Cuban President Fidel Castro is transferring power provisionally to brother Raul while he undergoes an operation, Cuban TV announces.
Denison admits attending opening day at the new Busch Stadium in April to watch the Springfield Cardinals play, but said the votes he missed were on the consent agenda ...
Dunn pledges also to have monthly meetings with constituents. Denison said he also tried that, but so few showed up he committed himself to making himself accessible in other ways, such as attending meetings of civic organizations like the Rotary Club ...
"Do I take some lobbyist money? You betcha. Because there is a world of information that comes from lobbyists. When we term-limited, we cut ourselves off from information about what happened 10 years ago. You get that from lobbyists, and if you are going to get it straight you don't talk to just one, you talk to both sides."
If we are to live in a society that has freedom of speech, I realize that we must tolerate a multitude of viewpoints. However, we do not have to reward the sponsors of hate radio and hate TV with our business. Let's start a boycott of those who advertise on hate media. If half of us fall on the other side of the equation, that would make a serious dent in their revenue. They will pay attention and withdraw their ads if enough people protest through letters, emails and stop buying their products and services. I find it excruciating to listen for more than a minute, so at this moment I don't have any suggestions of advertisers to boycott. Please help me compile a list, and I'll publish it here.
Fayetteville police arrested a Wendy’s employee early Friday morning after he allegedly threatened a teenage co-worker with a knife and tried to rape him.
José Jimenez, 24, of 2127 Sunny Lane faces felony charges of terroristic threatening, aggravated assault, second degree battery and attempted rape.
Fayetteville police responded to Wendy’s on North College Avenue at about 4 a.m. in reference to an armed person report.
After interviewing a witness at the scene, police learned that Jimenez had been drinking with a Wendy’s co-worker inside the business, after work. The two reportedly began to argue and went outside the restaurant.
"When they came back in, [Jimenez] grabbed a knife and held it to the victim’s neck," said Lt. Mike Reynolds, of the Fayetteville Police Department. "He started yelling and cursing in both Spanish and English."
According to Reynolds, another employee went into the manager’s office to call 911.
"When she thought he was gone, she came back out, but [Jimenez ] was still there," Reynolds said. "She tried to wrestle the knife away from him, but he swung at her and almost cut her hand."
Reynolds said the employee went back into the manager’s office. When she looked back, she reportedly saw Jimenez force the victim to his knees while holding him by the hair.
"The witness said Jimenez held the knife up to the victim and demanded oral sex," he said.
"After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed. I drove a car when I should not have, and was stopped by the L.A. County sheriffs. The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person.
"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I am deeply ashamed of everything I said and I apologize to anyone who I have offended.
"Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry.
"I have battled the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health."
Gibson, 50, was pulled over early Friday while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, said sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. Officers on patrol reported Gibson was driving at an "excessively fast speed," he said.
He was charged with a misdemeanor and posted $5,000 bond, Whitmore said.
Congress would pass an increase in the minimum wage before leaving Washington for vacation, but only as part of a package rolling back taxes on the heirs of multimillionaires, a Senate leadership aide said Friday.
The GOP package would also contain a popular package of expiring tax breaks, including a research and development credit for businesses, and deductions for college tuition and state sales taxes.
The wage would increase from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour, phased in over the next two years, the aide said.
The maneuver is aimed at defusing the wage hike as a campaign issue for Democrats while using its popularity to spur enactment of the Republican Party's long-sought goal of permanently cutting taxes on millionaires' estates.
Ken McClure has been named the new associate vice president for administrative services at Missouri State University.
He will begin his new duties Aug. 28. He replaces Fred Marty, who retired in March and will be paid $95,000 a year.
McClure resigned today as chief of staff for Gov. Matt Blunt, a position he has held since Blunt took office in January 2005.
McClure also headed Blunt’s transition team from November 2004 through January 2005.
He was not available for comment.
"There was a terrific match between Ken McClure’s skills and experience and the requirements of this position," Missouri State President Mike Nietzel said in a university release.
"And besides, Ken is coming home – he maintained his residence in Springfield even while he commuted and worked in Jefferson City."
One Municipal Court employee was terminated during the administrative investigation and a second employee resigned. The Investigative Committee, comprised of four department heads, and led by City Manager Bob Cumley and Assistant City Manager Evelyn Honea, determined that no other disciplinary actions would be taken against any other City employees.
