http://www.kentucky.com/216/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com Nation 60 Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:09:11 EST http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:02 EST
State Police spokeswoman Paris Ervin says 10 ambulances were sent to the site of the accident Wednesday night on Interstate 39 near the village of Lostant. She didn't immediately have information on injuries.

A dispatcher at the LaSalle County sheriff's office says students went to three area hospitals, but she didn't know the number.

Ervin says at least two vehicles, including the bus, were involved in the accident, which occurred on an icy road. But she says it's too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

The interstate has been closed. Lostant is located about 50 miles north of Bloomington.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Kazuyoshi Miura, 61, was found hanging in a Los Angeles Police Department cell on Oct. 10.

His lawyer Mark Geragos hired an independent pathologist to examine the body, then said injuries found on Miura were consistent with murder.

Police said Miura hanged himself with a piece of his shirt less than 24 hours after he was returned to the United States to stand trial for conspiring to murder his wife 27 years ago.

The Miura case was a sensation in Japan, where it was known as "the Japanese O.J. case."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:17 EST
Effectively aligning with the Republican congressman's defense, the House counsel says in a friend-of-the-court brief that federal prosecutors and the FBI repeatedly violated the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which grants members of Congress protections for their legislative acts.

The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House asserted that its brief is intended "to articulate and protect the House's interests - and not to defend defendant Congressman Richard Renzi."

Renzi, who was first indicted by a federal grand jury in February, is accused of engineering a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner. He is also charged with collaborating with the former president of his insurance company by misappropriating insurance premiums of his company's clients for his and others' enrichment.

The speech and debate provision gives members of Congress protection from having to disclose information about their legislative work and bars the Justice Department from indicting or prosecuting for those activities.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:52 EST
Andrew Mogilyansky, 38, of Richboro, was charged with traveling abroad to engage in illegal sexual activity and with committing sex crimes while overseas.

A federal indictment alleges he molested three teenage girls brought to his apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia, from a nearby orphanage in late 2003 and early 2004, then recruited them into an online-based child prostitution business in Moscow that he ran with several other people.

The girls were 13 and 14 years old, Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said.

"The significance of this case is, we want people to fully understand that you cannot just go to another country and think you are out of the reach of law enforcement," Magid said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Carter said Wednesday night that "We Can Bring Peace to the Holy Land" will be published in January, just after the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"I was going to call it, 'Yes, We Can.' My wife talked me out of it," Carter joked toward the end of a panel discussion on human rights at The Carter Center. He offered no further details on the new text, to be published by Simon & Schuster.

As president, Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt. But Jewish groups and some fellow Democrats strongly objected to his book published two years ago because it compared Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories with former racial oppression in South Africa.

During the panel discussion at the conclusion of a two-day forum of international human rights activists, Carter said the "persecution of Palestinians" and lack of U.S. commitment to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict remains one of the most volatile issues in the Muslim world.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:27 EST
The Los Angeles County coroner released the results Wednesday, noting that toxicology reports on Robert Sanchez came back clean and that injuries he sustained from the crash were "rapidly fatal."

Federal investigators have said Sanchez was text messaging 22 seconds before his train collided with a Union Pacific freight on Sept. 12 in Chatsworth.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
The eight-ton, 72-foot Norway spruce was illuminated Wednesday night in the Manhattan plaza after performances by entertainers including Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Foxx and Beyonce.

"It's been an awesome experience," said Tracey Davison, 40, a teacher's assistant from Pascagoula, Miss. "I have a famous living room because of the tree from last year, and my girls and I have had a spectacular trip to New York for the first time."

This year's tree was decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights on five miles of wire, topped with a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals. It was donated by the Varanyak family in Hamilton Township, N.J.

Among the thousands of onlookers who gathered to watch the annual tradition were Davison and her four daughters: Ashunti, 10; Nylah, 9; Majsa, 8; and Karly, 4.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:07 EST
Dritan Duka did not seem to be influenced by the man being paid by the government, unlike other recordings played in the seven-week trial.

On a recording informant Besnik Bakalli made on March 10, 2007, the day after the men watched a video of a lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni imam who lived in the United States for a time, Bakalli can be heard asking Duka where he wanted to strike.

"I say here because he gave the fatwa," or religious decree, Duka responds. "Hit them here."

Duka and four other foreign-born Muslims are charged with conspiring to kill military personnel, attempted murder and weapons offenses. They were arrested in May 2007, and no attack was carried out.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:47 EST
With the Indiana operation, state officials have seized 32 children associated with the ministries over allegations of beatings and sexual abuse.

Alamo, 74, remains held without bond, charged with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans transporting women or girls across state lines for "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose."

Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, declined to say where or how the six children in Indiana were taken into state custody.

Anthony Lane, a father of three of the children, said officials acted Tuesday after receiving a tip from him about their location.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
The amount of the settlement had been sealed until Wednesday, when a state appellate court overturned a lower court's decision to keep the settlement private.

Antonia Verni, 11, and her mother, Fazila, sought to keep the settlement private because of concerns over how the girl's estranged father handled funds from earlier settlements with other defendants.

The family sued Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., Giants Stadium's concessionaire, claiming that employees continued to serve beer to Daniel Lanzaro of Cresskill even though he was visibly intoxicated.

Lanzaro had a blood alcohol level of 0.226, more than twice the legal limit at the time, after the 1999 accident. Antonia, then 2, was paralyzed from the neck down.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
District Judge Lee Munson issued the order at the request of a lawyer for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who is charged in the death of Anne Pressly.

