AltWeeklies Wire
The Aftermath of Copenhagennew
"The city of Copenhagen is a crime scene tonight, with the guilty men and women fleeing to the airport”, said John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, on Friday night (December 18). "There are no targets for carbon cuts and no agreement on a legally binding treaty.”
The Georgia Straight |
Gwynne Dyer |
12-22-2009 |
Environment
UCSB Scholar Advocates Humane Treatment of Detained Immigrantsnew
Professor Manuel Casas traveled from UCSB to Washington in early November to speak on behalf of illegal immigrants. At a Congressional hearing, he supported two bills in the House of Representatives that promoted what Casas refers to as “common sense.”
Santa Barbara Independent |
Rebecca Bachman |
12-22-2009 |
Civil Liberties
New Haven Non-Profit Leaders Saw Big Raises Just Before the Market Crashed in 2008new
Sciulli was the bottom rung on the Advocate's last biennial salary survey, published in 2007. Now, the Solar Youth founder and director has moved up a notch. Nationally and statewide, experts predict there won't be as much good news to report on in fiscal year 2009.
New Haven Advocate |
Betsy Yagla |
12-21-2009 |
Business & Labor
In Seattle, Local Somalis Struggle to Understand Why Young Men Would Return to a Country They Never Knewnew
23-year-old Abdifatah Yusuf Isse's family thought he was visiting his girlfriend in Minneapolis during an extended break from studying economics at Eastern Washington University. In fact, he revealed, he was calling from Somalia.
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
12-21-2009 |
War
Can an Apparently Law-Abiding Citizen Be Arrested For Having a Bulge in his Pants?new
It happened to Dustin Warren Harrington around 11 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2005. Police Officer Scott Reiber thought Harrington looked suspicious walking through a neighborhood at night. He then flipped a U-turn and asked Harrington if they could talk.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
12-21-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Homeless Under Julia Tuttle Try to Pass for Sex Offendersnew
Since 2006, Florida Department of Corrections officials have forced convicted sex offenders to live under the Julia Tuttle upon their release from prison. At last count, 140 of the social exiles have lived on what might be post-recession Miami's only high-demand waterfront property.
Miami New Times |
Gus Garcia-Roberts |
12-21-2009 |
Crime & Justice
This One-Man Crime Wave is Going a Hundred Miles Down a Dead-End Streetnew
Victor Arnold Gabler talks fast. Sitting behind a grille at the Adams County jail, he's asked to explain himself; two hours later, the story of his life has sprouted more subplots than the JFK assassination.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
12-21-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In 1959, Edmund Bacon Imagined in 50 Years, "No Part of Philadelphia is Depressed."new
The problem was not that Edmund Bacon cared only about design: it was that he believed far too deeply in its power. He relied on a model of physical determinism: the idea that manipulation and improvement of the built environment could strongly influence, or even control, social and economic outcomes.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Nathaniel Popkin |
12-21-2009 |
Housing & Development
Murky Waters: Memphis is Dumping Sewage into the Mississippinew
A city plant is discharging sewage into local rivers and streams, and the Tennessee Clean Water Network, an independent environmental advocacy group based in Knoxville, has filed notice of its intent to sue the city over violations of the Clean Water Act.
The Memphis Flyer |
Bianca Phillips |
12-18-2009 |
Environment
LAPD Audit: New Chief Releases a Report Showing Broad Mismanagementnew
The city may not be as safe as the 1950s like Bill Bratton often boasted, but apparently the bookkeeping by the Los Angeles Police Department is “stuck” in that decade, and a new and embarrassing audit is roiling City Hall—by explaining how bad things really are.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald and Christine Pelisek |
12-18-2009 |
Economy
A Reporter Uncovered a Scandal at the City Jail: How Nothing (Almost) Happenednew
Complaints languished about the city jail until last fall, when the city and the court finally asked the police department’s Internal Affairs to take them over. What made the city do the right thing? A story that never saw the light of day.
San Antonio Current |
Elaine Wolff |
12-17-2009 |
Media
Foreclose on the Banks
It was widely understood at the time that the federal government expected looser credit markets in exchange for the bailout. Obviously Obama should have gotten it in writing. But oral contracts are just as legally binding as written ones.
FDA Late to Fight Rampant Abuse of OxyContinnew
An estimated 70 percent of Central Coast heroin addicts start out on pharmaceuticals like OxyContin. Now, after widespread abuse, the FDA is looking to clamp down on drug makers. For Stefan R., a recovering addict, the efforts are too little, too late.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
12-17-2009 |
Drugs
Winter worries in Tent Citynew
Colorado Springs' Tent City teems with serious problems: illness, garbage, dangerous situations. But at this point, remedies are few.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
12-17-2009 |
Housing & Development
What's the Story With all Those Tents Downtown?new
The day I met Korrina Fisher, it was so blasted cold that your saliva froze on your front teeth. Korrina came out from a back room at the homeless center and sat down. She put her hands together in her lap, hunched over, hung her head, and peered over at me with her blue eyes.
Colorado Springs Independent |
J. Adrian Stanley |
12-17-2009 |
Housing & Development
