AltWeeklies Wire
Monkey Business: The Louisiana Science Education Actnew
Louisiana's Science Education Act is touted as promoting "critical thinking skills," but what it really does is allow teachers to use materials that haven't been approved by the state's Department of Education to question the validity of evolution. Enactment of the law is costing the state money and could lead to a lawsuit.
Jason Berry's Saga Endsnew
The Vatican's admission of a powerful priest's secret life is vindication for a New Orleans writer and a filmmaker who exposed the scandal.
Amended Bill Would Keep Kentucky's Public Defender System From Shutting Its Doorsnew
Some of Kentucky's leading lawyers and legal experts predicted the massive state budget shortfall would force the struggling public defender's office to shut down by next month, likely bringing the criminal justice system to a screeching halt. That warning got the attention of lawmakers in Frankfort.
LEO Weekly |
Sarah Kelley |
03-11-2009 |
Economy
Keeping Gays from Adopting Would Hurt Kentuckynew

Kentucky Senate Bill 68 would prohibit unmarried, cohabiting couples from adopting or fostering children in Kentucky. It passed the Senate judiciary committee last week and will likely pass the full Senate and reach the House soon.
LEO Weekly |
Stephen George |
03-11-2009 |
Civil Liberties
A Canadian Daredevil's Final Actnew
After allegedly landing a helicopter filled with marijuana in a national forest, a young Canadian mountain biker takes his own life in a Spokane, Wash., jail. Is he a casualty of the war on drugs?
The Inlander |
Kevin Taylor |
03-11-2009 |
Drugs
Tags: Drugs, Jackson Lindsay-Brown
'San Diego News Network' Will Revolutionize How News Is Gathered -- Maybenew

San Diego, brace yourself: There's a new kid on the news block, and it's a website called San Diego News Network (SDNN). Its mission: Revolutionize the news industry.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
03-11-2009 |
Media
Thomas Friedman Tells Portlanders to Stop Futzing Aroundnew
Say what you will about incendiary Pulitzer-Prize-winning columnist and reporter Thomas Friedman: It takes some serious chutzpah to stand in front of a packed house of Portlanders and tell them that all of their green activism is nothing more than a hobby.
Willamette Week |
Adrienne So |
03-11-2009 |
Environment
A Portland Cop Says a Complaint About His Boss's Dirty Dance Stifled His Careernew
Officer Tom Brennan says his career as a Portland cop hit a dead end the night a superior officer ground his crotch against Brennan’s wife at Dixie Tavern.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
03-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Smartpark, Dumb Enforcement?new
Tom Dehen didn’t know he could be threatened with arrest for walking on Portland city property with a camera and a sketch pad.
Willamette Week |
Joshua Bolkan |
03-11-2009 |
Civil Liberties
Tags: civil liberties, Portland
Oregonians Want Green Energy at Any Pricenew

There are a variety of explanations for the lack of outcry about Oregon's subsidies for wind farms. But perhaps most important, the idea of subsidizing renewable energy has the strong support of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, other political leaders and -- if polls are correct -- a large portion of Oregonians.
Willamette Week |
Nigel Jaquiss |
03-11-2009 |
Environment
A Good Story and a Little Tenacity Is Enough to Get You Out of Parking Ticketsnew
In New Haven's Hall of Records, go upstairs if you want to pay full-price for your parking tickets. Go downstairs if you want deep discounts — with practically no questions asked.
New Haven Advocate |
Betsy Yagla |
03-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: New Haven, parking tickets
Legal Precedent in Trooper Murder Leaves Detroit Journalist Unprotectednew

For a third time, a federal judge has ordered reporter David Ashenfelter to reveal his sources.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
03-10-2009 |
Media
Craig Monteilh Says He Spied on the Islamic Center of Irvine for the Fedsnew

Ex-convict, con man, convert -- an early conversation with the man who says he spied on the Islamic Center of Irvine on behalf of the feds.
OC Weekly |
Matt Coker |
03-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
A K.C. Jail Is Falling Apart, But Shutting It Down Might Be Destructivenew

Nancy Leazer, Superintendent of Kansas City's Municipal Correctional Institution, has made shuttering this crumbling facility far more complicated.
The Pitch |
Carolyn Szczepanski |
03-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is Casino Gambling in the Cards for Galveston?new
Backers say casinos can save the water-logged city, while opponents say they will bring nothing but ruin.
Houston Press |
John Nova Lomax |
03-10-2009 |
Business & Labor