White House pushes immigration overhaul
WASHINGTON — For weeks, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has waged a clandestine charm offensive on behalf of an immigration overhaul. He consulted with supportive lawmakers, listened to adversarial congressmen and slipped into the private offices of wary senators, the only sign of his presence the beefy security men waiting outside.
Last week, Chertoff took skeptical members of Congress on a helicopter tour of the southern U.S. border to promote the administration’s stepped-up enforcement measures.
They gave chase to illegal immigrants, and at one stop the lawmakers picked up a welder and — with a spray of sparks — helped build the solid-steel barrier rising along parts of the border with Mexico. . .
Politicians’ flights called wasteful
Sen. Dianne Feinstein offers plenty of tips on how California households can combat global warming, such as carpooling and running only a full dishwasher.
But one bit of information Feinstein declines to share is the number of times that she flew last year on her husband’s Gulfstream jet, which burns much more fuel per passenger-mile than commercial airliners.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also has asked constituents to do their part to conserve energy — including cutting summertime power consumption — even though he takes to the skies on leased executive jets. . .
S.D. Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy
After four years of legal wrangling in the clergy-abuse scandal, attorneys for Bishop Robert Brom filed for Chapter 11 protection last night, making San Diego the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy.
In a brief electronic filing just before midnight, the diocese said it had assets of more than $100 million and estimated debts of more than $100 million.
Brom’s action halts the first trial, set to start today, of about 150 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by 60 priests in incidents dating back decades. . .
States Pushing for Laws to Curb Cyberbullying
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Ryan Patrick Halligan was bullied for months online.
Classmates sent the 13-year-old Essex Junction, Vt., boy instant messages calling him gay. He was threatened, taunted and insulted incessantly by so-called cyberbullies.
In 2003, Ryan killed himself. . .
John Halligan will be on the show at 6:00
Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
Man agents shot ran drugs into U.S. after he was given immunity, DEA report says
The Mexican national shot by two Border Patrol agents in a drug-related incident in February 2005 brought a second van load of drugs into the U.S. while he waited to testify against the agents, according to Drug Enforcement Administration reports obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila – who was given immunity by U.S. prosecutors in exchange for testifying against former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean – is the focus of a November 2005 DEA report that identifies him as the person responsible for stashing more than 750 pounds of marijuana in a van parked at a house in Clint, Texas, in October of that year.
”(A witness) stated that Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila was the individual that dropped off the 1990 Chevy Astro van,” according to the DEA document. “This van contained approximately 6 bundles of marijuana. . .
Sara Carter will be on the show at 3:00
GORE MANSION USES 20X AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD; CONSUMPTION INCREASE AFTER ‘TRUTH’
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through free market policy solutions, issued a press release late Monday:
Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.
Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES). . .
Bill would regulate rehab homes
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes would face local oversight and broader licensing requirements under a new state bill.
The proposed legislation, introduced late Friday by state Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, comes in response to local outcry over a perceived proliferation of addiction-recovery homes, especially in Newport Beach.
Catherine Wolcott, a contract city attorney in Newport, said Harman’s legislation does a “brilliant job of addressing some of the problems we’ve been having. . .
Sen. Tom Harman will be on the show at 4:00
Graffiti mars school media event
The two-block walk from the MTA bus stop to campus has often been a frightening ordeal for students at the Santee Education Complex just south of downtown Los Angeles.
Some have complained of gang activity and being harassed or robbed — including one student who was held up at gunpoint. The area was branded by Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. David L. Brewer as “one of the worst blocks” in the area.
On Monday, Brewer, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other officials trumpeted a new tactic to ease the fears: locating a bus stop directly behind the school so students don’t have to navigate through a gang-plagued neighborhood. . .
Ousted Minuteman leader seeks court remedy
A behind-the-scenes power struggle over control of the Minuteman Project spilled into an Orange County courtroom Monday with ousted co-founder Jim Gilchrist asking a judge to give him back control of the citizen border patrol group.
Superior Court Judge Randell L. Wilkinson said he would issue a ruling within a few days.
Gilchrist, 58, a national figure in the fight against illegal immigration, was removed as president of the Minuteman Project this month by its board of directors, which accused him of abusing his power and leaving more than $400,000 of the organization’s money unaccounted for. . .
Monday, February 26th, 2007
Immigrants who wire money get help from the Fed
WASHINGTON — Even as the federal government is starting to crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants, it’s been helping those same workers send money home, cheap.
