Anti-poaching mission turns fatal for 5

NEW: Zuma expresses condolences to the families of fallen soldiers Last week, South Africa lost 13 soldiers in the Central African Republic Nearly 200 rhinos have been poached in the nation this year, a majority at Kruger Demand for rhinos is surging over unsubstantiated beliefs about their medicinal purposes

(CNN) -- Five South African soldiers died in a helicopter crash while patrolling for rhino poachers in the sprawling Kruger National Park.

All aboard the flight were killed in the crash Saturday night, according to a government spokesman.

The soldiers were conducting Operation Rhino, which aims to combat rampant poaching at the park.

"On behalf of government and the entire nation, we wish to express our sincere condolences to the families of these five soldiers and may their souls rest in peace," President Jacob Zuma said in a statement.

An investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash.

Conservation group Save the Rhino estimates that there are 25,000 rhinos in Africa. Of those, about 21,000 live in South Africa.

A record number of rhinos were killed in South Africa last year, fueled by the belief that their horns can cure cancer.

The unsubstantiated belief on their healing powers is spreading in southeast Asia, sending clients paying top dollar for the horns.

In an effort to combat poaching, South Africa has cracked down on the illegal trade and teamed up with countries that serve as destinations for the rhino horns.

South Africa signed an agreement with China last week to work together to reduce poaching.

So far this year, 188 rhinos have been poached nationwide, 135 of them at Kruger, according to government numbers released last week.

The crash adds to a grim toll for the South African military.

Last week, it lost 13 soldiers in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui, where they were helping the local military quash a rebel uprising.

Trump seeks $400K in websites case

Donald Trump files countersuit seeking $400,000 from J. Taikwok Yung of Brooklyn Yung filed a complaint in 2011 seeking to keep four Trump-related domain names Memorandum filed on Thursday calls Yung a "brazen" and "unrepentant" cybersquatter Law prohibits registering well-known trademarks with intent to profit from rightful owners

New York (CNN) -- Donald Trump is seeking $400,000 in damages from a Brooklyn man over four websites that use the real estate mogul's name and brand.

Attorneys representing Trump filed a countersuit against J. Taikwok Yung, 33, at the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on Thursday, seeking damages for "federal cybersquatting."

That's defined by the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act as "the registration as domain names of well-known trademarks by nontrademark holders who then try to sell the names back to the trademark owners."

Trump "has spent his career establishing his famous name and brand and is not going to sit by idly and allow a pathetic squatter like Mr. Yung to infringe on his well-established rights." Alexis Robinson, intellectual property counsel for the Trump Organization, wrote in an e-mail to CNN.

Yung, a self-described "domainer," acquired four Trump-related domain names, including trumpmumbai.com and trumpindia.com, in 2007, the year the Trump organization announced plans to build Trump-branded hotels and condominiums in Mumbai and Bangalore, India.

In 2011, Yung filed a complaint seeking to keep the domain names, citing fair use and First Amendment rights, after actions filed by the Trump Organization demanded he hand the websites over to Trump.

Yung used the websites to provide commentary, often disparaging, about Trump and his television shows "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice." A disclaimer appeared on the main page of the websites stating that the material posted had not been approved by the Trump Organization.

All four websites were taken down Saturday.

Yung describes himself as a former U.S. Marine and said he hoped to educate and interest other Marines about "the opportunities available on the Internet" and to inform them "against corporate evils that attempt to harvest their sacrifices and financial security in the name of corporate, Wall Street, and real estate profit," the 2011 complaint said.

Yung maintained that he never contacted the Trump Organization about selling the domain names for profit, he wrote in the complaint.

He also wrote specifically about Trump, criticizing Trump and his legal undertakings.

"Donald Trump is known worldwide to butcher the legal system with frivolous complaints as a vehicle to harass people," Yung wrote in the complaint.

Yung has been representing himself. He did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.

"Yung is as brazen and unrepentant a cybersquatter as one might find," wrote Trump's attorneys in a memorandum filed with the court Thursday.

"By his own admission, Yung seeks to acquire 'interesting and high-value domain names and park them initially with domain parking service providers and/or build the website, if feasible, with interesting content,'" the memorandum stated.

The countersuit filed Thursday seeks the maximum damages allowable -- $100,000 for each of the four Trump-related domain names.

Yung also holds nearly 200 other domain names, including barclayscapitallehman.com, goldmansachsgroup.com, milanvogue.com and hulufriend.com.

In 2009, Yung acquired the domains bofaml.com and mlbofa.com on the same day that Bank of America Corp. and Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. announced their merger, resulting in similar legal action.

Saudi Arabia may block messaging apps

Saudi communications regulation agency threatens to block apps like Skype, WhatsApp Agency says the apps must comply with rules, but doesn't say what rules they're breaking Reports last week said telecoms were asked to let government monitor communications A Saudi blogger says the move may be because the apps are used to organize protests

(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia may block access to popular Internet messaging applications like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp if telecommunication providers there don't comply with rules and regulatory conditions, according to the country's official news agency, SPA.

A statement from Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission released via SPA read, "The Commission emphasizes that it will take appropriate action regarding these applications and services in the event of failure to meet those conditions."

The statement did not address how the applications in question -- which allow Internet users to communicate with each other via text messages and voice calls -- were violating any rules, but it did highlight the need for service providers in the country to quickly "work with the developers of these applications to meet regulatory requirements."

Sunday's announcement came in response to local media reports last week claiming the CITC, the country's telecommunications regulator, had asked Saudi telecom companies to allow the government to monitor those applications and had given them until Saturday to respond.

Despite repeated attempts, CNN was unable to reach the CITC or any of Saudi Arabia's three mobile providers (Saudi Telecom Co., Zain Group and Mobily) for comment.

Sunday's move was met with derision by many Saudi social media users.

"The sense that I get is weariness," said Eman Al-Nafjan, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent bloggers, while describing the online reaction she's encountered so far. "A shrugging shoulders -- as if it's typical."

"I'm not angry, just a little surprised that the Saudi government hasn't advanced beyond this type of tactic," added Al-Nafjan, who tweets as Saudiwoman. "I thought that they were better able to do this without resorting to have to threaten banning applications."

Still, Al-Nafjan told CNN she's not surprised by the timing of the announcement.

"I believe a big part of the reason why this is happening ... is because lots of demonstrations that were organized in Saudi Arabia were done through the use of WhatsApp," explained Al-Nafjan, citing recent small-scale demonstrations calling for the release of political prisoners.

In Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, protests are prohibited. Sixty percent of the country's population is under the age of 30 and Internet usage there is soaring.

"A lot of human rights activists that communicate in Saudi Arabia do so using WhatsApp," added Al-Nafjan. "And women's rights movement members are communicating using WhatsApp."

