U.S. News Topics Overviews

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

Monday (Update 1)

Mar-15-2009 -- Immigration reform could be dilemma
Not just members of the House.
Since the immigrant is flagged with a detainer well before guilt or innocence is determined, the term "criminal alien" amounts to the latest stigmatizing tactic in ICE's strategy of zero-tolerance policing. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- German diocese suspends priest
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have some impartiality and conflicts of interest problems ahead.
The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Clarence Thomas' wife forms tea party group
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have some impartiality and conflicts of interest problems ahead.
The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Calif. GOP governor contenders debating
The three main candidates for governor -- Jerry Brown, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman -- each promised Friday to release up to 25 years of income tax returns, moving to defuse a campaign issue while potentially opening an unprecedented amount of personal financial information to public view.
Whitman'''s success could potentially lead to the first female governor of the great state of California. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Gov. Chris Christie plans to cut NJ school funding by $800M
Even before the budget cuts, Mr. Christie, the first Republican to lead the state in eight years, had come under fire from some educators and parents for seeking to limit teacher benefits and pensions, and for referring in a debate to preschool -- a priority of the administration of the previous governor, Jon S. Corzine -- as "baby-sitting."
The Star-Ledger N.J. Gov. Chris Christie defends the move to declare a state of fiscal emergency as Democrats ramped up opposition to funding cuts for NJ Transit and schools. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Record temps and new flood warnings
In general, though, Allegheny County was seeing a far less severe scenario unfolding than during the January flood of 14 years ago when the river stage at Pittsburgh reached a crest of 34.6 feet at the Point.
In Westmoreland County, the flooding forecast has increased from minor to major in severity as the flood warning continues at the Conemaugh River in Seward. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Florida Legislature begins budget work
RICHMOND -- Virginia's new two-year budget would slash funding for public schools and health care programs, reduce aid to localities and increase some fees to offset a $4.2 billion shortfall, reflecting a fiscal crisis Gov. Bob McDonnell described as "the most difficult period of time in modern Virginia history."
The Senate HHS panel, for example, is planning to finance the costly Medically Needy and Meds A/D prescription drug program forelderly and disabled Floridians with $252 million - but only for six months in 2010-11. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- VA Atty Gen, a birther?
More proof of the lunacy which is alive and well in some GOPers.
The birthers are a bunch of fringe nuts. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Rell to tour storm damage in Conn.
"The bulk of the problems seem to be in the southwest part of the state and related to the high winds - mostly downed tree limbs, which have causes numerous power outages and led to many street closures," Governor Rell said.
The storm knocked down trees and utility wires, causing thousands of power outages and prompting many towns to cancel school Monday, including Stamford. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Wash. high school students take WASL replacement
SPOKANE, WA (N3) - This week, high school students in Washington will take a new state assessment test.
The state of Washington requires Washington high school students to pass the reading and writing tests before graduating. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- US census forms arrive in the mail: What to expect
O'Hare International, the nation's second-busiest airport, is the first of 11 slated to receive the imaging technology under a $25 million federal program paid for with economic stimulus funds.
In 2007, Philadelphia screeners tried to make a stroke victim in a wheelchair stand and walk through a metal detector without the aid of family members. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- US census forms arrive in the mail: What to expect
Indiana was one of 31 states that lost out on federal money in the last census, largely because of under-counting of the population.
"The shortest census in history -- no long form," county senior planner Sharon Mollick said. More...

Monday

Mar-15-2009 -- Rainstorm leaves thousands without power in NY
Utility company crews were working to restore power Saturday night to customers from Long Island to the northern suburbs of New York City.
NEW YORK - More than 200,000 customers in the New York City area are still without power in the wake of the weekend storm that brought down trees and downed power lines. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Lawmakers approve two-year, $70 billion budget
With little debate or dissent, the House approved the $70 billion funding plan on a 73-23 vote, while the Senate passed it 34-6, the last act of the 2010 session that was taken one day behind schedule.
The budget would slash state funding for the arts by 15 percent -- a comparatively light hit given that the House, at one point, was intent on eliminating funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Optimism abounds as state GOP convention winds down
SANTA CLARA - California Republican Party conventions have been rather gloomy affairs in recent years.
'''For the first time in a long time, we will not have any resource problem at the top of our ticket regardless of who wins the primary and I think you'''ve got a unique combination where a lot of great things could happen,''' said conservative blogger Jon Fleischman. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- School soccer player killed at Mass. birthday bash
Conor Reynolds, 17, died after being stabbed in the neck at a birthday party where more than 200 teens gathered; another was stabbed in the arm.
Conor Reynolds, 17, died about a half-hour after being stabbed in the neck outside the Blue Fusion Bar and Grill in Springfield late Saturday, police said. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Magid: A Nobel Peace Prize for the Internet?
U.S. President Barak Obama has designated 10 charities to receive the $1.4 million award money that came with the Nobel Prize he received last year.
Leaders of several of the groups say the gifts were a surprise and a tremendous boost in their work to help students stay on a path to a college degree. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Optometry bill raises questions for lawmakers
If lawmakers OK a public financing bill, a group said it can expect legal challenges.
I am hopeful that in the future we are able to re-introduce the legislation and have it become law. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- NJ Powerball ticket wins $211.7 million; Lotto rolls over
Florida Lottery officials said four tickets sold in New Jersey won the $211,700,000.00 jackpot of Saturday night's Powerball draw.
The Powerball jackpot for this Wednesday's drawing will be reset to $20 million. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Storm leaves Northeast soggy, windblown and dark
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Strong winds and heavy rain pounded parts of the Northeast on Saturday, knocking out power to more than a half-million homes and businesses and stranding about 500 passengers on a New York-bound train for more than six hours.
The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Off-duty officer fatally shoots man at OC Del Taco
An off-duty police officer shot and killed a man who attacked him at a Del Taco in Anaheim on Sunday afternoon, police said.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- A veteran Gardena police officer fatally shot a man after getting into a violent, physical altercation Sunday evening. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Weather: Cloudy with scattered showers
It was another rainy start to the day with skies expected to be mostly cloudy.
Mostly cloudy skies Monday morning will give way to partly sunny skies by the afternoon. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Storm leaves Northeast soggy, windblown and dark
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Strong winds and heavy rain pounded parts of the Northeast on Saturday, knocking out power to more than a half-million homes and businesses and stranding about 500 passengers on a New York-bound train for more than six hours.
The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls. More...

Mar-15-2009 -- Storm leaves Northeast soggy, windblown and dark
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Strong winds and heavy rain pounded parts of the Northeast on Saturday, knocking out power to more than a half-million homes and businesses and stranding about 500 passengers on a New York-bound train for more than six hours.
The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls. More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Mar-14-2009 -- Sunshine Week a chance to reflect on the right to know
The public's right to know how government operates and to have insight into government and agency decisions that impact our lives should be the backbone of any democratic government.
"But I'm glad that you did." More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Tom McClintock: Whitman would be 3rd Schwarzenegger term
SANTA CLARA ''' Seizing on the issue of illegal immigration, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner stepped up his campaign Friday to persuade California Republicans that he is the true conservative seeking the party'''s nomination for governor.
If Facebook holds any indication of how the race will play out, Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, had 12,671 fans on Friday, while Poizner, California's insurance commissioner, had 2,921. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Liz Cheney's group puts politics above all else
Over the past few days, top lawyers from conservative and libertarian circles have risen to the defense of liberal lawyers at the Justice Department, who are wrongly being attacked for having represented terrorist detainees during the Bush years.
The word “McCarthyism” is overused, but in this case it’s mild. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Can a Company Run For Congress?
Awhile back the Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the same rights as individuals in relation to making campaign contributions.
The company, a self-titled "progressive" messaging firm , was launched in 2005 by one Eric Hensal, who used to work with Group360 , an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Hill said in a statement that its campaign would put people "second, or even third," according to The Washington Post. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- McEntee: Garn's hot tub interlude much more than a 'mistake'
SALT LAKE CITY — A late-night confession by Utah's House majority leader about sitting nude in a hot tub with a minor 25 years ago has shocked this conservative state's political establishment.
The most charitable view would be that Garn was making amends for a past indiscretion and hoped that the payments would be the equivalent of damages in a civil suit. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Outraged by Glenn Beck's Salvo, Christians Fire Back
Before reporting to any church hierarchy, we're going to report ourselves to Glenn Beck."
Social justice is a biblical concept. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- New Jersey Ticket Wins $211.7 Million Powerball Jackpot
Florida Lottery officials said four tickets sold in New Jersey won the $211,700,000.00 jackpot of Saturday night's Powerball draw.
The jackpot for the Florida Lottery's Lotto game will be larger than the Powerball jackpot. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Virginia lawmakers reach agreement on budget
The session begins at noon Monday, and Gov. Chris Gregoire said she hopes lawmakers can finish up in seven days.
If any version of Riecken's proposal was to move forward, it would have been included in the same bill as the provisions related to the Evansville hospitals. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- NewsGov. Paterson: Don't blame scandals for stalled budget in Albany
NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a likely candidate for governor this year, on Thursday removed himself from ethics probes of embattled Governor David Paterson, saying he wanted to avoid "any possible appearance of political interest or conflict."
Last week, Mr. Cuomo began a probe of another scandal confronting the governor, after a state ethics body accused Mr. Paterson of violating a ban on gifts by accepting free World Series tickets. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Conservatives prevail in vote on Texas school curriculum
The latest and most important round, a drastic revision of the social studies curriculum standards to put a conservative spin on history and economics textbooks, was given preliminary approval after a series of heated meetings of the Texas Board of Education that didn't do much to improve the image of the nation's second largest state as a sometimes small-minded political and educational backwater.
Given the conservative cast of the board, whose members are elected, the changes it has proposed will stand when the final vote is taken in May. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Storm leaves Northeast soggy, windblown and dark
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Utility crews in the Northeast were again pushing through fallen trees and windblown debris Sunday to reach downed power lines as they worked to restore electricity to more than a half-million homes and businesses after strong winds and heavy rain wreaked havoc in parts of the region.
PECO, an electric company serving the Philadelphia area, had assistance from crews from western Pennsylvania and Michigan, but the wait could last until Monday for some customers, spokesman Fred Maher said. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Storm leaves Northeast soggy, windblown and dark
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - Utility crews in the Northeast were again pushing through fallen trees and windblown debris Sunday to reach downed power lines as they worked to restore electricity to more than a half-million homes and businesses after strong winds and heavy rain wreaked havoc in parts of the region.
PECO, an electric company serving the Philadelphia area, had assistance from crews from western Pennsylvania and Michigan, but the wait could last until Monday for some customers, spokesman Fred Maher said. More...

Sunday

Mar-14-2009 -- Thousands Gather to Mourn Chelsea King
More than 5,000 people turn out for the Saturday, March 13, 2010 memorial celebration for the life of Chelsea King at Poway High School.
Organizers were issuing passes to limit seating at Poway High School stadium, which holds about 6,000 people. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Hanks and Spielberg see in 'The Pacific' a harbinger of today's wars
IF YOU GO into the premiere of HBO's 10-party miniseries "The Pacific" knowing much more about D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge than about the part of World War II that took place far from Europe, you might blame Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
We're much more likely to use handheld cameras, a device called a shaker lens, which vibrates the image, and a full-open shutter to capture pieces of debris without blurring. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Virginia lawmakers reach agreement on budget
The session begins at noon Monday, and Gov. Chris Gregoire said she hopes lawmakers can finish up in seven days.
Gavels will bang the Legislature's two-month session to a close today, but it appears the final punctuation mark on budgets and taxes will have to wait. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- 2010 census: Young people have most at stake
Once submitted, the 10-question survey will help the local, state and federal government in many ways, area officials said.
"The population of Will County plays such an important role in so many issues out there," he said. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- On the air | Talk show guests for March 14
The White House dispatches senior adviser David Axelrod and press secretary Robert Gibbs to this Sunday's television talk shows, as Democrats take the first steps toward using reconciliation to pass health care reform legislation.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to deliver a complete health care bill to Mr. Obama's desk in 10 days. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Yough River Swells Over Banks In Connellsville
Ohio County Officials said they were breathing a sigh of relief Saturday afternoon as officials at the National Weather Service held a conference call this morning calling off the flood warning in Wheeling.
Officials in Delaware City were placing sandbags on a damaged portion of the sea wall near the mouth of the branch canal, where it meets the Delaware River. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Candidates for California governor promise to release income tax returns
The three main candidates for governor -- Jerry Brown, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman -- each promised Friday to release up to 25 years of income tax returns, moving to defuse a campaign issue while potentially opening an unprecedented amount of personal financial information to public view.
Chelsea King'''s impact on female runners 1st Annual Chelsea King 5K Run/Walk. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- LDS Church says local leaders handled claims against Garn
SALT LAKE CITY — A late-night confession by Utah's House majority leader about sitting nude in a hot tub with a minor 25 years ago has shocked this conservative state's political establishment.
"It was the week before the election," Spangler said. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- At UN, Clinton rallies for more women's opportunities worldwide
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored Zimbabwe Peace Project Director Jestina Mukoko on Wednesday with one of 10 International Women of Courage awards for 2010 in recognition of her bravery and leadership in the struggle for social justice, human rights and the advancement of women.
As a human rights defender myself at the helm of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, an organization that monitors and documents violations of human rights that are politically motivated, I am inspired by stories of courage as women who have consistently fought for the defense and the protection of human rights for all. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Karl Rove is back to haunt Barack Obama
Former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove is "proud" that American interrogators used waterboarding to extract information from suspected terrorists.
As the medical profession continues to advance in all areas of practice, we would expect Bush / Cheney to build on the new technologies - yet another source of pride for Mr Rove might be 'pushing the torture art to new bounds'. More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Conservatives prevail in vote on Texas school curriculum
The five Democrats cast protest votes as the State Board of Education gave preliminary approval to new social studies curriculum standards on Friday.
" The board rejected a proposed standard requiring students to 'examine the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America by barring government from promoting or disfavoring any particular religion over all others.' That means the board opposes teaching students about the most fundamental constitutional protection for religious freedom in America More...

Mar-14-2009 -- Fiorina assails Washington, Boxer as out of touch
Voting records obtained by The Chronicle from Morris County, New Jersey show that Fiorina -- who lived in Morristown -- was registerd from 1997 as an "unaffiliated" voter.
Boxer was also just under 50 percent when matched against Fiorina and DeVore. More...

