Mall closes temporarily after girls storm concert
A suburban shopping mall in Minnesota was forced to close temporarily Saturday after a mob of enthusiastic fans rushed the stage of a free concert by the boy band B5 and overwhelmed the security guards, according to the Associated Press.
The more than 2,000 fans, almost all preteen and teenage girls, began jumping onstage, grabbing band members' clothes and even grabbing the band members themselves shortly into the second song of the act. Security escorted some of the bands out, while others simply ran out the back of the mall.
Seventy officers from 23 different area departments responded to the situation. It took 15 minutes for the police to control the crowd and another half hour to clear out the mall.
Five people were treated at the mall and four went to the hospital for minor injuries sustained during the chaos, dubbed a "girl frenzy" by the sponsor of the show, Radio Disney. No arrests were made. The mall re-opened several hours later.
The group is a group of brothers, ages 10-17, from Atlanta, Ga.
- KELLY KERR
FDA warns of birth control patch side effects
The FDA warned users of the Ortho Evra birth control patch that they face a higher risk of blood clots and other serious side effects than previously thought, according to USAToday.com.
"I wish I had known. It's quite likely I would never have used it," said Jennifer Cowperthwaite, 26, of Broad Brook, Conn., who still suffers breathing problems after a blood clot reached her lungs two years ago while using the patch.
In September, Public Citizen's Health Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, added Ortho Evra to its list of dangerous medicines, warning that there is "no medical reason for women to use the more dangerous Ortho Evra [patch] rather than one of the older, better understood and equally effective oral contraceptives."
- KATE OCZYPOK
Tornadoes tear through Iowa, continue weather streak
Tornadoes tore through Iowa yesterday, continuing the Midwest's streak of wild weather.
At least one person was killed, two were injured and a natural gas leak forced hundreds of other residents from their homes overnight.
One woman was found dead under a pile of fallen bricks and another was pulled alive from the rubble a few feet away as searchers combed through two central Iowa communities, according to USAToday.com.
"Half the town's gone," Iowa resident Bob Smith said of the destruction in Stratford, a town of about 750 residents. He said he ran from his camper as the tornado touched down about 5 p.m., according to USAToday.com.
The conditions were right for a tornado, with warm weather and a cold front barreling through, experts said. Last weekend, another tornado ripped through western Kentucky and southwest Indiana, killing 22 people.
- KATE OCZYPOK
