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Council President Herb Wesson and Officer Brigette Peterson celebrate new Benny Potter Park improvements in the West Adams community.
Considering the rising rates of obesity and diabetes in the community, it is good to see community residents exercising and eagerly utilizing the new recreation and fitness assets at the Benny H. Potter West Adams Avenues Memorial Park and Annex in the West Adams community.
These improvements reflected the efforts of City Council President Herb Wesson who was joined recently by residents and city officials in celebrating the new park improvements.
The improvements include new walkways, a new universally accessible fitness equipment, new picnic tables and a metal picnic shelter, barbeques, drinking fountains, solar-powered security lighting, concrete paving, and decomposed granite paving. New trees and landscaping have been planted, and there is a new state-of-the-art smart irrigation system for the park.
The design encourages and stimulates interactive play for children of all abilities as well as provides a safe environment for families to enjoy.
"Revitalizing this park has been an important priority," said Wesson, who has provided leadership in creating park improvements throughout the 10th Council District. "We want our residents to live healthy lives, and in order to do so they need a quality environment in which to do so. We also know that revitalizing this park is one of the ways we can revitalize the West Adams community."
Joining Wesson at the celebration were City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, Ramon Barajas, Department of Recreation and Parks, Donna Jones, West Adams Avenues Block Club, Stevie Stearns, United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council, and Melissa Zak, Southwest LAPD.
The $580,000 project was funded by California Propositions 12 and 40 and the Capital Improvement Expenditure Program. The new additions were designed by the City's Bureau of Engineering and Shane's Inspiration, the general contractor for the project was Horizon Construction.


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I believe this statement is not only false, but extremely so. In fact, I do not think you could turn up any mainstream American Zen teacher who teaches nothing beyond sitting Zazen, and the overwhelming majority emphasize to their students the Precepts and Right Action, including "not misusing sexuality" as central to this Way.Astus wrote:Agreed. However, to avoid future incidents, studying the actual teachings of the Buddha and the masters should be emphasised. It is really saddening that only a handful of Zen teachers tell people more than how to put their buttocks on the cushion.dzogchungpa wrote:I can certainly agree with that. I guess 'guilty' just sounded somewhat harsh to my ear. However, I do feel that Sasaki's fault is really of a different order of magnitude than that of the women he abused.
In fact, As far as I know, we have only a handful of teachers on the Soto side - Richard Baker, Maezumi, Genpo, and Katagiri - who engaged in troublesome consensual sex with their students. On the Rinzai side we have Shimano and Sasaki, accused of engaging in both consensual and non-consensual sex with their students. From the Kwan Um school we have Sueng Sahn having consensual sex with his students.From these, most of the cases (such as Baker, Maezumi and Katagiri) seem to have involved one time or infrequent transgressions possibly amounting to little more than love affairs. Only two of the cases (Sasaki and Shimano) seemed to have involved true, long term sexual abuse, assault and harrassment.
I may be missing out pm some zen sex scandals here, but that's 7 teachers over the course of some 50 years, only 2 of whom are accused of truly reprehensible activity. Given that there are over a hundred zen teachers in the U.S. alone today registered with the AZTA, plus many more authorized Zen teachers in America who are not so registered, with no legacy of abuse, that hardly seems like a ratio to condemn the practice as a complete moral and spiritual failure. Quite the contrary. In any group of Christian ministers, Jewish Rabbis, College Professors, medical doctors or the like, there will always be bad apples. A ratio of 2 or 10 among 200 does not indicate a serious ethical lapse.
As has been pointed out by commentators, these stories tend to gather media attention like a plane crash, which causes us to ignore the hundreds of thousands of safe landing each year which garner no attention because they were safe. Although even one air disaster or one student harmed by a bad Roshi is tragedy to be avoided, this can give the misleading impression of a problem with air travel or Buddhist ethics when, in fact, the problems are few and far between. Of course, we must stay on our toes to prevent even one crash, but still the numbers don't lie about overall safety.
Nor is this type of scandal limited to Zen teachers, nor to America. Buddhists priests of all kinds have engaged in like conduct. For example:
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011 ... ul-numrichThe meeting took place at Wat Dhammaram, a cavernous Theravada Buddhist temple on the southwest edge of Chicago. A tearful 12-year-old told three monks how another monk had turned off the lights during a tutoring session, lifted her shirt and kissed and fondled her breasts while pressing against her, according to a lawsuit.
