Weekly Issues Alert

N.C. State Fair

October 13 - 19

"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." --Thomas Jefferson

NC General Assembly

Black Legal Fund Accepting PAC Money — The Herald Sun

The head of House Speaker Jim Black's legal defense fund has accepted money for the fund from a political action committee affiliated with one of the state's largest unions. The legal fund received a $5,000 check dated Aug. 25 from "Drive PAC," an arm of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, according to election reports and legal fund organizer Addison Bell. Read
Former NC Legislator, Democratic Chairman Hyde Dead at 80 — The Herald Sun

Herbert L. Hyde, a former legislator, state Democratic Party chairman and cabinet secretary under Gov. Jim Hunt, died Sunday night at the age of 80. Read
Rep. Allen, Co-Sponsor of Lottery Law, Dies — Myrtle Beach Sun News

State Rep. Bernard Allen, who co-sponsored legislation to create North Carolina's lottery and then pushed for a committee to make sure the proceeds were wisely spent, died late Friday, a House aide said Saturday. Read
State Lawmaker Wants To Change Lottery Funding Formula — WRAL

Dollar said he plans to introduce a bill to change that. He said he wants to take all of the net proceeds from the lottery and float a $5 billion statewide school bond for construction. Read

NC Courts

Geddings Guilty on Five Counts — Raleigh News and Observer

A federal jury Thursday found that corruption stained the start North Carolina's lottery, convicting Kevin L. Geddings for hiding dealings with a lottery vendor when he joined the commission in charge of the games. Read
N.C. Appeals Court Orders Resentencing, New Trial — WRAL

North Carolina's Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered that a man convicted of shooting a bouncer outside a nightclub should receive a new sentence because of an error by the trial court. Read
Grand Jury Indicts Man in Quadruple Homicide — Herald Sun

An admitted drug trafficker was indicted Monday in last year's execution-style quadruple homicide, and District Attorney Mike Nifong said the Breckenridge subdivision slayings were the most senseless act of violence in Durham history. Read

NC Politics

Bush's N.C. Visit Might Not Help Some Repubican Candidates — WRAL

President George W. Bush will make his fourth visit to the state this year on Wednesday, when he visits Greensboro. North Carolina is familiar territory to Bush. Three weeks before Election Day, though, does the campaign stop help or hurt local candidates? Read
Sex-Related Issues Dominate North Carolina Congressional Debate — Fox News

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller chuckled through most of the first debate with his Republican challenger, who led a tense and often awkward discussion about sex-related issues Tuesday. Read
Burr Passes Along Donation — Raleigh News and Observer

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, has given a $1,000 political contribution from disgraced former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley to Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem. The move came after state Democratic chairman Jerry Meek urged Burr and others to return the contributions from the Florida congressman caught up in the Congressional page scandal. Read
Politics : 80 Year Old North Carolina Man Plans "Walk" for Candidate — Lincoln Tribune

What do you say about a man who has walked more than 1300 miles all over N.C. in the last several years? Fit and determined are two good words. Mark Henderson, 80 years old, of Creedmoor has done just that. This time he is walking across the 13th Congressional District campaigning for candidate Vernon Robinson. Henderson wants to play a part in Robinson's campaign against incumbent Brad Miller. Henderson stated, "Miller's voting record does not match the values of this district. Vernon Robinson has pegged Miller right as being a liberal. We need a good conservative man in Congress and Robinson strikes me as just that. I want to help get him to Washington." Read
GOP Congressional Candidate Owes More Than $220K In Unpaid Taxes — WRAL

A Republican congressional candidate who has advocated elimination of the federal income tax owes the federal government more than $220,000 in unpaid taxes, according to liens filed in Johnston County. Danny Mansell is trying to unseat Rep. Bob Etheridge. He blamed the years-old tax problems on a time when he neglected to manage his business while his mother was dying and his wife battled cancer. Read

Other North Carolina News

Legally Blind Vet Denied Service At Fayetteville Restaurant — WRAL

Sgt. Maj. Colin Rich was on a foot patrol in Afghanistan when snipers attacked. He still has the helmet showing where a bullet broke through, cracking his skull and sending bone fragments into his brain. Read
Group, Governor at Odds Over Lottery Funds — Raleigh News and Observer

Americans for Prosperity, a limited-government group that opposes Wake County's $970 million bond referendum, would like to see lottery proceeds used to build schools instead, but Gov. Mike Easley disagrees. Read
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Law Officers Investigate Liquor Houses — N&O NC Newswire

Three law enforcement agencies will work together to try to shut down liquor houses here after three people were killed at such illegal businesses in the past week. Read
Need Help? Here's Links, Numbers to Help — Charlotte Obersver

If your teenager is struggling with alcohol or drug dependency, or if you are a teenager who needs help, here are some facilities to find help for treatment or prevention services Read
Bulls' Organization Mourns Former Player Cory Lidle — WRAL

When pitcher Cory Lidle's private plane crashed into a New York City high-rise, not only did the New York Yankees mourn his loss, but the Durham Bulls family as well. Lidle came to the Durham Bulls to rehab his arm back in 1999 after shoulder surgery. Lidle played for two division-winning teams in 1999 and 2000, said Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling in a written statement early Wednesday evening. Read
Big Bonuses at UNC Health Care Stir Anger — Raleigh News and Observer

Under the Dome: Much to the chagrin of the state-supported UNC Health Care system's critics, the budget year that ended June 30, 2006, yielded a financial windfall for health system managers. Read
Airport Cafe Fined $40,000 for Serving Alcohol to Underage Marine — The Herald Sun

