Weekly Issues Alert

June 16-22

"We can't have lasting peace unless we work actively and vigorously to bring about conditions of freedom and justice in the world." ---Harry Truman

North Carolina General Assembly

House, Senate Still Apart on Budget

House and Senate negotiators successfully resolved Wednesday scores of differences in their respective budget bills for the next fiscal year but have yet to endorse agreements on taxes, education funding and salary increases. Read
N.C. Vets Could Get Relief from Identity Theft

North Carolina military veterans — worried about a massive security breach that may expose them to identity theft — would be able to block access to their credit records under a bill approved Wednesday by a House panel. Read
Most Wanted Lists Filling With Illegal Immigrants

Authorities in Wake and Johnston counties say their most-wanted lists are growing like crazy as they try to track down Hispanic crime suspects. Read
Lots of E-mail Prompts Action on Saying Pledge

Rep. Maggie Jeffus can remember when she started her career as a school teacher saying the Pledge of Allegiance with her class every day. "That just kind of dropped off over time," the Greensboro Democrat said.

Lawmakers would prod school systems into bringing back the pledge in classrooms where it has fallen out of the daily routine under a bill that cleared a key committee vote Tuesday. Read
Monday at the General Assembly Read
Coalition Claims Lawmakers Aren't Meeting Needs Of Low-Income Schools

"Our legislators could not find it in their hearts to fully invest in our disadvantaged youth," said Zulayka Santiago of El Pueblo. Read
New N.C. State Employees Could Come Under Close Scrutiny

The Department of Homeland Security would verify the legal residency status of all new North Carolina state employees under a bill unanimously approved Tuesday by a House panel. New state employees already submit self-identification forms to the state. But Rep. George Cleveland called that process an inadequate "farce." Read
N.C. Senate Committee, Appeals Court, Act on Eminent Domain

A Senate judiciary committee agreed Tuesday on a bill that would bar local governments from using eminent domain authority to take land for private projects. Read
N.C. House Approves Sex Offender Registration Changes

Registered sex offenders could be charged with a felony crime if they knowingly live within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center or public swimming pool in a bill unanimously approved by the House. Read
N.C. Wrestles with Spike in Murders

State, local officials at odds over how to better fund law enforcement Read
State House Considers Campaign Finance Reforms

In a new effort to keep state leaders honest, the House passed the first reading of a bill requiring lawmakers to show how they're spending campaign donations before the election this fall. Read
Budget Shortfall Means Delays In Major N.C. Road Projects

The state Transportation Department will have to postpone most major road improvement projects over the next three years because of a $920 million shortfall, officials said. Read
General Assembly Honors Hurricanes gets Close Look at Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes were honored at the General Assembly on Wednesday by lawmakers who praised them for bringing the first big-league professional sports championship to North Carolina. Read

North Carolina Courts

Appeals Court Rejects Discrimination Claims Against Rural Co-Op

The state Court of Appeals rejected arguments Tuesday by nine customers of a nonprofit rural electric cooperative who alleged racial discrimination in the election its board of directors. Read
N.C. Appeals Court Grants Second New Trial for Wake County Woman

The state Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered a third trial for a Wake County woman convicted of killing her husband in 2000, arguing that testimony about the man's violent character should have been heard by jurors before their deliberation. Read
Special Forsyth County Court Proposed for Mentally Ill

CenterPoint has submitted a $250,000 grant proposal to the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance to operate the court for 30 months, said Carl Ekstrom, the director of CenterPoint's government and community relations. He said some of the 90 U.S. mental-health courts already operating were models for the Forsyth County plan. Read
N.C. Judicial Candidate Sent First "Rescue" Funds

North Carolina's voluntary public financing program for appellate court races made history this month when state officials agreed to send a candidate additional state funds after her non-participating challenger raised more. Read
Father Has no Right to Adopt Despite Mother's Deception

A biological father should lose his parental rights because he did not establish himself as a caregiver, even though the mother deceived the man by claiming she had a miscarriage, the state Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. Read
Davidson Official to Resign after Conviction Upheld

A Davidson County commissioner said Wednesday he will resign his office after the state Court of Appeals upheld his fraud conviction for having a county employee repair a toilet at his home while on county time. Read

Other North Carolina News

N.C. Relatives Care for Kids of Soldier Killed in Iraq

Family has stepped in to care for the children of a soldier killed in Iraq in an attack that ended with two of his comrades presumed kidnapped. Read
Pentagon Names Commander of Special Forces at Fort Bragg

The commander of Special Operations Command, Europe, will head the U.S. Army Special Forces Command at Fort Bragg, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Read
Paladin Industries Named Among Fastest Growing Businesses in U.S.