Of course, Kalu Rinpoche's talks of child and sexual abuse in Tibetan monasterie:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... u-rinpoche
Other equally RARE cases are reported elsewhere, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Thailand.
Do these largely rare cases among a handful of Buddhist monks mean that there is some systemic problem with ethics in Theradan, Tibetan, Taiwanese and other Buddhism? Of course not, and at least, no more than it would mean so in the American Zen world or Japanese Buddhism in general.

subset: commoncrawl


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Taishan Dong, the 6-foot-11 Chinese boxer nicknamed "The Great Wall," won his professional debut against heavyweight Andy Rozman by TKO on Friday night at the Longshoremen's Hall on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.
Dong towered over Rozman (2-7, 1 KO) and earned the technical knockout at 1:58 in the second round. Rozman was knocked down once in the first round and twice in the second round.


text: Any type of surgery can affect your sexuality and sex life, even if it doesn't involve the sexual areas of your body. But surgery that directly affects these areas may cause quite noticeable changes. Your surgeon and specialist nurse will talk to you about the surgery and how it might affect you.


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In the News
Original journalism from the Center's OpenSecrets News
Trump's state in the eye of the Union
January 30, 2018 | What's to come in President Trump's first State of Union? Expect the phrase "America First." The name Gorsuch. And something will be "great."
Trucking, railroad industries wrestle with each other as technology bears down on both
May 17, 2017 | Uber service for pallets of lumber, crates of fruit and boxes of bolts? Last week, the company's embattled CEO Travis Kalanick tweeted an image of an "Uber Freight" truck, a product of the company's still-gestating foray into the trucking industry. Amazon, reportedly, is also working on an app that will connect truckers and shippers —…
Trump's "beachhead" teams host dozens of former lobbyists
March 24, 2017 | Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has been mired in questions about his investments in the healthcare industry. As it turns out, some of the people helping him get grounded at the department are also prompting questions about their ties with the industry. Lance Leggitt, a lobbyist at Baker Donelson since 2006, was named…
Puzder out, Acosta in. Here's who cares most about labor.
February 16, 2017 | President Donald Trump announced Alexander Acosta, the dean of Florida International University College of Law, as his new pick to head the Department of Labor on Thursday. Despite backing from top industry trade groups, Puzder withdrew his nomination Wednesday after it became clear he didn't have enough GOP support in the Senate. Republicans began breaking away…
Donald Trump's fractional fundraising
September 29, 2016 | Donald Trump and Mitt Romney may not have much in common, and the 2012 GOP presidential nominee has made no bones about his visceral dislike of the pugilistic businessman who is carrying his party's banner this time around. When it comes to campaign fundraising, though, there's a lot of overlap in their pools of donors.…
And the good times rolled: 17 donors gave three-quarters of Dems' convention money
September 28, 2016 | Talk about disproportional giving: The group organizing the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this year raised almost three-fourths of its donations from only 17 sources. The Dems' host committee raised $69.7 million, with $51.2 million of that coming in from contributions, grants, or in-kind donations worth $1 million or more each. That includes a $10…
Labor's Few GOP Friends Vote With Dems on NLRB Rules
April 3, 2015 | A Republican effort to squash a National Labor Relations Board rule that would streamline the union election process was rejected by President Obama this week — becoming his fourth veto while in office. Democrats have historic connections to unions and their political contributions. But so do a few Republicans, including those who dissented from their…
Sharing is Caring: Uber, Airbnb, Lyft Invest in Washington
October 1, 2014 | You know an industry has come of age when it starts investing in Washington. And so it goes with companies involved in the "sharing economy," which have begun attempting to influence policies impacting their business models. Some outfits in this category are local, like those that provide bike-sharing services. Others, such as Uber, Lyft and…
John Tierney Keeping it Close — Again — in Mass.
September 8, 2014 | Rep. John Tierney of Massachusetts once again is expected to face a struggle on Nov. 4 in his bid to return to the Capitol — that is, if he even makes it to that ballot. First, he has to wrangle the Democratic nomination from a tough challenger in Tuesday's primary: former Marine Seth Moulton. In some ways, this…
Trucking Industry Fights New Safety Rules
June 21, 2013 | The trucking industry, longtime investors in members of key congressional panels, has enlisted their help in delaying new driver safety rules.
