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Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Chairwoman Sarah Palin said Friday she is resigning amid frustration that she is being forced to keep silent about ethics allegations against Republican Party of Alaska chairman Randy Ruedrich. "I'm forced to withhold information from Alaskans, and that goes against what I believe in as a public servant," Palin said in a Friday interview.

I just heard that Al Franken is coming out with his own special line of beer mugs, to raise money! They are going to call them Franken Steins!

As the school year sailed to a close last month, Arielle Figueras crossed the stage in her cap and gown and proudly accepted her fifth-grade diploma. Craig Dixon, 13, and his brother Nahjee Johnson, 8, outside an intake center in the Bronx. The next day, she was homeless. Arielle, a petite 11-year-old, and her parents, brother and sister packed their belongings and arrived at the intake center for homeless families in the South Bronx. Though they had been fighting with their landlord for months and their gas and electricity had long been shut off, they refused to leave their apartment...

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While homeowners associations have been a lightning bolt of controversy in Texas, the push for reform has been pushed back by the Texas Legislature. "The issue isn’t going away,” said Rep. Burt Solomons. The Carrollton Republican introduced legislation in the last session aimed at reining in HOAs. The bill failed to come up for a vote in the Senate. “We intend to continue fighting,” he said. “It’s gotten out of control and it’s very hard to rein them in.” The Dutschke family learned that the hard way. They bought their home in the Harriet Creek Ranch neighborhood in Justin nearly...

Elected officials and average citizens questioned the state's priorities in the budget impasse, which enters its seventh day today. Gov. Ed Rendell, pushing a 16 percent state income tax increase, and Senate Republicans, advocating severe spending cuts, remain miles apart on closing a $3.25 billion deficit. The majority of the state's 77,000 employees won't get paid starting in late July and early August, but inmates will continue to get paid for working at state prisons and for so-called "idle time" sitting in their cells. About 31,000 inmates participate in work programs that pay them 19 to 42 cents per hour,...

Here is video from yesterday of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introducing Al Franken as the newest member of the U.S. Senate. Franken was finally declared the winner of the Minnesota Senate race from November 2008 after a long recount and legal battle over the close and disputed race with Republican Norm Coleman. I know Minnesota is a great state, but you have to wonder about their decision-making in electing someone like Al Franken to be their Senator. Franken will provide plenty of material for bloggers over the next six years! . . . . (Watch Video)

The biggest achievement touted from the summit — and the only document the two men signed — was a nonbinding “joint understanding” setting target ranges for a new round of nuclear arms reductions. But a look at the fine print shows the deal is less than meets the eye, experts said.

By NORM PATTIS Candor is more than a cardinal virtue among lawyers. It is a professional requirement, something like the air we breathe. Whether dealing with the court or third parties, lawyers are expected to be truthful and fair. Perhaps that makes us quaint. It certainly makes us easy marks for those who view deception as part of their craft. A young lawyer in my office was recently made the dupe of some liars. And when the lawyer confronted the liar, things got even worse. I wish that jurors could see what the lawyer has seen: Truth sacrificed to tactical...

A policy advisor with the American Council on Science and Health says America is being "flushed down the toilet" with California. The Golden State recently obtained a federal waiver that will allow it to impose some of the most severe standards on greenhouse gas emissions, essentially setting the stage for those standards to be imposed on the rest of the U.S. Dr. John Dale Dunn, a published writer and lecturer on American environmental and health policy, explains what that waiver portends. "And so as a result, California standards on auto emissions are now going to be national standards," he notes....

Neo-Nazis are plotting a 'spectacular' terrorist attack on Britain to fuel racial tension, Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism officers fear. Senior officers have increased their surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to carry out a deadly attack designed to cause a 'breakdown in community cohesion'. The chilling warning comes after last month's startling gains by the BNP in the local and European elections which many fear may 'embolden' violent Far-Right extremists. Commander Shaun Sawyer, from the Met's specialist operations wing told a meeting of British Muslims: 'I fear that they will have a spectacular ... 'They will carry out an attack...

Gun legislation on both the state and national levels is inevitable because of the makeup of both state and national legislative bodies. It’s time for gun owners, be they hunters, sport shooters, people who own guns for self and family protection and even trappers who own guns to dispatch their trapped animals to put down any petty differences they may have with one another and get active. If you can’t volunteer to work against some of these very restrictive laws that are in the works, the least you can do is to join the NRA or our own state’s very...

Here is video from last night's Hannity where Ann Coulter defended Sarah Palin's resignation as Alaska Governor, saying it now frees her up to be a "huge star." She also discussed the economy and President Obama with Sean during this segment. . . . . . (Watch Video)

We now know the name of the man shot and killed Sunday morning in rural Clark County. We also know the name of the man who shot him. Kentucky State Police tell us the victim was 45-year-old Rodney Mann of Lexington. The shooter is Charles Steppe. Police say Steppe saw Mann slashing the tires of his vehicle when he confronted him. The two men then fought over a handgun. Steppe got the gun, and says Mann came at him with a knife. That’s when Steppe says he shot Mann in self-defense. No charges have been filed, but KSP says their...

Go the Extra Mile Today's Scripture "And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two" (Matthew 5:41, NKJ) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Are you a person of excellence? Do you do more than what´s expected, or do you look for the easy way out? Do you just do the minimum requirement, or do you go the extra mile? Back in Bible days, by law, Roman soldiers could require a person to carry their armor for one mile. After that mile, they would have to get somebody else to do it. But in this verse,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Police say the gun found at the scene where former NFL star Steve McNair died was bought by his girlfriend less than two days before the two were shot to death.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Police say the gun found at the scene where former NFL star Steve McNair died was bought by his girlfriend less than two days before the two were shot to death.

<p>What can you say about a public official who ridicules those who would take the "quitter's way out" -- as she faces reporters to announce that she's quitting? A governor who claims that "the worthless, easy path" would be to serve out the remaining 18 months of her term? An ambitious politician who says that "life is too short" to worry about, you know, boring things such as responsibility or duty?</p>

A Belen man is charged with murder after investigators say he admitted to shooting a burglary suspect. He claims he acted in self-defense. Luke Sanchez, 38, was allegedly driving by a business near his home Saturday night, when he saw two men robbing the place. That's when Sanchez said he decided to take matters into his own hands to protect the community and help law enforcement, but that help left Sanchez facing a murder charge. Valencia County Sheriff Rene Rivera said Luke Sanchez has been frustrated after being robbed several times in recent months. "Sometimes you have to know the...

Word For The Day, Tuesday, July 7, 2009 In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". chrestomathy [kres-tom-uh-thee] -n a collection of selected literary passages, often by one author and esp. from a foreign language. [Greek khrēstomatheia : khrēstos, useful (from khrēsthai, to use; see gher-2 in Indo-European roots) + -matheia, body of learning (from manthanein, math-, to learn; see mendh- in Indo-European roots).]