Specific recommendations for the Municipal Judge and Finance Director address future actions. In particular, the Finance Department is already in the process of auditing every area where cash is collected and handled within the City. All Department Heads also are reviewing controls and processes in place in their departments, although many departments do not handle any significant amounts of cash in their day-to-day operations.
The report states that possible restitution options are being pursued, including partial recovery through the City’s insurance policy on bonded employees. The criminal investigation is ongoing and no timetable is set for its completion.
Christ of the Hills Monastery, an Eastern Orthodox foundation in Blanco, Texas, was founded in 1981 by Samuel Greene Jr., who took the name of Father Benedict. In his previous life, Greene had been a real estate developer in San Antonio who called himself "Sam the Land Man" in commercials.
Investigators say that the monastery was not only a haven for sexual abusers but a fraud which used a supposed weeping icon of the Virgin Mary to extort contributions, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
"We're taking the icon into custody as we speak, as a criminal instrument, as part of the fraud that we're investigating for grand jury presentation," Blanco County District Attorney Sam Oatman told the newspaper.
The official last day for workers will be Monday. A deal was put in place to allow Rolling Rock workers to keep their jobs.
The union approved an agreement with City Brewing on Sunday. The Wisconsin-based company will buy the Latrobe Brewery from In-Bev USA. The Rolling Rock beer brand was sold to Anheuser-Busch.
Production of the beer will move to Newark, N.J.
A Middletown, N.Y., councilwoman found a severed horse’s head in her swimming pool Tuesday, state police said.
"We’re looking at a threat as a possible angle," Lt. Pierce Gallagher said. "Certainly, we can’t rule that out."
There have been some prior instances of harassment directed toward Wawayanda Councilwoman Gail Soro, Gallagher said.
One of the most famous scenes in "The Godfather" showed a movie mogul waking up with a horse head in his bed after he refused to bow to the will of the title character, played by Marlon Brando.
Wawayanda is located 106 miles southwest of Albany.
"We're looking at…what makes sense for the Time Inc. portfolio," spokeswoman Ali Zelenko said. "We decided it made sense for this brand to live on on the Web."
The move echoes similar moves elsewhere among teen-oriented titles. Hachette Filipacchi Media shuttered ELLEgirl magazine with its June/July issue, although it is continuing to operate the Web site www.ELLEgirl.com.
In October 2004, Conde Nast Publications purchased the assets of teen-oriented YM and closed the magazine, although it kept alive YM.com.
Subscribers of YM magazine were switched to Conde Nast's Teen Vogue. As a result, Teen Vogue saw its total paid circulation surge 142% in 2005 to 1.41 million, according to the Magazine Publishers of America. Total paid circulation for Teen People, which began publishing in January 1998, slipped 0.7% last year to 1.53 million.
Ending publication of Teen People will affect about 50 employees, some of whom have already found jobs elsewhere at Time Inc., Zelenko said.
The closing of Teen People follows Time Inc.'s elimination of 105 management jobs in December, and its announcement in January that it planned to cut about 100 more jobs.
The host, Melanie Martinez, had alerted network officials about one of the videos late last week and she was immediately taken off the air.
"PBS Kids Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character's credibility with our audience," said Sandy Wax, network president.
Airing for three hours each evening, "The Good Night Show" airs soothing stories and cartoons designed to get an audience of 2-to-5-year-olds ready for bed. Each night, Martinez guides a puppet character into dreamland. Martinez is a stage actress and mother of a toddler.
In the two "Technical Virgin" videos _ made before she landed the children's show job _ she spoofs PSAs about how young women can keep their virginity.
PBS Kids Sprout airs children's programming 24 hours a day and is seen in about 20 million of the nation's 110 million television homes. "The Good Night Show" has been temporarily replaced by cartoons while a search is conducted for a new host.
Adams, a former chairman of the Lake County Republican Party and a longtime GOP power broker, is accused of using three screen names on America Online to send child porn from a computer in his home office, said Assistant State's Atty. Patricia Fix. The first incident occurred March 21, 2005, she said. On July 12, 2005, an undercover police officer in Florida received five e-mails from Adams that contained multiple images of child porn, according to Fix.
On May 25, Adams sent child porn images to three people, and he sent one image on June 2, Fix said. The FBI contacted the state's attorney in May, she said.