A bar and restaurant operator at the Raleigh-Durham airport has been fined $40,000 for serving alcohol to an underage Marine who was so intoxicated he was taken to a hospital, the state's alcohol control commission said. The fine, the largest ever levied by the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control commission, is a compromise reached last week that allows Anton Airfood of North Carolina to keep its liquor license. Read
FBI Heats Up 12-Year-Old Homicide Investigation — WRAL

Beth Ellen Vinson, 17, was an aspiring dancer and a pageant queen with dreams of making it big. "She was so full of life, so full of energy," said Penny Vinson, Beth Ellen's mother. Beth Ellen's dreams were cut short in the early morning of August 16, 1994. The Goldsboro teenager, who had moved to Raleigh four weeks earlier, was found stabbed to death. Read
Fewer Pass State Math Tests — Raleigh News and Observer

Tougher standards result in the drop. Read
Carolina Precision Plastics to Expand, Add 150 Jobs — StarNewsOnline.com

Carolina Precision Plastics will add 150 jobs in Greensboro and invest $4.5 million in an expansion over the next three years, officials said Thursday. The company, based in Asheboro, makes injection molded plastics for the consumer products, cosmetics, health care and pharmaceutical industries. Carolina Precision will take over a building in Greensboro formerly occupied by Core Systems of Painsville, Ohio, which announced in August it would close that operation and lay off 94 employees. Read
Inmate Arrested In Clerk's Death 21 Years Ago — WRAL

Kinston police say they have a suspect in a convenience-store homicide case that has been cold for 21 years. Benita Murphy, a mother of four, was working a late shift at the store in Feb. 23, 1985, when she was robbed, kidnapped, raped and murdered, said police. The case has remained open without an arrest ever since. In 2005, Kinston police re-submitted evidence to the State Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for DNA testing, and the system recently found a match. Read
Wheels Of Fortune — WRAL

NASCAR is more than a sport. It means big business in North Carolina. WRAL examines the economic impact of motorsports on the state in "Wheels of Fortune." Read
North Carolina Chemical Fire Leads to Legal Action — Newsinferno.com

Executives at Environmental Quality Co. may soon have much more to worry about than rebuilding their hazardous-waste plant. Read
Two Robeson County Deputies Plead To Federal Fraud — WRAL

Two former sheriff's deputies pleaded guilty Thursday to federal fraud charges related to private work they did for an elected official while on duty. Paul Pittman, 40, and Billy Hunt, 37, were charged as part of a nearly four-year investigation by state and federal authorities that uncovered a string of alleged corruption at the Robeson County Sheriff's Office. Both men will be sentenced later, and a federal judge said their cooperation could lighten their penalties. Read
North Carolina Research Targets Glyphosate-Resistant Horseweed — Southeast Farms Press

For a soybean or corn farmer, a crop of horseweed is as bad as the plague. An ordinary-looking green-leafy plant, horseweed grows among soybean, corn, cotton and small grain crops, usurping nutrients and water and weakening nearby crops. Read
N.C. Schedules 5th Execution Of The Year — WRAL

A man sentenced to death for a 1996 murder will be executed on Dec. 1, the state announced Monday. Guy LeGrande was convicted in the shooting death of Ellen Munford in Stanly County, east of Charlotte. LeGrande was told Monday of his pending execution date, said state Department of Corrections spokesman Keith Acree. Read
Dayton-Area Telecom Sold to North Carolina Firm — Business Courier

Germantown shareholders approved the deal Saturday, ending a lengthy battle for the telecom between American Broadband Communications and Fairpoint, both of which are based in Charlotte, N.C. Read
USGS: Three 'Micro' Earthquakes Shake Triad — WRAL

Three small earthquakes rattled a city in central North Carolina on Tuesday, shaking dishes in kitchen cabinets and surprising residents unaccustomed to tremors. Read
Investigators: Teacher Accused Of Rape Had Affair With Boy's Father — WRAL

Authorities said a former Johnston County teacher accused of raping a student had an affair with the 11-year old's father. Sheriff Steve Bizzell told WRAL 30-year-old Rebecca Withrow was involved with the boy's father. She is in jail charged with raping the child at the school in 2003. Read
Inspection Prompts Recall of Egg Salad — Raleigh News and Observer

Triangle Briefs: A West Virginia company has issued a recall of egg salad that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced. Read
Church Minister is Taken in Haiti — Fayetteville Observer

Captors have demanded a ransom for a missionary with family and supporters in Fayetteville. Read

Congress

Clinton 'Pardon Brokerage' Targeted — Newsmax.com

Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, filed a formal request with the U.S. Department of Justice, calling for a criminal investigation into the reported activities of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and her brother, Anthony D. Rodham; former President Clinton, and Vonna Jo Gregory, former owner of the carnival company United Shows International. Read
Congressmen Need Tutorials On The Constitution — Eagle Forum

Some federal employees are griping because a new law requires them to take a 25-minute tutorial on the U.S. Constitution. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) sponsored this law, along with a similar law requiring every public school to "hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17," which is Constitution Day. Read
Government Won't Pay Death Benefits to Spouse of Gay Congressman — Fox News

Former Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress, was married to another man in Massachusetts at the time of his death, but the federal government will not pay death benefits to his spouse. Studds married Dean Hara in 2004 after gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts. But Hara will not be eligible to receive any portion of Studds' estimated $114,337 annual pension because the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from recognizing Studds' marriage. Read
Border-Fence Bill Awaits Signing — Washington Times

The White House is pleading with Congress to send over the bill authorizing 700 miles of fence on the U.S.-Mexico border so the president can sign it immediately, but Republican leaders on Capitol Hill want to wait until closer to the election and to have a public signing ceremony. Read
Sen. Frist Sets Up Possible Vote for Border Fence Bill — FOXnews.com