Al-Nafjan said Saudi activists felt safer communicating using applications like WhatsApp and Skype, as they are encrypted.

According to Christopher Davidson, author of the book "After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of the Gulf Monarchies," the Saudi government has grown increasingly concerned about the rising tide of dissent being expressed by Saudi online activists of late.

Davidson explained Saudi authorities would be looking for a way to monitor these applications because they are "prime examples of modernizing technologies which cannot be co-opted and controlled by national governments and their security apparatus."

"In the past we've had these voice-to-voice networks being blocked," said Davidson. "Sometimes for economic reasons, trying to protect state telecommunications monopolies. And that's certainly been an issue in the past -- the blocking of Skype in some of the Gulf monarchies. But now I think it's quite clear ... that it's the social and political use of this media that's most alarming."

For Al-Nafjan, the move is a "waste of time."

"People will know it's not safe and move to another application," said Al-Nafjan. "The same thing happened with BlackBerry."

Saudi authorities threatened to ban BlackBerry service in the kingdom in 2010, accusing the company of not complying with regulations. The CITC demanded the company install local servers so the service could be censored. An agreement was eventually reached but it is not known what steps were taken by the manufacturer of the Canadian smartphone in order to do so.

"People who are aware know that it's not that big of a deal even if these applications are blocked," explained Al-Nafjan. "The issue is if they ban the Internet or if they don't provide Internet sevices. As long as the Internet is available, there's no way that they can end freedom of speech -- it's gone beyond the point of no return."

Rapist recaptured after 35 years

Gary Irving fled before sentencing in Massachusetts in 1978 He was found Wednesday living in Maine, using a different first name Case was featured on "America's Most Wanted," other shows Irving due in court for a hearing on Monday

(CNN) -- Convicted serial rapist Gary Irving was offered a weekend of freedom by a judge in Massachusetts before reporting to jail. He took nearly 35 years.

One of Massachusetts' most wanted fugitives was living a quiet life in Gorham, Maine, until he was arrested Wednesday night at his home. Irving, 52, was found living under the name Gregg Irving, Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said Friday in a statement.

Irving was convicted in 1978 of raping three young women in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. According to Massachusetts State Police, Judge Robert Prince released the 18-year-old defendant on bail to his parents in order to make final arrangements before sentencing. Irving, facing the possibility of life in prison, never returned.

Massachusetts State Police put Irving on their "Most Wanted" list and launched a manhunt.

Louis Sabadini, the Norfolk County prosecutor for the case in 1978, told CNN he had advised Prince, who died in 2010, not to release Irving before his sentencing because he knew he would run. Sabadini said he had hoped Irving would be sent straight to state prison and was surprised by Prince's decision to grant bail because there was no longer a presumption of innocence.

"Usually the judges, even the easy ones, will revoke bail if (the defendant) is found guilty," Sabadini said. "I think most people would run."

Irving had been convicted of three counts of rape with force, unnatural acts and kidnapping, Massachusetts State Police said. In one incident, Irving knocked the victim off her bike and brought her to a secluded area, where he repeatedly raped her. During another, Irving threatened a victim with a knife if she did not comply with his sexual demands.

Since he fled, Irving's profile has been featured on the TV shows "America's Most Wanted," "Unsolved Mysteries" and "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol," according to the Most Wanted poster.

Investigators found numerous handguns and long guns in his home in Gorham on Wednesday. Irving did not possess the guns legally and will be charged by federal authorities on firearms offenses, Procopio said.

Sabadini, now retired and living in Norwell, Massachusetts, told CNN that most lawyers quickly move on to the next case, but this one never quite left his mind.

"It did bother me," he said. "Rapists generally have a tendency to commit that crime over and over again, so I don't know what (Irving) has been doing all those years."

Maine State Police, Gorham police and FBI agents joined the investigation and aided in the arrest, Procopio said. Irving is being held in Portland, Maine. He is scheduled for a hearing Monday morning at Cumberland County Courthouse, according to Stephen McClausland, spokesman for the Maine State Police.

Irving's lawyer, Christopher Leddy, told CNN that he would not comment on the case until after the hearing Monday.

"Please understand that this is an extremely difficult situation for Mr. Irving's family and they would like to be given some space for now," Leddy said.

Patient: 'I just want to be clean'

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Dental patients begin HIV tests

NEW: 420 people are tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, health department says Scores of W. Scott Harrington's patients undergo tests at a Tulsa government building 7,000 patients of his patients were warned that they might have been exposed An investigation found unsanitary conditions and "cross-contamination" issues

Tulsa, Oklahoma (CNN) -- They'd gone to W. Scott Harrington's dentist office in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, suburb to have a wisdom tooth pulled or perhaps have their jaw realigned.

On Saturday, scores of his patients were waiting to be checked once again -- this time not to replace missing teeth, say, but to find out whether they'd been exposed to hepatitis or HIV.

By 3 p.m. local time Saturday, one hour later than planned, some 420 people -- out of 7,000 of Harrington's patients from the past six years who health authorities reached out to -- had been screened for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV at the Tulsa Health Department. They came after investigators discovered unsanitary, unprofessional conditions at Harrington's office in Owasso, 14 miles northeast of Tulsa, that one official said created a "perfect storm" for infections.

Within two weeks, those tested Saturday (and when the screenings resume starting Monday) should get the results back -- all because they'd gone to see an oral surgeon with 35 years of experience.

Dentist's former patient: How could you? Teen: I woke up and freaked out HIV scare at dental office in Tulsa Official: Dental protocols not followed

"How do you say you're sorry to 7,000 people that you could possibly have infected?" said Melissa Wood, whose daughter -- a patient of Harrington's -- spent part of her 18th birthday getting tested.

Harrington, 64, surrendered his dental license on March 20 after health investigators found sterilization, staffing and other infractions.

"I will tell you that when ... we left, we were just physically kind of sick," Susan Rogers, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, said earlier this week. "That's how bad it was, and I've seen a lot of bad stuff over the years."

The dentistry board launched its probe after one of Harrington's patients came down with hepatitis C. That patient originally tested positive for HIV, too, but a subsequent test came back negative, the Tulsa Health Department said.

While other states conduct random inspections of dentist offices with some regularity, Rogers told the Tulsa World newspaper that dentists' offices in Oklahoma are inspected only after a complaint is filed.

5 things to check at the dentist's office

Investigators raised a number of sterilization and "cross-contamination" alarms -- such as "unauthorized, unlicensed" employees using IVs to sedate patients and that needles weren't handled properly.

The outward cleanliness of the office belied the mess elsewhere, Rogers said, noting that "just basic universal precautions for blood-borne pathogens" weren't followed.