Lautenberg Dies After Three Decades in the Senate
June 3, 2013 | Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) died Monday morning due to complications resulting from viral pneumonia. A longtime member of Congress, Lautenberg served in the Senate for 30 years, from 1983-2001 and then from 2003 until his death. Lautenberg raised a total of $21.8 million for his campaigns since 1989.
Lobbyists 2012: Out of the Game or Under the Radar?
March 20, 2013 | Spending on lobbying as well as the number of active lobbyists was down in 2012. But nearly half of lobbyists who were active in 2011 but reported no lobbying in 2012 continued to work for the same employers -- suggesting that many have simply avoided the reporting limits while still contributing to lobbying efforts.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 30: Federal Unions Growing, Hillary's Biggest Fan, and Samsung Opens DC Lobbying Office
January 30, 2013 | Public employee unions continue growing, and so (for the most part) does the amount they spend to lobby Washington. Also, one university professor has started two pro-Hillary super PACs.
Retired Lawmaker Moves on to Lobbying, Running a PAC
January 10, 2013 | Now that Rep. Steve LaTourette has retired after 18 years in Congress, he's moving through the revolving door to open a government affairs branch for a business-oriented law firm. He'll also run a PAC that favors moderate Republicans, and plans to start a super PAC affiliate.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 16: Whistleblowers, A Familiar Name in New Lobbying Registration Forms, and More
November 16, 2012 | Whistleblower protections eaten away by the courts are back -- and yes, there was lobbying on the bill. Meanwhile, the Torch is back, showing up on federal lobbying registration forms for the first time.
Capital Eye Opener, August 1: Obama Chips In, Moderate GOP Rep. Throws in the Towel and Indiana's K Street Ties
August 1, 2012 | President Obama anted up for his own re-election bid, something he didn't do in 2008. If he wins, he may have to deal with even more gridlock on Capitol Hill now that one of the last Republican moderates, Rep. Steve LaTourette, is exiting. And a Washington lobbying firm is the home of a pro-Bahrain group that took GOP Rep. Dan Burton to that country, and the firm has other interesting ties to the Hoosier State.
The Airline Safety Influence Game
March 29, 2012 | The story of a JetBlue pilot who may have had a mental breakdown on a flight to Las Vegas earlier this week ended without physical harm when fellow crew members and passengers stepped in, but it highlighted questions about air safety: How closely are pilots monitored? Who decides when it's safe for them to fly? And how much do the airlines spend lobbying on issues like this?
A Great Lakes State Debate, Lobbyists Host Patty Murray's Staff and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 10
November 10, 2011 | Southeastern Michigan was the setting for the latest GOP presidential debate Wednesday night. The state's significance as the symbolic center of the American auto industry and as an epicenter of a sluggish economic recovery were lost on no one, as the candidates debated bailouts to American car manufacturers and the economy at length.
Labor Unions' Big Win in Ohio, Google's DC Head Retires And More in Capital Eye Opener: November 9
November 9, 2011 | Voters in Ohio last night went to the polls and enacted a referendum to repeal a law that restricted the collective bargaining rights of many of the state's public sector employees. Many of the biggest public sector unions spent heavily in Ohio to influence turnout. And they also spend plenty of dollars on influence in Washington, D.C.
Third-Quarter Lobbying Reports Reveal Who's Up and Who's Down
November 2, 2011 | Lobbying expenditures fell during the third quarter of 2011 for many of the country's most prominent companies, especially those in the energy and natural resource sector, according to a preliminary analysis of about 90 percent of all third-quarter lobbying reports by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Labor Lobbying, Union PAC Contributions and More in Capital Eye Opener: Sept. 5
September 5, 2011 | It's Labor Day, and to commemorate, OpenSecrets Blog is offering a look at how labor unions spend money to gets things done politically.
Transportation Industry Players See Lobbying Boom
July 26, 2011 | Companies and unions in the transportation sector are pumping up their lobbying efforts to match or surpass their expenditures from 2009 when a federal bailout helped some of them stay afloat, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of recently filed second-quarter lobbying reports.