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist set up a possible vote late this week on a proposal to erect fencing along a third of the U.S.-Mexican border. Read
Report Spells Out Abuses by Former Congressman — NYT

Randy Cunningham of California pressured House staff members to steer $70 million in business to favored defense contractors, an investigation found. Read
Rep. Ney Pleads Guilty in Abramoff Lobbying Case; GOP Leaders Might Seek Expulsion — FOX News

Rep. Bob Ney pleaded guilty Friday in the Jack Abramoff influence-peddling investigation, the first lawmaker to confess to crimes in an election-year scandal that has stained the Republican-controlled Congress and the Bush administration. Read
Mississippi's Lott Goes after Insurers — SunSentinel.com

Sometimes, political connections come in handy. Ask Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi. Lott, a Republican and former majority leader, is one of thousands of homeowners on the Gulf Coast who have been fighting with their insurers over payments for damage in Hurricane Katrina. In an interview on Wednesday, he said he was angry about the insurers' "insensitivity and outright meanness" in rejecting many homeowners' claims. He said he inserted a provision into legislation, signed by President Bush last week, directing the Department of Homeland Security to investigate potential fraud by the insurance industry. Read
House Aims to Crack Down on Illegal Immigrant Smugglers — FOXnews.com

House Republicans took a new crack at old immigration issues Thursday with pre-election votes on deporting gang members, imprisoning tunnelers and empowering local police to arrest illegal immigrants. Read
Bill May Force Web Gamblers to Fold — SunSentinel.com

Online poker players are nervously awaiting President Bush's expected signature...on legislation that would kick them out of their virtual casinos. The measure, designed to block the financial transactions that have fueled Internet gambling, was attached to a port security bill before Congress adjourned in late September. Read
Bush Signs Ports Security, Intenet Gambling Bill — NewsMax.com

President Bush signed a bill Friday to help prevent terrorists from sneaking a nuclear, chemical or germ weapon into the United States inside one of the 11 million shipping containers that enter the nation each year — many without inspection. Read
In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best Bets — NYT

Republicans seem to be conceding some Senate and House seats and moving money and other resources into more promising races. Read
Bush Signs Terror Interrogation Law — World Magazine

President Bush signed legislation Tuesday authorizing tough interrogation of terror suspects and smoothing the way for trials before military commissions, calling it a "vital tool" in the war against terrorism. Read
Ex-House Clerk May Be a Key in Foley's Case — NYT

Jeff Trandahl's account will be crucial in determining whether Republican leaders acted with enough urgency. Read

Courts

Scalia Says Constitution Silent on Abortion, Race in School — CNN

Justice Antonin Scalia on Sunday defended some of his Supreme Court opinions, arguing that nothing in the Constitution supports abortion rights and the use of race in school admissions. Read
Supreme Court Won't Review Boy Scout Case — NewsMax.com Wires

A Boy Scouts sailing group that lost free use of a public boat slip because of the Scouts' discriminatory policies failed to persuade the Supreme Court to take its case Read
Supreme Court Ponders Influence of Spectators — SunSentinel.com

The Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time took up the question of whether the conduct of spectators may deprive a defendant of a fair trial and require that the criminal conviction be overturned. The justices heard arguments in a San Jose, Calif., murder case where three members of the victim's family had worn buttons with small photos of him during part of the trial. Read
Kentucky Voters to Receive More Info About Judicial Candidates — CitizenLink.com

A federal district judge ruled this week that judicial candidates in Kentucky can tell voters the political party they belong to — but they can't talk about particular issues, such as their position on abortion. Read
Wal-Mart Ordered to Pay $78 Million for Violating Labor Laws — FOX News

Wal-Mart (WMT) must pay at least $78 million for violating Pennsylvania state labor laws by forcing employees to work through rest breaks and off the clock, a jury decided Friday. Read
US Gov't Fights Court Ruling Allowing AIDS Groups to Sidestep Anti-Prostitution Policies — Lifesitenews.com

Group that won court action involved in large scale porn and sex merchandise business. The US Justice Department filed an appeal last Tuesday to overturn a court decision allowing AIDS organizations seeking federal funding to refuse to sign a pledge of opposition to prostitution and sex trafficking, the Associated Press reported October 10. Read
Lay Conviction Vacated By Judge — WRAL

A federal judge Tuesday vacated the conviction of Enron's late founder Kenneth Lay, wiping out a jury's verdict that he committed fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest corporate frauds in U.S. history. Read
Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit by Student Suspended for Violent Story — Foxnews.com

A federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit of a high school student who was suspended for writing about a dream in which a student shoots a math teacher. Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

The First President — Deist or Disciple? — AFA

George Washington's Sacred Fire builds a compelling case for the Christian faith of Washington by relying on the president's own thoughts, words and deeds. The author's evidence strongly supports his premise that Washington was not a deist, but a strong practitioner of the Christian faith. Read
WCC Head Offers Church Support to Next U.N. Secretary-General — Christian Post

The head of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has sent a letter of congratulations to South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon on his election last Friday as the United Nations Secretary General. Read
State Marriage Campaigns are Targets of Intimidation Tactics — CitizenLink.com

People in Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin are just 26 days away from deciding the fate of amendments to protect marriage. In Wisconsin, proponents of traditional marriage find themselves the target of intimidation and harassment tactics utilized by their opponents, according to Julaine Appling, executive director of the Wisconsin Family Research Institute — and a leader of the Vote Yes for Marriage campaign. Read
Why a Christian in the White House Felt Betrayed — Time.com

