Columbus news

• Family hopeful after learning of reward offered in Pike Co. murders

  20-07-2016 23:42
  Friday marks three months since eight family members were killed execution-style in Pike County.A close family member asked us not to identify her because she said she's still in fear for her own life."There's still fear because we don't know who [and] we don't know why,” they explained.Loved ones said they can’t bear the thought of the case going cold."I feel like I would die myself thinking it would be a cold case,” the family member said.Sheriff’s investigators said th
  
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• L.L. Bean recalls kids' water bottles over lead concerns

  20-07-2016 23:04
  
  L.L. Bean is recalling children's insulated water bottles because of concerns about lead contamination.The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the bottles were imported by GSI Outdoors and sold by L.L. Bean from July 2015 through May 2016 for about $20. The 13.5-ounce bottles have five prints: sharks, dinosaur bones, camouflage, flowers and butterflies.The Maine-based retailer said it specified lead-free water bottles, but routine testing by the Chinese manufacturer revealed lead solder had
  
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• Scuffle contained after man tries to burn U.S. flag in Cleveland

  20-07-2016 22:50
  
  Police officers, including members of the Columbus mounted unit, swarmed in to stop a scuffle over a flag burning outside the Republican National Convention this afternoon. About 4 p.m., a man tried to burn an American flag with lighter fluid at Prospect Avenue and Fourth Street, near the delegate entrance.
  
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• Trump speechwriter takes blame for Melania Trump's speech

  20-07-2016 22:36
  
  With Donald Trump's campaign reeling from charges of plagiarism, a speechwriter for his company took the blame and offered to resign over nearly identical passages from Melania Trump's Republican convention speech and Michelle Obama's remarks eight years ago.The speechwriter, however, made it clear that Melania Trump knew that the passages she read to an enthralled convention Monday night had come from Michelle Obama."A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama," the speechwriter, Meredith M
  
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• Southwest suffers technology outage; flights held at gates

  20-07-2016 22:26
  
  Southwest Airlines flights across the country were held up Wednesday while the airline worked to fix technology problems.Southwest began having intermittent problems with several systems after an outage."We are now managing flight delays across our system, with a temporary ground stop in place for those flights that have not left the gate," spokesman Brad Hawkins said in an emailed statement.For about three hours, visitors to Southwest.com couldn't buy tickets, check in for flights, or check the
  
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• Southwest Airlines computer outage grounds fleet nationwide

  20-07-2016 22:26
  
  Due to a widespread computer outage, Southwest Airlines is experiencing massive delays, and almost all flights out of its Chicago hub are grounded, CBS Chicago reported. The FAA has said the problems have caused a nationwide ground stop.CBS Chicago is being told that automated check-in and baggage systems are down and passengers are being checked in by hand on paper tickets.Southwest said on Twitter they are aware and investigating the current issues with their systems. If you are seeing this im
  
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• COTA fires driver who was investigated for discrimination

  20-07-2016 22:04
  
  The Central Ohio Transit Authority bus driver who was accused of discriminating against a gay passenger has been fired. COTA’s internal investigation into the June 2 incident determined that Jacquelyn A. Willis did not discriminate against the passenger, Ben Purdom, but the agency fired her anyway after a medical screening found no reason for her strange behavior.
  
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• Authorities clear scene of suspicious package found at Franklin Co. Courthouse

  20-07-2016 21:23
  
  Authorities are investigating a suspicious package at the Franklin County Courthouse.According to Columbus Fire, security found a letter or envelope leaking some type of fluid at the building located at 345 S. High Street.Firefighters have isolated the area where the package was found.Columbus Fire issued the following statement:The Columbus Fire Haz-Mat Team evaluated what appeared to be a piece of mail that had been delivered through the U.S. Postal System to 345 S. High St.When employees open
  
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• Troopers charged in beating caught on news helicopter video

  20-07-2016 20:48
  
  Two state troopers involved in the videotaped beating of a man who was apparently surrendering after a 50-mile car chase through Massachusetts and New Hampshire were arrested Tuesday.Joseph Flynn, 32, of the Massachusetts State Police and Andrew Monaco, 31, of the New Hampshire State Police, were arrested on charges stemming from their use of force in the arrest of Richard Simone Jr. on May 11, New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster said in a statement. Video caught by a TV news helicopter
  