Tim Bolick, left, and Elaine Bolick, right started Paladin Industries in Hiddenite, a medium to high end upholstery furniture manufacturing company, in 2002 with an investment of $950,000 and only two employees. With sales in 2005 reaching $10 million, and with a current staff of over 100 employees, Paladin Industries was recently recognized in the June 2006 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine for being ranked 59th of the top 100 fastest-growing businesses in America. Read
A Father's Influence Extends to Generations

Abraham had gone to Egypt because of a famine. His wife Sarah was a stunningly attractive woman and Abraham was deeply concerned someone might attempt to kill him to obtain her. So he instructed Sarah to say she was his sister. Read
Protection Vowed for Wilderness Areas

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Wednesday agreed to develop regulations for limiting development in the roadless, wild areas of national forests in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Read
General: Chaplains Playing 'Critical Role' in World

Brig. Gen. Douglas Carver, the U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, speaks to Southern Baptist chaplains during a luncheon June 12 at the Sheraton Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C. Carver is the first Southern Baptist chaplain to be promoted to active duty in the Chief of Chaplains office in more than 50 years. The gathering was held the day before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 13-14 in Greensboro, N.C. "Times are dangerous and difficult. But God has raised you up for a time such as this," Brig. Gen. Douglas L. Carver, U.S. Army Deputy Chief of Chaplains, told more than 100 Southern Baptist chaplains at an appreciation luncheon just prior to the SBC annual meeting June 12. Read
Suspect In Rocky Mount Officer's Shooting Arrested In Mexico

Last September, Rocky Mount police Officer Greg Brown was shot in the line of duty. "I asked him a couple of questions, and the next thing I know I saw a gun come from his back, and when I turned to take cover I didn't even hear the shots. I just saw a flash," said Brown. Local and federal authorities launched a massive, international search for Flavio Cerecedo. He was finally arrested in Mexico last weekend. Read
Fort Bragg Cutting Temporary Jobs, Expenditures To Save Money

Commanders at Fort Bragg are cutting jobs and limiting spending to help bridge a budget shortfall. The Army base near Fayetteville is operating on about a fifth of its usual budget of $1 million per day. Read
N.C. State Chief Wants In-State Rates For Immigrant Students

The provost at N.C. State University wants his fellow educators to push for a change in state law that allows immigrants to get in-state tuition rates. Larry Nielsen spoke in favor of the change yesterday at a conference on higher education and Hispanics. Read
Wake Forest Recruit Indicted on Rape, Kidnapping Charge

Wake Forest recruit Dennis Godfrey has been indicted on charges of rape and kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl, according to court records. Godfrey, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound tight end recruited out of Lee County High School, is also accused of second-degree sexual offense and sexual battery. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all four counts. The indictments were issued by a grand jury Monday and made public Tuesday. Read
DA Plans to Turn Over More Papers in Lacrosse Case

District Attorney Mike Nifong plans to give defense lawyers at least 300 additional pages of information about the Duke University lacrosse rape case, adding to 1,298 pages of documentation surrendered previously. Read
Triad Company Helping Make Nation Safer

When President Bush addressed the nation from an undisclosed location after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Terri Kim knew exactly where he was. Read
Scholars Lag behind Athletes in UNC Tuition Break

Athletes will benefit twice as much as scholars from a change in state law that gives out-of-state students on full scholarship to North Carolina public universities in-state status. Read
N.C. Bakers Burned by Unexpected Tax Change

Bakers who missed a warning of a change in the state sales tax are steaming, discovering they may owe tens of thousands of dollars that they failed to collect since the change went into effect. Read
11 Triangle-Area Roads Still Closed After Last Week's Flooding

About 11 roads left impassible after last week's flooding still need to be fixed, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said on Monday. Read
God's Grace Gives Motivation to 'Gospel Walker'

A 72-year-old North Carolina evangelist has begun his fourth walk across the United States in an effort to challenge churches to do a better job of reaching out to people who are hurting. Read
Baker Furniture Moving Operating HQ to N.C.