Pressly, 26, was found beaten and unconscious in her home Oct. 20 and died five days later in a hospital without ever gaining consciousness. Her parents say she had been sexually assaulted and beaten so severely that part of her jaw bone was broken away.

In his order, the judge barred prosecution and defense lawyers, law enforcement officers, the FBI, state Crime Laboratory employees and state Medical Examiner staff from commenting to the media on the case. He also sealed the investigative file.

Munson said he granted the request to protect Vance's right to a fair trial. He said the order would be in effect until Vance appears in circuit court for his plea and arraignment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
Of those, the military reports 404 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 66 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, three were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.

There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,395 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.

The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:17 EST
Simon and Michelle Nget, owners of the Saigon Grill restaurant group, are accused of failing to pay legal wages to dozens of employees at their popular Vietnamese restaurants in Manhattan and then fabricating records to conceal the violations.

In some cases, the restaurant tried to make it look like workers were being paid legally by having them cash regular paychecks, prosecutors said. Once the check cleared, however, the workers were required to give the money back, they said.

Over time, employees were cheated out of millions of dollars, officials said, adding that the state's unemployment insurance program was also cheated.

"Like so many restaurants across New York City, Saigon Grill was run on the backs of its workers," said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who brought the criminal case. "These workers allowed the business to thrive, and in exchange they were allegedly cheated out of wages ... and then pulled into a painstaking ploy to cover it all up."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:07 EST
U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani rejected Richard Convertino's request that Karim Koubriti's lawsuit be dismissed.

Koubriti, a North African immigrant, was convicted in 2003 of conspiring to aid terrorists, but the conviction was tossed in 2004 after the U.S. Justice Department said evidence was withheld from the defense. Koubriti is suing Convertino, saying his constitutional rights were violated.

"Karim is looking forward to getting his day in court and holding Mr. Convertino responsible for his outrageous conduct," Koubriti's lawyer Ben Gonek said.

Battani said Koubriti's lawsuit can go forward, based on a 1971 Supreme Court ruling in a case involving federal drug agents who were accused of an illegal search and arrest.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:42 EST
William Balfour appeared in court for the first time in connection with the deaths and was denied bond. His attorney said authorities have no forensic evidence linking Balfour to the killings, but prosecutors said witness statements and the suspect's own lies and threats helped lead them to him.

Balfour was charged with murder Tuesday after being held for weeks on a parole violation. The slightly built man, wearing a yellow jump suit, stood quietly Wednesday as prosecutor LuAnn Snow described how he allegedly killed his 7-year-old stepson, Julian King, Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson.

Snow said Balfour had been at the Hudsons' South Side home early Oct. 24 and confronted his estranged wife, Julia Hudson, about a birthday present he believed she had received from a boyfriend.

Balfour, Snow said, also had shown up to Julia Hudson's workplace earlier in the month to confront her about dating another man.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:42 EST
The indictments don't allege any money was missing. They include four felony charges, each carrying a possible sentence of up to four years in prison.

Krolicki has said he is being targeted for political reasons. He was the first Republican to announce plans to run against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.

He said the indictment was the result of "a secretive process" that was unfairly orchestrated by Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

Representatives for Masto and Reid, both Democrats, deny any politics were involved.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614644.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614644.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:27 EST
Brown and Thapar were named Wednesday for work providing a broader understanding of human development in past cultures.

Brown, a 73-year-old Princeton University professor, was recognized for work on the transition between classical and modern civilizations.

Thapar, a 77-year-old emeritus professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, was honored for work showing Indian civilization as more pluralistic than was widely accepted.

They will receive the award Dec. 10 at the Library of Congress and share the prize money.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614633.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614633.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:22 EST
Friends and associates of King gathered in Washington to hear an update on the memorial's progress.

"I like what I see because now we're going to have his words etched in stone," said Xernona Clayton, who served as King's assistant and later worked as a television personality and broadcast executive in Atlanta.

Clayton, who pledged to ask friends to donate whatever they can, added, "I don't think the masses understand what they can do to assist."

Others urged the King memorial foundation to capitalize on the enthusiasm behind President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration to help raise money. The inaugural ceremonies, expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to Washington on Jan. 20, will come the day after the King holiday.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614592.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614592.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:42 EST
State Sen. Joe Scarnati (scar-NAH-tee) was sworn in Wednesday as the replacement for the late Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll. He assumed the job under the state constitution's rules of succession.

Gov. Ed Rendell says he is confident that their disagreements will be amicable and resolved with the state's best interests in mind.

Scarnati says he's a "big enough person to look beyond partisan politics."

Scarnati also will keep his seat in the state Senate and his post as its president pro tempore.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614562.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614562.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:22 EST
In announcing a whistleblower settlement, the independent Office of Special Counsel said its investigation found that Rachel K. Paulose retaliated against John Marti by taking steps to remove him as her first assistant.

Marti accepted a demotion and returned to being an assistant U.S. attorney.

Under the settlement, Marti will get back pay and a lump sum payment from the Justice Department and any negative references will be removed from his personnel records. The amount of the payment was not disclosed.

"I am thankful for the professional, independent investigation conducted by the investigators and attorneys of the Office of Special Counsel," Marti said. He declined further comment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613721.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613721.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
LAS VEGAS . State authorities are recommending that O.J. Simpson and a co-defendant be sentenced to 18 years in prison for the gunpoint robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers, according to documents filed Tuesday.

Attorneys for the former NFL star and Clarence "C.J." Stewart filed briefs asking Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass for minimum prison terms of six years when she sentences the two men Friday.