President Bush didn't live up to his promises to the religious right, says a former member of his faith-based initiative team, in an exclusive book excerpt Read
Less Than Half of U.S. Households Consist of Married Couples — Citizenlink.com

A New York Times analysis of new Census Bureau data shows the number of households with married couples has dipped below the 50 percent mark. But while it may seem that fewer Americans are marrying, experts say the desire for marriage is still strong. Read
Liberty Counsel Kicks Off Annual 'Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign' — AFA

The Florida-based public-interest law firm has launched its fourth annual "Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign," an effort to defend Christmas from secularist attempts to suppress the holiday's traditional, faith-based aspects. Read
Survey: Americans Look Forward to Good Sleep, Churchgoing — Christian Post

The Barna Group surveyed what Americans look forward to the most and what they dread most. The top answer the study found was most adults simply want a good night of sleep. Among the top five most appealing activities behind getting good sleep included attending church services. Religious activity was further shown as highly appealing with 31 percent Americans saying they look forward to reading the Bible than the 25 percent who said they look forward to reading a novel for pleasure. Read
Surprising Stats in New Church Research — Worthy News

Attendance at American churches is less than half of what we have believed in the past, according to Dave Olson, director of church planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, and director of the American Church Research Project. Read
Married U.S. Households Hit Lowest Level Ever — AFA

For the first time, traditional marriage has ceased to be the preferred living arrangement in the United States. Seventy-five years ago, married couples accounted for 84 percent of American households. Now they account for just less than half. Read
Ahmadinejad: God Told Me We Would Win — Ynet News

While the West is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran, due to the country's failure to suspend its nuclear activities, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still optimistic. "We shall win," he was quoted in the Iranian media as saying Monday, and added: "One day I will be asked whether I have been in touch with someone who told me we would win, and I will respond: 'Yes, I have been in touch with God.'" Read
Orthodox Priest Beheaded In Iraq — WRAL

Relatives of a beheaded Iraqi priest said his captors had demanded a church apology for recent papal comments about Islam.

They said the Orthodox priest was abducted Sunday by an unidentified group, which demanded a ransom. The kidnappers also wanted the priest's church to condemn controversial recent remarks by Pope Benedict. In a speech last month, the pope quoted a medieval text describing Islam as a religion spread by the sword. Read
Church Backs Legal Rights for Parents Who Live in Sin — London Telegraph

The Church of England yesterday backed proposals to give millions of unmarried couples who are "living in sin" similar legal rights to their married counterparts. Read
Pope Speaks Out Against Redefining Marriage — Citizenlink.com

Benedict says efforts to change the institution are based on hedonism. While speaking against same-sex marriage last week, Pope Benedict XVI urged believers to reject "modern cultural currents" rooted in "relativism and hedonism." Read
Europe Raising Its Voice Over Radical Islam — LA Times

In Europe's cafes, the newspapers are as wrinkled as always, the conversations still veer toward the abstract, but tempers these days are riled. Artists and influential leftists are warning that the rise of radical Islam is threatening the tradition of European liberalism. Theater directors, cartoonists and writers say the continent is betraying its identity by practicing self-censorship aimed at appeasing a fundamentalist Islam they believe is determined to impose its will on free speech and creativity. Read
NBC: Bible Verses In Veggie Tales Offensive, But Not Madonna's Mockery Of The Crucifixion Of Christ — AFA Alert

Send an email to NBC asking them to end their bias against Christians and stop censoring the references to God's love in Veggie Tales. NBC anti-Christian bigotry continues. This time NBC censored Bible verses and expressions of Christian love from the children's cartoon Veggie Tales being shown Saturday mornings on NBC. NBC says comments such as "God made you special and He loves you very much" were offensive and censored them from the show. Action
Protestant Leader Assassinated In Central Sulawesi, Indonesia — Worthy News

News has just been received by ASSIST News Service that at around 9 am this morning (Monday, October 16, 2006), the acting head of the Protestant Church in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, was assassinated. He was shot in the head on a street in Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia — the same region where three Catholic Christians were recently executed. Read
Five Killed in Muslim Christian Violence — Christian Monitor

Five people in western Ethiopia were killed over the weekend in violence between Christians and Muslims, bringing the total killed in sectarian clashes there to 15 in the past month. Read
Thousands Of India Dalits Abandon Hinduism — Worthy News

Thousands of 'low-caste' Hindus abandoned Hinduism and converted to Christianity and Buddhism Saturday, October 14, as part of protests against new laws in several Indian states that make such conversions difficult. Read
Waking Up Christians to the Unsaved World — Christian Post

Lay people are key to world evangelization, said the head of a global discipleship ministry, yet the majority of evangelical Christians have never actually led anyone to Jesus. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

Kansas Lawmaker Charged With Attacking Pro-Life Advocate at Rally — LifeNews.com

Topeka, KS (LifeNews.com) — A Kansas state lawmaker has been charged with one count of battery for attacking a pro-life advocate at a rally for pro-abortion Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. State Rep. Vaughn Flora, a Democrat, allegedly attacked pro-life advocate Troy Newman at the rally while Newman poked fun at Sebelius over the issue of abortion. Read
Cocktail Party Cred — BillOReilly.com

"And life has no inherent value. We teach there are no absolutes, no right or wrong. And I assure you, the murder of innocent children is always wrong, including by abortion." Uh-oh. The CBS News website was deluged with viewers indignant that Mr. Rohrbaugh was allowed to utter such heresy. Many people vowed never to watch CBS News again. How could this happen, they asked. How could that kind of opinion be allowed on CBS? So Katie Couric replied on her blog: "We knew when we decided to put on this segment that a lot of people would disagree with it. We also knew some might even find it repugnant." Repugnant? Why would Ms. Couric use such a loaded word? If a pro-choice person delivered a commentary on CBS News, would Katie have used the "R" word? I don't think so, because there would have been no controversy. The pro-choice position is standard issue at almost every media operation in America. Read
Abortion Advocates Still Top Pro-Life Candidates in This Week's Polls — LifeNews.com

A look at the most recent polling data on top races for governor and the U.S. Senate across the nation finds abortion advocates still holding leads in key races. Pro-life candidates are falling further behind as the political climate continues to make it difficult for them to gain traction. Read
Dick DeVos: 'Thrilled' If Roe v. Wade Overturned — Newsmax.com

Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos told a Catholic radio program that he'd be "thrilled" if the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a woman's right to an abortion is overturned and abortion is sharply restricted in Michigan.

