A veteran print journalist, a social worker, the head of a battered woman’s program and a local broadcast anchor have been selected for recognition by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women as 2010 Women’s History Month honorees.

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Northeast Florida public school districts don’t know exactly how much money they might be short for next school year.

And they aren’t sure yet how they’ll deal with the anticipated cuts.

But they are preparing themselves — and the public — for additional budget cuts.

Duval County Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals is hosting the first of four town hall meetings Thursday.

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At a meeting in Dearborn today, Arab-Americans slammed federal law enforcement officials for targeting their community, saying a disproportionate number of prosecutions in recent years are aimed at them.

Waterford Township -- A Pontiac couple who told police they shoplifted for drug money will go to trial on charges they dragged a K-Mart loss prevention officer to his death with their vehicle.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia's General Assembly became the first in the nation Wednesday to approve legislation that bucks any attempt by President Barack Obama and Congress to implement national health care overhaul in individual states.

Mayor Daley warned today that the day of reckoning has arrived for a financial crisis that’s choking local taxpayers: underfunded city pensions.

The California Teachers Association has spent more than $200 million on campaign contributions and lobbying efforts in the last decade, leading what the Fair Political Practices Commission calls a "billion-dollar club" of moneyed political interests.

The FPPC's report, entitled "Big Money Talks," delves into the 25 biggest - at least in financial terms - political players in the state, which have collectively spent $1.3 billion on political action in the last 10 years.

"This tsunami of special interest spending drowns out the voices of average voters," FPPC chairman Ross Johnson said in a statement, "and intimidates political opponents and elected officials alike."

The $211.9 million spent by the CTA is nearly twice as much as the $107.5 million committed by the second-highest spender, the California State Council of Service Employees, but after those two union groups, the remaining 13 on the Top 15 list are all either business groups, such as No. 3 Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America ($104.9 million), individual corporations or casino-owning Indian tribes, which have three of the 15 top spots.

Collectively, the top 15 spent just over $1 billion during the decade, while the next 10 spent $271 million. They are also a mixture of unions, businesses and Indian tribes.

The report provides details on each big spender's campaign contributions and lobbying expenses, and identifies their spending on ballot measures, which generally consumed far more of the total than contributions to politicians or lobbying expenses. The CTA, for example, directed $144.1 million into ballot measures, including more than $50 million to defeat a series of 2005 measures sponsored by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The full report can be found at the FPPC's website here.

Authorities said Wednesday that they are "astounded" by the heroic actions of a 7-year-old boy who hid with his younger sister in a bathroom and called 911 while armed robbers broke into his home and threatened his parents.

"I'm still astounded by his mindset," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Douglas Jensen said. "To be able to think about getting his sister, grabbing his phone, locking himself in a bathroom and calling 911. It shows so much."

The assailants held the parents at gunpoint Tuesday while the boy, identified only as Carlos, and his 6-year-old sister hid in a locked bathroom. Carlos told a dispatcher breathlessly that there was "some guy who's going to kill my mom and dad" and begged authorities to "bring cops. A lot of them! ... And bring soldiers, too."

Although he sounds frightened, he keeps his composure and explains what is happening.

"Come really fast, please, please," he said. "They come, they ring the door and they have guns."

About 90 seconds into the call, his sister starts screaming as someone apparently breaks into the bathroom. The line stays connected, and a distraught-sounding dispatcher can be heard telling colleagues what she'd heard.

Deputies were on scene within three minutes, but the assailants had escaped in a green or gray two-door compact car, Jensen said.

The assailants left without taking anything once they realized the boy had called 911, Jensen said.

Detectives were investigating why the family was targeted.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A campaign spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is slamming his primary opponent in the race for governor for alleged flip-flops on the proposed Twin River "bailout,'' without saying where Lynch himself stands.

"It sounds like Frank Caprio was for a taxpayer funded bailout before he was against it. Is he really against a bailout or is this just Frank Caprio playing politics, the 3rd largest source of state revenue,'' new Lynch campaign manager Joel Coon said.

The response from the Caprio camp: "Mr. Coon, as an out-of-state political operative, may not be familiar with this issue and the difference between financial terms like 'buy out' and 'bail out.'

"The 'buy out' Caprio recommended, would have allowed the State to acquire at the market low in 2008, and at a profit accruing to the benefit of the taxpayer, the real estate at Twin River that houses the State's lottery machines,'' spokesman Nick Hemond said. "The 'bail out' Caprio is opposing, would require the taxpayers to foot the bill for concessions by the State that would increase the value of the real estate to the benefit of the big banks.''