A brief filed by Stewart's attorney refers to a confidential recommendation by the state Parole and Probation Division that the two men serve sentences totaling 18 year. Glass is not bound by the report and could sentence each of the men to the maximum term of life in prison.

The brief filed by Stewart's attorney, Brent Bryson, asked the judge to disregard the state's recommendation because of his client's minimal participation and clean record. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613720.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613720.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . Turns out Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wasn't the only candidate with donor-financed duds.

At least five candidates used campaign money for clothing, according to a complaint that a watchdog group filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the campaigns of Democratic Reps. Loretta Sanchez of California and Rob Andrews of New Jersey, Republican candidates Bill Dew of Utah and William Breazeale of North Carolina and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr each spent hundreds of dollars on clothing.

The group says that violates a ban on personal use of campaign money. Earlier, the group filed a complaint against the Republican National Committee for buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing for Palin, the party's vice presidential nominee. The RNC and Palin have said they did nothing wrong. And the McCain-Palin campaign has said some of the clothing was returned to stores soon after its purchase. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613718.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613718.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . The government must toughen its monitoring of the $700 billion financial bailout to ensure that banking institutions limit their top executives' pay and comply with other restrictions, federal auditors said Tuesday in the first comprehensive review of the rescue package.

The Treasury Department has no mechanism in place to track how institutions are using $150 billion in taxpayer money that the government injected into the banking system as of last month, the Government Accountability Office concluded in its report to Congress.

The auditors acknowledged that the program was less than 60 days old and has been adjusting to an evolving mission.

But the 72-page report was bound to feed congressional concern that banks and other institutions aren't being properly monitored and aren't using the money to increase lending. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613717.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613717.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
CHICAGO . President-elect Barack Obama plans to name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his choice for Commerce secretary on Wednesday, adding another former campaign rival to his Cabinet, Democratic officials said.

The incoming chief executive has chosen another adversary-turned-ally, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to be his secretary of state. Obama has moved quickly to fill out his Cabinet, having named more than half of it in the month since he was elected.

Richardson's nomination has been all but announced for several weeks. The Democratic officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made, said Richardson will join Obama at a news conference Wednesday in Chicago.

Richardson is one of the nation's most prominent Hispanic politicians. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613716.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613716.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . In Richard Nixon's time, all the president's men fretted about threats on every front: disquiet out on the streets, disloyalty inside the administration and trouble from political opponents who had to be discredited at any cost.

Documents released Tuesday show Nixon's operatives dishing dirt on the president's critics and public figures, including their marital, mental and drinking problems, and struggling to contain growing public unrest over the war in Vietnam.

Alabama Gov. George Wallace was branded a "psychotic" who could be useful in making trouble for his fellow Democrats. Thomas Eagleton's treatments for mental illness were reported to Nixon's secretary before that disclosure forced him to resign from the 1972 Democratic ticket.

The Nixon Library, run by the National Archives, opened nearly 200 hours of White House tape recordings and 90,000 pages of documents in its latest release of material from his administration. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613715.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613715.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
FORT RILEY, Kan. . Sgt. Ryan Nyhus spent 14 months patrolling the deadly streets of Baghdad, where five members of his platoon were shot and one died. As bad as that was, he would rather go back there than take his chances in this brutal job market.

Nyhus re-enlisted last Wednesday, joining the growing ranks of those choosing to stay in the U.S. military because of the bleak economy.

"In the Army, you're always guaranteed a steady paycheck and a job," said Nyhus, 21. "Deploying's something that's going to happen. That's a fact of life in the Army . a fact of life in the infantry."

In 2008, as the stock market cratered and the housing market collapsed, more young members of the Army, Air Force and Navy decided to re-up. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613691.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613691.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST


MINNEAPOLIS . Holiday toy shopping stress is sure to ratchet up with a new report on toxic toys to be issued Wednesday.

Nearly one-third of the popular toys tested contain medium to high levels of lead, cadmium, mercury or other potentially dangerous chemicals, according to the Michigan-based Ecology Center. Toy jewelry figures prominently in the "Worst Toys List."

Toy industry officials said that consumers have every reason to trust the safety of the 3 billion toys sold in America each year, and that industry has led the way in assuring that toys from China and elsewhere meet U.S. standards. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613684.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613684.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks no foreign languages, but has visited 90 countries. She has never negotiated an agreement between two warring sides, but a speech she delivered in Beijing in 1995 is still quoted by women's rights advocates around the world.

As President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state, Clinton carries a r.sum. that is in many ways thinner than her predecessors. She does not bring the decades of academic and policy expertise that Condoleezza Rice brought to the job, nor does she have Colin Powell's military know-how, or even Warren Christopher's past experience as a deputy secretary of state.

Nor does she have James A. Baker III's chummy relationship with her boss. Or the street credibility of a Madeleine Albright or Henry Kissinger, whose birthplaces . Prague and Bavaria . gave them an aura of worldliness that added sheen to their diplomatic credentials.

And yet, Clinton's selection has electrified a diplomatic world where officials can now anticipate the prospect of sitting across a conference table from an American former first lady and presidential candidate, with all of the drama that is attached to the Clinton story. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613683.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613683.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
DALLAS . More than 50 mentally disabled patients in the large state-run homes of Texas died in the past year from preventable conditions often related to poor care, a federal investigation revealed Tuesday.

Among other findings were that a resident had swallowed latex gloves three times and that a teenage resident with mild mental retardation might have been raped by a male employee.

