News opinion 2008-04-26 Andanh.com

FDA takes closer look at Lasik complaints Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:54:19 -0400
WASHINGTON - In fury and despair, people harmed by Lasik eye surgery told of severe eye pain, blurred vision and even a son's suicide, as the government began considering...

Prosecutor: Pregnant teller wounded in robbery loses twins Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:25:42 -0400
INDIANAPOLIS - A pregnant bank teller lost the twins she was carrying when she was shot in an Indianapolis bank robbery, a prosecutor said today. Katherin Shuffield, who...

Arizona sheriff stirs furor with crackdown on illegals Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:19:15 -0400
GUADALUPE, Ariz. - The self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" has been making forays into Phoenix and nearby Guadalupe and sweeping up illegal immigrants,...

Man upset over condo fees killed by SWAT team in Fla. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:15:10 -0400
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. - A man upset over thousands of dollars in fees owed to a condominium association brandished a gun and took two association employees hostage before he...

Suspected great white shark kills triathlete at Calif. beach Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:08:49 -0400
SOLANA BEACH, Calif. - A shark attacked and killed a 66-year-old swimmer today who was training in the ocean off San Diego County with a group of triathletes, authorities...

Don't clean up your yard yet Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:18:58 -0400
Finally, it pays to have an ugly yard. In fact, having one of the four ugliest lawns in the United States can win homeowners professional help, tools and cash. Running...

Bush: Rebate checks to hit the mail Monday Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:52:21 -0400
WASHINGTON - President Bush said tax rebates will start going out Monday, earlier than previously announced, and should help Americans cope with rising gasoline and food prices,...

Trial recommended for Pendleton Marine in Iraq slayings Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:44:57 -0400
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A hearing officer recommended a court-martial for a Marine charged with murdering an Iraqi detainee captured during fierce house-to-house fighting...

Remains of WWII airmen identified Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:42:17 -0400
DOVER, Del. - The Pentagon says the remains of 11 U.S. servicemen missing in action from World War II have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial. The...

New York Times columnist Friedman hit by pie at Brown Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:29:54 -0400
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A student faces disciplinary action after two people threw green whipped cream pies at New York Times columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman as he began...

Accused Uma Thurman stalker: NYC police duped me Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:43:27 -0400
NEW YORK - A man accused of stalking Uma Thurman wants statements he made to police kept out of his upcoming trial, claiming officers made bogus promises to him. Jack Jordan,...

Agents trap salmon-eating sea lions in Columbia river Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:25:16 -0400
NORTH BONNEVILLE, Wash. - One by one, curious California sea lions checked out the open cage left invitingly on a platform in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and flopped...

Obama seeks union's help while Clinton promotes vets issues Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:01:34 -0400
CHICAGO - How does Sen. Barack Obama spend a day off in his hometown? By urging hundreds of union activists to back his presidential bid in the final Democratic primaries. That...

Pelosi: Clinton, Obama sharing the ticket not a good idea Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:54:51 -0400
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton shouldn't share the Democratic presidential ticket unless they really want...

Workers authorize strike at Bloomingdale's NYC flagship Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:25:20 -0400
NEW YORK - Workers say they are set to strike and shut down Bloomingdale's flagship Manhattan store for the first time in 43 years if contract negotiations are not resolved...

Bush says rebates going out Monday should help economy Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:12:50 -0400
WASHINGTON - President Bush says the economic-stimulus tax rebates will begin going out Monday and will help people cope with lofty energy and food prices, as well as giving...

Florida keeps 'Swanee River' as state song Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:32:18 -0400
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After laundering its lyrics to delete racially offensive terms like "darkeys," the Florida Senate voted Thursday to retain the tune familiarly...

Officer kills off-duty cop, 65, in Baltimore strip club brawl Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:28:57 -0400
BALTIMORE - A 65-year-old off-duty officer was shot and killed by another officer early yesterday after he drew a handgun when police tried to quell a brawl at a strip club,...