Dubbed Directo a Mexico, the Federal Reserve-sponsored service allows customers without Social Security numbers to wire money through the Fed system to Mexico’s central bank at little cost. In September, the Fed expanded the remittance program by allowing immigrants, legal or not, to open accounts at participating banks and credit unions in the U.S. or Mexico. About 27,000 transfers are made through the program each month.
The program has attracted the attention of conservative immigration activists and members of Congress, who say financial institutions shouldn’t cater to illegal immigrants. . .
Congressman Brian Bilbray will be on the show at 3:00
MURDER CHARGES FILED AGAINST PAROLEE FOR SHOOTING AND KILLING MANAGER AT HOME DEPOT IN TUSTIN
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney has field charges against a parolee for shooting and murdering a store manager and father of three at a Home Depot in Tustin. Jason Russell Richardson, 36, Oceanside, is charged with murder, the special circumstances of murder during the commission of a robbery and a burglary, and a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death. If convicted, he faces a potential death penalty case. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon, Monday, February 26, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
On February 9, 2007, Richardson is accused of entering a Home Depot in Tustin wearing a painter’s mask and clothes to disguise his identity. He is accused of walking to the front of the store and demanding cash from a store clerk. As the clerk removed cash from the register, Richardson is accused of turning and shooting the store manager, Thomas Egan, a father of twin girls. The defendant is accused of then fleeing the scene, and was later linked to the murder through DNA evidence. . .
D.A. Tony Rackauckas will be on the show at 4:00
Mexican wives want U.S. to return husbands
The women of Tecalpulco, Mexico, want the U.S. government to enforce its immigration laws because they want to force their husbands to come back home from working illegally in the United States.
They have created an English-language Web page where they identify themselves as the “wetback wives” and broadcast their pleas, both to their men and to the U.S. government.
“To the United States government—close the border, send our men home to us, even if you must deport them (only treat them in a humane manner—please do not hurt them),” it reads. . .
Finally, one site that finds the totals for you, which until now has been difficult to find. ImmigrationCounters.com provides the public key statistics resulting from illegal immigration in America. Using the latest government and private organizational sources available, research and analysis trending data is factored at their individual rates of increase. Topic related books and links are provided for you to become more informed about the current state of illegal immigration in America. For information about the research behind the individual counters, click here for Data Sources. . .
Scott Hammons from ImmigrationCounters will be on the show at 6:00
Friday, February 23rd, 2007
RATS RUN WILD AT NEW YORK CITY KFC!!!!
Governor to consider early inmate release
(02-23) 04:00 PST Sacramento—Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday he would consider releasing some inmates before they complete their sentences to alleviate prison overcrowding, marking a significant shift in position by the governor as he faces mounting pressure from federal judges to address the state’s jam-packed prisons.
Schwarzenegger said at a news conference that he was open to discussing early release for some inmates without violent histories as a way to create space in prisons and to head off potential federal court intervention.
Schwarzenegger, who has proposed spending nearly $11 billion to add prison space to accommodate more inmates, faces a summer deadline from three federal judges who are considering imposing a population limit on the system. He made his comments a week after U.S. District Court Judge Thelton Henderson scheduled a hearing for June to consider a limit and seemed to indicate he wanted fewer people behind bars. . .
Anna Nicole Smith’s Mother Appeals Bahamas Burial Decision, Ruling on Paternity Issues Pending
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Anna Nicole Smith’s mother filed an appeal Friday in Florida on the decision to bury the former Playboy Playmate in the Bahamas.
Virgie Arthur had announced her intent to appeal the Bahamas burial through her lawyers after the court-appointed counsel for Smith’s baby girl, Dannielynn, decided Smith should be laid to rest next to her son in the island country. Arthur wants her daughter buried in her home state of Texas.
Her mother filed an emergency motion to stay the ruling that handed the burial decision over to the lawyer assigned to represent the interests of the baby. . .
Many attend Newport town hall on rehab houses
NEWPORT BEACH – A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people cheered and jeered Thursday night as state and local officials weighed in on the growing presence of drug rehabilitation homes in residential neighborhoods.
“As you can tell by the size of the crowd, this has become a very big issue,” Newport Beach Mayor Steve Rosansky told an audience that spilled into the hall and rain-soaked patio of the city’s central library.
Newport is at the forefront of a growing backlash against the homes, whose occupants are blamed for litter, noise and profanity, among many complaints. . .
Hit-and-run on L.A. highway projects jeopardizes voter confidence
Sacramento — Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa kept chanting three numbers like a mantra Tuesday as he lobbied the Capitol for more highway bond money.
