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from BARE NAKED ISLAM
[Information from this site is not reliable.]
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Obituary: Miller, Jack C.
Maine same-sex couples marry in first hours of law
Spreading the news
Hopes rise for fiscal deal
Vote on possible bargain could come as early as Sunday (didn't happen)
As distasteful as it may be, they still have first amendment rights. - C. S.
U.S. sailors sue Japanese utility
U.S. sailors sue Japanese utility
Bipartisan senators back filibuster limits
Proposal allows amendments; curbs federal judgeship holds
Proposal allows amendments; curbs federal judgeship holds
Woman bought guns for killer, officials say
Charges related to firefighters’ deaths
Charges related to firefighters’ deaths
Laptop theft proves costly
Hospice of North Idaho to pay feds $50,000
Hospice of North Idaho to pay feds $50,000
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In brief: From Staff and Wire Reports:
Putin signs law banning adoptions by U.S. citizens
Moscow – President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law banning Americans from adopting Russian children, abruptly terminating the prospects for more than 50 youngsters preparing to join new families.
The move is part of a harsh response to a U.S. law targeting Russians deemed to be human rights violators.
Although some top Russian officials including the foreign minister openly opposed the bill, Putin signed it less than 24 hours after receiving it from parliament, where it passed both houses overwhelmingly.
Neighbor nations to send troops to troubled area
Bangui, Central African Republic – Central African Republic’s neighbors agreed on Friday to dispatch a contingent of soldiers to intervene in the troubled country, where a coalition of rebel groups is seeking to overthrow the president of nearly a decade.
Representatives from the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States meeting in Gabon, though, did not specify how many troops they could contribute nor did they outline how quickly the military assistance would arrive.
President Francois Bozize had pleaded for international help Thursday as fears grew that the rebels would attack the capital.
Santa followers set NORAD record
Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. – NORAD says it drew a record number of phone calls and social media followers during its NORAD Tracks Santa operation on Christmas Eve.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command said Friday volunteers answered more than 114,000 calls, up 12,000 from 2011.
NORAD’s Santa Facebook page had more than 1.2 million followers, up from about 1 million last year. More than 129,000 people followed on Twitter, up from 101,000 last year.
NORAD got 11,000 emails, up from 7,700 in 2011.
More than 1,250 volunteers answered phone calls, including first lady Michelle Obama.
NORAD Tracks Santa began in 1955 when a newspaper listed the wrong number for children to call Santa. They wound up calling the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD’s predecessor.
The operation is based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
Cameras to beef up ignition interlocks
Smile, you’re on drunken-driver camera.
In an effort to increase accountability for those with a history of driving while intoxicated, all alcohol ignition interlocks in Washington will be equipped with a camera starting Jan. 1, the Washington State Patrol announced.
The camera will snap a photo every time the machine is used in order to verify the driver is the person who took the test.
The locks are mandatory on the vehicles of those who have been accused or convicted of driving while impaired. The car will not start without a breath sample below the legal limit of .08.
Washington State Patrol Lt. Rob Sharpe said impaired drivers have been known to ask passengers, even children, to blow into the machine for them to start the car.
The machine’s software will record attempts to tamper with the device.
Investigators confirmed an accidental electrical fire is to blame for the destruction of the Chief Joseph Nez Perce Longhouse.
The fire started at 12:30 a.m. at the historic longhouse in Nespelem on the Colville Reservation. The building, a religious and cultural center for the Colville Confederated Tribes, was destroyed along with historical items stored inside.
The tribes’ History and Archaeology Program will be collecting photos and memories of the longhouse from tribe members, said John Sirois, chairman of the Colville Business Council of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.
Cameras added to help commuters
North Spokane commuters planning their drive to work have new ways to check traffic before hitting the road.
The city of Spokane and Washington State Department of Transportation added 18 new cameras along U.S. Highways 195 and 2, including along Division Street.
Feeds from the cameras are available 24 hours a day on the Spokane Regional Transportation Management Center website, www.srtmc.org. There are more than 90 live traffic feeds available in the Spokane area.
The cameras allow people to plan their routes and prevent congestion, said Staci Lehman, a spokeswoman for the center.
State sues Yakamas over fuel tax dispute
YAKIMA – Washington state has filed suit in federal court against the Yakama Nation over a disagreement about state fuel taxes.
The lawsuit marks the latest move in a string of back-and-forth court filings and disagreements over whether tribal gas station owners may continue to buy bulk fuel largely free of state fuel taxes.
Tribal members are exempt from the tax. The state and the tribe have operated under an agreement that tribal gas station owners would only be required to pay taxes on 25 percent of the total amount of bulk fuel they purchase, to reimburse the state for fuel purchases by non-Indians at tribal stations.
However, the state terminated the agreement Dec. 5, saying the Yakama Nation was not abiding by its audit requirements. The Yakama Nation filed suit the following day in Yakama Tribal Court.
In response, the state filed suit in U.S. District Court in Yakima on Dec. 17, seeking to have a federal judge force the tribe to pay about $19.4 million in unpaid fuel taxes and to uphold the state’s termination of the agreement, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported Friday.
The state fuel tax is 37.5 cents per gallon.
FDA approves anticlotting drug
WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it approved an anticlotting drug called Eliquis, developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. It’s a potential blockbuster in a new category of medicines to prevent strokes.