When authorities went to Adams' house Monday morning, they found child porn on his computer, Fix said. Adams told investigators that he sent the images and that he is addicted to child porn, Fix said.
If convicted, Adams could get 15 years in prison consecutively for each person who received child porn from him, Fix said.
"These are very unfortunate and serious charges," said Adams' attorney, Tom Briscoe of Waukegan. "We'll have an answer for them at the appropriate time."
None of Green Oaks' trustees were available for comment. The small community is located between Libertyville and Lake Bluff.
Baldwin and Aglialoro confirmed earlier reports that BEG will collaborate with Lionsgate, the studio that produced last year’s Oscar winner, "Crash"; the final contract was signed just days earlier. Lionsgate will provide funding for production and handle distribution. They also confirmed that the goal is for a three-part adaptation, like "Lord of the Rings." Only that length, Baldwin said, would give sufficient scope to tell Ayn Rand's long, complex story. The current project is for Part I, which will cover roughly the first third of the novel, with an expected budget of $40 million or more. "We want to make sure it is done well so that the second and third movies can be made." Among the other studios that expressed interest in the project, he added, Lionsgate stood out because of its enthusiasm for completing the trilogy.
With Lionsgate on board, the project is on "a very aggressive path toward production," with filming to begin as early as April 2007. While there is still a chance of completing the film in time for a release later that year, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the novel, a 2008 release is more likely.
This kind of hyperbole and inaccuracy causes confusion in people's minds as to what is true.
According to police reports unveiled in the courtroom, an enraged Perez believed the unrelated female victim was having an affair with her husband, and held her against her will and smeared her with hot jalapeno-like peppers in juice. At one point during the alleged assault, Perez allegedly instructed one of her daughters to bring an additional cup of the hot peppers in juice, based on court documents.
Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant who works at a local laundry, was charged with kidnap, rape, assault, and two counts of assault and battery, with hot peppers.
Folk was traveling northbound on Luster Ave. in a White 1998 GMC Safari Van when the vehicle accelerated and veered to the left striking a large tree in the yard of 2763 S. Luster Ave. According to family members, Folk had a history of seizures and he may have suffered a seizure causing him to lose control of the vehicle.
The former Republican state senate majority leader died of complications from recent cancer surgery at the University of Washington Medical Center. The longtime legislator was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2003 that later spread to his liver.
A statement released by the hospital Saturday morning said his family and pastor were at his side. "As a family we wish to thank the caregivers at University of Washington Medical Center, and the many friends of Jim for their support and prayers," the family said in their statement.
West became the first Spokane city official to be recalled from office on Dec. 6, 2005, ending a 27-year career in city and state politics.
I have a long list of favorite patriotic movies, including "Victory at Sea," "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Sands of Iwo Jima," but Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" is right up there with the best of them. It is one of the greatest pro-American, pro-family, pro-faith, pro-male, flag-waving, God Bless America films you will ever see.
He requested a last meal of pizza with cheese, bacon and hamburger, French fries with ketchup, apple pie, bacon, and chocolate cake.
Charlie's energy and skills afford the voter of the 135th a formable representative. He goes the extra mile for his consituents.
Osment was driving a 1995 Saturn about 1 a.m. when the car collided with a brick pillar and flipped, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Greg Sisneros.
The 18-year-old actor was awake and talking following the crash, Sisneros said. He had been alone in the car and was taken to Huntington Hospital in nearby Pasadena.
Sisneros had no information on his condition, and an emergency-room receptionist said no one under that name was at the hospital.
Baldwin, 45, smashed his silver Ford Thunderbird into two parked cars after an officer saw him driving at more than 80 mph and weaving through traffic on bustling Bundy Drive on the city's west side, Los Angeles police spokesman Jason Lee said.
"The officer tried to catch up to the Thunderbird, lost sight of it momentarily and came up to a traffic collision where the T-bird had crashed into two parked vehicles," Lee said. "The Thunderbird pushed one of the vehicles about 20 feet , and that was a Hummer," Lee said.
Baldwin was taken to UCLA Medical Center after complaining of back and neck injuries, Lee said, and would be detained on suspicion of reckless driving and driving with a suspended license.
Lee said Baldwin could also face charges of driving under the influence if he were found to be intoxicated. There were no other injuries reported and Baldwin's female passenger, who was not identified by police, was not charged.
