News For Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 News For Wednesday Nov 19, 2008

U.S. U.S.

ND outfitter pleads guilty to shooting eagle decoy - Added 7 weeks ago

A western North Dakota outfitter who was arrested after shooting at a bald eagle decoy has pleaded guilty to a charge he attempted to kill a migratory bird. Gary Stang, 63, pleaded guilty Thursday in a deal with...

Congress sending child porn bills to president - Added 7 weeks ago

Congress is sending President Bush several bills that would tighten laws on child pornographers' use of the Internet. The House on Friday passed by 418-0 a measure clarifying that images obtained over the Internet were...

Oregon hospital tells grandfather he's pregnant - Added 7 weeks ago

A patient treated for agonizing abdominal pain received this surprising news in the hospital's paperwork: "Based on your visit today, we know you are pregnant." Surprising indeed for 71-year-old John Grady Pippen. The...

Court: Philly can't enact tougher its own gun laws - Added 7 weeks ago

Philadelphia officials cannot enact gun laws tougher than Pennsylvania's law, a state appeals court ruled Friday in throwing out city ordinances that included limiting gun purchases to one a month and banning assault...

Bush, Karzai discuss conditions in Afghanistan - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush on Friday highlighted civilian reconstruction work that has improved daily life in Afghanistan, where extremist attacks have made this the most violent year since the U.S.-led invasion that ousted the...

Chinese woman sentenced in sensor smuggling case - Added 7 weeks ago

A Chinese woman was sentenced Friday to a year and a day in federal prison for seeking to buy military equipment, used to gauge the power of nuclear explosions, for export to China. Qing Li, who is nine weeks pregnant,...

Some bailout critics proposing other ways to go - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke are all warning of dire consequences to the economy if the proposed administration financial bailout isn't approved. But what if they're...

New weather balloons aim for better hurricane data - Added 7 weeks ago

A fleet of special balloons may soon help hurricane forecasters better predict the path of storms. But at a cost of up to $2,000 a pop, these aren't your average birthday party decorations. The clear, pyramid-shaped...

MISSING TITLE - Added 7 weeks ago

Murder count is dismissed against Japanese businessman in wife's 1980s death in Los Angeles. ...

House seeks presidential pardon for boxing champ - Added 7 weeks ago

The first black heavyweight champion should be granted a presidential pardon for a racially motivated conviction 75 years ago that blemished his reputation and hurt his boxing career, the House recommended Friday. Jack...

2 weeks after Ike, kids are still not in school - Added 7 weeks ago

Since Hurricane Ike knocked out power at their elementary school two weeks ago, Jakin and Jared Cordova have been playing a lot of video games. For the 9- and 6-year-old brothers, it's awesome. For their mother, not so...

Judge rejects plea deal in NJ child luring case - Added 7 weeks ago

A New Jersey judge on Friday rejected a plea bargain that prosecutors reached with a man accused of trying to lure three young children into a specially rigged van filled with candy. Under the deal, Brian Warner...

Dismissal sought for immigration-inspired NJ suit - Added 7 weeks ago

A management company with properties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania is asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit brought by a national immigration reform group. Connolly Properties was sued in June by the Federation for...

Brother of Philly's ex-mayor sentenced to 2 1/2 years - Added 7 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:PAKS101-1130061212 -->The older brother of a former Philadelphia mayor was sentenced Friday to 2 1/2 years in prison for not filing tax returns and ordered to pay the IRS more than $413,000 in restitution. T....

Police arrest squatter who called them for help - Added 7 weeks ago

Lincoln police reported the rare occurrence of arresting a man who called them for help. Officials said a 25-year-old man called police Wednesday night to say someone was trying to break into his apartment. When police...

Ask AP: Hurricane reporters, property in Cuba - Added 7 weeks ago

Whenever a big hurricane hits, members of the news media _ from the windblown reporter you see on TV to the journalists who write stories, take photos and shoot video _ need to station themselves near the eye of the...