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• Trump's offer to Kasich to be running mate: Be in charge of both domestic, foreign policy

  20-07-2016 20:35
  
  CLEVELAND — John Kasich could've been the second-most powerful person in America, but overtures a couple of months ago to become Donald Trump's running mate were rejected. Donald Trump Jr. and campaign chief Paul Manafort both reached out to John Weaver, Kasich's top campaign consultant, shortly after Kasich dropped out of the presidential race May 4. If Kasich became vice president in a Trump administration, he would be put in charge of both domestic and foreign policy, four Kasich campai
  
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• State court throws out Jon Waters defamation suit against Ohio State

  20-07-2016 20:35
  
  The Ohio Court of Claims on Tuesday ruled that Ohio State University did not defame former marching-band director Jonathan Waters when it fired him in July 2014 for failing to adequately address a "sexualized culture" in the nationally known band program. The decision dismisses Waters' defamation suit but it doesn't end his legal actions against the university. A separate lawsuit, alleging that he didn't receive due process in his firing and suffered gender discrimination, remains in federal cou
  
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• Extreme heat coming to central Ohio this week

  20-07-2016 20:20
  
  High temperatures and humidity across much of the Midwest will bring a dangerous heat wave to Columbus and the rest of the state this week.
  
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• Caitlyn Jenner: Easier to come out as trans than Republican

  20-07-2016 19:18
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — Prodding her party, Caitlyn Jenner said Wednesday it was easier to come out as transgender than as a Republican and conceded Democrats promote more inclusive policies.
  
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• 2016 Columbus Division of Police Seminar

  20-07-2016 18:39 via youtube.com
  
  
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• Licking County murder suspect’s ex-husband also arrested

  20-07-2016 18:23
  
  NEWARK — The ex-husband of a Licking County woman charged with murder in the death of her boyfriend has been arrested in connection with the crime. Kyle Johnston, 34, is in custody in the Pickaway County Jail, booked on a fugitive from justice warrant issued by the Licking County Sheriff's Office, according to jail records. Johnston is the ex-husband of Bobbi Proehl, 31, who was charged with murder Tuesday in the death of her boyfriend, Larry Hannah.
  
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• Judge: Ohio State didn't defame Jon Waters

  20-07-2016 18:04
  
  A state court has dismissed the defamation lawsuit of fired Ohio State University marching band director Jonathan Waters.The Court of Claims on Tuesday rejected Waters' claims the school's statements surrounding his dismissal were slanderous, defamatory and invaded his privacy.The judge said Waters became a limited-purpose public figure once an internal investigation uncovered a "sexualized culture" within the celebrated band. He noted Ohio State was compelled to investigate after a parent compl
  
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• Florida Zika case may be first from mosquito inside U.S.

  20-07-2016 17:47
  
  Health officials in Florida were investigating Wednesday what could be the first Zika infection from a mosquito bite in the continental United States.Lab tests confirmed that a person in the Miami area has the Zika virus, and the case is potentially not linked to travel outside the country, according to statements from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida's Department of Health.More than 1,300 Zika infections have been reported in the U.S., but none involved bites from
  
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• Coming out as Republican harder than being transgender, Caitlyn Jenner says at GOP convention event

  20-07-2016 17:37
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — Caitlyn Jenner says it was easier to come out as transgender than it was as a Republican. The transgender activist and Olympic gold medalist spoke at a breakfast at the Republican National Convention to promote LGBT inclusion in the GOP.
  
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• Free counseling now provided for vets, spouses

  20-07-2016 17:34
  Ryan Sargent, a licensed professional counselor, has accepted a full-time position at the Military Veterans Resource Center in Columbus and will be providing free confidential counseling to veterans, service members and spouses.Sargent specializes in personal and social counseling, diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders, and ... (more)
  
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• 3rd Reynoldsburg police officer linked in probe

  20-07-2016 17:20
  
  Federal investigators continue to probe the problematic behavior of two former Reynoldsburg police detectives and new information could connect a third officer to the criminal case. Shane Mauger, 42, and Tye Downard, 43, are accused of falsifying search warrants and skimming up to $250,000 in seized cash and property over nearly a decade. A third officer, Jamie Burr, 41, an eight-year employee, was suspended with pay last week after “new information” surfaced during investigations, R
  