Besides being "unlocked and unattended," the drug cabinet was rife with issues -- containing, for example, a drug that expired in 1993 -- according to the official complaint filed before the state dental board. Other records showed that morphine had been used in patients throughout 2012, even though the dentist had not received a morphine delivery since 2009.

Harrington and his attorney have not returned multiple calls from CNN. And the oral surgeon wasn't home when a CNN crew went there on Saturday.

"He seems highly competent to me, just a smart guy," said Frank Dale, one of Harrington's neighbors. "I was just shocked when I heard it. And I feel badly for him. I feel badly for his patients."

A teenage patient, who asked not to be named, told CNN he had a bad experience at Harrington's office a year ago.

During a surgery to remove three molars, he awoke momentarily to see profuse bleeding. He said he became alarmed but was told to "shut up" and hold gauze in place. When he awoke a second time, he was tied up on the floor. Harrington's staff explained that he had been "combative" during the operation, he said.

Dentist's office a 'perfect storm' for HIV, hepatitis exposure

"I felt when I got out of there and went through all I went through, I felt they didn't know much of what they were doing at all," he said.

Wood's teenage daughter, Marissa, said she finds it "horrifying" that her June 2011 visit to get her wisdom teeth extracted may have put her at risk for HIV or hepatitis. She remembered thinking of Harrington as a "really nice guy" -- but that was then.

"I'm angry," she said. "I feel like he's ... let us down. I feel like he's let a lot of people down."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides national guidelines for dental offices to help prevent the spread of infections. They include cleaning and sterilizing all nondisposable items such as dental tools between patients, disinfecting surfaces and requiring staff members to wear protective masks, gloves and eye wear.

Since 1991, only three cases of dental infection in patients have been documented -- two with hepatitis B and one with HIV, according to the CDC. No cases of hepatitis C have been reported.

"This is exceedingly rare," said Dr. Matt Messina, a consumer adviser and spokesman for the American Dental Association, of the allegations levied against Harrington. "I'm just angry, because this is a case, I think, so far outside of the bounds of normal that it makes it remarkable."

The infection risks are compounded given that Harrington told investigators he had a higher-than-normal population proportionally of HIV and hepatitis patients, Rogers said.

HIV is a condition that over time destroys a body's immune system, thus its ability to fight infections. If not treated, nearly all those infected with HIV will develop AIDS, according to the National Institutes of Health. Hepatitis -- the most common types being hepatitis A, B and C -- refers to inflammation or viral infections of one's liver. Some 4.4 million Americans have chronic hepatitis, though most of them don't know it, the CDC says.

Oklahoma dentist let unlicensed staffers give IVs, state official says

Messi makes more history

Lionel Messi scores in 19th consecutive league game to set another new record Argentine becomes first player in La Liga history to score consecutively against all other teams Real Madrid also draw at Zaragoza; Malaga win 3-1 at Rayo Vallecano Juventus remain nine points clear at top of Serie A after 2-1 win against Inter

(CNN) -- Lionel Messi scored his 19th consecutive league goal on Saturday setting another La Liga record as Barcelona drew 2-2 at relegation-threatened Celta Vigo.

The Argentine's 73rd minute strike -- his 29th in 19 league matches -- makes him the first player in the history of Spanish football to score against every other league opponent in succession.

"It is a unheard of record that no one has ever achieved. This shows how great this player is," said Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura.

Messi's second-half strike gave the Catalans the lead for the first time in the match, after they had gone behind to a Natxo Insa goal in the 38th minute.

Ginola on why PSG are worth it CNN FC: Countdown to quarterfinals Is Juventus 'unsinkable'?

The visitors were back on level terms five minutes later thanks to a Cristian Tello strike and when Messi slotted home with 17 minutes remaining Barcelona looked odds-on for all three points.

But the home side had other ideas and with two minutes remaining found an equalizer through Borja Oubina.

Real Madrid failed to capitalize on their rivals slip up, drawing 1-1 at Zaragoza.

Rodri put the home side ahead after six minutes with Cristiano Ronaldo equalizing in the 38th minute, before a stalemate ensued in the second half.

The result means Barcelona remain 13 points clear at the top. Atletico Madrid will move into second ahead of Real if they beat Valencia on Sunday.

Malaga warmed up for their Champions League clash with reigning German champions Borussia Dortmund with a 3-1 away to Rayo Vallecano.

Meanwhile in Serie A, Juventus remain on course for a second consecutive league title after beating Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro on Saturday.

The reigning champions were ahead after three minutes when Fabio Quagliarella's shot from the edge of the area found the back of the net.

Rodrigo Palacio equalized in the 54th minute, but the scores weren't level for long as Alessandro Matri grabbed the winner six minutes later.

The win maintains their nine-point lead at the top of the table over Napoli who were 5-3 winners at Torino.

Seventh-placed Inter now trail the leaders by 21 points and with much work to do if they are secure a place in the Champions League next season.

AC Milan consolidated third place with a 1-0 win at Cheivo as fourth-place Fiorentina lost 2-1 at Cagliari.

Lazio move up to fifth after a 2-1 against Catania, while Roma slip to sixth following a 2-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Palermo.

141 murder charges: Pleads not guilty

Kenneth Williams and Michael Ward are accused of killing Hadiya Pendleton, 15 Police said Ward confessed to killing the teen in a case of mistaken identity The two men pleaded not guilty this week to a host of charges Ward's lawyer calls the 141 murder charges against his client, for one death, "absurd"

(CNN) -- Two men have pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges tied to the shooting death of a Chicago teenage girl, who days before had performed at a Washington brunch in the run-up to President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Kenneth Williams, 20, and Michael Ward, 18, have been in custody since last month, when a judge ordered that they be held without bond after their first court appearance.

On Thursday, they formally pleaded not guilty to a host of charges, the Cook County State Attorney's Office said.

Hadiya Pendleton was killed just days after performing as part of President Obama's second inauguration.

The two young men are accused of killing 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton on January 29.

Police: Killing was case of mistaken identity

Police said Ward and Williams were gang members seeking revenge against the people who had shot Williams in July, men against whom Williams had refused to press charges when police arrested them.

He and Ward thought they had spotted members of a rival gang at the park when police said Ward sneaked up on Hadiya and her friends and began shooting. Williams was the getaway driver, Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy has said.

Ward later confessed to shooting Hadiya and two others in a case of mistaken identity, according to McCarthy.

He is charged with 141 counts of murder, 10 counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, eight counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of mob action, according to the Cook County State Attorney's Office.

Opinion: Chicago's violence took my dad, friends

Williams, meanwhile, faces 17 counts of murder, 10 counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and one count of mob action.

The Cook County State Attorney's Office did not return calls from CNN on Friday, seeking an explanation as to why the two men face so many murder charges even though only one person was killed.

