Taking Amber Alerts to the Next Level; Crime-Shoppers?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Sparks fly on Capitol Hill as British parliament member George Galloway testified before a Senate committee in the ongoing Oil-for-Food probe. In no uncertain terms, Galloway rejects any speculation he profited from the scandal-plagued program, saying he never bought or sold a drop of oil. Committee chairman Norm Coleman has been on the receiving end of some of Galloway's most scornful remarks. Different week, same story. This time, an Alitalia flight en route from Milan to Boston is diverted to Bangor, Maine. It landed about a half hour ago. The plane was rerouted after a name on the passenger manifest turned up on Homeland Security's no-fly list. We're following this developing story. We'll bring you the latest news as it happens. And it's a hot hybrid, leaving some owners cold. Well, Toyota is investigating gripes that the Prius has been stalling on some drivers. Nearly 90,000 Prius cars has been sold in the U.S. They're prized by alternative energy fans because they switch between gas and electric motors to save on fuel. So far, no recall and no official government investigation. We all know their name, Adam Walsh, Samantha Runnion, Jessica Lunsford, and we all know the horrific outcomes of too many child abductions. Statistics show that the first three hour after a kidnapping offer, the best chance of recovering a child alive, and now a new plan to mobilize more people faster. CNN's Kimberly Osias, taking Amber Alerts to the next level. Hi, Kim.</s>KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra. Well, you're exactly right, those first couple hours are, in fact, critical, and now they're hoping to mobilize the public. The public can get involved in solving crimes, crimes of missing children, and help may be as easy as keeping your eyes open and those cell phones closed. About a dozen wireless carriers are partnering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to get key descriptive information to people in the areas that could make a difference. The way it works is pretty simple. It takes about a minute to complete. What you do is log on to www.wirelessamberalerts.org, then you'll enter a secure Web site. That's where you'll input the cell numbers where you want to receive alerts and the zip codes where you spend the most amount of time. So, for example, if you travel from Florida to Georgia, you can enter the zip codes along your route. Information about the abductor and the victim will then be relayed in minutes, and that's what's critical in these missing children cases. Because of course, as we talked about, time is really the enemy here. Statistics show that those first three hours are key in finding a missing child. Experts say there won't be information overload with this system because it will be geographically specific.</s>ERNIE ALLEN, MISSING CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE: This is not something that cell phone users are going to see every 10 minutes. These activations are going to be rare, but when they happen, we're going to send a message to the American public that they can help.</s>OSIAS: You can also register for the program through your wireless cell phone carrier's own Web site. So far, about a dozen are involved in the program. More are expected to sign up. So, for example, you can log on to Sprint, Verizon or Nextel and get registered to be on the lookout. Then those text messages, the alerts will actually appear on your cell phone screen or blackberry-type screen, just like this one right here. You'll get that very pertinent information with information like license plate numbers, automobile descriptions, and any other pertinent information about the abductor and the child, so hopefully more children will get back home safely -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: All right, you can sign up at that Web site right down on the screen. Kimberly Osias, thanks so much. And a double Amber Alert tops of our news across America right now. Idaho authorities are searching for two missing children. The alert went out after three people were found dead in what police are calling a triple homicide. Eight-year-old Shasta Groney (ph) and her 9-year-old brother, Dillon (ph), live at the home where the bodies were found. Police believe the children's mother and teenaged brother are among the victims. In Los Angeles, voters going to the polls to choose the next mayor. James Hahn, the incumbent, says he's encouraged by the high turnout at his precinct in San Pedro (ph), and challenger Antonio Villaraigosa vowed to continue stumping until the very end. He made numerous campaign stops across the city overnight. And in New York this painting doesn't look like the kind of item you could boost and get away with. But a Staten Island trucker allegedly tried to do just that. Prosecutors say that Anthony Porcelli (ph) swiped the painting worth $1.5 million from a cargo warehouse at Kennedy Airport. A keen-eyed shipper noticed it was missing and called the cops. From crime stopping to crime shopping. After burglaries cleaned out Karen Todd's home, she was inspired to do a little sleuthing online. Reporter Karen Myers from our affiliate WTTG has more on how you really can find everything on eBay.</s>KAREN MYERS, WTTG REPORTER (voice-over): John Hiatt's song, "Have a Little Faith" connects with Karen Todd and her husband. Karen had those very lyrics inscribed on an iPod she gave her husband for Christmas. The words hold special meaning.</s>KAREN TODD, AMATEUR DETECTIVE: You'll be there for the other person. You know, when your back's against the wall, I'll be there.</s>MYERS: One day last month, while the couple was at work, a burglar broke into their house, smashing the sliding glass down door in the kitchen.</s>TODD: There was a patio stone sitting over here on the floor, broken glass all over the floor.</s>MYERS: The burglar stole a laptop computer, digital camera, a ring inherited from her grandmother and the sentimental iPod.</s>TODD: Apple quit making that particular model, and so I couldn't order it from Apple again and have it inscribed again. So that was a little disappointing.</s>MYERS: Karen, trying to think like the burglar, jumped on the Internet auction site eBay.</s>TODD: 5769.</s>MYERS: Hoping to find the stolen goods.</s>TODD: I was surfing, and I was just shocked. It's like, it's mine! It's mine! I couldn't believe it was there.</s>MYERS: The inscription in plain view. She called police, who traced it to this shop, J&K; Sports Cards in Beltsville. The owner says he bought it from 21-year-old Ibrahima Toure (ph), who police tracked down and arrested, all because the detective work of this wife, mother, government worker, and now supersleuth.</s>TODD: All of those Spencer books paid off.</s>PHILLIPS: Well move over Nancy Drew, that was Karen Myers reporting for WTTG. Well, her life was taken on September 11th, but her legacy lives on, through a book and through her two surviving sisters. The amazing story behind the new book "You Can Do It" is up next. Also, saving yourself from a scam: The criminals are getting smarter, and so should you. Find out how to protect yourself from being a victim of ATM ripoffs. That's later.