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• 10TV & Metro Parks Outdoor Adventure

  20-07-2016 17:18
  
  Bring your family for a free celebration of summer, help your kids connect with nature and put smiles on their faces!Enjoy playing in the creek, climbing on rocks and up trees, sack races, scavenger hunts, face painting and other outdoor events.10TV news anchors will be joining in the day's fun adventure.Who: 10TV & Metro ParksWhat: Outdoor AdventureWhere: Highbanks Metro Park in the Big Meadows Picnic AreaWhen: Saturday, July 23 at 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.---FULL SCHEDULE:10TV- Meet the 10TV News
  
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• Charter-school property owner wasn’t tax exempt, Ohio justices rule

  20-07-2016 17:03
  
  A Dayton company that owns and leases property to a publicly funded charter school is not entitled to a property tax exemption, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled today.
  
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• Reynoldsburg police officer suspended amid investigation

  20-07-2016 16:56
  
  Federal investigators continue to probe the problematic behavior of two former Reynoldsburg police detectives and new information could connect a third officer to the criminal case. Shane Mauger, 42, and Tye Downard, 43, are accused of falsifying search warrants and skimming up to $250,000 in seized cash and property over nearly a decade. A third officer, Jamie Burr, 41, an eight-year employee, was suspended with pay last week after “new information” surfaced during investigations, R
  
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• Parents won't sue Disney over son's death by gator

  20-07-2016 16:54
  
  The parents of a toddler killed by an alligator at Walt Disney World said Wednesday that they don't plan to sue the Florida theme park resort over the death.Matt and Melissa Graves of Omaha, Nebraska, said in a statement that they want to focus on their family's future health. A family spokeswoman, Sara Brady, said she couldn't say whether a financial settlement had been reached with Disney World."The family is really focused on just moving forward and healing," Brady said.In their statement, th
  
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• Newark police looking for man who robbed fruit & vegetable stand

  20-07-2016 16:01
  
  Police in Newark are searching for a man who robbed a fruit and vegetable stand last weekend.The robbery was reported July 17 at the Witten Farms stand on North 21st Street.A man approached a female employee, claiming to have a weapon and demanded cash.The perpetrator then fled in a vehicle with an unknown amount of money north on 21st Street, pulling out in front of several vehicles.The suspect is described as a white male possibly in his 50s, 6’3”, with a wide/fit build and short s
  
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• Restaurant Review: Starliner Diner

  20-07-2016 16:00
  
  Pun Warning. Starliner Diner originally launched years ago on Cemetery Road. It took flight when demolition crews were scheduled for the original digs this spring. As of early June, its landed safely nearby on Main Street in Hilliard. Okay, with that out of the way, Starliner’s back. Most restaurants don’t transition nearly so well. It […]
  
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• Treat to Try: Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake from The Gluten & Grain Free Gourmet

  20-07-2016 15:58
  
  After going gluten-free and grain-free several years ago, Jen Cuevas saw her health improve dramatically. Many people might have stopped there, but Cuevas decided to launch local bakery The Gluten & Grain Free Gourmet to share her recipes and foods with others who might benefit from a similar change in diet. “All of our products are designed to […]
  
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• Obama pens open letter to America's law enforcement community

  20-07-2016 15:57
  
  As the nation continues to reel from the recent deadly shootings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, President Obama reached out Monday to the law enforcement community seeking to assure them that his administration stood by them."Every day, you accept this responsibility and you see your colleagues do their difficult, dangerous jobs with equal valor," President Obama wrote in his letter, posted to the White House website Tuesday. "I want you to know that the American people see it, to
  
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• Paul Ryan encourages Ohio delegates to vote for Donald Trump

  20-07-2016 15:54
  
  CLEVELAND- It didn't come until 20 seconds before the end of a 15-minute speech this morning, but House Speaker Paul Ryan urged Ohio Republicans to vote for Donald Trump. “Voting for anybody but Donald Trump means you’re voting for Hillary Clinton,” Ryan said during the delegation’s breakfast. The remark drew respectable applause and a couple of “yeah!” shouts.
  
