AltWeeklies Wire
The Leader of a High-Profile Florida Church is Enveloped in Scandalnew
Next month, Pastor Gaston Smith of Friendship Missionary Baptist is set to stand trial for allegedly stealing from a community fund named for his hero, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Miami New Times |
Gus Garcia-Roberts |
08-17-2009 |
Religion
Shark Attack -- Oops, Shark Accident -- Victim Defends the Beasts on Capitol Hillnew
Michael Beach recently joined eight other survivors on Capitol Hill to lobby legislators to pass the Shark Conservation Act of 2009, introduced by Sen. John Kerry. It would close loopholes related to "finning," the brutal practice of slicing off live sharks' fins for soup.
Miami New Times |
Gus Garcia-Roberts |
08-17-2009 |
Animal Issues
Mexican Citizens Seeking Help from the Dallas Consulate Get Snared in a Legal Grudge Matchnew
Lawyer Robert Lyons claimed that he was owed a piece of a $2 million fee collected by a rival lawyer in a case stemming from the accidental death of a Mexican truck driver in Dallas. His lawsuit would lead to allegations of kickbacks and corruption at Dallas' Mexican Consulate, charges denied by Mexican Consul General Enrique Hubbard Urrea.
Dallas Observer |
Megan Feldman |
08-17-2009 |
International
Cash for Clunkers: Ugh!new
While the know-it-alls in Washington try to satisfy the taxpayers by giving them back some of their hard-earned cash, they didn't really think this whole thing through very well.
Artvoice |
Jim Corbran |
08-17-2009 |
Transportation
At Vermont's Biggest Auction of the Year, Another Dairy Family Calls it Quitsnew
Ken and Carol Borland are among the many victims of Vermont's flagging dairy industry. In the past five years, the state has lost 250 dairy farms. In the last 12 months, 50 Vermont dairy producers have gone out of business.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
08-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
The News Wars Are Comingnew
If it's fight or die on the new media landscape, does anyone think traditional media won't fight? The classic portents of serious battle are converging.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
08-17-2009 |
Media
Washington State's Prison System Starts Shrinkagenew
The main factors driving the projected drop in inmates are bills that will put offenders in home detention and drug-treatment programs rather than prison, and offer them housing vouchers as part of an approved release plan that will allow them to leave prison before their maximum sentence is served.
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
08-17-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How Federal Restrictions Created Colorado's Medical Marijuana Industrynew
The friction between federal and state law has created a booming industry in Colorado, with enterprising men and women stepping in to provide services physicians can't. The rest of the state may be in a recession, but Colorado's medical marijuana industry is thriving.
Boulder Weekly |
David Accomazzo |
08-17-2009 |
Drugs
Neo-Confederate Lawyer Kirk Lyons on What Could Be His Final Flag Casenew
For more than a decade, Lyons has been filing lawsuits that challenge restrictions on the display of the Confederate battle flag and its depiction—thus far—on T-shirts, cell phone covers, prom dresses and purses.
INDY Week |
Dick J. Reavis |
08-14-2009 |
Race & Class
Bye-Bye, Bill Brattonnew
Media coverage has been filled with praise for Bratton, but some are questioning how he could so readily accept a job right after Michael Cherkasky played a key role in helping to hand Bratton a historic career and political victory -- the lifting of the consent decree.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
08-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
New Mexico's White Supremacists Keep the Hate Alivenew
The national climate is spurring racist organizations to regroup and reinvent themselves by latching onto "birther" conspiracy theories, homophobia and immigration fears, while promoting new philosophies of semi-tolerance and non-violence.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Dave Maass |
08-14-2009 |
Race & Class
Fajardo's Fight: Taking on Big Oil in Ecuadornew
Pablo Fajardo is the David in a David and Goliath-esque case pitting Ecuadorian Indians and mestizos against major American oil companies.
Eugene Weekly |
Natalie Miller and Camilla Mortensen |
08-13-2009 |
Environment
Tags: Amazon, Pablo Fajardo, rainforest, Texaco, environment, business, pollution, international, Chevron, Ecuador, Big Oil
The Fate of One of Florida's Most Unique Springs Rests in the Hands of a Developernew
Warm Mineral Springs may have started as a quiet backwater, but those days are over. The future of the springs now depends on how much revenue it can generate, rather than its value as an archeological site or a natural resource.
Orlando Weekly |
Lindy T. Shepherd |
08-13-2009 |
Housing & Development
Sex Workers Organize and Push for Decriminalization, but Meet Stiff Oppositionnew
In an effort to make sex work safer, not to mention stabilize and legitimize the industry, Susan Davis has helped found the West Coast Cooperative of Sex Industry Professionals.
SEE Magazine |
Angela Brunschot |
08-13-2009 |
Sex
Colorado School District Considers Drug Testing Studentsnew
Parents might have a tough time dealing with estimates of rampant drug use in our high schools, but they also need to know that the solutions start at home.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Kirksten Akens |
08-13-2009 |
Drugs
