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Automatically compiled digests of U.S. NEWS stories
(originally clustered by the Google News):


Saturday


  • July-04-2009 -- Selling the Post Dinners
    We can only imagine the uproar this week in The Washington Post's newsroom when editors and reporters discovered an offer was circulating that would have played them like pawns.
    The flier adds: '''Build crucial relationships with Washington Post news executives in a neutral and informal setting.''' More...

  • July-04-2009 -- 'TEA Party' draws 200 to courthouse
    Then again, that's the entire point of the tea party movement.
    With no great fanfare and little national media coverage, the people who organized the April 15 Tea Parties are gearing up for a new day of protests against government spending and higher taxes. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Sailor gunned down on sentry duty, Navy says
    SAN DIEGO (AP) — The chairman the House Veterans Affairs Committee is calling for a Defense Department and Marine Corps probe to see if the killing of a gay sailor at Camp Pendleton was a hate crime.
    Comment: Charles, as a gay Sailor currently serving in the Navy, I have to say your hyperbolic statements serve no useful purpose. and will do nothing to alleviate this situation. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Four Mid Michigan Fishermen Rescued on Lake Erie
    Authorities identified the four as Douglas Whittaker, 76, of Eaton Rapids; Roy Letson, 52, of Charlotte; Vert, 64, of Lansing, and Ronnie Miller, 63, of Eaton Rapids.
    None of the boaters returned when expected around 4 p.m. Thursday. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Governor softens stance on education spending
    On February 3, California's bond credit rating was downgraded below that of every other state by Standard & Poors, one of the Big 3 Wall Street rating agencies.
    As a general rule, you don't want to issue registered warrants. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Released Child Killer Moves to New Hampshire Town, Outrages Residents
    Flanked by a lawyer and law enforcement personnel, selectmen faced an angry group of residents Thursday night and defended their decision not to inform them that a convicted child killer was living in their midst.
    New Hampton's town offices weren't enough to hold a crowd of 50 residents outraged they hadn't been informed that convicted child killer Raymond Guay had moved to town nearly two months ago. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Judge Alex Kozinski rebuked for explicit postings
    The judicial misconduct complaint against 9th Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski has been resolved with a public admonishment but no discipline imposed on the judge for the sexually explicit material found on his family Web site.
    The Times article reported that Kozinski had "maintained a publicly accessible website featuring sexually explicit photos and videos" but had intended it to be private. More...

  • July-04-2009 -- Bill Clinton to appear at Maloney fundraiser
    In an interesting development in the 2010 New York special Senate race, where appointed Democratic Sen. Kristen Gillibrand is facing a primary challenge from Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Bill Clinton will now headline a fundraiser for Maloney , despite the extensive efforts by the Obama White House to clear the field for Gillibrand.
    As to Clinton helping Maloney-Obama and Hillary have a tenuous relationship at best. More...

Friday


  • July-03-2009 -- Police to be on lookout for DUI violations
    CINCINNATI -- Officers in Ohio will man fewer DUI checkpoints over the Fourth of July weekend, but that will allow more officers to hit the roads and highways.
    The campaign includes sobriety checkpoints as well as increased patrols on roadways with a history of impaired driving crashes. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- New Evidence Cheney Swayed Reaction to Leak
    Melanie Sloan, the executive director of the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of the report, said Breuer'''s reasons for withholding the document does not make sense.
    And perhaps most troubling, after having months to prepare the release of CIA report on interrogation methods the Obama administration has now announced another delay in release of the report . More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Poll: Recession taking toll on Ohio governor
    "People will die if we can't service them" Ghering said.
    Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, a longtime supporter of placing slot machines at Ohio racetracks, had proposed offering an amendment to the Industrial Commission budget on Monday with hopes of getting enough Republican votes to go along with a dozen Democratic votes to get the issue approved. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Duncan Promotes Charter School Debate
    U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan urged thousands of teachers to consider linking their salaries to student achievement during his speech yesterday at the National Education Association's annual meeting in downtown San Diego.
    The money will help save thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts, a department news release said. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Four Deaths in Six Days in Rural South Carolina County, Police Say
    Last Modified: Friday, July 3, 2009 at 1:20 a.m. GAFFNEY -- Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton confirmed Thursday that the investigation into at least the first three homicide shootings in recent days is aimed at one assailant, although he did not say the same of the three additional shootings that occurred Thursday.
    One of two shooting victims discovered at Tyler Home Center in Gaffney on Thursday night is airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Disney adds robotic Obama to attraction
    After a long renovation, the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom reopens this Saturday, July 4, and inside is a new guest: an Audio-Animatronic version of President Barack Obama.
    This president is an audio-animatronic Obama surrounded by the 43 other U.S. presidents at Walt Disney World's newly revamped Hall of Presidents in Orlando, Florida. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- First trial of Guantanamo Bay detainee, Ahmed Ghailani, set for ...
    NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecutor agreed Thursday that the government will not dismantle overseas locations where a former Guantanamo detainee claims he was interrogated by the CIA before he was brought to the United States for trial on terrorism charges.
    NEW YORK (AP) — A prosecutor says the government will not dismantle overseas locations where a former Guantanamo detainee claims he was interrogated by the CIA before being brought to the United States for trial on terrorism charges. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- SoCal-to-Vegas rail route wins federal designation
    VICTORVILLE • Developers of the DesertXpress train from Victorville to Las Vegas cleared one more hurdle Thursday, as federal officials declared the route along Interstate 15 between Southern California and Sin City a high-speed-rail corridor.
    The designation could help either of the competing rail projects. More...

Friday


  • July-03-2009 -- Stop! Police! Very, Very New Police!
    NEW YORK (AP) — A New York Police Department rookie just couldn't wait to get started.
    Later, Paul J. Browne, the department'''s chief spokesman, who was present at the graduation ceremony, reflected on the day. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- National Briefing | Immigration Deportation Delayed for 'Dream Act ...
    "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reviewing the case," said Nicole Navas, an agency spokeswoman.
    Immigrant advocates are working against the clock to stop the deportation of a Central Florida man who was brought to the U.S. as a child and didn't know he was here illegally. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Here comes Tea Party 2.0
    Saturday, local grassroots organizers are hosting the Lansing Independence Day Tea Party at the State Capitol in a bid to bemoan 'ever-expanding' federal government and to assert state rights.
    DAYTONA BEACH -- In Volusia County, the battle against taxes continues. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Judge clarifies purpose at first federal Proposition 8 hearing
    SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge today refused to temporarily block Proposition 8, moving forward with his plan to put the latest legal challenge over California's gay marriage ban on a fast track to a trial that is likely to produce the most thorough review to date of whether same sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
    "We're prepared, willing and able to move as fast as the judge is willing to go." More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Obama Considering Prolonged Terror Detentions
    One detainee — suspected U.S. embassy bomber Ahmed Ghailani — already has been transferred to New York to face federal trial there.
    The administration has been floating the prospect of indefinite detention without trial to Congress for over a month, and has reportedly eyed the creation of a system of National Security Courts to provide some legal basis for the heretofore extralegal detentions. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Charter Schools Welcome Special Needs
    The school, however, later destabilized with high turnover among teachers and principals.
    With the assistance of the Long Beach Community Hispanic Association, or Centro CHA, Inc., the Conservation Corps of Long Beach and the dropout intervention counselors from the school district, the committee was able to survey 52 students who had made the decision to drop out of high school. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- Inland Empire fire threatens to spread as another is contained
    TEMECULA- A wildland fire that began at approximately 2:34 p.m. west of Temecula in the De Luz area of Riverside County is now reported to have encompassed 100 acres and is 10% contained. 350 firefighters have responded to the scene.
    The fire burned about 100 acres of heavy brush on steep hillsides and enveloped the west side of Temecula in a smoky haze. More...

  • July-03-2009 -- White House garden lead scare a bit overblown
    '''The garden recently underwent extensive soil testing that proved it is completely safe,'''''' said Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for Michelle Obama, the first lady.
    The Vermont State House Food Garden designed and managed by the state's citizens was dedicated in May. More...

Thursday


  • July-02-2009 -- Dems' 60-vote majority may not be super
    Well, it is not actually critical, anymore, to get Republicans to "work together" with Democrats.
    My neighbor yesterday wanted to know why the election of Franken was so important, and why getting to 60 votes in the Senate is a big deal. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Rare Declaration of Independence copy found
    Column: Keeping Idea of Democracy New Reflections on July 4th ''' then and now.
    Sometimes in our collective history, events are landmarks. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- 2009/2010: Where was Mr. Deeds?
    RICHMOND, Va. (AP) More than three weeks before their first debate, Virginia's candidates for governor are debating how often they'll debate.
    Republican Bob McDonnell last week became the first candidate for governor to go on television in the general election campaign. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Former Junction City, Kan. commissioner indicted
    In a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, prosecutors say Michael R. "Mick" Wunder, 52, received money from Lawrence developer David Ray Freeman in return for approving two development contracts, worth more than $12 million.
    Less than a year earlier, Big D Development and Big D Construction ''' a combined company owned by Freeman and three other partners from Lawrence ''' had secured development contracts for two housing projects in Junction City. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Georgia Boy, 12, Fatally Shot by Playmate, 14, Police Say
    EAST POINT, Ga. -- The 12-year-old boy who police said was shot and killed at an East Point apartment complex Wednesday night was identified as Jaquane Butler.
    East Point Police Detective Cliff Chandler said investigators have yet to determine whether the shooting was intentional. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Statue of Liberty gets her view back
    Liberty Island -- It's a quintessentially American tradition, suspended since Sept. 11, 2001: to climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty and view the nation's greatest city through the eyes of its greatest symbol.
    In May, the Obama administration announced that the crown would once again welcome visitors, albeit cautiously. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Independence Day Holiday Closings
    Pleasant offices Village of Lake Isabella offices Village of Shepherd offices Union Township offices Gratiot County: Gratiot County offices City of Ithaca offices City of Alma offices City of St. Louis offices (also closed July 6) Village of Breckenridge offices Clare County: Clare County offices City of Harrison offices City of Clare offices Banks: Will be open on Friday, closed on Saturday Chemical Bank Firstbank Isabella Bank National City U.S. Postal Service: Offices will be open on Friday, but closed on the Fourth of July Mt.
    Offices will reopen Monday with regular hours. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Flaherty blames Menino for pension loophole, abuse
    Strong words from the president of the Boston Firefighters Union as the city announced that starting today it would brown out up to four fire companies per shift before hiring anyone on overtime to make up for sick calls.
    On D Street in South Boston, firefighters displayed a plywood sign that read: "Ladder 18 closed per order of Menino." More...

Thursday


  • July-02-2009 -- Brush Fire in Los Angeles National Forest, Burns 20 Acres
    A suspected arson fire consumed about 25 acres of brush in U.S. Forest Service land north of Castaic, prompting closure of northbound lanes of Interstate 5 at rush hour today, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman said.
    Zermeno says about 150 firefighters are on scene, and since the blaze is also in the Angeles National Forest, a joint command has been established to fight the flames. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- SI Ferry Slams Into Dock, Injures 15
    More than a dozen people were injured Wednesday evening after a Staten Island ferry encountered a "hard docking" at the St. George terminal.
    As many as 800 passengers were on board, according to reports. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- 62 Sex Offenders Mistakenly Let Loose in Michigan
    Republican state Rep. Rick Jones of Grand Ledge sent out a news release Wednesday making the matter public.
    The psychologists were assessing whether the prisoners needed further detention, release to an inpatient treatment program or were ready for parole. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Flight diverted after passenger undresses in seat
    Naked Man Diverts Flight From Charlotte to L.A. - WGHP Naked Man Diverts Flight From Charlotte to L.A. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) and CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) - A U.S. Airways flight to Los Angeles was diverted to Albuquerque after a passenger removed all of his clothing mid-flight, forcing flight attendants to cover him with a blanket before he was arrested, authorities said Wednesday.
    "No one was really panicking. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Toll road plan falters as special session opens
    Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, put out mixed signals late in the day about the private toll road bill.
    The House Appropriations Committee authorized the sale of $2 billion in highway construction bonds on a 22-1 vote that came only three hours into the special session. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- For Some WH Aides, Public Service Has Its (Six-Figure) Rewards
    The White House Press person said the President was "unaware of the Tea Parties."
    There's obviously going to be some carve-out as it relates to that. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Turnpike board OKs toll increase
    "The reality is toll payers on the Mass. Turnpike and in the tunnels don't have to pay the debt service on the Big Dig anymore," Linsky said.
    Secretary of Transportation James A. Aloisi Jr. said rescinding the toll hikes will be 'very good news for the people who use the turnpike,' and that the new financing structure will prevent future toll hikes as well. More...