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• A Big Night of Performances and Honors at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards

  20-07-2016 15:36
  
  The Alternative Press Music Awards took place in Columbus on Monday night as some of the biggest, brightest, and not-so young stars of the alt-rock scene descended upon the Schottenstein Center for an endurance-testing five hours of male-led music, banter and a the gifting of a handful of awards. All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth and […]
  
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• Some on Columbus City Schools levy panel don’t live in district, wouldn’t pay tax hike

  20-07-2016 14:48
  
  More than a third of the members of a committee that recommended last month that Columbus City Schools seek a levy to raise the district’s property taxes by about 18 percent don’t live in the district and wouldn’t have to pay the tax, a Dispatch analysis concluded.
  
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• Lincoln Cafe Hit With Backlash From Social Media Mob

  20-07-2016 14:44
  
  Late on Monday night, local ABC affiliate WSYX reported that a Columbus police officer had been injured earlier in the day when biting into a sandwich that contained shards of glass at the Lincoln Cafe on East Long Street. The officer was rushed to Grant Medical Center where he was treated and released. The Columbus […]
  
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• Two judges pull out of hearing ex-Athens County sheriff’s appeal of corruption conviction

  20-07-2016 14:33
  
  ATHENS — The appeal of a former southeast Ohio sheriff convicted of corruption is being rescheduled because judges on the appeals panel have cited conflicts in the case.
  
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• New Bakery, Florist, Private Event Space Opening Soon in Clintonville

  20-07-2016 14:00
  
  Flowers and Bread. Coffee beans and focaccia. Casual coffee and private parties. Owners Sarah Lagrotteria and Tricia Wheeler hope to offer all means of comfort come opening day of Flowers and Bread in Clintonville. “Right when you come in you’ll see baguettes,” Lagrotteria said, gesturing to slats where drywall will soon hang. “You’ll see all […]
  
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• Movie ticket prices in U.S. hit all-time high

  20-07-2016 13:50
  
  CBS NEWS -- Movie ticket prices in the United States have reached an all-time high, according to new data released by the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO).The price of a movie ticket went up 3 percent last year from $8.17 in 2014 to $8.43 in 2015.NATO found that in 2015, 3D box office movies were up 20 percent from 2014, and comprised of 15 percent of total box office sales. The rise in average prices could be partly attributed to 3D movies.The cost of a movie ticket has risen stead
  
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• Ohio Politics Now: Anti-Clinton crowd chants 'Lock her up!' on night Trump gets nomination

  20-07-2016 13:42
  
  A look at the latest news from the GOP convention in Cleveland.
  
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• Gahanna residents who work elsewhere to get notices on tax overpayment

  20-07-2016 12:58
  
  Gahanna residents, remember to check your mailboxes. If you live in the city but work elsewhere where the income-tax rate is higher, you could be eligible to receive a share of $12 million from a class-action lawsuit regarding overpaid Gahanna income taxes.
  
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• Woman in East Side hit-skip was murdered before vehicle struck her, police say

  20-07-2016 12:38
  
  A woman initially thought to have died when she was hit by a car on the East Side early Tuesday morning actually was a homicide victim, police say. The body of Bobbie G. Bonner, 46, who lived nearby on the South Side, was found when Columbus police were called shortly after 2:40 a.m. to East Livingston Avenue, near the I-70 overpass, on a report of a person likely struck by a vehicle in the roa
  
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• Mapping crimes online isn't all the same in central Ohio

  20-07-2016 12:12
  Based on where you live, you could learn of a crime that just happened or a crime that happened a month ago.Crimetracker 10 uncovered various methods used by central Ohio police agencies when it comes to mapping crime reports online."We went to posting on RAIDS by popular request," says Bexley Police Chief Larry Rinehart. "There was a demand for information by several people in our community and this was a way for us to provide that information with very little impact to our daily operations."Ga
  
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• Clinton garners more talk from GOP speakers than Trump

  20-07-2016 12:05
  
  CLEVELAND — On the same night that the Republican Party formally nominated billionaire Donald Trump for president, the theme was “Make America Work Again.” It could have just as easily been “1,000 reasons not to vote for Hillary Clinton.” For the second night of the Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Republicans made the case for Trump in large part by offering plenty of red meat against presumptive Democratic nominee Clinton.
  
