Cop Fatalities up in 2010

Va traffic fatalities hit record low in 2010
Traffic fatalities in Virginia have fallen to a record low for the second straight year. As of Thursday, Gov. Bob McDonnell says 715 people have been killed in traffic accidents in Virginia. The previous record was 750 in 2009. The record high is 1,206 people killed in 2007. Recording of traffic Deaths began in 1966. McDonnell attributed the decline to several factors, including enforcement efforts to prevent drunken driving and to increase seatbelt usage. But state officials say motorists can't...

Texas Clean Coal Will Finally Bring Twentieth Century Energy To America!
A $2.2 billion “Clean Coal” plant in West Texas has received approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which means Texas is one step closer to harnessing the awesome power of sulfurous Pollution rocks like steampunk Zeppelin pilots used to power their phonographs, in 1880. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “CLEAN” COAL. It’s the same dirty coal that fills your lungs with soot; the same coal that is already powering half of America, and ruining everything....

Indiana earthquake: a 'very loud boom'
Debra Sholty was just opening up her business Thursday morning in Kokomo, Indiana, when a magnitude 4.2 Earthquake rumbled through the north-central part of the state. "It was like a huge Explosion under your feet," said Sholty, the owner of Hobson Cleaners. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck just before 8 a.m. ET and was three miles deep. Its Epicenter was located about 15 miles east-southeast of Kokomo, and 50 miles north of Indianapolis. Click here to cance...

'People did not listen and went out with their vehicles and got stuck'
John Doherty, New York City sanitation commissioner, answered criticism Thursday about the city's cleanup response to the East Coast blizzard. "From the planning purpose and operational purpose, we fought this storm like we fought every storm, so there was no change in that," Doherty said on CNN's "American Morning." "One of the biggest problems we ran across so far was the depth of snow in many places and snow plows getting stuck and not being able to get in s...

Selling a home now: 'Paint it, put new carpet in it,' real estate guru says
Mike Aubrey from HGTV's "Real Estate Intervention" talked Thursday to CNN's "American Morning" about what you can do if you're trying to sell a home in a down Housing Market. "In this marketplace, it is vital that you have two things in order to be successful: You have to be priced right, and you have to look good," Aubrey said. "Make no mistake, the boom days of 2005 are gone. This is a question of economics," Aubrey said. "There are f...

Texas, too...
SAN ANTONIO -- Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed announced plans this week to extend "No Refusal" weekends to every weekend in 2011 as opposed to certain holiday weekends, like New Year's and the Fourth of July. The move to extend the program drew positive words from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "We're pretty excited about that," said Daniel Garza, youth program specialist with MADD. "It was a great pleasure to hear that this morning that Law Enforcement is going to get another good to...

Town's last police officer kidnapped
Officials said Ericka Gandara was kidnapped from her Guadalupe home Dec. 23 and hasn't been seen since, CNN reported. Gandara's family has not filed a report on her disappearance. Officials learned of the incident from her friends, said Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office in the state of Chihuahua. Guadalupe is on the outskirts of Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, and is in the Epicenter of Mexico's drug violence, the report said. In June, criminals shot a...

Will the Tunisian President Go the Way of Ceausescu? (Part 2)
Meanwhile, the Protests which started nine days ago deep in Tunisia's interior continue. The Protests were triggered by a young unemployed university graduate, Mohamed Bouazizi, who set himself aflame after his unlicensed vegetable and fruit stand was confiscated by authorities in the city of Sidi Bouzid, in central Tunisia. Bouazizi's fate resembled that of many Tunisian youths, educated but with few job opportunities before them. The dramatic and tragic image of a young man aflame shattered th...

Psychopath: Counter-terror 'Expert' Tells Cops: Kill Militant Muslims, 'Including Children'
A counter-terrorism consultant told a meeting of Law Enforcement officials that the way to combat Militant Muslims is to "kill them ... including the Children," says a news report. Walid Shoebat, a self-described "former PLO Terrorist" who "now speaks out for USA and Israel," reportedly made the comment at a Speech during a conference of the International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association in Las Vegas this past October, according to the Huffington Post's Chip Berlet. The comment highligh...

The Media Consortium: Weekly Diaspora: Arizona vs. 'Anchor Babies'
by Catherine A. Traywick, Media Consortium blogger After commanding the world's attention in 2010 with its cavalier stance on Immigration, the Arizona State Legislature is threatening--once again--to dominate national immigration discourse and policy. This week, Arizona State Senator and Senate President-Elect Russell Pearce (R) spoke candidly with CNN's Jessica Yellin about his plans to introduce a birthright Citizenship bill in Arizona this coming January--a move likely to be echoed in the i...

Adult drive-thru store in Alabama offers privacy
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Gabrielle Silva takes down a customer’s order from the drive-thru window, stuffs a bag full of products and passes it outside to the couple waiting in a car. "Thanks, and I put some free Condoms in there, too!" Silva chirps. In this technology-savvy north Alabama city, visitors won’t just find burgers and prescriptions at the drive-thru window. A "romance" store called Pleasures offers a rare convenience: a drive-through with adult novelties for sale. Busines...

Weekly Diaspora: Arizona vs. Anchor Babies
After commanding the world’s attention in 2010 with its cavalier stance on Immigration, the Arizona State Legislature is threatening—once again—to dominate national immigration discourse and policy. This week, Arizona State Senator and Senate President-Elect Russell Pearce (R) spoke candidly with CNN’s Jessica Yellin about his plans to introduce a birthright Citizenship bill in Arizona this coming January—a move likely to be echoed in the impending Republican-controlled House

Rearview camera in cars may be mandatory in 2014
It's a tragedy that befalls hundreds of families in the United States every year - small Children being backed over by drivers who can't see them in their rearview mirror. Now, the Department of Transportation is taking steps to eliminate blind spots behind cars. By 2014, the government wants all vehicles to be equipped with devices such as rear-mounted video cameras that will allow drivers to see directly behind their cars while in reverse. Safety advocates say the measure will help decrease ...

