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The U.S. government said Wednesday it will not list Portland-area coastal cutthroat trout under the Endangered Species Act, disappointing conservationists but relieving local officials already burdened by requirements brought by two protected salmon species. The listing would have been significant, because cutthroat are more widely present in Portland-area streams than steelhead and chinook salmon, which were listed as threatened in 1998 and 1999. Cutthroat are even found in streams with passage blocked by waterfalls and other obstructions, such as the upper reaches of Fanno and Tryon creeks. Some cutthroat spend their entire lives in freshwater, while others migrate to the...

Man Charged With Making Terrorist Threat Through Voodoo Sheriff Says Curse Isn't Working POSTED: 8:39 a.m. CDT June 27, 2002 WETUMPKA, Ala. -- A man accused of sending a letter containing a voodoo curse to Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin has been charged with making a terrorist threat. James Earl Marshall, 50, of Wetumpka was being held without bond. The case against him will be presented to the grand jury, which is set to meet in mid-July, said Sam Partridge, chief assistant district attorney. Marshall was jailed in May on drug charges. Last week, authorities said, he sent a four-page...

Parole Board Cuts Hearings Due To Money Problems Board Eliminates One Day Of Hearings POSTED: 1:12 p.m. CDT June 27, 2002 UPDATED: 1:58 p.m. CDT June 27, 2002 MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The state parole board is the fourth branch of the state's criminal justice system to face budget shortages, with parole hearings getting canceled and layoffs being considered. Gov. Don Siegelman said Wednesday he is determined to find money to shore up the parole board and add personnel, rather than cut. He did not specify where he would find the money. On June 6, the parole board eliminated one day...

ACLU Fighting For Fornicators Group Challenges Georgia Law Banning Sex Outside Marriage POSTED: 9:29 a.m. EDT June 27, 2002 ATLANTA -- The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting for fornicators. The ACLU is challenging a Georgia law that makes sex outside marriage illegal. ACLU attorney Beth Littrell said the ACLU hopes the case will get the state of Georgia outside the bedrooms of its citizens. The ACLU said the anti-fornication law is a violation of the right to privacy. The American Family Association is arguing in favor of the sex statue. The American Family Association lawyer said it helps to...

Psychiatrists Letter to the Catholic Bishops Your Excellencies: As a Catholic psychiatrist and psychologist who have treated a significant number of priests from various dioceses and religious communities over the past 25 years for same-sex attraction (SSA or homosexuality) and for pedophilia and ephebophilia (homosexual behavior with adolescents), we believe that our particular expertise and those of our colleagues in the Catholic Medical Association may be of help to the American bishops as they seek to create effective long term strategies to prevent the recurrence of the problems in which the Catholic Church in the United States now finds itself...

Woman To Challenge Squirrel-Feeding Ban Suspected Squirrel Feeder Charged With Littering, Harboring Rats POSTED: 2:56 p.m. EDT June 27, 2002 EASTPOINTE, Mich. -- A Michigan woman will go to court to argue her right to feed squirrels. Luminita Marinas is charged with littering and harboring rats. The 62-year-old Eastpointe woman said she feeds squirrels because she loves animals. But the Detroit suburb doesn't allow it, because it might attract rats. In February, Marinas was placed on probation and prohibited from feeding squirrels for one year. But officials said they spotted her giving nuts to squirrels at a city park...

Stephen Brady was interviewed on 17 June 2002 on the Bob Dornan Show about the USCCB meeting in Dallas and on 26 June 2002 by Blanquita Cullum on the BQ View regarding the "apology" of Garner, Cawcutt and the St. Sebastians Angels website. Click on the following link to listen. Requires Real Player. The Roman Catholic Faithful

Justice Calls Prison Punishment Unconstitutional Email story to a friend (Washington-AP) -- The Supreme Court today declared unconstitutional an Alabama prison practice of handcuffing inmates to a metal pole in the summer heat. The court ruled that an inmate could sue over his chaining. Larry Hope filed suit after he was twice fastened to a hitching post at Limestone Correctional Facility in 1995. The punishment, which was revived by former Governor Fob James in the state in 1995 as part of a get-tough program for criminals, is "obvious" cruel and unusual punishment, the court ruled 6-to-3. The victory for...

State To Give Out Anti-Smoking Tape The state will distribute hundreds of copies of an anti-smoking video that was developed in a partnership with Georgia. Alabama's share of the "Fatal Addiction" video was 150-thousand dollars and Governor Don Siegelman gives the introductory remarks on the videos that will be distributed in Alabama. Jan Byrne, education coordinator with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board said copies will be distributed to children's policy councils, schools, libraries, PTAs and other organizations. A survey released Friday by the state Department of Public Health showed a decline in teen smoking in Alabama. Twenty-four percent of...