Overall, the state investigated at least 500 allegations of abuse, neglect and other mistreatment of residents from July through September, according to the letter sent by the Department of Justice to Gov. Rick Perry.

The findings mark the third time in three years that the Justice Department has investigated the Texas facilities, known as state schools. Similar findings of mistreatment at the Lubbock State School came out in 2006; the latest letter details deficiencies in Texas' 12 other state schools. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612550.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612550.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Susan Elizabeth Rice

Nominated U.N. Ambassador Born: Nov. 17, 1964

Experience: Senior foreign policy adviser, Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008; senior fellow in foreign policy, Brookings Institution, 2002 to present; senior adviser for national security affairs, John F. Kerry presidential campaign, 2004; assistant secretary of state for African affairs, 1997-2001; special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs, National Security Council, 1995-97; director for international organizations and peacekeeping, National Security Council, 1993-95; management consultant, McKinsey and Co., 1991-93.

Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Stanford University, 1986; master's in philosophy in international relations, Oxford University, 1988; doctorate in philosophy, Oxford University, 1990. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612549.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612549.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Janet Ann Napolitano

Nominated secretary of homeland security

Born: Nov. 29, 1957, in New York.

Experience: Arizona governor, 2003 to present; Arizona attorney general, 1999-2003; attorney, Lewis and Roca, 1997-98; U.S. attorney for Arizona, 1993-97; partner, Lewis and Roca, 1989-93; associate, Lewis and Roca, 1984-89; clerk to Judge Mary Schroeder, 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals, 1983-84. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612548.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612548.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
James Logan Jones

Named national security adviser

Born: Dec. 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Mo.

Experience: President and chief executive officer of U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, 2007 to present; supreme allied commander, Europe, and commander, U.S. European Command, 2003-06; 32nd commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, 1999-2003; senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Washington, 1997-99; commander, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp LeJeune, N.C., 1990-92; battalion commander, 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif., 1985-87; Marine Corps Liaison Officer to U.S. Senate, Washington, 1979-84; company commander, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Okinawa, Japan, 1974-75; company commander, Marine Barracks, Washington, 1970-73; platoon and company commander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Vietnam, 1967-68. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612547.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612547.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Eric Himpton Holder Jr.

Nominated attorney general

Born: Jan. 21, 1951, in New York

Experience: Senior legal adviser, Obama campaign, 2007-08; partner, Covington . Burling LLP, 2001 to present; acting U.S. attorney general, 2001; U.S. deputy attorney general, 1997-2001; U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, 1993-97; associate judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1988-93; trial attorney for the Justice Department's public integrity section, 1976-88. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612545.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612545.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Nominated secretary of state

Born: Oct. 26, 1947; Chicago.

Experience: U.S. senator for New York, 2001 to present; first lady of the United States, 1993-2001; partner, Rose Law Firm, Little Rock, Ark., 1979-1992; associate, Rose Law Firm, 1976-1979; faculty, University of Arkansas Law School, Fayetteville, Ark., 1975; staff attorney, presidential impeachment inquiry, U.S. House Judiciary Committee, 1974; staff attorney, Children's Defense Fund, 1973. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612544.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612544.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
ATLANTA . Jim Martin is feeling the spirit.

Usually the Democratic Senate candidate is so unassuming that he sometimes seems out of place at his own campaign events.

But at historically black Morris Brown College, surrounded by former Barack Obama campaign staffers and such African-American luminaries as Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the bespectacled, 63-year-old lawyer has discovered his inner preacher.

"We're all in this together!" Martin intones. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612541.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612541.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
SMITH POINT, Texas . A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season.

Two and a half months after Hurricane Ike blasted the shoreline, alligators and snakes crawl over vast piles of shattered building materials, lawn furniture, trees, boats, tanks of butane and other hazardous substances, thousands of animal carcasses, perhaps even human corpses.

State and local officials complain that the removal of the filth has gone almost nowhere because FEMA red tape has held up both the cleanup work and the release of the millions of dollars that Chambers County says it needs to pay for the project.

Elsewhere along the coast, similar complaints are heard: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow to reimburse local governments for what they have already spent, putting the rural counties on the brink of financial collapse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612537.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612537.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
WASHINGTON . Put it in the history books: The country was officially diagnosed with a job-killing recession Monday, and woeful new evidence showed it's getting worse. Wall Street convulsed at the news, tanking 680 points, and Washington pledged even more help to try to ease the pain.

With the economic pain likely to stretch well into 2009, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday he stands ready to lower interest rates yet again and to explore other rescue or revival measures.

Rushing in reinforcements, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who along with Bernanke has been leading the government's efforts to stem the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, pledged to take all the steps he can in the waning days of the Bush administration to provide relief. Specifically, Paulson is eyeing more ways to tap into a $700 billion financial bailout pool.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., vowed to have a massive economic stimulus package ready on Inauguration Day for President-elect Barack Obama's signature. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612536.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612536.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
WASHINGTON . The members of the national security team that President-elect Barack Obama named Monday are all strong-willed public servants who at times have vehemently disagreed with changes he proposes to U.S. national-security policy.

His future national security adviser quite possibly voted for his opponent in the presidential election. His future secretary of state said the United States should consider the "obliteration" of Iran, where Obama has advocated talks without preconditions. His future defense secretary directed the military's surge of additional U.S. forces into Iraq, which Obama opposed.

Despite those past differences, what matters is how their views might change now that they're part of an administration led by Obama and insulated from domestic politics.

