November 3, 2005. 0230z. "Beta" still lingers over Central America. It remains unsensationalized fear in the American News media because after all who cares about Central America.MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- Thousands of people remained in shelters in Nicaragua and Honduras yesterday after hurricane Beta swept across the Central American countries, flooding rivers, downing trees and destroying houses, churches, medical centres and schools. The remnants of Beta drifted over the eastern Pacific yesterday, and forecasters said there was a slight chance the storm could reform over the ocean. Packing winds up to 170 kmh, Beta dumped as much as 38 centimetres of rain in Nicaragua and neighbouring Honduras, where its outer bands of rain caused four rivers to overflow, isolated communities and damaged crops. The record 13th hurricane of this year's Atlantic storm season made landfall Sunday on Nicaragua's central coast, about 320 kilometres northeast of Managua, as a Category 2 hurricane before quickly weakening to a tropical storm and eventually becoming a tropical depression before beginning to dissipate. Col. Mario Perez Cassar, Nicaragua's civil defence chief, said 80% of the buildings on the central coast were heavily damaged or destroyed. "But miraculously, only four people were reported missing and only one was injured," Perez said.
No serious injuries or deaths were reported in Honduras. 
The Rooster
Rooster "Cock-A-Doodle-Do"
"Okeydoke"
Today in History
Today is Wednesday, Nov. 2, the 306th day of 2005. There are 59 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History:
Nov. 2, 1947, Howard Hughes piloted his huge wooden flying boat, the Hughes H-4 Hercules (popularly known as the "Spruce Goose"), on its only flight, which lasted about a minute over Long Beach Harbor in California.
1783, Gen. George Washington issued his Farewell Address to the Army near Princeton, N.J.
1875 Mississippi Democrats institute the so-called “Mississippi Plan”. The Plan calls for the use of fraud, violence, and a literacy test to keep Blacks from voting and to toss out Reconstruction governments in other southern states.
1930, Haile Selassie was crowned emperor of Ethiopia.
1948, President Truman surprised the experts by being re-elected in a narrow upset over Republican challenger Thomas E. Dewey.
1954 Charles C. Diggs is elected Michigan's first black Congressman. He will join U.S. Congressman William Dawson and Adam Clayton Powell in the House of Representatives.
1959, game show contestant Charles Van Doren admitted to a House subcommittee that he'd been given questions and answers in advance when he appeared on the NBC TV program "Twenty-One."
1976, former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter became the first candidate from the Deep South since the Civil War to be elected president as he defeated incumbent Gerald R. Ford.
1983 President Ronald Reagan signs a bill to create a national holiday to pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
1994, a jury in Pensacola, Fla., convicted Paul Hill of murder for the shotgun slayings of an abortion provider and his bodyguard; Hill was executed in September 2003.
2003, in Durham, N.H., V. Gene Robinson was consecrated as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.
Ten years ago: A man claiming to have a bomb hijacked a school bus with 13 learning-disabled children aboard, leading authorities around Miami-area highways for 1 1/2 hours before being fatally shot by police.
The United States expelled Daiwa Bank Ltd. for allegedly covering up $1.1 billion in trading losses.
Five years ago: An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts became the first residents of the international space station, christening it Alpha at the start of their four-month mission.
One year ago: President Bush was elected to a second term as Republicans strengthened their grip on Congress.
Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was slain in Amsterdam after receiving death threats over a movie he had made criticizing the treatment of women under Islam.
Sgt. Charles Robert Jenkins pleaded guilty to deserting the U.S. Army in 1965 to avoid duty in Korea and Vietnam; he was court martialed, stripped of his rank and discharged from the Army.
2005 Rosa Parks was memorialized for a life dedicated to equality.
Missing in Action
66 KLINE ROBERT E. INDIANA PA
1967 KNAPP FREDRIC W. HUNTINGTON NY
1967 MORROW RICHARD DAVID SAN FRANCISCO CA 08/23/78 REMAINS RETURNED MONTGOM HANOI CACCF/CRASH/PILOT
1967 WRIGHT JAMES J. MERCED CA 08/23/78 REMAINS RETURNED MONTGOM HANOI
1969 CHIRICHIGNO LUIS G. 03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG ALIVE IN 98
1969 CARROLL PATRICK H. ALLEN PARK MI "FAMILY STATES BERKLEY, MI"
1969 NOWICKI JAMES E. WINTER PARK FL 03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG ALIVE IN 98
1969 PETERSON MICHAEL TERRY REDMOND WA 12/10/69 SOME LISTS SAY REMAINS RECOVERED RETURNEE ALIVE 1998
1969 SHEPARD VERNON C. TALMADGE OH 12/10/69 RELEASED
1969 WHITFORD LAWRENCE W. JR. CEDAR FALLS IA
The New York Times
Bush Faces Tough Time in South America
By LARRY ROHTERPublished: November 2, 2005
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 1 - If George W. Bush is expecting some respite from his troubles at home during a four-day visit to Argentina and Brazil that begins Thursday, he is in for a very rude awakening.
Polls show Mr. Bush to be the most unpopular American president ever among Latin Americans, and thousands of demonstrators, led by the soccer idol Diego Maradona, are flocking to the Argentine beach resort of Mar del Plata to protest his presence at a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere leaders. The greeting from his fellow heads of state, who have been complaining of his administration's neglect of and indifference to the region for five years, does not promise to be especially warm, either.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/international/americas/02latin.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1130920592-FikVYRGSnnT9VWouxvPp1g
Detainee Policy Sharply Divides Bush Officials
By TIM GOLDEN and ERIC SCHMITTPublished: November 2, 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 - The Bush administration is embroiled in a sharp internal debate over whether a new set of Defense Department standards for handling terror suspects should adopt language from the Geneva Conventions prohibiting "cruel," "humiliating" and "degrading" treatment, administration officials say.
Advocates of that approach, who include some Defense and State Department officials and senior military lawyers, contend that moving the military's detention policies closer to international law would prevent further abuses and build support overseas for the fight against Islamic extremists, officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/politics/02detain.html?hp&ex=1130994000&en=e02d460ad9cf6bdb&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Seattle Post Intelligencer
White House ducks prewar intel questions
By LIZ SIDOTI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan answers questions Monday, Oct. 31, 2005 during his daily briefing. McClellan would not answer questions about the CIA leak investigation due to the fact that the investigation is still ongoing. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
WASHINGTON -- The White House sought to deflect politically charged questions Wednesday about President Bush's use of prewar intelligence in Iraq, saying Democrats, too, had concluded Saddam Hussein was a threat.
"If Democrats want to talk about the threat that Saddam Hussein posed and the intelligence, they might want to start with looking at the previous administration and their own statements that they've made," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
He said the Clinton administration and fellow Democrats "used the intelligence to come to the same conclusion that Saddam Hussein and his regime were a threat."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1151AP_Senate_Iraq.html
Death of five children devastates tiny Mennonite community
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
SPOKANE, Wash. -- A tiny community of Mennonites who live north of here was in mourning Wednesday after all five children in a family were killed in a head-on collision of two pickup trucks.