Baldwin, who has appeared in a number of television series including "Homicide: Life on the Street," is a member of an acting clan that also includes brothers Alec, Stephen and William Baldwin.
CU electric customers used 789 megawatts during the hour ending at 5 p.m., exceeding the mark set just 24 hours earlier.
There have not been any special operational events during the current hot spell.
CU urges customers with central air conditioning to keep the thermostat at 78 degrees or at their own comfort level. While there is adequate power, the electric system is heavily loaded.
Apple is said to have ironed out agreements with Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros., and is currently in talks with other major movie studios as well. It's unknown to what extent content will be available come the August 7 announcement, or whether Apple will announce all of its studio deals at that time.
Because the movies will be rented to consumers and not sold, people familiar with the situation report downloads will be coded with a date stamp that will restrict playback. It is not known exactly how the coding system will work, but industry experts tell Think Secret that the software would likely either limit the number of playbacks or provide unlimited viewing for a period of time, after which the movie will be "turned off" and no longer available.
Hey guys.
Normally I dont rattle the sabers or make a special call for action. KY3, though, has created a political blog recently.
So what?
KY3 is usually balanced in its coverage. However, since hiring a new political reporter things took a sharp left turn. They are openly schilling for Democrats which could make a difference in the election.
I would ask for people to check the blog out and if you feel like it, drop an apporpriate note in the right threads.
You will need to log in using a blogger account in order to respond. The address is ky3.blogspot.com
Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-‘em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88.
Spillane’s death was confirmed by Brad Stephens of Goldfinch Funeral Home in his hometown of Murrells Inlet, S.C. Details about his death were not immediately available.
After starting out in comic books Spillane wrote his first Mike Hammer novel, "I, the Jury," in 1946. Twelve more followed, with sales topping 100 million. Notable titles included "The Killing Man," "The Girl Hunters" and "One Lonely Night."
People fled to a local hill to escape the wave on Pangandaran beach in west Java, a woman who identified herself only as Teti told el-Shinta radio station.
"All the houses are destroyed along the beach," she said, adding that she saw at least three corpses laying amid the debris. "Small hotels are completely destroyed and at least one restaurant was washed away."
The tsunami followed a 7.2-magnitude quake that struck deep beneath the Indian Ocean 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Java's western coast at 3:24 p.m. (0824 GMT), causing tall buildings to sway as far off as the capital Jakarta.
It was followed by a 6.1-magnitude aftershock two hours later.
The Afghan government has alarmed human rights groups by approving a plan to reintroduce a Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the body which the Taliban used to enforce its extreme religious doctrine.
The proposal, which came from the country’s Ulema council of clerics, has been passed by the cabinet of President Hamid Karzai and will now go before the Afghan parliament.
Bush expressed his frustration with the United Nations and his disgust with the militant Islamic group and its backers in Syria as he talked to British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the closing lunch at the Group of Eight summit.
"See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.
A Suffolk police safety campaign magazine shows pictures of young women slumped on the ground next to messages urging them: "If you've got it, don't flaunt it".
"If you fall over or pass out, remember your skirt or dress may ride up," the magazine says. "You could show off more than you intended -- for all our sakes, please make sure you're wearing nice pants and that you've recently had a wax."
Readers are also told to stick with friends, book a taxi home and watch the amount they drink.
Police said the Safe! magazine's gossipy, tongue-in-cheek style was designed to alert young women to the dangers they could face if they get drunk during a night out.
The City of Springfield prides itself on providing open and honest communication with citizens. We routinely fulfill thousands of requests for information annually from both media and citizens. In 2005, 89 of those requests were filed under the Missouri Sunshine Law. Just three of those requests were denied as closed records.
Monday’s editorial ("City Secrecy Patterns Troubling") takes issue with three isolated and unrelated circumstances in which the News-Leader did not immediately receive information it requested. To then extrapolate that as a "pattern of secrecy" is a patently unfair characterization of the way we operate.
Our citizens deserve to know the facts of each situation.
One situation involved a request for police reports in connection with the death of a 13-year-old boy. Juvenile records are closed under state law, not city ordinance. This matter involves an ongoing investigation regarding the circumstances of the death. The News-Leader was provided some "incident report" information about the immediate facts and circumstances of the incident, but was not provided other details related to the investigation, consistent with the juvenile and Sunshine Law statutes. The News-Leader then filed a Sunshine Law request with an unverified "authorization" to release records. The City Attorney’s office recommended that the News-Leader file a "friendly" lawsuit and ask a judge to determine whether the record can be released. It has done so, and the City will promptly respond to the judge’s decision. We don’t believe it serves the taxpayers’ interests to invite lawsuits by knowingly releasing a juvenile record we believe to be closed.
