AltWeeklies Wire
In the World of Fair Housing, 'Discrimination' is in the Eye of the Beholdernew
Neither the courts nor the federal government have provided publications with clear, specific and comprehensive guidelines for what constitutes discriminatory advertising. As a result, many newspapers don't realize they're breaking the law until it's too late.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
05-05-2008 |
Media
Wild Cougars are Moving into the Midwest -- and They May Be Here to Staynew
The numbers are not huge, but they do indicate an increase in cougars making their way back into the nation's corn and soybean belt, areas from which they were exterminated long ago. Now the Midwest is going to have to decide what to do about them.
Chicago Reader |
Stephen J. Lyons |
05-05-2008 |
Animal Issues
Is Nuclear Energy Really Cheap or Clean?new

Behind the seeming swell of interest in nuclear energy is a well-funded lobbying effort that has funneled millions into Congress and the Bush administration, earning billions in subsidies for itself -- as well as a preferential treatment during Vice President Dick Cheney's secret energy talks.
Boulder Weekly |
Pamela White |
05-05-2008 |
Environment
And All I Got Was This Lousy PhDnew
The University of Chicago's new funding plan has grad students questioning their future in academia.
Chicago Reader |
Deanna Isaacs |
05-05-2008 |
Education
Tennessee Takes Small Step to Protect Special Ed. Students from Seclusion and Restraintnew
Disability advocates who have spent more than a year trying to convince state legislators about the troubling fact that special education students are being physically restrained, strapped to chairs and locked in janitor closets hit a small landmark last week as the state Senate passed a bill to address a growing problem in classrooms across the state.
Nashville Scene |
Elizabeth Ulrich |
05-02-2008 |
Education
UNLV Prof Questions Science Behind Finding African Ancestorsnew
Rainier Spencer, the founder and director of UNLV's Afro-American Studies Program, thinks programs offering to link American blacks to their African lineage through DNA (for a fee) are a black-on-black rip-off, since they commercialize a promise they can't truly keep.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Damon Hodge |
05-02-2008 |
Race & Class
Poisoned by Purina: The Case of the Alpaca Massacrenew

Jerry Forstner's farmhands found alpacas bleeding from the eyes and shrieking in pain, as a result of eating feed from Purina Mills that was dosed with salinomycin -- a chemical used to kill parasites in pigs and chickens, but which is deadly to alpacas.
Cleveland Scene |
Denis Grollmus |
05-02-2008 |
Animal Issues
Kidnapped Journalist Talks About His Ordealnew
The BBC's Alan Johnston refused to cover the Mideast conflict from comfort of a hotel, and was kept in a three-month captivity as a result.
NOW Magazine |
Glenn Wheeler |
05-02-2008 |
Media
Here Comes Hollywood's First-Ever Mega-Skyscrapernew
A community thrown into shadow and vistas of the Hollywood sign could be destroyed.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
05-02-2008 |
Housing & Development
'Mission Accomplished' Turns Fivenew

Since Bush's photo-op on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, 3,917 more U.S. soldiers have died. The total number of U.S. military deaths now stands at 4,056, and an estimated 10-15 percent of soldiers have experienced traumatic brain injuries.
Shepherd Express |
Lisa Kaiser |
05-02-2008 |
War
Q&A: Scott Ritter, Former UN Weapons Inspectornew
Ritter talks about what the U.S. should do in Iraq and Iran.
The Memphis Flyer |
Bianca Phillips |
05-02-2008 |
War
Foreclosure Rage is On the Risenew
The evicted residents who destroy their own house before they leave are rarely prosecuted. As attorney David Winterton explains, "The people who trashed the house don't have money anyway, so if someone were to sue them and get a judgment, they wouldn't be able to collect."
Las Vegas Weekly |
Jennifer Grafiada |
05-02-2008 |
Housing & Development
Portland to Get Pilot Mental Health Courtnew
Three qualified mental health professionals will work with a dedicated judge, with a goal of hooking mentally ill people up with medication and counseling instead of prosecuting them for low-level crimes.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
05-01-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Is Oregon's Anti-Gay Initiative Effort on the Verge of Failure?new
Even if the Supreme Court OKs the petitions in the next few weeks, the anti-gay activists would have just two months to collect 82,769 valid signatures -- or 34,590 more than they failed to collect before, with one month less to do it.
The Portland Mercury |
Amy J. Ruiz |
05-01-2008 |
LGBT
Retired Rangers Target Land Abuse by ATV Usersnew
Federal rangers consider unlawful ATV use to be a top law-enforcement issue on public lands, and a prime contributor to habitat destruction.
Tucson Weekly |
Tim Vanderpool |
05-01-2008 |
Environment
Tags: environment, ATVs