Saturday (Update 1)

Mar-13-2009 -- Newsom has vision for lieutenant governor post
SAN FRANCISCO -- Ending weeks of speculation, Mayor Gavin Newsom officially announced this morning he will run for California lieutenant governor.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The buzz around San Francisco City Hall right now is who will San Francisco supervisors choose to fill out the last year of Mayor Gavin Newsom's term? Newsom's term as mayor does not run out until 2012, but if he is elected lieutenant governor, he will leave office in January of next year. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Review: Two protagonists touted in Karl Rove's pugilistic political memoir
Former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove is "proud" that American interrogators used waterboarding to extract information from suspected terrorists.
"Oak is a nice, strong, sturdy wood, and Karl Rove is a strong, sturdy person," said Roger Kimball, a social critic (and far from the only man in the room sporting a bowtie) who has amazingly wed right-wing ideology and art criticism with books like The Rape of the Masters: How Political Correctness Sabotages Art. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Texas ed board vote reflects far-right influences
Additional time was needed to evaluate and revise curriculum standards.
Board members began making amendments to the proposed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills about 6 p.m. and continued until about 9 p.m. The changes will not only determine what the state's more than 4.7 million schoolchildren are taught, but will also influence what's included in textbooks that are marketed nationwide. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Senate bill would reduce sentencing disparities in crack, powder cocaine cases
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Kimbrough v. United States that federal judges can sentence crack cocaine offenders below the federal sentencing guidelines, giving judges more discretion to base a sentence on the evidence.
Critics of the Senate bill say it does not go far enough to address the inequities because it does not equalize sentencing for the two forms of cocaine and it will not affect sentences already imposed. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Calif. GOP hopes to turn momentum into votes
The three main candidates for governor -- Jerry Brown, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman -- each promised Friday to release up to 25 years of income tax returns, moving to defuse a campaign issue while potentially opening an unprecedented amount of personal financial information to public view.
Whitman later rejected Poizner's position on the issue of illegal immigrant children. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- GOP Lawmaker: White House Job Offer to Sestak Would Have Been a 'Crime'
Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Arlen Specter in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2009.
And, actually, I don't think I should." More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Wash. gov calls special session to work on budget
The session begins at noon Monday, and Gov. Chris Gregoire said she hopes lawmakers can finish up in seven days.
"Only government would force the people to pay for 'overtime' while it figures out how much more to tax them, but that's exactly what will happen if the majority party hasn't agreed on a tax package by the end of the regular session tomorrow," said Sen. Joe Zarelli, R-Ridgefield, the bill's sponsor. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Energy and Water Earmarks Flow to Campaign Donors
WASHINGTON - Lawmakers are battling for the political high ground on pet projects.
House Republicans praised Democrats for taking the step and also are considering swearing off the practice. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Obama donates $100K of Nobel Prize money to Bozeman-based group
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday named 10 charities to share his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize, with causes ranging from wounded veterans to Haiti's earthquake survivors and education for minorities.
U.S. President Barack Obama will donate the $1.4-million he received with his Nobel Peace Prize to helping students, veterans' families and survivors of Haiti's earthquake, among others, the White House said yesterday. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Two People Discarded by Obama Administration Talk About How They Feel
The highly regarded strategist in the Democratic camp, who visited Obama's senior adviser David Axelrod at the White House on Wednesday, expressed concern over allowing Republicans to employ the same tactics Democrats once utilized to trash the rival party.
March 11 (Bloomberg) -- Republican-on-Democrat malice hardly merits a headline after "You lie" was shouted at the president during a joint address to Congress. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- 'This Week' in History: Obama Skeptical of Roberts' Supreme Court Nomination
The President and the Chief Justice have a history.
I just watched a typically scholarly discussion of the constitutional food fight on the PBS Newshour in which the two legal experts told Judy Woodruff that it was very unusual for''the head of the judicial branch of government''to overtly take issue with the president, the head of the executive branch of government. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Texas ed board vote reflects far-right influences
Additional time was needed to evaluate and revise curriculum standards.
Board members began making amendments to the proposed Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills about 6 p.m. and continued until about 9 p.m. The changes will not only determine what the state's more than 4.7 million schoolchildren are taught, but will also influence what's included in textbooks that are marketed nationwide. More...

Saturday

Mar-13-2009 -- Whitman changes course, talks to reporters
The three main candidates for governor -- Jerry Brown, Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman -- each promised Friday to release up to 25 years of income tax returns, moving to defuse a campaign issue while potentially opening an unprecedented amount of personal financial information to public view.
Like not answering questions last week in Oakland. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- At UN, Clinton rallies for more women's opportunities worldwide
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored Zimbabwe Peace Project Director Jestina Mukoko on Wednesday with one of 10 International Women of Courage awards for 2010 in recognition of her bravery and leadership in the struggle for social justice, human rights and the advancement of women.
STAFF WRITER 8:28 HRS IST Washington, Mar 11 (PTI) Two Afghan and a Sri Lankan were among ten women to receive the prestigious International Women of Courage Awards for the year 2010 in recognition of their contributions in fighting discrimination and advancing human rights. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Flood watch issued for DC region
The advisory also is in effect for creeks and streams.
The excessive amount of rain forecast prompted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police to issue an advisory warning for boaters to stay off the Upper Potomac River until Monday. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- NewsGov. Paterson: Don't blame scandals for stalled budget in Albany
NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a likely candidate for governor this year, on Thursday removed himself from ethics probes of embattled Governor David Paterson, saying he wanted to avoid "any possible appearance of political interest or conflict."
Last week, Mr. Cuomo began a probe of another scandal confronting the governor, after a state ethics body accused Mr. Paterson of violating a ban on gifts by accepting free World Series tickets. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Appeals Court says 'Under God' not a prayer
A federal appeals court today upheld teacher-led recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.
I'm a traditionalist. inserting "under God" in the 1950s to show we weren't godless communists not only ruined the cadence of the original Pledge but mandated that every American believe not only in a deity but the capital-G Abrahamic deity. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Wash. Legislature heads into overtime Monday
OLYMPIA State lawmakers rushed to pass a backlog of bills on the last day of the regular legislative session Thursday but left the hard stuff closing a $2.8 billion budget shortfall for later.
Previously, the Senate had belittled Dunshee's idea saying reduced revenue had crippled the state's bonding capacity and there was no way to authorize new projects. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Obama's Nobel Prize money: education groups to get most of it
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday named 10 charities to share his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize, with causes ranging from wounded veterans to Haiti's earthquake survivors and education for minorities.
The list includes 199 individuals and 38 organisations, 32 more names compared with 2009 nominations when United States President Barack Obama emerged the winner. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Senate bill would reduce sentencing disparities in crack, powder cocaine cases
In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in Kimbrough v. United States that federal judges can sentence crack cocaine offenders below the federal sentencing guidelines, giving judges more discretion to base a sentence on the evidence.
WASHINGTON, DCLegislation to ease the harsh mandatory minimum sentences for low-level crack cocaine offenses passed unanimously out of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary''Thursday. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Judges review language of state ballot measures
The anti-14 side wants the summary to state that the measure eliminates the guaranteed rights of political parties -- and write-in and independent candidates -- to be on the general election ballot.
The next gubernatorial election will not be until 2014. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Census Bureau, city join to get accurate count
The reminder will prompt more people to mail back census forms, officials said.
When it comes to dividing billions in federal dollars among states and communities, results from the 10-year census are often the gauge. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Texas ed board vote reflects far-right influences
Additional time was needed to evaluate and revise curriculum standards.
The attempt to remove historical figures of color has been a major issue for many students and was part of the reason for MEChA joining the coalition. More...

Mar-13-2009 -- Texas ed board vote reflects far-right influences
Additional time was needed to evaluate and revise curriculum standards.
To name a few, I have a set of McGuffey Readers from the 1830's, Noah Webster's Advice to the Young from 1832,and The History of the United States of America by Rev. Charles Goodrich from 1823, as well as many others. More...

Friday (Update 1)

Mar-12-2009 -- Obama Lists Who Will Get Prize Money From Nobel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday named 10 charities to share his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize, with causes ranging from wounded veterans to Haiti's earthquake survivors and education for minorities.
One of just ten organizations to share in President Obama's prize money, College Summit will receive $125,000. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- NewsGov. Paterson: Don't blame scandals for stalled budget in Albany
NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, a likely candidate for governor this year, on Thursday removed himself from ethics probes of embattled Governor David Paterson, saying he wanted to avoid "any possible appearance of political interest or conflict."
"What we have found. is that there are credible issues to be resolved. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Can the House trust the Senate?
The Washington Legislature adjourned at 8:42 p.m. Thursday after a grueling 60-day regular session, but its hardest work might lie ahead in an overtime period.
Republicans pointed to a series of time-eating decisions or miscues, including the need for the Senate to vote three times on legislation to suspend Initiative 960, which required a supermajority to raise taxes, and a decision to hold a hearing on short notice on a bill that would have swapped a portion of the state sales tax for an income tax on persons making more than $200,000 a year. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Liz Cheney Group Defends Itself Against Criticism by Conservatives
Matters reached a new low recently when Dick Cheney's daughter Liz and her Keep America Safe organization triggered a witch hunt by posting a video suggesting that lawyers now in the Justice Department who had previously represented Guantanamo detainees are unpatriotic and not to be trusted.
What I find interesting is that the Department of Justice is so leery of revealing the identities of attorneys who used to work for Khalid Sheikh Whoever and now get a paycheck from Uncle Sam. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Reid's family hurt in car wreck
WASHINGTON — Democratic Senate majority leader Harry Reid's wife suffered a broken back and broken neck and his daughter a neck injury and facial cuts in a car accident Thursday, his office said.
Sixty-nine-year-old Landra Reid remains in serious condition after suffering a broken back, neck and nose when a truck crashed into their vehicle from behind, according to a statement released from the senator's office. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Kevin Garn-Cheryl Maher Scandal Sets Utah Abuzz
Science proves that there is nothing wrong with people hot-tubbing in the nude near each other, even when one person is 28 and the other person is 15.
Over time, Garn says the girl claimed the experience impacted her negatively. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Outraged by Glenn Beck's Salvo, Christians Fire Back
How nice to have a faith that espouses that you can love God and at the same time cleanse yourself of any responsibility or compassion for anyone else.
Social justice, like evangelism, is not optional for the follower of Christ. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Is the "Coffee Party" the Next Big Thing?
Spreading quickly through Facebook, the party grabbed 40,000 members with nearly 11,000 fans signing on the morning of March 1.
Members of the Coffee Party are asked to sign a "Civility Pledge" that reads, "As a member or supporter of the Coffee Party, I pledge to conduct myself in a way that is civil, honest, and respectful toward people with whom I disagree. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Cashier, 91, attacked by thief but keeps working
Florence Critelli grabbed the man's hand and screamed when he reached over and grabbed cash from her cash register at the Rite Aid in East Northport on Long Island.
Surveillance video of the incident was released on Friday. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Obama Outlines Drive to Raise US Exports
President Obama today will speak at the Export-Import Bank's Annual Conference at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC today where he will reiterate his goal, as first stated in his State of the Union address, of doubling exports in five years.
Obama's plan to boost exports by breaking down foreign trade barriers is the fastest way to employ jobless American. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- A Trailblazer of Civil Rights Dies Forgotten
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Neighbors were chagrined last week when the police here found the body of a 75-year-old woman who had frozen to death, alone in her house, during unexpectedly frigid weather.
State Sen. John Land was elected to the house same year as Goggins. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Obama holds Sit Room meeting with Afghanistan, Pakistan
Hillary Rodham Clinton ran a presidential campaign notoriously insular and unhappy, managing a group of egos and backstabbers whose dysfunction may have cost her the White House.
Lavrov said the talks would be held on March 18 or 19. More...

Friday

Mar-12-2009 -- Obama Outlines Drive To Raise US Exports
Ninety-five percent of the world's customers and the world's fastest-growing markets are outside our borders.
Obama's plan to boost exports by breaking down foreign trade barriers is the fastest way to employ jobless American. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- A frustrated caucus keeps complaints quiet
Jarrett also visited CBC Chairman Barbara Lee's district two weeks ago and did several events, according to the aide.
"To be mild, we need direction from the president," Rangel said. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- House votes to impeach US district judge
The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on whether to impeach New Orleans U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous .
The unanimous vote reflected the bipartisan anger of the House over the judge's conduct. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Slot Machines at Aqueduct? No, Not Yet
Gov. David Paterson's press office just released the bad news for anyone supporting Aqueduct Entertainment Group's plan for a racino at Aqueduct Race Track.
In recent weeks investors had failed to submit applications to undergo background checks to obtain a gaming license, and''two powerhouse investors had backed out of the project. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Spector lawyers urge state appellate court to throw out murder conviction
LOS ANGELES — Lawyers for legendary music producer Phil Spector have asked an appellate court to throw out his second-degree murder conviction on grounds of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct.
"None of the. evidence involved events in which Mr. Spector put a gun in someone's mouth, much less fired it." More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Cost of F-35 Has Risen 60% to 90%, Military Says
The program, which aims to buy 2,443 of the Joint Strike Fighter for the Air Force, Navy and Marines, is now projected to cost $323 billion, which represents a $46 billion hike from March 2007, the Government Accountability Office told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Pentagon plans to spend an estimated 300 billion dollars over the next 25 years on the program. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- GOP chooses Burns
The two leading candidates are businessman Tim Burns, and Retired Air Force Colonel Bill Russell, who was also the nominee against Murtha in 2008.
Burns has put a paltry 75k into the race. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Doris Haddock Is Dead at 100; Walked for Campaign Finance Reform
DUBLIN, N.H. — A New Hampshire woman who was known as Granny D and walked across the country a decade ago to publicize the need for campaign finance reform has died.
The 'Granny D hug,' we often called it. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Obama Plans to Tap Yellen for Fed
The Fed vice chairman has few formal duties except to preside over board meetings in case of the chairman's absence.
Raskin, an attorney, was appointed in August 2007 as Maryland's top banking regulator. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Daly might back Newsom for state office
SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Wednesday obtained nomination papers for the lieutenant governor's race, taking him one step closer to a possible run for statewide office, the mayor's office confirmed.
I think Mayor Gavin Newsom's weekly video addresses got better because common sense. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- Letter sent before census form saves more than it costs
The U.S. Census Bureau has teamed up with the GW Housing Programs and GW's department of Government, Community and International Relations to streamline the process of counting students, the University's top government relations official said last week.
Seattle resident Eileen Tripp says it makes sense. More...

