JOBLESS CLAIMS FALL TO FOUR-YEAR LOW: Claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to their lowest level in more than four years. The Labor Department reported Thursday (October 11th) that some 339,000 people filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the week ending October 6th, down 30,000 from the previous week and the lowest level of initial claims since February 2008. It's to be noted, however, that the weekly
figure is extremely volatile, and economists often prefer to look at the four-week moving average to even out any swings. That indicator fell to 364,000 last week.

14 DEAD, 170 CASES IN MENINGITIS OUTBREAK: The Centers for Disease Control Prevention reported Thursday (October 11th) that the number of cases in the fungal meningitis outbreak tied to tainted steroid shots had risen to 170, with the death toll up
to 14. Health officials are saying the roughly 14,000 people across the country who got the shots will have to remain vigilant for symptoms for months, as the outbreak is expected to grow. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said that the compounding pharmacy involved in outbreak, the New England Compounding Center, apparently violated state law that says compounding pharmacies aren't supposed to do large-scale production like a drug manufacturer. They are only supposed to produce medication for patient-specific
prescriptions.

SCIENTISTS SAY ALIEN PLANET MADE LARGELY OF DIAMOND: Astronomers say that a planet discovered in 2004 around a nearby star in our Milky Way galaxy is made largely of
diamond. After estimating the mass and radius of the planet, called 55 Cancrie, and studying its star, scientists now say it's made up mainly of carbon, in the form of diamond and graphite, as well as iron and silicon carbide. At least one-third of the planet's mass is likely pure diamond. You wouldn't be able to pluck any gems from the surface though, since its temperature reaches 3,900 degrees Fahrenheit. The planet is what's known as a super-Earth, with a radius twice as wide as that of our own planet and a mass eight times greater.

NATIONAL ZOO PANDA CUB DIED FROM LIVER PROBLEM: National Zoo scientists said Thursday (October 11th) that a necropsy showed that a six-day-old giant panda cub that died at the Washington, D.C., zoo, last month had a liver problem and signs of lung disease. The tiny cub's lungs hadn't fully developed and likely weren't sending enough oxygen to the
liver. The scientists said the baby panda, which weighed only four ounces when it died, may have been born prematurely.

EARNHARDT JR. TO SIT OUT RACES AFTER SUFFERING TWO CONCUSSIONS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be sitting out the next two weeks of races, after suffering two concussions in six weeks, the most recent on Sunday in a last lap crash at Talladega. Earnhardt said Thursday (October 11th) that he'll sit out the races at Charlotte and Kansas, ending NASCAR'S most popular driver's hopes for the Sprint Cup Championship.

HOT COSTUME -- SEXY BIG BIRD: A representative from costumecraze.com told ABC News that although its original Big Bird costume sold out before the first presidential debate -- there was a 500 percent increase in sales for the women's "sassy Big Bird adult costume" post-debate. The "sassy" rendition of the beloved "Sesame Street" character is a short,
yellow-ruffled dress with orange knee-highs and pink accents. The costume comes
complete with a bird headband.

NEVE CAMPBELL TO APPEAR ON 'GREY'S ANATOMY': Neve Campbell will play Patrick Dempsey's sister on Grey's Anatomy. TVGuide.com reported that Neve will appear in two episodes that will air in December.

'BAD NEWS BEARS' ACTRESS DIES: Sammi Kane Kraft, who appeared in the 2005 remake of Bad News Bears, died in a car accident on Tuesday at the age of 20. The actress was a passenger in a car that was "traveling at a high rate of speed," hitting a big rig
and then getting hit by another car. The driver was treated for moderate
injuries and arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving.