Damage
A Lowe's home improvement store in Sanford, N.C., is rubble after a tornado touched down in the area. (Thomas Babb / Raleigh News & Observer / April 16, 2011)
By Stephen Ceasar, Los Angeles Times
April 17, 2011
A powerful stream of fast-moving storms and tornadoes pounded the South again Saturday, bringing the three-day death total to at least 17 and leaving a trail of destruction, toppled trees and downed power lines.
Severe weather swept through North Carolina, causing multiple fatalities in four counties, destroying scores of homes throughout the state and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of residents, said Gov. Bev Perdue in a televised news conference late Saturday.
She could not say how many people have been killed, adding that officials had just begun to survey damage Saturday night. Perdue declared a state of emergency throughout North Carolina and said at least 62 twisters touched down, "the most widespread tornadoes we've seen since the mid-1990s."
The storms continued ripping through the state's eastern area into the night.
The potent storm front was expected to make its way into theAtlantic Ocean by early Sunday, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist with the National Storm Prediction Center.
The particularly violent system began late Thursday in Oklahoma, where two people were killed. It trekked eastward through Arkansas, killing seven before surging through Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Friday.
Seven were killed in Alabama, including a mother and her two children in Washington county who were inside their double-wide trailer when it was ripped from its foundation and thrown about 500 feet, landing on its roof, Sheriff Richard Stringer said.
"It just carried it up in the sky and dropped it," he said. "Just demolished it."
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley declared a state of emergency for the entire state. Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also ordered states of emergency Friday for numerous counties.
"Our prayers are with the families and communities that have been affected by this line of strong storms," Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said in a statement. One person in a trailer was killed in Greene County, said Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
In Tushka, Okla., two people were killed and at least 43 hurt as a tornado barreled through the town of 350 during Thursday's storm.
In Arkansas, roads across the state were blocked by downed power lines and toppled trees. State officials began surveying the aftermath of the storm and preparing damage estimates, said Renee Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. "Even though this has happened, our communities have come together to pick each other up," she said.

Dog the Bounty Hunter Bails Nicolas Cage Out of the Slammer

Today 7:37 PM PDT by 
Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" ChapmanFrazer Harrison/Getty Images
Duane "Dog the Bounty Hunter" Chapman isn't just good for locking up the bad guys….he'll also bail out a friend in need. Literally.

The reality star posted Nicolas Cage's $11,000 bond, after the Knowing star was arrested on charges of domestic violence, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness Saturday morning in New Orleans, E! News has confirmed.
"Media from around the world have been requesting interviews with me today after reports surfaced about my posting a bond for actor Nicolas Cage in New Orleans," Chapman said in a statement to E! News. "I am a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage and will not be granting any interviews about my client as I wish to respect his privacy. I performed my duties as a bail bondsman and not in connection with our show. This is what I do for a living. There are two sides of my job: I release my clients after they have been arrested; and pick them up if they don't show up in court. I do not believe the latter will be the case for Mr. Cage."

Following Cage's bail-out, Dog's wife, Beth Chapman tweeted, "My guy just walked out of the jail damn new Orleans 8 hours holy cow that's a lot of time toProcess one guy."


Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b236853_dog_bounty_hunter_bails_nicolas_cage.html#ixzz1JkUgsCPD