The second situation involved release of a Health Department report regarding an alleged attack on a dog by a dog owned by a member of City Council. In this case, when the request was made the next day, the animal control officer had not yet filed the report. The officers had responded to about 60 calls on that particular day and had to transcribe hand-written notes into incident reports. These very busy officers are routinely allowed several days to complete reports. A supervisor transcribed this report in order to comply with this request for information. In addition, the older records related to this animal were reviewed for release, which is standard practice for records subject to court proceedings. The Sunshine Law grants three days to respond to requests and the City provided the records within that period.
The third situation is the most upsetting to us for a number of reasons. The News-Leader is requesting the name of the employee who was terminated in connection with the investigation into missing funds in the Municipal Court. This employee was terminated under an administrative action. The City Merit Rules include a number of reasons for which employees may be terminated through a progressive disciplinary process. Many of those causes involve no violations of the law. In this situation, the termination was not part of the separate criminal investigation and was not based on a violation of law.
City employees are well aware upon hiring that working for government involves sacrificing their privacy – anyone can learn our salaries, for instance. However, we strongly believe that even public employees are entitled to due process, including this person. We also believe that discipline should be applied in a fair and consistent manner. We do not routinely release records of administrative disciplinary procedures, even terminations. We believe we struck a reasonable balance in this case by releasing the fact that an employee was terminated and is no longer on the City payroll, while still respecting the rights of this individual, who, so far, remains innocent until proven otherwise. (As far as the editorial’s assertion that not naming the terminated employee puts all of the court employees under suspicion, if they are still working there, then they haven’t been the one terminated.)
As City employees, we are sickened by the fact that funds are missing and this investigation is even necessary, but the Sunshine Law makes a clear exception for protecting individual personnel records and the City makes no apologies for its refusal to divulge the name of the employee. If and when the criminal investigation warrants any charges in this case, the name of the individual will become public.
As City Manager, I have apologized to City Council and certainly apologize to the public. This is a violation of the public trust and we have pledged to prosecute any charges aggressively and seek all available restitution. The last thing we want is to hamper this investigation by releasing information sure to be challenged by attorneys.
In a democracy governed by laws, there are bound to be multiple interpretations of complex statutes like the Sunshine Law. On occasion, reasonable people may agree to disagree. These events represent a coincidence of timing, not a breakdown of the public trust. To use these three situations to discredit City employees and our overwhelmingly positive track record of openness and responsiveness is simply irresponsible and unjustified.
A Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled Coors over after he saw him run a stop sign around the corner from his home in Golden about 11:25 p.m. on May 28.
Coors stopped in his driveway and consented to take a Breathalyzer test. He registered a .088, which is slightly above the .08 legal blood-alcohol limit in Colorado.
He was driving a 2004 green Jaguar, court records show.
Coors spokeswoman Kabira Hatland said the 59-year-old was coming home from a friend's wedding in Denver.
"I made a mistake by driving myself home after a friend's wedding celebration," Coors said in a written statement, shortly after news of his arrest was first reported on DenverPost.com. "I should have planned ahead for a ride. For years I've advocated the responsible use of our Company's products. That's still my message, and our Company's message, and it's the right message. I am sorry that I didn't follow it myself."
Coors was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and registering a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. He was also cited for running the stop sign.
The latest additions -- two girls and two boys -- were doing well Wednesday, while their mother, resting at home, said: "I'm happy because they're healthy and so am I."
Still, Magdaleno, 40, worried she might be overwhelmed with the work and sometimes struggles with mixed emotions about the future.
"I don't know if I'm sad or happy," she said. "I'm happy but, I don't know. I don't know how to explain it."
Ken McClure, chief of staff to Gov. Matt Blunt and former City Utilities executive, is a finalist for an administrative position at Missouri State University.
President Mike Nietzel confirmed that McClure is one of four remaining candidates for associate vice president for administration. Nietzel said a decision on who gets the job will be made within 10 days.
The university is searching for a replacement for Fred Marty, who retired from the post in March.
McClure was not available for comment or to ask if he applied for the job, why he applied or if he was asked to apply.