Coon keyed his comments to remarks Caprio, the state treasurer, made before and after a State House hearing Tuesday night on a concession package Governor Carcieri is promoting on behalf of the big-name lenders about to take ownership of the bankrupt Lincoln track-and-slot parlor.

Carcieri's proposal would end dog racing, waive for now and then cut in half the 1,300 minimum job requirement at the sprawling Lincoln gambling hall, commit the state to paying Twin River up to $5.036 million in new management and marketing fees, and shore up the lender/owners' right to sue the state if Twin River lost money to a new Rhode Island competitor.

Urging the lawmakers to say no to a 'bailout of the big banks,'' Caprio suggested options, do nothing to enhance the value of Twin River at taxpayers' expense, and force the lenders back to the negotiating table or ask the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to auction the state's largest slot parlor to an experienced gambling operator.

Twin River is home to about 4,750 electronic video-slots, roulette and blackjack games placed there by the state Lottery, under terms where the state gets to keep about 61 cents out of every dollar a player loses. The owners get their own 27.8 percent share of the state's video-slot revenue.

At an earlier point, when Twin River's owners were still struggling financially, but not yet in bankruptcy, Caprio suggested the state float bonds to buy Twin River, and then sell it at a presumed profit when the market improved, keeping the owners' share of the video-slot revenue for itself in the interim.

Coon said: "Caprio's plan last year to help pull Twin River out of bankruptcy with state bonds to prevent bankruptcy, thereby securing the lenders' investment, was nothing short of a taxpayer-backed bail out for the lenders, aka 'the big banks.'

"His position now of 'doing nothing' is, at best, a clear reversal of his previous approach to the issue.''

In response, the Caprio camp questioned "if Attorney General Lynch, as the State's top law enforcement official, will be taking a position or offering any solutions protecting RI taxpayers from the big bank bail out proposed at Twin River?''

There was no immediate response from the Lynch campaign.

Authorities apologise over missed warnings of incest as report reveals culture of 'quiet word' rather than action

A series of failures by child protection professionals were detailed today in a withering report that described how a father was allowed to continually rape and abuse two of his daughters over a 35-year period.

The executive summary into the case described how the family had been in contact with 28 different agencies between 1973 and 2008, and that they had been seen by more than 100 professionals including social workers, police and housing officials.

Sixteen case conferences were held and ambulance workers, a headteacher and hospital staff had all expressed concern about non-accidental injuries and the children's poor hygiene. Yet nothing was done.

Seven allegations of sexual abuse were made by family members – but they were not followed up.

Instead of swift intervention, a culture of having "a quiet word" was found to exist among professionals.

Today Sheffield and Lincolnshire safeguarding children boards apologised for their failings. Chris Cook, independent chair of Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Board, said: "We are genuinely sorry. We should have protected you. People's lives were devastated both by a controlling, power-obsessed and deviant father and our failure to act."

Sue Fiennes, independent chair of Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board, admitted they had failed the family and "nothing should shield us from that fact".

The nature of the failures were disclosed today, 18 months after the father was sentenced to 25 life sentences for raping his daughters in one of the worst cases of incest ever put before a British court.

The women had finally come forward in June 2008 when their father was arrested. The judge in the case, Alan Goldack QC, demanded to know what professionals "had been doing for the last 20 years."

Today's report was an attempt to answer the question.

It described how the man abused and intimidated his family, and how he moved them 67 times to avoid being detected by the authorities. During that time, two of his daughters, referred to as M and N, had become pregnant 18 times after being raped by him.

Yet despite increasing suspicion that sexual abuse was taking place, none of the episodes was investigated effectively. On 23 separate occasions the women were specifically asked by the authorities about paternity of their children. They refused genetic counselling and there was concern that the father had become violent and aggressive towards them.

Yet because professionals believed "there was no evidence" to prove incest, they took no action. They were also fearful of potential litigation, the report noted.

The girls and a brother, who suffered physical abuse, were on the child protection register for a decade.

Speaking at a press conference, Professor Pat Cantrill, author of the report, said the abuse could have been stopped. "It only really needed one person with tenacity to keep pushing this and pushing this and we might have had a much earlier recognition and action being taken.

"There were people in the community that came forward and attempted to get the agencies to react in relation to this family and they were not listened to the way that they should."

She said a culture of "having a quiet word" had developed, and some professionals simply did not know how to handle the situation.

She said opportunities were missed individually and collectively. "The inquiries that were identified should have resulted in the children being taken to a place of safety – but that did not occur."

Some professionals got "quite stuck" around the situation of incest. "You are aware, as I am aware, that there are a number of these serious case reviews that happen and we always don't seem to learn from them."

