AltWeeklies Wire
Why Hasn't Obama Abrogated Bush's Controversial Executive Orders?
Simply put, no one man -- not even a nice, articulate, charismatic one -- ought to claim the right to suspend a person's constitutional rights. Not in America. Certainly no one man -- not even a young, handsome, likeable one -- should be able to have anyone he wants whacked.
Why Did a Pregnant Latina, Detained After a Traffic Stop, Have to Give Birth in Shackles?new
Alma Chacon's case raises questions about the use of racial profiling by Maricopa County sheriff's deputies during traffic stops, but, most importantly, sheds light on the mistreatment of unconvicted immigrants inside county jails.
Phoenix New Times |
Valeria Fernández |
10-27-2009 |
Race & Class
The Voice of OC Hopes to Turn a New Page for Journalism in Orange Countynew
Has the decline of The Orange County Register created enough media space for the nonprofit news website to put down roots?
Does Wisconsin's Health Insurance Overseer Actually Protect Consumers?new
Even when it does have regulatory authority, the state's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) seems reluctant to throw its weight around. Of the 28 complaints we reviewed, in no instance did OCI instruct an insurance company to behave differently.
Isthmus |
Bill Lueders |
10-26-2009 |
Policy Issues
Clemency for Six Colorado Prisoners Could Serve Justice and Save Millions -- So Why Won't the Gov. Try It?new
To date, Gov. Bill Ritter has issued just two pardons and not a single commutation, a situation that frustrates prisoner advocates.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
10-26-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How the Health Care System Brought Me to the Brink of Madness and Bankruptcynew
Like many Americans, my fiance, Dan, and I, have been silently destroyed by the behemoth known as the American health insurance industry. And if wanting affordable, quality health care makes us communists, socialists or flag-burning anti-patriots, then so be it.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Carrie Ann Eldridge |
10-26-2009 |
Science
In South Florida, Dogfighting Rages on Despite Tough Lawsnew
What seemed like a straightforward case in Boynton Beach would ultimately evolve into an expensive and drawn-out legal quagmire that would serve as a test case for Florida's new laws targeting the clandestine world of dogfighting.
Miami New Times |
Michael J. Mooney and Tim Elfrink |
10-26-2009 |
Animal Issues
Climate Change Activist Bill McKibben is on a Moral Quest to Literally Save the Worldnew
McKibben meme is easy. It's simply a number: 350. Three hundred and fifty, the amount of carbon parts per million in the atmosphere that NASA's top climate scientist Jim Hansen has counseled will most closely support the earth upon which human civilization arose.
North Bay Bohemian |
Gretchen Giles |
10-23-2009 |
Environment
All Sides In L.A.'s Pot Wars Agree: City Hall is Incompetentnew
The disparate groups in the pot debate agree on one thing: Los Angeles City Hall has been almost comically inept at complying with simple state deadlines for municipalities to create rules for medicinal marijuana.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald and Jill Stewart |
10-23-2009 |
Drugs
Thinking and Acting Smartly Everywhere but the Rust Beltnew
At a Brookings Institution forum last week, policy wonks and local government officials from places like Sacramento and Salt Lake City discussed how they used regional planning to cope with rapid growth. What can shrinking Rust Belt cities learn from the places that are stealing their populations?
Artvoice |
Bruce Fisher |
10-23-2009 |
Policy Issues
Silicon Valley's Nascent Auto Industry is on a Rollnew
In the past 12 months, green technology, in general, and automotive tech, in particular, have become the fastest-growing sectors of the American economy. The prospect of a new, sustainable automotive industry has already sparked a gold rush in the private sector.
Metro Silicon Valley |
Eric Johnson |
10-22-2009 |
Business & Labor
Army Employee: Noose was Part of Effort to Make Me Quitnew
No one denies that Anthony Jackson saw a noose on an office desk while he was working at Fort Carson last winter. But his former co-workers say it was meaningless, a fun knot to tie that was never meant as a threat to anybody.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
10-22-2009 |
Race & Class
Surging Demand for Low-Income Health Services Lengthens Waiting Listsnew
Over its 38-year history, Peak Vista Community Health Centers often has had up to 400 people waiting to register for medical and dental care. But in May, the waiting list shot up to about 2,000, where it's stayed.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
10-22-2009 |
Economy
Smack Time: Is There Really a New Heroin Epidemic?new
A spate of recent media reports have claimed that America -- and especially the New York metro area -- is suffering from a terrifying new heroin epidemic. Curious, I decided to revisit a world that had once held me in its clutches for so long. This time around, I brought along a notebook and a clear head.
New York Press |
Matt Harvey |
10-22-2009 |
Drugs
Meet Theresa Sparks, San Fran's Transgender Trailblazernew
In 2004, she became the city's first transgender police commissioner, and is now among the country's first openly transgender department heads. But Sparks is pondering a move that would be the biggest of all: becoming San Francisco's first openly transgender city supervisor.