Dino study puts chickens higher in pecking order Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:26:38 -0400
WASHINGTON - It looks like chickens deserve more respect. Fossil studies have long suggested modern birds were descended from from the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, based...

Global warming cure could be disaster Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:00:03 -0400
WASHINGTON - Some researchers have suggested that injecting sulfur compounds into the atmosphere might help ease global warming by increasing clouds and haze that would...

Brazil wants to require approval for all foreigners heading to Amazon Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:51:33 -0400
BRASILIA, Brazil - Foreigners who want to visit the Amazon region may soon need permits from Brazil's military and justice ministry. National Justice Secretary Romeu...

US official: Iran boosting support for Iraqi insurgents Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:57:19 -0400
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff accused Iran today of "ratcheting up" its arms and training support to insurgents in Iraq, and warned that...

U.S.-contracted ship fires warning shots in Gulf Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:14:25 -0400
CAIRO, Egypt - The U.S. Navy says a Defense Department contractor's ship fired flares and warning shots at two small boats approaching it in the Persian Gulf. Fifth...

Mexican official fired after report of missing BlackBerrys at U.S. summit Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:12:18 -0400
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican official has been fired from his job at the president's office after allegations that he may have taken BlackBerrys belonging to U.S. officials...

Taliban hamper dam project in Afghanistan Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:45:10 -0400
KAJAKI, Afghanistan - British Maj. Mike Shervington watches over a stunning aqua-green lake and a 50-year-old story about U.S. struggles to aid Afghanistan. Inside a security...

Russian lawmakers give backing to tighter media rules on slander, libel Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:35:58 -0400
MOSCOW - Russia's lower house of parliament voted Friday to widen the definition of slander and libel and give regulators the authority to shut down media outlets found...

Iraqi journalist killed near Basra, radio station says Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:22:33 -0400
BAGHDAD - Assailants today gunned down an Iraqi journalist who had been working for a local radio station run by a Shiite political party that is the chief rival of anti-American...

Nigerian militants report another oil pipeline bombing Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:28:53 -0400
LAGOS, Nigeria - A main militant group behind a string of recent attacks in Nigeria's southern oil region said today it has sabotaged another pipeline - the fourth in...

Protesters, riot police greet Olympic flame in Japan Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:54:05 -0400
NAGANO, Japan - Riot police, protesters and Chinese well-wishers converged on Nagano in the mountains of central Japan today as the embattled Beijing Olympic torch arrived...

IAEA's ElBaradei criticizes US on Syria bombing Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:50:21 -0400
VIENNA, Austria - The head of the U.N. nuclear monitoring agency angrily criticized Israel today for bombing an alleged Syrian nuclear facility, and chastised the U.S. for...

China says it's ready to meet with aide to Dalai Lama Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:46:21 -0400
BEIJING - China's government agreed Friday to a meeting with an envoy of exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, a step that follows weeks of calls from world leaders for...

Al-Sadr calls for end to Iraqi bloodshed Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:40:28 -0400
BAGHDAD - Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for an end to clashes between his militia fighters and Iraqi troops, saying Friday that his threat of an "open war"...

Thailand: Grain not drying up Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:30:14 -0400
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia sought assurances yesterday from Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter, that it will continue to supply the grain amid worries...

Red flags protect Olympic torch in Australia Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:18:12 -0400
CANBERRA, Australia - China's red flag was seemingly everywhere on the Australian leg of the Olympic torch relay, a nationalistic display that swamped protesters'...

Search is off for balloon-borne priest Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:35:17 -0400
SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazil's Air Force has suspended its search for a Roman Catholic priest who vanished after sailing into the air attached to hundreds of balloons....

An ancient drought nearly drove humans to extinction Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:27:30 -0400
WASHINGTON - Humans may have had a close brush with extinction some 70,000 years ago, apparently because of a worldwide drought, according to an extensive genetic study. ...

With fighting on the increase, Brits halt withdrawal from Iraq Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:53:30 -0400
BAGHDAD, Irag - Britain said yesterday it is reversing course on its longtime troop withdrawal plan, amid the flare-up in fighting between government forces and Shiite militiamen. ...

