Westboro Baptist Church Protesters Blocked At Fallen Soldier’s Funeral

(Huffington Post) A planned protest by the Westboro Baptist Church was overshadowed Saturday when thousands of supporters gathered at the funeral of a fallen soldier to block the radical church’s effort.

Thousands of people in red shirts formed a “human wall” around the Columbia, Mo. church where 21-year-old Army Specialist Sterling Wyatt’s funeral was held. Wyatt was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month.

Westboro Baptist Church, an independent Kansas-based church known for its extreme ideology and widely condemned demonstrations, had indicated plans to picket the funeral. When Tori Smith, an acquaintance of Wyatt’s, got wind of the protest plans, she decided to organize a small group of supporters to counteract the church’s negative actions. Word of Smith’s plans spread quickly, drawing thousands to the church on Saturday morning.

According to KBIA, the “red wall” was highly effective in fending off the small group from Westboro, who reportedly left the church area early in the afternoon.

The Columbia Daily Tribune relayed details on the outpouring of support:

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FAA Has Authorized 106 Government ‘Entities’ to Fly Domestic Drones

(CNS News) Since Jan. 1 of this year, according to congressional testimony presented Thursday by the Government Accountability Office, the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized 106 federal, state and local government “entities” to fly “unmanned aircraft systems,” also known as drones, within U.S. airspace.

“We are now on the edge of a new horizon: using unmanned aerial systems within the homeland,” House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Michael McCaul (R.-Texas) said as he introduced the testimony.

“Currently,” said McCaul, “there are about 200 active Certificates of Authorization issued by the Federal Aviation Administration to over 100 different entities, such as law enforcement departments and academic institutions, to fly drones domestically.”

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Executive Order 13528– Establishing Council of Governors (2010)

(Whitehouse.gov) The President today signed an Executive Order (attached) establishing a Council of Governors to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of hazards. When appointed, the Council will be reviewing such matters as involving the National Guard of the various States; homeland defense; civil support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities.

The bipartisan Council will be composed of ten State Governors who will be selected by the President to serve two year terms. In selecting the Governors to the Council, the White House will solicit input from Governors and Governors’ associations. Once chosen, the Council will have no more than five members from the same party and represent the Nation as a whole.

Federal members of the Council include the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs, the U.S. Northern Command Commander, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The Secretary of Defense will designate an Executive Director for the Council.

The Council of Governors will provide an invaluable Senior Administration forum for exchanging views with State and local officials on strengthening our National resilience and the homeland defense and civil support challenges facing our Nation today and in the future.

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Marine Corps creates law enforcement battalions

(AP) The Marine Corps has created its first law enforcement battalions – a lean, specialized force of military police officers that it hopes can quickly deploy worldwide to help investigate crimes from terrorism to drug trafficking and train fledgling security forces in allied nations.

The Corps activated three such battalions last month. Each is made up of roughly 500 military police officers and dozens of dogs. The Marine Corps has had police battalions off and on since World War II but they were primarily focused on providing security, such as accompanying fuel convoys or guarding generals on visits to dangerous areas,

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At UNC, athletes’ records contain many deletions

(Raleigh News Observer) Try to follow this part of a report that is part of the NCAA’s investigation into UNC-Chapel Hill football:

“Student-Athlete (blank) was interviewed two times. During his first interview, when asked about the last time he had contact with (blank), his response was ‘a week or so ago.’

“At the onset of his second interview, before being asked specifically about this issue, Student-Athlete (blank) indicated that he wished to clarify this issue. He said that he had stopped by (blank) house briefly (maximum of 10 minutes) the night before the first interview. He stated that he was on his way to (blank), so he stopped by (blank)’s house to ‘see if she had some cookies.’ ”

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Judge: Decision will come later on UNC football records

(Raleigh News Observer) State Superior Court Judge Howard Manning reserved judgment Thursday in a public records battle related to the lengthy NCAA investigation into UNC-Chapel Hill’s football program.

