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(CNN) Laura Kassem had tripped before. But this time, she fell hard. She couldnt seem to control her body as she went down, even to protect her face from hitting the concrete sidewalk.

It happened again the next day as she stepped off an escalator. Then again in the parking garage on Monday when she went to work.

I had no idea what was going on, the 33-year-old remembers. I had no idea why I would just drop all of a sudden.

The third time, she went to the emergency room, where a neurologist ordered an MRI and a cardiologist performed a tilt test normally done on patients who faint because of a sudden drop in blood pressure.

The tests revealed nothing. Doctors sent Kassem home with instructions to drink more water.

Kassem continued to trip over nothing. So she went to the Cleveland Clinic, where she says her symptoms baffled doctors in the rheumatology, cardiology and neurology departments.

Back home in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo, Kassem made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to address the extreme pain in her hips and lower back. He sent her to a neurosurgeon, who in turn sent her to see a neurologist who specialized in neuromuscular disorders.

Meanwhile, Kassem tried to avoid open spaces. She hugged walls so that if her body froze up, she wouldnt fall flat on her face. She already had a few loose teeth, and her nose was a mix of blue and purple.

One night, Kassem and her sister were watching 20/20 when the woman being interviewed began describing Kassems symptoms. The woman had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, or SPS, a rare neurological disorder characterized by painful muscle spasms and progressive stiffness in the lower back and limbs.

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Living with Stiff Person Syndrome: Im a statue for your lawn

A construction worker steps over a puddle in a lot being prepared to be turned into a grassy lawn next to a newly built hotel across from the Olympic Park at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. It's not a great time to be a journalist in Sochi. Hotels are a mess with broken furniture, stray dogs and construction workers. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

David Goldman, Associated Press

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Its not a great time to be a journalist in Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Olympic Games.

Its frigid. Hotels are a mess with broken furniture, stray dogs and construction workers. Theres no hot water.

But journalists arent staying quiet about it. Recently, reporters covering the Olympics and in town for the Winter Games posted some of their tales on Twitter, tweeting out their misery, confusion and displeasure with how Sochis Olympics have been handled, The Washington Post reported.

Various journalists tweeted about the lack of Internet, water main breaks and a bathroom that asked the rooms guest not to flush the toilet, The Post reported.

Amid continued debate over whether or not Sochi is prepared to host the 2014 Olympics, which begins Thursday, reporters from around the world are starting to check into local hotels to their apparent grief," The Post said.

A New York Times reporter chronicled his journey in Sochi, saying that Sochis buildings are numbered and without names. Theres a lot of construction, and stray dogs are strolling through the streets, he wrote.

So far, the inconveniences have mostly affected the news media, perhaps the least sympathetic of the participants here. But the parents of athletes are on the way, and there is some trepidation among Olympic officials that outrage will flow if these people receive the no-hot-water treatment. Or if their hotel rooms are not ready.

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Stray dogs, broken curtains and no hot water: Journalists speak out about Sochi conditions

A vehicle driven by Gary Swann, no age listed, of 134 N. Lincoln St. was traveling west on East Broad Street when it crossed North Railroad Street and struck a tree at 1:08 p.m. Monday, police said.

Swawn and a passenger, Thomas Martinez, no age listed, same address, were transported by Life Lion EMS to the Hershey Medical Center, where Swann was listed in fair condition Tuesday, and Martinez was released after treatment, a hospital spokeswoman said. The vehicle was towed.

Automatic alarm >> Palmyra Citizens and Campelltown fire companies were dispatched at 6:43 p.m. Tuesday to Palmyra Nursing Home, 341 N. Railroad St.

WIRE DOWN >> Citizens Fire Co. was dispatched to 100 N. Chestnut St. at 5:27 a.m. Wednesday.

TREE DOWN >> Citizens Fire Co. was dispatched to 159 N. College St. at 10:01 a.m. Wednesday.

TREE DOWN >> Citizens Fire Co. was dispatched to 605 N. Lincoln St. at 10:29 a.m. Wednesday.

poles, wires damaged >> Prescott Community Fire Co. was dispatched at 5:44 p.m. Tuesday to Prescott Road and East Cumberland Street.

WIRE DOWN >> Avon Citizens Fire Co. was dispatched to 2020 Leinbaugh Ave. at 7:02 a.m. Wednesday.

WIRE DOWN >> Hebron Fire Co. was dispatched to 12 Folmer St. at 7:39 a.m. Wednesday.

TREE DOWN >> Campbelltown Fire Co. was dispatched to 2108 Brandt Road at 7:44 a.m. Wednesday.