The eight-student Mennonite school in Chewelah, attended by three of the dead children, will be closed for the rest of the week, said Dan Hertzler, who was speaking for the nine families of the small religious sect.
"They have been a real and active part of the congregation since they were born," Hertzler said the five children of the Schrock family, who ranged in age from 2 to 12. "They were very lively, active children, and they will be missed."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Children_Crash.html
Boeing machinists strike, satellite launches could be delayed
By GARY GENTILE
AP BUSINESS WRITER
LOS ANGELES -- Boeing Co. officials have not yet decided whether to scrub upcoming satellite launches or hire replacement workers after machinists went on strike in California, Alabama and Florida, a company spokesman said Wednesday.
About 1,500 workers joined the walkout that began at 12:01 a.m. after last-minute talks broke down between their union and Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems unit that operates the Delta rocket program.
A federal mediator was unable to broker an agreement. No new talks were scheduled. The unit services mainly NASA and the Air Force.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_Boeing_Machinists.html
Washington paratrooper dies after Afghan firefight
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- A 24-year-old paratrooper from St. John, Wash., died from injuries he received when his patrol was fired on in Afghanistan, the 82nd Airborne Division said Wednesday.
Staff Sgt. Travis W. Nixon died after he was evacuated to Forward Operating Base Salerno following the Saturday attack. He was a squad leader in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the 82nd.
Nixon was on a joint Afghan-U.S. patrol north of Lwara near the Pakistan border with eastern Afghanistan. A memorial service was held for him Tuesday in Afghanistan.
"He died while checking to ensure his soldiers were OK. He was our brother and will be remembered forever," said Capt. Brandon Teague, his company commander.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_Soldier_Killed.html
Mountain resorts report good snowpacks, early openers
By GREG JOHNSTONSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
You'd better get those rock-gouged skis out of the closet and to the shop for tuning and wax. Thanks to an early blast of mountain snow, Crystal Mountain ski area is opening its Green Valley area Friday and Whistler Blackcomb is opening much of its Blackcomb Mountain on Saturday.
Operators of other ski areas were watching the snow pile up and waiting for enough base to build before announcing any openings. Mt. Baker Ski Area operators said Tuesday that they are expecting 3 to 4 feet of snow over the next week and would likely open next Tuesday.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/246761_ski02.html
Students plan walkout against war, recruiting
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
An anti-war group is planning a citywide students' walkout today, the anniversary of President Bush's re-election. Students from more than 25 high schools in the region are expected to attend. Organizers from Youth Against War and Racism have been passing out fliers advocating the walkout and are hoping as many as 2,000 students show up to protest the Iraq war and military recruiting in schools. The plan is for students to leave their classes at noon and meet up at Westlake Center at 1 p.m. for the rally before marching to The Premier club, 1700 First Ave. S., for anti-war workshops, music and movies.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/246731_tl102.html
Rape suspects sought; public's help requested
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
Police are seeking three men who snatched a woman off the street during the summer and raped her for several hours before leaving her in the downtown area.
On Tuesday, police released sketches of two of the men and a photo of a third suspect in the case.
The woman told police that on July 1, she took a bus home from work and was walking on 18th Avenue South near South Jackson Street when a car stopped in front of her. The vehicle was described as an older American sedan, burgundy or maroon, possibly a 1980s Buick, Chevrolet or Pontiac. The rear lights were horizontal across the rear and the passenger taillight was broken and taped over, the woman told police. It also had a dent in the front passenger panel and oily newspapers and tools on the rear floorboard.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/246786_kcbriefs02.html
Father spots and corners fugitive charged with molesting daughter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARKLAND, Wash. -- A 75-year-old man sought on child molesting charges has been spotted, run down and cornered by the father of a young girl he is accused of fondling, authorities said.
Roy William Parkison pleaded innocent to four counts of first-degree child molestation Tuesday in Pierce County Superior Court, a day after he was arrested by sheriff's deputies who were alerted by the father. Bail was set at $1 million.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Molestation_Arrest.html
James Scott Barnard, 1955-2005: Firefighter helped at ground zero of 9/11
By HECTOR CASTROSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
When Seattle firefighter James Scott Barnard traveled to New York City after Sept. 11, 2001, he found himself in a field of rubble, trying to recover human remains, working by night in the glow of artificial light.
"He felt like he was walking on holy ground," said his wife, Jeanette Barnard. "There were dead in there, and he just felt like what he was doing was holy."
Barnard, whom friends called "Scotty," spent two weeks at ground zero recovering remains, encompassing in his efforts two of the most important aspects of his life: service to others and his spiritual beliefs.
"He was just honored to be a part of it," his wife said.
Scott Barnard, a 14-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department, died Oct. 26 after a yearlong bout with cancer. He would have been 50 Saturday.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/246763_barnardobit02.html
Dismal October for U.S. auto sales
By DEE-ANN DURBIN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT -- U.S. auto sales fell sharply in October, dampened by hurricanes, fidgety consumers and high gas prices. Demand was down after a summer of heavily hyped discounts, and automakers warned that they don't expect an upswing in November.
General Motors, Ford and Nissan reported big declines Tuesday. Toyota's U.S. sales edged up slightly, Honda's sales rose and DaimlerChrysler's sales were flat. Sport utility vehicles took the biggest hit -- sales of the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Navigator, GMC Yukon, Hummer H2 and Toyota Land Cruiser were all down 50 percent or more.
General Motors Corp., the world's biggest automaker, said its U.S. sales fell 22.7 percent in October from a year ago, led by a 30.3 percent decline in sales of trucks and SUVs. GM's car sales fell 10.6 percent for the month. Overall, GM's sales fell 2.7 percent for the first 10 months of the year.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/246736_autosales02.html
Jessica Simpson saw therapist over rumors
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Music recording artists Jessica Simpson, left, and Ashlee Simpson pose backstage at a rock concert, Oct. 11, 2003 in Carlsbad, Calif. The sisters posed for the cover of Teen People and were interviewed for its December-January issue on newstands Friday, Nov.4, 2005. Both talk about the difficult challenges of the past year.(AP Photo/Chris Weeks)
NEW YORK -- Jessica Simpson says the relentless gossip about her marriage to Nick Lachey drove her to visit a therapist.
"Yes I have," the singer-actress tells Teen People in its December-January issue, on newsstands Friday. "I respect knowledge of the psyche. I would be a therapist if I weren't an entertainer."
Jessica, 25, posed for the cover of the magazine with her sister, Ashlee. Both talk about the difficult challenges of the past year.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/1403AP_People_Jessica_and_Ashlee_Simpson.html
Monorail, propositions 1 and 2: High-speed transit at its best
By PETER SHERWIN
GUEST COLUMNIST
It costs only 25 cents a day to build and operate the monorail. Despite all the monorail opponents' shouting and exaggerations, that's how much the monorail will cost. Just 25 cents a day.