The Chicago Tribune, citing interviews with legal experts and former prosecutors, said it is not uncommon in Illinois for prosecutors to press a large number of charges -- with the understanding that, as the investigation evolves, many of the charges might be dropped.

The newspaper pointed out that William Balfour at one point faced 53 murder charges in the 2008 deaths of three of actress/singer Jennifer Hudson's relatives. He was convicted last May on three counts of first-degree murder.

Nurses dodge bullets to provide care in Chicago

Whatever the rationale, Ward's lawyer Jeffrey Granich slammed the 141 murder charges against his client as "extreme." He said that, in his 20 years as a practicing lawyer, he's never seen that many murder charges related to the death of a single person.

"What the prosecutors are trying to do ..., because this is a politically charged case and a case that has gotten a lot of media attention, is to show off how seriously they are taking this case," Granich speculated. "Unfortunately, with this indictment, they show not that they are serious, but that they are being absurd."

The case helped shine attention on the high murder rate of late in Chicago. It also became intertwined with the national debate over gun violence, with Obama referring to Hadiya's life and death in his latest State of the Union address as her parents looked on.

Source: Deal reached on new work visa

Broad agreement reached on guest worker program, source says Sticking points include pay, numbers allowed in U.S. Other immigration reform issues said resolved

Washington (CNN) -- Business and labor negotiators working to hammer out a deal on an immigrant guest worker program have reached broad agreement, a source familiar with the talks said Saturday, eliminating one major hurdle to legislation revamping the nation's immigration system.

Business leaders and labor groups had been working to develop a plan on guest workers, tackling major sticking points on how much workers would be paid and the number of workers that would be allowed into the country each year.

Labor unions influencing the talks, including the AFL-CIO, argued for higher pay and fewer workers per year, since they are concerned about the effect guest workers would have on American workers.

Groups such as the Chamber of Commerce have pushed for guest workers to be paid the same as American workers, depending on their training and experience.

The source said the agreement would allow for the creation of a new "W" visa for lesser-skilled workers not working in agriculture. Those workers would be allowed to enter based on labor market shortages, and would be permitted to come into the United States with the intention of applying for permanent residency.

According to the source, the "W" visa would affect housekeepers, landscapers, retail workers and some construction workers. The agreement does not address visas for high-skilled workers; visas to bring in family members; or visas for agriculture workers.

According to the AFL-CIO's understanding of the agreement, the "W" visa program would begin April 1, 2015. The number of visas issued would never go below 20,000 per year and would be capped at 200,000 annually during times of high employment.

One third of the visas would be reserved for businesses that employ fewer than 25 people, while no more than 15,000 visas per year would go to construction workers, the AFL-CIO said.

The labor union indicated that in its understanding, the new program would not adversely affect the wages of American citizens, and that companies taking advantage of the "W" visas would be required to also recruit U.S. workers.

Guest workers would be paid a wage similar to American workers with the same level of experience, according to the AFL-CIO's understanding.

A new government department, the Bureau of Immigration and Labor Market Research, would determine specific industries with labor shortages and make recommendations to Congress. The agency would also play a role in setting an annual cap for "W" visas. The AFL-CIO said the bureau would fall under the existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and its director would be appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, one of eight senators who signed onto an immigration reform framework earlier this year, spoke with Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, about the new agreement, according to another source familiar with their conversation.

The Chamber of Commerce wrote in a statement Saturday that "the senators will make the decisions about any final agreements and what makes the best public policy overall."

Earlier this week, a source familiar with the congressional negotiations told CNN that the eight senators have tentatively reached agreement on some of the other thorny issues surrounding comprehensive immigration reform, such as a path to citizenship and metrics for securing the border.

Sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak on the record.

President Barack Obama has made immigration reform a top priority of his second term in office, and a White House official said Saturday the president "continues to be encouraged by progress being made by the bipartisan group of senators."

"We look forward to seeing language once it is introduced, and expect legislation to move forward as soon as possible," the official said.

Polar bear cub frolicks around zoo

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35 educators indicted over test cheating

NEW: Former Superintendent Beverly Hall 'was a full participant,' the district attorney says Hall is among 35 indicted on racketeering and conspiracy charges Hall has denied any involvement in cheating Indictment alleges cheating on standardized testing at Atlanta Public Schools dates to 2001

Atlanta (CNN) -- In what has been described as one of the largest cheating scandals to hit the nation's public education system, 35 Atlanta Public Schools educators and administrators were indicted Friday on charges of racketeering and corruption.

The indictment is the bookend to a story that was once touted as a model for the nation's school districts after the district's test scores dramatically improved in some of its toughest urban schools.

Among those indicted by a Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury was Beverly Hall, the former schools superintendent who gained national recognition in 2009 for turning around Atlanta's school system.

"She was a full participant in that conspiracy," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told reporters during a news conference announcing the charges.

"Without her, this conspiracy could not have taken place, particularly in the degree in which it took place."

The indictment follows a state investigation that was launched after a series of reports by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper found large, unexplained gains in test scores in some Atlanta schools.

A state review determined that some cheating had occurred in more than half of the district's elementary and middle schools. About 180 teachers were initially implicated in the scandal.

2011: Quit or be fired, educators implicated in Atlanta scandal told

Threats and intimidation

Hall has denied any role in the cheating scandal. In 2011, she told The New York Times that her subordinates had allowed the cheating to occur, but denied she was involved.

Hall resigned from her position in 2011 following the state investigation, which lambasted her leadership and found widespread cheating in dozens of Atlanta schools.

The alleged cheating is believed to date back to early 2001, according to the indictment, when standardized testing scores began to turn around in the 50,000-student school district.

For at least a period of four years, between 2005 and 2009, test answers were altered, fabricated and falsely certified, the indictment said.

Hall allegedly oversaw a system where threats and intimidation were used against teachers, it said.

"As a result, cheating became more and more prevalent," the indictment said.

By the time the 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, as the standardized test is known, was administered in Atlanta Public Schools, "cheating was taking place in a majority of APS's 83 elementary and middle schools."

Report: Test cheating may be widespread

The allegations, the indictment said, are substantiated by the Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement analysis of erasures on standardized tests.

'Suspicious' test score gains

According to the indictment, Hall placed unreasonable goals on educators and "protected and rewarded those who achieved targets by cheating. It also alleges she fired principals who failed to achieve goals and "ignored suspicious" test score gains throughout the school system.

In 2009, Hall was named the National Superintendent of the Year by the Schools Superintendents Association, which at the time said her "leadership has turned Atlanta into a model of urban school reform."

But the indictment paints another picture of Hall, one of a superintendent with "a single-minded purpose, and that is to cheat," Howard told reporters.

