Yes, there are local heros! Check out this great story courtesy of Cincinnati.com

Gene Ellington picked up his newspaper two weeks ago and read about a 29-year-old debt that could send Dorothy Rembert to prison for five years.
When he put the paper down, his wife Claudia gave him a sly look and asked, "Are you going to pay this?"

Ellington paid ,033.15 at Thursday's court hearing on Rembert's case, erasing the debt and keeping the 61-year-old woman from future punishment on the 1981 case.

"I'm glad it's over," said Rembert of Mount Auburn, as fat tears welling up in her eyes before trickling down her cheeks.

"It's just made me so sick but God knows best."

Ellington, 57, of West Chester Township read that Rembert was applying for her Social Security retirement benefits when government officials discovered she had an outstanding probation violation from three decades earlier.

Rembert was convicted in 1981 of welfare theft for receiving welfare payments while also working. She was convicted, placed on five years of probation and ordered to repay the ,700 she was paid in welfare benefits while working.

Rembert paid 5 of the debt when her then-husband told her he would pay the rest of it. She thought he had. He didn't. He's now dead.

Last week, Scott Seemann of Liberty Township, showed up in court and was so moved by Rembert's plight that he donated ,000 toward her debt.

Ellington, a Lockland consulting business owner and part-time reverend at College Hill's Consolation Baptist Church, is a former social worker who grew up in Mount Auburn and can identify with Rembert's plight. The ,033 he agreed to pay came out of his own pocket.

"The system failed," Ellington said of the government that allowed her unpaid debt to be ignored for almost three decades. "There are times that you have to meet people at their need. It was just the right thing to do."

When he met Rembert in the hall after the hearing, Rembert, who needs a walker to get around and often has to stop to sit down, sat at a bench crying happy tears.

"I want to stand up and hug you," she told Ellington, doing just that.

"Bless your heart," Ellington told her. "God has blessed me and my family and we want to pass on the blessing to you."

Hamilton County Judge Jody Luebbers will have the case back in court - to allow the checks to clear and ensure the debt is paid - next week before officially dismissing it.

Courtesy of switched.com
There's no denying that social media and networking are an integral part of both social and professional interaction in the 21st century. Therefore, it's necessary to expose children to these tools as early as possible in order to help them develop the proper digital literacy they'll need to succeed. But there is, of course, a danger inherent in letting your eight-year-old sign on to Facebook. And that's not to mention that, technically, letting anyone under the age of 13 sign up for Facebook is illegal under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

That's where Togetherville comes in. The site, created by Mandeep Singh Dhillon, is a social network designed specifically for kids that lets children connect and play games in a safe environment. Children and adults can participate in a "neighborhood," where kids, using their real names and identities, interact with people they know in real life. The site will eventually incorporate paid content and games, but for now, access is free and the site features no advertising.

Everything on the site is tightly controlled to keep children safe. There is a chat function, but it does not allow the entry of text. Instead, both adults and children must choose from a group of pre-approved "quips." Video content from sites like YouTube will also be featured, but it will all be pre-screened to keep out potentially offensive and harmful material.

But the strongest line of defense comes directly from the parent. In order to sign a child up for Togetherville, a parent must have a Facebook account. Togetherville will never pass any information about your child to Facebook, but the adult social network acts as a gate through which anyone outside of the Togetherville neighborhood must pass in order to interact with a child.

Dhillon told the New York Times that Togetherville teaches kids social skills that other youth-oriented networks (like Club Penguin) can't, because those sites rely on anonymity to protect the child. On such sites, he says, "Kids don't learn how to be accountable." Which is, perhaps, the first rule to taking your identity online.

Courtesy of TMZ
A judge just issued a bench warrant for Lindsay Lohan's arrest, after she failed to show up in court this morning ... and the judge says she has reason to believe Lindsay has a drug and alcohol problem.

Judge Marsha Revel was tough as nails this morning, scoffing at the notion that Lindsay's "someone-stole-my-passport" excuse was a justification for missing court.

Judge Revel set bail at 0,000 and said Lindsay can post bail and remain free until the next court hearing, IF she does the following:

- Drink no alcohol
- Wear a SCRAM bracelet
- Submit to random drug testing at least once a week

Lohan's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, told the judge the story TMZ broke -- that Lindsay claimed her passport was stolen and she tried getting on a flight to make it on time but was turned away.

At one point Holley said, "I don't know what else to tell you."

But the judge didn't buy Lindsay's argument, saying "Actions speak louder than words." The judge felt Lindsay could have gotten a replacement passport and made it back on time. And, the judge said Lindsay had "a history of not keeping scheduled appointments."

Holley said there was no reason to require drug testing, but the judge noted that Lindsay was charged in 2007 with being under the influence of cocaine.

Judge Revel said Lindsay knew she was going to jail if she violated probation and knew she needed to get court approval before missing her alcohol ed classes. After the hearing Holley acknowledged what TMZ first told you ... that Lindsay has only completed 10 of the required 13 classes.

The judge said there is probable cause to believe Lindsay has violated her probation. If the judge determines Lindsay did indeed violate probation she could be jailed for 180 days.