“This is not going to be decided today by any means,” Manning said after listening to nearly two hours of legal arguments from lawyers representing the university, former football coach Butch Davis and a consortium of media companies seeking the records.

At issue is the release of bills for Davis’ personal cellphone, which the coach has admitted he used to make calls related to running the team, as well as other documents related to the investigation that would show who committed the violations that led to major penalties against the team and how the university handled them.

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Beth Wood’s office to ALE cease-and-desist letter: ‘No’

(Raleigh News Observer) Well, she’s thought about it and the answer is – no.

That’s the response from the general counsel for State Auditor Beth Wood in answer to a “cease-and-desist” letter handed Wood on Wednesday as she was about to discuss an Alcohol Law Enforcement report with a legislative committee.

The letter, signed by two attorneys for ALE Director John Ledford, demanded Wood stop disseminating the investigative report, which said Ledford and Deputy Director Allen Page misused their state cars, and that division officials obstructed an auditor’s access to records and personnel. In June, the report was publicly released, as the auditor’s office typically does.

Ledford’s attorneys demanded Wood take the report and accompanying video of her explaining the report down from the state auditor’s web site. They contend libel and slander laws were broken – although the report and video don’t include the ALE officials’ names – and that personnel matters are confidential.

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Chick-fil-A surprises some with gay marriage talk

(Greensboro News Record) Gay rights advocates were surprised Thursday that the president of fast-food chain Chick-fil-A has taken a public position against same-sex marriage.

Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said this week that his privately owned company is “guilty as charged” in support of what he called the biblical definition of the family unit.

The Atlanta-based chain opened its first location in a Georgia mall in 1967 and has grown to more than 1,615 restaurants in 39 states and Washington, D.C., with annual sales more than $4.1 billion, according to its website.

“We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that,” Cathy told the Baptist Press, the news agency of the Southern Baptist Convention.

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Johnson: Duke Energy wanted out of merger

(Raleigh News Observer) Ousted utility chief Bill Johnson and former Progress Energy board members urged state regulators Thursday not to rescind the merger between Progress and Duke Energy during an all-day public hearing in Raleigh that painted dramatic scenes of the days leading up to Johnson’s abrupt dismissal.

Members of the N.C. Utilities Commission repeatedly asked whether the premise of the $32 billion merger – that it will benefit the public – is still valid in the wake of Duke’s merger doubts and Johnson’s firing. Time and again Johnson, and the board members who supported him, assured regulators that despite the CEO shakeup the merger will deliver substantial public benefits.

Johnson chronicled mounting tensions between executives and managers at both power companies over the merger’s costs. Those costs, Johnson said, prompted Duke officials to badmouth the deal to journalists and Wall Street analysts.

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Durham Considers Cracking Down on Food Trucks

(Carolina Journal) The friendliest city to food trucks in North Carolina may kick food trucks off its streets, or at least streets where there are restaurants nearby.

For the last several years, Durham has fostered one of the most popular “street food” scenes in the country. The roughly 40 food trucks that roam Durham’s commercial areas and neighborhoods have appeared on reality TV shows and contributed to the city’s reputation as a national food destination.

Despite — or perhaps because of — the food trucks’ success, city planners have proposed banning trucks within 100 feet of restaurants, and 300 feet of special events including Durham’s weekly farmers’ market, which has become a hot spot for food trucks. Taking up more than one parking space also could become illegal, even if trucks paid for both spaces.

Food truck fans packed into city hall July 9 for a public hearing on the matter. Dozens of people spoke passionately in support of food trucks, and no one offered comments against them.

Nick Johnson of The Cookery — a commissary where many of Durham’s food trucks prepare their food — said creating buffer zones around restaurants would blur the line between public and private property.

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Ohio father denies Make-A-Wish Disney trip for daughter

(MSNBC) A 4-year-old girl who went through two years of cancer treatments isn’t being allowed to go on a Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World because her father said she’s in remission and the trips should go to children who are sicker than his daughter.

