Candice's News Log

By Candice Dehnbostel

Sen. John McCain formally announced Wednesday he is seeking the Republican nomination for president during a speech in Portsmouth, N.H., according to Time.

In the speech, McCain criticized the Bush administration for its handling of the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina, plus its treatment of injured veterans, reported the Los Angeles Times.

McCain emphasized his decades of experience in wartime and Washington, according to The Associated Press. The four-term Arizona senator is an ex-Navy pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

The New York City mayor explained his plan Sunday to plant one million news trees in the city by 2017, reported the New York Post.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants the trees planted to add environmental and aesthetic benefits to the city, according to Bloomberg News.

The city’s tree-planting budget would need to reach $37.5 million to reach Bloomberg’s goal, reported the New York Post.

The trees would be planted along streets, in parks and vacant lots, reported the New York Post.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

An American billionaire returned to Earth Saturday after a 13-day trip in space, according to The Associated Press.

Charles Simonyi, a Microsoft software engineer, came back in a capsule that landed in central Kazakhstan after his stay at the international space station, reported The Associated Press.

Simonyi paid about $25 million for almost two weeks in space and pre-flight training, according to Reuters.

While on the space station Simonyi conducted some experiments measuring the amount of radiation he was exposed to on board, according to BBC News. His experiments may help create an accurate map of the station’s radiation environment.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

The Senate voted 63-34 to loosen restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research, though President Bush is threatening a second veto on similar bills, according to The Associated Press.

The proposed legislature would allow money for research on embryonic stem cells regardless of the date of their creation, as long as they were donated from in-vitro fertilization clinics, would otherwise be disposed of and donors consented, reported The Associated Press.

Bush vetoed a 2006 attempt to relax his policy on stem-cell research, which prevents the use of federal money for studies that would destroy human embryos, according to CNN. He said he would veto the new bill in a statement after the vote.

Backers of stem cell research say it could present cures for conditions like diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries, stated Reuters, but anti-abortion supporters disagree with the destruction of days-old embryos.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

The three former Duke University lacrosse players who were indicted for sexual assault are "innocent" and the charges are being dropped, said North Carolina’s Attorney General Roy Cooper Tuesday, according to CNN.

Laboratory tests did not find any trace of the defendants' DNA, reported Reuters, and the original prosecutor, Durham County District Attorney Michael Nifong, allegedly exaggerated the case because he wanted to be re-elected. He is now facing ethics charges brought by the North Carolina State Bar, according to Reuters.

The case started at a lacrosse team party in a house close to campus on March 13 last year, reported USA Today, and the subsequent media commotion focused on allegations that white athletes at the private university raped a black exotic dancer.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

Gulf Coast residents were warned Tuesday by researchers that 17 named storms are predicted for the next hurricane season, with five major hurricanes, reported MSNBC and NBC News.

Forecaster William Gray and his team from Colodrado State University said the probability of a major hurricane reaching the U.S. coastland is 74 percent, reported The Associated Press, compared to the average of 52 percent over the past century.

Last season there were 10 tropical storms, and five became hurricanes, reported Reuters.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

San Francisco’s city leaders voted Tuesday to become the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags to encourage recycling, reported CNN.

Ross Mirkarimi, a city legislator who sponsored the ordinance, said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and eliminate the need to dump 1,400 tons of debris sent yearly to land fills, according to Reuters. The ban would still allow recyclable plastic bags which are not broadly used now, reported Reuters.

The 50 grocery stores that would be impacted the most by the law contended the ban was not sensible because plastic bags made of corn byproducts are a fairly new, expensive and untested product, according to The Associated Press. Some said they might offer only paper bags at checkout, reported The Associated Press.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

A House panel authorized subpoenas for Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s political adviser, and other White House aides concerning the controversial firings of eight U.S. attorneys, according to Bloomberg.

