The Night Note: 11/9/09

News you need to know.

By BRENDAN WILLIAMS-KIEF

Updated 7:00 PM EST, Mon, Nov 9, 2009

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The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.

LOCAL MOSQUE CONDEMNS IMAM'S PRAISE FT HOOD GUNMAN
A Falls Church, Va., mosque condemned a former imam's praise of last week's Fort Hood shootings Monday.

Anwar al Awlaki, a radical American imam on Yemen's most wanted militant list, praised alleged gunman Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero on his personal Web site. In 2001, Awlaki preached at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in 2001, which Hasan's family attended. Awlaki also was a spiritual leader at two mosques where three Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers worshiped. (NBC Washington)

CHICKEN COUP: FOWL MOVE IN THE CITY
For months, Daniel Strauss has looked out the window of his home on busy Stevens Avenue and noticed as many as six chickens pecking at the soil of his backyard.

The hens' owner, Jennifer Rudin, wasn't sure at first whether her city neighbor would appreciate the chickens' free-ranging, which has become routine for them since Portland approved backyard chicken farming earlier this year. But having seen how adaptable chickens are, Strauss is planning to get a few of his own. (USA Today)

MARYLAND LOGGER IN WORLD SERIES OF POKER FINALS
A western Maryland logger who plays no-limit Texas Hold 'em for fun is matching wits with a 21-year-old from Michigan who has logged more hands online than most people his age. At stake is a World Series of Poker main event title, and $8.55 million.

Joe Cada of Shelby Township, Mich., entered heads-up play Monday night with a 2-1 chip advantage over 46-year-old Darvin Moon, who led when the nine-way final table began on Saturday. (WTOP/AP)

EVEN JAPANESE SINGERS FALL OFF THE WAGON
Noriko Sakai, 38, was found guilty of possessing and using amphetamines in August and was sentenced to 18 months in prison yesterday, suspended for three years.

She is the latest of many "talento" to be caught out for emulating the poor role model image more commonly blamed on foreign stars.

But unlike stars in much of the rest of the world, Sakai's conviction is effectively the end of a career that made her popular across much of Asia. (The Telegraph)