Courtesy of SheKnows.com
Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke are the latest couple to be eliminated from ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, leaving Evan Lysacek, Erin Andrews, and Nicole Scherzinger competing in the season finale next week. Ochocinco is bummed to be leaving and says he’ll miss everybody, but no one as much as his dance pro partner, Cheryl Burke. The two stirred up romance rumors earlier this season when Ochocinco gifted Burke a k diamond ring. Keep reading to hear what they have to say about each other now…

Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke just barely missed making it to the finals of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars. The couple finished in fourth place this season, being eliminated on last night’s show. Ochocinco says he’s ”absolutely fine” about the elimination. Although he admits “I will miss everybody,” it seems that he won’t miss anyone as much as his sexy dance pro partner. “I told Cheryl as long as she doesn’t leave my life, I’ll be fine. That’s the only thing,” Ochocinco says. ”Getting eliminated, all the work we put in, it’s hard. But the time that I spent with her was awesome.”

For her part, Cheryl Burke seems like she’ll miss the NFL star just as much. After their elimination on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, Burke said, “Chad is the most humble guy I’ve ever met. He made me laugh and smile all season long. He’s so sweet. We’ve built a really strong friendship and I hope we’ll be friends forever.”

Ochocinco says he hopes to stay in contact with all of his Dancing With the Stars co-stars, but ”the only one that really really means a lot to me is Cheryl.”

Vanessa Williams will be taking up residence on Wisteria Lane as the newest cast member on “Desperate Housewives.”



According to Rueters, Vanessa will be taking on a familiar role on her old network as a “wicked new housewife.” ABC announced that this will be a huge part of the show, and she’ll be featured in nearly every episode of the seventh season.


There’s no word on exactly how vicious she’ll be or what her storyline centers on, but you know we’ll be watching!


Before this Vanessa played venomous fashionista Wilhelmina Slater on ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” a part which earned her three Emmy nominations.

Say what? Robert Pattinson has cut his hair!? This is a picture of the "Twilight" star spotted by Popeater.com in Los Angeles on Sunday with a baseball cap covering what appeared to be closely sheared hair.
BEFORE

'Today Show' host Matt Lauer has reportedly moved out of his house after his wife of 12 years accused him of cheating while he was covering the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, The National Enquirer reports. The paper reports that Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, accused him of "fooling around during 'Today's' on-site coverage of the Olympics in Vancouver" and that Lauer "went wild" while in Canada. He allegedly moved out of the couple's apartment after an "explosive two-day fight."
According to RadarOnline, Lauer stood his wife up for Valentine's Day, choosing instead to stay in Vancouver. Radar's sources claim he was spotted boozing and flirting with women -- including two young, Canadian broadcasters.

"There was lots of drinking and Matt was seen on-and-off with two women, both of them pretty Canadian broadcasters," the source said. "He was getting very flirtatious with them, and they seemed to be enjoying it."

Apparently, a wife of one of Lauer's NBC colleagues found out about his partying ways and called Annette. "She accused Matt of cheating," the source told RadarOnline. "He said the Canadian women were just friends and colleagues. He made the excuse that he'd stayed longer purely for business reasons. The fighting went on for two days, and finally Matt walked out."

Lauer's mother-in-law Johanna Struijk confirmed to RadarOnline that the couple are no longer living together, and Annette is not wearing her wedding ring.

This isn't the first time Lauer has been caught in a cheating scandal. His wife allegedly learned he was having an affair with a married woman back in 1998, just months before their wedding. In 2006, Annette, then pregnant with the couple's third child, filed for divorce but withdrew the divorce petition a month later.

For now, "Matt is trying to keep this [split] on the down low," a 'Today Show' insider said. On Thursday morning, he reported from Cannes, France where he attended the American Pavilion Ribbon Cutting during the 63rd Annual International Cannes Film Festival.

The pop star is already mum to sons Kingston, three, and 20-month-old Zuma and has previously expressed her desire to add another tot to her growing brood once she gets a break in her busy work schedule.

But Stefani has recently been spotted sporting a fuller figure and snaps of the No Doubt singer in New York last week show her with what appears to be a baby bump.

An eyewitness tells Star magazine, “She was pulling at her shirt to keep it away from her body. It seemed really strange – but then, when she turned to the side, I could see why. She definitely had a baby bump!”

Stefani has also been photographed wearing a Sea-Band bracelet, usually associated with expectant mothers – as it helps to relieve morning sickness.

Stefani has been donning the accessory because the nausea she has been experiencing has been worse than ever before, reports OK! magazine.

An insider says, “Gwen is having a really rough time this pregnancy. She had all-day morning sickness for a while with Zuma, but she’s sicker this go-round and has been feeling exhausted and dizzy.”

When Michael Jackson was alive he was determined to keep his kids
out of the public eye. Now it looks like clips of them on YouTube have been leaked. Not sure if this is good for their images or not. Blanket is shown, being a kid, doing a scene from Star Wars. Paris is a bit more cryptic with just an uttering of "monkey, please help." Okay then