NATIONAL NEWS

CDC warns about bird flu virus Doctor Julie Gerberding, Head of the Center for Disease Control, cautioned members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington to beware of the deadly bird flu virus. She said that the virus could become deadly and infectious, causing a worldwide pandemic. Gerberding said that because the bird flu’s genes change rapidly, it could become deadly for humans, likening it to viruses that killed millions during the three influenza pandemics of the last century. Gerberding noted that the mortality rate is high, about 72 percent, and that there have already been deaths in Asia from people who caught the flu from chickens or ducks. Carson’s boyhood home sold as memorial A Georgia company called “Historic Properties” bought Johnny Carson’s boyhood home. Carson lived in the home, which sits on 13th Street in busy downtown Norfolk, Nebraska, from the ages of 8 until he was 18. The business has not revealed what the plans are for the house or what they paid for it. They did say that the home would become a memorial for the late-night king of talk shows. Outcry over the ban of eating cats and dogs A Hawaiian lawmaker who proposed a law banning eating cats and dogs has caused an outcry. There are Asians who feel that the law is pointing a finger at their ethnic group because they have a history of eating the small animals. Investigations by state authorities have not found any proof that the practice still exists. Many Asian residents in the area say that they find the practice that their ancestors practiced in bad taste.