Will Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embrace his call for talking to Iran? Will Secretary of Defense Robert Gates back Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq? Will National Security Adviser and retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, a former military commander of NATO, embrace Obama's call to engage with Russia? ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/611438.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/611438.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
NEW YORK . Deep discounts on everything from sweaters to TVs drove shoppers out of hibernation for the Thanksgiving weekend, but the buying was tempered and sales for the traditional start of the holiday season appear in line with low expectations.

Sales receipts also came at the expense of profits, and merchants are facing a big challenge exciting financially strapped shoppers for the rest of the season, expected to be the weakest in decades.

The nation's retailers . who have suffered from the most dramatic falloff in spending in decades amid a ballooning financial crisis . opened their stores as early as midnight on Thursday, holding their breath wondering whether shoppers would show up for the pre-dawn specials. The crowds did come out, but analysts said they were thinner than last year and, according to some accounts, business fell off sharply for the rest of the weekend.

Shoppers were also focused on bargains and cheaper items such as blenders and video games, as they worry about layoffs, tight credit and shrinking retirement funds. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/611436.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/611436.html Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:42 EST
WASHINGTON . When President-elect Barack Obama introduces his national security team on Monday, it will include two veteran Cold Warriors and a political rival whose records are all more hawkish than the new president who will face them in the White House Situation Room.

Yet three of his choices . Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as the rival turned secretary of state, Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander as national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, the current and future defense secretary . were selected in large part because they have embraced a sweeping shift of resources in the national security arena.

The shift, which would come partly out of the military's huge budget, would create a greatly expanded corps of diplomats and aid workers that, in the vision of the incoming Obama administration, would be engaged in projects around the world aimed at preventing conflicts and rebuilding failed states.

Obama is also planning to name Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and campaign foreign policy adviser Susan Rice as U.N. ambassador. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614979.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:17 EST
Effectively aligning with the Republican congressman's defense, the House counsel says in a friend-of-the-court brief that federal prosecutors and the FBI repeatedly violated the Constitution's speech or debate clause, which grants members of Congress protections for their legislative acts.

The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group of the House asserted that its brief is intended "to articulate and protect the House's interests - and not to defend defendant Congressman Richard Renzi."

Renzi, who was first indicted by a federal grand jury in February, is accused of engineering a swap of federally owned mining land to benefit himself and a former business partner. He is also charged with collaborating with the former president of his insurance company by misappropriating insurance premiums of his company's clients for his and others' enrichment.

The speech and debate provision gives members of Congress protection from having to disclose information about their legislative work and bars the Justice Department from indicting or prosecuting for those activities.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614974.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:52 EST
Andrew Mogilyansky, 38, of Richboro, was charged with traveling abroad to engage in illegal sexual activity and with committing sex crimes while overseas.

A federal indictment alleges he molested three teenage girls brought to his apartment in St. Petersburg, Russia, from a nearby orphanage in late 2003 and early 2004, then recruited them into an online-based child prostitution business in Moscow that he ran with several other people.

The girls were 13 and 14 years old, Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid said.

"The significance of this case is, we want people to fully understand that you cannot just go to another country and think you are out of the reach of law enforcement," Magid said.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614959.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Carter said Wednesday night that "We Can Bring Peace to the Holy Land" will be published in January, just after the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

"I was going to call it, 'Yes, We Can.' My wife talked me out of it," Carter joked toward the end of a panel discussion on human rights at The Carter Center. He offered no further details on the new text, to be published by Simon & Schuster.

As president, Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt. But Jewish groups and some fellow Democrats strongly objected to his book published two years ago because it compared Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories with former racial oppression in South Africa.

During the panel discussion at the conclusion of a two-day forum of international human rights activists, Carter said the "persecution of Palestinians" and lack of U.S. commitment to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict remains one of the most volatile issues in the Muslim world.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614942.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:27 EST
The Los Angeles County coroner released the results Wednesday, noting that toxicology reports on Robert Sanchez came back clean and that injuries he sustained from the crash were "rapidly fatal."

Federal investigators have said Sanchez was text messaging 22 seconds before his train collided with a Union Pacific freight on Sept. 12 in Chatsworth.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614925.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
The eight-ton, 72-foot Norway spruce was illuminated Wednesday night in the Manhattan plaza after performances by entertainers including Tony Bennett, Harry Connick Jr., Jamie Foxx and Beyonce.

"It's been an awesome experience," said Tracey Davison, 40, a teacher's assistant from Pascagoula, Miss. "I have a famous living room because of the tree from last year, and my girls and I have had a spectacular trip to New York for the first time."

This year's tree was decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights on five miles of wire, topped with a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals. It was donated by the Varanyak family in Hamilton Township, N.J.

Among the thousands of onlookers who gathered to watch the annual tradition were Davison and her four daughters: Ashunti, 10; Nylah, 9; Majsa, 8; and Karly, 4.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614817.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:07 EST
Dritan Duka did not seem to be influenced by the man being paid by the government, unlike other recordings played in the seven-week trial.

On a recording informant Besnik Bakalli made on March 10, 2007, the day after the men watched a video of a lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki, a Yemeni imam who lived in the United States for a time, Bakalli can be heard asking Duka where he wanted to strike.

"I say here because he gave the fatwa," or religious decree, Duka responds. "Hit them here."

Duka and four other foreign-born Muslims are charged with conspiring to kill military personnel, attempted murder and weapons offenses. They were arrested in May 2007, and no attack was carried out.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614791.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:47 EST
With the Indiana operation, state officials have seized 32 children associated with the ministries over allegations of beatings and sexual abuse.

Alamo, 74, remains held without bond, charged with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans transporting women or girls across state lines for "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose."