  • July-02-2009 -- Masses yearn to huddle in Liberty's reopened crown
    LIBERTY ISLAND - It's a quintessentially American tradition, suspended since Sept. 11, 2001 : to climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty and view the nation's greatest city through the eyes of its greatest symbol.
    "Enough time has elapsed that there's a greater willingness to take a look at security measures adapted after 9/11 and ask, 'Are we getting bang for our buck?' " says Edward Alden, author of The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11. More...

Wednesday


  • July-01-2009 -- Corzine campaign getting early visit from Obama
    A Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind Poll of registered voters released today found 45 percent favoring Christie, with 39 percent for Corzine and 14 percent undecided.
    Idiots think that fascism is "right wing", but it has nothing to do with right or left, it is a political system where free-markets go bye-bye. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Robert Gates eyeing ways to make "don't ask, don't tell" policy ...
    ON BOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AFP) — The Pentagon is considering how it might ease the "don't ask, don't tell" law requiring gays to keep quiet about their sexual identity or face expulsion from the military, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.
    Considering I worked with B-52s that were older than I was. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- EPA lets state get tougher on new vehicles
    EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who previously was New Jersey's environmental commissioner, said the agency's decision to grant the waiver "puts the law and science first."
    In practical terms, that won't mean a lot, as the Obama administration recently announced a new national standard that mirrors California's proposed standard. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Adviser: Maloney to take on Gillibrand in primary
    Several members of New York'''s congressional delegation bristled when Gov. David Paterson (D) appointed Gillibrand to the Senate seat formerly held by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
    For months, Democratic leaders, including President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and New York'''s senior senator, Charles Schumer, have been discouraging would-be senators from mounting a primary challenge. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- After Long Court Battle, Franken Wins Minn. Senate Seat
    Already, centrist Democrats have been pushing back on major climate change and health care reform legislation.
    If the Republicans continue to be able to block legislation by allying with conservative Democrats, the resulting demoralization is likely to turn off the public, discourage the base, and result in Republican gains in future years. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Obama Presents Bill to Create Consumer-Finance Watchdog
    The proposal also faces a political tussle on Capitol Hill, where pro-business Republicans have opposed past administration attempts at bank reform.
    Lenders certainly shouldn't discriminate based on characteristics like race, sex or sexual orientation. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Triple-digit temperatures added to Fort Worth-Dallas forecast
    Today'''s forecast high is 96 degrees under mostly cloudy skies, according to the National Weather Service.
    Wednesday Night: A 10-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low of 72 degrees. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Plane from Chicago makes emergency landing
    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A commercial airliner with 128 passengers and crew has made an emergency landing in Florida because smoke was detected in the cabin.
    The broadcaster interviewed passengers from the flight who were understandably frightened by the experience. More...

Wednesday


  • July-01-2009 -- Preliminary injunction to block Proposition 8 is unlikely
    A federal judge in San Francisco said Tuesday that he''was disinclined to suspend California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage while a lawsuit challenging it as a violation of the U.S. Constitution proceeds in his court.
    People rally in front of the California Supreme Court Building when arguments are heard for and against Proposition 8 on March 5, 2009, in San Francisco. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Sen. Byrd Is Home After 6-Week Stay In Hospital
    After several weeks of hospitalization for a staph infection and recurring fevers, Senator Robert C. Byrd has been released and is recuperating at home, his office announced in a statement today.
    Your health and age are crying for rest. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Obama Cabinet Plans a Listening Tour of Rural America
    'Rural America is vast and diverse, and different communities face different challenges and opportunities.
    Aug. 12: Mr. Chu, Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Mr. Vilsack will north to Alaska, to the community of Bethel, to discuss rural infrastructure, green jobs and a new energy economy, as well as climate change. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Mayor, fire union spar over 'brown-outs'
    Nearly 30 Boston firefighters with pending disability claims filed for retirement yesterday, just two days before a new state law ends a controversial benefit that allows them to significantly enhance their pensions if they claim career-ending injuries occurred while filling in for a superior at a higher pay grade.
    Mad dash for pension trough Boston Globe Legislation to end a major pension abuse had some firefighters scrambling to take advantage before the window closes. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Perry vows support for private investment in toll roads
    Texas House and Senate members will convene at 10 a.m. July 1 to kick off a special session of the State Legislature, called by Gov. Rick Perry to address a narrow set of topics, including five state agencies under sunset review, transportation bonds and comprehensive development agreements (private toll roads).
    Perry is the vetoing-ist governor in history. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- New Hampshire retailers rejoice over new law
    Municipal officials are expected to have to make major cuts at the local level starting July 1.
    'Nobody wants to hike taxes at all. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Mr. Kaine's Travels
    Virginia Republicans will appeal to the court of public opinion instead of a court of law to fight over access to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's out-of-town travel records as Democratic National Committee chairman.
    Kaine rejected the GOP request, citing an exemption to FOIA for governors' working papers and a 1991 state Supreme Court decision affirming it. More...

  • July-01-2009 -- Springfield Back Behind The Budget Books
    The city continues to have an additional balance of approximately $35 million in reserve funds after being permitted to use $10 million from the account to help balance the new budget.
    " 75 cents on a 100 dollar bill, with this we keep workforce like police and firefighters on the street, if I had to cut another million dollars out of the budget I would have to cut man and woman power out of the city of Springfield," adds Mayor Sarno. More...

Tuesday


  • June-30-2009 -- Obama Toughens Rules for Some Lighting
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to keep the focus on climate change legislation, President Barack Obama put a plug in for administration efforts to make lamps and lighting equipment use less energy.
    President Obama said Monday that light bulbs will have to meet tougher efficiency standards in order to slash energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- The sad sick tale of John Edwards continues
    New York (ANI): Former U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, once recorded a sex tape, according to someone who has seen his former aide Andrew Young's book proposal.
    The book got picked up by St. Martin's. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- U. of I. admissions system changed in 2002, former employee says
    CHICAGO - A former University of Illinois employee who frequently worked with Category I admissions said he was pressured to ease the way for students from affluent suburbs at the same time he was being told to enter more students from Chicago public schools.
    Montoya says the school should discontinue use of the special system. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Monica Conyers' resignation clears way for Cobo
    Monica Conyers, wife of Rep. John Conyers, the 23-term Michigan Democrat who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, announced her resignation from Detroit's City Council this morning, three days after pleading guilty to charges of accepting cash in return for support of an enormous recycling contract.
    Even the Baptists were cursing Detroit last week, when some of the attendees of a national conference were stuck in a downtown hotel without air conditioning or televisions. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- World's Ugliest Dog
    With a name like Pabst, a blue ribbon for first place is definitely deserved.
    The hairless and awkward-appearing Chinese Crested breed has dominated the contest for over seven years. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Pueblo man, 34, dies during physical test
    A 34-year-old Pueblo man died Monday shortly after he had completed a physical agility test as part of the hiring process for the Pueblo County Sheriff's Department.
    The test included a half-mile obstacle course and half-mile run. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Obama: no "formal" decision yet about church, Gibbs says.
    White House deputy press secretary Jen Psaki said by e-mail: "The president and first family continue to look for a church home.
    "The President and First Family continue to look for a church home. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Justices to Review Campaign Finance Law
    At stake in the case is a provision of a 2002 federal campaign law that bans "election communications" funded by corporations or unions close to an election.
    The brief for the Federal Election Commission argued that the issue of overturning Austin was '''not properly before the Court''' because it had not been dealt with fully in the court below and only occupied two pages of Citizens United'''s brief. More...

Tuesday


  • June-30-2009 -- Gov. Deval Patrick signs budget, cuts local funds
    BOSTON ''' Gov. Deval L. Patrick is scheduled today to sign a $27.4 billion Massachusetts state budget for 2009-2010 that includes deep spending cuts and a hike in the Bay State'''s sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.
    Patrick had vowed to veto the sales tax boost if lawmakers didn't enact transportation, pension and ethics reforms - but all three measures passed. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Va. Lawmakers Question System Upgrade Contract
    When a big, multibillion-dollar computer project goes awry, it's natural that state lawmakers' first reaction is to assess blame.
    In April, a hacker breached a state prescription-monitoring Web site, putting at risk a database that contained millions of patient records. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Man To Stand Trial For Murdering 3 In SF Traffic
    SAN FRANCISCO -- Edwin Ramos, an alleged MS-13 gang member accused in the June 22, 2008, killings of a San Francisco man and two of his sons, will stand trial for murder, a San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled Monday.
    More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Ex-Edwards Aide to Write Tell-All
    New York (ANI): Former U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, once recorded a sex tape, according to someone who has seen his former aide Andrew Young's book proposal.
    Hunter was hired to make videos for the campaign, and Edwards never let something as trifling as common sense stand in the way of having the affair in the first place. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Michigan offers to house California prisoners
    Now, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has offered California some of the state's prisons that are slated to close at a yet-to-be-determined cost.
    Last year, California state correctional officers made an average $63,230, more than any other federal, state or local counterpart in the country, according to federal statistics. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Fasten your seat belt -- or it'll be costly ride
    The law is named after 12-yr-old Dori Slosberg and 16-yr-old Katie Marchetti who died in motor accidents in which they were not wearing seat belts.
    I also think I remember something about the interlocks shorting out, if you happened to end up in a canal, and not allowing you to unbuckle as you slowly drowned; trapped in you seatbelt. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- Governor approves $29B tab
    In light of all that, Corzine seems less like anything resembling a common-sense fiscal conservative than a man whose hand has been forced by the state constitution and a deep recession.
    Just go to the state Legislature's home page and click through to David Rosen's testimony to the budget committees last month on the revenue outlook for Fiscal 2010 and beyond. More...

  • June-30-2009 -- SFGate: Day in Pictures
    With a name like Pabst, a blue ribbon for first place is definitely deserved.
    Pabst, a four-year-old Boxer cross, landed the unfortunate honour at a competition in California after beating off competition from a host of unique-looking pet pooches. More...

Monday


  • June-29-2009 -- Mass man held in girl's kidnapping, attempted rape
    HANOVER, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts prosecutor says a 6-year-old Hanover girl was kidnapped by a would-be rapist while riding her bicycle but managed to escape from the man's apartment despite being in leg shackles.
    More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Better than the Eiffel Tower?
    The life-size wax model of U.S. President Barack Obama is shaded from the sun during its presentation near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Monday, June 29, 2009.
    More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Property tax hike squeezes through Atlanta council
    There was significant room for cutting in the budget.'''
    Officials said for the average city homeowner it will amount to a $250 annual increase, based on a $240,000 house. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Connecticut Man, Wife Found Dead in Murder-Suicide After Frantic ...
    Vernon police were called to a home on Gerald Drive around midnight with a woman screaming that she was in a domestic dispute and officers need to get to the house because there were two children inside.
    The first officer to arrive at the Morrin home immediately heard two gunshots, then a third a short time later, Kenny said. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Pawlenty, Coleman and the election certificate mystery
    Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said that he would consider certifying the Senate election of Democrat Al Franken if federal courts don't act speedily should lawyers for Norm Coleman file an appeal.
    I'''m not going to defy an order of the Minnesota Supreme Court. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Few see themselves as 'old,' no matter what their age
    On aspects of everyday life ranging from mental acuity to physical dexterity to sexual activity to financial security, a new Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends survey on aging among a nationally representative sample of 2,969 adults finds a sizable gap between the expectations that young and middle-aged adults have about old age and the actual experiences reported by older Americans themselves.
    Just 60 percent in 1979 saw a generation gap. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Click it or pay it: Florida's new seatbelt law
    The law is named after 12-yr-old Dori Slosberg and 16-yr-old Katie Marchetti who died in motor accidents in which they were not wearing seat belts.
    Later a violation will result in your insurance rate to increase, inability to rent a car, etc. Look on the bright side as it will be another source of traffic law violation revenue gleaned mostly from out-of-state drivers. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Mid-Daily Items: Pabst is World's Ugliest Dog
    Pabst, a boxer-mix shelter dog, scored an underdog victory at the 21st annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California.
    Goehring, who has 13 shelter dogs at home in Tennessee expressed hope that Miss Ellie's first place ribbon in the pedigree class would earn some support at home. More...

