Free Republic

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- A federal grand jury charged state Sen. Jerry Cooper with bank fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy Tuesday in an indictment that says Cooper was "deep in debt and trying to avoid bankruptcy." Neither Cooper, D-Morrison, nor his attorney, Jerry Summers of Chattanooga, responded to telephone messages seeking comment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Humble declined comment but his office issued a statement saying Cooper agreed to surrender sometime next week. No trial date was immediately set. Cooper, 58, had been earlier identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in a borrowing scheme involving the 1999 sale of his lumber...

It seemed like a good idea. Let a lone rat loose on a rodent-free island and then figure out how to kill it. That way, when other islands are invaded by rats, you'll know what to do. Scientists figured they'd trap this foot-long varmint in no time. Eighteen weeks later, they finally trapped it with some fresh penguin bait. On another island. Rodents are a problem just about everywhere. In New Zealand, at least 11 islands have been invaded by Norway rats since 1980, in each case after rats from earlier invasions had been eradicated. The invaders disrupt local ecosystems....