The report found the father intimidated and frightened his wife and children using physical violence and bullying.

His wife left in 1992, leaving the children with him. "Professionals failed to listen and consider the situation from the child's perspective," the summary concluded. "They did not see the children and, where possible, talk to them and find out what they thought and felt about the issues. Too often the professionals took the word of parents at face value without considering the effects on the child."

It found professionals were often on the back foot because some were afraid of the father. "There is also an issue of professionals stereotyping and being judgmental of adults M and N and failing to see the growing pressure on the women of the frequent pregnancies." It found agencies were waiting for M and N to disclose abuse, yet research finds that 40% of victims of serious sexual assault don't tell.

"There was evidence of practitioners working in narrow silos," the report found. "There is an individual and collective community responsibility on us as members of society to protect children. Members of the family and community tried to play their part in safeguarding the children … with a frustrating outcome."

Cantrill said by 1997 there was a substantial picture in place that should have reflected in action being taken. "Even though some professionals were afraid of the father they left the children with him," she added.

Maybe Michigan just thinks it's too good for the CBI. But there's one way to prove that you're too good for the CBI, and that's to qualify for the NCAA or the NIT. Didn't do that? Then you're not too good for the CBI.

At a meeting in Dearborn today, Arab-Americans slammed federal law enforcement officials for targeting their community, saying a disproportionate number of prosecutions in recent years are aimed at them.

Without any major expiring contracts, a major overhaul is next to impossible. I sincerely doubt they'll find any takers for the bloated deals held by Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. So, really, the only way to go in terms of starting fresh is through the draft.

Huron-Clinton Metroparks is proposing to develop and operate the Michigan State Fairgrounds as part of its five-county regional park system.

"A dispute at a Lancaster movie theater during a screening of "Shutter Island" ended with someone plunging a meat thermometer into the neck of the man who complained about someone sitting near him talking on a cellphone during the show."

Discuss...

"The woman who gave birth to a baby in a bathroom at the Roederer Correctional Complex on Sunday suffocated the child by shoving toilet paper into her mouth, then put the baby into a trash can... When prison personnel came into the bathroom and saw blood, Cox "failed to report" that she had delivered a baby."

Discuss...

"The largest meat-eating plant in the world is designed not to eat small animals, but small animal poo... Botanists have discovered that the giant montane pitcher plant of Borneo has a pitcher the exact same size as a tree shrew's body... Instead, the pitcher uses tasty nectar to attract tree shrews, then ensures its pitcher is big enough to collect the feeding mammal's droppings." [With photo of what a shrew using a toilet looks like]

Discuss...

"The teenagers allegedly then stomped on Proden and hit him on the head and body with metal bars, including one from his wheelchair... The teens ran away with Proden's belongings and wheelchair, police said, but returned later -- and repeatedly -- to resume beating him."

Discuss...

"Police believe she mixed up the semi-automatic with a gun controller for the Nintendo Wii, which looks similar and which she had learned how to use from playing on the games system." Apparently she learned to aim the Wii Controller at her own chest.

Discuss...

"San Francisco officials Tuesday ordered the shutdown of all drug testing at the police crime lab amid allegations that a former technician stole and used some of the cocaine she was supposed to analyze... While the amounts stolen were small, they were in each instance measurable, and involved cases in which suspects were arrested for selling cocaine."

Discuss...

"Tiny birds seem to be the next, albeit improbable, wave in fight-to-the-death blood sport... Twice in recent months, authorities have raided operations where finches were kept to attack each other for onlookers who bet on which birds would survive the matches... In tight-quarters matches, two males are placed in a segmented cage with a female to bring them to a frenzied state. The separation barrier is removed, and fighting continues until one bird is dead or mortally wounded. Many of the seized finches' beaks had been filed to razor sharpness."

Discuss...

"Lee Jin-gyu fell for his dakimakura -- a kind of large, huggable pillow from Japan, often with a picture of a popular anime character printed on the side. In Lee's case, his beloved pillow has an image of Fate Testarossa, from the 'magical girl' anime series Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha."

Discuss...

"Kuwahara was allegedly hired by the victim's husband, who was seeking a divorce from the woman, as a "couple buster" in 2007. He falsified his identity and seduced the woman to encourage her to divorce her husband. Their relationship continued after the woman divorced her husband, however, after she found out that Kuwahara had a wife and children and that she was set up by the two men, the victim became enraged. Kuwahara reportedly strangled the woman during an argument."

Discuss...