2 Iraqi researchers sue Texas A&M, alleging bias - Added 7 weeks ago

Two former Texas A&M University researchers allege colleagues threw animal feces and urine on their prayer rug and routinely mocked and mistreated them because they are Muslims from Iraq, according to a federal...

NY policeman admits sexual contact with teen - Added 7 weeks ago

A former suburban police sergeant who is married to a New York City anchorwoman admitted in court Friday that he used his authority to have sexual contact with a 17-year-old girl. Ex-Sgt. David Rodriguez pleaded guilty...

Skeptical bank teller scares off would-be robber - Added 7 weeks ago

Police say a bank teller in Long Island, New York, had a simple question for a would-be robber: Are you serious? The skeptical teller's question was apparently enough to spook the female suspect, who fled the Roslyn...

No-name storm lands with rain, gusts in Carolinas - Added 7 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:NCWSN101-0925081459 -->!!-- pobj:MDSAL102-0925081855 -->!!-- pobj:NCGB102-0925081311 -->A storm that worried forecasters but never gained tropical strength over the Atlantic pushed across the Carolinas on...

Fresh from prison, ex-aide attacks Rudy Giuliani - Added 7 weeks ago

A former aide to Rudy Giuliani is out of prison and attacking the ex-mayor's ethics, saying he was ordered to help Giuliani's then-girlfriend get a below-market rent apartment. Russell Harding, who got five years for...

Senate Roll Call: How they voted on stimulus bill - Added 7 weeks ago

The 52-42 roll call by which the Senate on Friday blocked a bill to pump $56 billion in government spending into the economy. On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote in favor of the bill and a "no" vote was a vote to...

NY driver rattled by snake under hood - Added 7 weeks ago

Here's one carpooler you'd rather leave at home. A 5-foot rattlesnake stowed away in the nice, warm engine compartment of a New Yorker's pickup truck. The snake apparently slipped aboard at Tim McCarty's Orange County...

Bush OKs six-month protection for ex-Veeps - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush on Friday signed legislation giving Vice President Dick Cheney and future vice presidents six months of Secret Service protection after they leave office. The measure, which passed through Congress...

Wall Street trips and states take the fall - Added 7 weeks ago

The crisis in the financial system will almost surely blow gaping holes in the already tattered budgets of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and other states that rely heavily on tax revenue from investment banks and...

Federal workers face 8 percent hike in premiums - Added 7 weeks ago

Federal workers will pay about 8 percent more next year for health insurance obtained through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, the government reports. Federal employees and retirees can choose from 269...

Border Patrol is a boost for struggling towns - Added 7 weeks ago

The U.S. Border Patrol's gleaming new regional headquarters building is just one sign of how the fast-growing agency is boosting the local economy. Agents frequent the restaurants and gyms. A new indoor shooting range...

New terrorism risk review released Friday - Added 7 weeks ago

The Homeland Security Department paid $450,000 for an independent organization to make recommendations on a classified terrorism program, but the review _ which took two years to complete _ is practically outdated as...

Delta flight returns safely to Atlanta airport - Added 7 weeks ago

A Delta Air Lines flight bound for Los Angeles has returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after an engine indicator line came on minutes after takeoff. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said the...

Bush wants to expand marine protections in Pacific - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush wants to extend environmental protections to more of the Pacific Ocean. Bush said Friday he has asked the secretaries of the Interior, Commerce and Defense to identify additional areas that could be...

Mullen counsels caution in working with Pakistanis - Added 7 weeks ago

The nation's top military officer is urging a cautious approach to confronting an increasingly bold Islamic extremist insurgency in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint...

House OKs tax relief; sets up battle with Senate - Added 7 weeks ago

The year's most important tax package was in trouble Friday as the House passed a key part of it that the White House threatened to veto and the Senate said was a dead end. On the table were four tax initiatives...

Detroit schools could lose millions in aid - Added 7 weeks ago

Detroit's troubled school system, already running a $400 million deficit, is facing a loss of at least $40 million in state aid and the possible appointment of an outsider to manage its finances. Results of an official...