Baker Furniture, a company founded in southwestern Michigan more than 100 years ago, will move its Grand Rapids headquarters and warehousing operations to North Carolina, bringing 70 jobs. Read
Youth Charged with Holding Teacher, Student Hostage in April

A 17-year-old student accused of holding a teacher and fellow student hostage in a classroom in April was formally named in kidnapping and weapons charges Monday. Read
15 People Charged In Raleigh Poker Raid

A two-month investigation paid off for investigators in Raleigh. Authorities confiscated more than $40,000 in cash after breaking up an illegal poker game in Raleigh. They also found gambling equipment and drugs inside a house on Tarheel Club Road. Read
Governor Proclaims Tuesday 'Carolina Hurricanes Day'

Gov. Mike Easley on Tuesday proclaimed June 20 "Carolina Hurricanes Day" and encouraged fans to wear red, white and black to support the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions. Read
Man Accused of Growing $400,000 Worth of Marijuana

Durham County sheriff's deputies arrested a man accused of growing more than $400,000 worth of marijuana off Tom Clark Road, according to Lt. Derek O'Mary. Read
Students Face Deadline to Lock in College Loan Rates

Students with college loans have only a few days left to lock in lower interest rates before they rise. After the June 30 deadline, rates will increase about 2 percentage points. Read
Tyson Chicken Lab Busy Screening for Avian Flu

Small vials of chicken-blood serum arrive by the thousands each week in FedEx and UPS deliveries to a brick building along N.C. 268.

Seven days a week, workers at the Tyson Foods laboratory conduct screening tests for avian influenza. Read
MedCath Selling its Ownership in Tucson Heart Hospital

Tucson Heart Hospital will be totally locally owned after a decision by the parent company to sell its 59 percent ownership to Charlotte, N.C.-based Carondelet Health Network. The sale is expected to be final by Sept. 1, officials said Tuesday. Read
Scouts' Honor Salisbury Man Awarded Eagle Scout at 79

Harry McCora will probably frame the certificate the Boy Scouts of America sent him announcing he's been awarded the rank of Eagle Scout. Not that there's anything unusual about a guy becoming an Eagle Scout if he's willing to work hard learning all kinds of things.

But to achieve that rank when he's 79 years old? Read
Fayetteville Carjacking Leads To Multi-County Chase

Seven law enforcement agencies were involved in a multi-county chase that ended in a Bladen County crash. Authorities say the incident started Wednesday afternoon in Fayetteville when 37-year-old Mike Young, of New York City, NY, and 30-year-old Jinnese Navarro, of Jersey City, N.J., took another woman's car at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville. Later in the afternoon, investigators said the man and woman, matching the description of the carjackers, robbed a motel in White Lake at gunpoint. Read
Decontamination Of Harmful Toxins To Start Near Crabtree Lake

Local leaders have announced plans to clean up cancer-causing toxins near a local lake. Investigators first found high levels of PCB's near the RDU Airport in the 1970s. Since then, the chemical seeped into Lake Crabtree and has moved four miles downstream, causing warnings to go up about eating fish from the water. The EPA blames pollution from the Ward Transformer facility. Now, more than 100,000 tons of contaminated soil at the plant near RDU needs to be treated. Read
Pillowtex Workers Soon to See Checks for Money Owed

Union workers who lost their jobs in the largest mass layoff in North Carolina history may soon get checks for unpaid vacations and for the sudden closing of Pillotex Corp., a company official said. Read

Congress

Senate Democrats Urge Beginning of an Iraq Pullout This Year, but Avoid a Firm Schedule

Trying to bridge party divisions on the eve of a Senate debate, leading Democrats called Monday for American troops

to begin pulling out of Iraq this year. Read
GOP House: Broad Immigration Bill Unlikely

Republican congressional leaders, reacting to their voters' concerns about border security, say an immigration bill offering citizenship along the path outlined by President Bush is unlikely to pass this year. Read
Senate GOP Derails Minimum-Wage Bill

Senate Republicans on Wednesday killed an effort to raise the minimum wage, but Democrats who back the measure say they will try again both... Read
Estate-Tax Foes Warm to Offer of Reduction in Rates