For that quarter, this city will get a safe, modern and environmentally sound rapid transit system serving Seattle's west side, our downtown core and all our professional sports' arenas and stadiums. The city will get a much-needed mass transit system, at just a fraction of the proposed costs to tunnel on the waterfront or Capitol Hill. At about $160 million per mile for monorail, the cost of the 10.6 miles of the first phase of this monorail line would buy only three to four miles of tunneled transit.
Don't be mistaken; if we don't build rapid transit in this city now, it will be decades before we have another shot. Should we increase our investment in transit or succumb to statewide pressures and build more roads? The state proposes building roads that do not address congestion relief in Seattle; in fact, they will only increase the number of cars on city streets.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/246703_yesmonorail02.html
Appeals court tosses N.J. death sentence
By JEFF LINKOUS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TRENTON, N.J. -- A federal appeals court Wednesday threw out a former insurance salesman's death sentence for arranging his wife's murder 22 years ago in a case that was the subject of a true-crime book and a TV miniseries.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia found that Robert O. Marshall's lawyer did not adequately represent him during the death penalty phase that followed his 1986 conviction. The court ordered that he receive a new death penalty hearing or a life sentence.
Robert Bonapietro, a deputy attorney general for New Jersey, said an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was under consideration.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Jersey_Death_Sentence.html
White House menu for royal visit dinner
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The menu for President Bush's dinner Wednesday for Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, as released by the office of the first lady:
Celery Broth with Crispy Rock Shrimp
Newton Chardonnay "Unfiltered" 2002
Medallions of Buffalo Tenderloin
Roasted Corn
Wild Rice Pancakes
Glazed Parsnips and Young Carrots
Peter Michael Pinot Noir "Le Moulin Rouge" 2002
Mint Romaine Lettuce with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Vermont Camembert Cheese and Spiced Walnuts
Petits Fours Cake
Chartreuse Ice Cream, Red and Green Grape Sauce
Iron Horse "Wedding Cuvee" 2002
-
Table settiing:
Clinton China
Vermeil flatware
Gold pintuck silk tablecloths
Sprays of white phaeleanopsis orchids with camellia foliage in the historic White House vermeil candelabras
Details emerge of al-Qaida figure's escape
By DANIEL COONEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Prison doors and cells have been fortified at the U.S. military jail in Afghanistan, a U.S. official said Wednesday as details emerged of a breakout by a suspected al-Qaida leader and three others who picked locks and evaded a mine field.
The Pentagon's belated confirmation of the identity of one of the four who escaped in July, Omar al-Farouq, sparked anger in Southeast Asia where he was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants.
Some officials in Indonesia, where he was captured in 2002 before being handed over to U.S. authorities, accused Washington of failing to inform them of the escape.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Afghan_Al_Qaida_Escape.html
Death toll in Asian quake jumps to 73,276
By SADAQAT JAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Kashmiri boy Omer whose legs are fractured by the Oct 8 earth quake, plays with toys presented to him for the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Fitr, to celebrate the end of Ramadan, Wednesday, Nov 2, 2005 at local hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's official earthquake death toll jumped by 16,000, and the country's top relief official warned Wednesday that it is likely to rise. The announcement, which puts the official toll at 73,000, brings the central government figures closer to the number reported by local officials, who say the Oct. 8 quake killed at least 79,000 people in Pakistan.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_Quake_Death_Toll_PK1.html
Winners of Katrina contracts defend deals
By HOPE YEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Visitors to the Lakeview area in New Orleans walk through a portion of the area where homes were destroyed or heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina more than 2 months ago when the 17th Street Canal was breached flooding the area. Dozens of breaches continue to mar the city's levee system. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)
WASHINGTON -- Winners of some of the largest Hurricane Katrina contracts defended their government deals, telling skeptical lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday that the costs are justified.
"We displaced over 120,000 passenger to make this happen," said Terry Thornton, vice president of marketing-planning at Carnival Cruise Lines, which signed a controversial $236 million deal to provide temporary housing for six months.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Katrina_Contracts.html
Israeli rabbis issue guidelines for names
By LAURIE COPANS
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
JERUSALEM -- A group of Israeli rabbis has put together a list of names they say should be off-limits to Jewish children - including Ariel and Omri, the given names of Israel's prime minister and his eldest son.
Uttering the name Ariel is problematic because it could beckon an angel namesake instead, drawing down his wrath, they caution.
Omri - the name of an evil biblical king - should be taboo because of the highly negative connotation.
And naming children after dismantled Gaza settlements, like Katif, is another bad idea, they say, because of the controversy involved. Jewish settlers, who are predominantly religious, unsuccessfully opposed the withdrawal.
The rabbis' list, presented on an Internet site, http://www.moriya.org.il, also offers preferred names.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Israel_Forbidden_Names.html
Syria pardons 190 political prisoners
By DONNA ABU-NASR
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Syrians wave their country's flag in al-Rawda square near theUS embassy during a sit-in in Damascus Nov.2, 2005. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has freed 190 political prisoners as part of 'overall reforms' in Syria, the official SANA news agency reported.(AP Photo/ Bassem Tellawi).
DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syrian President Bashar Assad gave amnesty to 190 political prisoners Wednesday to mark the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said.
SANA said that the amnesty was intended to bolster national unity and that similar measures would follow.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Syria_Amnesty.html
Iran continuing purge of reformers
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Iranians shout slogans, as they burn a likeness of a U.S flag during a demonstration in front of the former U.S Embassy in a ceremony commemorating 26th anniversary of seizure of U.S. Embassy by militant students, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005. Militant students stormed in the embassy on Nov. 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's government announced Wednesday that 40 ambassadors and senior diplomats, including supporters of warmer ties with the West, will be fired, continuing a purge of reformers as the regime takes an increasingly tough stance at home and abroad.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Iran_Purge.html
Seventh day of violence erupts near Paris
By JOCELYN GECKER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Clichy-sous-Bois residents walk past the wreckage of a burnt car, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005, east of Paris. French President Jacques Chirac called for calm and a firm hand Wednesday in response to six nights of rioting in Paris' troubled suburbs, warning of a "dangerous situation.". The violence, sparked initially by the electrocution deaths of two teenagers, has laid bare the despair, anger and deep-rooted criminality in France's poor suburbs, some of them ghettos where police hesitate to venture despite evidence they are fertile terrain for Islamic extremists. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, France -- Menacing youths smoked cigarettes in doorways Wednesday and hulks of burned cars littered the tough streets of Paris' northeastern suburbs scarred by a week of riots that left residents on edge and sent the government into crisis mode.