Julie Munsell, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Human Services, declined to say where or how the six children in Indiana were taken into state custody.

Anthony Lane, a father of three of the children, said officials acted Tuesday after receiving a tip from him about their location.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614777.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:27 EST
The amount of the settlement had been sealed until Wednesday, when a state appellate court overturned a lower court's decision to keep the settlement private.

Antonia Verni, 11, and her mother, Fazila, sought to keep the settlement private because of concerns over how the girl's estranged father handled funds from earlier settlements with other defendants.

The family sued Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., Giants Stadium's concessionaire, claiming that employees continued to serve beer to Daniel Lanzaro of Cresskill even though he was visibly intoxicated.

Lanzaro had a blood alcohol level of 0.226, more than twice the legal limit at the time, after the 1999 accident. Antonia, then 2, was paralyzed from the neck down.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614772.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:57 EST
District Judge Lee Munson issued the order at the request of a lawyer for Curtis Lavelle Vance, who is charged in the death of Anne Pressly.

Pressly, 26, was found beaten and unconscious in her home Oct. 20 and died five days later in a hospital without ever gaining consciousness. Her parents say she had been sexually assaulted and beaten so severely that part of her jaw bone was broken away.

In his order, the judge barred prosecution and defense lawyers, law enforcement officers, the FBI, state Crime Laboratory employees and state Medical Examiner staff from commenting to the media on the case. He also sealed the investigative file.

Munson said he granted the request to protect Vance's right to a fair trial. He said the order would be in effect until Vance appears in circuit court for his plea and arraignment.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614767.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
Of those, the military reports 404 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 66 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, three were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey; and Yemen.

There were also four CIA officer deaths and one military civilian death.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614765.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:27 EST
The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,395 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is two fewer than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST.

The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.

---]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614752.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:17 EST
Simon and Michelle Nget, owners of the Saigon Grill restaurant group, are accused of failing to pay legal wages to dozens of employees at their popular Vietnamese restaurants in Manhattan and then fabricating records to conceal the violations.

In some cases, the restaurant tried to make it look like workers were being paid legally by having them cash regular paychecks, prosecutors said. Once the check cleared, however, the workers were required to give the money back, they said.

Over time, employees were cheated out of millions of dollars, officials said, adding that the state's unemployment insurance program was also cheated.

"Like so many restaurants across New York City, Saigon Grill was run on the backs of its workers," said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who brought the criminal case. "These workers allowed the business to thrive, and in exchange they were allegedly cheated out of wages ... and then pulled into a painstaking ploy to cover it all up."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614747.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:07 EST
U.S. District Judge Marianne Battani rejected Richard Convertino's request that Karim Koubriti's lawsuit be dismissed.

Koubriti, a North African immigrant, was convicted in 2003 of conspiring to aid terrorists, but the conviction was tossed in 2004 after the U.S. Justice Department said evidence was withheld from the defense. Koubriti is suing Convertino, saying his constitutional rights were violated.

"Karim is looking forward to getting his day in court and holding Mr. Convertino responsible for his outrageous conduct," Koubriti's lawyer Ben Gonek said.

Battani said Koubriti's lawsuit can go forward, based on a 1971 Supreme Court ruling in a case involving federal drug agents who were accused of an illegal search and arrest.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614730.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:42 EST
William Balfour appeared in court for the first time in connection with the deaths and was denied bond. His attorney said authorities have no forensic evidence linking Balfour to the killings, but prosecutors said witness statements and the suspect's own lies and threats helped lead them to him.

Balfour was charged with murder Tuesday after being held for weeks on a parole violation. The slightly built man, wearing a yellow jump suit, stood quietly Wednesday as prosecutor LuAnn Snow described how he allegedly killed his 7-year-old stepson, Julian King, Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson.

Snow said Balfour had been at the Hudsons' South Side home early Oct. 24 and confronted his estranged wife, Julia Hudson, about a birthday present he believed she had received from a boyfriend.

Balfour, Snow said, also had shown up to Julia Hudson's workplace earlier in the month to confront her about dating another man.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614669.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:42 EST
The indictments don't allege any money was missing. They include four felony charges, each carrying a possible sentence of up to four years in prison.

Krolicki has said he is being targeted for political reasons. He was the first Republican to announce plans to run against U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.

He said the indictment was the result of "a secretive process" that was unfairly orchestrated by Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

Representatives for Masto and Reid, both Democrats, deny any politics were involved.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613718.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613718.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . The government must toughen its monitoring of the $700 billion financial bailout to ensure that banking institutions limit their top executives' pay and comply with other restrictions, federal auditors said Tuesday in the first comprehensive review of the rescue package.

The Treasury Department has no mechanism in place to track how institutions are using $150 billion in taxpayer money that the government injected into the banking system as of last month, the Government Accountability Office concluded in its report to Congress.

The auditors acknowledged that the program was less than 60 days old and has been adjusting to an evolving mission.

But the 72-page report was bound to feed congressional concern that banks and other institutions aren't being properly monitored and aren't using the money to increase lending. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613717.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613717.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
CHICAGO . President-elect Barack Obama plans to name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as his choice for Commerce secretary on Wednesday, adding another former campaign rival to his Cabinet, Democratic officials said.

The incoming chief executive has chosen another adversary-turned-ally, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to be his secretary of state. Obama has moved quickly to fill out his Cabinet, having named more than half of it in the month since he was elected.

Richardson's nomination has been all but announced for several weeks. The Democratic officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made, said Richardson will join Obama at a news conference Wednesday in Chicago.

