Distracted driving fatalities caused by cell phone use and texting soared in the space of three years, according to new U.S. government research released Thursday. Texting alone caused more than 16,000 deaths in car accidents from 2001 to 2007, the researchers estimated. But auto deaths involving cell phones and texting while driving rose 28 percent in just three years, from 4,572 in 2005 to 5,870 in 2008. "The increases in distracted driving seem to be largely driven by increased … [Read more...]

ATLANTA – The pastor of a nationally known Atlanta-area megachurch took other young men on trips as part of a mentoring program but stands by his denial of claims that he had sex with three of them, a lawyer for the religious leader said Thursday. Bishop Eddie Long plans his first public response to the allegations Sunday during services at his 25,000-member church, attorney Craig Gillen said on the Tom Joyner Morning Show after Long canceled an interview with the nationally syndicated … [Read more...]

The movie that Mexican director Luis Estrada is putting out for his country's bicentennial is bluntly named "Hell." Like many Mexicans, Estrada says there is little to celebrate in Mexico today, with its violence, corruption and inequity. Yet in another way, the harshly critical movie shows how far the country has come — it was made with government funding, and nobody tried to censor it. "I think this should be seen as enormous progress," Estrada says. As Mexico limps into the … [Read more...]