In a seventh consecutive night of skirmishes, young people threw rocks at police Wednesday in six suburbs in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris - about a 40-minute drive from the Eiffel Tower. In one of them, Le Blanc-Mesnil, about a dozen cars burned and curious residents, some in slippers and bathrobes, poured into the streets.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103AP_France_Rioting.html
France: Troops killed Ivory Coast prisoner
By JOHN LEICESTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
PARIS -- French troops in Ivory Coast suffocated a prisoner, and commanders knew of the killing but did not report it to their superiors, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
The ministry also gave an official warning to Gen. Henri Poncet, who commanded France's 4,000-strong peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast at the time of the May 13 killing, as well as Poncet's deputy. Poncet already was suspended.
The prisoner, Firmin Mahe, "was killed by suffocation by French soldiers in an armored vehicle," the ministry said in a statement summarizing findings from an investigation begun last month.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103AP_France_Ivory_Coast.html
Conservatives may sit out N.J. gov race
By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., right, walks behind the Linden High School marching band in a Halloween parade in Linden, N.J., Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005. Corzine, the Democrat candidate for governor of New Jersey, faces Republican Douglas Forrester in Nov. 8 election. (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
TRENTON, N.J. -- Conservative Republican Dave Pawson agrees with GOP candidate Doug Forrester on most issues in the New Jersey governor's race. But when Pawson goes into the voting booth next Tuesday, he won't pull the lever for Forrester - or for the other guy, either.
Forrester's increasingly vocal support of abortion rights in his campaign against liberal Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine has so alienated Republican conservatives that they are threatening to withhold their votes on Election Day
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1134AP_New_Jersey_Governor.html
Infection-control key to U.S. flu plan
By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP MEDICAL WRITER
President Bush speaks,Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Bush outlined a $7.1 billion strategy Tuesday to prepare for the danger of a pandemic influenza outbreak, saying he wanted to stockpile enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans against the current strain of bird flu. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
WASHINGTON -- A flu pandemic that hits the United States would force cities to ration scarce drugs and vaccine and house the sick in hotels or schools when hospitals overflow, unprecedented federal plans say.
The Bush administration's long-awaited report Wednesday on battling a worldwide super-flu outbreak makes clear that old-fashioned infection-control will be key.
Signs that a super-flu is spreading among people anywhere in the world could prompt U.S. travel restrictions or other steps to contain the illness before it hits America's shores.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/1500AP_Bush_Flu.html
Missing teen's mother presses Arubans
By MARGARET WEVER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
ORANJESTAD, Aruba -- The mother of an Alabama teenager who vanished in Aruba more than five months ago has returned to the Dutch Caribbean island to press authorities to solve her daughter's disappearance.
Beth Holloway Twitty left Aruba in early September after a court ordered the release of three local youths who were the last people seen with her daughter, Natalee Holloway.
The honors student was last seen early on May 30 leaving a bar with Dutch national Joran van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. They were arrested on June 9 but released after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1102AP_Aruba_Missing_Teen.htmlcontinued ...
Remember this?
Baghdad Iraq Satellite Channel Television (government-owned, for external broadcast), Jan. 30: In his recent [Jan. 28] speech, the president of the U.S. “Administration of Evil” mentioned, as he customarily does, a number of fabrications and lies against Iraq in an effort to drive international public opinion, in general, and U.S. pubic opinion in particular, to form a distorted picture [of the crisis.] It was a desperate and cheap attempt to gain support for his hostile and wicked stance, especially after Iraq had exposed all the fabrications he and his henchman, Tony Blair, have made.U.S. Dept. of State transcriptionHong Kong Hsin Wan Pao (pro-Chinese communist), Jan. 30: After carefully reading the State of the Union Address delivered by President Bush on Tuesday [Jan. 28], one can almost be sure that an attack on Iraq is inevitable. Although President Bush did not clearly declare war, his determination to disarm and topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by resorting to the use of force in the near future is obvious. Madrid El País (liberal), Jan. 30: With his State of the Union address, George W. Bush has placed the United States and the entire world in a state of war. The message is clear, and that is how the world’s markets and citizens have understood it: Saddam Hussein has missed his “final chance”… Bush read his first state of the nation address last year in a rarefied atmosphere caused by [the terrorist attacks of] Sept. 11, [2001], and the war in Afghanistan. [This year,] while he spoke, U.S. forces in the south of Afghanistan were fighting one of that campaign’s fiercest battles, but the matter was not even worthy of mention, since it would have highlighted the fact that that war is still unfinished. Nor did Bush bring up the subject of Osama bin Laden. The president concentrated on Saddam Hussein and terrorism, comparing Hussein’s regime to Hitlerism, militarism, and communism, in spite of the Bush administration’s being one of the most militarist in U.S. history. Prague Mlada Fronta Dnes (independent), Jan. 30: George Bush's [State of the Union] address was convincing. For instance, he convinced [the world] that war is sure to come. Those who bet on peace will lose their wagers. Bush did not say anything of the sort directly. But those who can read between the lines see it clearly. The tone has stiffened in recent days…but there is one problem: The war has not yet started and Bush is losing the first battle. He has failed to convince the allies and the Americans to the extent necessary to begin a war. Bush was as eloquent as a priest (he spoke like one at times) and, also like a priest, his claims were based purely on faith.
The Chief Executive of this country is supposed to bring issues of National Security before the Congress due to the fact he has information no other member of the government does. It was his responsiblity with the assistance of his Cabinet and all the agencies that answer to those Cabinet officials to be sure this country was as secure as possible without entering into a war that would further compromise that securtiy. To date that has not happened. Rumsfeld hints at more forcesBy The Associated Press and Reuters
WASHINGTON — Coming off one of the deadliest months for American troops, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld indicated Tuesday the number of U.S. forces in Iraq could rise temporarily as Iraqis prepare to vote in mid-December parliamentary elections.
The military yesterday reported a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near Haswah on Monday. As of Tuesday, at least 2,028 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.Four GIs Killed in Iraq; 20 Die in Bombing Wednesday November 2, 2005 8:16 PM
AP Photo BAG115
By ROBERT H. REID
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated a minibus Wednesday in an outdoor market packed with shoppers ahead of a Muslim festival, killing about 20 people and wounding more than 60 in a Shiite town south of Baghdad. Four U.S. troops were killed west of the capital, two in a helicopter crash.
Also Wednesday, the U.S. command confirmed moves to step up training on how to combat roadside bombs - now the biggest killers of American troops in Iraq. At least 2,032 U.S. military service members have died since the Iraq conflict began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
The 2003 State of the Union Addresss (Text Click On) This administration has done nothing to secure the information that the White House is priviledged to as it's Chief Executive Officer. It took the indictment of a high level government official to bring the resignation of the man who compromised our National Security. George Walker Bush and Richard Cheney has done nothing to be sure their administration operated in the upmost integrity and security for this nation. Lewis Libby's indictment should have been an after thought to the internal investigation by the White House. He and Rove should have been dismissed long ago. This is a corrupt administration that acts with approporiate measures ONLY WHEN CAUGHT ! The security of our nation is compromised !