The White House continued to support Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and maintained the firings were appropriate, reported The Associated Press. Bush offered the House and Senate Judiciary committees an opportunity to talk privately with the aides to avoid a “media spectacle� at public hearings, according to The Associated Press.

Lawmakers want to ask Rove and other aides about their part in the firings, reported CNN, and also about the reason for the dismissals. The Justice Department has confessed that at least one attorney was removed to make room for a former aide to Rove. The seven other U.S. attorneys were fired due to performance issues, the department said, reported to CNN.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

The 6-year-old Georgia boy missing since last week was found dead Thursday, reported CNN.

The body of Christopher Barrios was found in a black trash bag near the child’s home by a Department of Natural Resources ranger, according to CNN.

Police arrested a convicted child molester living in the same trailer park as Barrios according to The Associated Press. The suspect’s parents and a friend of theirs were arrested earlier in the week, reported the Associated Press.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

A petrochemical leaked into the Ohio River Wednesday after a barge stuck an underwater lock, reported Reuters.

The barge contained 960,000 gallons of cumene, a flammable colorless liquid used in paint thinners, motor fuels and other products, according to Reuters, but only 7,000 to 8,000 gallons leaked into the river.

Cumene can cause eye and skin irritation and headaches in humans if inhaled, reported the Associated Press.

The environmental impact of the spill is not known yet, according to CNN.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

A federal appeals court said Tuesday that Guantanamo By detainees do not have the right to petition U.S. Courts to consider their cases, according to CNN.

The Military Commissions Act of 2006 was found to be constitutional by a 2-to-1 vote by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, reported the New York Times. The Times explained the act as eliminating the authority of federal courts over habeas challenges by non-citizens that are held as enemy combatants. The act also set a military review for Guantanamo Bay prisoners, according to the Times.

The new Democratic majority in Congress plans to amend the Military Commissions Act with conditions that would reinstate habeas rights for prisoners, reported the Washington Post.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

A Utah mall reopened Wednesday after five people were slain there earlier in the week, reported MSNBC.

Pillars in the mall had to be repaired and shelves in stores had to be restocked before the reopening. Reports stated the choice to resume business was left up to each store owner.

A man in a trench coat with a 12-gauge shot gun opened fire in the mall on Monday, wounding several others along with the five slain. The gunman was killed in a barrage of gunshots by the police, according to CBS.

An off-duty officer was able to corner and contain the gunman until other officers arrived, reported the Associated Press.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

Lisa Nowak, the astronaut caught in an alleged love triangle, returned home Wednesday to Houston, Tex. after making bail on charges of attempted kidnapping and attempted murder, according to CNN.

Nowak allegedly stalked Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman to the Orlando International Airport Monday and attacked the woman, police said. Nowak reportedly believed Shipman was a rival for Cmdr. William A. Oefelein’s affection, reported the Star Tribune.

Nowak drove over 900 miles from Texas to the Florida airport, allegedly wearing a diaper to avoid making bathroom stops. When she arrived, wearing a trench coat and wig, Nowak found Shipman and attacked her with what could have been pepper spray, according to the New York Times.

Nowak had a compressed air gun, pepper spray, a steel mallet, a knife, rubber tubing, latex gloves and garbage bags in her possession at the time of her arrest, stated the Pioneer Press.

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By Candice Dehnbostel

The Senate voted 93-4 yesterday to increase the minimum wage for the first time in nearly a decade.

The increase in wages from $5.15 to $7.25 over a two year period is supported by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. But the Senate bill contains $8.3 billion in small business tax cuts that were needed to get the Republican vote, according to Reuters.

The Star Tribune states Congress needs to negotiate disagreements between the Senate bill and the House version passed last month. The House bill did not include the tax breaks because they wanted a "clean" bill that only involved minimum wage.

The tax breaks would mainly affect large businesses. They would be paid for by "closing loopholes on offshore tax shelters" and eliminating punitive damage deductions,according to MSNBC.

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