Every few seconds, it seemed, the mayor would remind anyone listening that L.A. County houses 28% of the state’s population, endures 33% of its traffic congestion, but is being earmarked a measly 12% of the initial $2.8 billion being distributed from the $19.9-billion transportation bond approved in November by California voters.
Actually, it’s worse than that for L.A. Only $4.5 billion total is available from this particular bond account, designed for “corridor mobility improvement” — like adding a carpool lane on the northbound 405 between the 10 and 101 freeways. . .
Mayor Tami Jorgenson of Willits will be on the show at 5:00
THE NUMBER 23
Did you have any idea this number was significant? Sure, we all know about “lucky number 7” and “Friday the 13th”, but, honestly, “23” has been shortchanged. There is, I kid you not, a cult following of people worldwide, who call themselves “23rdians”, because they believe that all events and happenings center on the number or some version of it. Now, I got all of the above out of an article I read this morning. That was the highlight of my day concerning the “number 23’. Which leaves us this movie – ugh! (more…)
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith Likely to Be Buried in the Bahamas
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Anna Nicole Smith will be buried in the Bahamas beside her son, the court-appointed guardian of her infant daughter appeared to decide Thursday.
The judge presiding over the Smith burial hearing ruled Thursday that Smith’s remains should be given to the court-appointed guardian ad litem representing her 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn.
Broward County Circuit Court Judge Larry Seidlin said the guardian, attorney Richard Milstein, had to consult with Smith’s estranged mother Virgie Arthur, her companion Howard K. Stern and her ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead when he made his decision about where Smith would be buried. Birkhead and Stern both claim they are Dannielynn’s father. . .
Newport Beach meeting to focus on rehab homes
NEWPORT BEACH– Drug-rehabilitation and sober-living homes operating in residential neighborhoods will be the subject of a town hall meeting here Thursday night.
State Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, and Assemblywoman Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Niguel, are co-hosting the event in response to community uproar in Newport and surrounding cities over the perceived proliferation of the homes.
While many residents complain the homes foster noise, litter and loitering, cities are limited in their ability to regulate the homes, because recovering alcoholics and drug addicts are considered handicapped. . .
Senate illegals bill near complete
Senators and lobbyists are putting the final touches on a comprehensive immigration-reform bill that includes an easier citizenship path for illegal aliens and weaker enforcement provisions than were in the highly criticized legislation that the Senate approved last year.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who ardently supports citizenship rights for illegals, will introduce the bill as early as next week, according to Senate sources knowledgeable about the negotiations. If the Senate Judiciary Committee can make quick work of the bill, it could be ready for floor action in April.
Mr. Kennedy drafted this year’s bill with help from Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, and outside lobbyists. Mr. McCain and the outside groups share Mr. Kennedy’s support for increased immigration and leniency for illegals already in the country. . .
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Lawyers Grill Anna Nicole Smith’s Mother, Boyfriend About Media Profits
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Anna Nicole Smith’s estranged mother took the witness stand for the second time on Wednesday after a lunch break, where lawyers continued to grill her about whether she profited from her daughter’s death.
Virgie Arthur said she had only received round-trip plane fare from Houston to the Bahamas, which was paid for by David Lee, a journalist for Splash News who Arthur says is a close friend.
Lawyers then proceeded to grill Smith’s companion Howard K. Stern about whether he profited from her death. . .
L.A. officials press state for funds to widen 405 Freeway
SACRAMENTO — After an intense day of lobbying in the state capital Tuesday, Los Angeles’ top leaders appeared to be winning their fight to secure $730 million in bond money to widen one of the nation’s most congested freeways, with one powerful legislator threatening to hold up funds for transportation projects statewide if the city and other congested areas don’t get what they need.
More than a dozen Los Angeles-area elected officials — including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) — descended on the Capitol to voice their unhappiness with a recommendation by the California Transportation Commission staff to omit new carpool lanes for the 405 Freeway and other local projects from an initial funding list. . .
Memo could lead to new trial for agents
The defense for two former El Paso Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler will ask for a new trial based on evidence not provided to them in court.
Mary Stillinger, co-counsel for former Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos, said an April 12, 2005, Department of Homeland Security memo was never provided to them.
The memo – written by Christopher Sanchez of the Inspector General’s Office, and first published in the Daily Bulletin this month – acknowledged that all nine agents at the scene, including two supervisors, knew about the shooting, heard about the shooting and covered up the shooting. . .