Monday


  • June-29-2009 -- Salazar assigns deputy as Calif. water czar
    What is causing unemployment in the San Joaquin Valley? According to water contractors and their political supporters, a "regulatory drought" has eliminated water-dependent farm jobs, and they point to high unemployment rates in farming communities as proof.
    MENDOTA -- Less than two miles from downtown, a section of flat-as-a-pancake farmland is giving way to a concrete monolith that eventually will house about 1,200 federal prison inmates. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- How Golden State sank into budget morass
    The Golden State has to come up, urgently, with a massive legislative structure reform.
    The wail usually echoes unanswered for a simple reason: Thirty-one years after California voters overwhelmingly passed the law that fixed the rate of property tax increases and required a two-thirds majority of the Legislature to raise taxes and approve state budgets, polls show that Prop. 13 is as popular as ever. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Firework Safety
    "Any firework that leaves the ground or any firework that makes a loud bang is illegal in the state of Michigan," said Eric Weber of the Lansing Fire Department.
    In 51 percent of the home outdoor fires in which grills were involved, 56 percent of the outside gas grills, and 29 percent of the non-confined gas grill structure fires, the fire started when a flammable or combustible gas or liquid caught fire. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- PA Budget Deadline Looming
    HARRISBURG Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President Bruce A. Edwards said current state budget proposals by Gov. Edward G. Rendell and the state Senate fail to provide funding needed during the 2009-10 budget cycle for hiring cadets a situation that, if not addressed, could seriously jeopardize Pennsylvania public safety.
    We have editorialized in favor of other revenue-raising measures: dipping into the rainy day fund, taxing Marcellus shale and smokeless tobacco and holding off another year on phasing out the capital stock tax on firms. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- 100000 attend Denver's gay pride event
    PrideFest Larry Sandefur talks about the annual festival, held this year at LeClaire Park in Davenport.
    DENVER (AP) - Denver's commemoration of a riot at a Greenwich Village bar that sparked a movement for equal rights for gays drew an estimated 100,000, according to police. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Doggone ugly! Unattractive Pleasanton pooch competes for World's ...
    Pabst, a boxer-mix shelter dog, scored an underdog victory at the 21st annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California.
    Ellie has come a long way from being kept in a kennel area for much of her life with an owner that saw no purpose for her. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Isolated Storms Still Possible...
    Going from east to west, there a strong upper level low over the central Tropical Atlantic, which is producing strong wind shear and inhibiting tropical development of any kind.
    From Monday through Friday, disturbances and cold front will rotate through the forecast area with showers and thunderstorms. More...

  • June-29-2009 -- Girlfriend: Man In Rape Attempt 'Demented'
    HANOVER, Mass. - A Massachusetts prosecutor says a 6-year-old girl was kidnapped by a would-be rapist but managed to escape from his apartment despite being in leg shackles.
    Inside, police found 26-year-old Justin Shine, a resident of the complex, according to Cruz. More...

Sunday


  • June-28-2009 -- What to know about Monica Conyers case
    "Public officials must expect to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards.
    'This investigation took just under two years from the time we first discovered the possibility of misconduct by Ms. Conyers until her plea of guilty today,' Berg said. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Ugliest Dog Wins Big
    Pabst, a boxer-mix shelter dog, scored an underdog victory at the 21st annual World's Ugliest Dog Contest Friday at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California.
    Here's a look at some of the ugly also-rans from the annual contest, part of the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- USAirways jet blows tires on rocky landing
    '''We have two active runways here but keep in mind the West runway, probably 90 to 95 percent of our jet traffic uses that runway because that puts the noise out over the bay,''' said Brenda Geoghagan of Tampa International Airport.
    Airport spokeswoman Brenda Geoghagan says no passengers or crew on flight 1241 from Philadelphia were hurt when the jet landed Saturday afternoon. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Police Find Marijuana and Cash at Brooklyn Day Care Center
    NEW YORK - Police say a Brooklyn day care center where police officers shot an armed man during a robbery attempt was being used as a drug haven.
    About a dozen children, ages 1 to 10, werenapping inside the Special Moments Day Care Center on Friday when therobbers - posing as parents - entered the facility, a police sourcesaid. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Air France crash ratchets up the fear in nervous fliers
    Airbus says it is cooperating with authorities on the investigation.
    Data recorder information, aircraft condition monitoring system messages, crew statements and weather information involving that flight are being collected by NTSB investigators. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Police seek gunman after 3 killed in pizzeria shooting outside LA
    PICO RIVERA -- Four people were killed and six others wounded in a shooting at a motorcycle club's charity event in Pico Rivera.
    The motorcycle group is called the Old School Riders. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- President Obama Makes His Mark on FCC with Four Nominees:
    Just barely five months into his first term as President of the United States, Barack Obama has put his personal stamp on the Federal Communications Commission: On June 25, the U.S. Senate confirmed Julius Genachowski as FCC Chairman and reconfirmed current FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell for his first full term as Commissioner.
    The report -- Deception and Distrust: The Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Kevin J. Martin -- stated that the investigation was prompted "by allegations to the effect that Chairman Kevin J. Martin has abused FCC procedures by manipulating or suppressing reports, data and information." More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Nebraska teachers fear strings attached to stimulus funds
    The law also mandates that "any parent of a special needs child who plans to unilaterally place a child in a special needs private-school must give the school a 10-day written notice," thus providing time to modify/improve the existing program.
    Administrators and school boards are required to try to provide quality instruction with teachers who will fight to protect an incompetent teacher with seniority over a more effective teacher with less seniority. More...

Sunday


  • June-28-2009 -- What to know about Monica Conyers case
    "Public officials must expect to be held to the highest ethical and legal standards.
    The feds say a maximum of five years behind bars is the punishment Monica Conyers could get after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery charges. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- For GOP, Taxes Retain Potency
    The event also included the Amory family, Vince Behm, Ruff and Bonnie Jones, Chandler Hogge, Junior Dixon and Don Wiggins.
    McDonnell outspent Deeds by a substantial sum in 2005, by the way -- and was considered a substantial favorite before Election Day. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Fixing the Voting Rights Act
    Just as the Allied invasion of North Africa was a preliminary battle to the main fight in Europe, so the Supreme Court's decision last week in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder was just a skirmish in the coming war over the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
    My parents were in the prime of their lives when the first Voting Rights Act was enacted in 1965. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Let my two moms marry! On Stonewall anniversary, kids of gay ...
    Two gay rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union have added their voices in support of a federal lawsuit in San Francisco that seeks to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage.
    Robin Tyler rose to respond, and her comments echoed a lot of the frustration many people had had in the room with the way the No on 8 campaign was run. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Battle of the budget: Strickland, Harris duel on slots at the tracks
    Plain Dealer File Gov. TedStrickland issued a statment saying that Republicans rejected his plan to close the budget gap.
    Strickland has suggested that lawmakers cut the state's contribution to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System from 14 percent to 8 percent over the next two years to shave $256 million off the state's $3.2 billion budget gap. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- TV news show lineups for Sunday, June 28
    From the other side of the aisle will be former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
    If anyone other than President Obama has benefited from the recent implosion of GOP 2012 hopefuls, the big winner has to be Mitt Romney. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- RI bill forces racing at struggling dog track
    PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Despite warnings that their actions could upset the consensual agreement filed by Twin River's owners in U.S. bankruptcy court this week, members of the House Finance Committee voted -- shortly after 11 p.m last night -- on legislation to force the Lincoln track and slot parlor to continue greyhound racing past the point in August when it will have run the minimum number of races required by state law.
    The state more recently made public the names and home addresses of the 253 dog-owners : [[ only three dozen have Rhode Island addresses. More...

  • June-28-2009 -- Chief Justice: High court not setting school rules
    In most states, prosecutors could introduce the results of forensic tests at a criminal trial without having the analyst there to testify.
    The dissent written by centrist Justice Anthony Kennedy, predicted that a "crushing burden" would be imposed on the criminal justice system by requiring busy lab personnel to be in court for trials. More...





Saturday


  • June-27-2009 -- Five members of Louisiana's Jena Six avoid jail time in plea deal
    JENA, La. (AP) — The Jena Six case, which once prompted a massive civil rights demonstration and drew international attention, saw the final chapter played out quietly.
    After repeated court proceedings, Mychal Bell, the sixth teenager who was charged, pleaded guilty to a charge of battery and was sentenced to 18 months in a juvenile facility. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Don't Call It An Attack, Sotomayor Critics Say
    Naftali Bendavid reports on Congress.
    "We would like to proceed on the merits in a dignified process," Gonzalez said. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- John Kerry joke: Sarah Palin should go missing, not Mark Sanford
    The Alaskan, however, remains a rock star within her party.
    When we look at Palin's political resume it remains very strong, but since she was born in Idaho and all of her political experience comes from Alaska she has no real base of people to draw support from. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- State House Weekly Roundup: No one wants to be defeated
    Senate President Therese Murray added, "Seven months ago the Senate called for reform before revenue in our transportation system, and today thanks to the cooperation and hard work of the Legislature and the administration we have achieved our goal."
    Patrick had proposed a 19-cent per gallon increase in the state gas tax to fund transportation overall. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Poll: Specter's numbers dive since 'conversion'
    That's the (surprisingly low) percentage of Pennsylvania voters who believe that party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) deserves re-election, according to a new Franklin and Marshall poll .
    Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) on Thursday became the second Republican in the Keystone State's delegation to back former Rep. Pat Toomey (R) in the 2010 Senate race. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Supreme Court justices aren't always predictably right or left
    In most states, prosecutors could introduce the results of forensic tests at a criminal trial without having the analyst there to testify.
    "The Supreme Court strongly rejected the notion that forensic evidence is always neutral and based on solid science.'' More...

  • June-27-2009 -- School district funding uncertain until Legislature, governor ...
    And, school districts remain in the dark regarding how the aid reductions would be applied.
    The budget document discussed during the Wednesday budget workshop had indicated that the year-end 2008-09 general-purpose school budget would total $43,753,050. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Rhode Island law mandates renewable energy use
    PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Minutes before 2 a.m., after a debate that spanned nearly 11 hours, the House of Representatives approved a $7.76-billion state spending plan that wiped out millions of dollars to cities and towns, narrowed pension benefits for thousands of state workers and teachers, and boosted Rhode Island's gasoline tax by 2 cents per gallon.
    The state House has passed a bill that would place a question on next year's ballot to cut "and Providence Plantations" from our state's name. More...

Saturday


  • June-27-2009 -- Baby Sitter, Boyfriend Charged With Murdering 2-Year-Old Indiana Girl
    GARY, Ind. - Authorities are working around the clock to find Indiana 2-year-old Jada Justice, who was reported missing two weeks ago.
    Jada Justice is 2 years old and she is missing. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- US appoints envoy to Muslim world
    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week appointed a Kashmiri-origin woman as a special representative to Muslim communities as part of the Obama Administration's effort to reach out to the Muslims around the world.
    Farah Pandith, a Kashmiri-origin woman, has been appointed as special representative to Muslim communities in the U.S. State Department. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Gov. Corzine says he'll sign NJ budget 'first thing' next week
    NEW JERSEY : President Obama said he was ???confident??? that Governor Jon Corzine would be re-elected in the November gubernatorial election.
    '''In the case of the medical device prosecutions, there is already nearly a half a billion dollars in savings returned to the federal government,''' Christie said. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Can the Voting Rights Act Survive Another Challenge?
    Just as the Allied invasion of North Africa was a preliminary battle to the main fight in Europe, so the Supreme Court's decision last week in Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District v. Holder was just a skirmish in the coming war over the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
    Of course, like many constitutional provisions, defining what's appropriate is left up to Congress and the courts. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Idaho Sen. Jim Risch meets with Supreme Court hopeful Sotomayer
    Naftali Bendavid reports on Congress.
    Risch had a 30 minute conversation with U.S. Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor but said that's not enough time to learn enough about someones abillity to hold a lifetime postion on the nations highest court. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- The FDA's tobacco road
    A 2006 study, for example, found that changes in cigarette design between 1998 and 2004 increased the amount of nicotine delivered to smokers by an average of 10 percent.
    The government, through the FDA, will have some control over the amount of nicotine cigarettes can deliver -- a long overdue regulatory power, given the addictiveness of the drug. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Cash for Clunkers may be too clunky for consumers
    Cash for clunkers was signed into law earlier this month by President Obama.
    Scripps Howard News Service: Congress has enacted a "cash for clunkers" program. More...

  • June-27-2009 -- Crews find 9th victim in Okla. turnpike wreck
    The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the accident happened Friday afternoon northeast of Miami on the Will Rogers Turnpike near the border with Missouri and Kansas.
    The Emergency Operation Center was on the scene delivering water to motorists stranded on the turnpike due to the wreck. More...