"For example, teachers who reported other teachers who cheated were terminated, while teachers who were caught cheating were only suspended," the indictment alleges.

"The message from Beverly Hall was clear: There were to be no exceptions and no excuses for failure to meet targets."

At the heart of the conspiracy to cheat, the indictment said, was money.

"It is further part of the conspiracy and endeavor that targets achieved through cheating were used by Beverly Hall to obtain substantial performance bonuses," the indictment said.

It also alleges a number of others received performance bonuses based on test scores.

2011: Seven edcuators step down as scandal unfolds

Racketeering and conspiracy

Of the 65 counts in the indictment, Hall and 34 others were charged with one count of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as RICO.

In addition to racketeering, Hall also is charged with making false statements and writings and theft by taking.

If convicted on all counts, she could face a maximum of 45 years in prison.

Among those also indicted were four of Hall's executive administrators, six principals, two assistant principals, six testing coordinators, 14 teachers, a school improvement specialist and a school secretary.

These Atlanta Public Schools officials are among those named:

-- Millicent Few, director of human resources, is accused of participating in the conspiracy and making false statements during the investigation.

-- Tamara Cotman, a regional supervisor who oversaw dozens of Atlanta's schools, is accused of intimidating witnesses, including a principal and other staff, in an effort to hinder an investigation.

-- Sharon Davis-Williams, who also oversaw a region of Atlanta's schools.

-- Michael Pitts, who oversaw a region of Atlanta's schools, also is accused of intimidating witnesses, primarily staff at Parks Middle School, in an effort to hinder or delay an investigation.

-- Christopher Waller, principal at Parks Middle School in Atlanta, where at least four teachers are accused of conspiring to cheat on standardized tests, is also alleged to have pressured teachers to cheat as early as spring 2006.

-- Armstead Salters, principal of Gideons Elementary School, where at least four teachers say he allegedly pressured them into cheating.

Hall and the 34 others named in the indictment have been ordered to surrender to authorities by Tuesday, said Howard, the district attorney.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution special report: Cheating our children

Did Arias lie about the camera?

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The Heat and other milestone streaks

The Miami Heat have won 27 straight games and are aiming for an NBA record 33 This is one of many streaks, in all different fields, that have made history Jahangir Khan won 555 straight squash matches; Susan Lucci lost 18 Emmys before winning From DiMaggio to "American Idol" to Australia's economy, there's no end to streaks

(CNN) -- No doubt, the Miami Heat's current 27-game win streak is impressive.

But the team still has a few games to go to top the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers' run of 33 straight consecutive victories. And the Heat would need a few lifetimes to surpass Jahangir Khan.

Khan might not be a household name in NBA circles, but in Pakistan and the world of squash he's huge. Forget LeBron James. When it comes to impressive winning streaks, Khan is king by virtue of his taking 555 straight matches between 1981 and 1986.

The squash star's momentous mark is proof that there are record streaks everywhere. That includes in sports, yes, but also politics, business and more.

Here's a short list of 10 long-term milestones that might surprise you:

1. The heat is on, and on, and on

Death Valley, California, has that name for a reason. On July 10, 1913, the thermostat in a community called Furnace Creek topped out at 134 degrees Fahrenheit -- making it the hottest day ever recorded, anywhere. But the heat in this desert area is not only intense, it also endures.

Take summer 2001, when the high temperature met or exceeded 100 degrees for 154 consecutive days, according to the Death Valley National Park website. For those keeping score at home, that means every day for more than five months.

Depends on your heat-warped perspective if you think summer 1996 was worse. In that time, the high temps soared to or past 110 degrees for 105 straight days -- and exceeded 120 degrees for 40 consecutive days.

2. A really long shot on the court

If the Heat cruise past the Lakers, they'll have made NBA history. But not necessarily basketball history.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, the pinnacle of perfection in the sport was coach John Wooden's UCLA men's basketball team. Amid a run of 11 straight NCAA titles, the Bruins reeled off 88 straight wins between 1971 and 1974.

That mark stood until late 2010, when the University of Connecticut's women's hoops program under coach Geno Auriemma notched 90 straight wins.

To put it in perspective for Miami, they'd need to roughly triple their amount of victories to top that.

3. 'One Sweet' 16 weeks

Since the 1950s, the Billboard Hot 100 chart has been home to the biggest names in the music biz: Elvis Presley. Michael Jackson. The Beatles.

So, who was the biggest of them all, when it came to consecutive weeks as the No. 1 song?

None other than Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey, together singing "One Sweet Day." The song held the Hot 100's top spot for 16 weeks, beating out Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" and Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You" by two weeks. "Macarena" and Elton John's "Candle in the Wind," among others, later made a run at the top honor only to fall short.

For a single, topping the charts for basically four months is a stellar feat.

Still, it's one that falls well short of Billboard's most consecutive weeks for a chart-topping album. That record belongs to the "West Side Story" soundtrack, which was first on the Billboard 200 for 54 weeks in 1962 and 1963, an accomplishment not even Jackson's "Thriller" could match.

4. Up for 21 years running, down under

For the past few years, a recession has gripped much of the world. In the early 2000s, the United States and some other economies dipped in the months and years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Before that, the tech bubble burst.

Basically, there's been a roller-coaster of bad and good news. Except in Australia, where it's been all good.

According to the Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan, Australia has notched 21 straight years of annual economic growth. Among other advanced economies, the next closest competitor, Israel, isn't even halfway there.

In other words, no developed country comes close.

This streak isn't over. So there's no telling if Australia will turn things upside down even more, by hurdling or skirting economic obstacles to grow for another 21 years straight.

5. Most famous for being a loser?

By most any measure, Susan Lucci has had an extraordinary career: as a long-running soap opera standout, a reality show star, an author and an entrepreneur.

Still, the measure that many most affiliate Lucci with is how many times she lost.

Eighteen, to be exact. That's the number of times the "All My Children" star had been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, and also how many times she went home empty-handed.

Her bad luck ended in 1999, when she finally broke through on her 19th try with a best actress award. It was a win for her, but also the moment she lost hold of one of her biggest claims to fame.

6. The Democratic bastion of Alabama

Follow current presidential politics, and the states don't get much more Republican red than Alabama. In 2012, GOP nominee Mitt Romney crushed President Barack Obama with 61% of the vote. Sen. John McCain, the Republicans' standard bearer, got the same percentage four years earlier.

But what some outside the South may not realize is that, when McCain ran, Democrats still had power in Montgomery -- just as, seemingly, they always had.

While it may seem the opposite holds true now, the South was once as staunchly Democratic as they come. But that started to change, especially in national politics, in the 1970s and 1980s.