Link:
Police blotter, 2/6

Freed by deal with government, Internet firms release new data on NSA surveillance requests

WASHINGTON (AP) - Freed by a recent legal deal with government lawyers, major technology firms released new data Monday on how often they are ordered to turn over customer information for secret national security investigations - figures that show that the government collected data on thousands of Americans.

The publications disclosed by Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr provided expanded details and some vented criticism about the government's handling of customers' Internet data in counter-terrorism and other intelligence-related probes. The figures from 2012 and 2013 showed that companies, such as Google and Microsoft, were compelled by the government to provide information on as many as 10,000 customer accounts in a six-month period. Yahoo complied with government requests for information on more than 40,000 accounts in the same period.

The companies earlier provided limited information about government requests for data, but a new agreement reached last week with the Obama administration allowed the firms to provide a broadened, though still circumscribed, set of figures to the public.

Seeking to reassure customers and business partners alarmed by revelations about the government's massive collection of Internet and computer data, the firms stressed details indicating that only small numbers of their customers were targeted by authorities. Still, even those small numbers showed that thousands of Americans were affected by the government requests approved by judges of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The data releases by the five major tech firms offered a mix of dispassionate graphics, reassurances and protests, seeking to alleviate customer concerns about government spying while pressuring national security officials about the companies' constitutional concerns. The shifting tone in the releases showed the precarious course that major tech firms have had to navigate in recent months, caught between their public commitments to Internet freedom and their enforced roles as data providers to U.S. spy agencies.

Cars warning each other of collisions? US to propose new rules in hopes of cutting crashes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Your car might see a deadly crash coming even if you don't, the government says, indicating it will require automakers to equip new vehicles with technology that lets cars warn each other if they're plunging toward peril.

The action, still some years off, has "game-changing potential" to cut collisions, deaths and injuries, federal transportation officials said at a news conference on Monday.

A radio signal would continually transmit a vehicle's position, heading, speed and other information. Cars and light trucks would receive the same information back from other cars, and a vehicle's computer would alert its driver to an impending collision. Alerts could be a flashing message, an audible warning, or a driver's seat that rumbles. Some systems might even automatically brake to avoid an accident if manufacturers choose to include that option.

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AP News in Brief at 5:58 p.m. EST - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

Chicago Tribune reporter Rosemary Regina Sobol recaps crime happened overnight, including two shootings and an accident of a man falling onto CTA tracks.

10:34 a.m. CST, February 2, 2014

Three people were wounded in shootings early Sunday and Saturday on the south and west sides.

Most recently, a man took himself to Norwegian-American Hospital about 3 a.m. for treatment of a gunshot wound to the toe which happened when he accidentally shot himself in the 4100 block of West Crystal Street in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood on the West Side, police said.

His injuries were not life threatening.

In an earlier attack about 9 p.m. Saturday in the 5900 block of South Paulina Street in the city's Englewood community on the South Side, someone shot a teen in the leg, said Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Hector Alfaro. The 16-year-old boy was in a house when he heard shots and felt pain, police said; the victim and witnesses were uncooperative.

The teen was taken to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition, Alfaro said.

Earlier, at 12:17 p.m. in the 1100 block of West 63rd Street in Englewood, a 23-year-old man was shot in the chest, said News Affairs Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti.

The man was taken in good condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, she said.

No one was in custody for the 63rd Street attack, according to Ursitti.

See the article here:
South, West Side shootings wound 3

Premature death in Russia is common, especially among men. And theyre known for their affinity for vodka. Now, evidence suggests the two are linked.

The latest study, published in the journal Lancet, was based on interviews with 151,000 Russians over age 35 in 1998 and 2001. They compared their drinking habits with how many had died by 2011, finding that death rates increased substantially with the amount of vodka consumed.

NEWS: Caffeinated Energy Drinks Tied to Alcohol Abuse

Of men who said they consumed between 1/2 a liter and 1 1/2 liters of vodka weekly, 20 percent died between ages 35 and 54, and 54 percent died between the ages 55 and 74.

For men who drank the most (those who consumed more than 1 1/2 liters of vodka per week) and also smoked, 35 percent died between the ages of 35 and 54. And 64 percent died between the ages of 55 and 74. Almost all the drinkers in the study also smoked.

BLOG: Drinking and Driving Unsafe at Any Level, Study Says

The data reinforces other evidence that vodka is a major cause of the high risk of premature death in Russian adults, the authors wrote.

The average life expectancy for Russian men is just 64 years, which is among the bottom 50 countries worldwide, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Photo: iStock

More here:
Russian Men: Drink Vodka, Die Younger

An outlawed plant could help fight Americas top killer,heart disease, which ended the lives of nearly 600,000 in the United States in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A recent analysis identified several potentially heart-healthy chemicals in hemp, marijuanas hard-working, non-intoxicating cousin.