Before the court issued its decision in Roe v. Wade, Michigan had a law banning abortion except to save the mother's life, a position DeVos shares. The state law was superseded when the court issued its opinion, but it could be enforced again — or a new ban passed — if that decision is overturned by the high court. Read
UN Report on Violence Against Women Calls for Legalized Abortion — LifeNews.com

New York, NY (LifeNews.com) — A new report issued by the United Nations this week on violence against women calls for the legalization of abortion. The call comes despite a growing body of research showing abortion hurts women by causing numerous medical problems, even death, and a myriad of emotional and psychological concerns. Read
National Black Pro-Life Union Comments on Philadelphia Murder Trial — Christian Newswire

In Philadelphia PA, the trial has begun for a man who is charged with killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child. Local authorities say Stephen Poaches, the father of the baby, has admitted to killing his girlfriend, LaToyia Figueroa, because she refused to have an abortion. Read
Infant Euthanasia Practiced in North Korea on Disabled Children — Lifesitenews.com

A North Korean refugee has told the Times that "racially mixed" babies born in the isolated communist state are regularly killed by doctors. A North Korean doctor, Ri Kwang-chol, told the UK paper that babies conceived by Chinese fathers are targeted in the North Korean government's racial purity program. Read
Oregon Under Fire For Changing "Assisted Suicide" Wording in Reports — LifeNews.com

Oregon is the only state in the nation to have legalized assisted suicide, but don't call the grisly practice by that name anymore. The state's health department has decided to change the wording of the phrase when referring to the state law — a move that has pro-life advocates up in arms. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

UMass-Amherst, Community, Police Try to Put Lid on Party Life — Boston Globe

...the university has purchased and authorized the razing of the five houses that formed a fraternity row off campus, a long-time party hot spot, while officials are pressuring remaining Greek chapters to focus more on community service and academics. 'It's long overdue that we have all come together," said Amherst Police Chief Charles Scherpa. ''Working with the university and the neighborhoods, we are trying to reeducate these kids, quickly." The effort to stem rowdiness comes three years after a melee erupted after a Red Sox playoff game, as 1,000 UMass-Amherst students overturned cars, set fires, broke into a dining hall, and threw bottles at police. The episode and others around the same time stepped up calls for greater controls on binge-drinking and partying. Read
Frugal Woman Dies at 100, Donates $35.6M — MSNBC

Florida native's fortune goes to local diabetes and cancer research Read
U.S. Cuts Aid to Coca-Producing Area — SunSentinel.com

The United States is quietly cutting back economic aid in a region where cocaine production is surging, a strategy critics say hurts Washington's $4 billion effort to try to wean Colombia off the illegal drug trade. Read
One-a-Day Pill OK'd for Type 2 Diabetes — Boston Globe

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved a novel once-a-day pill to treat Type 2 diabetes that lowers blood sugar levels without causing weight gain. The FDA said the drug, called Januvia, is ''important" because 70 percent of diabetes patients cannot adequately control their blood sugar using existing treatments. Read
States Consider Marijuana Legalization — CitizenLink.com

Supporters say it's time to "party responsibly." Read
Two Canadians Paralyzed After Drinking Botulism-Contaminated Carrot Juice — NewsInferno.com

Two Toronto-area residents are paralyzed and in serious condition after drinking carrot juice tainted by botulism. The two new cases bring the total number of recent botulism victims to six. Four other cases have appeared in the U.S. over the last two weeks. In all cases, the contaminated carrot juice was traced to Bakersfield, California-based Bolthouse Farms. Read
17 States Have Banned Alcohol Inhalers — Jointogether.org

Prompted by safety concerns and backed by the liquor industry, 17 states have passed laws prohibiting the use of devices that vaporize alcohol so that it can be inhaled by users, the Associated Press reported Oct. 7. Read
Liquor Licensing Spawns a Clash of Political Wills — Boston Globe

Beacon Hill has regulated the number of liquor licenses Boston can hand out since 1906, when a Yankee-controlled Legislature, distrusting Boston's Irish elected officials and fueled by Puritan beliefs about alcohol, limited licenses in Boston and required an amendment of state law to change it. Elsewhere in the state, the number of licenses is tied to population growth, triggering automatic increases. Read
Sunday Alcohol-Related Crashes Rise with 'Blue Law' Repeal — Jointogether.org

The repeal of a ban on Sunday sales of alcohol in New Mexico was followed by a 29-percent rise in alcohol-related auto crashes on Sundays and a 42-percent increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths, researchers say. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

Abortion Mill Fieldtrip Proves Senate Failed American Families — Citizen News Wire