Some of the staunchest advocates of eliminating estate taxes said Wednesday they could accept, with some reservations, a compromise that stops short of complete repeal. "It's hard to get excited about it," said Pat Toomey, president of the conservative Club for Growth. "I suppose, on balance, it's better to have this than not to have it." The reduction under consideration, scheduled for House debate today, would rewrite estate-tax rates in 2010 and beyond. It responds to a quirky and temporary law, part of President Bush's first tax cut, that erases estate taxes in 2010 and revives them a year later. Read
G.O.P. Decides to Embrace War as Issue

Just a few weeks ago, some Republicans were openly fretting about the war in Iraq and its effect on their re-election prospects, with particularly vulnerable lawmakers worried that its growing unpopularity was becoming a drag on their campaigns. But there was little sign of such nervousness on Wednesday as Republican after Republican took to the Senate floor to offer an unambiguous embrace of the Iraq war and to portray Democrats as advocates of an overly hasty withdrawal that would have grave consequences for the security of the United States. Like their counterparts in the House last week, they accused Democrats of espousing "retreat and defeatism." Read

Courts

Judges Reject City's Appeal to Keep Cross

A federal court on Wednesday rejected a last-ditch appeal by the city to keep a giant cross standing on municipal property after a 17-year legal tussle. The 29-foot hilltop cross was dedicated in 1954 as a memorial to Korean War veterans, and a private association maintains a veterans memorial on the land surrounding it. Read
High Court Takes California Partial-Birth Abortion Case

Oral arguments will be heard in October. Read
Justices Divided on Protections Over Wetlands

The Supreme Court's fractured decision on the Clean Water Act is likely to lead to new regulatory battles and a push

for new legislation. Read
Judge Dismisses Child Rape Case After Attorney Late For Court

A Cuyahoga County, Ohio, judge threw out the charge against a man accused of raping a girl six years ago when the prosecutor in the case was 45 minutes late to trial. Read
Court: Judge Erred in Sex Offender Case

An appeals court has ruled that a federal judge erred in requiring a sex offender to undergo a periodic test that measures his response to erotic images. In its decision handed down Tuesday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals described the test as "Orwellian" because it examines the mind of Matthew Weber, not just his body. Read
German Court: 'Popetown' Cartoon Doesn't Disparage Religion

A German court has rejected a complaint accusing MTV of disparaging Christianity by airing the notorious "Popetown" cartoon. Read
Court: 1st Amendment Doesn't Shield Author

When Edwin A. Kane begged for leniency in a fraud case, he presented more than 35 letters from family and friends attesting to his good character. Prosecutors countered by giving the judge some of Kane's own writings: smarmy "how-to" books that included advice on how to perform illegal real estate transactions and "train" a wife with a rolled up newspaper. Read
Judge: 'Railroad Killer' to Be Executed

A judge ruled that "Railroad Killer" Angel Maturino Resendiz is mentally competent to be executed next week despite claims from his attorneys that he believes he is half-man, half-angel. Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

Billion Soul Brings Harvest Initiative to Chicago

The global thrust of soul-winning opens another all-day summit with pastors, educators and evangelists recognizing that the commission to reach the world is a collective effort. Read
Episcopalians Choose First Female Bishop in Anglican History — Fox News

The Episcopal Church on Sunday elected Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first female chief pastor of the denomination and the first female leader in the history of the world Anglican Communion. Read
Kansas Pastor Accuses New Age Group of Denying Its Religious Nature

A Kansas pastor is raising concerns about a New Age group that he says refuses to acknowledge its religious ties. According to Evangelical Free Church pastor Greg Hubbard, the group attempting to build "peace palaces" in Smith Center, Kansas, is a Hindu missionary effort. Read
Midwestern Seminary Reports Record Growth & Expansion

After three straight years of record-breaking student headcounts, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Philip Roberts reminded Southern Baptists of the school's commitment "in the heartland to reach the hearts of the world." Read
New Orleans Seminary Pledges Not to Abandon Local Churches & Ministries. Read
Mohler: Southern Serves Churches by Preparing Gospel Ministers

Developing mature, faithful Christian workers to serve in the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ is why Southern Baptist Theological Seminary exists, President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said June 14 at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, N.C. Read
'Tolerance' Advocates Post Fla. Marriage Amendment Supporters' Names Online

The chairman of a group that is gathering signatures to put a marriage amendment on Florida's ballot is accusing a pro-homosexual church of engaging in scare tactics to keep people from signing the petition in support of protecting traditional marriage. Read
Study: House Church Participation Rises in America