NY planners recommend $16b bridge, transit project - Added 7 weeks ago

State planners recommend spending $16 billion to replace an aging bridge over the Hudson River in New York City's northern suburbs. The new Tappan Zee Bridge would feature dedicated lanes for bus service and be capable...

GAO rejects claim Army botched body armor tests - Added 7 weeks ago

The Government Accountability Office has rejected a claim that testing of improved body armor for U.S. forces was flawed, clearing the way for the Army to get the stalled $1 billion project moving again. Had the GAO...

Bank's deposit goof leads to lawsuit, theft charge - Added 7 weeks ago

A man was charged with theft after a bank accused him of not returning more than $280,000 mistakenly deposited into his account. Herbert Starbird, 57, was charged Tuesday with theft and receiving stolen property,...

Green Beret charged in Afghan death out of NC brig - Added 7 weeks ago

A Green Beret accused of killing an Afghan civilian and cutting off his ear has been released from jail to await his military trial. Capt. Chris Augustine of the Army Special Forces Command said Friday that Master Sgt....

Bush to make statement on financial crisis - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush will make a statement Friday on the status of congressional negotiations on the $700 billion rescue plan for the U.S. financial markets. The president's statement follows late-night talks on Capitol Hill...

AMAZING!: Palin carved into Ohio cornfield - Added 7 weeks ago

An Ohio farmer would like to invite you to get lost inside the head of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. A 16-acre corn maze near the town of Whitehouse has been carved in Palin's likeness, complete...

Obituaries in the news - Added 7 weeks ago

Roger Linscott LENOX, Mass. (AP) _ Roger Linscott, a former Berkshire Eagle associate editor who won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing, has died. He was 88. His daughter, Wendy, said Thursday that her...

Prospects for nuclear deal uncertain in Congress - Added 7 weeks ago

A landmark agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation between India and the U.S. has been a high priority for President Bush and the Indian government, but time is running out as lawmakers wrap up this year's session to...

Gunman in O.J. Simpson case to testify Friday - Added 7 weeks ago

Witnesses in the O.J. Simpson trial have described Michael McClinton waving a handgun and shouting orders like a police officer while others carried away items two memorabilia dealers had arrayed on the bed. "Stand the...

A syrah named Palin gets a boost from Sarah Palin - Added 7 weeks ago

Democrats watching the presidential campaign may find it hard to swallow a glass of the syrah Palin. The organic red wine, pronounced "pay-LEEN sih-rah," comes from a small winery in northern Chile. According to...

Bush, Karzai to discuss conditions in Afghanistan - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush is getting an update on civilian reconstruction work in Afghanistan, where rising extremist attacks are making this the most violent year since the U.S.-led invasion that ousted the Taliban regime. Bush...

Bush, Brown meet amid economic woes - Added 7 weeks ago

President Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, two politicians near the nadir of their popularity, are getting together to discuss the financial problems that have both their economies reeling. In announcing...

Calif. warns people not to flush pharmaceuticals - Added 7 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:NY392-0519081417 -->The state of California has a warning for its 36 million residents: Do not flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain, or they may end up in a river near you. Or, it turns out, even in...

AP IMPACT: Nuclear waste piles up at hospitals - Added 7 weeks ago

!!-- hobj:307 -->Tubes, capsules and pellets of used radioactive material are piling up in the basements and locked closets of hospitals and research installations around the country, stoking fears they could get lost...

Democrats unveil economic stimulus plans - Added 7 weeks ago

Top Senate Democrats on Thursday unveiled a $56 billion plan to stimulate the economy, including proposals to extend unemployment benefits and help states pay for Medicaid. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and...

Today in History - Sept. 26 - Added 7 weeks ago

Today is Friday, Sept. 26, the 270th day of 2008. There are 96 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 26 1789, Thomas Jefferson was appointed America's first secretary of state. On this date: ...

Okla. executes polygamist who killed young niece - Added 7 weeks ago

!!-- pobj:OKSO101-0924081147 -->A polygamist convicted of fatally stabbing his 11-year-old niece and dumping her body in rural Oklahoma was executed Thursday. Jessie James Cummings Jr., whose personality was once...