Friday


  • June-26-2009 -- In Testy Exchange in Congress, Christie Defends His Record as a ...
    NEW JERSEY : President Obama said he was ???confident??? that Governor Jon Corzine would be re-elected in the November gubernatorial election.
    Our work was again reaffirmed today when one of the leaders of President Obama's Justice Department said that the Administration opposes the Pallone/Pascrell legislation and has no plans to change the process in place for deferred prosecution agreements. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- White House Threatens to Veto Defense Bill
    Specifically, President Obama opposes the inclusion of $369 million in the bill for more F-22 fighter jets and $603 million for development and procurement of the alternative engine program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program.
    "The administration strongly objects to the provisions in the bill authorizing $369 million in advanced procurement funds for F-22s in fiscal year 2011," a Statement of Administration Policy says. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Bachmann won't fill out all of census; she says it's private
    Well, good for Mrs. Bachmann.
    Bachmann appears to support legislation that erodes freedom, chips away at privacy, and permits surveillance of American citizens. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Five dead in fiery wreck on I-65
    CROWN POINT' Five people were killed in fiery, pre-dawn crash involving two semis and a pickup truck on Interstate 65 near U.S. 231 early Friday, State Police said.
    All southbound lanes remained closed as of 10 a.m. and traffic was being diverted off at the Crown Point exit and allowed to get back on the interstate at Route 2. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Grand jury blasts San Mateo County supervisors for appointing a ...
    At the end of the day, the elected officials showed interest in undoing some cuts, including some of the cut positions in the District Attorney's Office and one position from county Animal Control.
    The board voted 3-1 on Dec. 16 to appoint Groom, after three supervisors said a special election would be too expensive given the county's budget deficit. Board President Mark Church defended his vote in favor of Groom's appointment. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Potentially strong thunderstorms in Long Island's forecast
    Today'''s National Weather Service forecast: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then partly sunny with scattered showers and storms in the afternoon.
    The dry, cool air will support the development of a pool of rain-cooled air within the thunderstorms. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Ross's new job
    After only a few months as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's "Iran czar," Ross is moving to the White House, raising speculation about tensions within President Barack Obama's foreign policy team.
    Superficially you might think that a Hillary Clinton staffer moving to NSC strengthens the State Department voice at NSC, but I'm shying away from that argument based on looking at what Dennis Ross and his new boss Gen. James Jones (USMC, Ret.) have in common. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Rahm Emanuel says Obama's job much tougher than Clinton's
    The first difference, Emanuel said, was that the interest groups that helped defeat health reform in the '90s -- the doctors, the hospitals, the insurers -- are playing a constructive role in the reform.
    Why does Obama need ANY Republican support? All he needs is 51 Democrats to vote for it and the last time I checked they have 58 seats plus 1 if Minnesota ever seats Franken. More...

Friday


  • June-26-2009 -- At Breakfast, a Side of Political Sausage-Making
    Emanuel defended Obama's much-maligned public insurance proposal, stressing that the public plan would promote competition.
    Rahm Emanuel may be the best-equipped person to answer. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Supreme Court Sides With Arizona in Language Case
    The Supreme Court's decision also removes the threat of $2 million-a-day fines that the lower court threatened to impose if Arizona did not fully implement and fund a language learners program.
    The justices stopped short of weakening the Equal Education Opportunities Act, as some civil rights attorneys feared. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Democratic Assemblyman Pleads Guilty to Soliciting Payments
    After almost 31 years serving in the Assembly, Anthony Seminerio resigned Tuesday and pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud at a Manhattan court Wednesday morning, officials said.
    Between February and June of last year, Mr. Seminerio accepted payments of $5,000 a month for political favors from an undercover agent, according to the indictment. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Governor expecting quick action on state's work
    Perry has tried to narrowly define the topics for the session to begin July 1 so that legislators will issue road bonds and authorize five state agencies to continue operation.
    TODD you are an IDIOT. rick "toll road" perry has NOTHING to do with the financial condition of this state. the real estate bubble caused the financial conditions of other states and Texas wasn't a major part of the bubble, primarily because Texas isn't a very desirable place to live- therefore we didn't have a major run up in house prices here. except for certain neighborhoods in certain cities. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Alaska governor visits troops in Kosovo
    Beltway tongues are starting to wag that Sarah Palin is likely to opt out of a 2010 bid for re-election as Alaska's governor, in order to free herself for a presumed run on the national GOP ticket in 2012.
    If Sara didn't use Trig as a photo op then that pic wouldn't have been out there to doctor in the first place. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- New Jersey Passes Budget Fueled by $1 Billion in Tax Increases
    The last-minute restoration of rebates to 500,000 homeowners became possible because a tax amnesty program collected nearly $500 million from corporations and individuals.
    In California, K-through-12 education is being cut more than $7 billion; in Nevada, more than $700 million; in Arizona, by up to $900 million. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- US Attorney General Pushes For New Hate Crimes Law
    In endorsing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Human Rights First noted the bill will strengthen existing laws by permitting federal authorities to assist local and state governments in hate crimes investigations.
    The United States Constitution, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and existing caselaw provide adequate protection for expressive conduct and association. More...

  • June-26-2009 -- Impeached US judge in Texas resigns
    The Senate began impeachment proceedings this morning against Samuel B. Kent, a federal judge in Texas who has refused to resign from his lifetime appointment to the bench before 2010, even though he is currently serving a 33-month sentence in federal prison for obstruction of justice.
    Convicting Kent of any one of the articles of impeachment requires a two-thirds majority of the senators present. More...

Thursday


  • June-25-2009 -- Land won't run for governor
    The Grand Rapids Press Show of support: Michigan Republican Party gubernatorial candidate Mike Bouchard receives backing of Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land this morning during a press conference.
    'We don't have any time to learn that. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Blogger Hal Turner Charged With Threatening Chicago-Area Judges
    An Internet radio host and blogger charged earlier this month with encouraging people to "take up arms" against three public officials in Connecticut was arrested again Wednesday on charges that he threatened to assault and murder three federal judges in retaliation for a ruling upholding handgun bans in the Chicago area. FBI agents charged Hal Turner, 47, of North Bergen, N.J., at his home on charges related to the appeals court judges.
    When questioned, Turner immediately took responsibility for writing and posting the blog, calling it "very terse commentary," according to court records. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Pedestrian hit by police cruiser in Falmouth
    Two Falmouth officers involved in the accident were treated and released from Falmouth Hospital last night.
    Police did not release the name or age of the pedestrian, who is being treated at a Boston hospital. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Toll increase decision put off to Monday
    Toll increases scheduled to kick in July 1 hang in the balance as the Turnpike Authority holds its monthly meeting tomorrow in Framingham.
    The one-time payment would be a serious blow to the already shaky fiscal balance at the Pike. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- House split over new consumer agency
    Republicans said it made no sense to address one regulatory failure by creating another layer of regulation.
    The Consumer Financial Protection Agency should push beyond the current safe harbors and best-practice disclosure guidance associated with federal Truth In Lending, Truth In Savings and similar statutory compliance. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Houston Breaks Records with 104 Temperature
    HOUSTON - Two days of record-breaking temperatures, and we are now on the brink of an official drought. '''''' The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Thursday for all southeast Texas counties after the heat index exceeded 108 degrees.
    HOUSTON - The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory until 7 p.m. Thursday for all of southeast Texas. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Florida veto could send PC insurers fleeing, policy group says
    Major insurance companies and businesses had urged Crist to support the bill, arguing that it could help revive Florida's struggling property insurance market, could lead to State Farm reassessing its decision to shed 800,000 residential policies and could prevent more Floridians from seeking coverage from Citizens Property Insurance, the government-backed company that is now the state's largest insurer.
    The health insurance law (SB 1122) will require insurers to send payments directly to out-of-network doctors instead of to patients. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Regents order more audits of Kansas universities
    What's more, the graduate and professional school tuition rate approved Wednesday will only raise prices to about the midpoint of that charged by the competition.
    At my low level, even I'd take a cut if it would preserve my job. More...

Thursday


  • June-25-2009 -- BART unions ask state mediator to help
    Tuesday, 99 percent of workers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 voted in support of a strike, should one be called for.
    Some wags have suggested finding alternate ways to travel that day as a protest, to demonstrate riders' disapproval and power. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- NY men charged with taking tourists on police chase
    NEW YORK -- Five French tourists got a harrowing start to their New York visit: a wild police chase.
    One of the French visitors either fell out of the van as it rolled to a stop, or jumped, suffering bumps and bruises. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Va. Governor Is Really Going Places
    RICHMOND -- Appalachian Power Co.' s coal-fired power plant in Giles County and MeadWestvaco's paper mill in Covington will be part of a state evaluation of pollution emissions from older facilities that were exempted from the federal Clean Air Act, Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday.
    Gov. Tim Kaine said today that the Democratic National Committee has agreed to reimburse Virginia for the travel costs for his security detail when he travels for the DNC. The DNC also reimburses the costs of Kaine's own travel. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Lawmaker miffed over toll hike meeting location
    A spokesman for the state Executive Office of Transportation declined to comment on the toll scenarios because the budget is waiting for Patrick's approval.
    Barr disputed that the authority is avoiding southeastern West Virginia during the toll increase controversy -- noting that the authority just held an eight-hour work session at Tamarack on Tuesday. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Adams still shackled by the truth
    SALEM, Ore. (AP) — There's no credible evidence that Portland Mayor Sam Adams broke the law in his 2005 relationship with a teenager, Oregon's attorney general said Monday.
    What's even sadder is that by comparison with comments on some of the right-wing news sites out there (KATU etc), the comments on Blogtown have been fairly sane. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Crist vetoes property insurance bill
    In a move that could accelerate State Farm's decision to leave the Florida property insurance market, Gov. Charlie Crist today vetoed legislation that would have let State Farm and other major insurers offer policies largely free from standard rate regulation.
    The legislation would have allowed the large insurers to offer very low rates to attract policies in low-risk areas and to charge very high rates in high-risk areas -- cherry-picking the market, said Walter Dartland, executive director of the Consumer Federation of the Southeast. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- Senate Announces Committee To Investigate Impeachment Of Federal Judge
    The Senate began impeachment proceedings this morning against Samuel B. Kent, a federal judge in Texas who has refused to resign from his lifetime appointment to the bench before 2010, even though he is currently serving a 33-month sentence in federal prison for obstruction of justice.
    The committee could hear motions and review filings and could conduct evidentiary proceedings. More...

  • June-25-2009 -- 7 Fire Dept. Officers Censured in Bank Blaze Inquiry
    NEW YORK (AP) — The city's Fire Department disciplined seven fire commanders Wednesday over mistakes that led to a 2007 blaze at a contaminated ground zero skyscraper that killed two firefighters.
    Hazard/AP Seven veteran fire officers were disciplined by the FDNY for failing to properly inspect the Deutsche Bank skyscraper in the months before a blaze at the toxic tower killed two firefighters. More...

Wednesday


  • June-24-2009 -- Operation Dry Water targets alcohol use on Delta
    Richard Moore, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission'''s (FWC) boating law administrator.
    Nearly 70 percent of all boating fatalities occur in accidents where the operator has not received the proper boat safety instructions. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Missing Ohio girl, 4, found safe at Christian retreat
    Haylee Donathan, the 4-year-old Ohio girl who vanished more than three weeks ago, was found alive Tuesday in the company of her mother and her boyfrienda fugitive sex offender, authorities said.
    VALLEY CENTER, Calif. -- A 27-year-old convicted sex offender and a 24-year-old woman are in custody Wednesday after authorities found them in Valley Center with the woman's 3-year-old daughter, who had been missing from Ohio for nearly a month, a sheriff's sergeant said. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Lawmakers to announce compromise on ethics overhaul
    Ethics reform, however, remains a possible sticking point.
    Lawmakers already acted on pension and transportation reform measures. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Fishing industry today faces transition
    The New England Fishery Management Council begins meeting today in Portland, Maine, to vote on the new system, known as "sectors."
    The council is expected to vote on establishing a new sector system for catching groundfish, including cod, haddock and the many flounders that were once abundant in New England waters. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Court hearing set for Hawaii state furloughs suits
    Barring court intervention, many state employees will be forced next week to begin taking off three workdays a month without pay.
    The state also accuses the unions of trying to find sympathetic judges to hear the lawsuits, a move called "judge-shopping." More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Romney's rehab, Palin's remaining divide
    The Alaskan, however, remains a rock star within her party.
    Among Republicans, however, the balance of opinion about Palin is more positive than it is regarding Romney or other leading GOP figures, Newt Gingrich and Michael Steele. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- 12 tons of bomb-grade uranium to be made into fuel
    KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A $209 million contract has been awarded to convert 12 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium from the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Tennessee into commercial reactor fuel.
    The MOX plant, scheduled to open in 2016, will help dispose of surplus plutonium from dismantled nuclear weapons by blending small amounts of plutonium with traditional fuels for commercial nuclear reactors. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- In Illinois Politics, You As For 'Em, We Got 'Em
    Illinois Republican Dan Proft wants a career change from consulting for and commenting about politicians to becoming one of them.
    PROFT: The systems are fundamentally set up not to provide services, not to improve the quality of life for Illinoisians, but to sustain and advance the political careers of the Chicago Democrats who have been in power for a decade. More...