Jessica Robinson, speaking for McClure, said McClure "was not looking to leave (Blunt’s administration). It is not about leaving. there’s no guarantee he’ll get the job."
The Missouri Blue Book lists Marty’s salary at $98,838. McClure’s salary is listed at $112,356.
McClure joined the Blunt staff in 2004 after leading the governor’s transition staff.
He is former chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission, a past deputy director in the Department of Economic Development and former staff member for the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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"This legislation came to my desk with strong bipartisan support from both chambers because state lawmakers, like me and many Missourians knew that the old system simply was not working," Blunt said. "The changes I am enacting today will shed light on the true sources of campaign contributions and the actions of lobbyists who work to shape public policy. This is a strong step in the right direction that empowers the people with greater information about the men and women who seek to serve them in public office."
House Bill 1900 includes a provision added by Sen. Tim Green (D-St. Louis) that eliminates campaign contribution limits. This measure will provide the openness many Missourians have called for to determine the source of campaign contributions and eliminates financial contributions from political parties and local committees. The United States Supreme Court declared campaign finance limits to be unconstitutional.
I was speaking with my Grandmother the other day and she told me a man came by that was running for the 137th legislative district and asked if he could put a sign in her yard.
She agreed on the terms that if this person voted for me ... in November, that he could place the sign. Oh, by the way I am the Democratic candidate. Before she was finished telling me about her conversation with the Politician at the door I found out that the man who promised my Grandmother that he and his wife would give me their support and 2 solid votes was Republican Dan Scott who is vying for the 137th Legislative District in Northwest Springfield.
Yes, even Republican Dan Scott has endorsed my candidacy over Republican incumbent Greene County Circuit Court Clerk Michael Carr.
I don't want to cause you any embarassment but I should let you know that I am supporting Michael Carr for County Clerk (sic). Michael and his wife have been acquaintances of mine for many years and I support him in the job he is doing.
I do not know for sure how the impression may have been given to your Grandmother that I was endorsing you. I only recall mentioning that my bright blue sign would look good beside your red one. I have many households throughout the district that are displaying both Democratic and my campaign signs. This seems to be because people appreciate someone like me that was raised in the district wanting to represent it. I have appreciated the fact that I am recieving (sic) a great deal of cross-over support because of my roots in the district.
Gannett, which publishes 90 daily newspapers including USA Today, the largest-selling daily, earned $310.5 million in the 13 weeks ending June 25, down from $338.6 million in the comparable period a year ago.
The company earned $1.31 per share, in line with the estimates of analysts polled by Thomson Financial and below the $1.37 reported a year ago.
Revenue climbed 6.1 percent to $2.03 billion from $1.91 billion a year ago, as the company consolidated results from newspaper operations in Detroit. Assuming Gannett owned the same properties in both periods, revenue would have increased 0.5 percent.
Last year the company bought the Detroit Free Press from Knight Ridder Inc. and combined it into a partnership with The Detroit News, which MediaNews Group Inc. bought from Gannett.
At USA Today, advertising revenue rose 0.7 percent in the quarter while paid advertising pages declined 7 percent to 1,107 from 1,191.
Reported newspaper advertising revenue rose 6.4 percent in the quarter, or 0.3 percent had the company owned the same properties in both periods. Same-property advertising revenue in the United States rose 2.2 percent.
Newspaper operating expenses rose 9.8 percent in the quarter on the inclusion of Detroit, or 1.3 percent on a same-property basis. Newsprint expenses, including the addition of Detroit, rose 12.2 percent, reflecting higher newsprint prices and usage. On a same-property basis, newsprint expenses rose 5.2 percent.
In a statement, Gannett CEO Craig Dubow said positive domestic results were "partially offset by continued soft ad demand" in the British market, which is showing signs of stabilizing.
Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you've had your last burrito for a while, whose face said angels did exist, and whose eyes said she could make you dig your own grave and lick the shovel clean.
Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60, the band's spokesman has confirmed.
He was born Roger Keith Barrett in Cambridge in 1946 and met future bandmates Roger Waters and David Gilmour at school there.
The guitarist was invited to join Pink Floyd by Waters in 1965 and the group went on to sell millions of albums.
He suffered from diabetes and had not been recording music in recent years.