House church participation has increased rapidly in the past decade, according to a new Barna study. The recent survey revealed millions of American adults trying out new forms of spiritual community and worship with many alternating between house churches and conventional churches. Read
Presbyterians to Decide on Gay Clergy

It is a debate that could change the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) forever: whether to allow leeway on the ordination of gay clergy and lay elders and deacons. Read
Presbyterians to Re-Examine Israel Policy

A two-year-old Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) policy authorizing divestment from some companies operating in Israel is up for re-examination. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

South Dakota Abortion Ban Goes to Voters As Petition Signatures Certified

South Dakota voters will have the chance to voice their opinion on a statewide abortion ban the state legislature approved earlier this year. Today, Secretary of State Chris Nelson certified that abortion advocates filed enough petitions to take the abortion ban to the November ballot. Read
Louisiana Abortion Ban Represents New, Winning Strategy for Stopping Roe

It's time for the PRA — the Post-Roe Activation clause. Led by women with the courage to share their stories of profound grief and medical trauma that they suffered after they chose the "choice," Louisiana has passed legislation to outlaw the human rights violation known as abortion on demand. Read
Scientists Mix Human and Animal Cells, Hybrid Causes Ethical Concerns

Scientists are mixing human and animal cells in bizarre research that goes to the heart of concerns over how far researchers are willing to go to conduct experiments. Yale University scientists, funded by the United States government, are inserting millions of human brain cells into the heads of monkeys afflicted with Parkinson's disease. Read
Kansas Pro-Life Group Says Law Needed to Protect Pregnant Women

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — Kansans for Life is calling on lawmakers to approve a bill that would offer protection for pregnant mothers and their unborn children who are victims of violence assaults. The call comes after a Kansas family lost their 14 year-old daughter Chelsea Brooks, who was murdered while she was nine months pregnant. Read
Police Seize Girl's Aborted Fetus To Find Out Paternity

The DNA of an aborted fetus will be tested in Ohio in an effort to find out who got a 14-year-old girl pregnant. The girl's mother tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper that she hopes the tests will "lead to a conviction" of a teenage boy who the girl says raped her.

Cleveland police said they try three or four times a year to obtain an aborted fetus in rape or incest cases. Police officers used a search warrant to seize the fetus from an abortion clinic last week. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

West Hollywood Wants to Legalize Pot Use

First West Hollywood officials required that pet owners be known as "pet guardians." Then they banned cat declawing and even considered outlawing pet cosmetic surgery. On Monday, the Westside town famous for its novelmunicipal lawmaking took a stab at legalizing the recreational use of small amounts of marijuana. Read
A Child Eye's View of Meth Abuse

Children in homes where methamphetamine abuse has overtaken their parents are traumatized by the experience, many times left alone and hungry for days at a time, abused, forced to get high themselves, asked to steal and lie to authorities by the hyper and delusional adults in their lives. Read
Coffee Lowers Risk of Cirrhosis?

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease, but authors of a new study warn that the best way to reduce the risk of cirrhosis is to stop drinking alcohol. Read
Bridgeport Mayor Won't Quit over Drug Use

Mayor John M. Fabrizi admitted Tuesday he had abused cocaine while in office and said he wanted to apologize "to all the people of the city" but had no plans to resign. Read
DUI Arrest Raises Questions about Laws

How could Susan L. West be on the road again? That's the question that arises in the wake of her arrest by a Bellevue police officer on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday. In 1997, West pleaded guilty to vehicular-homicide charges stemming from the death of Mary Johnsen, 38. West struck and killed Johnsen while driving on the Sammamish Plateau. West's 20-year history of drunken-driving arrests and the death of Johnsen helped lead to the 1998 passage of 13 state laws aimed at drunken-driving problems. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

National Education Association Set to Endorse Homosexual Marriage

The National Education Association is set to endorse homosexual marriage at their convention coming up in Orlando June 29 through July 6. Sign Letter
Attorney: School Could Face Suit for Censoring Christian Valedictory Speech

A constitutional attorney is denouncing a Las Vegas school district for pulling the plug on a Christian student's commencement speech because it referred to her faith in Jesus Christ. At a recent graduation ceremony, Clark County School District (CCSD) officials cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb after she began reading a speech that contained Bible verses and references to God. Read
ACLU Sues Fla. Schools Over Cuba Book Ban