Richardson is one of the nation's most prominent Hispanic politicians. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613716.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613716.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . In Richard Nixon's time, all the president's men fretted about threats on every front: disquiet out on the streets, disloyalty inside the administration and trouble from political opponents who had to be discredited at any cost.

Documents released Tuesday show Nixon's operatives dishing dirt on the president's critics and public figures, including their marital, mental and drinking problems, and struggling to contain growing public unrest over the war in Vietnam.

Alabama Gov. George Wallace was branded a "psychotic" who could be useful in making trouble for his fellow Democrats. Thomas Eagleton's treatments for mental illness were reported to Nixon's secretary before that disclosure forced him to resign from the 1972 Democratic ticket.

The Nixon Library, run by the National Archives, opened nearly 200 hours of White House tape recordings and 90,000 pages of documents in its latest release of material from his administration. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613715.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613715.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
FORT RILEY, Kan. . Sgt. Ryan Nyhus spent 14 months patrolling the deadly streets of Baghdad, where five members of his platoon were shot and one died. As bad as that was, he would rather go back there than take his chances in this brutal job market.

Nyhus re-enlisted last Wednesday, joining the growing ranks of those choosing to stay in the U.S. military because of the bleak economy.

"In the Army, you're always guaranteed a steady paycheck and a job," said Nyhus, 21. "Deploying's something that's going to happen. That's a fact of life in the Army . a fact of life in the infantry."

In 2008, as the stock market cratered and the housing market collapsed, more young members of the Army, Air Force and Navy decided to re-up. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613691.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613691.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST


MINNEAPOLIS . Holiday toy shopping stress is sure to ratchet up with a new report on toxic toys to be issued Wednesday.

Nearly one-third of the popular toys tested contain medium to high levels of lead, cadmium, mercury or other potentially dangerous chemicals, according to the Michigan-based Ecology Center. Toy jewelry figures prominently in the "Worst Toys List."

Toy industry officials said that consumers have every reason to trust the safety of the 3 billion toys sold in America each year, and that industry has led the way in assuring that toys from China and elsewhere meet U.S. standards. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613684.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613684.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks no foreign languages, but has visited 90 countries. She has never negotiated an agreement between two warring sides, but a speech she delivered in Beijing in 1995 is still quoted by women's rights advocates around the world.

As President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state, Clinton carries a r.sum. that is in many ways thinner than her predecessors. She does not bring the decades of academic and policy expertise that Condoleezza Rice brought to the job, nor does she have Colin Powell's military know-how, or even Warren Christopher's past experience as a deputy secretary of state.

Nor does she have James A. Baker III's chummy relationship with her boss. Or the street credibility of a Madeleine Albright or Henry Kissinger, whose birthplaces . Prague and Bavaria . gave them an aura of worldliness that added sheen to their diplomatic credentials.

And yet, Clinton's selection has electrified a diplomatic world where officials can now anticipate the prospect of sitting across a conference table from an American former first lady and presidential candidate, with all of the drama that is attached to the Clinton story. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613683.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613683.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
DALLAS . More than 50 mentally disabled patients in the large state-run homes of Texas died in the past year from preventable conditions often related to poor care, a federal investigation revealed Tuesday.

Among other findings were that a resident had swallowed latex gloves three times and that a teenage resident with mild mental retardation might have been raped by a male employee.

Overall, the state investigated at least 500 allegations of abuse, neglect and other mistreatment of residents from July through September, according to the letter sent by the Department of Justice to Gov. Rick Perry.

The findings mark the third time in three years that the Justice Department has investigated the Texas facilities, known as state schools. Similar findings of mistreatment at the Lubbock State School came out in 2006; the latest letter details deficiencies in Texas' 12 other state schools. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612550.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612550.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Susan Elizabeth Rice

Nominated U.N. Ambassador Born: Nov. 17, 1964

Experience: Senior foreign policy adviser, Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008; senior fellow in foreign policy, Brookings Institution, 2002 to present; senior adviser for national security affairs, John F. Kerry presidential campaign, 2004; assistant secretary of state for African affairs, 1997-2001; special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs, National Security Council, 1995-97; director for international organizations and peacekeeping, National Security Council, 1993-95; management consultant, McKinsey and Co., 1991-93.

Education: Bachelor's degree in history, Stanford University, 1986; master's in philosophy in international relations, Oxford University, 1988; doctorate in philosophy, Oxford University, 1990. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612549.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612549.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Janet Ann Napolitano

Nominated secretary of homeland security

Born: Nov. 29, 1957, in New York.

Experience: Arizona governor, 2003 to present; Arizona attorney general, 1999-2003; attorney, Lewis and Roca, 1997-98; U.S. attorney for Arizona, 1993-97; partner, Lewis and Roca, 1989-93; associate, Lewis and Roca, 1984-89; clerk to Judge Mary Schroeder, 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals, 1983-84. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612548.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612548.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
James Logan Jones

Named national security adviser

Born: Dec. 19, 1943, in Kansas City, Mo.

Experience: President and chief executive officer of U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy, 2007 to present; supreme allied commander, Europe, and commander, U.S. European Command, 2003-06; 32nd commandant, U.S. Marine Corps, 1999-2003; senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, Washington, 1997-99; commander, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Camp LeJeune, N.C., 1990-92; battalion commander, 9th Marines, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif., 1985-87; Marine Corps Liaison Officer to U.S. Senate, Washington, 1979-84; company commander, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, Okinawa, Japan, 1974-75; company commander, Marine Barracks, Washington, 1970-73; platoon and company commander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, Vietnam, 1967-68. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612547.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612547.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Eric Himpton Holder Jr.