Mar-12-2009 -- American Public's Concern About Global Warming Keeps Decreasing
March 11 (Bloomberg) -- Americans are less concerned about the threat of climate change than they were two years ago and almost half say the seriousness of global warming is overblown, a Gallup Organization Inc. poll shows.
The media has more recently been ???Exaggerating Denialism ,''' using the stolen emails and some trivial mistakes by the IPCC to give voice to the most extreme disinformer views with unbalanced climate coverage . More...

Thursday (Update 1)

Mar-11-2009 -- Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)
Michael Barbaro previews a possible New York Senate bid by former Defense Department adviser Dan Senor, by my count the 1045th person to consider challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
Encouraged by state and national Republican Party leaders, Dan Senor, an author, private equity executive and Defense Department adviser in the last Bush administration, is seriously considering a political challenge against Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, The New York Times's Michael Barbaro reported , citing three people told of the discussions. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Ensign Tried to Find Work for Ex-Lover's Husband, Report Claims
WASHINGTON — E-mails turned over to the FBI and Senate ethics investigators provide new evidence about Sen. John Ensign's efforts to find lobbying work for the husband of his former mistress and could add to his legal problems, The New York Times reported.
The Justice Department and Senate investigators are broadening their inquiries into Sen. John Ensign's sex scandal, sources told POLITICO, amid a new report appearing to show additional, previously undisclosed, efforts by the Nevada Republican to land a job for the aggrieved husband of his former mistress. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Chief justice unsettled by Obama's criticism of Supreme Court
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said yesterday that the scene at President Obama's Jan. 27 State of the Union address was "very troubling" and said the annual speech had "degenerated to a political pep rally."
Supreme Court Justices, in particular, have awesome, unrestrained power. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Mississippi lesbian alleges retaliation after prom date debate
The Itawamba High School prom in Fulton, Miss., was canceled by the school district to not allow same-sex couples to attend.
The school board said that it wouldn't host the event at Itawamba County Agricultural High School in Fulton. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- NewsGov. Paterson slams Mayor Bloomberg over budget dispute
New York Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch announced a five-year plan to address the state's multi-year debt.
If the review board determined that the budget was not projected to be in balance by the end of the current fiscal year, or that it would not be in balance by the end of the fifth year of the plan, the board would give the governor and Legislature 15 days to address it. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- One person killed when three tornadoes strike Arkansas
Another tornado struck north of Saline in White County at 8:25 p.m., the weather service said.
Governor John Hoeven of North Dakota has requested a presidential emergency in North Dakota, which is a emergency declaration that would come before a natural disaster occurs instead of afterwards).The severe winter weather that hit much of the United States in February cost Southwest Airlines an estimated $15 million in lost passenger revenue. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Jury recommends death for serial killer
An Orange County jury needed just a few hours Tuesday to hand down the death penalty for Rodney James Alcala, convicted Feb. 25 of murdering four Los Angeles County women and a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach in the late 1970s.
Following an investigation, Alcala was charged, tried, and convicted for Samsoe's murder in 1980. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- US Monthly Budget Deficit Balloons
The excess of spending over revenue increased to $221 billion last month, compared with a shortfall of $194 billion in February 2009, according to Treasury Department figures released today in Washington.
Mounting monthly deficits prompted Obama to sign a bill on Feb. 12 that raised the federal debt limit by $1.9 trillion to $14.3 trillion. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Census Jobs Tough to Fill
The U.S. Census Bureau has teamed up with the GW Housing Programs and GW's department of Government, Community and International Relations to streamline the process of counting students, the University's top government relations official said last week.
An accurate count of all people is vital to the continued funding of local and state services and guarantees proper representation in Congress. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Risk Lockheed fighter won't deliver on time-GAO
After schedule delays, weight and performance problems, and big cost overruns, the Navy rejected the carrier version and the Air Force produced just a few F-111B (for bomber) aircraft.
The Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act, passed early in the Obama administration, sought to tighten rules for programs running behind schedule and over budget. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Mass. Senate to debate crackdown on school bullies
The push for anti-bullying legislation has gained momentum following the recent suicides of students in South Hadley and Springfield who were allegedly being tormented by classmates.
The push for the legislation comes after recent high-profile cases of students enduring abuse by bullies. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Photos taken by OC serial killer released
An Orange County jury needed just a few hours Tuesday to hand down the death penalty for Rodney James Alcala, convicted Feb. 25 of murdering four Los Angeles County women and a 12-year-old girl from Huntington Beach in the late 1970s.
Rodney James Alcala, 66, was found guilty by a jury Feb. 25 of five felony counts of murder and one felony count of kidnapping. More...

Thursday

Mar-11-2009 -- Va.'s McDonnell slow to fulfill campaign pledges
Hoping to quell a firestorm over potential bias against gays, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell today warned all state employees that "discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated" by his administration, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports .
Cuccinelli, sworn in with a Republican governor and lieutenant governor less than two months ago, has sparked a firestorm of controversy and strident grassroots mobilizations among progressives, students and equal rights proponents. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- KC school board approves school closings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Board of Education voted Wednesday night to close almost half of the city's public schools, accepting a sweeping and contentious plan to shrink the system in the face of dwindling enrollment, budget cuts and a $50 million deficit. In a 5-to-4 vote, the members endorsed the Right-Size plan, proposed by the schools superintendent, John Covington, to close 28 of the city's 61 schools and cut 700 of 3,000 jobs, including those of 285 teachers.
Under the approved plan, buildings will be shuttered before the next school year. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Raise taxes or cut education, Quinn says
Quinn wants to reduce the state payroll-- including more than 450 state police jobs and 30 prison jobs.
The $500 million increase isn't much in the context of a $24 billion budget. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Roll Call: Senate vote on jobless aid measure
The Senate bill passed 62-36, largely along party lines.
"We try to live as much of a non-consumer lifestyle as we can." More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Albany Is Taking New Budget Proposal Seriously
"Dick Ravitch is the best," said former New York Mayor Ed Koch.
The long-awaited road map by Ravitch, who warned of a fiscal "cataclysm" if steps are not taken now to drive down the state's worsening deficit, also includes an advisory board with only review powers to declare a budget in balance or not, and a structured ability for governors to impound money in emergencies. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Panel Releases Proposal on Education Standards
Drafted behind closed doors by teams of academics, state education officials, and policymaking groups, and then circulated repeatedly and confidentially to scores of leaders and education advocates for feedback and revision, the standards are now open for public comment through April 2.
"If we don't get more students and particularly students of color and from low income families, into college, the U.S. economy is not going to survive," Dane Linn, Education Director of the National Governors Association, said. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Senate Democrats Seek to Abolish Filibusters
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is reportedly planning to hold hearing in the Senate Rules Committee to examine possible filibuster reform .
With Democrats lacking a filibuster-proof majority, Sen. Chuck Schumer plans to begin holding hearings to reform the potent stalling tactic, an issue that has picked up steam among liberal and junior Democratic senators. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Michigan: Ex-Councilwoman Sentenced
Much of the evidence and nearly all headlines related to the conduct of Conyers.
People with Mrs. Conyers' inside connections are not supposed to be held accountable for minor abuses like bribery, especially when such indiscretions occur at the local level. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- 'The Pacific' joins 'Band of Brothers' ranks
The Hollywood heavyweights who famously joined forces on "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" return to the combat zone once again as executive producers of HBO's "The Pacific," an awe-inspiring 10-part, $200 million miniseries that recalls America's gruesome war against Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
'''The Pacific''' is inspired by accounts from Marines who fought against Japan in the islands of the Pacific. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- US Monthly Budget Deficit Balloons
The excess of spending over revenue increased to $221 billion last month, compared with a shortfall of $194 billion in February 2009, according to Treasury Department figures released today in Washington.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, in a report issued March 5, projected a deficit of $223 billion for February. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Mpls. schools lockdown extended into Thursday
The Minneapolis school district has 35,000 students in 60 schools.
According to an MPS presentation available publicly , a "yellow alert" is issued when a potential threat is outside of a school building, creating a "Disruption in school environment or a change in school climate. More...

Mar-11-2009 -- Female WWII aviators honored with gold medal
WASHINGTON — The first women to fly U.S. military planes will be awarded a Congressional Gold Medal on Capitol Hill.
Members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots at a graduation ceremony. More...

Wednesday (Update 1)

Mar-10-2009 -- Panel Releases Proposal to Set US Standards for Education
If knowing the Pythagorean theorem is important for kids in Florida, it should be important for kids in Hawaii, too.
The Council of the Great City Schools, which represents the nation's largest urban public school systems, said in a statement that it "considers the draft to be high quality grade-by-grade standards that the nation can be proud of." More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Obama's Political/Policy Goals Today
While Obama is scheduled to raise money for Claire McCaskill and the DSCC, Carnahan was feted at a fundraiser hosted by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
"In the last election cycle, John McCain and Sarah Palin came here," Biermann said. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Chief justice unsettled by Obama's criticism of Supreme Court
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said yesterday that the scene at President Obama's Jan. 27 State of the Union address was "very troubling" and said the annual speech had "degenerated to a political pep rally."
After Roberts''' appearance, the University'''s Albritton Lecture Series, which federal judge William Albritton III, a UA Law alumnus, established, will have brought seven of the nine sitting members of the high court to Tuscaloosa. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Senator Brown snags deal for memoirs
Brown is the first Republican sent to the Senate from Massachusetts since 1972.
No one seemed to think it a problem that the Republican candidate to succeed the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy '''54-'''56 was a one-time playboy. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- US Sen Corker: no exemptions in new watchdog bill
The emerging financial regulation plan is part and parcel of a growing web of other legislative proposals by President Obama that, when added to health care reform and energy regulation, would result in the largest regulatory takeover of the private sector in U.S. history.
"The goal is to have a bill that's presented to committee that's close enough to the middle of the road, in balance, that people can offer substantive amendments," Corker said yesterday on CNBC. "I don't think we ought to try and pass legislation that solves all the problems in the world." More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Woes at family bank loom over Ill. Senate race
Giannoulias''' day at the White House : Yesterday'''s White House visit by Illinois Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias (D) ''' as part of the White House'''s Greek Independence Day celebration ''' was mainly about reassuring Democrats in Washington, in light of the bank problem that threatens Giannoulias''' candidacy.
The bank, owned by the family of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, could be on the verge of failing. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Quinn budget to mean painful choices for Ill.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Gov. Pat Quinn's plan to fill the biggest deficit in Illinois history includes cuts so severe that 17,000 teachers could lose their jobs, thousands of poor families would get less help with child care and fewer state troopers would patrol the roads, a top Quinn aide said Saturday.
Mayors are preparing for Quinn to announce a 3 percent cut in state funding. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Hurricane Season Poses 'Above-Normal' Threat, AccuWeather Says
A rapidly weakening El Nino event in the tropical Pacific, unusually warm surface waters in the Atlantic's key hurricane nursery, weakening trade winds and higher humidities, they said, are all pointing to increased activity.
The forecast is calling for a much more active 2010 season with above-normal threats on the U.S. coastline. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- White House Easter eggs get healthy makeover
The environmentally concerned bunny, that is.
The bunny is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" fitness campaign. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- The Drop Stops: Paterson's Poll Numbers Level Off
ALBANY -- Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's approval rating has dropped 13 percentage points since he began investigating the scandals swirling around Gov. David Paterson, according to a new Marist College poll.
The investment chief who worked under former State Comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty to a Martin Act felony today for hi. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- First Lady Michelle Obama Donates Inaugural Gown to Smithsonian Institution
It's the dress that will be forever be associated with the election of the United States' first African-American president.
The Wu gown -- a white satin jacket by the New York designer was part of the outfit but not on display. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Woes at family bank loom over Ill. Senate race
Giannoulias''' day at the White House : Yesterday'''s White House visit by Illinois Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias (D) ''' as part of the White House'''s Greek Independence Day celebration ''' was mainly about reassuring Democrats in Washington, in light of the bank problem that threatens Giannoulias''' candidacy.
The bank, owned by the family of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias, could be on the verge of failing. More...

Wednesday

Mar-10-2009 -- Rodney James Alcala gets the death penalty
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Relatives of four women and a 12-year-old girl who were brutally slain in the late 1970s exploded in applause Tuesday as the jury recommended death for Rodney Alcala, a convicted serial killer whose bizarre defense strategy included lyrics from an Arlo Guthrie song and showing an episode of "The Dating Game."
CNN has more details on the discovery and adds: "Alcala, who already had been convicted for the 1968 rape of an 8-year-old girl, was the first contestant to be introduced in the game-show episode." More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Schwarzenegger orders change in parole file policy
Just hours after Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, slammed state officials for a policy allowing the destruction of parole records, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger decreed an end to the practice.
Schwarzenegger's order came hours after Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, asked the department's inspector general to investigate whether records were improperly destroyed. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Consequences of an Airport Kiss
A Rutgers University graduate student from China pleaded guilty today in a Newark Liberty International Airport security breach that led to worldwide flight delays.
Haisong Jiang, center, appears in Newark Municipal Court with his attorney, Eric Bruce, left, and an interpreter, right, on a charge of defiant trespassing, Tuesday, March 9, 2010. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Stupak challenged for Democratic nomination
From NBC's Mark Murray Once again, it looks like the thorny issue of abortion will decide the fate of health care.
Neither do I," Stupak said. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- In Virginia, legalized discrimination is alive and well
As recently as Tuesday, a subcommittee killed legislation that would have banned job discrimination against gay state employees.
Already a Maryland state legislator has used the action by the governor and the House to argue in a letter to Northrop Grumman, which is currently seeking a site for a new facility, that Maryland is a better fit culturally than Virginia. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Minister Withdraws as Investor in Aqueduct Casino
Now, as the company faces more scrutiny over financials by the state government, the New York Observer is reporting that Jay-Z has pulled out altogether.
April 16, 2009: Paterson calls for new bids on the Racino project, due by May 8, saying the decision could come by August 1. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Another Rise in City Pupils Graduating in Four Years
More than half of the New York City's Hispanic students graduated from high school last year, the first time the city has reached that bar since it began tracking graduation rates in the 1980s.
The trends were similar in other schools and districts across the region. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Va. Senate passes governor's plan to expand charter schools
The bill passed today makes no changes to the charter school approval process, and only small changes to the charter school application process.
"The desperation of poor parents whose children are stuck on waiting lists for charter schools is well-founded," the editorial said. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- House Democrats approve $680 million tax package
Gregoire said in a morning news conference at the Capitol she is 'very optimistic we can get it done.' She added that lawmakers have 'been looking those cuts in the eye, as I did, and they have concluded that to make that all-cuts budget would be unjust, unwise and unfair.''
Capital Budget: Lots of conversing still to go here. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- What You Said
The left says he was a right-winger; the conservatives say that he was a leftist.
Authorities said Bedell pulled a handgun at a Pentagon entrance in Washington on Thursday, March 4, 2010, shot two police officers and was mortally wounded in an exchange of gunfire. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- Mitt Romney: Tea Party movement is great as long as they vote Republican
Mike Huckabee and, more famously, Sarah Palin made stops there late last year.
Romney himself openly admits that the Mass health plan has flaws. More...