In one of the most grievous misstatements made today about contract offices, it was asserted by Rep. Mark Wright (R, Springfield) that one contract agent made more than $1 million a year. This is clearly not accurate. The old state run Springfield office did collect close to $1 million in fees, but this is a gross number and would not account for the costs to operate an office. Under this administration’s improvements, the office has actually been divided into three separate branches, providing service across the metro area. Office hours and the state’s assistance hotline hours have also been expanded to make conducting business with the department easier for customers than ever before.
(A) First to non profit organizations and entities that have 501(c) status with the Internal Revenue Service. Types of entities would include, but not be limited to, chamber's of commerce, veterans' organizations, and local school foundations;
(B) Second to local political subdivisions. These would include, but not be limited to, county or city collectors, clerk's, or fire districts.
(C) No individual or for profit entity would be eligible for selection.
No customer shall have to wait any longer than thirty minutes for service or their fee is waved.
Movie star June Allyson, who played sunny, "perfect wife" roles opposite James Stewart and others, has died at her California home. She was 88.
Her daughter says Allyson died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis in Ojai. Her husband of nearly 30 years, David Ashrow, was with her.
Allyson said she was an unlikely movie star, with her lisp and raspy voice. But while World War Two G-I's pinned up sexy photos of other stars, June Allyson was the girl they wanted to marry.
Her films included "The Glenn Miller Story" and "Strategic Air Command."
We feel George W. Bush has been in office for an eternity, but clearly he could not have been president since 204. The U.S. didn't become the U.S. until the late 1700s. But perhaps that's too complex for Litle's simple mind.
Ken's door was always open, whether it was to help with college funds for a child, to help a former Enron employee pay their mortgage; to help young entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality, or to give a second chance when he believed in a person. Ken could not say no to anyone needing help.
Editing movies to delete objectionable language, sex and violence is an "illegitimate business" that hurts Hollywood studios and directors who own the movie rights, said Matsch in a decision released Thursday in Denver.
"Their (studios and directors) objective ... is to stop the infringement because of its irreparable injury to the creative artistic expression in the copyrighted movies," the judge wrote. "There is a public interest in providing such protection."
Matsch ordered the companies named in the suit, including CleanFlicks, Play It Clean Video and CleanFilms, to stop "producing, manufacturing, creating" and renting edited movies. The businesses also must turn over their inventory to the movie studios within five days of the ruling.
"We're disappointed," CleanFlicks chief executive Ray Lines said. "This is a typical case of David vs. Goliath, but in this case, Hollywood rewrote the ending. We're going to continue to fight."
The children, a 3-year-old boy and his 18-month-old sister, were taken to hospital emergency rooms three times in January.
According to investigators, their father fed them tainted soup each time. On the third occasion, authorities said, he used the prescription drugs Prozac and Amitriptyline — both used to treat depression — making his young daughter so ill she was flow by helicopter to an Atlanta hospital.
William Allen Cunningham, 40, was charged with tampering with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or serious bodily injury. He also was charged with mail fraud, wire fraud and communicating false statements that a consumer product had been tampered with.
U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Cunningham wanted to get money from the manufacturer by claiming its soup caused his children’s illnesses. Cunningham contacted Camden, N.J.-based Campbell by mail and phone to complain, but there was no evidence the soup was tainted when it was purchased, Nahmias said.
Dan Shelley has been named executive editor of digital media for WCBS-TV and the station's Web site, WCBSTV.com.
Station president and general manager Peter Dunn made the announcement in New York on Thursday.
Shelley, a former chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, starts Monday at WCBS-TV, which is part of the CBS Television Stations Group.
"Dan brings more than 25 years of news experience, most recently leading Milwaukee's top-rated radio station in its efforts at new media integration and content integration among radio, television and online," Dunn said.
Shelley moves to WCBS from WTMJ-AM, where he served as news director and assistant program director. He was responsible for the content of all news programming, including the top-rated show, Wisconsin's Morning News. He joined the station in 1995.
This April, Shelley finished a one-year term as chairman of RTNDA, where he focused the organization on digital media.
Shelley currently serves as chairman of the Radio and Television News Director's Foundation, the education arm of RTNDA.
He also served two terms as president of both the Wisconsin Associated Press Broadcasters Executive Committee and the Missouri Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
Shelley worked 12 years as news director for KTTS-AM/FM in Springfield, Mo.