One aspect of his presidency that Bush prides himself on is “Domestic Tranquility.” I was profoundly taken that does not exist across the state of Arkansas. Statewide there are problems with crime and the lack of funding for infrastructure integrity. The average town in suffering in the USA.
Arizona Republic
Thousands attend Rosa Parks' funeral
Associated Press
Nov. 2, 2005 11:50 AM
DETROIT - A soaring rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" moved thousands of mourners at the funeral of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on Wednesday, with a preacher bidding: "Mother Parks, take your rest."
Former President Clinton, his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, and others paid their respects at Parks' open casket before the start of the funeral service that included the prayer in song by mezzo-soprano Brenda Jackson.
Those in the audience held hands and sang "We Shall Overcome" as family members filed past the casket before it was closed just before noon.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102RosaParks02-ON.html
Flu fight could bring travel limits
Associated Press
Nov. 2, 2005 09:15 AM
WASHINGTON - Sustained person-to-person spread of the bird flu or any other super-influenza strain anywhere in the world could prompt the United States to implement travel restrictions or other steps to block a brewing pandemic, say federal plans released Wednesday.
If a super-flu begins spreading here, states and cities will have to ration scarce medications and triage panicked patients to prevent them from overwhelming hospitals and spreading infection inside emergency rooms, the plan says.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102BushFlu02-ON.html
3-day mock disaster tests state's system
Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
Gov. Janet Napolitano hunkered down Tuesday at the state's Emergency Operations Center, surrounded by disaster experts pointing at maps and talking about an evacuation around the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
"Let's do it," the governor declared. "We're going through the decision checklist."
So began a three-day drill to evaluate Arizona's preparedness for a catastrophe at the nation's largest nuclear power facility.
State, county and local officials are being evaluated by inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on their handling of a mock accident at the plant 55 miles west of Phoenix.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102paloverde02.html
Got bucks? See McCain's house
Catherine Reagor
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2005 12:00 AM
The McCain mansion is on the market, but unless you can prove you've got the means to make it yours, forget about taking a look-see.
Before would-be buyers can tour the north-central Phoenix estate, they must present a note from a lender showing they can afford the $4.25 million home.
The 11,171-square-foot property, near Glendale and Central avenues, is listed for nearly twice what the next priciest nearby home fetched.
Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, want to downsize. Cindy, the daughter of liquor distribution magnate Jim Hensley, grew up in the home. It and the 1,750-square-foot guesthouse have since been expanded and renovated. The property has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms and eight surveillance cameras.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1102mccain02.html
Cronkite Award winner never loses sense of humor
Eugene Scott
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 1, 2005 06:45 PM
The key to journalism excellence for Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry is a sense of humor, good observation and opportunity.
Barry received the Walter Cronkite Award on Tuesday at the 22nd annual awards luncheon of ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Cronkite presented the award to Barry at the Arizona Biltmore.
During his introduction, Cronkite said Barry, an author and former Miami Herald columnist, would have a difficult time finding material in Phoenix given the beautiful weather outside. But Barry even found humor in that.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1101T-barry-ON.html
Science Daily
FDIC's Powell to head hurricane recovery
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Donald Powell has been named federal coordinator of long-term Gulf Coast hurricane recovery efforts, a report said.
The 64-year-old Texan and major backer of President Bush will succeed U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen. Allen will transition out of his short-term role by the end of the year under the plan announced in a release Tuesday from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Allen has led frontline Gulf Coast recovery since replacing former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown -- the lightning rod for criticism of the government's disaster response, The Washington Post said.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051102-09140000-bc-us-hurricanerecovery.xml
Combination Microbicides Protect Monkeys Against HIV-like Virus
Experiments in female monkeys have for the first time shown that when used in combination, vaginal gels known as microbicides can protect against an HIV-like virus. The research, funded largely by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), suggests that similar combination microbicides could potentially provide a safe, effective and practical way to prevent HIV transmission to women, according to study investigators.
The study, published online October 30 in the journal Nature, represents the first successful testing of combination microbicides in a primate model.
Women make up nearly half of all people living with HIV worldwide, and a vast majority of new cases of HIV infection in women result from heterosexual intercourse. "This study demonstrates that combination microbicides are feasible," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "We need to build on these promising animal studies and move toward establishing the safety and effectiveness of combination microbicides in women."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051102084659.htm
Lung Scarring Diseases Linked To Genes And Smoking
New research shows that idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), a group of potentially fatal disorders that affects the lungs, may be caused by an interaction between a specific genetic background and cigarette smoking. In a study of 111 families that had at least two relatives with IIP, people who smoked cigarettes were three times more likely than non-smokers to develop the disease. The research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), both institutes within the National Institutes of Health.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051102084611.htm
Physicist Sees Terahertz Imaging As Ultimate Defense Against Terrorism
John Federici, PhD, professor, department of physics, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and other physicists at NJIT recently received a U.S. Patent for a Teraherz imaging system and method. Since 1995, Terahertz imaging has grown in importance as new and sophisticated devices and equipment have empowered scientists to understand its potential.
"I see the Terahertz spectrum as one of the critical technologies for defense against suicide bombers and other terrorist activities," Federici said.
Federici's research has focused on the potential applications of Terahertz rays for directly detecting and imaging concealed weapons and explosives. Another application is the remote detection of chemical and biological agents in the atmosphere. In November of 2004, Federici and.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051101080318.htm
Arkansas Democrat
Pulaski County mayors offer $1 million to stem jail exodusEight Pulaski County mayors offered to add a total of $1 million in short-term funding for the county jail on Tuesday in hopes of halting inmate releases that have already dropped the jail’s population by nearly 200. “For that $1 million, we would look to the county to put whatever amount of dollars — new dollars — that they need to put into it to give us between 950 and 1,000 beds in the next year,” Little Rock Mayor Jim Dailey said. “If the county comes back and says we don’t have any additional money, we’re back to the drawing board.” County Judge Buddy Villines received a letter from the mayors late Tuesday afternoon and said he would discuss the proposal with Sheriff Randy Johnson and other county officials. BY MONICA LEAS AND JILL ZEMAN
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowIndex.asp
Wal-Mart loses suit, must pay ex-execBENTONVILLE — A judge ruled Tuesday that former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin is entitled to the multimilliondollar retirement package the company tried to revoke. BY MICHELLE BRADFORD
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowIndex.asp
Log Cabin Democrat
Choate stays in prison Decision unanimously deferred for 12 months
By RACHEL PARKER
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
A convicted murderer will remain in prison for now despite his terminal illness, the Arkansas Post Prison Transfer Board has decided.
Ricky Lynn Choate pleaded guilty in June 2004 to the first degree murder of his stepfather, Glenn R. Cannon. Only a few months after he shot Cannon with a shotgun, Choate dismissed his public defender and took the plea, saying he did not believe he would live through the trial because he had lung cancer. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Last week the post prison transfer board considered Choate's early release under Act 290 of 1995, which allows terminally ill or incapacitated offenders to be released.
