avid dollar bin record seeker," Coufal said. "When I heard there were 22,000 records I was excited."
OHIO TROOPERS SAY NEW SHOES MAY BE SAFETY HAZARDS: COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The union for Ohio troopers says new shoes being issued to them by the State Highway Patrol are slick — and not in a good way.
The footwear, a type of short boot, is in a buckle-and-strap style instead of the lace-up style many troopers prefer.
They complain the shoes can cause slips and aren't secure enough when officers run after or tussle with people, The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/17BLKy8) reported Friday.
They say the new style doesn't resist moisture or provide ankle-support while certain officers, such as canine handlers, can still wear the older version.
Troopers are being required to begin wearing the shoes by Nov. 1, although they still can choose to wear a more rugged boot in bad weather.
The Ohio State Troopers Association and several officers have filed grievances, contending the shoes create unsafe working conditions. The union also alleges patrol leadership is emphasizing appearance over safety in the choice of shoe, the newspaper said.
POLICE: EX-SENATOR'S BROTHER IMPERSONATED A COP: NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's brother has been charged with impersonating a police officer after authorities say he stopped boaters off the Connecticut coast and had a bulletproof vest with a Transportation Security Administration badge attached to it.
Bruce W. Browne, 46, of Wolcott, stopped three vessels on Long Island Sound on Thursday and asked boaters for their registrations and safety certificates, state police said Friday. In his car, Browne had three loaded handguns, handcuffs and the vest, which was marked "police" and had the TSA badge attached, authorities said.
Police say a resident reported that a man wearing military-type clothing was walking with a gun in Old Lyme and was seen earlier in the day with a vehicle that looked like a police car.