A social science teacher of Solebury School in New Hope, Pennsylvania, took more than a dozen teenagers on a field trip from the school to the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Warminster on Friday, Sept. 29, where they spent several hours inside the clinic. "This is outrageous," said attorney Stephen G. Peroutka, who is also Chairman of the National Pro- Life Action Center, (NPLAC), on Capitol Hill, "Why would somebody take children out of school and to an abortion business? Why would anybody think that was good for kids? Whoever did — shouldn't be teaching, and the school should be investigated and the administrator fired." Read
Militant Pro-Abortionist Speaks to Bioethics Class at Catholic Loyola Univ. — Lifesite.net

Speaker informs class that abortion must be "compassionate, careful and graceful" Read
Exodus Launches New Youth Campaign — Citizenlink.com

"Allies, Too" meant to balance pro-gay message being heard in schools. Read
Ex-Admiral Is Named L.A. Schools Chief — LA Times

The Los Angeles Board of Education unanimously selected retired Navy Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III to be the next superintendent, against the backdrop of a battle for control of the school system between the board and a mayor chafing over his lack of a role in the selection process. Read
More College Students Volunteering, Study Says — Seattle Times

Some call them lazy, more interested in partying hard than helping out. But a new study shows college students volunteer at a rate that has grown sharply over the past few years. Read
Cursive Writing Rapidly Becoming Passe — MSNBC

Researchers see a downside as keyboards replace pens in schools Read
Why Boys Are So Different — Focus on the Family

"My son is 'all boy.' Sometimes, I wish he were a little more tame." "I can't believe the things my son gets into. But I know 'boys will be boys.'" "My boy is all afterburner and no rudder. His latest stunt just about drove me crazy." "If he makes it to his 18th birthday, believe me, it will be a miracle!" Read
SoCal High School Erupts in Violence — World Magazine

A fight between two high school students erupted into a riot of 500 people, prompting officers to fire bean bags and rubber pellets to scatter the crowd, police said. No major injuries were reported. Read
Protect Your Kids from a Web of Risky Pills — MSNBC

With painkiller abuse by teens on the rise, here's what parents can do Read
Texas School Tells Classes to Fight Back — The Christian Post

Youngsters in a suburban Fort Worth school district are being taught not to sit there like good boys and girls with their hands folded if a gunman invades the classroom, but to rush him and hit him with everything they got — books, pencils, legs and arms. "Getting under desks and praying for rescue from professionals is not a recipe for success," said Robin Browne, a major in the British Army reserve and an instructor for Response Options, the company providing the training to the Burleson schools. Read
Maryland High School Allows Pro-Life Students to Distribute Abortion Fliers — LifeNews.com

Pasadena, MD (LifeNews.com) — A Maryland high school that faced pressured from a pro-life law firm has relented and will allow pro-life students to distribute literature later this month opposing abortion. The school previously told students they could not pass out the fliers because it considered the pro-life content "inflammatory." Read
CEO's Childhood: 'I Was Always Getting Spanked' — MSNBC

In new book, leaders tell of lessons learned on way to corner office Read
Pediatricians Criticize Use of TVs in Hospital — Boston Globe

Children's Hospital Boston, which runs a center that is an authority on the effects of television on children, has TVs throughout the building, some of which show programs to infants. Cartoons, educational programs, and other shows are shown to children as young as 2 months old; the Globe observed two babies on their backs with screens playing cartoons a foot from their faces. A hospital spokeswoman said the TVs provide a necessary distraction from treatment, but the practice is drawing criticism. Read
Military Scholar Finds Americans Woefully Ignorant of History, Geography — AFA

A military historian says although the study of history is the key to military success, many U.S. students — including some of the top students at American military academies — are seriously deficient in their knowledge of this essential subject. Read
Anger on School's Gay Plan — Australia Herald Sun

Australian Family Council spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said a pro-homosexual agenda was "trying to hijack the bullying programs to push a pro-homosexual policy on children. Younger kids are not worried or thinking about various sexual orientations." Read
Study: Parents Low Ball College Costs — The Christian Post

A lot of American parents seem to think they don't have to worry about saving for their children's college educations because the kids will get through on scholarships and grants. Think again, says a study being released Monday by AllianceBernstein Investments Inc., an asset management firm based in New York. Read

Gambling

Will Ban End Internet Gambling? Don't Bet on It — MSNBC

Bill may win political points, but $12 billion industry can work around it Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

Illinois Town Struggles With Deaths of High School Pals — AOL News

Soldiers Killed in Iraq Within Two Days of One Another Read
5 Americans Killed in Iraq, Bringing Month's Toll to 53 — NYT

At the current rate of American troop deaths, October is on track to be the third-deadliest month of the conflict for the military. Read
More Mexican Migrant Workers in U.S. Can't Speak Spanish, English — FOXnews.com

...they spoke Santol's native Triqui, or Mixtec, Zapotec or other languages indigenous to the poorest regions of Mexico. Many of the workers can barely get by in English or Spanish. Read
U.S. Frees Ex-Nazi Guard — Chicago Tribune

Federal authorities free a former Nazi concentration camp guard after failing to find a country willing to take the 81-year-old man, who had been stripped of his U.S. citizenship. Read
Social Security Checks Rise by 3.3 Pct. — USNews.com

Social Security checks for nearly 49 million Americans are going up by 3.3 percent next year, which will mean an extra $33 per month in the average check, the government announced Wednesday. Read
Bush Pledges to Keep U.S. Troops in Iraq — Durham Herald Sun

President Bush told Iraq's prime minister on Monday he has no plans to pull U.S. forces out of the war-torn country, in a conversation that underscored Iraqi worries that the president is being pressured to curtail America's role in the widely unpopular war. Read
Smugglers Seen Getting 'Sophisticated, Organized' — The Washington Times