Mar-10-2009 -- 'I do' in DC: Same-sex couples wed in Washington
Because Washington, DC, is a federal district, the measure faced a mandatory review by the U.S. Congress before becoming official law on March 9.
In addition to the federal capital district of Washington DC, gays can be legally wed in the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. More...

Tuesday (Update 1)

Mar-09-2009 -- Hiker search continues near Bonneville Dam
In all, 50 searchers, plus nine tracking dogs, are in the field looking for 24-year-old Katherine Huether of Portland.
The search for a Portland woman missing since she failed to return from a hike on the Pacific Crest trailhead has resumed with 50 people on the ground and two helicopters, according to the Skamania County Sheriff's Office. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Man charged with leading student visa fraud operation
Students from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, and Qatar allegedly paid thousands of dollars to Higgins and his associates to take college classes, exams and placement tests on their behalf so they could maintain their lawful immigration status as foreign students.
Evidently, not enough attention was paid to the problem, judging by the case of Eamonn Daniel Higgins. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Sen Corker says sides nearing on consumer watchdog
WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Members of the Senate Banking Committee drafting financial reform have "about reached a balance" on the controversial consumer watchdog proposal, Republican Senator Bob Corker said on Tuesday, indicating a bipartisan deal could be reached soon.
If and when that happens, a lot of the credit for keeping the talks alive will go to the junior senator from Tennessee. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- SeaWorld Orlando reconsiders using Tilkium killer whale in shows
Three strikes and that whale should be out was the cry that rang out from some quarters over the course of the past two weeks, after an incident at SeaWorld left a veteran trainer dead in Orlando, Florida.
Nearly two weeks after the largest killer whale in captivity killed one of its trainers, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is still wrestling with the dilemma of what to do with its most prized asset. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Romney Ties Decision on Presidential Bid to Outcome of November Elections
Your daily source for the best in blog.
"Romney responded in an on-camera interview with Newsmax, saying, "It may not be right for me politically, but we face such challenges right now. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Massive rock slide closes Glenwood Canyon
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon remains closed this morning following rockfall early Monday west of the Hanging Lake Tunnel.
Geologists made a two-hour climb up the canyon side Monday to determine the likelihood of more rocks falling. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Republican lawmakers begin push on Arizona budget
Lawmakers based the plan on the assumption that voters will approve a temporary 1-cent-per-dollar increase in the state sales tax on May 18.
Key provisions include asking voters in November to allow $450 million to be diverted from special funds for land conservation and early childhood programs, and removing 310,000 people from the state's Medicaid program on Jan. 1. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- New York GOP Courts a Candidate From the Enemy Camp
State Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs said it would be a "big mistake" for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to run for governor on the GOP line, particularly if he has to switch his enrollment to land it.
Governor Charlie Crist, who looked like a cinch to hold a Florida U.S. Senate seat for the Republicans might well loose the nomination to a right wing opponent who in turn will lose the political center to a Democrat. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Colorado Catholic School Boots Student With Lesbian Mothers
KUSA-TV reported that experts believe it is legal for the Denver Archdiocese to deny a student enrollment when school policy is violated.
The Denver Archdiocese said the lesbian relationship of the student's parents violates the school's beliefs and policy. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Romney warns tea party activists not to form third party
Well, Mr. Henry, that's not what Republicans said, which is that Americans don't like "this" legislation, and are saying so loud and clear.
I have to agree with mr Romney. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Colo. rock slide rains boulders on bridge, highway
Editor's note: Every weekday, CNN focuses on a handful of people in the news.
Massa voted against the bill that passed the House in November in a close vote. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Colo. rock slide rains boulders on bridge, highway
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon remains closed this morning following rockfall early Monday west of the Hanging Lake Tunnel.
CDOT says crews made "great progress" breaking up and clearing away boulders on the road Monday. More...

Tuesday

Mar-09-2009 -- Colo. rock slide rains boulders on bridge, highway
Don't expect Interstate 70 in western Colorado to open anytime soon.
CDOT says crews made "great progress" breaking up and clearing away boulders on the road Monday. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- PA Democrats pick candidate for Murtha's seat
Mark Critz, the district director for the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), won the Democratic nomination in the special election to fill his former boss' vacant seat through the end of this year.
In the last presidential election, Republican Sen. John McCain narrowly beat Barack Obama in Murtha's congressional district. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Sierra Club's Edgar Wayburn was a quiet hero
One day in the late 1940s, a physician named Edgar Wayburn gazed across San Francisco Bay at the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais, two of his favorite hiking areas, and marveled that no cities or suburbs interrupted the greenery.
Tamalpais State Park ]] Mt. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Just doing their jobs, Pentagon officers say after shooting
The left says he was a right-winger; the conservatives say that he was a leftist.
The officers are on routine administrative leave until the investigation is concluded. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- The Limits of Rahmism
Team Obama predicted health care had a 51 percent chance of passing at the beginning of March, according to a preview of New York Times reporter Peter Baker's Rahm opus, the last in a train of profiles on the tempestuous White House chief of staff.
Ms. MYERS: Right, I mean Aaron Sorkin, the brilliant creator of the show, always said that his objective was to - he loved pulling back the curtain and showing people what went on in this mysterious place called the West Wing. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Tornado destroys homes in Oklahoma
The tornado was first reported on the ground about three miles north of Elk City and moved on to Hammon, about 15 miles away.
KSBI Thunder TV Storm Trackers followed the storm since before a funnel cloud formed, and say the tornado was on the ground before 5:30pm, Monday Night. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Suicide Raises Legal Issues in Indian Artifacts Cases
A former executive of a grocery store chain, Mr. Gardiner was known to struggle at times with the abuse of alcohol and pain medications, according to court documents and his son.
We're certainly researching whether or not we have an effective right to cross-examine that witness. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Whitman's foes create Wikipedia-style gossip site
Just like Wikipedia, I'm sure my professors won't even allow me to use it as a source for my term papers.
On Monday afternoon, for example, two of the three user-generated discussion threads were actually favorable to Whitman. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- 'Al-Qaeda 7' smear campaign is an assault on American values
A group that includes leading conservative lawyers and policy experts, former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and several senior officials of the last Bush Administration, is denouncing as "shameful" Republican attacks on lawyers who came to the Obama Justice Department after representing suspected terrorists.
The habeas decisions are filled with errors of omission, fact, and logic. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Settlement aims to prevent ES&S voting machine monopoly
The department's antitrust division, along with nine state attorneys general, filed the civil antitrust lawsuit (.pdf) in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., charging that the acquisition threatened competition.
The acquisition of Diebold's Premier Election Solutions by ES&S will give ES&S more than a majority of the market share and could greatly affect the ability of other companies to compete and new ones to enter the market. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Rove Denies Role in 2000 Rumor About McCain's Adopted Daughter
Karl Rove said his reputation as a down-and-dirty political campaigner is undeserved.
The rumor campaign was considered to be devastating to the McCain family. More...

Mar-09-2009 -- Stupak: Health bill abortion fight can be resolved
An embattled Democratic congressman accused of making un- wanted sexual advances towards a male aide waffled Sunday''on his plans to resign.
"Now was that inappropriate of me, was I guilty? Yes." More...

Monday (Update 1)

Mar-08-2009 -- GOP leaders criticize RNC fundraising pitch
I think the way we raise money from donors across America is to stand for things that are important for the country."
Mr. Steele, you are allowed to have your own opinion but you are not allowed to have your own set of facts. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Census reminds that forms come next week
OK, America, get ready to count off: one, two, three. 308,803,464. 308,803,465. 308,803,466.
The county has purchased a sign encouraging participation. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Man Missing in Chattahhoochee River After Fishing Boat Capsized
SUWANEE - The search in the Chattahoochee River south of Buford Dam for a missing boater was suspended early Sunday evening because of darkness but is expected to resume Monday.
The rescued boater was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center in Duluth. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Bribery trial of developer delayed by last-minute appeal
Reidy apparently had spoken to prosecutors about the document, but the defense contends Boender had not waived any attorney-client privileges.
Lawyers for Calvin Boender filed a petition with the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals seeking to prevent lawyer Dan Reidy from taking the stand. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Kerlin: Gun control in the High Court, weather information and Gore surfaces
Some monitoring stations were apparently located next to concrete buildings, near paved parking lots and even in the medians of highways.
More...

Mar-08-2009 -- White House Green Eggs
All children under 12 who attended the annual White House event on Monday, April 5, will be given one of the eggs.
A new design for this year's Easter Egg roll has been released. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Child Expelled from Catholic School Because of Gay Parents
KUSA-TV reported that experts believe it is legal for the Denver Archdiocese to deny a student enrollment when school policy is violated.
If Breslin were to follow his own logic, he would need to expel all the children of "imperfect" parents. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Kentucky Student Reportedly Wrapped in Toilet Paper, Set on Fire
The paper reports UK Police were called to investigate Friday night, and one individual was arrested and charged with arson, wanton endangerment and tampering with physical evidence, according to UK Police Chief Joe Monroe.
UK spokesman Jimmy Stanton said the university fire marshal has closed the SAE house and its residents will be offered housing in the other UK residence halls for the remainder of the semester. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Students' Civil Rights to Get Scrutiny
Education Secretary Arne Duncan will outline the department's efforts in a speech today in Alabama to commemorate the 45th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday,'' in which several hundred civil rights protesters were beaten by state troopers on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge during a voting rights march.
Ms. Ali said the administration wasn't seeking confrontations with the states, and would push toward litigation, or the withholding of federal funding, "only in extreme cases." More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Mitt Romney, version 2012
Your daily source for the best in blog.
The book concentrates heavily on foreign policy, the economy and other fiscal concerns, but deals little with social issues like gun rights, abortion and gay marriage. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Oregon Treasurer Ben Westlund dies
Westlund, 60, became the new state treasurer in January 2009.
Our prayers are with Ben's family. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Obama wants former top Army intel officer at TSA
Harding, who retired in 2001, has served as the top human intelligence officer at the Defense Department and consulted with the government on intelligence matters.
Obama plans to nominate Robert A. Harding, a retired major general with 33 years in the Army, to become the TSA administrator, sources said. More...

Monday

Mar-08-2009 -- Suspect in beating of 96-year-old Saratoga farmer shot to death in...
On Dec. 3, Charlie Maridon, a 96-year-old man was beaten during a home invasion robbery at a home in the 20000 block of Wardell Road in Saratoga.
Sunday afternoon, police shot and killed a man wanted in connection with a deadly high profile beating in Saratoga and a homicide in Fremont. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- SUV Hits 5, Killing One, in Church Parking Lot
A man looks on in horror after one 40-year-old woman was killed, four others injured when a church transport van went out of control in the parking lot of Pyeong Ahn Presbyterian Church in Gravesend.
NEW YORK — A van has struck five people in the parking lot of a New York City church, killing one and injuring four. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- No bond for pair charged in 3 Chicago-area deaths
Both wearing yellow jumpsuits designating isolation from the rest of the DuPage County jail population, Johnny Borizov and Jacob Nodarse were a study in contrasts when they appeared in bond court Sunday morning.
Borizov's attorney, Marc Wolfe, said authorities are prosecuting an innocent man based solely on the words of Nodarse, whom Wolfe described as mentally unstable. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Massa describes incident with aide
I can't subject my family and staff to a full investigation.
More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Police: Foul Play Suspected in Disappearance of Houston Energy Executive
The Houston business man, Douglas Schantz was last seen leaving Club Razzoo on Bourbon Street very early Friday morning.
The club is in the 500 block of Bourbon Street, which isn't far from the Royal Sonesta Hotel, where Douglas Schantz was staying. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Rahm's White House Enemies
The "peanut gallery" has been more or less silent about David Axelrod, President Obama's chief political advisor and successful campaign manager.
Chris Lehane, a former top aide to Vice President Al Gore, says the administration should tell a clearer story. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Stile: Democrats take on the Tea Party
"I'll do what I can (to fix things)."
No matter what the polls say now, my $5 bucks say that by Halloween the Republicans will look scarier than the Democrats as a political party worth trusting with the reins of power. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- 11 hospitalized after vans crash, 1 critical
The crash occurred about 4:45 p.m. at the intersection of Loomis Street and Cermak Road, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis.
A woman was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in critical condition, two adults were taken in fair condition to Mount Sinai Hospital and another two adults were taken in fair condition to University of Illinois Medical Center, Curtis said. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Protest Planned at Boulder Catholic School
A pre-schooler attending the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, was expelled simply because his parents are lesbians.
T he nun made me stand up at my desk in the fourth-grade classroom of Sacred Heart School and introduce myself. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Three in Utah helicopter crash return to Coast Guard base
SALT LAKE CITY — Three crew members aboard a Coast Guard helicopter that crashed in Utah last week have returned to their home base in Elizabeth City, N.C.
There were no fatalities when a Coast Guard helicopter with five people aboard crashed Wednesday morning in the Uinta Mountains, a spokesman for the Coast Guard said. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Winning Lotto Ticket Bought In Bonneville County
No ticket matched all 6 numbers drawn Saturday evening in the Florida Lotto, nor did anyone match all 5 winning numbers plus the Powerball number in the multi-state Powerball game.
Contributing: David Collins, who hopes to usurp Gary's spot as Mr. Lucky by winning millions in the Florida Lotto. More...