The agency previously rejected the drug twice, most recently in June, awaiting additional data from company trials.
The FDA cleared the pill for treating the most common type of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, in patients at risk for strokes or dangerous clots.
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SteveMassey
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Prep Boys Basketball
Reardan tournament
Chewelah 50, Reardan 34: Derek Smith scored 16 points and Lars Berger added 15 as the Cougars (6-3) beat the Indians (4-7) for their second straight Reardan tournament title. Nick Brockman tallied 16 points for Reardan.
Almira/Coulee-Hartline 64, Wellpinit 59: Mitch Hunt led three players in double figures with 18 points and the Warriors (4-4) edged the Redskins (7-3) for third place. James Best had 18 points and A.J. Kieffer added 16 for Wellpinit.
Almira/Coulee-Hartline 64, Wellpinit 59: Mitch Hunt led three players in double figures with 18 points and the Warriors (4-4) edged the Redskins (7-3) for third place. James Best had 18 points and A.J. Kieffer added 16 for Wellpinit.
Yakima tournament
Hockinson 51, Lakeside 48 (WA), OT: Alan Haagan and Nathan Gunderson combined for 27 points as Hockinson hung on to beat the Eagles (2-7) at the Yakima SunDome. Lakeside’s Grant Perkins made a lay-in with a couple of seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Rosalia tournament
Rosalia 54, Davenport 48: Craig Nelson’s 32 points and 14 rebounds carried the Spartans past the Gorillas in the title game at Rosalia. Micah Pittsley added 10 points for the Spartans. Davenport was led by Josh Likkel’s 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Odessa-Harrington 58, Wilbur-Creston 46: The Titans (5-4) finished strong after a sluggish start to the second half and beat the Wildcats (5-4) for third place. Markus Smith scored 21 points – 16 coming in the first half – and Cade Weber added 13 points for Odessa-Harrington. Colton Magers and Nick Densley combined for 30 points for the Wildcats.
Dayton tournament
LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus 55, Elgin 27: Darcy Stamper scored 17 points to lead the Tigercats (8-0) past Elgin (Ore.) in Dayton. The Tigercats outscored Elgin 22-4 in the first quarter.
Southeast 1B
Pomeroy 62, Tekoa-Oakesdale 32: Tanner Feiter had 19 points and six steals as the Pirates (7-1, 4-1) routed the host Nighthawks (1-7, 0-5). Max Mueller had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Tekoa-Oakesdale.
Nonleague
Newport 63, Springdale 34: Jeron Konkright scored 22 points and Ryan Rapp and Chris Burgess added 12 apiece as the Grizzlies (4-6) took control in the second quarter and eased past the host Chargers (0-10).
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague 82, St. John-Endicott 44: Tyler Frederick scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and grabbed seven rebounds to guide the Broncos (8-1) past the visiting Eagles (1-7).
Newport 63, Springdale 34: Jeron Konkright scored 22 points and Ryan Rapp and Chris Burgess added 12 apiece as the Grizzlies (4-6) took control in the second quarter and eased past the host Chargers (0-10).
Lind-Ritzville/Sprague 82, St. John-Endicott 44: Tyler Frederick scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the first half and grabbed seven rebounds to guide the Broncos (8-1) past the visiting Eagles (1-7).
Prep Girls Basketball
Reardan tournament
Reardan 67, Chewelah 36: Kelsey Moos scored 24 points and Chantel Heath added 18 as the Indians (10-1) dominated the Cougars (4-5) from start to finish and claimed the title. Kaitlin Krouse had a team-high 13 points for Chewelah.
Columbia 40, Almira/Coulee-Hartline 37: Elizabeth Larrew and Kaitlin Jones each hit a pair of free throws in the final minute to help the Lions (5-5) edge the Warriors (5-5) in the consolation game. Larrew finished with 19 points and Jones added 12. ACH was led by Karlee Martin’s 15 points.
Rosalia tournament
Wilbur-Creston 46, Rosalia 31: Jessica Boyer led three players in double figures with 16 points and the Wildcats (7-2) beat the Spartans (6-3) in the title game at Rosalia. McKenzie Reddish led Rosalia with 17 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Southeast 1B
Tekoa-Oakesdale 51, Pomeroy 32: Kimberly Groom made four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to guide the Nighthawks (7-1, 4-1) past the visiting Pirates (1-6, 0-6).
Nonleague
St. John-Endicott 52, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague 48: Emily Van Lith scored a game-high 22 points and the Eagles (6-1) held on to beat the host Broncos (4-5). Dalyn Killian tallied 14 points and Jenna Bennett and Mallory Kessler added 10 apiece for Lind-Ritzville/Sprague.
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Latest controls are likely to stifle criticism of officials’ corruption
Workers extend contract at East, Gulf Coast ports
Stocks’ losing streak at five days
George F. Will
editorial from the Chicago Tribune
Chief J. Allan chairman of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe
David Roland
director of the Theodore L. Stiles Center for Liberty at the Freedom Foundation in Olympia.
director of the Theodore L. Stiles Center for Liberty at the Freedom Foundation in Olympia.
Anthony L. Komaroff Universal Uclick
Volunteer turns 89, feted as ‘a real-life sweetheart’
Lisa Leinberger The Spokesman-Review
from The Star
Lisa Leinberger The Spokesman-Review
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(via reason.com)
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from WorldTruth.TV
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]
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