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• Pediatric surgeons kept busy removing swallowed batteries, other foreign objects

  20-07-2016 11:53
  
  Dr. Charles Elmaraghy collects his surgical success stories. He and his colleagues in the ear, nose and throat division of Nationwide Children’s Hospital keep a jar filled with all the tiny, colorful items they've rescued from deep inside kids' ears, noses and mouths.
  
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• Some on Columbus City Schools levy panel don’t live in district, wouldn’t pay tax

  20-07-2016 11:43
  
  More than a third of the members of a committee that recommended last month that Columbus City Schools seek a levy to raise the district’s property taxes by about 18 percent don’t live in the district and wouldn’t have to pay the tax, a Dispatch analysis concluded.
  
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• Gahanna residents who work elsewhere to get settlement notices on tax overpayment

  20-07-2016 11:31
  
  Gahanna residents, remember to check your mailboxes. If you live in the city but work elsewhere where the income-tax rate is higher, you could be eligible to receive a share of $12 million from a class-action lawsuit regarding overpaid Gahanna income taxes.
  
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• Reynoldsburg school board changes superintendent’s contract

  20-07-2016 11:23
  
  The Reynoldsburg Board of Education has changed the district superintendent's contract to get rid of merit pay, choosing instead to cover the rest of her pension contribution. The board’s 3-2 vote July 12 means the district will reimburse Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning for her pension contribution this past year and then pay that amount to the pension fund going forward.
  
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• Education Insider: State education board member wants to ease access to Ohio voucher data

  20-07-2016 11:16
  
  After a story in Sunday’s Dispatch detailed how hard it is to find out whether private schools are doing a good job teaching students using state vouchers, a member of the State Board of Education said he’s “disappointed.”
  
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• Educational publisher Zaner-Bloser wants tax break to move from Columbus to Grandview

  20-07-2016 10:52
  
  Zaner-Bloser, the educational publisher owned by the parent of Highlights for Children magazine, is seeking a tax break from Grandview Heights to move its offices from just outside the city, at 1201 Dublin Road in Columbus, to 1400 W. Goodale Blvd. An incentive plan valued at up to $500,000 was assigned to a committee for review.
  
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• Global-fluency program helps Columbus businesses navigate other cultures

  20-07-2016 10:40
  
  Never use your left hand when giving or receiving a business card, and think twice before slipping someone’s card in your back pocket. In most Asian cultures, that’s equivalent to sitting on someone’s face. Always take a gift when going to a Chinese business meeting, but never offer a pen with red ink: writing in red signifies severing ties and suggests that death is forthcoming. Increasingly, the ability to interact with people from other cultures is an important skill for bus
  
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• Manure expo coming to London - 5:14 pm updated:

  20-07-2016 06:22
  The international event, covering the serious business of using farm animal manure to help grow crops, while doing it safely and greenly, is Aug. 3-4 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, about 25 miles west of Columbus. The expo travels around different locations every year, and typically attracts a couple thousand attendees, said Mary Griffith, educator with Madison County Extension.
  
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• Report: New homeowner finds former resident's boyfriend slain

  20-07-2016 05:52
  
  Police in southern California say a new homeowner made a gruesome discovery in the home they had recently purchased - the body of the former homeowner's boyfriend, according to the Los Angeles Times.The unidentified buyer had purchased the Simi Valley home for $430,000 June 22 from the previous owners, Mary Karacas, 75, and her boyfriend Salvatore Orefice, 84. The couple had 30 days to move out of the home, the paper reports.But when the new homeowners went to the home Sunday, police tell the pa
  
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• Calif. toddler dead after complications from dental visit

  20-07-2016 05:50
  
  A 3-year-old girl has died after developing complications during a dental procedure over the weekend, CBS San Francisco affiliate KPIX reported.Firefighters and paramedics were called to the Dentalbliss office in San Ramon, California when the girl, identified as Marvelena Rady, did not wake up from an unidentified procedure."We received a medical call, my officers, of a three-year-old female juvenile that was going through a dental procedure and had some complications," an emergency worker said
  
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