The young girl, McKenna May of Haskins, had the trip postponed twice while was undergoing treatment for leukemia and finally was set to go in August when the father refused to sign off on the trip, the girl’s mother and grandmother said Thursday.

The family said Make-A-Wish requires signatures from both parents if either have visitation rights or is listed on the birth certificate. McKenna’s parents never married or lived together. Her grandmother said the father only recently received visitation privileges.

McKenna’s mother and grandmother are now collecting donations at local businesses to pay for the trip to Disney on their own. Money has poured in since their story spread beyond northwest Ohio. They haven’t told McKenna why the Make-A-Wish trip was canceled.

“We’ve told her we’re still going to Disney, just not when she thought it was happening,” said her grandmother, Lori Helppie. “We don’t want her judge her father.”

Her father, William May of Toledo, said donations made to the organization should help those who are terminally ill.

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Binge drinking increases risk of cognitive decline

(USA Today) Moderate drinking and binge drinking among older people increase the risk for cognitive decline and memory loss, according to two studies presented today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver, Canada.

Adults ages 65 and older who reported binge drinking at least twice a month were 2½ times more likely to suffer cognitive and memory declines than similar-aged adults who don’t binge-drink. In this study, binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks on one occasion.

“It’s not just how much you drink but the pattern of your drinking,” says lead author Iain Lang of the University of Exeter in England. “Older people need to be aware, if they do binge-drink, of the risks and they should change their behaviors.”

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Sex scandal casts a pall over Lackland AFB

(USA Today) Those are some of the emotions roiling this sprawling base in San Antonio in the wake of the biggest U.S. military sex scandal in years. Investigators are looking into allegations of sexual assault by at least a dozen training instructors, six of whom have been charged.

So far, 31 women have come forward with claims ranging from inappropriate Facebook posts to dorm room rapes, and 35 instructors have been removed from their posts pending investigations.

More than 70 members of Congress have signed a letter calling for a House hearing on the allegations, and the Air Force has dispatched a two-star general to lead an inquiry in addition to the criminal investigations.

“There has never been a case like this before on this base,” says Collen McGee, a spokeswoman with the 37th Training Wing, tasked with training recruits.

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USDA partnering with Mexico to boost food stamp participation

(The Daily Caller) he Mexican government has been working with the United States Department of Agriculture to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps.

USDA has an agreement with Mexico to promote American food assistance programs, including food stamps, among Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals and migrant communities in America.

“USDA and the government of Mexico have entered into a partnership to help educate eligible Mexican nationals living in the United States about available nutrition assistance,” the USDA explains in a brief paragraph on their “Reaching Low-Income Hispanics With Nutrition Assistance” web page. “Mexico will help disseminate this information through its embassy and network of approximately 50 consular offices.”

The partnership — which was signed by former USDA Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista in 2004

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N.C. Film Incentives Help Government-Favored Groups, Keep Taxes Higher For Others

(Carolina Journal) Less than a month after North Carolina legislators approved more money for the state’s film tax incentives program, a new John Locke Foundation Spotlight Report pans film incentives as a clear example of cronyism.

“The problem with these incentives is that the lower tax burden on film productions comes with the consequence of keeping tax burdens high on nonfavored businesses and industries,’” said report author Jon Sanders, JLF Director of Regulatory Studies. “When government chooses one industry or business for special deals and breaks, there’s a good chance that cronyism is at work.”

While detailing problems linked to film incentives, Sanders devotes another newly released Policy Report to the general problem of cronyism. Together, the two reports launch a new multipart series titled “Carolina Cronyism.”

“Cronyism is an umbrella term covering a host of government activities by which an industry or even a single firm or speculator is given favors and support they could not attain in market competition,” Sanders explained. “Examples include regulations that help favored businesses, laws that restrict new competitors from entering a market, government-sponsored cartels and monopolies, mandates requiring consumers to buy government-favored products, and tax breaks targeting specific businesses.”

State lawmakers added $60 million for film incentives in the final days of this year’s legislative session. Sanders’ report focuses on film incentives’ basic flaws.

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