Law-enforcement authorities along the U.S.-Mexico border are outgunned and outmanned by drug smugglers armed with automatic weapons, grenade launchers, bazookas, improvised explosive devices and state-of-the-art communications and tracking systems, a congressional report said yesterday. Read
Millions Live Among Us: Do They Hurt or Help? — Seattle Times

The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown by up to 500,000 a year recently, officials say, but experts can't agree on the total number now here. There's also continuing debate on the net impact on this country. Read
U.S. Firing Plans for Great Lakes Raise Concerns — NYT

Coast Guard officials want to mount machine guns on their boats around the Great Lakes as a counterterrorism measure. Read
U.S. Unveils U.N. Resolution on N. Korea — SunSentinel.com

The United States on Thursday introduced a new draft resolution in the Security Council to punish North Korea for its reported nuclear test and said it wants a vote on Friday. Read
U.S. Offers N. Korea Resolution at U.N. — AP

A new U.S. draft Security Council resolution circulated Thursday night would authorize only non-military sanctions against North Korea and require a new U.N. resolution for any further action, a key demand of China. Read
U.S. Joins Iraqis in City Where 91 Died — Durham Herald Sun

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. troops joined Iraqi forces and police Tuesday in patrolling the city of Balad, where a surge in sectarian fighting has killed at least 91 people. Read
Post-9/11 Security Standards Not Being Met at Uranium Facility — LA Times

Energy officials say they currently can't follow the guidelines but reject terrorism concerns. Read
IDF: Only US Operation Can Stop Iran — Ynet News

Officials who attended a meeting convened by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Thursday morning were under the impression that the Israel Defense Forces believes that if the United States fails to act, the Iranians will continue to operate in a bid to achieve nuclear weapons for military needs. Read
Panel to Seek Change on Iraq — LA Times

A commission backed by President Bush has agreed that "stay the course" is not working, its leader says. A phased withdrawal is one option on the table. Read
U.S. Pursues Tactic of Financial Isolation — NYT

The Bush administration is using American legal tools to cut off North Korea and Iran from the international financial system. Read
Coroner Rules U.S. Forces Killed U.K. Reporter — WRAL

A coroner ruled Friday that U.S. forces unlawfully killed a British television journalist in the opening days of the Iraq war. Read
Air America Radio files Chapter 11 — MSNBC

Liberal talk network fails to reach pact with creditor Read
Falling Gasoline Prices Give Retail Sales a Boost — FOX News

Plunging gasoline prices fueled solid retail sales in September as consumers took to the roads for fall shopping. Read
Business Change to Lure Muslim Investors — MSNBC

When Caribou Coffee went public last year, sharp-eyed investors noticed some unusual promises in its prospectus. Caribou, the nation's second-largest coffeehouse chain, said it would never sell pork or porn. It wouldn't charge or receive interest, either. Read
Venezuela Eyes Security Council Seat — ABC News

President Hugo Chavez said Venezuela would win a U.N. Security Council seat Monday in a fiercely contested vote that would give his leftist government its biggest platform yet for challenging the United States. Read
Lidle's Doomed Flight Path Under Scrutiny — MSNBC

"A smart terrorist could load up a small, little plane with biological, chemical or even nuclear material and fly up the Hudson or East rivers, no questions asked," said Schumer, D-N.Y. "I hope this will be a wake-up call to the FAA to re-examine flight patterns, which, amazingly enough, they haven't done since 9/11." Read
Clinton Rival Drops Out of 2008 Race — Guardian.co.uk

Hillary Clinton's closest potential rival for the Democratic nomination in 2008 dropped out of the presidential race yesterday, saying he wanted to have "a real life" with his family. Read
Population Group Says 300 Million Americans is Not Enough — Christian Newswire

Contradicting what many experts have been saying, the Population Research Institute (PRI) believes that the United States is suffering from insufficient population growth even though the U.S. Census Bureau says the American population will reach 300 million tomorrow. "When you look at the projections that show our population aging rapidly over the next few decades, when you see our economy and government programs such as Social Security risking bankruptcy, you can see that the United States' annual 0.9% population growth rate is not enough," said Steven Mosher, President of PRI. "America's baby boomers didn't have many children on average, and as a result, our country faces a gray dawn. Even our currently high immigration levels haven't made up the difference." Read
Your Guide to the Property Rights Initiative 933 — Seattle Times

Ray Gabelein raises cattle and hay on property near Useless Bay on Whidbey Island. He favors Initiative 933 because he says land-use regulations threaten agricultural operations like his. "It's foolish to drive the last few farms out of Island County," he says.

No regulation without compensation. That's the simple idea behind Initiative 933. Read
Bush's Press Secretary Is Raising Money, and Some Eyebrows — NYT

Tony Snow is reinventing his job as White House press secretary by raising money for Republican national candidates. Read
Euronext and NYSE are Open to 4-Way Deal — Int'l Herald Tribune

Euronext and NYSE Group said Sunday that they remained willing to start talks with rivals Deutsche Börse and Borsa Italiana over the possibility of a four-way tie-up. Read
U.N. Agency: 30 Countries Could Soon Have Nuclear Weapons — Fox News

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency warned Monday that as many as 30 countries could soon have technology that would let them produce atomic weapons "in a very short time," joining the nine states known or suspected to have such arms. Read
US Detects Activity at North Korea Test Site — ABC News

U.S. spy satellites have detected suspicious vehicle and people activity near the site of North Korea's nuclear test that may signal preparations for another test, U.S. television networks reported on Monday. Read
A Power-Grid Report Suggests Some Dark Days Ahead — NY Times

