TV series Angel star Andy Hallett has died last night at the age of 33 due to heart failure according to his longtime agent and friend Pat Brady. After a five-year battle with heart disease, the actor passed away at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles while his father, Dave Hallet, is by her side.

Andy Alcott Hallett, who was born on August 4, 1975, was an American singer and actor who became renowned for playing the part of Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan, or Lorne (“The Host”) for short in the television series Angel. His character in the show was a friendly demon, who, when not assisting Angel and his team in the investigation of various and sundry underworld mysteries, served as the host and headliner at a demon bar. He appeared on about 76 episodes of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff, Angel, between 2000 and 2004. He also sang on the Angel: Live Fast, Die Never Soundtrack two song, “Lady Marmalade” and It’s Not Easy Being Green,” which was released in 2005.

Way back in 2001, Hallett said to Jen Godwin that despite constant flirtation with David Boreanaz’ character Angel, and the occasional sly Elton John reference, “We don’t really know if he’s gay. I don’t really know. It’s funny, because sometimes he’s right in Angel’s face, and that’s when I feel it the most. And viewers would probably think, hmm, what’s going on here? This guy’s pretty curvy.”

Hallett has spent his post-Angel years working on his music career, playing shows around the country. He had been admitted to the hospital three or four times in the past few years for his heart condition, said Pat. According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of Angel, Hallett suffered a tooth infection which led to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital. After that, he no longer returned to acting but pursued his music career.

Most likely over this weekend, a private funeral service will be held for family and close friends in Cape Cod.

Central California based Setton Farms has just issued a recall of about one million pounds of pistachios due to salmonella contamination worries.

Just last March 27, the California Department of Public Health gave out an announcement that it had been conducting an investigation on the pistachio recall from a CA supplier. Food safety officials are looking through the Farms’ plant in rural Turlare County in order to see if it could lead them to the source of contamination. Expansion of pistachio recall was also announced in a conference call held at 7pm ET plus they also mentioned that consumers shouldn’t eat any pistachios until more info is known.

The recalls has just began last Friday when the Georgia Nut Company recalled its Kraft Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix after finding out through a test that some were positive of salmonella.

According to Dr. David Acheson, director of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration, the contaminated pistachios are not related to a recent outbreak of salmonella tied to peanuts. It can be remembered that barely two months, there have been a huge recall of peanut-related products.

A spokesman for Setton declined to comment, saying the company’s own inquiry into the cause of contamination was continuing. Setton likewise says in its website that the California plant is the second-largest pistachio processor in the United States.

Fortunately, no illnesses have been reported.

The tired and weary residents of Fargo, North Dakota were spared from the ravages of the Red River but is facing a winter storm.  Meteorologists are forecasting up to 14 inches in some areas.  The storm is expected to set in on Monday with half a foot of snow, powerful gusts and strong winds.

“We are looking at a full-blown blizzard,” National Weather Service meteorologist John Paul Martin said. “It is a dangerous situation.”

The Red River receded slightly to 39.5 feet early Monday morning.  City officials say that they will breath easier when the river falls below 37 feet.

The winter snow is expected to have no effect on the flooding.  The cold and ice however has the potential to damage the fortified sandbag levees if strong waves brought on by the strong winds crash onto the levees.

Residents will have to endure the long wait as they have to see whether Friday’s hastily constructed levees will hold against the onslaught.

“The main event is right now, while we have this higher water. And it ain’t over till it’s over,” said U.S. Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D. “And it ain’t gonna be over until several days from now.”

8 people are dead in Carthage, North Carolina as a lone gunman went on a shooting spree Sunday morning.  The incident also wounded several others.

Reports indicate that Robert Stewart burst into the nursing home and started shooting everything.  The gunman also barged into rooms of residents and sparing some.  He killed 7 residents and a nurse.  He wounded three people including the Carthage policeman who confronted him in the hallway of Pinelake Health and Rehab.

His victims were: Pinelake residents Tessie Garner, 88; Lillian Dunn, 89; Jessie Musser, 88; Bessie Hendrick, 78; John Goldston, 78; Margaret Johnson, 89; Louise Decker, 98; and nurse Jerry Avent.  He wounded.

25 year-old police officer Justin Garner traded shots with Stewart in the hallway.  He was able to wound the suspect which and ended the killing spree. Garner sustained a gunshot wound on his leg.

“He acted in nothing short of a heroic way today, and but for his actions, we certainly could have had a worse tragedy” said District Attorney Maureen Krueger.  “We had an officer, a well-trained officer, who performed his job the way he was supposed to and prevented this from getting even worse than it is now.”

Stewart, 45 was charged by Krueger with eight counts of first-degree murder and a single charge of felony assault of a law enforcement officer.

Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie said that in his 20 years of law enforcement experience, this is the first time something like this has ever happened in the community.  He said: “I don’t know if the emotion entirely has set in.  It’s a small community built on faith, and faith will get us through.”

Police still have no motive for Sunday’s incident.  Stewart is neither an employee or a resident of Pinelake Health and Rehab.  He is also not related to any of the victims.

Police would not release any more detail about Stewart.  Police would only say Stewart was in the custody of the Moore County Sheriff.

Stewart’s ex-wife has said that Stewart has been contacting his family lately.  Even though they have divorced in 2001 he has contacted her through their son trying to reach out.  He has been telling family that he “will go away for a trip” and that he has cancer.

“He did have some violent tendencies from time to time,” she said. “I wouldn’t put it past him. I hate to say it, but it is true.”

Pinelake Health and Rehab in the North Carolina Sandhills about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.

According to the Dallas Morning News reports, Maritza Thomas, wife of Cowboys linebacker Zach Thomas, had and encounter with Robert Powell, a Dallas police officer. It was reported that Maritza was handcuffed and was sent to the jail where she spent about three hours on the ground of illegal U-turn in July 2008.

At that time, Officer Powell stopped Maritza Thomas for making an illegal U-turn. Mrs. Thomas was issued 5 tickets for various offenses. Four of the said tickets were later dropped including failure to show proof of insurance, improper address in driver’s license, running a red light, and a registration sticker was not on the windshield. Mrs. Thomas was, however, handcuffed and thrown to jail which the lawyer of Maritza claimed as improper as she should not have been arrested just for Class C citation.  She, nonetheless, accepted deferred adjudication for the illegal U-turn charge, and her record will be cleared next month.

Bob Gorskly, lawyer of Powell, on the other hand, claimed that the arrest was proper because it was due to multiple traffic charges.

“I do understand that an arrest on multiple traffic charges happens often and is absolutely proper under these circumstances,” Gorsky told The Morning News. “Often, when there are multiple charges, an arrest made and bond posted, some of the charges from a single event are later dropped.”

Another allegation arose against the officer that he was the one who prevented Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats from entering a hospital to be able to see his dying mother-in-law just last week. Powell even detained Moats for 13 minutes, in which time his mother-in-law died. Powell gave out an apology just last Friday.

Thomas, however, said to the same News, “This in no way compares to what happened to Ryan Moats and his family. But we wanted to tell our story, not knowing how many others have been affected by Officer Powell. We know the vast majority of the Dallas police force are good and professional people, but this guy just seems excessive.”

Accordingly, Officer Powell was placed under administrative leave ever since the incident with Ryan Moats. The Dallas police are to investigate the complaints filed against Officer Powell.