Mar-08-2009 -- Police say bones of 14-year-old Calif. girl found
The skeletal remains of Amber Dubois, a 14-year-old Escondido teen missing for over a year, have been found in a rural area of northern San Diego County.
Police in Escondido, California, are refuse to comment on whether the man charged in the murder of a former Naperville teen Chelsea King is also a suspect in the murder of another teen whose body was found yesterday. More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Mar-07-2009 -- Massa's abrupt resignation brings many unanswered questions
ABC's World News on Friday night finally caught up with burgeoning Democratic scandals, though hardly showing the same zeal as when the networks incessantly focused on Republican Congressman Mark Foley back in 2006.
"We'll lose at least one, possibly two House seats in the census. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Early filings for Cuyahoga County Council races show few Republicans
Fetzer spoke frankly to a room filled with mostly middle-aged and elderly residents.
The Republicans are the only political party that has tried to stop the out-of-control spending and taxing. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- What if Hutchison had piped up earlier?
Political analyst Nathan Gonzales doubts the insider label will hurt Republicans.
Perry also dominated Harris County, winning 61 percent of Republican votes there. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Obama must decide degree to which US swears off nuclear weapons
North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006, withdrew from the NPT in 2003.
And, as is so often the case with the federal government, the Obama budget's proposal for a huge injection of cash should help smooth over any hard feelings at the Pentagon and the nuclear labs. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Mitt Romney's pick of John McCain a blow to JD Hayworth camp
Facing a primary challenge from the right in Arizona, Sen. John McCain is highlighting endorsements from a bevy of political luminaries in a bid to overwhelm rival J.D. Hayworth and neutralize his opponent's claim on the conservative, anti-Washington Tea Party movement.
Together with Feingold, McCain worked for most of the '''90s to get the soft-money Campaign Finance Act finally passed. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- US census count kicks into high gear
The government has previously given legal assurances the information will not be used for immigration enforcement.
Adding to that expense, The Kansas City Star found, are 28 million Census mailings that bureau officials and the U.S. Postal Service have agreed will simply be thrown away. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Tea Party activists protest at Pelosi event
The Tea Party has been criticized for having a fringe element, including some "birthers" who believe Obama wasn't born in the U.S. and "truthers" who believe the government was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Tactical analogies are not the fodder for apt, substantive comparisons. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Peter Robinson: The Golden State's Me Generation
Over the past two years, the 23-campus Cal State system has lost more than $600 million in state funding, while UC's state budget was cut by about $800 million.
At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, police arrested at least 15 people protesting against tuition fee increases after protesters tried to enter an administrative building to deliver petitions to the school chancellor. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- The senator takes a stand, but on the wrong side | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03 ...
The vote was 78-19, and President Barack Obama signed it into law late Tuesday.
BUNNING : Well, sure. He wanted the issue, rather than solving the problem. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- President Obama Appears On America's Most Wanted
Barack Obama is not on the run from the law but will help commemorate the 1,000th episode of America's Most Wanted by appearing on the episode airing 9 p.m. Saturday on Fox.
Before there were Amber Alerts, John Walsh's son Adam disappeared from a Florida shopping mall. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Crist, Rubio exchange jabs
Rubio had called for a series of debates last year when polls showed the governor holding a wide lead in the race, but Crist said that was just big talk from the recently resurgent Miami Republican.
The network now is holding grass roots strategy sessions across Florida and the country, and it looks like the machine including about a dozen full-time organizers in Florida is about to shift from nebulous policy advocacy to more direct political activity. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- 2 missing teen cases, 2 different police responses
With the Sunday arrest of registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III in the death of 17-year-old Chelsea King, who was found in a shallow grave along the south shore of Lake Hodges, law enforcement officers followed up on a tip in Amber's case.
Escondido is coping with unprecedented budget cuts by turning to volunteerism. More...

Sunday

Mar-07-2009 -- Democrats Need a Rally Monkey
Dick Armey, one of the spokesmen for the Tea Party movement, recently praised the methods of Saul Alinsky, the leading tactician of the New Left.
I hope none of the TP folks will be teaching my daughter history. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Hinchey Surprised At Massa's Scandal
ABC's World News on Friday night finally caught up with burgeoning Democratic scandals, though hardly showing the same zeal as when the networks incessantly focused on Republican Congressman Mark Foley back in 2006.
The 29th District went for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, 51 percent to 48 percent over Democrat Barack Obama in 2008, while Massa beat Republican Rep. Randy Kuhl 51 percent to 49 percent. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Obama Talks Law Enforcement on "America's Most Wanted"
Barack Obama is not on the run from the law but will help commemorate the 1,000th episode of America's Most Wanted by appearing on the episode airing 9 p.m. Saturday on Fox.
The president also talked about initiatives to go after "white collar" criminals. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- '''Waste''' mail is part of rising census cost
The government has previously given legal assurances the information will not be used for immigration enforcement.
The decennial Census determines congressional representation and the annual distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds for local and regional services. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Scott Brown Lends Star Power to McCain
Facing a primary challenge from the right in Arizona, Sen. John McCain is highlighting endorsements from a bevy of political luminaries in a bid to overwhelm rival J.D. Hayworth and neutralize his opponent's claim on the conservative, anti-Washington Tea Party movement.
JD's ads are no more disrespectful or shameful than McCain's attack ads against JD that have been bombarding the airwaves since the first of the year BEFORE JD even entered the race. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Peter Robinson: The Golden State's Me Generation
Over the past two years, the 23-campus Cal State system has lost more than $600 million in state funding, while UC's state budget was cut by about $800 million.
The amble crowd is marching to Frank Ogawa Plaza, which houses Oakland City Hall. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Party-Switcher Parker Griffith to Deliver GOP Address
Rep. Parker Griffith (R-AL), who switched from the Democrats to the GOP in December, will be delivering tomorrow's weekly Republican YouTube address -- presumably from the standpoint of being a medical doctor who is opposing the Dems on health care.
Conservatives across the nation threw a fit, labeling Brown as a turncoat and a RINO (Republican In Name Only). More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Virginia attorney general to colleges: End gay protections
Well, today, it'''s Republicans attempting to turn Virginia into Uganda on anti-gay discrimination.
Cuccinelli, a Republican from Fairfax County, told the schools that only the General Assembly has the authority to establish legally protected classes of Virginians. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Complaints About Female 'Captain Bligh' Began Early, Says a Navy Chaplain
EVEN Captain Bligh might have blushed.
Graf was relieved of her command after being found guilty of two Uniform Code of Military Justice charges: conduct unbecoming an officer, and cruelty and maltreatment. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- The Buzz | No Gipper on the greenback
NEW YORK (WPIX) - Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is looking to bump President Ulysses S. Grant from the $50 bill and make Ronald Reagan the new face of the currency.
Might be time to bring the design back instead of always trying to have everything we produce mean something "important." More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Perry no longer a lightweight
Political analyst Nathan Gonzales doubts the insider label will hurt Republicans.
White has my vote come November. More...

Mar-07-2009 -- Cash offered in search for missing man
Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune Detectives with New Orleans Police Homicide approach Razzoo's while canvassing the area Saturday for information on the disappearance of 54-year-old Douglas Schantz of Houston, who was last seen early Friday morning at the club in the 500 block of Bourbon Street.
Douglas Schantz is described as white, weighing about 200 pounds and standing 5-foot-11, with a medium build, blue eyes and short, straight, dirty-blonde hair. More...

Saturday (Update 1)

Mar-06-2009 -- Ex-Mayor Gets 15 Years for Bribery; City Pays Price
TUSCALOOSA A federal judge today sentenced former Birmingham mayor and former Jefferson County Commission president, LARRY LANGFORD, to 15 years in prison for a long-running bribery scheme in which he sent more than $7 million in county bond business to Montgomery investment banker Bill Blount in return for bribes worth $241,843, Acting U.S. Attorney Jim Phillips announced.
In late 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Jefferson County financial transactions and the relationship between the three men. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Obama ramps up push for energy-efficiency program
The Labor Department said the United States shed 36,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent.
Where are the details?!?! How are we going to cut Medicare $500 billion to fund the healthcare bill? How can the healthcare bill, with 10 years of tax and 6 years of benefit, be deficit neutral in years 11 - 20? How can we eliminate pre-existing conditions without increasing premiums on everyone currently with insurance? What technological advance generates clean energy? Has he even defined what a 'green' job is? How can we run the deficit up to $20 trillion but not increase taxes except on the rich? How do we count jobs created / saved by the stimulus? Libs swoon under obama's rhetorical pixie dust! But out here in the real world 1+1 does not equal 3. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Obama must decide degree to which US swears off nuclear weapons
North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006, withdrew from the NPT in 2003.
All countries except India, Israel, and Pakistan have joined the Treaty, although in 2003 the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) withdrew from the treaty, which it demonstrated with nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Pelosi draws protest outside fund-raiser
An Airsoft rifle will get rid of them and not bring the government into your area to save you. (If you are sneaky.)
The only issue that seems to resonate with the Coffee Party is Republican obstructionism. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Virginia attorney general to colleges: End gay protections
Officials and student leaders at Virginia colleges are reacting mutedly, so far, to an order from state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli that the schools stop protecting LGBT students.
Northrop spokesman Gus Gulmert declined to address Cuccinelli's letter, saying, "Northrop Grumman has been and continues to be committed to a diverse and inclusive work force that includes sexual orientation and gender identity." More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Delahunt out, field opens
"I've got a granddaughter,'' the divorced father of two said.
It was rumored earlier this week but now it'''s official. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- RNC's finance director behind controversial fundraising pitch
Sources from the event said the presentation was delivered at the retreat by the RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart and by the RNC Finance Chairman, Peter Terpeluk, a former ambassador to Luxembourg under President George W. Bush.
The Politico's Ben Smith obtained an internal RNC fundraising document that lays out its strategy for 2010 and, in doing so, insults the intelligence of its core donors. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- National debt to be higher than White House forecast, CBO says
CBO expects fewer tax revenues largely because it expects less economic growth than the White House over the next decade.
March 6 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama's budget proposal would create bigger deficits than advertised every year of the next decade, with the shortfalls totaling $1.2 trillion more than the administration projected, according to the Congressional Budget Office. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- The lesson behind the Chief Justice Roberts rumor
Justice John Roberts Resigning? Not! For a brief time, Washington was buzzing over a rumor reported exclusively by Radar Online that Chief Justice John Roberts was considering stepping down.
Think of Prop 8 in California. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Complaints About Female 'Captain Bligh' Began Early, Says a Navy Chaplain
Women are so common in the upper ranks of the U.S. military these days that it's no longer news when they break through another barrier.
In one instance, Graf pushed a sailor toward a radio. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- McCain, Hayworth Bicker Over Meaning of 'Oscar' Attack Ad
Regardless, McCain is demanding that Hayworth apologize.
'Scott and I just returned form trying to do the Lord's work in the house of Satan,' McCain told the crowd. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Liz Cheney Accused of McCarthyism
I couldn'''t do it'''I'''m more of a '''try '''em and fry '''em''' kind of lawyer'''but somebody has to do it.
"The American people have a right to know whether lawyers who voluntarily flocked to Guantanamo to take up the cause of the terrorists are currently working on detainee issues in President Obama's Justice Department." More...

Saturday

Mar-06-2009 -- President to meet with key senators on immigration
To the big donors who financed President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, the decision to make his chief fundraiser the gatekeeper for White House social events is a promise of access to come.
"The first lady?" Jay-Z asked, stunned at how surreal it was to be the first rapper to visit the White House since the late Eazy-E got an invitation to have lunch with George H.W. Bush after donating money to Republicans. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Michelle Obama's gown donated to Smithsonian
The dress -- designed by Jason Wu and worn to a flurry of inaugural balls last year -- will be displayed in a new "A First Lady's Debut" gallery at the National Museum of American History, alongside inaugural dresses worn by Helen Taft, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosalynn Carter and Laura Bush, among others.
In order to add more substance to the event, and to keep with Mrs. Obama's goal of opening up White House activities to students, the White House said Friday that 32 "aspiring young designers from Huntington High School Fashion Program from New York" will attend the event, and that Mrs. Obama hopes it "will inspire talented young people to use their gifts to develop a future for themselves in the arts community whether as a hobby or as a profession." More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Delahunt's retirement gives GOP shot at Mass. seat
"I've got a granddaughter,'' the divorced father of two said.
Since Scott Brown's rise as the crown prince of anti-pols, Bill Delahunt has been tagged as a kind of walking dead man - a remnant of a big government pol with a bigger heart. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- McCain taps into Brown's star power
Facing a primary challenge from the right in Arizona, Sen. John McCain is highlighting endorsements from a bevy of political luminaries in a bid to overwhelm rival J.D. Hayworth and neutralize his opponent's claim on the conservative, anti-Washington Tea Party movement.
McCain doesn't answer letters either. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Arizona bus crash kills 6
Font Size: Default size Larger size Ross D. Franklin The Associated Press An Arizona Department of Public Safety police officer looks through debris as dead bodies, covered in blue tarp, lay at an accident scene on Friday in Sacaton, south of Phoenix.
Two vehicles, the semi-truck and a passenger car, also crashed after the bus veered off the road. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Wichita Tea Party leader surprised to be there
If the Tea Party conventions and other planned gatherings are only for members to have a chance to meet, get acquainted and exchange ideas, all will be well.
Top Republicans immediately distanced themselves from the document, with House Minority Leader John Boehner telling reporters on Thursday: "I did not see it." More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Tea Party Conservatives Make Their Voices Heard
With a nod to our own David Horowitz, a former New Left icon whose books are now big with the Tea Party set (among others!), Brooks even slyly suggests a certain intellectual symmetry between the two social movements.
Factual retort? Like the fact that Cheney has nothing to do with the tea party and yet that's what made up Crawford's house of cards article. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Obama ramps up push for energy-efficiency program
The Labor Department said the United States shed 36,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent.
Where are the details?!?! How are we going to cut Medicare $500 billion to fund the healthcare bill? How can the healthcare bill, with 10 years of tax and 6 years of benefit, be deficit neutral in years 11 - 20? How can we eliminate pre-existing conditions without increasing premiums on everyone currently with insurance? What technological advance generates clean energy? Has he even defined what a 'green' job is? How can we run the deficit up to $20 trillion but not increase taxes except on the rich? How do we count jobs created / saved by the stimulus? Libs swoon under obama's rhetorical pixie dust! But out here in the real world 1+1 does not equal 3. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Obama must decide degree to which US swears off nuclear weapons
North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006, withdrew from the NPT in 2003.
Moscow's simulation--in which Russian armed forces invaded Poland and its air force fired nuclear missiles against Warsaw and acted in conjunction with Belarus to suppress Polish minorities in Belarus--was codenamed "West" and labeled Poland as the aggressor country. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Supporters rally for Central Falls teachers before Regents meeting
President Obama on Monday said the U.S. must get a handle on its high-school dropout crisis even if it requires firing principals and teachers at failing schools - a move vehemently opposed by the nation's largest teachers union.
Last week, the school board approved Gallo's plan to discharge 93 people -- classroom teachers, administrators and other personnel -- at the high school. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Chelsea King: Official Says DNA Found in Clothes Links Sex Offender John ...
"I would say use a buddy system if you're going to be out in that kind of area," SDPD Detective Gary Hassen advised, referring to places like the northern Rancho Bernardo park where the 17-year-old straight-A student went missing Thursday.
A shoe had been found earlier in the same area, the sheriff said. More...