Rhonda Sharp, spokesman for the board, said the unanimous vote was to defer a decision. The board will re-examine Choate's case in 12 months, she said. She added deferrals of three, six or 12 months are not uncommon.
Ray Short of Germantown, Tenn., is a son-in-law of the victim.
"We feel relieved," he said. "We feel like justice has been served, the right thing has been done. Theoretically he's going to die within a year. I don't understand him or anyone else thinking he needs to get out. He has not paid his debt to society yet, and that needs to happen regardless of whether he's ill or not."
Choate's brother, Mike Choate of Ada, Okla., also opposed his release. He said he believes justice has been served.
"I think he's in the place that he needs to be. He's got a lot of people that really care for him, but he did this to himself. Nobody else did this to him. He made the choice that put him there, and he needs to stay there."
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/110205/loc_1102050002.shtml
City shaves $100,000 off cost of municipal building
By JEREMY GLOVER
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER
VILONIA - After a committee came up with nearly $100,000 in savings on the new municipal building project, the Vilonia City Council voted Tuesday night to accept a low bid from GAG Builders of Cabot.
The initial bid by GAG Builders was $998,000. A Municipal Building Oversight Committee was established a month ago to find ways to get the price for the building under $900,000.
Committee chairman Ken Belote said savings totaling $98,193 had been cut, including $19,950 in site work, $22,100 in electrical work and $26,850 in cabinetry and furnishings.
Belote said the committee did not do anything that would take away from the safety and integrity of the building. He added many of the areas cut would have to be added back onto the building after its completion.
http://www.thecabin.net/stories/110205/loc_1102050003.shtml
Hope Star
Officer hospitalized after chase with drug dealer
By TODD BURROW, Hope Star Writer
A police chase late Monday afternoon sent a Hope Police Department officer to a local hospital and an alleged dope dealer to jail.
La Quan Haynes is in custody today and is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a felon in possession of a fire arm by a certain person, fleeing law enforcement officials and resisting arrest, Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson said.
Wilson said the department received a 911 call Monday afternoon from a resident who observed and heard a truck spinning its wheels in her neighborhood.
Hope patrol officer Jason Pauley responded to the area and did not see the vehicle in question, Wilson said.
Wilson said other officers searched the area and initially could not find the truck but began a lookout for it.
http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news1.txt
Subway robbed overnight
By TODD BURROW, Hope Star Writer
The local Subway sandwiches and salads eatery was robbed overnight, and an undetermined amount of cash was stolen and left two employees with shattered nerves.
Hope Police Department officials said about 11:29 p.m. Monday, the two employees were counting the shift's sales receipts when they heard the front store window smashed.
The employees ran out of the back door and phoned police.
Sgt. David Johnson, officer Johnny Weaver and investigator Jesus Coronado, all with the Hope Police Department, arrived and surveyed the building and determined the robber used a tire tool to gain entrance.
Subway store manager Curtis Sweeney said his employees were shaken, and he doubted one employee will be able to stay with the sandwich shop because of a previous robbery in which a villain used a knife to steal money just after the store closed.
http://www.hopestar.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news2.txt
Siftings Herald
Judge denies new trial for Buckley
By Donna Hilton
Circuit Judge John Thomas denied Gyrone Buckley's request for a new trial, saying the evidence presented at his 1999 trial was sufficient for a jury to find him guilty, according to the ruling the judge signed Oct. 18.
Buckley, 51, was convicted of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, crack cocaine, and given a life sentence in prison on each count by a jury.
In an appeal to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Buckley claimed his conviction should be reversed because an agent with the South Central Drug Task Force testified that Buckley had been a drug dealer for 10 years. Since the agent had not been working as a task force agent for 10 years, Buckley claimed the agent did not personally know that as fact.
http://www.siftingsherald.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/news1.txt
The Guard
Nurse faces med charges
Administrator launches investigation into missing drugs
- BEJESUS WERE running wild after having been scared out of many little ones who dared to enter Heuer's Shoe Store during the annual Downtown Batesville Fun and Safe Halloween trick-or-treat event Monday night. Nancy Jones lay in state, occasionally leaping up to scare people. Despite the rain, there was a good turnout. (J. Ross Jones)
Published on 11/1/2005
Instead of administering prescription medications to her patients, a nursing home employee took the drugs herself, according to an affidavit filed with the Independence County District Court.
The arrest warrant charges Angel Ann Carter, 40, of Batesville, with nine counts of class C felonies, each involving the theft of prescription drugs from Wood-Lawn Nursing Home residents.
The affidavit states that Beverly Ellis, a licensed practitioner nurse at the facility, reported to the director of nursing that four doses of Nubain prescribed for a resident were missing. An internal investigation revealed that only Ellis and Carter had access to the dosage and both were given drug tests.
Carter tested positive for the drug, the affidavit states.
http://www.guardonline.com/story.php?ID=68740
Benton Courier
Benton teacher finalist for national award
By Lynda Hollenbeck
Courier Staff
Tuesday, November 1, 2005 4:37 PM CST
A Benton Middle School teacher has been recognized statewide for her outstanding teaching ability and, if her peers' wishes are fulfilled, could receive national acclaim.
Libby Austin is one of three Arkansas finalists for the national Excellence in Mathematics Teaching competition.
One of the finalists from the state will be named a 2005 Presidential Awardee for Mathematics, which includes a $10,000 cash award and an all-expense-paid, week-long celebration for two in Washington, D.C. Other gifts will be provided by program sponsors from throughout the county.
Austin was nominated for the award by Stacey Shelnut, assistant principal at Benton Middle School.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were established in 1983 by an act of Congress and are administered for the White House by the National Science Foundation. Each year the program recognizes outstanding mathematics and science teachers from throughout the United States and four U.S. jurisdictions for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.
http://www.bentoncourier.com/articles/2005/11/01/news/85hnews.txt
Benton County Record
Arkansas contracts for voting machines
BY MICHAEL R. WICKLINE
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Secretary of State Charlie Daniels said Tuesday that he intends to award a multimillion-dollar state contract to provide new voting machines to Arkansas’ 75 counties to Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb.
Daniels said he selected Election Systems over Diebold Election Systems Inc. of Allen, Texas, based on the cost, trade-in options for existing machines and ES&S ’ experience with numerous Arkansas counties.
He estimated the cost at $ 15. 2 million based on each county’s preliminary voting equipment selections. Final terms still must be negotiated.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135103
End ‘bickering’ in school case, Beebe tells sides
BY SETH BLOMELEY
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
The rhetoric on all sides in the school funding case has gotten too heated and everyone needs to chill, Attorney General Mike Beebe said Tuesday.
“The worst thing we can do for our kids is let this bickering and backbiting and animosity and distrust continue to flourish,” Beebe said.
The attorney general, who is defending the Legislature and Gov. Mike Huckabee in the case, was speaking to a meeting of the Arkansas Association of Secondary School Principals at a Little Rock hotel.