Nominated attorney general

Born: Jan. 21, 1951, in New York

Experience: Senior legal adviser, Obama campaign, 2007-08; partner, Covington . Burling LLP, 2001 to present; acting U.S. attorney general, 2001; U.S. deputy attorney general, 1997-2001; U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, 1993-97; associate judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 1988-93; trial attorney for the Justice Department's public integrity section, 1976-88. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612545.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612545.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
Hillary Rodham Clinton

Nominated secretary of state

Born: Oct. 26, 1947; Chicago.

Experience: U.S. senator for New York, 2001 to present; first lady of the United States, 1993-2001; partner, Rose Law Firm, Little Rock, Ark., 1979-1992; associate, Rose Law Firm, 1976-1979; faculty, University of Arkansas Law School, Fayetteville, Ark., 1975; staff attorney, presidential impeachment inquiry, U.S. House Judiciary Committee, 1974; staff attorney, Children's Defense Fund, 1973. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612544.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612544.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
ATLANTA . Jim Martin is feeling the spirit.

Usually the Democratic Senate candidate is so unassuming that he sometimes seems out of place at his own campaign events.

But at historically black Morris Brown College, surrounded by former Barack Obama campaign staffers and such African-American luminaries as Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the bespectacled, 63-year-old lawyer has discovered his inner preacher.

"We're all in this together!" Martin intones. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612541.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612541.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
SMITH POINT, Texas . A 30-mile scar of debris along the Texas coast stands as a festering testament to what state and local officials say is FEMA's sluggish response to the 2008 hurricane season.

Two and a half months after Hurricane Ike blasted the shoreline, alligators and snakes crawl over vast piles of shattered building materials, lawn furniture, trees, boats, tanks of butane and other hazardous substances, thousands of animal carcasses, perhaps even human corpses.

State and local officials complain that the removal of the filth has gone almost nowhere because FEMA red tape has held up both the cleanup work and the release of the millions of dollars that Chambers County says it needs to pay for the project.

Elsewhere along the coast, similar complaints are heard: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been slow to reimburse local governments for what they have already spent, putting the rural counties on the brink of financial collapse. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612537.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/612537.html Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:34 EST
WASHINGTON . Put it in the history books: The country was officially diagnosed with a job-killing recession Monday, and woeful new evidence showed it's getting worse. Wall Street convulsed at the news, tanking 680 points, and Washington pledged even more help to try to ease the pain.

With the economic pain likely to stretch well into 2009, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday he stands ready to lower interest rates yet again and to explore other rescue or revival measures.

Rushing in reinforcements, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who along with Bernanke has been leading the government's efforts to stem the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, pledged to take all the steps he can in the waning days of the Bush administration to provide relief. Specifically, Paulson is eyeing more ways to tap into a $700 billion financial bailout pool.

On Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., vowed to have a massive economic stimulus package ready on Inauguration Day for President-elect Barack Obama's signature. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/615025.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:02 EST
State Police spokeswoman Paris Ervin says 10 ambulances were sent to the site of the accident Wednesday night on Interstate 39 near the village of Lostant. She didn't immediately have information on injuries.

A dispatcher at the LaSalle County sheriff's office says students went to three area hospitals, but she didn't know the number.

Ervin says at least two vehicles, including the bus, were involved in the accident, which occurred on an icy road. But she says it's too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

The interstate has been closed. Lostant is located about 50 miles north of Bloomington.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html http://www.kentucky.com/513/story/614984.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:02 EST
Kazuyoshi Miura, 61, was found hanging in a Los Angeles Police Department cell on Oct. 10.

His lawyer Mark Geragos hired an independent pathologist to examine the body, then said injuries found on Miura were consistent with murder.

Police said Miura hanged himself with a piece of his shirt less than 24 hours after he was returned to the United States to stand trial for conspiring to murder his wife 27 years ago.

The Miura case was a sensation in Japan, where it was known as "the Japanese O.J. case."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613721.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613721.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
LAS VEGAS . State authorities are recommending that O.J. Simpson and a co-defendant be sentenced to 18 years in prison for the gunpoint robbery and kidnapping of two sports memorabilia dealers, according to documents filed Tuesday.

Attorneys for the former NFL star and Clarence "C.J." Stewart filed briefs asking Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass for minimum prison terms of six years when she sentences the two men Friday.

A brief filed by Stewart's attorney refers to a confidential recommendation by the state Parole and Probation Division that the two men serve sentences totaling 18 year. Glass is not bound by the report and could sentence each of the men to the maximum term of life in prison.

The brief filed by Stewart's attorney, Brent Bryson, asked the judge to disregard the state's recommendation because of his client's minimal participation and clean record. ]]> http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613720.html http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/613720.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:41 EST
WASHINGTON . Turns out Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin wasn't the only candidate with donor-financed duds.

At least five candidates used campaign money for clothing, according to a complaint that a watchdog group filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said the campaigns of Democratic Reps. Loretta Sanchez of California and Rob Andrews of New Jersey, Republican candidates Bill Dew of Utah and William Breazeale of North Carolina and Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr each spent hundreds of dollars on clothing.

The group says that violates a ban on personal use of campaign money. Earlier, the group filed a complaint against the Republican National Committee for buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing for Palin, the party's vice presidential nominee. The RNC and Palin have said they did nothing wrong. And the McCain-Palin campaign has said some of the clothing was returned to stores soon after its purchase. ]]>