Mar-06-2009 -- Obama vows to reduce number, role of nuclear weapons
North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006, withdrew from the NPT in 2003.
Moscow's simulation--in which Russian armed forces invaded Poland and its air force fired nuclear missiles against Warsaw and acted in conjunction with Belarus to suppress Polish minorities in Belarus--was codenamed "West" and labeled Poland as the aggressor country. More...

Friday (Update 1)

Mar-05-2009 -- Airport body scanners spreading across US
Transportation Security Administration employee John Carter demonstrates the stance in an advanced image technology unit as TSA supervisory officer Diana Hernandez operates the machine at Boston Logan International Airport, Friday, March 5, 2010, in Boston.
Then we shouldn't be too ruffled - except maybe about having to actually wear underwear now -- by the Transportation Security Administration's decision to outfit several airports across the country with full body scanners. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- After slow start, Jay-Z heats things up by taking it back to the beginning
Last week President Barack Obama hosted a seven-and-a-half-hour televised health care summit.
Isn't the "People's House" the House of Representatives? Plouffe is back and now a high dollar bundler arrives to coordinate visits by donors. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Brown's victory reverberates in Arizona politics
Facing a primary challenge from the right in Arizona, Sen. John McCain is highlighting endorsements from a bevy of political luminaries in a bid to overwhelm rival J.D. Hayworth and neutralize his opponent's claim on the conservative, anti-Washington Tea Party movement.
Indeed compared to the post Gingrich-Idiocy-''ber-Alles Republican Party, McCain was a breath of fresh air who supported moderate immigration policies, campaign finance reform, and sensible if modest climate change protection. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- IG report: Cowpens captain berated, abused sailors
Women are so common in the upper ranks of the U.S. military these days that it's no longer news when they break through another barrier.
In one instance, Graf pushed a sailor toward a radio. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Republican fundraising document portrays Democrats as evil
The RNC has moved quickly ot put some distance between itself and the presentation.
Republicans are backpedaling as quicky as possible from an RNC fundraising pitch that referred to Barack Obama as the Joker, Nancy Pelosi as Cruella de Vil and Harry Reid as Scooby-Doo under the heading, "The Evil Empire." More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Rescuers search for man who plunged into San Pedro harbor
Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Lauren deRosier says the man fell from the rear of the Nissan United Spirit, a car-carrying ship, at about 7 p.m. Thursday night.
Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Tyler Stutin said security officers chased the half-naked man, who jumped into the water next to a cargo ship that was docking in a berth. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Revisions to ethics rules hit obstacle
Along with a budget workshop, the committee also gets a presentation on economic development incentives and regulatory relief from Plant City Mayor Rick Lott. (8:30 a.m., 17 House Office Building, The Capitol.)
The bill would give the Missouri Ethics Commission authority to launch investigations into ethics violations, instead of having to wait for someone to file a complaint. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Jump-starting nuclear energy
"We fully acknowledge that nuclear plants are very expensive upfront, but when you look at the ability for the plants to run 24 hours seven days a week the kilowatt-hour cost is very low."
The conference comes at a sensitive time for nuclear diplomacy. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Perdue chides lawmakers over higher education cuts
Harp and Ehrhart chair the Senate and House subcommittees, respectively, charged with writing the higher education budgets.
"We don't want to be leading the pack, but we don't want to be bringing up the rear, either," Perdue said. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- GOP budget slashes spending
PIERRE, SD - Republican legislative leaders say they will propose ways to cut South Dakota's state budget by more than $40 million.
The Board of Regents and the state's university system is slated for a more than $3 million cut. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Tea Party changes tone, but not outcome of Texas primary
Ron Paul, the libertarian congressman and Tea Party hero, faces challenges in Tuesday's Texas primaries from several Republicans inspired by the conservative movement's small-government ideals.
Even before we got to this whole Jim Bunning fiasco , GOP "leaders" just spouted the same old stuff about stopping fraud, which will happen when the angels finally blow their trumpets, or putting limits on medical lawsuits and eliminating state insurance regulations - all minor fixes that would have little effect. (Nonetheless, President Obama paid them lip service in a new memo this afternoon.) More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Cicero landlord had deadly fire set for insurance money: prosecutors
CICERO, Ill. (AP) - Authorities have filed murder charges against the owner and the building manager of an apartment house in the Chicago suburb of Cicero where seven people died in a Valentine's Day fire.
The landlord and maintenance worker had been questioned by Cicero Police and the Cook County State's Attorney since yesterday. More...

Friday

Mar-05-2009 -- Republicans try to control damage from fundraising document
The RNC has moved quickly ot put some distance between itself and the presentation.
The Politico's Ben Smith obtained an internal RNC fundraising document that lays out its strategy for 2010 and, in doing so, insults the intelligence of its core donors. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Lawmakers move to restrain EPA on climate change
BECKLEY -- A two-year suspension of any planned greenhouse emission rules by the Environmental Protection Agency is the goal of identical measures offered Thursday in both chambers on Capitol Hill.
U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback of Kansas are co-sponsors of a similar resolution in the Senate that would block EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions under CAA. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen outlines a more restrained art of war
"US foreign policy is still too dominated by the military -- too dependent upon the generals and admirals who lead our major overseas commands and not enough on the State Department," Mullen said.
Admiral Mullen, the nation's senior military officer, steered clear of declaring an official new "Mullen Doctrine." More...

Mar-05-2009 -- 200 or more inmates released early from LA County Jail
With deep cuts expected to move hundreds of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies from desk duties to street patrols, don't be surprised to see the most visible of their ranks cruising in a patrol car or walking the halls of the County Jail.
A lot of the extra pay was due to sheriff's deputies who were working overtime to fill 300 frozen positions, Whitmore said. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Obama advisers set to recommend military tribunals for alleged 9/11 plotters
The Post reports that the White House hopes to make headway on closing the detention center in Guantanamo Bay by reversing itself.''
In terms of jurisdiction, the only other court choice would be the district which includes Washington DC, which would mean a circus atmosphere in the nation's capital for the better part of two years at the same time the federal government needs to keep operating.'' More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Imam Snared in Terror Plot Admits He Lied to the FBI
March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Ahmad Wais Afzali, a New York man accused of lying to the FBI during its probe of a subway bombing plot, pleaded guilty to making a false statement to authorities.
Federal prosecutors charged two Flushing men last Thursday as participants in a plan to bomb the New York City subway system during rush hour under the leadership of admitted terror plotter Najibullah Zazi, who used to live in the same Queens neighborhood. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Democrats Revolt Over Energy
The nation has spent $10 billion to $12 billion over the last 25 years to study Yucca Mountain, Nev., as a site for a national repository to dispose of used commercial nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from Department of Energy defense sites, including Hanford.
Obama has followed through, to the cheers of Nevadans and environmental activists who say the site would be unsafe and to the boos of the nuclear industry and officials in other states where the radioactive materials will remain for the foreseeable future. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Wyoming: Governor Won't Run Again
CQ POLITICS NEWS March 5, 2010 ''' 12:02 a.m. Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the year and not seek a third term, ending any mystery about whether he would seek to overturn his state'''s two-term limit.
How embarrassed Democrats like Freudenthal must be. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- DA: Republican state senator had .14 blood alcohol
A California Republican family values legislator who was arrested early Wednesday morning for drunk driving had recently left a gay club, sources tell a local news channel.
Ashburn is a divorced father of four. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Impeaching Gansler on same-sex marriage takes wrong route
Half of Barnes' support comes from Montgomery County, with all but one delegate -- Del. Herman Taylor Jr., D-Brookeville -- co-signing the bill.
Originally from Connecticut, Annie has lived and reported on war crimes tribunals and landmines from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Bill Clinton backs Lincoln
The new ad comes just days after the moderate Lincoln got a serious primary challenger in the form of Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter (D).
In 1998, EMILY's List helped elect Lincoln to the U.S. Senate. More...

Mar-05-2009 -- Villaraigosa to co-host reception for Oscar nominees
Upset about a proposal to lay off thousands of Los Angeles city workers, labor unions plan to hold a '''mock red carpet" protest outside Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa'''s official residence Thursday night as he hosts a pre-Oscars party fornominees.
Through innovative public-private partnerships, the Mayor's Census office will be raising awareness of the census through a LADOT-sponsored ad campaign that features the Census Call to Action Hero on buses and bus shelters throughout the City. More...

Thursday (Update 1)

Mar-04-2009 -- The Emanuel Myth
If only Obama had the sense to listen to Rahm, all would be good in the world.
In December 2008, Obama, Emanuel and Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) met in Obama's transition headquarters in Chicago to discuss detainee policy. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Protests, rallies mark "Day of Action" for education funding
Students and employees on CSU campuses began holding protests, too.
Victor Sanchez, president of the UC Student Association, said the funding cuts were putting a public good in jeopardy. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Lawmakers decry energy grants that create foreign work
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A group of Democratic senators are calling on the Obama administration to suspend a wind energy grant program until Congress can act to amend it to ensure all future grant money handed out helps create U.S. jobs.
Four Senate Democrats want the Treasury Department to prevent a key renewable energy program in the 2009 stimulus law from supporting foreign wind turbine manufacturing, or halt the program until legislation passes that achieves the same thing. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Republican Congressman Pushes to Put Reagan on $50 Bill
NEW YORK (WPIX) - Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is looking to bump President Ulysses S. Grant from the $50 bill and make Ronald Reagan the new face of the currency.
If Reagan gets a bill, I'll be changing it out every time I receive it. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- DeLeo says gambling can help end 'blue-collar depression'
There are two in the Winthop Democrat's district: Suffolk Downs in Boston, which continues to offer live horse racing, and Wonderland in Revere, which offers only simulcast races after a dog-racing ban forced it to stop live greyhound races as of Jan. 1.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo wants to use revenue from casino licensing fees to. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Mohegans Name First Female Chief in 300-Plus Years
Mohegan - Lynn Malerba, the first woman to chair the nine-member Mohegan Tribal Council, will relinquish her seat on the council in August to become chief of the tribe, she said Wednesday night.
More...

Mar-04-2009 -- White House sets March 18 goal for House health vote
It's going to be a busy day.
Check this space for the latest updates from Washington and beyond. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Sully'd Be "Surprised" by Kid on His Radio
DANVILLE, Calif. -- Capt.
Chelsey 'Sully' Sullenberger, 59, plans to retire on Wednesday in a private ceremony in Charlotte, N.C. On his last flight, Sullenberger will be accompanied by Flight 1549 co-pilot Jeff Skiles. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Va. House, Senate start quest to agree on budgets
The House also lowers for local governing boards the amount of required local retirement spending.
The House did likewise in an early evening vote. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Bank rode real estate boom, fell with its decline
Embattled Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias on Wednesday finally talked at length with Crain's about the collapse of the Giannoulias family-owned Broadway Bank.
I guess we'll have to see how that plays out. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Senator Warns Against $1B Deal With Blackwater
Levin asked Gates to "closely review the company's performance" before giving Blackwater additional military contracts.
More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Should Animal Abusers, Like Sex Offenders, Be Registered?
The man attempted to put a bandage around Clyde's back leg, which didn't do much for the injuries the canine sustained from the fall that included a dislocated hip, torn ligaments and a fracture, Tucker said.
Even that relatively small amount has some organizations, including a national pet-product trade group and even the Humane Society, raising concerns. More...

Thursday

Mar-04-2009 -- Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Filed in Senate
Update: Independent senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut on Wednesday introduced the Senate'''s first '''don'''t ask, don'''t tell''' repeal bill along with 11 Democratic cosponsors including Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, but no Republicans.
Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was crucial the politically charged question not add further stress to a force already stretched thin by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Mandelson knocks 'Volcker rule' as too difficult
In five pages of legislative language, the administration spelled out few details of the rule proposed in January by President Barack Obama and White House economic adviser Paul Volcker as a late addition to proposed financial reforms.
Treasury would also prevent financial firms from acquiring companies if the resulting firm would have more than 10 percent of the liabilities of the financial system. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Schools chief, teachers agree to resume talks
President Obama on Monday said the U.S. must get a handle on its high-school dropout crisis even if it requires firing principals and teachers at failing schools - a move vehemently opposed by the nation's largest teachers union.
All too often, in the conversation about our public schools, the quick fix that reformers turn to is blaming the teacher. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Admiral Mullen: foreign policy is too dominated by the military
"US foreign policy is still too dominated by the military -- too dependent upon the generals and admirals who lead our major overseas commands and not enough on the State Department," Mullen said.
'''It'''s one thing to be able and willing to serve as emergency responders, quite another to always have to be the fire chief,''' Mullen said in prepared remarks at Kansas State University. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Congressman wants Ronald Reagan to replace Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill
NEW YORK (WPIX) - Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is looking to bump President Ulysses S. Grant from the $50 bill and make Ronald Reagan the new face of the currency.
Ronald Reagan started a new civil war between average Americans and the ultra-wealthy. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- 'Miracle on Hudson' pilot retires
DANVILLE, Calif. -- Capt.
Sullenberger met briefly with reporters and joined fellow pilots in the airport crew room. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Warden of US prison charged in Web postings
RIVERSIDE • The warden of a federal prison in Victorville was indicted Wednesday on federal charges for allegedly lying to federal investigators and allegedly disclosing confidential information related to ongoing criminal investigations, the U.S. Attorney's office announced.
San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies have arrested Kevin Franco, David Ruiz, and Marvin Farfan, all 21; and Bianca Ramirez, 19, on suspicion of burglary, grand theft auto, grand theft and receiving stolen property. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Landmark gun curb faces test in Virginia Senate
State senators passed the bill on a 32-0 vote.
Senator Unger says there are not enough resources and plenty of safety concerns about doing that. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Giannoulias Gets Emotional Over Talk of Father's Legacy
Democratic Senate Candidate Alexi Giannoulias fought back tears during an interview on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" as he spoke about the stark reality that his family's bank may collapse before the November elections .
I guess we'll have to see how that plays out. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- WA House approves tougher texting and driving ban
The bill also includes a provision that would require vision tests for drivers over 75 years of age.
A key sponsor, Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton, said studies show that drivers older than 80 are much more likely to be involved in fatal crashes than other drivers. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Students across US plan to protest education funding cuts
Students and employees on CSU campuses began holding protests, too.
For many high school students, the University of California (UC) system offers the perfect option for higher education. More...

Mar-04-2009 -- Tea Party, 912 activists say despite losses, election was success
Ron Paul, the libertarian congressman and Tea Party hero, faces challenges in Tuesday's Texas primaries from several Republicans inspired by the conservative movement's small-government ideals.
I still can't believe Hutchinson only pulled 30% of the vote, and the tea party candidate (who was largely dismissed by the media) took 19%. More...