Bentley to assign gambling task force to new AG
Gov.-elect Robert Bentley announced in a statement sent out Wednesday by incoming Attorney General Luther Strange that he would assign the work of the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to Strange when they both take office on Jan. 17. "By assigning all pending cases and investigative authority to the Attorney General's office, I have transferred the primary responsibility for ensuring that Alabama's gambling laws are enforced statewide to Attorney General-Elect Luther Strange," Bentley...

The Worst of Obama in 2010
With 2010 drawing to a close, President Obama appears to be ending the year on a positive note. After passing the Tax Cut Compromise with Republicans, Charles Krauthammer hailed Obama as "the new comeback kid." When you throw in the Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the ratification of the new START Treaty with Russia into the equation one could make the case that Obama has made a remarkable comeback after the "shellacking" he and the Democratic Party took in the November mid-term Elections ...

One Tip Can Get You on the Terrorist Watch List
The Terrorist watch list has been beset with problems ever since it came into existence. Ted Kennedy showed up on the No Fly List, a cousin to the Terrorist watch list, back in 2004. 8 year-olds can’t get themselves off it. Clearly, the smaller and more focused a watch list, the better for National Security as well as Civil Liberties. So of course, in reaction to the failure to track Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab last year, the Federal Government has gone in the opposite direction. Instead o...

US reportedly looking at O’Donnell funds
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is investigating whether former Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell of Delaware violated federal law by diverting campaign funds for personal use, Law Enforcement sources said yesterday. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington alleged in September that the Republican used campaign funds for rent, meals, and other personal expenses. O’Donnell stunned the political world that month by riding a wave of Tea Party movement support t...

Vatican issues laws vowing financial transparency
By Philip Pullella Vatican City | Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:35am EST Vatican City (Reuters) - The Vatican, whose bank is being investigated over Money Laundering rules, established laws on Thursday to bring it in line with international standards on transparency, prevention of Terrorism, counterfeiting and Fraud. It was the biggest single action ever taken by the Vatican to meet international demands for more financial transparency. Pope Benedict signed a "Motu Proprio," a form of Executive Order, i...

Task Force on Illegal Gambling goes back to A-Gs office
          The Controversial Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling is going to the Alabama Attorney General’s office in the next administration.  That’s a place Governor Bob Riley has been fighting to keep it from going.           Riley fought to take that responsibility away from current Attorney General Troy King, when he refused to take the governor’s side in the battle ove...

2010 deadly for police in U.S., not Southern Nevada
Atlanta -- Two officers in a remote Alaska town were ambushed as they chatted on a street. A California officer and deputy were killed by an Arson suspect with a high-powered rifle as they tried to serve a warrant. Two other officers doing anti-drug work were gunned down by men along a busy Arkansas highway. These so-called cluster killings of more than one officer helped make 2010 a particularly deadly year for Law Enforcement. Deaths in the line of duty jumped 37 percent to about 160 from 11...

Retrospective on Louisvilles Mayor, Jerry Abramson: PART FOUR
When the town scoundrel died, the rural Kentucky preacher conducted a service for the late departed and asked for a volunteer to come forth from the congregation to render a short eulogy for the man.  When no one responded, the preacher pleaded:  “Surely someone can find something good to say about this man!”  One old fellow stood up and replied:  “He weren’t nearly as onery as his brother!” Jerry Abramson is hardly our town scoundrel, and heR...

On-Duty Police Deaths in U.S. Jump 37% in 2010
Source: CBS News Two officers in a remote Alaska town were ambushed as they chatted on a street. Two California deputies were killed by an Arson suspect with a high-powered rifle as they tried to serve him a warrant. Two other officers doing anti-drug work were gunned down by men along a busy Arkansas highway. These so-called cluster killings of more than one officer helped make 2010 a particularly dangerous year for Law Enforcement. Deaths in the line of duty jumped 37 percent to about 160 fro...

Rush of Appointments as Crist Prepares to Leave
In the dying days of his term, Gov. Charlie Crist has made a number of key appointments that will shape the future of the Sunshine State for years to come -- in fact, 14 already this week. With Rich Nugent headed to the U.S. Congress to take the place of retiring U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, Crist announced Tuesday that Veteran law enforcer Al Nienhuis will serve as Hernando County Sheriff until Jan. 7, 2013. “Al’s 15 years as a dedicated Law Enforcement officer have given him the e...

Adult drive-thru store in Alabama offers privacy
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - Gabrielle Silva takes down a customer's order from the drive-thru window, stuffs a bag full of products and passes it outside to the couple waiting in a car. "Thanks, and I put some free Condoms in there, too!" Silva chirps. In this technology-savvy north Alabama city, visitors won't just find burgers and prescriptions at the drive-thru window. A "romance" store called Pleasures offers a rare convenience not only for these parts but nationally: a drive-through with adu...

Alabama Sex Toy Drive-Thru Business on the Rise
Like this Story? Share it: (AP) HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Gabrielle Silva takes down a customer's order from the drive-thru window, stuffs a bag full of products and passes it outside to the couple waiting in a car. "Thanks, and I put some free Condoms in there, too!" Silva chirps. In this technology-savvy north Alabama city, visitors won't just find burgers and prescriptions at the drive-thru window. A "romance" store called Pleasures offers a rare convenience: a drive-through with adult novelti...