“All of us have to step back,” Beebe said.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=adg§ion=News&storyid=135104
Woman shot
BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville police were questioning "a person of interest" Tuesday evening following a shooting on Brophy Circle earlier in the day.
Police were called to Washington Regional Medical Center at about 4 p.m. after a man driving a black Pontiac Firebird reportedly dropped off a female gunshot victim at the hospital.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33956
Council approves impact fees for fire and police services
BY ADAM WALLWORTH Northwest Arkansas Times
The Fayetteville City Council approved impact fees for fire and police with a vote of 7-1 Tuesday night.
Ward 3 Alderman Bobby Ferrell cast the lone dissenting vote on the fees, which are intended to generate money to help cover the cost of capital needs caused by growth.
Ferrell proposed an amendment to the ordinance enacting police impact fees that would have sent the matter to voters at a Jan 10, 2006, special election. That amendment failed with a vote of 6-2. He argued that it would be prudent for the council to follow the guidance of City Attorney Kit Williams, who expressed concern over potential litigation.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33953
Coughlin wins first legal battle
By Tracy M. Neal Staff Writer tracyn@nwanews.com
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
BENTONVILLE — The retirement agreement between Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Tom Coughlin, the retailer’s former vice chairman, prevents the retailer from suing him, according to Tuesday’s ruling of Circuit Judge Jay Finch.
Wal-Mart claims Coughlin defrauded the company of thousands of dollar for his personal use.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=bcdr§ion=News&storyid=27206
Group tries to identify, prioritize conservation areas
BY DREW TERRY Northwest Arkansas Times
Posted on Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Future conservation efforts in and around Fayetteville could be the result of a meeting Tuesday of local residents interested in the subject.
The Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association presented to a crowd of nearly 30 a study being conducted to identify and rank areas for conservation. "Fayetteville is a special place," said Karen Rollet-Crocker, the association board member leading the effort. "I have lived here for 20 years, and it’s meant so much to me personally. We just don’t want to lose our natural characteristics."
The Arkansas Forestry Commission earmarked $20,000 from the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance Grant Funds toward the project, which will incorporate Geographic Information System mapping analysis developed by the Nature Conservatory under the direction of a broad-based Science Advisory Council.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=News&storyid=33954
Blythville Courier has good news
http://www.blythevillecn.com/paper/Today/pages/1.html
The DeQueen Bee
2,751 residents submit applications for sales tax refund
Friday, October 07, 2005 (10:27 pm PDT)
DE QUEEN — A total of 2,751 people had filed for sales and use tax refunds when the City of De Queen closed its refund office at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to a press release from De Queen City Hall.
The refund application process ran from Sept. 6 through Oct. 6 with a rush of applications within the last two days.
Applicants were allowed to submit sales receipts for a refund or apply by presenting their 2004 income tax return. The vast majority of applications were filed using income tax returns, according to the release.
Applications will be processed by the special administrator for the refund, and a list of claims will be presented to the De Queen City Council for final approval.
http://www.dequeen.com/topstories/more.php?id=2170_0_6_0_C
Thomas sentenced to death for monument store slayings
Sunday, October 02, 2005 (6:06 pm PDT)
MURFREESBORO – A Pike County jury sentenced Mickey David Thomas Jr., 31, of Broken Bow, Okla. to death by lethal injection. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, the jury, which had previously found Thomas guilty of two counts of capital murder in the June 2004 killing of two women in De Queen, returned the death sentence after approximately three hours of deliberations.
The jury’s decision ended the three-day trial in Pike County. Due to pre-trial publicity, Circuit Judge Charles Yeargan had granted a change of venue from Sevier County Circuit Court to Pike County Circuit Court. Tuesday, Sept. 27, Thomas was found guilty of the execution style slaying of Mona Lee Shelton, 46, the owner of Cornerstone Monuments in De Queen and Donna Marie Cary, 45, a customer at the business.
Judge Yeargan told the jury at the opening of court at 9 a.m. Wednesday, that they would hear additional evidence for deliberations in deciding on an appropriate sentence.
http://www.dequeen.com/topstories/more.php?id=2150_0_6_0_C
The Morning News
Judge Rules Against Wal-Mart In Coughlin Suit
Door Still Open For Further Litigation
By Anita FrenchThe Morning News
Wal-Mart lost a major round in its effort to reclaim part of a retirement settlement with former Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin after a judge Tuesday dismissed a large part of the Bentonville-based retailer's suit against Coughlin.
But Coughlin isn't home free, as the judge refused to dismiss Wal-Mart's suit entirely, saying the company could still pursue a legal case against him.
Coughlin attorney William Taylor of Washington said he was "grateful" Finch agreed with Coughlin's argument Wal-Mart is bound by its retirement agreement.
"Tom devoted 27 years of his life to Wal-Mart and looks forward to a retirement in which he can enjoy his family and serve his community. There is no legal or factual basis for Wal-Mart to pursue any further claims against Tom, and we hope and expect that Wal-Mart will put this matter behind them," Taylor said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/01wmcoughlin.txt
Shooting Victim In Critical Condition
Person Of Interest In Shooting Leads Police On Chase
By Trish MehaffeyThe Morning News
FAYETTEVILLE -- A young woman was in critical condition from a gunshot wound Tuesday night at Washington Regional Medical Center. She was dropped off by a man named as "a person of interest" in the shooting incident, according to police.
Lt. Mike Reynolds said police received a call regarding a shooting victim about 4 p.m. from Washington Regional Medical Center. A woman in her late teens or early 20s was dropped off at the hospital by a man driving a black Firebird. The man, also in his late teens or early 20s, was found in Prairie Grove after leading police on a vehicle chase.
The man crashed his Firebird on Arkansas 62, near the Lincoln Hill area and then ran on foot from police but was caught a short time later, Reynolds said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/03fzshooting.txt
Guard Unit Called To Iraq
180 Soldiers To Spend Year Providing Security
By Don Dailey
ROGERS -- A 180-member National Guard battery based in Rogers will be mobilized for a one-year tour of duty in Iraq.
Battery C of the 1st Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery Brigade will be mobilized in two stages and sent to Fort Dix in New Jersey for training, said Capt. Kristine Munn, public affairs officer with the Arkansas National Guard.
Specifics of the battery's mission were not available, Munn said, but it is expected to provide security while in Iraq.
Because it is an artillery battery, it will be in an unusual, but not unique, position of providing security.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2005/11/02/front/03rzrogers142nd.txt
Sydney Morning Herald
Police on standby for terror cell raids
Security agencies are poised to swoop on alleged terrorist cells throughout the country once Parliament passes an amendment to the anti-terrorism laws today.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, said yesterday he had received new, "specific" intelligence this week from spies and police indicating a "potential terrorist threat".
"The immediate passage of this amendment would strengthen the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to effectively respond to this threat," he said.