The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge to stop the Miami-Dade County school district from removing a series of children's books from its libraries, including a volume about Cuba which depicts smiling kids in communist uniforms. Read
National Faculty Leadership Conference (Sponsored by Christian Leadership Ministries )

The Two Tasks: Redeeming the Soul, Redeeming the Mind. June 22-25, 2006 Read
Christian World View Conference

Saturday, July 15 , 2006 Read
Single-Gender Public Schools Proliferating

Experts say separating boys and girls allows schools to play to their differences. Read
"Awesome God" Censored by Elementary School

The case of an 8-year-old New Jersey girl who was told she couldn't sing Rich Mullins' "Awesome God" for an after-school talent show has created a platform for attorneys to highlight the rights of students to express a religious viewpoint, The Christian Science Monitor reported. Read
'Tolerant' Governor Fires 'Intolerant' Christian

A public official in Maryland has been fired by the Republican governor because he merely expressed his personal beliefs and the teaching of his church that homosexuality is immoral. Robert Smith was fired from his position on the Metro board by Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr. after a homosexual complained. Read
FIRE Blasts Johns Hopkins for Letting Conservative Paper Be Censored

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore, Maryland, is being accused of condoning mob censorship. An academic freedom and individual rights watchdog group is decrying school officials' part in an apparent attempt to silence a conservative newspaper. Read
Fewer Hours Can Lower Teen Crash Rates

Limiting the hours teens can drive and the number of people riding with them can reduce crash rates among young motorists by 20 percent, according to a study of drivers in Canada and Oregon. Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

U.S. Soldiers' Bodies Mutilated, Booby-Trapped

The bodies of two U.S. soldiers found in Iraq Monday night were mutilated and booby-trapped, military sources said Tuesday. Read
Report: Iraqi Troops Killed U.S. Soldiers Patrolling With Them

Two California soldiers shot to death in Iraq were murdered by Iraqi civil-defense officers patrolling with them, military investigators have found. Read
7 Marines, 1 Sailor Charged with Murder in Iraq

The wife of one of seven Marines charged along with a sailor with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an Iraqi man said Thursday that her husband was shocked by the allegations. "He's just a great person, a great father, a great husband and a great Marine. His being in prison doesn't make any sense," Erica Thomas said on an early morning talk show. Read
U.S. Begins Massive War Games in Pacific

Three aircraft carriers filled the skies with fighters as one of the largest U.S. military exercises in decades got underway Tuesday off this island in the western Pacific. For the first time ever, a Chinese delegation was sent to observe the U.S. war games. But as the show of American military power began, North Korea — one of the region's most unpredictable countries — was rattling some swords of its own. Read
Pa. City Poised for Immigration Crackdown

With tensions rising and the police department and municipal budget stretched thin, Hazleton is about to embark on one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants anywhere in the United States. Last week the mayor of this former coal town introduced, and the City Council tentatively approved, a measure that would revoke the business licenses of companies that employ illegal immigrants; impose $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants; and make English the official language of the city. Read
U.S. a Bigger Threat than Iran? Bush Calls Idea "Absurd"

An angry-sounding President Bush said Wednesday it was "absurd" to call the United States a greater threat to world stability than Iran, despite a poll showing that's what many Europeans say. Read
New Scrutiny of Illegal Immigrants in Minor Crimes

Federal authorities generally deport illegal immigrants who are violent felons, but those who commit lesser crimes are

often overlooked. Read
U.S. Within Range of New N. Korea Missile — ABC News

North Korea is accelerating preparations for testing a missile that has the potential to strike the United States, a U.S. government official said Friday. A test of the Taepodong-2 long-range missile may be imminent, the official said. Read
U.S. Housing Boom is Biggest since 1890 — Market Watch

The recent housing boom is the biggest the United States has ever seen, but its underlying reasons may have been psychological, economist Robert J. Shiller said on Friday. New data also suggest the market might be at the end of a cycle, he added. Read
Book: al-Qaida Planned Gas Attack on NYC — ABC News

U.S. officials received intelligence that al-Qaida operatives had been 45 days away from releasing a deadly gas into the city's subways when the plan was called off by Osama bin Laden's deputy in 2003, according to a book excerpt released Sunday on Time magazine's Web site. Read
Army Cancels Contract for Iraqi Prison