Alabama was part of that tide, having last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate -- by the name of Jimmy Carter, the governor of neighboring Georgia -- in 1976.

But state politics was an entirely different story. It wasn't until the November 2010 election that Republicans were able to win a majority of seats in both chambers of the Alabama state legislature.

7. American juggernaut

Talent shows are nothing new, being found in most every town and seemingly most every television network nowadays. In this clutter, especially with so many entertainment options, it's hard to break through and remain in front year after year after year.

Then how do you explain "American Idol"?

There have been popular shows for generations, but none have had the success of "American Idol."

For eight years running, the Fox network show topped the Nielsen charts as the nation's most watched program, year in and year out.

In 2011 -- more than a year after CNN and others reported on the program's ratings "slide" -- the "American Idol" Wednesday night show still topped the Nielsen yearly chart. No. 2? "American Idol's" Thursday program.

The streak ended in 2012, when NBC's "Sunday Night Football" took Nielsen's top spot. Still, "American Idol" could take solace having already left other legendary TV shows -- "Seinfeld," "All in the Family" and "M*A*S*H" among them -- in its wake.

8. Newspapers that keep rolling

Some have said newspapers are dying. Then again, sometimes that happens when you're hundreds of years old.

But while many have gone out of print, some publications are still going -- under the same name, and just as ready to grab and read as they were centuries ago.

While the international honor for longest continuous published newspaper is subject to some debate, one title in contention is Italy's La Gazzetta di Mantova. That paper was founded in 1664 and is still around, website included.

There's less dispute in the United States, albeit two newspapers do boast the "oldest newspaper" title. One is the New Hampshire Gazette, a bi-weekly paper that first rolled off the presses in 1756, some 20 years before the birth of the United States. The other is the Hartford Courant (originally The Connecticut Courant), a daily that bills itself as "the country's oldest newspaper in continuous publication" by virtue of its founding in 1764.

9. Mexico's party of record -- for 71 years

Mexico gained independence from its colonial rulers in 1821, experiencing periods of stability and tumult in the subsequent decades. But for most of the 20th century, political stasis dominated the country, under the guise of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

The party also known as PRI began in 1929, 19 years after the launch of the revolution aimed at unseating dictator Porfirio Diaz.

Despite or, perhaps, because of criticisms that it was authoritarian and corrupt, the party won 12 consecutive national elections, which occurred roughly every six years. It wasn't just Mexico City the party controlled: The PRI held most top local and state positions as well, at least until the 1990s.

But its 12-election, 71-year winning streak ended in 2000, when the right-wing National Action Party broke through and Vicente Fox became Mexico's president.

Its ouster from power, however, wasn't permanent. In 2012, PRI unseated its rival party and regained the presidency under Enrique Pena Nieto.

10. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

56.

In American sports lore, that number speaks for itself. It is forever attached to legendary New York Yankees slugger Joe DiMaggio and his magical run during the 1941 baseball season.

During his career, which was interrupted about halfway by his service in World War II, DiMaggio compiled 361 home runs and a career .325 batting average. That was enough to win him a place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and, in 1969, the distinction as the sport's greatest living player.

But it's the streak, it seems, that may be his most enduring legacy.

Every season, it seems, a player makes a run at the 56-game hitting streak. And every season, he falls woefully short.

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'America's Most Wanted' canceled

"Most Wanted" premiered on Fox in 1988 That network canceled the show in 2011 and Lifetime picked it up The show may be shopped around to other networks

(EW.com) -- Lifetime has canceled long-running, crime-busting show "America's Most Wanted," EW has confirmed. Though there's another show on the horizon for host John Walsh, who is developing a pilot with Lifetime. (TV Guide exclusively reported the news.)

EW: The 100 greatest moments in television

"Most Wanted" premiered on Fox in 1988 and since has helped lead to the capture of over 1,100 fugitives both in the United States and 30 additional countries. Lifetime picked up the series in 2011 after Fox canceled the program, citing a lack of profitability.

EW: President Barack Obama to appear on 1,000th episode of 'America's Most Wanted'

As to the possibility that Walsh's production company or 20th Television will shop the show around to other networks, reps for AMW had not responded to EW's request for comment at time of publication.

See original story at EW.com.

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Soledad O'Brien signs off last time

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7,000 warned of potential HIV exposure

Health officials say a dentist may have exposed thousands to HIV and hepatitis He also allowed unlicensed employees to perform sedation, official says The state health department is contacting 7,000 patients seen by the dentist Health department: Transmission in this type of occupational setting is rare

(CNN) -- About 7,000 patients who visited a suburban Tulsa, Oklahoma, dentist in the past six years may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis, health investigators say.

Investigators were left grasping for words to describe what they found inside W. Scott Harrington's dental practice: Assistants did techniques that only a dentist should, and sterilization procedures and needles were handled improperly.

"I will tell you that when ... we left, we were just physically kind of sick," said Susan Rogers, executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry. "I mean, that's how bad (it was), and I've seen a lot of bad stuff over the years."

The state health department will offer free HIV and hepatitis testing to the thousands of patients who sat in Harrington's chairs.

HIV tests urged for 7,000 dental patients Official: Dental protocols not followed Dentist's former patient: How could you?

Joyce Baylor, who said she was Harrington's patient in the past, said she heard about the health risk from a news report.

Baylor said she has not yet received a letter from health officials but she was going to see her doctor next week.

"The (dental) office was clean," Baylor said. "I had no idea that things weren't what they should have been."

Harrington also allowed "unauthorized, unlicensed" employees to perform intravenous sedation of patients, Rogers said.

"That is completely unacceptable and illegal in Oklahoma," she said.

Investigators do not know if that practice led to infections in any patients of Harrington, who surrendered his dental license on March 20, two days after health officials visited his office as part of their investigation. He also surrendered permits for anesthesia and medications.

Harrington's office was a "perfect storm" for infections, Rogers said.

The state health department is contacting about 7,000 patients seen by Harrington since 2007 to urge them to be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Harrington, 64, is a veteran oral surgeon who started practicing more than 35 years ago. He worked in the Tulsa suburb of Owasso.

An official complaint filed before the state dental board described the violations, including "multiple sterilization issues, multiple cross-contamination issues, (and) the drug cabinet was unlocked and unattended."

There were no logs of inventory for the drug cabinet, the complaint states. One drug found in the cabinet had expired in 1993. Other records showed that morphine had been used in patients throughout 2012, even though the dentist had not received a morphine delivery since 2009.

Also, Harrington's dental assistants did not have permits, the complaint says.

The investigation began after the health department alerted the dentistry board to a potential hepatitis C infection from Harrington's office.

Rogers told the Tulsa World newspaper that dentists' offices in Oklahoma are only inspected after a complaint is filed. The board lacks the personnel to monitor the more than 10,000 licensed dentists in the state, she said.