In particular, oil from hemp seeds contained high levels of alpha-linolenic acid, according to the study published by Spanish pharmacologists in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Alpha-linolenic acid is an omega-3 fatty acid that research suggests could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Hemp seed oils high polyunsaturated fat content -- compared to saturated fats -- could help reduce peoples cholesterol levels and treat atherosclerosis, or the buildup of materials on the inside of arteries, wrote the researchers from the University of Seville, Spain.

PHOTOS: 7 Ways Drugs Ain't What They Used to Be

The hemp oil also held gamma-linolenic acid. This chemical improved the condition of mice suffering from fibromyalgia syndrome, a chronic degenerative disease, in an experiment published in the Journal of Functional Foods.

The hemp seed used in the study grew in western Canada. Canada legalized industrial hemp in 1998 for the production of fiber, vegetable oil and other products.

BLOG: Marijuana Farms: Just Google It

Since 1958, hemp has remained illegal in much of the United States, but change recently sprouted.

The Farm Bill currently working through the Senate would allow industrial hemp pilot projects on American farms. Seeking a head start in the reemergent hemp business, some state governments moved early in anticipation of the passage of the bill. For example, Kentuckys General Assembly voted to legalize hemp last year and recently began moving forward with a test project, reported USA Today.

Botanists classify hemp and marijuana as different varieties of one plant, Cannabis sativa. Sturdy fibers from the stems of hemp have been used for thousands of years to make rope, fabric and other materials, yet contain very little tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the main intoxicating chemicals that gives the flowers of the female marijuana plant her illegal potency.

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Hemp Gets High Five for Heart-Health Benefits

A prank phone call led to about $15,000 in damage to the lobby and offices at the Comfort Inn on Shea Boulevard in Fountain Hills.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office someone called the hotel Sunday afternoon and claimed to be a representative of its alarm company.

The told the desk clerk they needed to reset the fire alarm system and asked them to pull the alarm lever, which they did.

The caller then told the clerk that to prevent all the fire sprinklers from going off they needed to activate one of the sprinkler heads by breaking it. The clerk did as they were asked, causing the flood.

Fountain Hills Fire Department was called to shut down the system and repair the sprinkler head. Firefighters also helped in removing water from the building.

*On Tuesday, Jan. 14, a Laveen woman was found in her car along the Beeline Highway north of Fountain Hills two days after she went off the road and into a wash. The woman reportedly left Mesa to return home in the West Valley on Sunday but got lost. Residents in nearby Goldfield Ranch heard a horn honking and found the woman in her vehicle. She was taken to the hospital for treatment as she had not taken medication in two days.

*On Wednesday, Jan. 15, a resident of the 3000 block of north 150th Street reported a pattern of harassment from his neighbor. A dispute between the two dates back 10 years and the man reported the neighbor was seen on his property Jan. 15.

*On Wednesday, Jan. 15, a Fountain Hills woman reported a financial consultant had fraudulently taken money from her account totaling more than $17,000.

*On Wednesday, Jan. 15, a resident of the 17000 block of San Marcus Drive reported someone entered his fenced back yard and removed lawn furniture.

*On Thursday, Jan. 16, deputies investigated a vehicle accident at Saguaro Boulevard and Indian Wells Drive. A vehicle traveling north on Saguaro collided with a second vehicle that was turning onto Saguaro from Indian Wells.

Read more:
Law enforcement report

Governor Cuomo in Solvay /Courtesy: Andy Wolf

SOLVAY -- The areas surrounding Onondaga Lake could be transformed thanks to a $30 million plan to revitalize the neighboring community.

Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Solvay Wednesday morning to unveil details of the Onondaga Lake Revitalization program designed to have a major economic impact in Onondaga County and throughout the region. "Today is a new day. This project is just the cherry on the cake...Onondaga Lake is clean," Cuomo said.

The money will support Brownfield remediation projects, infrastructure investments to encourage new housing and business opportunities, and enhancements to the Onondaga lakefront that will increase access and provide new recreational opportunities for New Yorkers and visitors. "These projects will help boost the local tourism industry and make the area a premier destination to attract new business and enhance the lives of residents - growing the whole region of Central New York," Cuomo said.

The first phase of the program includes project totaling $100.3 million. It would be funded by $30 million from the state as well as resources from the federal government. Onondaga County would contribute $2.5 million to the project. That money will come from the new gaming agreement with the Turning Stone Casino.