U.S. envoy: Zimbabwe opposition has won Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:50:02 -0400
PRETORIA, South Africa - The top U.S. envoy to Africa said yesterday that Zimbabwe's opposition leader won the nation's disputed presidential election and longtime...

Our view: Compromise, not threats, produces budget resolution Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:30:00 EDT
With less than a week to go before Town Meeting, Andover has an agreement on its budget that doesn't rely on a Proposition 21/2 override and avoids predictions of doom from the school system's leaders.

Our view: Essex Street attracting attention again Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:29:00 EDT
There's already some promising news surrounding the planned return of two-way traffic to Essex Street in Lawrence.
Thomas Schiavone, the city's chief economic development director, says a number of companies have expressed interest in locating on the downtown street. Among them are two major food production companies and a biotechnology company. Other developers have inquired about space available on Essex Street, Schiavone told reporter Jill Harmacinski.

Our view: Waiver of connection fee makes sense Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:29:00 EDT
The Haverhill City Council's vote this week to waive $1,200 to $1,500 in street opening and water connection permit fees for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Lorraine Post 29 might sound like a giveaway.
If it is, it is justified. And Mayor James Fiorentini, who has the final say on such things, is right to go along with it.

Diana West: Washington flunks Jihadism 101 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:28:00 EDT
Reading Congresswoman Sue Myrick's "Wake Up America" agenda — a 10-point plan targeting potential jihadist infiltration into this country's military, security, educational and financial institutions — triggers mixed emotions.

Jay Ambrose: Carter's puzzling agenda Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:27:00 EDT
Jay Ambrose
Jimmy Carter has just tried negotiating on his own with Hamas, a terrorist organization, and will soon be headed home, but let's don't stop with his efforts.
It would be an equally meritorious idea, wouldn't it, if Bill Clinton sought out Osama bin Laden for some private give and take about al-Qaida policies? And meanwhile, George H.W. Bush could hop around the Middle East talking to radical clerics, not on behalf of his son's administration, but with his own, personal agenda as a very concerned guy.

John Milne: On I-93, taxes, Lynch lays groundwork for campaign Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:27:00 EDT
John Milne
Gov. John H. Lynch says he's too busy running the state to think about politics, but his behavior this month makes it abundantly clear that he's in campaign mode and running for a third term as governor.

Letter: What is quality of life? Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Over the past month or so, I have read numerous letters to the editor concerning the upcoming override for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District. Most of them were well written and from the heart.

Letter: No winners in Hamilton-Wenham override debate Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
For the past few months, I have been reading the material that the group SOS (Save Our Schools) has been sending out. In all honesty, I have to say that the group should be commended for their time, effort, energy and dedication toward the goal of keeping the education system intact.

Letter: School cuts no exaggeration at all Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Regarding the recent letter in The Salem News charging that effects of the cuts on the Hamilton-Wenham school district were being exaggerated. No so! I would like to address the points one at a time:

Letter: Hamilton budgets require reality and creativity Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
Most rational people make purchasing decisions based upon how much money they have coming in their paychecks. Surely, unexpected events like the car breaking down or the furnace needing repair throw us off. For the most part, however, we wouldn't (and shouldn't) enter into contracts knowing full well that we don't have the means to pay for them. This is precisely what happens in Hamilton town government.

Override stirs passions Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
Voters in Hamilton and Wenham face tough choices at their upcoming town meetings. The regional school district's budget, and Proposition 21/2 overrides to support it, have become divisive issues. Of the district's proposed $27 million budget for the coming school year, about $1.29 million is contingent upon an override approval from Hamilton, and another $601,000 depends on the same action in Wenham.

Letter: Enough is Enough has been well-received Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:45:00 EDT
To the editor:
As we're getting closer to our town meeting on May 5, our grassroots group "Enough is Enough" is getting wonderful feedback from quite a few people in the community. Most of it is positive and from all ages.

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