"Four Colorado lawmakers are urging the U.S. Attorney General to temporarily stop Federal Drug Enforcement Agency raids on local medical marijuana businesses until the Legislature passes bills to regulate the industry... Despite a memo sent by Obama's administration in October urging law enforcement officials not to go after legal users of marijuana in states like Colorado that have permitted the drug's use for select medicinal purposes, DEA agents this year have conducted three such high profile raids in Colorado."

Discuss...

"A second former New Orleans police officer has been charged in federal court in the alleged police cover-up of the Danziger Bridge shootings and appears to be cooperating with investigators in the federal probe into the deadly incident in the days after Hurricane Katrina... Prosecutors have called a police investigation a whitewash. In court filings tied to Lohman's guilty plea, the prosecutors bluntly noted that Lohman concluded that the four shooting victims were all unarmed."

Discuss...

"Over the course of at least a year, "Jihad Jane" is alleged to have used the internet to recruit men in South Asia, Europe and the United States for terror attacks... She is also accused of recruiting women "who had passports and the ability to travel to and around Europe in support of violent jihad"... The indictment alleges LaRose received two messages in March 2009 from an individual in a South Asian country instructing her to kill the cartoonist, a Swede. "Kill him... this is what i say to u... Kill [him] in a way that the whole Kufar world get frightened."

Discuss...

"New allegations of abuse by members of the Catholic Church are emerging every day. One Berlin attorney, who has been engaged by the Jesuits to handle abuse cases, has counted 12 suspects and 120 victims in the space of only three weeks... Bishop Bode wants all the 14 victims, who at the time were altar boys and children preparing to receive their first communion, to forgive and forget. The priest involved, Father Alois B., got off with only a probation sentence."

Discuss...

"[Bishop] Ratzinger said a facial slap, was the easiest reaction to failure to perform on a child's part. How hard it was varied greatly, depending on who administered it... He said he had administered corporal punishment himself: "At the beginning I also repeatedly administered a slap in the face, but always had a bad conscience about it."

Discuss...

"Now they're saying I groped a male staffer. Yeah, I did. Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn't breathe and four guys jumped on top of me..." Massa said that his time in Congress had exhausted him, and that he was leaving to spend more time with his family. He compared his behavior with male workers in his office to the time he had spent in the Navy, producing pictures of men wrestling from his Naval Academy yearbook. "That looks like an orgy from Caligula," he said of the photos."

Discuss...

"Notwithstanding the distasteful and repugnant nature of the words being challenged in these proceedings, we are constrained to concluded that the defendants' signs are constitutionally protected," the appeals court said. Snyder's family appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the protests had "tarnished" their son's funeral... The court announced it had voted to hear the appeal in Snyder vs. Phelps and to rule on whether the right to free speech extended to the right to intrude on a solemn ceremony. The justices will hear arguments in the case in the fall."

Discuss...

"A furious lesbian who broke her [deep breath] lover's ex-husband's sister's boyfriend's legs by deliberately mowing him down in a car was jailed on Tuesday... As the milkman waved the lighter above his head, Henderson put her foot on the accelerator and sped towards him. "She mounted the kerb and struck Mr Craven with the front end of the vehicle, pinning him against the railings."

Discuss...

"Sculptor Clark Sorensen has created a new urinal called George W. Flush, a likeness of former President George W. Bush with an oversized head and a wide open muhhhhhhhhhhhh

Discuss...

"Perez, 39, admitted that in 2006 he created a hole through an adjoining closet to videotape his wife at their Princeton home. They were getting divorced. He alllllso told police he was on meth at the time. "We weren't having sex anymore, and I did that for me, nobody else."

Discuss...

"They are, of course, giant corpse-munching vultures, but wildlife biologists could not be more thrilled if they were Romeo and Juliet. The lovers in this case are California condors and together they have built the first condor nest in the Pinnacles in more than 100 years... Once widespread across North America, the condor has declined precipitously since the 19th century when they were hunted and poisoned with the lead shot that was often left in meat they scavenged."

Discuss...

"Actor Corey Haim, who was living with his mother and helping her in a tough breast cancer battle, reportedly was alive when paramedics arrived but apparently died while enroute to the hospital early Wednesday. Long known for his own struggle with prescription medications, the Lost Boys actor reportedly had been battling the flu and taking a combination of meds to deal with that."

Discuss...

"An Ohio death row inmate has been placed on suicide watch after overdosing on prescription pills two days before he was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection... Reynolds' execution has been rescheduled for March 16."

Discuss...

The Metropolitan Building, a historic but vacant downtown structure, is getting some emergency stabilization work to prevent chunks from falling off it.