<p>A military helicopter crashed in a wooded area near New Bern.</p> <p>There was no immediate word on how many people were aboard or whether they were injured.</p> <p>The aircraft crashed around 4 p.m. Wednesday in heavy woods in the Croatan National Forest. The forest is located between New Bern and Morehead City on North Carolina's central coast.</p>

A Canadian report on the bombing tragedy which killed four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan in April will be released Friday, and will say that the American pilot who dropped the fatal bomb rushed his attack, defence officials say. The report will closely mirror the leaked findings of a parallel American inquiry, which blamed an American pilot for turning to the attack without properly assessing the situation. The findings of the American investigation are to be released in tandem with the Canadian report. Maurice Baril, the retired general who led the Canadian inquiry, delivered the report to Gen. Ray Henault, the...

 Ananova:  Bats drive man from his home A Florida man is being forced out of his home by bats.They've turned up in the shower, sink and sheets at Grant Griffin's one-bedroom apartment in Bradenton.Exterminators aren't allowed to kill the bats, which are considered native wildlife and can't be trapped or poisoned.They can only be killed if they are rabid. County health officials are testing for rabies after Mr Griffin and his girlfriend discovered bite marks.He said: "I'm freaked out. I'm about as freaked out as I can get. I feel like there are things crawling all over me."Bats can...

<p>A convict who skipped a hearing and called law enforcement officials stupid in a letter to a judge was arrested Wednesday.</p> <p>Andrea Scott, 35, taunted police and judges in her letter and vowed to leave town, but officials say she didn't quite make it. She was carrying a bag of clothing when she was arrested by grand jury investigators Tom Trathen and Bob Simms at the Carlton Apartments on the Northwestside. Scott failed to show up at a pretrial hearing Tuesday.</p>

Psychiatrists Letter to the Catholic Bishops Your Excellencies: As a Catholic psychiatrist and psychologist who have treated a significant number of priests from various dioceses and religious communities over the past 25 years for same-sex attraction (SSA or homosexuality) and for pedophilia and ephebophilia (homosexual behavior with adolescents), we believe that our particular expertise and those of our colleagues in the Catholic Medical Association may be of help to the American bishops as they seek to create effective long term strategies to prevent the recurrence of the problems in which the Catholic Church in the United States now finds itself...

Sales Tax Funds Go To Wrong City First News - 5/15/02 For the last year, the Burger King off of Highway 70 in Durant has been paying its sales tax to the City of Calera, when it should have gone to Durant. The Oklahoma Tax Commission sent Calera a letter, stating it must repay almost $30,000 over the next two years because of the mistake. The tax commission will deduct the money every month from the city's sales tax revenue collections. Calera Boardmember Jimmy Roberson says this money will have a major impact on the city's budget. Burger King owners...

THE MOST BASIC RIGHT AMERICANS HAVE IS TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION. OUR POWER AS AMERICAN CITIZENS EXISTS IN HAVING THE US CONSTITUTION REPRESENT OUR WILL. CONGRESS EXISTS TO DO THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD FREEPERS TO COME TO THE AID OF OUR NATION. Speaker Hastert's office must hear from you. The House passing a resolution supporting, in essence, the pledge with the words "Under God" and disagreeing with the Court decision, is meaningless. This is no cause for celebration. The House resolution is totally meaningless. A constitutional amendment must be immediately prepared and...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Clutching red booklets entitled "How Our Laws Are Made," Muslims fanned across Capitol Hill on Thursday to engage in a ritual of citizenship: lobbying Congress. "We're particularly pleased that you have decided to come out as Americans," Eric Vickers, director of the American Muslim Council, told them during an orientation session. But their presence in the nation's capital was not welcomed by all. FBI Director Robert Mueller is being pressed to cancel his Friday speech to the group's annual conference, amid accusations that the council supports extremists. The citizen lobbyists themselves showed the pressures of this age...

The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program (1951 - 1971)as he related the story of his teacher, Mr. Laswell, who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day. Now, more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words. "I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning...

Women pose naked at windows for 'mammogram by satellite' Four Portuguese women stood topless at their windows because they thought they were getting a mammogram by satellite.The women, who live in San Bartholomeu de Messines in the Algarve, were telephoned by a woman who claimed she was a doctor.The Correio da Manhã website reports she said the procedure was new and would not cost them anything.When they called her back for the results of the alleged test, the hoaxer described her sexual desires to them.The women were aged between 19 and 45. They have complained to the police.One of...