FDA Introduces New Cigarette Warning Labels, NRCC Out-Raises DCCC and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 22
June 22, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Big Special Election Ad Buys, Facebook Seeks Disclosure Exemption and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 11
May 11, 2011 | With a competitive three-way special election just two weeks away in the New York 26th Congressional District, the big-spending conservative super PAC American Crossroads is stepping into the action. And the group's move prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to make a big media buy of its own, too.
Corporate Donors Dole Out Hefty Sums to Democratic, GOP Governors Associations
April 29, 2011 | Unlike political committees or candidates for federal office, the Democratic Governors Association and Republican Governors Association both may receive unlimited amounts of money in their bids to support gubernatorial candidates across the nation. And raise cash they did.
Aviation Unions, Air Transport Industry Lobbying Cruising at High Altitude as Federal Legislation Looms
April 18, 2011 | Air transportation industry, unions spending serious cash to influence trajectory of federal aviation legislation.
Business Targets Campaigns of Key Committee Members
April 13, 2011 | It's no secret that corporations and special interest groups that dominate lobbying in the nation's capital routinely shower campaign cash on congressional committees directly affecting affect their business interests. But a study by the Center for Responsive Politics and The Fiscal Times found that special interests routinely target members of Congress who can do them the most good.
Lobbyists Aggressively Targeted Democrats' Top Priorities During Barack Obama's First Two Years
March 10, 2011 | One out of every four groups that lobbied on any issue at the federal level during 2009 or 2010 targeted their efforts on health care reform, financial regulatory reform, the stimulus and cap-and-trade climate proposals, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.
What Unites Pete King and Keith Ellison, D.C. Spy Games and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 7
March 7, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Karl Rove's Comeback, 'Most Transparent' Congressman and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 1
March 1, 2011 | Karl Rove was once known by his boss, President George W. Bush, as Turd Blossom, but can his new nickname be the Comeback Kid? An article in New York Magazine explains that after numerous political setbacks, scandal and an ideologically divided party the former senior adviser to Bush "has a new lease on life" mainly in due to his political committees' fund-raising and electoral success.
Federal Lobbying Expenditures Plateau After Years of Rapid Growth
February 4, 2011 | The nation's financial malaise is finally catching up to K Street, where federal lobbying activity plateaued for the first time in a decade, the Center for Responsive Politics' research indicates. After a record $3.49 billion in lobbying spending in 2009, lobbying expenditures in 2010 by corporations, unions, trade associations, universities and other organizations will, at most, eclipse that amount by the narrowest of margins.
Who's Backing the New Top Blue Dogs' Bark, Bite?
November 22, 2010 | The Blue Dogs have elevated Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), John Barrow (D-Ga.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.) as their new leaders. Which donors and special interests have these men relied upon to fill their war chests?
Which Industries Won and Lost in Election 2010?
November 10, 2010 | Imagine that every member of Congress represents the industry or special interests that have contributed the most to his or her campaign coffers. Which industries and special interests, then, lost or won seats in Congress during the 2010 midterm election?
Democrats and Republicans Sharing Big-Dollar Donors, DCCC's Million-Dollar Pay-Off and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 10
November 10, 2010 | The Democratic Governors Association and Republican Governors Association share 48 top donors, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of the group's top 100 non-individual donors indicates...
Bad News for Incumbents, Self-Financing Candidates in Most Expensive Midterm Election in U.S. History
November 4, 2010 | The priciest midterm election in U.S. history saw a Republican tide sweep numerous Democrats out of office, as voters anxious about the state of the economy ousted more House incumbents from office than any time since 1948. While several money-in-politics axioms held true, money was not a panacea for embattled politicians.
Unions Bolstering Political Influence with Outside Spending
November 2, 2010 | In the final week before Election Day, several high profile labor unions spent hundreds of thousands -- or even upward of a million dollars -- in last-minute outside spending on congressional elections across the country, adding to unions' varied political activity this election cycle, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal filings.
GM Revs Political Engine, AFL-CIO in Your Mailbox and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 28
September 28, 2010 | It's been about two years since the federal government came to the rescue of General Motors with a $8.1 billion congressionally-approved (and taxpayer-fronted) bailout fund. And now that the auto giant has returned to profitability, some members of Congress are seeing their vote pay political dividends....