The plan includes $50 million for the construction of a "Lakehouse Concert Pavilion" Performance Arts Center. It would be located across from the New York State Fairgrounds in the Village of Solvay. The indoor pavilion would seat up to 7,500 people and include a lawn area located on a former landfill overlooking the lake. It would also include $20 million for infrastructure improvements including changes to wastewater treatment facilities and Brownfield clean-up to open manufacturing sites for future business development. In addition, $10 million would be used for housing projects in Solvay, including $5 for the construction of a new senior housing facility, $5 million for leveraging against public/private funding of new housing projects and the rehabilitation of existing housing projects.

Other highlights of the plan include:

- $1.2 million to enhance the intersection of Milton Ave and Bridge Street in the heart of the Solvay business district - $600,000 to make streetscape enhancements from Cogswell Ave to Bailey Street in Solvay - $2 million for the demolition of blighted properties in targeted area of Solvay - $2 million in matching grants of up to $20,000 for residential homeowner improvements - $2 million in matching grants of up to $25,000 for business faade improvements on Milton Ave, Bridge Street, or Charles Ave - $1 million for a competitive grant program for new businesses that open in the targeted economic development zone

The project also designates $7 million for Bridge Street streetscape improvements to link the Fair to the Lakefront. The Onondaga Creekwalk would be completed with $3 million to create an existing loop along the lake connecting the communities of Liverpool, Solvay, Lakeland and the City of Syracuse.

In addition, $1 million would be used to create water taxi docks would be created at Onondaga Lake Park, Syracuse Inner Harbor and the Honeywell boat landing to allow water taxi travel to and from the Performing Arts Center. The five water taxis would cost $500,000.

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Onondaga Lake plan could transform Solvay, neighboring communities

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Submitted Just a month after celebrating the completion and grand opening of Vyne House Phase I at Talis Park, developer Kitson & Partners is moving forward with the construction of Vyne House Phase II.

Just a month after celebrating the completion and grand opening of Vyne House Phase I at Talis Park, developer Kitson & Partners announced it is moving forward with the construction of Vyne House Phase II at the private golf course community in North Naples.

Plans for the 26,500-square-foot under air, multilevel Phase II project are being finalized and site work is expected to begin no later than third quarter 2014. Vertical construction is scheduled to begin fourth quarter 2014. Kitson anticipates holding a soft opening of Phase II in December 2015 and a grand opening in January 2016.

Located adjacent to the Great Lawn at Talis Parks Grand Piazza, Vyne House epitomizes the New Fashioned aesthetic Kitson has introduced at the North Naples community. Vyne House consists of a series of lifestyle oriented spaces designed to be used every day, inviting users to come as they are in a relaxed, comfortable format. The buildings are interconnected by covered outdoor walkways and wrapped around multiple courtyards that offer the possibility of outdoor dining and entertaining. When Phase II is completed, Vyne House will include a total of 31,500 square feet under air and 20,000 square feet of outdoor space.

Phase I included completion of Vyne House Shops that features Fionas Market Caf. Fionas serves fresh, local fare, wine selections, bar service and other useful daily items and has quickly become a favored destination for Talis Park residents. It is the ideal gathering place for conversation and coffee after a bike ride or walk, after a workout, yoga or Pilates session in the Vyne House Core fitness center, or after a treatment or massage in the Esprit Spa, both of which were also completed in Phase I.

Phase II will introduce Palm Court, a large open-air courtyard that is the centerpiece of Vyne House. In addition to serving as a point of entry, Palm Court will be used as a social space perfectly suited to hosting a variety of events. The upper level will also include formal indoor dining, casual indoor and outdoor dining, a multipurpose room immediately adjacent to Palm Court, aerobics and cardio workout rooms, and a uniquely designed Wine Room/Board Room that will host wine tastings and monthly wine pairing dinners.

Memberships in the Talis Park Wine Club will be offered. Members will have preferred access to the wine tastings and pairing dinners as well as an opportunity to secure a private wine locker.

The lower level of Vyne House Phase II will host the golf pro shop as well as the mens and ladies locker rooms. The community is anchored by the lakes and fairways and greens of the Talis Park Golf Club golf course. One of just two Greg Norman-Pete Dye designed courses in the world, the course has been ranked No. 91 in Golfweeks 2014 Best Residential Courses and is consistently ranked among the top 20 courses in Florida.

The Vyne House design includes an abundance of outdoor areas that are ideal for community events, casual dining, informal get-togethers with family and friends, or simply relaxing. Phase II will include the completion of a resort-style pool with a large pool deck as well as a stately rotunda that will feature an oversized, two-sided fireplace and overlook the 18th green. As a final bonus, the Great Lawn in front of Vyne House is green space that serves as the backdrop for signature community events.

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Kitson to start Phase II of Vyne House at Talis Park