Shelley earned a degree in electronic media communications from Southwest Missouri State University, now called Missouri State University. He also taught courses in broadcast writing and performance.
Judge Edward Fitzgerald made clear in a ruling released Thursday that he did not condone remarks attributed to Dr. Terry Bennett and found them unnecessary, but ruled Bennett had a right to speak bluntly.
"It is nonetheless important ... to ensure that physicians and patients are free to discuss matters relating to health without fear of government reprisal, even if such discussions may sometimes be harsh, rude or offensive to the listener," he concluded in the ruling Wednesday.
The complaints against Bennett included charges that he told a white patient that she was so obese she might only be attractive to black men.
"Let's face it, if your husband were to die tomorrow, who would want you?" the board has said Bennett told the overweight patient in June 2004. "Well, men might want you, but not the types you want to want you. Might even be a black guy," it quoted him as saying, based on the woman's complaint.
Bennett, 68, has denied making the comment, but has said he's seen polls supporting that position.
"If you look at the polling, nobody likes fat women," he said last year. "Is it right? No. Is it sensible? No. Is it true? Yeah ... Black guys are the only group that don't mind that. Is that racist to say that?"
A 2001 complaint accused Bennett of telling a woman recovering from brain surgery to buy a pistol and shoot herself to end her suffering. The doctor was also accused of speaking harshly to a woman about how her son might have contracted hepatitis, according to the ruling.
Bennett claimed victory.
"The question now is: Will the board waste more of your and my tax dollars and appeal this, or accept done as done?" he said in a telephone interview.
So, the James River guy says 115,000 people attended the event - that's basically more than two-thirds the population of Springfield and some 45,000 more than attended Firefall.
The event is on two acres. There are 43,560 square feet in an acre, or 87,120 total.
Now, my math ain't the best for sure, but ragged computation leads to about 3/4 of one square foot per person, right? Hardly enough room for some of the large Americans who attend that sort of thing to sit their butts on the ground.
Why doesn't anyone in the media apply any critical thinking to these numbers or ask for some substantiation??
"Apparently, his heart simply gave out," said Lay's pastor, Dr. Steve Wende of Houston's First United Methodist Church.
An autopsy indicated Lay died of coronary artery disease, Mesa County, Colorado coroner Robert Kurtzman said. There was "no evidence of foul play," he added.
Who Knew
Pink
I Want You Back
Jackson 5
Invincible
Crossfade
Tears Don't Fall
Bullet For My Valentine
Last Nite
The Strokes
Suzie
Boy Kill Boy
Saved By Zero
The Fixx
Let's Get Lifted
John Legend
Bat Out Of Hell
Meat Loaf
I'm Coming Out
Diana Ross
North Korea test-fired at least six missiles over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday morning, including an intercontinental missile that apparently failed or was aborted 42 seconds after it was launched, White House and Pentagon officials said.
The small barrage of launchings, which took place over more than four hours, came in defiance of warnings from President Bush and the governments of Japan, South Korea and China. Of the launchings, which the United States and Japan condemned, intelligence officials focused most of their attention on the intercontinental missile, called the Taepodong 2, which American spy satellites have been watching on a remote launching pad for more than a month.
It is designed to be capable of reaching Alaska, and perhaps the West Coast of the United States, but American officials who tracked its launching said it fell into the Sea of Japan before its first stage burned out.
"The Taepodong obviously was a failure — that tells you something about capabilities," Stephen Hadley, President Bush's national security adviser, told reporters in a phone call on Tuesday evening in Washington. But other officials warned that even a failed launching was of some use to the North Koreans, because it will help them diagnose what went wrong with the liquid-fueled rocket.
There's one company now you can sign up and you can get a movie delivered to your house daily by delivery service. Okay. And currently it comes to your house, it gets put in the mail box when you get home and you change your order but you pay for that, right.
But this service isn't going to go through the internet and what you do is you just go to a place on the internet and you order your movie and guess what you can order ten of them delivered to you and the delivery charge is free.
Ten of them streaming across that internet and what happens to your own personal internet?
I just the other day got, an internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday and I just got it yesterday. Why?
Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the internet commercially.
So you want to talk about the consumer? Let's talk about you and me. We use this internet to communicate and we aren't using it for commercial purposes.
J.D. Crouch II, deputy national security adviser, and Kristin Crouch
Shoji Tabuchi, country music entertainer, and Christina Tabuchi