Companies are not building power plants and power lines fast enough to meet growing demand, according to a group recently assigned by the federal government to assure proper operation of the power grid. Read
U.S. Officials: N. Korea May be Planning 2nd Nuclear Test — CNN

North Korea may be preparing to conduct a second nuclear test, a U.S. official with access to intelligence information said Tuesday. Read
'Common Good' Unifies Dems for Election — Durham Herald Sun

Ned Lamont uses it in his Connecticut Senate race. President Clinton is scheduled to speak on the idea in Washington this week. Bob Casey Jr., Pennsylvania candidate for Senate, put it in the title of his talk at The Catholic University of America — then repeated the phrase 29 times. Read
U.S. Defector Ends Silence about Life in N. Korea — The Washington Times

Unrepentant and professing support for communism, the last living American defector in North Korea has spoken out publicly for the first time about his life in the nation and his motivations for defecting — on celluloid. Read
A 300 Millionth American. Don't Ask Who — NYT

Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

New, Red iPod Supports AIDS Charity — CNET News.com

Apple and other companies sell red products to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa. By Candace Lombardi. Apple Computer has teamed with rock star Bono to launch a new iPod Nano whose sales will help raise funds to fight AIDS Read
For Gays, a Loud New Foe — LA Times

Over the last 18 months, Sacramento Russian-language church members have picketed gay pride events, jammed into legislative committee meetings when gay issues were on the agenda and demonstrated at school board meetings. Read
Social Conservatives Rally Against Gay Marriage in Boston — Fox News

Conservative religious and political leaders rallied Sunday in opposition of gay marriage, arguing that their rights to religious expression are being threatened. Read
Some Seek 'Pink Purge' in the GOP — LA Times

In recent years, the Republican Party aimed to broaden its appeal with a "big-tent" strategy of reaching out to voters who might typically lean Democratic. But now a debate is growing within the GOP about whether the tent has become too big — by including gays whose political views may conflict with the goals of the party's powerful evangelical conservatives. Read
Long Beach Council Passes Same-Sex Marriage Resolution — CitizenLink.com

City Council members in Long Beach, Calif., voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of a resolution supporting same-sex marriage, KESQ-TV reported. The measure, which has no force of law but symbolizes the council's opinion, was a reaction to last week's California Court of Appeals decision that ruled in favor of traditional marriage laws. Read
Seattle U. Official Quits as Sexual-Harassment Claims Surface — Seattle Times

The second-highest-ranking Jesuit at Seattle University resigned Thursday from his post as vice president for ministry and mission after allegations publicly surfaced that he sexually harassed a trainee priest in the 1990s. Read
NBC Scripting Foul Language into Shows — CitizenLink.com

According to the Parents Television Council (PTC), broadcasters are intentionally scripting illegal obscenities into prime-time television. The FCC prohibits indecent content from being broadcast between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Obscene language is always prohibited. Now NBC and other broadcasters are adding obscenities to prime-time shows in order to challenge the law. Read
World's Too Small for Goofy-on-Chip Sex Video — MSNBC

The Walt Disney Co. Thursday said it took "appropriate action" against employees at its Paris theme park who were caught simulating sex while dressed as Disney characters in a digital video that has received wide attention on the Internet. Read
Israeli Police Recommend Charges Against President — NYT

Israeli President Moshe Katsav may face charges of rape and sexual assault allegedly committed against women in his office. Read
Defecting From Despair — LA Times

A perilous odyssey aided by the Internet gives N. Korean refugees a chance to settle in the U.S. "Help. I'm a North Korean enslaved by a married man in China." Read

Other News

Hamas: Israel's Tanks Will be Destroyed — Ynet News

The military wing of Hamas announced Monday evening that it had completed its preparations towards a possible all-out conflict with Israel should the IDF launch a ground offensive inside Gaza. A spokesman for the organization warns that "the fighters of the al-Qassam brigades will not have mercy on your cowardly soldiers. Your destroyed tanks will become the eternal testimony of your failure and of your running away from the Strip." The statement was made at a time when the IDF has evidence showing that dozens of advanced anti-tank missiles have been smuggled into Gaza. Read
Early Returns Point to Runoff in Ecuador — NYT

Voters in the presidential election appeared to be split between a banana magnate who favors close ties with the

U.S. and a leftist admirer of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. Read
Nobel Author Bridges Islam and the West — The Boston Globe

Turkish nationalists denounced the choice of Pamuk. ''This prize was not given because of Pamuk's books," said Kemal Kerincsiz, a lawyer who helped bring the charges against Pamuk. ''It was given because he belittled our national values, for his recognition of the [Armenian] genocide." Read
Germany Plans to Revive EU Treaty — BBC

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her government will be "very ambitious" in trying to revive the European Union constitution in 2007. Read
Questions Grow Over U.N. Curbs on North Korea — NYT

South Korea and China indicated they will preserve economic ties with North Korea, despite sanctions. Read
N. Korea: UN Sanctions Tantamount to Declaration of War — Ynet News

The UN sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test are a declaration of war, and the country will "deal merciless blows" if the nation's sovereignty is violated, the North's central government said Tuesday in its first response to the UN measures. Read
Blair Criticizes Full Islamic Veils as 'Mark of Separation' — NYT

The British prime minister joined the increasingly corrosive debate over the use of the Islamic veil. Read
White Sox Shortstop Wanted in Shootings — CNN

Dominican authorities on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Chicago White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe in connection with the shooting of two men in this Caribbean nation's southern coast, officials said. Read
Iraq Removes Leaders of Special Police — NYT

The two most senior police commanders were removed in a bid to purge Iraq's security forces of militias and death squads. Read

Disclaimer: The Christian Action League of North Carolina does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site.

Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

2007

2006