Wednesday


  • June-24-2009 -- Despite Pleas for a Freeze, Stabilized Rents to Go Up
    NEW YORK, NY June 22, 2009 '''City Councilman Bill de Blasio is calling on the Rent Guidelines Board to vote for a rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants this year, something the board has never done.
    MYFOXNY.COM - New York tenants living in the city's million-plus rent-stabilized apartments will be paying a modest increase when their leases are up this year. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Six degrees of Gavin Newsom
    The revenue proposals include a $15-per-vehicle registration fee to keep our state parks running, a modest increase in the cigarette tax and ' what is most critical ' an oil severance tax.
    Even without looking at salaries of rank-and-file members, the Firefighters' Union contract can be changed to save at least $2.86 million. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Democratic California Assemblyman Juan Arambula re-registers as ...
    Fresh from his latest conflict with the Democratic leadership in Sacramento, Fresno Assemblyman Juan Arambula has left his party to become an independent, according to news reports.
    Three years ago, after the Fresno Assemblyman refused to vote for a bond package that did not include money for dams, then-Speaker Fabian Nunez moved Arambula into the smallest capital Hill office, known as 'the doghouse." More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Service agencies work to fight budget cuts
    The protest was designed to pressure lawmakers into resolving the state'''s lingering budget impasse.
    Unions representing state workers have organized rallies to try to embarrass the legislature into acting. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- Principals Denounce Plan to Cut Two Training Days
    The agreement will reduce the City's pension costs by an average of $100 million a year over the next 20 years, while still providing an attractive package that City teachers deserve.
    The tentative deal -- unexpectedly made public in a 7 p.m. press release -- also preserves the right of teachers to retire at age 55, a benefit the United Federation of Teachers adamantly refused to surrender. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- State to Monitor Air Pollution From Old Plants
    The plants to be monitored were grandfathered in when the Clean Air Act went into effect in 1970.
    The DEQ emissions evaluations will begin in 2009 at three facilities that rank among the 15 largest emitters of air pollution in Virginia: Dominion'''s Chesterfield Power Station, American Electric Power'''s Glen Lyn Power Station in Giles County, and the MeadWestvaco Packaging Resource Group facility in Covington. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- House, Senate leaders reach agreement on bridges funding
    Cost sparked a ruckus over the 615-page health reform bill released by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee a week earlier.
    While the fund once had more than $400 million, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget today will lower the balance to less than $100 million for future deals. More...

  • June-24-2009 -- City Seeks New Powers in Its Stalled Fight Against Homelessness
    A floundering economy has helped drive a 71 percent increase in the numbers of homeless people in Monterey County over the past two years, according to the 2009 Homeless Census and Survey.
    The figures allow nonprofit shelters and homeless service providers to qualify for about $1.6 million in federal funds. More...

Tuesday


  • June-23-2009 -- Lawmakers going back to work on budget
    "We're about to see human carnage," said Allan Bergman, who runs the Anixter Center, an organization for people with disabilities that could see a big chunk of state funding cut because lawmakers passed a budget that Quinn says will force $9.2 billion in spending cuts.
    Quinn and his aides defended their actions as simply telling these groups what's likely to happen in the next budget year under the budget lawmakers approved - but have yet to send to his desk. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- First Lady speaks out for public service in SF
    Michelle Obama went to work by joining California first lady Maria Shriver and several hundred local volunteers at Bret Harte Elementary School in San Francisco, where the playground is being refurbished to include a garden with a farmers market stand where kids and seniors can sell vegetables to raise money for the school.
    " David Karst is one of those Americans. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Mich. man'stunned' he's not snatched tot from NY
    KALKASKA, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan man says he was "stunned" to learn DNA testing disproved his suspicion that he was kidnapped as a toddler in New York state in 1955.
    Most missing children are found very quickly. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Hillsborough Co. elections chief found dead
    TAMPA, FL -- Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Phyllis Busansky has been found dead in her hotel room in St. Augustine.
    Police say foul play is not suspected, and her family tells St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections Penny Haliburton that Busansky had an aneurism. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- LA mayor and council weighing retirement option for reducing ...
    Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, mayor of the United States' second-most-populous city, has decided not to seek the Democratic Party nomination for governor of California in next year's election.
    Villaraigosa is a nice man, but he is a media whore, publicity happy and thrives in the limelight. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Southern Baptist panel in favor of cutting ties with Fort Worth church
    LOUISVILLE (FBW) - A motion calling for the creation of a task force to study how the nation's largest Protestant denomination can "more faithfully and effectively" fulfill the Great Commission was introduced this morning at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Offered by R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the motion reads: "That the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting June 23-24, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky, authorize the President of the Southern Baptist Convention to appoint a Great Commission Task Force charged to bring a report and any recommendations to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Orlando, Florida June 15-16, 2010, concerning how Southern Baptists can work more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission."
    The Executive Committee got involved after a messenger at the '08 SBC annual meeting made a motion that the convention declare Broadway Baptist not to be "in friendly cooperation" with the denomination. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Granville library officials fear massive budget cut
    Swanson said the library administration is looking at various scenarios if the cuts go through, including the possibility of closing branches, personnel layoffs and not buying new materials.
    Library advocates urged Ohio residents to bombard state senators and representatives, as well as the governor's office, with calls of concern. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Liberty U reaches agreement with student Democrats
    LYNCHBURG The student president of the suspended Liberty University College Democrats is leaving the school, which demanded the group get a new university sponsor if it wants to regain official recognition.
    Liberty University is working on a proposal that would end the school's official endorsement of all political campus clubs. More...

Tuesday


  • June-23-2009 -- Fight Over Oil Price Controls, TARP Changes Derails US Tourism Bill
    Even in the sorry history of special-interest-dominated Washington, it is rare for politicians to so blatantly adopt defense of a private industry over the will of the people.
    The Democratic Party is dominated by six different -- if overlapping -- groups of voters. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Group wants Senate to investigate Ensign's affair
    That's the percentage of people who view Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) favorably in a new poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. Amazingly, Reid's favorable numbers compare, well, unfavorably, to those of embattled Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) who admitted an extramarital affair and resigned his leadership position last week.
    What is most curious is that the Republicans do not recoil in indignation at the affairs of their fellow party members, but always shriek for Democrats to resign when Democrats are indiscreet in their personal affairs. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Senate Committee votes down expanded gaming legislation
    The Finance Committee chairman, Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, has proposed taxing some employer-provided health benefits.
    Several bills would not take effect until the fiscal year beginning next July and would cost the state millions in revenue in future years - when Jindal and others warn that the state's fiscal outlook will be even worse than it is today. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Which way to Bay? Baby sea lion rescued on freeway
    Drivers on Interstate 880 started calling authorities around 5:45 a.m. to report the animal "walking" in the center divider near the Oakland Coliseum, said Peter Van Eckhardt, an officer with the California Highway Patrol.
    "Something has happened to the food sources." More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Southern Baptist leaders disagree: Can retooling reverse decline?
    For the first time in many years, the convention will meet in Louisville, where the Calvinism of Al Mohler and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary are holding sway.
    Watch the convention here on streaming video here. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Kempton to leave Caltrans post
    Governor announces the Caltrans director's departure.
    Although that might seem a step down for the 62-year-old Kempton, who has won praise for leading the state Department of Transportation over the past five years despite budget shortfalls and cutbacks, it is a big financial step up. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Editorial: Delaying ballpark vote? Good plan
    San Jose residents will have to wait until next year to weigh in on a major league baseball stadium being built in their community.
    Reed also said the city plans to talk to PG&E about an electrical substation on the site where a stadium would be likely to go, next to Diridon Station. More...

  • June-23-2009 -- Clinton to skip G8, OSCE meetings in Europe
    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not travel to Italy and Greece this week for international meetings because of an injury to her arm, her deputy said.
    Clinton, who fell in the State Department garage last week, had surgery on Friday. More...

Monday


  • June-22-2009 -- Gates Foundation chooses colleges for new program
    TOP COP: Denton trooper honored for watery rescue DAVIDSON COUNTY ''' A North Carolina State Highway Patrol trooper from Denton has been named the recipient of the American Association of State Troopers 2009 Trooper of the Year award.
    Academy at Central grows HIGH POINT ''' High Point Central High School students don'''t have to travel far to get an alternative education. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- SF prepares for Michelle Obama's visit
    Shriver's presentation of the first annual Governor and First Lady's Medals for service at the Intercontinental Hotel will include recipients of the following awards: Volunteer of the Year, Business Volunteer Program of the Year, Nonprofit Leader of the Year and Social Innovation Spotlight Award.
    Karen Baker, the nation's first state cabinet secretary of service and volunteering leads the organization and First Lady Maria Shriver serves as the honorary chairperson. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Hoping for Audacity
    Go somewhere and sit down and vote "present" until the next election.
    U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) introduced and the Senate passed a resolution today regarding the situation in Iran. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Is 'Cash for Clunkers' for Chumps?
    Senate Democrats defeated a Republican effort to kill a $1 billion "cash for clunkers" program that provides government incentives of $3,500 to $4,500 to car buyers who trade in old gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
    People who for the last 25 years have been buying gas guzzlers and now are feeling the pinch with three dollar a gallon gasoline get to take advantage of the federal government's largess. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Changes announced at Grand Rapids, Muskegon papers
    Paul M. Keep, publisher of The Chronicle since 2007 and editor since 2006, will become editor of The Grand Rapids Press on the same day.
    Keep, 51, has worked at four Michigan newspapers (the Kalamazoo Gazette, Bay City Times, Flint Journal in addition to Muskegon), all under the same ownership as The Press. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Pa. woman charged in abduction hoax waives hearing
    Accompanied by her husband, Richard L. Sweeten, left, and attorney, Louis Busico, right, Bonnie Sweeten arrives this morning at District Court in Richboro for a preliminary hearing on charges of identity theft and making a false report to police in the Disney World abduction hoax.
    DOYLESTOWN, Pa. - A suburban Philadelphia woman accused of faking her abduction and taking her daughter to Disney World has a date in court. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Blogger arraigned on Conn. lawmaker-threat charge
    He'''s been described as a white supremacist and a shock jock.
    Rutgers Law School Professor Frank Askin, director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, seems to agree. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Crews Resume Search for Missing Men on Potomac River

Monday


  • June-22-2009 -- Victory for Gay Rights in Sight
    Forty years of homosexuality being decriminalized in Canada and improved relations with the police are signs that progress has been made, but the organizers of Pride 2009 say the fight for gay rights isn't over yet.
    Then the parade, led by grand marshals Adrea Jaehnig and Amit Taneja of the Syracuse University LGBT Resource Center, kicks off at 11:30 a.m., wending along Washington, Salina, Jefferson and Montgomery streets and ending up in the Everson plaza. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- President of Liberty Democrats resigns
    In a letter released to the press late Friday, Brian Diaz said he was "deeply saddened" by his decision to resign as president of the Liberty University College Democrats but feels that the club "cannot be effective" with the present administration.
    I'm more surprised by the apathy of the commenters than the grammar of the letter. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- 18yearold dies in pickup accident | KXNet.com North Dakota News
    The collision happened around 12:15 Sunday afternoon about four miles west of Berthold.
    More...

  • June-22-2009 -- 'Missing' kayaker found, safe and sound
    MATTAPOISETT, MASS. The Coast Guard is searching for a missing 22-foot pleasure boat with three people on board near Mattapoisett Harbor.
    E.T.S. Boston (AP) -- A Rhode Island man is safe after his kayak overturned off the coast around midnight. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Missing man's body found in Lake St. Clair after boat crash
    St. Clair Shores -- A body found by searchers has been confirmed as that of a 28-year-old Chesterfield Township man who went missing when his craft collided with another boat on Lake St. Clair early this morning, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said.
    Moravcik's girlfriend and two other boaters were taken to St. John Hospital in Detroit. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- 1 killed, 1 wounded in street fight
    Police arrested 20-year-old Miguel Tamayo and 19-year-old Luis Carranza.
    Sterling Police are looking for a murder suspect as friends and family gather to remember the victim. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Mountaire ammonia leak called accidental
    Robeson County Sheriff Kenneth Sealey identified the worker who died as Clifton Swain of Fayetteville.
    Fayetteville, NC (AHN) - An ammonia leak at a North Carolina poultry plant is being blamed for the death of one man and the hospitalization of five other people. More...

  • June-22-2009 -- Pawlenty keeps the upper hand on budget
    DFLers say Gov. Tim Pawlenty is acting like a monarch.
    Among DFLers on the gubernatorial watch list, Rybak -- an official candidate for mayor, not (yet) governor -- had a distinctive take. More...

