LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare is providing better benefits at lower cost.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
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Edwards fails in bid to toss charges
GREENSBORO, N.C. - A federal judge Thursday in North Carolina denied an attempt by former presidential candidate John Edwards to get criminal charges against him dismissed, clearing the way for a trial to begin next year.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles in Greensboro ruled that the federal government’s case against the former U.S.
senator can go forward, denying five motions by Edwards’ legal team intended to keep the case against him from going to a jury. Still, Edwards said he was pleased with the outcome.
“After all these years, I finally get my day in court and people get to hear my side of this, and what actually happened,” Edwards said. “And what I know with complete and absolute certainty is I didn’t violate campaign laws.”
Edwards is to be tried in January on accusations that he asked two wealthy campaign donors to provide nearly $1 million in secret payments used to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the Democratic Party’s nomination for the White House in 2007 and early 2008.
6 surviving animals kept from widow
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The six surviving exotic animals freed by their suicidal owner in Ohio will be kept under quarantine at a zoo for now instead of going to the man’s widow, the state Agriculture Department ordered Thursday.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was trying to stop Marian Thompson from reclaiming three leopards, two primates and a young grizzly bear that have been cared for by the zoo since last week, when Terry Thompson mysteriously set them free in a rural area of eastern Ohio.
The zoo said it had Marian Thompson’s permission to care for the six surviving animals, which have been kept separate from other animals, but has no legal rights to them. A private veterinarian for the Agriculture Department looked at the animals and determined they needed to remain quarantined, as allowed by Ohio law.
It appeared Marian Thompson had planned to take them back to the farm near Zanesville, department spokesman Andy Ware said.
Thompson and her lawyer were informed of the order when they arrived at the zoo with a big truck Thursday afternoon. The order is indefinite, but Thompson is entitled to a hearing within 30 days if she wants to appeal.
Same-sex pairs seek military benefits
BOSTON - A group of homosexual active and retired military personnel who are married sued the federal government Thursday for the same benefits as heterosexual military couples.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston contends the government’s Defense of Marriage Act violates their constitutional rights, and asks the military to recognize their marriages and provide spousal benefits.
Under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the Pentagon is required to ignore same-sex marriages, which are legal in six states and Washington D.C. and were legal for a time in California.
The lawsuit comes about a month after the military officially ended its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which forbade homosexuals from serving openly.
The lawsuit names as defendants Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki.
Land in 6 states on solar-projects list
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Thursday identified 17 sites in six Western states as prime candidates for solar-energy projects on public lands.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the latest “Solar Energy Zones” refine and improve on a draft released in December that identified two dozen areas in California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona.
Five sites in Nevada, four in Colorado, three in Utah, two each in California and Arizona, and one in New Mexico were identified as ideal for solar development.
The sites comprise 285,000 acres, down from about 677,000 acres in December, and reflect the department’s judgment that the targeted land has the highest potential for solar development with the fewest environmental conflicts.
The plan is subject to a 90-day public comment period.
The administration’s push for renewable energy has come under attack since California-based Solyndra Inc. closed its doors two month ago after receiving a $528 million federal loan. The company declared bankruptcy and laid off its 1,100 workers.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 10/28/2011