AltWeeklies Wire
Ray Kurzweil's Bold New Worldnew
The renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil discusses his controversial theories about the impending hybridization of man and machines, and what that will mean for the future of civilization.
City Newspaper |
Ron Netsky |
09-12-2008 |
Science
Our Dumb State: The Casey Anthony Editionnew

In June, Caylee Anthony went missing. Her mother, Casey Anthony, didn't tell anyone – including her own mother -- for a month.
Orlando Weekly |
Jeffrey C. Billman |
09-12-2008 |
Crime & Justice
International Collectionsnew
A Tucson hospital turns Mexican creditors over to the feds.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
09-12-2008 |
Science
Drug Trafficking and Crime Plague the Bordernew

The siege of the Chiricahuas can best be described as a low-level guerilla war, intermittent but always simmering, the scenes of trouble shifting regularly.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
09-12-2008 |
Immigration
Nashville's Scooter Riders Say They Might as Well Be Invisiblenew
You would think someone riding a praying mantis-like vehicle the color of a strawberry milk shake could make it through workday traffic without cheating death. Not in Nashville, where rising gas prices and the attendant popularity of pump-friendly scooters are creating all new hybrids of traffic hazards and road rage.
Nashville Scene |
Tracy Moore |
09-12-2008 |
Transportation
There's No End in Sight to the Cuts at the St. Louis Post-Dispatchnew
On the morning of August 28, unwelcome news began circulating through the newsroom at the daily: layoffs were imminent. By the end of that day, five editors -- two with almost 30 years of service at the daily -- were asked to collect their belongings and leave the building. In a subsequent interview, executive editor Arnie Robbins refuses to rule out further editorial staff reductions.
Riverfront Times |
Kristen Hinman |
09-12-2008 |
Media
Free at Last: Darryl Burton's Thoughts After 24 Years Behind Barsnew
For the St. Louis native, who was released from prison last week after a judge overturned Burton's murder conviction, freedom means he now reports only to himself.
Riverfront Times |
Matt Kasper |
09-12-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Sympathy for the Newspaper CEOnew
Sacramento Bee parent McClatchy Company is headed for the bottom. Company head Gary Pruitt aims to stem the tide, or go down with the ship.
Sacramento News & Review |
R.V. Scheide |
09-11-2008 |
Media
Boston Musician Freed After Three Months in Security Detentionnew
Percussionist Vicente Lebron intends to seek US citizenship -- now that he has discovered that the government is able and willing to ruin his life, at the drop of a hat, and for no discernible reason.
Boston Phoenix |
David S. Bernstein |
09-11-2008 |
Civil Liberties
Dubious Study Claims San Francisco Cops Extort Sexnew
When Proposition K supporters tell you -- without offering anything close to proof -- that the SFPD is populated with horny shakedown artists whose felonious habit is fed by antiprostitution laws, you should know this claim lacks substance.
SF Weekly |
Matt Smith |
09-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Victims Whose Deaths Remain Unclassified in San Fran Are Stiffednew

Amidst all the murders in San Francisco, some suspicious deaths are hidden in a secret burial ground of bureaucracy.
SF Weekly |
John Geluardi |
09-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
SF's Clean Energy Act Could Mean Lower Carbon Emissions and Lower Electric Billsnew
The Clean Energy Act, which will appear as Proposition H on the November ballot, mandates that the city undertake a study to determine the most cost effective and expeditious way to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Amanda Witherell |
09-11-2008 |
Environment
Texas' Booming Exotic Animal Trade Has Grim Consequencesnew

With little regulation, animal experts say tigers are increasingly being bred in the state, and that shelters and zoos are running out of resources to care for abandoned animals.
The Texas Observer |
Melissa del Bosque |
09-10-2008 |
Animal Issues
How Wild Mustard Could Be Used to Power Farms and Transitnew
In California's wine country, early spring paints the vineyards and fields with the chrome yellow of wild mustard. Its spicy leaves perk up a salad and infuse vinegar with a kick -- and oil from its seeds may soon power the buses of Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST).
East Bay Express |
Susan Kuchinskas |
09-10-2008 |
Environment
Why's it So Hard to be a Cyclist in Charlottesville?new

Naturally, a place like Charlottesville, with its LEED-certified Transit Center and focus on promoting car-free living in the heart of the city, could be expected to be an early adopter in promoting and supporting two-wheel living. Well, it is and it isn't.
C-Ville Weekly |
Chiara Canzi |
09-10-2008 |
Transportation