Sunday


  • June-21-2009 -- Burris says he's 'absolved,' won't discuss future
    SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury for statements he made before an Illinois House impeachment committee because there isn't enough evidence to support the charge, the state prosecutor investigating the case said Friday.
    '''I am glad that the truth has prevailed,''' Burris said in a statement. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Car Dealers Bank On Clunkers
    Senate Democrats defeated a Republican effort to kill a $1 billion "cash for clunkers" program that provides government incentives of $3,500 to $4,500 to car buyers who trade in old gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
    According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, the average price of a new car is $28,400. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- SEX SCANDAL: Poll finds approval of Ensign plunges
    The Las Vegas Sun has printed a bombshell letter from Doug Hampton, the husband of the former campaign treasurer with whom John Ensign had an affair, to FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly, asking her to investigate his charges that senator's behavior made him unfit to serve as the Senate's fourth-ranking Republican.
    Hampton later joined Allegiant Air in August 2008 and is currently vice president of government affairs, a company spokeswoman said. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Census to Recognize Same-Sex Marriages in '10 Count
    According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the White House has issued a memo to the Census Bureau to work up whatever new forms or new software it takes to collect the same-sex marriage data and then release it early in 2011.
    Just because the Census decides to count something doesn't mean the government is legally recognizing it. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Senate apology on slavery lacks sincerity
    Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), sponsored the bill; Congressman Cohen will sponsor the bill in the House, which is expected to be debated soon.
    Being neither Right nor Left, I wonder if apologies for slavery -- however well intentioned -- are the most important concern for the U.S. Congress right now. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- House impeaches Texas judge accused of sex crimes
    The House today overwhelmingly approved four articles of impeachment against a U.S. district court judge, seeking to remove from the bench a man who is already serving a federal prison sentence.
    When you violate the trust of the office to which you are appointed or elected, sometimes there is no other choice.''' More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Veteran Westside legislator Herschel Rosenthal dies
    Herschel Rosenthal, who served in the State Assembly and State Senate from Los Angeles in the 1980s and 90s, died Friday at a Sacramento nursing home, it was reported Saturday.
    Rosenthal, who represented parts of the San Fernando Valley, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until 1982. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Magnitude-3.4 Quake Hits Near San Bernardino
    The quake, measuring 2.9 in magnitude on the Richter Scale, occurred at 9:47 p.m. Thursday at a depth of 1.4 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
    The quake was centered a mile west southwest of San Bernardino at a depth of 16 kilometers, or approximately 10 miles, according to the USGS. More...

Sunday


  • June-21-2009 -- The high court flunks a DNA test
    In yet another 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a man imprisoned for a rape and attempted murder he says he didn't commit the right to the DNA evidence that would prove his guilt or innocence.
    Snyder called on Congress to enact a law guaranteeing the testing of DNA to all defendants accused or convicted "in every appropriate situation." More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Ensign plans to return to Washington on Monday
    The Las Vegas Sun has printed a bombshell letter from Doug Hampton, the husband of the former campaign treasurer with whom John Ensign had an affair, to FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly, asking her to investigate his charges that senator's behavior made him unfit to serve as the Senate's fourth-ranking Republican.
    Politico reports that 19-year old Brandon was paid by the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2008 -- when Ensign was NRSC chairman -- to do "research policy consulting." More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Breeders Tell Fans of Water Dogs: Keep Your Paws Off
    Bo Obama, the puppy owned by U.S. president Barack Obama, has earned his own baseball card.
    One day after admitting to an extramarital. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Bill would boost congressional oversight of covert spy programs
    The bill was released at a news conference with the chairs of the three committees that drafted it -- Miller, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chair of the Ways and Means Committee and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
    '''What'''s not real is no use doing.''' More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Service Restored to More Than 230000 Customers
    The utility already has restored more than 215,000 customers impacted by yesterday's severe weather.
    More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Car Dealers Bank On Clunkers
    Senate Democrats defeated a Republican effort to kill a $1 billion "cash for clunkers" program that provides government incentives of $3,500 to $4,500 to car buyers who trade in old gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
    People like car dealers and automakers, struggling to improve dismal sales and like Lyndsy Street, driving a very used 9-year-old Ford. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- Disaster Request for a Drought-Hit County in California
    A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was scolded in Fresno for not doing enough about this summer's farm-water shortages, he went to Mendota to issue yet another drought-related disaster declaration.
    Following the meeting, Governor Schwarzenegger met with Valley mayors to discuss the water issue. More...

  • June-21-2009 -- House impeaches Texas judge accused of sex crimes
    The House today overwhelmingly approved four articles of impeachment against a U.S. district court judge, seeking to remove from the bench a man who is already serving a federal prison sentence.
    Hellman also noted similarities between Kent and former U.S. District Judge Harry Eugene Claiborne, who was impeached and removed from office Oct. 9, 1986. More...





Saturday


  • June-20-2009 -- Immigration reform to get a quiet kickoff
    Quoting scripture, invoking the "love thy neighbor" religious command and noting the nomination of the first Hispanic to be a justice on the Supreme Court, Obama declared that "upholding America's tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants" is not contradictory, but "complementary."
    Get to the crux of illegal immigration by referencing Document 199-7 of the U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops: The National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, available on Amazon or at your local RC diocesan library. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Aide: FOX News Did Not Tip Off Ensign
    The Las Vegas Sun has printed a bombshell letter from Doug Hampton, the husband of the former campaign treasurer with whom John Ensign had an affair, to FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly, asking her to investigate his charges that senator's behavior made him unfit to serve as the Senate's fourth-ranking Republican.
    As noted earlier, it seems like one of the reasons Sen. Ensign's former mistress's husband (Doug Hampton) tried to shake him down for cash (at least that's what Ensign claims he did) was that the couple got in over their heads because of the mortgage crisis and the collapse of the Las Vegas real estate market. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Breeders Tell Fans of Water Dogs: Keep Your Paws Off
    WASHINGTON - Bo, the Obama family dog, has become a celebrity in his own right as first Dog of the United States, and made his breed famous.
    Ms. Eadie has a Web site and is on the water dog club's list of breeders. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Paterson may force Senate to meet
    Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), for now back in the saddle as majority leader, has on his to-do list for the Senate session a bill from Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick), at left, a measure to include the war on terrorism in the definition of '''period of war''' so veterans would be eligible for the veterans alternative property tax exemption.
    Over the weekend, Senate democrats had effectively convinced defecting senator Hiram Monserrate to rejoin the conference. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- That's 'Senator' Boxer To You
    The news was broadcast by Fox news, with the network actually going all the way and calling up an army officer to ask if addressing Boxer as 'Ma'am was in anyway disrespectful.
    You are entitled to your opinion and you are probably right about the number of flag officers, and maybe you don't feel bad for this guy. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Disaster Request for a Drought-Hit County in California
    A day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was scolded in Fresno for not doing enough about this summer's farm-water shortages, he went to Mendota to issue yet another drought-related disaster declaration.
    Schwarzenegger issued an executive order which activates the California Disaster Assistance Act. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- The high court flunks a DNA test
    In yet another 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a man imprisoned for a rape and attempted murder he says he didn't commit the right to the DNA evidence that would prove his guilt or innocence.
    In addition to representing convicted clients who seek exoneration in the courts, the Innocence Project works through state legislatures to pass better laws concerning use of DNA evidence. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Judge releases Caylee's autopsy report
    George and Cindy Anthony were in court Friday morning as they asked a judge to hold the release of Caylee Anthony's autopsy.
    Casey continues to deny any involvement. More...

Saturday


  • June-20-2009 -- Galveston-based district judge impeached by US House
    The House today overwhelmingly approved four articles of impeachment against a U.S. district court judge, seeking to remove from the bench a man who is already serving a federal prison sentence.
    The House had not impeached a federal judge since the 1980s, when three jurists were removed. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Paterson to Senate: Untangle It Yourself or in Special Session
    Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), for now back in the saddle as majority leader, has on his to-do list for the Senate session a bill from Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick), at left, a measure to include the war on terrorism in the definition of '''period of war''' so veterans would be eligible for the veterans alternative property tax exemption.
    Albany, NY (AHN) - Democrats refuse to acknowledge a Republican coup in the New York state Senate, forcing the body to miss valuable days in session. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Some Gitmo Detainees Resist Move to Palau
    The U.S. House has voted to deny the use of any federal money for closing the detention facility at Guantanamo bay next year.
    Congress passed the war-funding bill that Obama wanted, but stripped out all money for closing Gitmo .'' More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Bo Obama featured in White House baseball card
    WASHINGTON - Bo, the Obama family dog, has become a celebrity in his own right as first Dog of the United States, and made his breed famous.
    Leave it to the guys at Gawker to track it down. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- The high court flunks a DNA test
    In yet another 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a man imprisoned for a rape and attempted murder he says he didn't commit the right to the DNA evidence that would prove his guilt or innocence.
    Roberts noted that states are "actively confronting" how to handle evolving DNA technology and increasing challenges by inmates. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Skeleton of Caylee Anthony had tape over mouth, report says
    George and Cindy Anthony were in court Friday morning as they asked a judge to hold the release of Caylee Anthony's autopsy.
    Caylee's mother, Casey, did not attend. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Obama change message resonates, poll finds
    Somehow Obama and the Democrats fail to see the election results from November when voters demanded change and want action.
    Calculators immediately revealed the figure as a pittance representing just one-twentieth of 1 percent of the federal deficit for March alone. More...

  • June-20-2009 -- Governor's Gamble on Gambling
    Coupled with another $2.43 billion in state spending cuts, the estimated $765 million from slot machine revenue would help to close an estimated $3.2 billion funding gap in the upcoming two-year state budget, Strickland said.
    We will continue a tuition freeze at all University System of Ohio campuses for a third year and take the first critical steps toward the establishment of a modern K-12 education system that will better prepare Ohio students for the jobs of the future. More...

Friday


  • June-19-2009 -- Supreme Court rejects inmates' right to have DNA test
    In yet another 5-4 ruling Thursday, the Supreme Court denied a man imprisoned for a rape and attempted murder he says he didn't commit the right to the DNA evidence that would prove his guilt or innocence.
    A federal judge and a panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the state to allow the new tests. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Christie Aims at Democrats Unhappy With Poor Schools
    The program was expected to raise $200 million, but a spike in participation in the final days pushed the amount collected past $600 million and the total could be as much as $700 million when all of the checks clear. '' The Department of Treasury said that to its knowledge this is the largest single tax amnesty program executed in state. '' Democratic leadership from the Senate and Assembly have both pledged to use the unexpected revenue towards property tax relief. '' '''Given the bleak news we have been hearing for months, this new development certainly brightens an otherwise gloomy day,''' said Senate President Richard J. Codey.
    Christie neglected to mention the biggest shortcoming of Corzine's tax-hike plan: Every cent of the income tax goes into the Property Tax Relief Fund. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- UC faculty blasts regents over budget crisis
    UC Irvine has about 20,000 full and part-time workers (including student employees), making it the largest employer in Orange County.
    Many programs could be cut from the UC's without affecting the GDP at all. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- MSU trustees approve tuition hikes
    To help the neediest students, U-M Ann Arbor approved a $10.2 million increase in financial aid -- the largest investment in need-based financial aid in the university's history.
    Public universities are expected to receive $68.2 million in federal stimulus dollars for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 that will help backfill all but 0.4 percent of a state cut to university operations. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- New law could help protect Florida's military bases
    Military bases across Florida, including Naval Station Mayport and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, will get added support for infrastructure through new legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Charlie Crist.
    The bill also provides a six-month ban on re-employment, rather than the 30 days now provided by law. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Schwarzenegger gets rough reception in Fresno
    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a speech on the state budget crisis in Fresno this morning and he got a great reception ''' until he took questions.
    'If you allow water to flow, you allow dams and canals to be built, you will raise revenue and you won't need to make cuts,' the 55-year-old crane operator said. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Sotomayor's 'courtesy calls' not photo ops
    "The following statement is from Glenn Sugameli, senior legislative counsel and head of Earthjustice's judicial nominations project since 2001: "Earthjustice welcomes President Obama's Supreme Court nomination of Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who has some of the strongest qualifications of any Supreme Court nominee in many years, including the most federal judicial experience in 100 years.
    Sotomayor has to bring more than diversity to the court. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Mayor says costs rising on Vegas City Hall project
    The project, estimated to cost $150 million, is facing opposition from Culinary Union Local 226.
    "The financial markets have said, 'We don't think your project's feasible.'" More...

Friday


  • June-19-2009 -- A Flat Tax for California?
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. California's Democratic state lawmakers are pushing for ways to raise revenue as they seek to wrap up their budget plan this week.
    There was more grim news for California as ratings agency Standard and Poors offered a grim outlook for the state, saying it had been placed on "negative credit watch," meaning the state's credit rating could be lowered, making it harder for the state to borrow. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Pelosi backs "self-sufficient" public health plan
    If we don't do a public option, I'm not sure that we have as effective a public health care reform as we wished."
    Pelosi dismissed as irrelevant a Congressional Budget Office report that found a Senate proposal would cost about $1 trillion over 10 years but leave 37 million people uninsured. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Gates calls funding support for F-22 in House a 'big problem'
    The vote by the House Armed Services Committee is a surprise opening move in the Congressional contest over the Pentagon's weapons spending plans, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates is using to rebalance the U.S.' s ability to fight insurgent enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
    The House and Senate added $2.7 billion to war-funding bill to buy eight C-17s and seven smaller C-130J cargo planes. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- State Senate leaders try to resolve differences
    Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), for now back in the saddle as majority leader, has on his to-do list for the Senate session a bill from Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick), at left, a measure to include the war on terrorism in the definition of '''period of war''' so veterans would be eligible for the veterans alternative property tax exemption.
    Operation of the Senate: The parties agree to rotating Presiding Officers of the Senate, alternating daily, one each to be designated by the Democratic Conference and the Republican Conference, respectively. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Federal Inquiry Into Blagojevich Turns to University Admissions
    CHICAGO (AP) - Federal prosecutors are investigating possible contacts between ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his political allies involving admissions at the University of Illinois and two other state universities.
    Please investigate the admissions program to Illinois' graduate school of Library Science. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Superintendent: LA schools could face deeper cuts
    "Approval rests with the entire community," Cortines said.
    In addition to the $131.7 million budget deficit facing the district in the current school year, LAUSD is already looking at a $143.3 million deficit in the 2009-10 school year, and a $493.7 million hole in the 2010-11 year. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- Oberstar, Mica Plan $500B, 6-Year Transportation Reauthorization
    The HTF funding issue is one which has gotten a lot of attention, especially towards the end of 2008, when former President George W. Bush signed legislation--H.R. 6532, The Highway Trust Fund Restoration Act--which transferred more than $8 billion from the United States General Treasury Fund to the HTF in November.
    Public Citizen supports efforts to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through efforts to encourage walking and biking and to reduce vehicle miles traveled. More...