The cancellation of the $99.1 million contract is another harsh rebuke for Parsons, one of the largest companies working in Iraq. Read
Crime Rising, New Orleans Asks for National Guard

Mayor C. Ray Nagin acknowledged a rise in drug-related violence and looting and requested reinforcements. Read
A McDonald's Ally in Paris

Denis Hennequin has successfully sold something quintessentially American to a people who purport to be

against American culture. Read
Europe Raves Over U.S. Culture, Reviles the Politics

American culture is popular, but Austrians are disenchanted with U.S. politics and plan to show that during the president's visit. Read
ACLU Debates Limiting the Free Speech of Its Board

In a tangle that is the very definition of irony, board members of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — known for defending child pornography and Nazi parades under the guise of free speech — are debating whether they can muzzle their own opinions of their own organization. The New York Times reported that several board members expressed objections Saturday concerning proposed standards that would prohibit them from publicly criticizing the ACLU's policies and internal operations. Read
Goodyear Cuts Private Label Business, Warns of Job Cuts

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the world's largest tiremaker, on Wednesday said it was axing a third of its private label tire business and cutting manufacturing jobs to improve profits. Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

U.S. Episcopalian Leaders Reject Temporary Ban on Gay Bishops

Episcopal clergy and lay delegates Tuesday rejected a demand from fellow Anglicans that they temporarily stop electing gay bishops, leaving little chance the proposal could be revived at a national church meeting. Anglican leaders, angered by the 2003 consecration of an openly gay Episcopal bishop, had asked the Episcopalians pass a moratorium — at least for now — on homosexuals leading dioceses. Read
Schwarzenegger Fund-Raises for Gay GOP Group

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to headline a fundraiser for gay Republicans in Hollywood next week in what would be his first appearance in front of a gay audience since he took office, according to the event's organizers. Read
Mohler: Churches that Embrace Homosexuality Deny Scripture

Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. told a CNN audience June 15 that the Bible is "very clear" in teaching that homosexuality is a sin and that those who practice it can be freed through the Gospel of Christ. Photo courtesy of Southern Seminary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — The issue of whether or not the church should embrace homosexuality comes down to its acceptance or denial of the authority of Scripture, R. Albert Mohler Jr. told a national television audience on CNN's "Larry King Live" on June 15. Read
HIV Outbreak in China, Study Says

According to a just-released study, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — the virus that causes AIDS — is spreading numerically and geographically throughout China. Read
Pentagon: Homosexuality Is a Mental Disorder

A Pentagon document classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, decades after mental health experts abandoned that position.

The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders. Read
Gun Battle Kills Two at Detention Center

Guards Accused of Having Sex With Female Inmates Read

Other News

Japan to Withdraw Its Troops From Iraq

Tokyo will pull out its 600 soldiers stationed in the country's south, reportedly within two months. The deployment has been controversial at home. Read
Russian Diplomats 'To Be Killed'

Insurgents in Iraq have announced their intention to kill four Russian diplomats being held hostage, according to an internet posting. Russia "did everything for Iraq not to find itself in the situation that it is in today," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, referring to Moscow's opposition to the war in Iraq. "Hating us and taking our compatriots hostage is completely unjust. It doesn't correspond to reality or the interests of the Iraqi people," he said. Read
Iraq's Disastrous 'Black Oil' Swamps — Int'l Herald Tribune

An environmental disaster is brewing in the heartland of Iraq's northern Sunni-led insurgency, where Iraqi officials say that in a desperate move to dispose of millions of barrels of an oil refinery byproduct called "black oil," the government pumped it into open mountain valleys and leaky reservoirs next to the Tigris River and set it on fire. Read
Prosecutor in Hussein Trial Calls for the Death Penalty

Saddam Hussein reacted dismissively as the prosecutor demanded that he and three associates be given the death penalty for the persecution of a mainly Shiite town. Read
EU Ignores Constitution Vote to Launch Anti-Terror Squad — London Telegraph

European leaders were accused of "cherry picking" from the moribund European Union constitution last night after agreeing to create a pan-European counter-terrorism force. Read
Another One of Saddam's Lawyers Killed

One of Saddam Hussein's main lawyers was shot to death Wednesday after he was abducted from his Baghdad home by men wearing police uniforms, the third killing of a member of the former leader's defense team since the trial started some eight months ago. Read

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Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

2007

2006