Wednesday (Update 1)

Mar-03-2009 -- US Airways Pilot Who Landed Plane In Hudson Retiring
DANVILLE, Calif. -- Capt.
After a collision with a flock of birds disabled the aircraft's engines, Capt. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Students Evacuated From Detroit School After Bomb Detonated
Students at Phoenix Multicultural School on Detroit's southwest side were evacuated Wednesday morning after an explosive device detonated inside the building.
No one was hurt in the incident, which happened about 8:22 a.m. on the third floor of the school at 7735 Lane, according to police and Detroit Public Schools officials. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Sen. Jim Bunning puts brakes on Transportation workers
With the February 28 deadline for extending federal highway and transit funding having officially come and gone, the Department of Transportation (DOT) said earlier today that it has to take various measures forced upon it by lack of funding.
Ideally we should have lower federal transit funding, and lower federal taxes. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Cable Exclusive With Mitt Romney on Explosive New Book
As goes Sarah Palin, so goes Mitt Romney -- book-wise, at least.
So the late-night battle for ratings hinges on two GOP stars with one thing in common: Palin and Romney have some of the best hair in politics. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- NC congressman wants Ronald Reagan put on $50 bill
Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina introduced legislation Tuesday that would replace President Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill with Reagan'''s likeness.
If you want a bill with Reagans face, I say create a $3 bill and put him there. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Starbucks asks not to be center of gun debate
The coffee chain is getting a lot of attention over their policy to allow customers to openly carry firearms in states that have open carry laws, including Virginia and California.
Open carry is a shorthand term for openly carrying a firearm in public view as opposed to concealing it, which is illegal in California in most circumstances. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Emanuel and his 'advisers'
My colleague Jason Horowitz has an article today quoting a lot of different Democrats (both named and unnamed) who are defending Rahm Emanuel's strategic judgment.
If Dana's version is indeed correct I think, through medium of Rahm's position on the issues, we get a peek at how Hillary would have governed. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Florida governor defends using Obama stimulus money
Wood said opposition to the Seminole compact is not anti-gambling sentiment as the governor said, but opposition to a compact that gives the tribe too much control.
"Wouldn't it be appropriate to set aside personal biases and approve a compact that will help pay to educate Florida's schoolchildren?," asked Crist. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Brown seeks governor's mansion -- or at least the office -- again
Saying the next governor must have "the preparation and the knowledge" to "get California working again," attorney general and former two-term governor Jerry Brown Tuesday officially announced he is a Democratic candidate for the state's top political office.
Even the hint of opposition to Prop. 13 is political uranium in California. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Up to 5200 LA schools workers could face layoffs
Those notices can be, and often are, rescinded when districts find cost-saving alternatives to layoffs.
Opponents say the cuts would increase class sizes and completely eliminate school nurse and librarian positions. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Lots of interest in lt. gov. job
Disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich appeared, ironically, at a Etheics Disccusion put together by college Democrats at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois Tuesday.
"On the Chicago TV show "Public Affairs with Jeff Berkowitz" on June 27, 2002, state Sen. Obama said, "Right now, my main focus is to make sure that we elect Rod Blagojevich as Governor, we More...

Mar-03-2009 -- U.S. Declassifies Part of Secret Cybersecurity Plan
White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt will announce at the RSA security conference on Tuesday the easing of secrecy shrouding portions of the Bush-era Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, confirming a report posted on GovInfoSecurity reported on Feb. 2: "The Obama administration will soon release an unclassified summary of the initiative as part of the White House's goal to increase transparency in government.
The federal government, particularly during the Bush years, has certainly fallen into the trap of reflexively stamping "TOP SECRET" on every report, document, and Staples receipt. More...

Wednesday

Mar-03-2009 -- Obama says home-retrofitting plan would save energy, create jobs
From NBC's Scott Foster SAVANNAH, GA -- President Obama traveled here today to announce a new rebate program designed to encourage Americans to make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes.
The Savannah area's unemployment rate is now at 8.6 percent, compared with 10.3 percent statewide and 9.7 percent nationally. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Zuckerman Decides Not to Run Against Gillibrand for Senate
NEW YORK — Real estate tycoon and newspaper publisher Mortimer Zuckerman won't run for the U.S. Senate in New York, his newspaper reported Tuesday.
A very different vision for the state. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Jerry Brown will try to be California's governor again
Saying the next governor must have "the preparation and the knowledge" to "get California working again," attorney general and former two-term governor Jerry Brown Tuesday officially announced he is a Democratic candidate for the state's top political office.
If elected to the position for a second time, Brown will, as SFist commenter MalcoveMagnesia pointed out, "will be older than Reagan was when he became President." More...

Mar-03-2009 -- White House declassifies parts of US cybersecurity plan
White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt will announce at the RSA security conference on Tuesday the easing of secrecy shrouding portions of the Bush-era Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, confirming a report posted on GovInfoSecurity reported on Feb. 2: "The Obama administration will soon release an unclassified summary of the initiative as part of the White House's goal to increase transparency in government.
'''The Department of Homeland Security and its private-sector partners have developed a plan of shared action''' in an effort to confront the threats facing nongovernment computer networks, according to the declassified plan. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- DC archbishop defends Catholic Charities' stand on health benefits
Portion of a Catholic Charities memo as posted by the Washington City Paper and Washington Post.
Assuming that marriage equality goes ahead in Washington, D.C., Catholic Charities is poised to go forward without need for further "unwanted changes." More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Summers urges business to back financial reform
Via Reuters, White House economic adviser Larry Summers told CNBC: "The blizzards that affected much of the country during the last month are likely to distort the statistics.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House economic adviser Larry Summers said on Monday winter blizzards were likely to distort U.S. February jobless figures, which are due to be released on Friday. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Racist 'cookout' pollutes UC San Diego
In a letter published Monday on the front page of the UC San Diego student newspaper, the Guardian, the student wrote that the incident was "a mindless act and stupid mistake" and was not meant to recall the lynching of blacks.
A few days later, a campus satirical group defended the party and used a derogatory term about blacks on a campus television show. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Air Force: F-35 jet delayed by 2 years
A year and a half ago, every city and town in Okaloosa County was anxious to welcome the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilot training program to Eglin Air Force Base.
Again and again, citizens asked if the service was willing to test-fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter over the city to see what it sounds like before a final basing decision is made. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Colorado: Governor Breaks Ribs in Crash With Another Bicyclist
Early this morning, during one of his routine bike rides, Gov. Bill Ritter was in an accident after colliding with a fellow rider.
Dreyer said the state has left 400 jobs vacant during the hiring freeze that saved $10 million. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- He's 'been through worse,' but Marion Barry's battles are taking a toll
Marion Barry has finally been forced to face some consequences for some of the many misdeeds he's been accused of over the last 30 years.
Barry, 73, apologized for using poor judgment last week. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- Leading Scholar's U-Turn on School Reform Shakes Up Debate
"I argued that certain managerial and structural changes -- that is, choice, charters, merit pay and accountability -- would help to reform our schools."
As I listened to the day's discussion, it became clear that NCLB's remedies were not working. More...

Mar-03-2009 -- One probably killed in New Mexico refinery fire
HOUSTON, March 2 (Reuters) - Two workers were injured in a storage tank fire at Holly Corp's ( HOC.N ) 100,000 barrel per day (bpd) Navajo Refinery in Artesia, New Mexico, on Tuesday, according to a report on the Carlsbad Current-Argus newspaper website.
More...

Tuesday (Update 1)

Mar-02-2009 -- Fla. Legislature opening 2010 session
March 2, 2010 -- The Florida legislative session gets underway today in Tallahassee, and lawmakers will be grappling with a potential budget deficit of more than $3 billion.
On the budget front, lawmakers have already largely dismissed the governor's $69 billion spending plan for 2010-11 as too optimistic. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Obama's White House: There's something about Rahm
If only Obama had the sense to listen to Rahm, all would be good in the world.
The GOP has trapped (or invited) Obama into sharing the guilt for covering up torture already. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Specter pulls ahead of Toomey in PA Senate race
U.S Sen. Arlen Specter leads his Democratic primary challenger by 24 percentage points and also has climbed ahead of likely Republican nominee Pat Toomey in a general-election matchup, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released today.
A Quinnipiac University poll reported that Specter, a Democrat who switched parties after serving 28 years as a Republican senator, is ahead of primary challenger Rep. Joe Sestak by 24 percentage points. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Turnout light as primary election day gets under way
AUSTIN -- After more than a year of bare-knuckle combat between Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison before Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial primary, the bitterness of their fight has some experts wondering whether it could undercut Republican efforts to reunite against the Democratic nominee in the fall.
"Texas bonds are pretty well respected compared to other places," said Colby Harlow, who oversees $125 million as president of Harlow Capital Management LLC in Dallas. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- High Court Looks at Second Amendment
The case is an important follow-up to 2008's decision in Heller v. District of Columbia, which struck down Washington, D.C.' s ban on handgun possession.
"People have differences of opinions in different areas," said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, "We're not talking about taking guns away. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Winter storm warning reissued for most of metro Atlanta
The National Weather Service on Tuesday morning was reporting about 2 inches of snow in the north Georgia mountains, where many school districts had already called for a day off.
The National Weather Service warns of winds to 45 miles per hour this morning across Middle Georgia and snow accumulation of less than an inch expected later today as temperatures will drop into the 30s today. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Gov. Deval Patrick dropping $5 RMV branch fee
A new fee at the Registry of Motor Vehicless is not being welcomed by local drivers.
The RMV says the move is designed to cut wait times. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Brown seeks governor's mansion -- or at least the office -- again
One hundred days before the June 8 primary election, the race for governor of California is taking shape, but the outcome won't be clear without answers to three key questions.
Jerry Brown talks about his run for govenor and the issues facing California's economy on " Larry King Live," Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. (CNN) -- You could make a serious argument that Jerry Brown is the most unconventional politician America has ever known. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Former US Rep. Foley opens Fla. consignment shop
Scandal-scorched former Rep. Mark Foley has found a new post-Congressional career.
The store, Celebrity Consignment, (we assume Foley himself is the "celebrity") was closed, no hours were posted, and no telephone number is listed in the West Palm telephone directory. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Obama's Nuclear Power Plan Cheers Koreans
Last month, President Obama announced billions of dollars in federal loan guarantees for the construction and operation of the first new U.S. nuclear power plant in almost 30 years.
The Obama administration is helping utilities to finance the construction of nuclear plants. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Four-alarm fire burns Lower Greenville restaurants 8:06 AM CT
The back of the building, however, is lost.
DALLAS (AP) ''' Four businesses were destroyed by fire today morning in the restaurant-packed lower Greenville Avenue area of Dallas -- when the places were closed. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Mitt Romney's Book Sets Stage for 2012 White House Run
MATT LAUER: President Obama travels to Savannah, Georgia today to talk with local business owners about the economy and ways to create more jobs, but it is the President's attempt to reform health care that drew recent criticism from former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Romney gives detailed emphasis on economic productivity, innovation, research and development, reducing taxes on investment, and curbing government's growing deficits: "We need to stimulate the economy, not the government." More...

Tuesday

Mar-02-2009 -- As gun-control case goes before Supreme Court, both sides speak out
The city also refuses to issue registration certificates for handguns.
Most of this topic is WRONG in a subtle but supremely (Supremely?) important way. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- UC students ask Schwarzenegger to save Cal Grant aid
Students and employees on CSU campuses began holding protests, too.
Last year after voters rejected measures to raise taxes lawmakers cut state funding to UC and CSU by 20 percent. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- California Assembly swears in its first gay speaker
Reporting from Sacramento - There were rubber ducks on legislators' desks and a chorus belting out a Broadway show tune as John A. Prez was sworn in as the new speaker of the California Assembly on Monday.
What Perez didn't say: the measure died in the Senate .) More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Official: Substance at IRS building not a hazard
Parts of an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Weber County, Utah were sealed on Monday after a suspicious substance was reportedly found, Xinhua News Agency informed.
The FBI released no information about the incident at the IRS facility in the Farr West area of Ogden, about 30 miles from Salt Lake City, but local reports suggested that a suspicious white powder may have been found in mail delivered to the facility. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Central Falls at center of a national debate
President Obama on Monday said the U.S. must get a handle on its high-school dropout crisis even if it requires firing principals and teachers at failing schools - a move vehemently opposed by the nation's largest teachers union.
Many are starved for protein during the last trimester of gestation and may never learn at the rate, or at the level, of counterparts whose mothers got plenty of protein during that crucial last trimester. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- In DC, blacks were crucial to gay marriage debate
The measure trumped a state Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage in California for a brief time.
The gay marriage opponents include a Baptist minister, Walter E. Fauntroy, who was Washington's delegate in the House for nearly 20 years. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Blindsided pols take aim at RMV fee
The fee, that went into effect that day, is assessed to people who talk to a registry employee, either in person or over the telephone, to conduct certain transactions, including renewing driver's licenses and vehicle registrations.
O utraged state senators on both sides of the aisle today will push to overturn a "brutal" Registry of Motor Vehicles fee slapped on drivers who conduct some business in person instead of online after a Herald report revealed the cost hike. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Muni seeks to extend emergency, raise fees
On Monday evening, Muni drivers from the Transport Workers Union Local 250 converged with members of a Muni riders group to march on San Francisco's City Hall.
We aren't taking it anymore." More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Disputed dredging begins on the Delaware | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/02/2010
Even as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was beginning the project to deepen the shipping channel in the Delaware River on Monday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie was in South Jersey to say that his state stands firmly against it.
Supporters argue the project is needed to open local ports to new generations of larger ships that will begin serving the Atlantic coast once a Panama Canal expansion project is completed around 2014. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Budget mandate pushed
TALLAHASSEE -- With Florida suffering from its highest unemployment in three decades, pumping life into the state's dismal job market is at the top of almost every lawmaker's to-do list this year.
Mr. Rubio, a lawyer and son of Cuban working-class immigrants, is winning over a growing number of Republicans. More...

Mar-02-2009 -- GOP battle for governor tops primary election races
Currently, Rep. Baron Hill, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and former Secretary of State Joe Hogsett have also been mentioned as possible candidates for the Democratic Senate nod.
Proposition 1 ''' Photo ID. '''The Texas Legislature should make it a priority to protect the integrity of our election process by enacting legislation that requires voters to provide valid photo identification in order to cast a ballot in any and all elections conducted in the state of Texas.''' More...

