AltWeeklies Wire
Homeless Protest Stretches on in Portlandnew
On May 13, with the homeless protesters in front of city hall facing enforcement of the city's camping ordinance, five representatives sat down with Mayor Tom Potter. The meeting did not go so well.
The Portland Mercury |
Amy J. Ruiz and Matt Davis |
05-15-2008 |
Housing & Development
What's Mass. Doing to Keep Former Prisoners from Returning to Jail?new
A 2002 study by the Massachusetts Sentencing Committee found recidivism rates had reached 49.1 percent. The Commission to End Homelessness estimated 16 percent of the 25,500 people released each year become homeless. Former prisoners must also navigate Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), the state's rap sheet on anyone ensnared in the criminal justice system.
Dig Boston |
Cara Bayles |
05-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
A Teenage Prostitute, An Inept Pimp, and Two Versions of What Happenednew
The internet limits the risk of marketing sex with underage girls, whose youth can be more easily disguised on a website than on the street. But ignorance of a girl's age doesn't equal innocence. In Levar Simms' case, the charge of transporting a minor for the purposes of prostitution hinged on strict liability. He could be found guilty regardless of whether he knew Lynette was 16.
Washington City Paper |
Angela Valdez |
05-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
The How and Why of Prison Overcrowdingnew
The US prison population grew eight-fold since 1970; more than 2.3 million people are incarcerated nationally, and overcrowding is pandemic in Massachusetts prisons. Two years ago, Massachusetts Department of Corrections facilities were at 134 percent capacity. Now they've reached 143 percent.
Dig Boston |
Cara Bayles |
05-15-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Does the Return of a Neighborhood Mean the Poor Have to Leave?new
In one "revived" Durham neighborhood, the dozen or so new homeowners have formed a strong and unified voice, advocating for much-needed neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation. But longtime renters, many of whom are low-income and have few housing options, occupy most of the crumbling homes.
INDY Week |
Mosi Secret |
05-15-2008 |
Housing & Development
Why Are Journalists Suckers?
They don't call it state-controlled media, at least not here in the U.S. But, when reporters check with the government before they go to press, they might as well.
Texas Needle Exchange Activists Discuss The Charges They Facenew
The state Attorney General's ruling that legislation authorizing a pilot needle-exchange program doesn't protect participants from being arrested for distributing drug paraphernalia kicked the case against three activists into gear. They face charges that threaten up to a year in jail and $4,000 in fines.
San Antonio Current |
Elaine Wolff |
05-14-2008 |
Science
John Yoo, the Torture Professornew
Why UC Berkeley should fire the legal scholar whose work led to Abu Ghraib and secret spying on Americans.
East Bay Express |
Robert Gammon |
05-14-2008 |
Education
Reed College: One of America's Most Permissive Drug Collegesnew
The private school with one of the most prestigious academic programs in the U.S. is one of the last schools in the country where students enjoy almost unlimited freedom to experiment openly with drugs, with little or no hassles from authorities.
Willamette Week |
Staff |
05-14-2008 |
Education
SF Military Vets Go to War With Each Othernew
Since the Board of Supervisors appointed Navy vet John Caldera to the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Commission last year, his fellow commissioners say they spend more time bickering than working on veterans' issues.
In Texas, Grassroots Homesteaders Tighten Ranks to Fight Urban Encroachmentnew
The mobilization of what may best be called the Hill Country Militia is an event with water at its heart -- but there are also prized historic roads and farmhouses and ranches threatened by development-driven eminent-domain seizures and an increasing awareness of the value of the region's ecosystem, cedars and all.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
05-14-2008 |
Housing & Development
Charleston County Poised for 20 More Years of Burning Garbagenew
Two months ago, the incinerator was all but toast. Due to costs and environmental concerns, Charleston County Council voted to discontinue its use when operator Veolia-Montenay's current contract expired, instead diverting future trash to the Bees Ferry and pending Adams Run landfills. But things have changed.
Charleston City Paper |
Stratton Lawrence |
05-14-2008 |
Environment
San Fran's Animal Welfare Commission Wants to Outlaw Cruel Artnew
Still fuming over a recent exhibition of videos showing six different animals being bludgeoned to death, the commission is proposing a law -- the Humanitarian Art Ordinance -- that would treat art that abuses animals like child pornography: If an animal is harmed for the purpose of making art, it would be a criminal offense to display or possibly even keep in San Francisco.
SF Weekly |
Benjamin Wachs |
05-14-2008 |
Animal Issues
Mystery Illness Fells Young Mannew
In a matter of months, his parents and doctors watched as Cole Haakana regressed from a healthy 11-year-old into a big kid with the mentality of a four-year-old. But to get her son's mysterious malady diagnosed, a mother must battle some of Minnesota's top hospitals.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Beth Walton |
05-14-2008 |
Science
S.C. Senate Committee Approves Ten Commandments Billnew
The state's Senate Judiciary Committee voted 18-1 in favor of a bill that would allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed in schools and courthouses insofar as such an exhibit contains other relevant historical documents. Sigh. Not again.
Charleston City Paper |
D.A. Smith |
05-14-2008 |
Religion