The Opposition agreed to the amendment after its leader, Kim Beazley, was briefed on the intelligence. Security agencies believe the new law increases their chances
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/police-on-standby-for-terror-raids/2005/11/02/1130823281888.html
DNA of forensic boss 'found on Lees's handcuffs'
By Lindsay Murdoch in Darwin
November 3, 2005
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DNA belonging to the director of the Northern Territory's forensic unit was found on handcuffs allegedly used to restrain Joanne Lees, a court heard yesterday.
Forensic biologist Carmen Eckhoff told the Supreme Court sitting in Darwin that she discovered the DNA of her director, Peter Thatcher, on the handcuffs, made from cable ties, in May 2004 - three years after Ms Lees was attacked and her boyfriend Peter Falconio allegedly murdered in the NT outback.
Questioned about how Dr Thatcher's DNA got on the handcuffs, Ms Eckhoff told the court: "You will have to ask him. I wasn't there when he was handling it."
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/dna-of-forensic-boss-found-on-leess-handcuffs/2005/11/02/1130823281906.html
Bumps in night become whoosh of collapse
By Darren Goodsir Urban Affairs Editor
November 3, 2005
The residents of the Kerslake unit complex have long grown accustomed to strange bumps in the night. It's part of living above one of the trickiest sections of the 3.6 kilometre Lane Cove Tunnel project - an incessantly noisy work site that promises to one day deliver traffic calm to the resigned residents surrounding one of the city's most desperately needed roads.
But in the eerie quiet of early yesterday, about 2.05am, the "distant thunder" and "dull vibrations" that the 47 tenants have come to associate with almost-constant drilling, turned into a distinctly different sound.
"It was more like a grating, something
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/strangest-bump-in-the-night/2005/11/02/1130823281930.html
Wanted: single male with taste for the fast lane
Ready to settle down, but only with the best … Makybe Diva yesterday with strapper Christine Mitchell at Lee Freedman's property near Geelong.
Photo: Sebastian Costanzo
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By Andrew Stevenson
November 3, 2005
Who will be the lucky boy then? Having banked almost $15 million in prizemoney, Australia's most popular mare, Makybe Diva, is officially in the market for suitors.
First, however, there is a paddock full of knee-high grass waiting near Geelong and an old mare named Blinkie, an 18-year-old broken-down racehorse, to keep her company.
There will be no change of heart on retirement. As her trainer, Lee Freedman, promised on Tuesday, Makybe Diva might be a national symbol, but she is no Nellie Melba. Next year, the mare will put a spring in the step of one well-bred sire. A foal would be expected by October 2007, and the offspring, if a colt, might find itself on sale by Easter 2009. A race start to tantalise the fans is unlikely before 2010.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/horseracing/wanted-single-male/2005/11/02/1130823282442.html
Michael Moore Today
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
What if your government lied to you and no one said anything?
Senate Emerges From Closed Session on Iraq
By Liz Sidoti / Associated Press
In a day of political drama, Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that President Bush used in the run-up to the war in Iraq and accusing Republicans of ignoring the issue.
"They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.
The afternoon halt in Senate business let Democrats steer the spotlight to the war in Iraq, an issue on which the president is doing badly in public opinion polls.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4746
Newsview: Bush Allies Say He's Lost His Way
By Ron Fournier / Associated PressWASHINGTON - The building blocks of President Bush's career — his credibility and image as a strong and competent leader — have been severely undercut by self-inflicted wounds, leading close allies to fret about his presidency. They say he's lost his way.
These senior Republicans, including past and current White House advisers, say they believe the president can find his way back into people's hearts but extreme measures need to be taken. Shake up his staff, unveil fresh policies, travel the country and be more accountable for his mistakes — these and other solutions are being discussed at the highest levels of the GOP.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4753
Some conservatives question Rove's future
By Adam Entous / Reuters
WASHINGTON - Breaking with the White House and fellow conservatives, Republican Sen. Trent Lott and the head of the Cato Institute questioned on Tuesday whether top White House adviser Karl Rove, who remains in legal jeopardy in a CIA-leak probe, should keep his policy-making job.
Rove was not indicted on Friday along with Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis Libby. But lawyers involved in the case said Rove, President George W. Bush's top political adviser and deputy chief of staff, remains under investigation and may still be charged by prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4748
Iraqi Official Aims to Refurbish Image
By Hamza Hendawi / Associated Press
Politically savvy and a sharp dresser with a perpetual grin, Ahmad Chalabi has gone from Washington insider, to alleged Iranian spy, to someone the Bush administration cannot afford to ignore — all in the space of two years.
Chalabi, a deputy prime minister, plans to travel this month to Washington to refurbish a reputation tainted by the since-discredited claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. At home, Chalabi has quit a Shiite political alliance criticized for its strong ties to Iran.
All this points to one thing: Chalabi is maneuvering to become Iraq's next prime minister after elections in less than two months.
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Pentagon: Top al-Qaida Operative Escaped
By Alicia A. Caldwell / Associated Press
A man once considered a top al-Qaida operative escaped from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan and cannot testify against the soldier who allegedly mistreated him, a defense lawyer involved in a prison abuse case said Tuesday.
Omar al-Farouq was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants in Southeast Asia until Indonesian authorities captured him in the summer of 2002 and turned him over to the United States.
A Pentagon official in Washington confirmed Tuesday evening that al-Farouq escaped from a U.S. detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, on July 10. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
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Oil Execs to Be Asked to Justify Profits
By H. Josef Herbert / Associated Press
Top executives of three major oil companies will be asked by senators next week why some of their industry's estimated $96 billion in record profits this year shouldn't be used to help people having trouble paying their energy bills.
Lee Raymond, chairman of Exxon Mobil Corp., Jim Mulva, chief executive of ConocoPhillips, and John Hofmeister, president of the U.S. unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, will be among the industry executives to be questioned at a Senate hearing, according to congressional and industry officials.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a final list of witnesses yet to be completed. The three companies together earned more than $22 billion during the July-September quarter this year when crude oil prices soared briefly to $70 a barrel and motorists were paying well over $3 gallon at the pump after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast.
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Rumsfeld hints at more troops in Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Coming off one of the deadliest months for American troops, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated that the number of U.S. forces in Iraq could rise temporarily as Iraqis prepare to vote in mid-December parliamentary elections.
"We have had a pattern of increasing the number of coalition forces during periods when there was an expectation that the insurgents and terrorists would like to try to disrupt the political process," Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters.
Rumsfeld and Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said they expect insurgents to expand their attacks as the elections approach, but would not say exactly how they plan to protect U.S. soldiers from the growing number of roadside bombs.
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Democrats Push to Delay Alito Hearings
By David Espo / Associated Press
Senate Democrats pushed on Tuesday for a 2006 date for hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, challenging President Bush's call for confirmation by year's end.
"There's no way you can do an honest hearing by the end of December, or a fair hearing," said Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In a jab at the White House and the Senate Republican leadership, Leahy said he and the panel's chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter could likely agree on a date for confirmation hearings if left to themselves.
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