  • June-19-2009 -- The Big Chill
    The latest salvo in a barrage of prospective higher costs comes from Congress, where Democrats are pushing something called the Waxman-Markey bill against climate change, which includes a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions.
    The Congressional Budget Office says the poorest one-fifth of families could see annual energy costs rise $700 - while high-income families could see costs rise $2,200. More...

Thursday


  • June-18-2009 -- Midwest storms spawn possible tornadoes
    In Minnesota, an apparent tornado struck the town of Austin on Wednesday, uprooting trees, knocking down power lines.
    Reports about the storm were broadcast through the media and sirens did sound before the tornadoes struck, Philipp said. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Report on Bush Policy May Come In 'Weeks'
    U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that passing hate crimes legislation is one of his top priorities for the future, during the first Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight hearing of the Obama administration.
    If your bill can't stand on its own merits, hook it with something that will win a few more votes. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Budget official: NJ budget vote postponed
    Gov. Jon Corzine, who made a fortune on Wall Street and used it to finance successful campaigns, first for the Senate and then the governorship, has had a very rocky first term.
    As the recession in New Jersey continues to deepen, it appears that Gov. Jon Corzine and the majority in Trenton are oblivious to the struggling economy and the difficulties faced by local businesses. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Bush on Obama: Nothing personal, but . . .
    "I worry about encouraging the government to replace the private sector when it comes to providing insurance for health care."
    Erie County voters picked Barack Obama over John McCain by a margin of 54 percent to 44 percent in the 2008 election, but Erie has always been receptive to visits by George W. Bush. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Tenn. lawmakers OK $29.6B budget, send to governor
    The agreement struck between the two bodies on the state's $29.6 billion spending plan for 2009-2010 cuts recurring state expenditures but uses bonds to meet higher education construction commitments.
    The plan for the budget year that begins July 1 includes $2.2 billion in federal stimulus money but still reflects a 10 percent reduction in state government spending. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Congress will fund 20 more F-22s-Rep Abercrombie
    The vote by the House Armed Services Committee is a surprise opening move in the Congressional contest over the Pentagon's weapons spending plans, which Defense Secretary Robert Gates is using to rebalance the U.S.' s ability to fight insurgent enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
    The bill headed for a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives also contains language that runs counter to the administration's budget. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Finance board to vote on revised deal for Chiefs
    Gov. Jay Nixon is headed to the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph this afternoon to announce the final results of the negotiations.
    Buildings costs have been estimated at $11.7 million. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Mass. lawmakers drive major transportation bill
    The House, the Senate and the governorl proposed different plans to merge various agencies in an effort to reduce costs and find ways to fund ongoing transportation needs. The Turnpike and MBTA are facing finance problems and have said they will implement steep toll and fare hikes unless $260 million is found to cover deficits.
    A percentage of the new revenues - estimated at $600 million to $900 million annually - will be used to stave off a Pike toll increase slated for July 1, as well as any immediate hike in subway, bus and commuter rail fares. More...

Thursday


  • June-18-2009 -- Man whose son vanished in 1955 recalls dark day
    "Just like a death gives you closure, you know sometimes, it will give you closure to know what happened."
    Police have not identified the Michigan man. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- California Democrats unveil budget plan, but Schwarzenegger vows veto
    SACRAMENTO, Calif. California's Democratic state lawmakers are pushing for ways to raise revenue as they seek to wrap up their budget plan this week.
    The lawmakers rejected Schwarzenegger's proposals to save $28 million by indefinitely suspending a state law requiring local governments to give absentee ballots to any voter who requests one and to maintain lists of permanent absentee voters. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Ill. AG Madigan met with Obama, mulling Senate run
    "'Pressure' is a funny word it has negative connotations to it.
    While the Daley and Madigan clans have co-existed in Illinois for decades, there has also been a simmering rivalry between the House speaker and the mayor.'' More...

  • June-18-2009 -- New Mexico: 911 Problem in Lost Hiker Search
    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A lost hiker who was killed in a helicopter crash after her rescue last week called 911 repeatedly, but was initially routed to non-emergency lines lacking the technology to help locate her, authorities said.
    Sgt. Andy Tingwall and UNM graduate student Megumi Yamamoto, who had been stranded during a hike, were killed in the crash near Santa Fe Baldy last Tuesday evening. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Deja vu for sfpd's incoming chief
    Mayor Gavin Newsom, in a press conference today with most of the elected and appointed political class, named former Mesa Arizona Police Chief George Gasc''n to the top job in the SFPD. The mayor said the police commission had conducted 49 public outreach sessions and reviewed 88 total candidates for the job before sending the top three picks to his office.
    Gasc'n has also been much more visible in Mesa than Fong, who has maintained a low media profile in San Francisco and didn't circulate much in the department. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- 4th annual Dump the pump
    The CAT system is provided fare-free by Clemson University, the communities of Clemson, Central, Pendleton and Seneca, Anderson County, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.
    "If you leave your car behind to take public transportation, you will be helping reduce America's dependence on foreign energy and combat climate change," Banasiak said. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Sheriff Arpaio: Wilcox investigation goes beyond airport leases
    Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Wednesday his criminal investigation of Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox goes beyond her restaurant lease at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
    Today, media outlets detailed a new request for public records by the sheriff's office -- one of the favorite new political tactics of Arpaio and Thomas. More...

  • June-18-2009 -- Senate Stays Paralyzed; So Do Bills Big and Small
    The Senate is officially deadlocked ; Sen. Hiram Monserrate told Juan Gonzalez "I'm coming home" (to the Democrats) after he met with Gov. David Paterson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Sens. John Sampson and Eric Adams.
    On the other side are people who identified themselves as Espada constituents from the Bronx. More...

Wednesday


  • June-17-2009 -- Switch Imperils Pro-Tenant Rent Law Changes
    The Senate is officially deadlocked ; Sen. Hiram Monserrate told Juan Gonzalez "I'm coming home" (to the Democrats) after he met with Gov. David Paterson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Sens. John Sampson and Eric Adams.
    Then Espada said "legal action" is being researched in an effort to compel the AWOL senators to come to the chamber. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Mayor picks Arizona chief as SF top cop
    UPDATE: Mayor Gavin Newsom did indeed choose George Gascon to be San Francisco's next chief .
    SAN FRANCISCO -- Six months after it started, the search for The City's new police chief is complete. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Cities, counties take $300 million unallotment hit
    The Democrats in the legislature then refused to pass a responsible, balanced budget as required by state law.
    Minnesotans can look forward to "significant" property tax increases, along with major cuts to public safety, libraries, parks and other city services as part of the governor's $192 million unallotment of money to Minnesota cities, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in a press release. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Iowan waits to see if Michigan man is long-lost son
    "Just like a death gives you closure, you know sometimes, it will give you closure to know what happened."
    The family of long-lost toddler Steven Damman said Tuesday it hopes the baffling mystery has finally been solved with a Michigan man's claim that he may be the kidnapped boy. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Billerica official to reconsider resignation
    "I meant to talk about the center and the litter we don't pick up, the deteriorating roads, things not cleaned because there aren't enough services.
    All the comments on here are so accurate". More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Portland mayor admits he's behind on house payment
    PORTLAND, Ore. -- As if he needed it, more bad news surfaced Tuesday for Portland Mayor Sam Adams.
    There will be no problem getting the necessary signatures. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- US Weighs Integrating Russia Into Missile Plan
    WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea's missiles could hit the United States in as few as three years if the reclusive rogue nation continues to ramp up its weapons system, Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
    Following last week’s assertion from the Air Force that the Iranian military might have the capability to hit U.S. territory with missiles within six years, the Pentagon told the Senate today that North Korean missiles could hit the western coast of the U.S. within as little as three years. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Raleigh's New Budget, Manager Keeps His Raise
    MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis City Council has approved a $601 million budget for the next fiscal year with no tax increase and a 3 percent pay raise for city employees.
    ROCHESTER The City Council unanimously approved city operating and capital improvement budgets early this morning that represent a zero impact on the tax rate. More...

Wednesday


  • June-17-2009 -- ACLU condemns U.S. crackdown on Muslim charities
    When you approach the federal government, the government has not reassured them nor given them guidelines to how to comply with the law," she said.
    The report also finds that the measures taken against American Muslim charities are "undermin counterterrorism efforts…alienating Muslim Americans; are damaging America's reputation and diplomatic efforts in Muslim countries by giving the appearance of a war on Islam; are fomenting fear that drives Muslim Americans' charitable donations underground; and are creating a chilling effect on overseas humanitarian relief efforts." More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Clarence Darrow Meets Clarence Birdseye
    AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Former Congressman William Jefferson, left, waves to members of the media while walking toward U.S. District Court with his wife Andrea Jefferson, in Alexandria, Va., today.
    Update, 12:21 p.m.: The judge has recessed for lunch, so we'll have to wait until 1:15 to see how Jefferson's lawyer is going to explain the cold cash in his opening argument. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Legislative panel approves oil and tobacco taxes
    SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California lawmakers were poised to miss their constitutional deadline on Monday for a state budget, bringing the state's government closer to running out of cash.
    What is the point is $15 here, $35 dollars there and any where else the Gov. can add just a few dollars. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- CORRECT:US House Democrats From Midwest Rebel Against Climate Bill
    The latest salvo in a barrage of prospective higher costs comes from Congress, where Democrats are pushing something called the Waxman-Markey bill against climate change, which includes a cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions.
    The right to emit carbon would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, which equates to approximately a $2 trillion national energy tax. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- Partnering Against Trafficking
    Human trafficking defined in American law and international agreements as obtaining or maintaining the labor or services of another through force, coercion, and, in effect, modern slavery.
    The number of countries being sanctioned by the U.S. was expanded to 17 from last year's 14, according to the "Trafficking in Persons Report 2009," the ninth annual report presented to Congress. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- In '03, Hints of Skepticism by Sotomayor on Expanded Wiretapping
    The confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a bit of a foregone conclusion to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who this weekend endorsed Sotomayor as a judge "well-equipped to handle the challenges our work presents."
    The New Republic's Jeffrey Rosen leaves behind questions of courthouse manners for an article that examines the "Sonia Sotomayor you don't know" through a study of her judicial dissents. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- From newsrooms to living rooms, kidnapping stunned Island
    A spokeswoman there declined to comment.
    Nassau County police turned the case over to the FBI in Detroit. More...

  • June-17-2009 -- A City Budget Short on Distress
    ALBANY - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg tops City Comptroller William Thompson, his chief Democratic challenger, 54 - 32 percent among New York City voters, who also say 62 - 28 percent that they'd rather chat with the Mayor at a July 4th picnic, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.
    Mr. Bloomberg you have served the public well, but it is now time to step aside and let someone new become mayor. More...