The outward cleanliness of the dentist's office belied the mess that was behind the cabinets, Rogers said.

"Some of the things we found were just absolutely incredible," she said. "It's just basic universal precautions for blood-borne pathogens that they were just not following regular protocols" for.

Individual states are in charge of licensing, inspection and regulation of dentists, said Dr. Matt Messina, consumer adviser and spokesman for the American Dental Association. He said he practices in Ohio, where random inspections are done every other year.

"This is exceedingly rare. ... I'm just angry, because this is a case I think is so far outside of the bounds of normal that it makes it remarkable," he said.

At the dentist: 5 safety tips

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides national guidelines for dental offices to help prevent the spread of infections. They include cleaning and sterilizing all non-disposable items such as dental tools between patients; disinfecting surfaces; and requiring staff members to wear protective wear like masks, gloves and eye protection.

Patients should look for gloves being changed after every patient and sterilized instruments -- sometimes in sterilized bags or wrappings opened after the patient is seated, Messina said. Patients should feel free to ask questions about sterilization procedures.

Since 1991, only three cases of dental infection in patients have been documented -- two with hepatitis B and one with HIV, the CDC said. No cases of hepatitis C have been reported.

Rogers said Harrington told investigators that he had a higher population of HIV and hepatitis patients. That compounded the infection risks, Rogers said.

He would accept Medicaid for oral surgery, which often meant treating lower-income people who popped up at emergency rooms and were transferred to him to do extractions and other procedures, she said.

Many of these procedures were invasive and exposed patients' blood, tissue and bones, and investigators discovered that these procedures were being carried out in an unsanitary environment.

"The instruments that came out of the autoclave were horrible," Rogers said, referring to a device used to sterilize tools. "I wouldn't let my nephews play with them out in the dirt. I mean, they were horrible. They had rust on them."

Furthermore, at Harrington's office, the autoclave was not being used properly, the complaint states. There should be a monthly test to ensure the autoclave is properly sterilizing the equipment, but no test had been done in at least six years, the complaint says.

According to the document, when the dentist was asked about the sterilization and drug procedures in his office, he replied: My staff "takes care of that, I don't."

In all, Harrington is accused of 17 violations, including negligence and "being a menace to the public health." He faces possible punishment including the revocation of his license.

Infection in a setting such as a dentist's office is rare, the health department said, but the patients should be tested as a precaution.

"Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV are serious medical conditions, and infected patients may not have outward symptoms of the disease for many years," the department said.

Why one town is fighting McDonald's

Small town near Melbourne, Australia, has fought McDonald's plans for two years Locals cite environmental, crime concerns over proposed site of new restaurant McDonald's says it has been "diligent" in addressing concerns of community

(CNN) -- It seems that in at least one part of the world, the golden arches have lost a little luster.

The reason lies in a proposal by U.S.-based fast food giant McDonald's to build a restaurant in Tecoma, a small Australian town in the lush foothills of the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne.

The corporation's move has sparked a two-year battle with locals, who say they resent the influx of an international restaurant chain and feel that the restaurant will spoil an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Under the banner "No Maccas in Tecoma," residents of the town of 2,000 have held several protests against the proposed restaurant, such as the one depicted in this iReport in early March, shot by Tim Smith and sent in by resident Kerry Furnell.

Why such anger over one burger joint? The reasons are manifold, says campaigner Garry Muratore.

iReport: Tecoma says no to McDonald's

"For me, personally, I will be living only 400 meters from the proposed development, so the issues were litter and traffic," he said.

"For young families, it is the fact that it will be built almost opposite a primary school and kindergarten. For the local doctors, it's about health, while others are concerned it will be only 800 meters from a national park."

McDonald's, which says it has kept in regular contact with the local media, community and interested parties over the restaurant plans, has 780 restaurants across Australia, employing about 85,000 people. Amongst the values listed on its website is the promise "we give back to our communities."

A spokeswoman for McDonald's said in a statement that it had been "diligent" in addressing concerns of the community, altering the external design of the restaurant to reflect "the aesthetic of the area" and consulting third-party traffic engineers to ensure minimal impact.

Furnell said that the Dandenong Ranges were an iconic place for Australians and that many were "horrified" McDonald's could think such a development would be appropriate.

She also said increased traffic, vandalism and crime might affect her children.

"The presence of a 24-hour restaurant will mean (an) increase of littering, vandalism and worse and the leaving of items such as used condoms or broken bottles, meaning children are more likely to be injured or harmed in some way," she said.

For a small campaign, its reach has been extraordinary. Campaigners have been quick to engage in a PR war, harnessing the power of social media, developing a website punningly titled Burger Off to promote their cause and creating a Facebook page with almost 6,000 likes.

More than 75 local volunteers have also pitched in, with one academic spending eight weeks wading through three years worth of local newspapers in the state library to tally up incidents of crime purportedly involving McDonald's restaurants.

McDonald's changes its name to "Maccas" in some Australian restaurants

Others have helped with fundraising, developed contacts with similar campaigns across Australia or attended peaceful occupations of the proposed site, where a community garden was built.

In February, protesters held a garden gnome "invasion" of the McDonald's headquarters in Collingwood, a Melbourne suburb, where hundreds of the garden ornaments were placed on the office steps.

But despite an increasingly fraught battle on both sides, campaigners have stressed that it is the corporation and its franchise holders they have an issue with, not staffers, who they say are just doing their job.

What they are angry about is what they describe as a lack of dialogue.

"(McDonald's) say they look forward to engaging with us, so we say come and meet, and they won't return our calls," Muratore said. "They speak with both sides of their mouth."

The McDonald's statement said the company was "proud to contribute to the local community everywhere we operate" through creating jobs, offering training opportunities and providing financial benefits to local businesses and sporting clubs through sponsorships.

"We have absolutely followed established legal processes to ensure that the restaurant is afforded the same rights and privileges as any other business looking to settle in the area," the spokeswoman said.

It is not the first time such a burger battle has been fought on Australian soil. In 2011, a proposal by McDonald's to build a fourth restaurant in Port Macquarie, north of Sydney, was rejected by the Land and Environment Court, local media reported.

Residents had argued that the site was in a residential area and was an environmental concern.

In Tecoma, after councilors initially rejected the plan, McDonald's appealed to a planning court. In September, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found in favor of McDonald's, and the Tecoma campaigners say they do not have the funds to take the case to the Supreme Court.

After months of court battles, site occupations, meetings, allegations and counterallegations, the original McDonald's franchisee backed out of the project this month.

A new one has stepped in, but the small success has emboldened the protesters, who feel that victory in this battle could lead to winning the overall war.