Mar-02-2009 -- Shocking news: Tiger Woods human
Famous energy drink company Gatorade has announced that they are no longer willing to continue the sponsorship with Tiger Woods.
Type "Tiger Woods remix" into a Twitter search and a steady stream of postings pops up with people talking about the mashups. More...

Monday (Update 1)

Mar-01-2009 -- Senate impasse puts federal employees out of work
USA - The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has furloughed almost two thousand employees without pay from today after a bill to extend a short-term extension of the Highways Trust Fund was blocked by Senator Jim Bunning.
Jim Bunning -- the only guy in Washington who knows how to count. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Joe Kennedy III rules out run for House
Another guy named Joe Kennedy, this time it's Joseph P. Kennedy III, said no to running for the right to represent Massachusetts in Washington, D.C. After very little speculation, this Kennedy confirmed he won't run for the 10th Congressional District seat if Representative William Delahunt retires.
With speculation mounting that U.S. Representative William D. Delahunt will not seek reelection, Joseph P. Kennedy III, son of the former congressman and great-grandson of the Kennedy family patriarch, is eyeing a run to succeed him in the 10th Congressional District, senior Democratic sources say. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Fortunes Flip in Florida Race
'The reality is we never want to give the impression that government creates jobs,'' Cretul said.
Q. Despite double-digit unemployment and a budget shortfall that could exceed $3 billion, Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed a spending plan that includes significant spending increases for schools, health care and the environment - while at the same time cutting taxes $100 million. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- GOP governor's campaign is more texting than talking
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison awaiting the start of the Houston 2010 Annual Downtown Rodeo Parade.
I am appalled at Texans who are going to the polls without doing any research into the candidates they elect. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Obama's Vegas Visit Does Little for Reid's Popularity, Poll Shows
The top Republican candidates seeking to topple Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid continue to lead him by comfortable margins, but the Las Vegas Review-Journal decided to throw a "what-if" into the process and found that Reid might squeak back into the lead of a Tea Party candidate jumped into the race, according to a Mason-Dixon poll conducted Feb. 22-24 for the newspaper.
As Reid faces an uphill path to win re-election to a fifth Senate term, Obama's enthusiastic endorsement does not appear to have improved the Senate majority leader's standing among constituents. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Dillon tosses hat into crowded ring
After likely Republican primary voters heard straight biographical information about each candidate, Snyder, who cast himself as "one tough nerd" in ads that first aired during the Super Bowl, Snyder moves past Cox into second place.
Michigan House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, will formally announce Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Detroit Diesel Corp. plant in his hometown that he is running for governor. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Rain, snow possible in parts of Oklahoma
Monday is forecast to be a sunny day with highs in the mid 50s, but lower temperatures and the chance of snow in western Horry County and Columbus County, N.C., are expected to arrive tonight, according to the National Weather Service.
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Mar-01-2009 -- Pelosi Finds Common Ground with the Tea Partiers
Ms. Carender's first rally drew only 120 people.
You can claim there are just as many Democrats and Republicans in the Tea Bagger movement, just as you claimed there were 2 million people in DC on 9/12. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Raise taxes, cut spending to balance US budget -Hoyer
HOYER:. between the House and the Senate.
What next on health care reform? Is it dead or can something actually be passed into law? We'll get the overnight news and the latest pictures of the devastation in Chile. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- NY teen dumping garbage falls in sewage pit, dies
Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a teenage worker at a Smithtown Dunkin' Donuts who fell into an open cesspool while taking out garbage Sunday night, Suffolk County police said.
Andrew Mastrangelo, a spokesman for Dunkin' Donuts' parent company, Canton, Mass. -based Dunkin' Brands Inc., said the company and franchisee Jesse Walia, were saddened to learn of the death. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Obama walks to White House to improve cholesterol
HOYER:. between the House and the Senate.
What next on health care reform? Is it dead or can something actually be passed into law? We'll get the overnight news and the latest pictures of the devastation in Chile. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Obama walks to White House to improve cholesterol
U.S. President Barack Obama is in overall '''excellent health''' but still struggles with a smoking habit, his doctors said in a report after Obama had a routine medical exam yesterday.
One of the outcomes of the physical exam that President Barack Obama got on Sunday is an attempt to get a marginally high cholesterol reading in check. More...

Monday

Mar-01-2009 -- Nevada Nears Budget Deal
The gaming industry has balked at paying a proposed $32 million in fees a year to support the Gaming Control Board, but legislative sources told the Las Vegas Review Journal that lawmakers can bridge the revenue gap without casinos pitching in.
The last few inches or centimeters proved the hardest as the Republican governor and Democratic-led state Senate and Assembly attempted to bridge the wide political gap along with the budget gap. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Unattended toddlers die in NC fire; mother charged
This 2009 mug shot of Orgal Opata from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office.
One-year-old son, Gabriel Hawthorne, and his two-year-old brother, Josiah Hawthorne, died in the fire that destroyed the home. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Desiree Rogers, outgoing White House social secretary, speaks out on party ...
WASHINGTON -- Free for the first time to speak out about the circumstances surrounding the party-crashers at the White House state dinner in November, outgoing White House Social Secretary Desiree Glapion Rogers said Sunday her office followed established protocol to the letter that night, and reports that her office was not monitoring the gate when guests arrived are "just wrong."
Most recently, Smoot worked as the chief of staff for Ron Kirk, a U.S. trade representative. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Police: Suspects IDed in Milwaukee triple homicide
Police Chief Ed Flynn says 19-year-old Brittany Robertson was shot and killed Friday on Milwaukee's northwest side.
Robertson's body was found on the city's northwest side Friday evening. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Decision to fire all of RI school's teachers sad, desperate
The mass firings were approved by the school district's board of trustees Tuesday night after talks failed between Superintendent Frances Gallo and the local teachers union over implementing changes, including offering more after-school tutoring and a longer school day.
Until recently, one of the city's few growth industries was a quasi-public jail. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- High Calif. surf shuts down PCH, San Diego pier
The Ocean Beach Pier and the Mission Bay channel were closed Sunday because of high surf, a San Diego lifeguard lieutenant said.
More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Abortion provider goes miles to offer services
Under the headline "Ritter trying to'sneak in' abortion view," editorial writer Erik Rush concluded that more and more Americans are recognizing that abortion "is about the lucrative industry of killing babies in nauseatingly brutal and inhuman fashion."
The ADF argued that Colorado voters' approval of the Abortion Funding Prohibition Amendment to the Colorado Constitution prohibited the direct or indirect use of "public funds" to pay for abortions in the state. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- JFK runway closure to rattle nerves, wallets
Wanna fly? Get ready for higher fares, longer waits as runway at New York's JFK shuts down February 28th, 2010 JFK runway closure to rattle nerves, walletsNEW YORK ''' One runway, a whole lot of problems.
Sammartino also says JFK officials have added new taxi ways at angles that allow planes to go from terminal to takeoff more quickly. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Man Charged With Killing Husband, Stabbing Wife
A 46-year-old Randolph man is set to be arraigned today for the brutal murder of an elderly Stoughton homeowner who died trying to save his wife from the clutches of the killer Saturday morning, authorities said.
John M. Rooney of Randolph has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a 78-year-old man after breaking into his Stoughton home, District Attorney William Keating announced tonight. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- LA budget mess means cutbacks, layoffs
Feb. 26, 2010, babysittrer Nicole Fazio reads to two-year-old Zoza at a library in the Silver Lake.
In the recession of the early 1990s, it took nearly a decade for sales tax collections to bounce back. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Obama yet to kick smoking habit, should eat better
WASHINGTON - President Obama's doctors hinted Sunday that he still might be sneaking smokes when Michelle and the kids aren't around to yell at him.
Little has been known about the president'''s past health. More...

Mar-01-2009 -- Obama yet to kick smoking habit, should eat better
WASHINGTON - President Obama's doctors hinted Sunday that he still might be sneaking smokes when Michelle and the kids aren't around to yell at him.
Little has been known about the president'''s past health. More...

Sunday (Update 1)

Feb-28-2009 -- Obama has first medical checkup of presidency
Asked about his morning checkup, the president signals a thumbs-up.
Democrats and Republicans gird for more battles over legislation. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Officials: Pa. train double-fatal a suicide
Police are looking into widespread rumors that the girls may have formed a suicide pact.
Family, friends and fellow classmates gathered on Friday evening to remember two teens who were struck and killed by a train in Delaware County. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- US Rep. Linder will not seek re-election
Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau , Gwinnett County GOP Chairman Chuck Efstration , who is a Gwinnett assistant District Attorney, and Sandy Springs City Councilman Doug MacGinnitie , who is currently running for Secretary of State, are also viewed among the Republicans likely to look at the race.
"Georgia Republicans will always owe John a debt of gratitude," fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Coweta County said Saturday. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- How Bayh's departure helped, hurt both parties
INDIANAPOLIS - U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-Seymour, has not yet decided whether he will try to become his party'''s candidate to replace retiring Sen. Evan Bayh, but says he hopes to make his decision this weekend.
Your point about Ellsworth's district and Bayh's seat is well taken. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Double or Nothing on Men's Hockey
V ANCOUVER - Dimitri Soudas, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's official spokesman, is a betting man.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs will wear a Team Canada hockey jersey the next time he meets with reporters.'' More...

Feb-28-2009 -- For Washington region, a cold and snowy February
On Friday night, the weather service forecasts a 20 percent chance of snow showers with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 22 degrees.
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Feb-28-2009 -- Noose ignites more protests at UC San Diego
On Thursday February 25, 2010, a noose was found hanging from a bookshelf on the seventh floor of the UCSD Geisel library.
Administrators at the University of Califoria, San Diego say they have suspended a student who admits to hanging a noose in one of the campus' libraries. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- What caused Washington to be a campaign issue in Texas governor's race?
AUSTIN -- After more than a year of bare-knuckle combat between Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison before Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial primary, the bitterness of their fight has some experts wondering whether it could undercut Republican efforts to reunite against the Democratic nominee in the fall.
A poll in early February for major Texas newspapers found Perry leading with 45 percent support among likely Republican voters. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Hawaii returns to normal after tsunami scare
Hawaii tourism officials hope the publicity churned up by the tsunami that struck the Aloha State Saturday afternoon won'''t keep visitors from coming to the island.
The Aloha State experienced a double-digit decline in visitor spending in January, which followed a difficult 2009 for the state'''s tourism industry. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Waterboarding Emails Sought
Are Law Professor John Yoo and Federal Judge Jay Bybee war criminals or have they just dodged a bullet? Perhaps both.
Yeomans added that the report shows how broken the Justice Department's internal ethics department has become. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Your guide to the California governor's race
Many of the young Democratic activists present Saturday expressed confidence that Brown could match the two wealthy Republicans.
We must strike a balance between preserving our environment and ensuring California's economy stays competitive with neighboring states. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- As Clock Ticks, Nuclear Plant Searches for Leak
Entergy has yet to find the exact location of the leak, and legislators seem hamstrung about getting Entergy to even temporarily shut off the plant to find it.
The petition process can take weeks, and the NRC insists that the plant must keep running to find the leak. More...

Sunday

Feb-28-2009 -- Unemployment Benefits to Expire Sunday After Senate Stalemates On Extension
The House passed a bill Thursday extending the programs for one month while lawmakers consider how to address the issues long-term.
Stabenow and other Democrats were quick to blame the Republican Party for blocking benefits at a time when unemployment is near 10 percent. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- No rainout for tea partyers
The TEA Party itself, Boehner suggests, is what's leading the party's parade.
"There were no speaker changes. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- US Rep. Linder will not seek re-election
Another House Republican, Representative John Linder of Georgia, is stepping down at the end of this session, making him the 19th to do so.
Currently, Democrats have 14. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Primary set for Tuesday
A complaint letter was submitted to Tippecanoe County's Board of Election and Registration by Sue Render, 30 Mary Hill Road in Lafayette.
Jones could have remained the party's candidate in the race, but Tippecanoe County Republican Party Chairman Bob Hicks would not give Jones a letter of approval. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- AP source: RFK's grandson weighing US House run
BOSTON — A top Massachusetts Democrat said Saturday that one of Robert F. Kennedy's grandsons is considering carrying on the family's vaunted political tradition by running for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Delahunt's district includes Barnstable County, where Joseph Kennedy III works as a prosecutor. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Not Working Out as Intended
Entergy has yet to find the exact location of the leak, and legislators seem hamstrung about getting Entergy to even temporarily shut off the plant to find it.
What I don't get about this whole situation is why the NRC doesn't bring someone in (either an NRC employee, or maybe a qualified consultant) to be the Acting Director of Safety? Doesn't the NRC have anybody qualified to take over operations of Nuclear Plants when necessary? If Entergy can't run the plant safely, bring in someone who can (at least temporarily, until the 'permanent disposition' of the situation can be sorted out). More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Waterboarding Emails Sought
Are Law Professor John Yoo and Federal Judge Jay Bybee war criminals or have they just dodged a bullet? Perhaps both.
The history of what happened in the Office of Legal Counsel during the Bush Administration is exactly why we need to confirm Dawn Johnsen to head that office.'' More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Noose ignites more protests at UC San Diego
On Thursday February 25, 2010, a noose was found hanging from a bookshelf on the seventh floor of the UCSD Geisel library.
Male guests were advised to wear large t-shirts, rapper-style urban clothing and gold chains which females were encouraged to dress like "ghetto chicks". More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Senators seen ditching cap and trade in new bill
WASHINGTON — Three key senators are writing a new climate bill without a broad "cap-and-trade" approach to reducing carbon pollution, leaving behind what has been the central feature in the debate over climate legislation for years, The Washington Post reported Friday night.
A Washington Post editorial argues that a carbon tax, aside from curbing global warming, is in the nation’s economic interest . More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Not much overlap in Missouri GOP, tea party meetings
McCain is facing a fierce challenge from Tea Party candidate J.D. Hayworth.
Iowa Taxpayers''' Day continues our mission to educate and inform Iowans on tax and spending issues.''' More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Girl's death not the result of hit-and-run, police say
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 13-year-old girl died Friday after being struck by two cars while crossing the street to board a school bus in Brentwood.
Authorities on Friday were searching for the driver of a black Mercedes-Benz and perhaps that of one other vehicle in their investigation of a fatal hit-and-run accident that took the life of a 13-year-old girl on her way to school in Brentwood. More...

Feb-28-2009 -- Calif. storm clogs freeways; hills, homes intact
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for parts of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties that were charred by wildfires.
The NWS also issued a high-surf advisory beginning at 1 p.m. Steady rain is falling over the La Ca''ada Flintridge area, where a heavy storm earlier this month caused massive mudslides that damaged dozens of homes. More...