Tuesday


  • June-16-2009 -- Sen. McCain: Panetta Should Retract His Comments on Cheney Immediately
    Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that he hopes his "old friend," CIA Director Leon Panetta, was "misquoted" in a magazine story suggesting that Cheney seems to be wishing for the United States to suffer a new terrorist attack just to prove that Cheney is right about the United States being less secure under the Obama administration.
    I think that's dangerous politics." More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Detroit mayor to rent home in condo development
    The proposal to give the mayor control of the ailing district -- currently under the watch of a state-appointed financial manager -- has garnered support from top leaders, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
    Bing also named Lijana as communications manager. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Kentucky Legislature convenes in special session
    Twelve other horse racing states - including Kentucky neighbors West Virginia and Indiana - allow bettors to wager on video gambling machines, slot machines or other casino-style games at the track, according to the American Gaming Association's 2009 State of the States report.
    "If we don't act now, our racetracks face declining status and even the certainty of closure," he said. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- 1 dead, 3 injured in assault, chase in Anaheim
    The car took off, leading police on a high-speed pursuit.
    June 15: A wrecked pickup truck is seen after crashing into 2 cars in an Anaheim, Calif. neighborhood. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Barack Obama's Half-Brother, George Obama, Gets a Book Contract ...
    As hard as the book publishing industry has been hit by the recession, by the Kindle, and by the waning interest of the American public in the printed word, publisher Simon & Schuster must still have money to burn.
    The book has the working title, "Homeland," and Damien Lewis has signed on to co-write the memoir. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Memo to infrequent puffers: It's still smoking
    WASHINGTON - It has taken years, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears on the verge of getting Congress' approval to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products as drugs.
    I don't really think that matters or would stop them," said smoker Mattie Rushing. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Park in your own driveway? You're a criminal!
    TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Some people in Ohio complain they received $25 parking tickets last week when their vehicles were parked in their own driveways.
    The city's mayor, a man with the unlikely name of Cary Finkbeiner, is defending the move, while ducking reporters' questions about the city's fiscal crisis and desperation for money. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Deeds's Young Manager Faced Big Odds
    Threatening skies and rain showers cut the speeches short, but Saturday's Democratic Party rally lasted long enough for its leaders to make their point - that gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds is cut from the same cloth as outgoing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and his Democratic predecessor, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.
    Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 44 years, helped by what party operatives calculate is a 500,000-vote increase in Democratic preference from the 2005 statewide elections. More...

Tuesday


  • June-16-2009 -- Monitor Cites Reform, Though Incomplete, in Los Angeles Police
    Attorneys for the city of Los Angeles and the U.S. Department of Justice jointly submitted a proposal to U.S. District Judge Gary A. Feess, asking that the LAPD be freed from the agreement it was forced to sign by the Justice Department nearly nine years ago on the heels of the Rampart corruption scandal.
    Police officials planned to tell U.S. District Judge Gary Feess on Monday that as a result of reforms put in place since 2001 federal oversight is no longer necessary. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- At the White House, a Blend of Jazz Greats and Hopefuls
    Monday, June 15th: First Lady Michelle Obama will introduce the White House's music series which will feature artists of all ages who will perform, educate and interact with young people.
    "You sound fine, so that's not a problem." More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Cheney: I Hope Panetta Was 'Misquoted' in Claiming My Wish for Attack
    Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that he hopes his "old friend," CIA Director Leon Panetta, was "misquoted" in a magazine story suggesting that Cheney seems to be wishing for the United States to suffer a new terrorist attack just to prove that Cheney is right about the United States being less secure under the Obama administration.
    Cheney undoubtedly wishes to be proved right. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- California charter schools stronger in reading than math
    WASHINGTON, June 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Students in poverty attending public charter schools have better academic growth results than similar students in traditional public schools, according to Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States, a new report released today from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO).
    In Missouri, charters are sponsored by colleges or universities. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Gov. Crist praises Hialeah Park revival plans
    The compact proposed by the bill is a good starting point for negotiations between the governor and the tribe, Richard said.
    Monday, Gov. Charlie Crist signed the state's new gaming bill which could benefit the track by eventually allowing it to reopen with lucrative slot machines. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Conway: Video-lottery bill is constitutional
    Twelve other horse racing states - including Kentucky neighbors West Virginia and Indiana - allow bettors to wager on video gambling machines, slot machines or other casino-style games at the track, according to the American Gaming Association's 2009 State of the States report.
    It's been a hotly debated topic through out Kentucky, and now, the possibility of bringing video gambling to our state will begin discussion in Frankfort Monday. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Young man's body recovered near Laguna Beach
    Teenagers in Laguna Beach pulled the body of a man out of the ocean this afternoon, the day after a 22-year-old swimmer disappeared after jumping from a nearby cliff.
    Someone on the beach tried to rescue Barrientos, but was unable to do so, Kravetz said. More...

  • June-16-2009 -- Energy secretary sees nuclear power in America's future
    As far as regional rivalries go, competition among U.S. states to lead the way on clean energy, efficiency and smart grid tech could be one of the more productive ones.
    The 3-day meeting focuses on key issues that affect states throughout the West, including water use, climate change and energy. More...

Monday


  • June-15-2009 -- Republicans Push Back Against Sotomayor
    Hispanics voted by a two-to-one margin for Obama in last year's presidential election.
    A new Ipsos/McClatchy poll suggests that Republicans could be in political trouble if they oppose the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor -- especially with Hispanic voters. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Mayors consider whether to accept a White House invitation
    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Without more direct aid to U.S. local governments, Washington may make matters worse for cities facing falling tax revenues and increased spending needs, the nation's mayors said at their annual meeting this weekend.
    U.S. Communities was designed in cooperation with an Advisory Board of local and state government purchasing officials and is jointly sponsored by the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), the National League of Cities (NLC), and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM). More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Survey: Most Ohio college students plan to leave
    Columbus State Community College is setting enrollment records, but it isn't reaching enough of the people who experts say need education the most: working adults.
    Schools found to have a "policy or practice" of violating student privacy risk losing federal funding, including student financial aid, which has never happened during the past 35 years. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Bodies of doctor, boy, 11, found from Albany plane crash
    NEW YORK: Three Indian-Americans, including an 11-year-old boy, were killed when a small family-owned plane carrying them nosedived into the Mohawk river here during an afternoon leisure trip.
    SCOTIA: A small plane plunged into the Mohawk River in eastern New York with three people aboard, and at least two were found dead after the aircraft sank in 9 meters of water, a federal aviation administration spokesman said. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Union rejects Bell Helicopter's offer
    In an interview with the Dallas Business Journal, Local 218 president Joe Graham said workers rejected Bell's final offer due to the outsourcing of janitorial jobs, an increase in health benefit premiums and an objection to retiree pay remaining at the $65 a month times the employees time of service rate, Graham said.
    Workers currently pay $20 per week. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- US to Spend Up to $350 Million For Uniform Tests in Reading, Math
    The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have committed to leading an effort to create common standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12.
    Just two days after the resolution squeaked through last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made it clear that antiquated notions of teacher protection will not pass muster with the Obama administration. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- After fiery gas-truck crash, 710-91 freeway transition remains closed
    Jackawa Jackson of the Long Beach Fire Department.
    Police said a truck driver died after his ethanol-filled tanker rolled over and burst into flames along the 91 Freeway. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- How $25 Extra in Unemployment Benefits is Hurting Some
    Essentially, Milota's getting $200 less in assistance than before the stimulus.
    In that respect, one should hope the number of individuals whose net government assistance actually drops as a result of the extra $25 in benefits is a very small one indeed. More...

Monday


  • June-15-2009 -- Hearing for Supreme Court nominee poses challenges
    Hispanics voted by a two-to-one margin for Obama in last year's presidential election.
    In the Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case in 1978, for example, the court barred quota systems in college admissions but affirmed the constitutionality of affirmative action. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- 18-year old charged in Florida cat mutilations
    Sometime after midnight the morning police arrested 18-year-old Tyler Weinman at a party in Coral Gables for the recent string of horrific cat killings that have plagued Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay.
    Police have said more than two dozen pet and stray cats were killed at night in the Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay neighborhoods during the past two months. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Biden says 'everyone guessed wrong' on jobs number
    MR. GREGORY: This Sunday, Joe Biden is back exclusively on "Meet the Press," his first appearance as vice president.
    The invasion of Iraq ( while I understand Saddam was an evil guy) did not warrant an invasion that has cost thousands of our brave soldiers lives and the treasury almost a TRILLION dollars. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- man charged with murder in fire deaths of brother, cousin
    A Montgomery man has been charged with killing his cousin and his brother in a fire that destroyed his Montgomery home Saturday morning.
    Theddias Amone LeSure was also taken to a hospital, but released by medical personnel. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Several teens injured in van crash in Cascades
    BLEWETT PASS, Wash. (AP) — The Washington State Patrol says a bus carrying 12 teenage passengers and a driver has crashed in the Cascade Range, injuring several people.
    Trooper Dave Phelps of the Washington State Patrol says the van was carrying members of the Northwest Youth Corps from Eugene, Ore., a youth development and outdoor education organization. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- The Bankrupcy of the Republican Party
    For McCrory, the speech had the flavor of a campaign kickoff.
    Fetzer started the GOP race as the favorite, with the backing of much of the party establishment, including a former governor, a former senator and two congressmen. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Was suspect in Tiller case a 'lone wolf'?
    Labeling the latter is done with ease.
    I would be remiss if I did not include here another incident that happened almost concurrently with the Tiller slaying. More...

  • June-15-2009 -- Flooding expected after series of Hills storms
    The weather service says a hot and humid air mass is creating conditions favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms producing large hail, locally heavy down pours, and strong gusting winds.
    Thunderstorms will continue to develop and move east southeast across the area. More...

Sunday


  • June-14-2009 -- No oil and no clothes: Cyclists ride in the (near) buff
    "The four years that we have been riding, you go downtown, you just get cheers and thumbs up and everything like all day long," said rider Dave Fox.
    "In Boulder, people do it anyway. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- US Urges New Look at State-Secrets Case
    The U.S. government, then under President George W. Bush, intervened in the case and argued that allowing it to proceed would endanger national security by revealing information about CIA activities.
    We emphasize that the Government'''s request for en banc review is based upon the most careful and deliberative consideration, at the highest levels, of all possible alternatives to relying upon the state secrets privilege. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Dallas eyes cuts to fix budget
    To shore up a $190 million deficit, the City of Dallas is planning to eliminate 19 percent of the city's civilian workforce and cut back on certain city services.
    The new proposal to chop down the $190 million deficit calls for cuts in services. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Water, energy, climate top Western govs' agenda
    Premier Ed Stelmach will get to hobnob with U.S. President Barack Obama's top advisers on climate change at the Western Governors' Association meeting in Utah.
    Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., the departing chairman of the bipartisan Western Governors Association, was scheduled to host the three-day think- and talk-fest. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Girl gets mileage from Obama note
    I was at a presidential town hall.''
    That's a cool name," replied Obama. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- The Take
    The Grand Old Party is suffering from low self-esteem.
    President Obama won states carried four years earlier by George W. Bush in part by drawing new Hispanic voters. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Anchors away! Robin Meade skydives with Bush 41
    NEW YORK (AFP) — Former U.S. president George H.W. Bush enjoyed his 85th birthday in style Friday with a 3,200 meter (10,500 foot) tandem parachute jump -- and pledged to do the same at age 90.
    It amazes me how many truly stupid and mean people embarrass themselves on this forum. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Lawmaker Prevails on Legal Bills
    The commission will vote Wednesday; people who want to object have until noon Monday to respond.
    The Politico 44 Story Widget Requires Adobe Flash Player . More...

Sunday


  • June-14-2009 -- California Budget 101: Making sense of the state's financial meltdown
    No more teachers' dirty looks.
    Finger-pointing will be going on. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Pilot of small plane dies in crash at NH resort
    Witnesses say the Cessna 177 hit two trees at the Margate Resort in Gilford, then came down in a parking lot at 4:20 p.m. Saturday, shortly after taking off from nearby Laconia.
    GILFORD, N.H. (AP) — Authorities say the pilot of a single-engine plane has died after crashing on the grounds of a New Hampshire resort. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- US tries to keep rendition under wraps
    The U.S. government, then under President George W. Bush, intervened in the case and argued that allowing it to proceed would endanger national security by revealing information about CIA activities.
    The Constitution Project praised the Court's decision and is troubled by the Obama administration's continued adoption of an overly-broad assertion of the state secrets privilege, as exhibited by today's filing. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Joe Biden update: Empty weekend after lots of shoveling stuff
    The I-94 corridor is extremely important to the Michigan economy, and the section through Kalamazoo County now carries more vehicles per day than any other four-lane freeway in the state.
    LANSING, MI - June 12, 2009 - (RealEstateRama) ''' Lt. Governor John D. Cherry Jr. said today's groundbreaking for a project to widen I-94 in Kalamazoo County illustrates the real and positive impact that the federal Recovery Act is having on Michigan. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Wright Says He Didn't Criticize All Jews
    The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is back in the news.
    '''Let me just say: Zionists.''' More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Eye-Opening Earmarks
    The commission will vote Wednesday; people who want to object have until noon Monday to respond.
    The Democratic leadership pushed the resolution through after being hammered by Republicans for ignoring the PMA ethics allegations. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Brown again says Prop. 8 should be struck down
    Shanghai gay pride: the show goes on By Julie Desne A colourful show of drag queens dressed in Chinese opera costumes was one of the festivities that marked Shanghai's gay pride Saturday, the first in China where homosexuality remains largely hidden.
    Smelt and Hammer also sued the state over Proposition 8. More...

  • June-14-2009 -- Lt. Gov. Judge reflects on a year of flood recovery
    Cedar Rapids City Councilman Chuck Wieneke said the city now has the plans in place to rebuild cohesively while mitigating against future floods.
    "For one flood survivor who is trying to rebuild their house, they have to go through nine steps with the federal government in order to get payment," said Lu Barron, chairwoman of the Linn County Board of Supervisors. More...




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