"It's a case of dollars over democracy, and that's the heart of any issue that involves communities and large businesses," Muratore said.

"Our community is not a cookie-cutter suburb; it's unique. All those on the campaign want the same: We don't want a multinational fast food outlet."

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Clues about Newtown shooter revealed

NEW: Adam Lanza fired roughly one bullet every two seconds, a local prosecutor says NEW: He brought 10 30-round capacity magazines for a semiautomatic rifle into the school More than 1,600 rounds of ammunition were found in the house where he killed his mother Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six teachers at a Connecticut school before killing himself

What was it like to be a first responder to the Newtown school shooting? The Newtown police chief tells "Piers Morgan Live," Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.

(CNN) -- Adam Lanza stayed at home mostly, a witness said, playing video games such as "Call of Duty."

But on December 14, 2012, he went out -- armed with 10 30-round magazines for his semiautomatic Bushmaster .223 caliber model XM15 rifle and bullets for his two handguns and a shotgun.

Lanza didn't make it home alive. Nor did the 26 people -- 20 of them schoolchildren ages 6 and 7 -- he shot dead in less than five minutes, firing one bullet roughly every two seconds he was at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

These were among the details spelled out Thursday in five search warrants and other material tied to the grisly shooting at the Newtown, Connecticut, school, as well as in a statement from a local top prosecutor. Together, the newly released documents help paint a clearer picture of what happened.

Newtown: 154 bullet casings recovered Newtown shooter's room full of weapons Dr. Drew: Shooter's mom was in denial Source: Lanza sought to break kill record Newtown victim's parents fight for change

What they don't explain is why Lanza did it.

Read the documents

The quest for answers, including the one about motive, continues. State's Attorney Stephen J. Sedensky III of the judicial district of Danbury, which includes Newtown, stressed in his statement Thursday: "This is an active, ongoing investigation. No conclusions have been reached, and no final determinations have been made."

At the same time, he acknowledged that the public -- including those intent on preventing other such massacres -- has an understandable, sincere desire to have information now.

That's the mindset of Tim Makris, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, which supports "common sense solutions that make ... our country safer." Even with its limited scope, he called Thursday's document release a step forward.

"The information revealed today underscores the need to turn this tragedy into transformation," Makris said.

Fresh insights into Lanza, his home

Although the new documents don't provide a motive, they offer fresh glimpses into the life of 20-year-old Adam Lanza, in part by revealing what was inside the Newtown home he shared with his mother, Nancy.

One person, whose name was redacted in a search warrant, described Adam Lanza as a shut-in who rarely left home and played military-style video games.

That house included a gun locker that investigators found open and without signs of a break-in, Sedensky said. All the guns tied to Adam Lanza appeared to have been purchased by his mother, he added.

Police also found more than 1,600 rounds of unspent ammunition inside the home, according to the documents. Gov. Dannel Malloy pointed out Thursday the mass killer left lower-capacity magazines behind, a fact that, he said, speaks to the need to significantly restrict the number of bullets that can be in each magazine. He also said assault weapons should be banned.

The Newtown house also had three Samurai swords and several books -- one titled "NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting," another about Asperger's syndrome and a third on autism -- the newly released documents show. Connecticut's chief medical examiner has said he had been told that Lanza had Asperger's syndrome. Research has not shown a link between violence and that condition, a high-functioning form of autism marked by social awkwardness.

Opinion: Did we learn nothing from Newtown?

Investigators also found a 2008 New York Times article about a shooting at Northern Illinois University that left six dead, including the gunman.

They also took three photographs "of what appears to be a deceased human covered with plastic and what appears to be blood," a receipt for a shooting range in Oklahoma and National Rifle Association certificates for Nancy and Adam Lanza. The NRA, a gun rights advocacy group, has issued a statement saying neither Lanza nor his mother were members.

Retracing what happened December 14

The carnage began in that house.

Before embarking on his rampage at Sandy Hook, Adam Lanza killed his 52-year-old mother by shooting her in the forehead as she lay in bed, a search warrant states.

"There was no indication of a struggle" between mother and son, Sedensky said.

Timeline of Sandy Hook shooting

From there, he drove to the elementary school -- leaving a 12-gauge shotgun in the car, police would discover -- and shot through the front entrance.

The information detailed Thursday dispelled some earlier reports on what happened, Sedensky noted. Lanza wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest, for one. And besides the hallway, he fatally shot students and teachers in two classrooms, not three.

When police found Lanza's body -- killed by a single, self-inflicted shot from a Glock 10 mm handgun -- they also discovered that the Bushmaster rifle was loaded with 14 bullets in its 30-round capacity magazine, plus one round in a chamber.

This was one of 10 of this firearm's 30-round capacity magazines at the scene, Sedensky explained. More ammunition for the Glock and a Sig Sauer P226 9 mm handgun was also found. Three such magazines still contained 30 rounds. There were six more magazines nearby -- three of them were empty, while the others had 10, 11 or 13 live rounds in them.

"One-hundred-and-fifty-four spent .223 casings were recovered from the scene," the state's attorney wrote, indicating that Lanza had fired at least that many bullets from what Connecticut authorities had described as an "assault-type rifle."

A lot of bullets fired in not a lot of time. Sedensky said, "It is currently estimated that the time from when the shooter shot his way into the school until he took his own life was less than five minutes."

Gun control push continues despite dwindling support

The full investigation into the Sandy Hook shooting, Sedensky said, likely will be completed this summer.

After that happens, the state's attorney said he will write a report evaluating the crimes committed and whether or not anyone will be prosecuted as a result.

Until then, the debate over gun control stoked by the Sandy Hook massacre continues in earnest.

Obama: 'Shame on us' if Newtown doesn't bring new gun laws

Recent polling shows public support for gun restrictions has declined since the shooting. Shortly after it, 52% of Americans favored major restrictions on guns, according to a CNN/ORC International poll. That number has dwindled to 43%, a version of the same poll conducted between March 15 and 17 found.

No legislation on the matter has passed yet in Washington, though gun control advocates are pushing.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Thursday released its first television ad featuring relatives of Newtown victims urging politicians to pass tougher gun laws. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the group's co-founder, said in a statement: "We cannot afford to wait for another tragedy. It's long past time for elected officials to listen to their constituents and pass reforms like comprehensive background checks that we know will save lives."

Newtown families featured in first political ad

President Barack Obama voiced a similar sentiment in remarks Thursday as part of a "national day of action" to galvanize supporters pushing for tougher gun laws.

"This is our best chance in more than a decade to take common sense steps that will save lives," he said at a White House event. "If there is a step we can take that will save just one child, just one parent, just another town from experiencing the same grief that some of the moms and dads who are here have endured, then we should be doing it. We have an obligation to try."