Congressmen's Taxpayer-Funded Vehicles Reveal Hodgepodge of Fuel Efficiency, Government Transparency
August 24, 2010 | Congressional members' vehicles are hardly created equal when it comes to how much you, as a taxpayer, are subsidizing them. What's equally unequal: How much information members of the U.S. House of Representatives are willing to reveal about the wheels you're providing them.
Democrat David Obey, Chair of Powerful House Appropriations Committee, To Retire at End of Term
May 5, 2010 | The loss of Obey, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is a blow to Democrats in a year when anti-incumbent sentiment seems to be on the rise. The Appropriations chairmanship is one of the most powerful positions in Congress, and Obey's retirement may kick off a fierce fight between potential successors.
Hordes of Hired Guns Earned About $19 Million Per Day As Lobbying Soared to Nearly $1 Billion in First Quarter
April 29, 2010 | Hoards of hired K Street guns are in high demand as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seek to implement grand legislative plans. And a Center for Responsive Politics review of recently filed lobbying reports indicates companies, trade associations, unions and other groups spent nearly $1 billion on lobbying during the first three months of 2010.
Lobbyists Earn $1.3 Million Per Hour As Lawmakers Log Long Days
February 16, 2010 | Federal lobbying soared to a record $3.5 billion last year, as lawmakers clocked long hours and worked at a pace to be, in the opinion of one congressional scholar, the most productive Congress in decades. This translates to approximately $1.3 million spent on lobbying for every hour that Congress was in session in 2009, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
OpenSecrets.org Offers 2010 Legislative Preview Ahead of Barack Obama's State of the Union Address
January 27, 2010 | The past year proved to be a legislative whirlwind in Washington, with a new administration, and expanded Democratic majorities in Congress, tackling an ambitious legislative agenda against the backdrop of two wars and an economic meltdown. Twelve months later, the story is much the same.
'Round and 'Round They Go: Lawmakers Leave Congress for Lobbying Posts
October 29, 2009 | At least 44 lawmakers have left their congressional seats mid-term since 1990, and at least 16 of them went on to work at lobbying firms or at companies that hired lobbyists, CRP has found. Here, we take a closer look at a few of these individuals, examining which industries and clients they're now representing and the campaign cash they received while in Congress.
Supreme Court Poised to Overhaul Parts of Campaign Finance System
September 9, 2009 | If the Supreme Court is currently the dam blocking the flow of unlimited corporate funds used for political expenditures, today's re-hearing of the campaign finance case Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission indicated that the justices may be poised to put at least a few holes in that barricade.
Potential Ted Kennedy Replacements Bring New Mix of Special Interest Support
September 2, 2009 | The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has left Democratic lawmakers scrambling to fill his seat in the midst of intense debate over one of Kennedy's highest legislative priorities -- health care reform. We thought we'd take a look at some of the possible candidates and how their fundraising compares to that of the late senator.
Liberal PACs Trouncing Conservative Counterparts in Political Donation Race
August 20, 2009 | It's a glorious time to be a Democrat if you're hoping for some serious advocacy action from the nation's monied liberal establishments. Through the first half of 2009, left-leaning political action committees have obliterated their right-leaning competition in spending, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign finance data indicates.
Rep. William Jefferson, convicted of corruption, received handsome donations from legal community
August 6, 2009 | Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) is now an infamous scofflaw who now faces decades in prison after a federal jury Wednesday convicted him of 11 counts of racketeering, solicitation of bribery and money laundering. An ironic footnote: Lawyers and law firms are by far Jefferson's largest campaign donors during his now ruined congressional career, which began in 1990 when he became Louisiana's first elected black congressman since Reconstruction, and ended in December when the embattled politico lost reelection.
Power Players: Natural Resources Committee Chair Mines Support from Homestate Industry
March 5, 2009 | At 27, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.V.) was the youngest member of the first Congress he served in, landing spots on the Interior and Public Works committees in his first term in 1976. Now, as chair of the House Natural Resources Committee (formerly the Interior Committee) and the No. 2 Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (formerly Public Works), he's got the support of transportation unions, the mining industry and oil and gas companies.
Special Interests to Listen Carefully to Obama's Address
February 24, 2009 | When President Obama addresses the nation tonight in a State of the Union fashion, it won't just be Congress and members of the public tuning in. Special interests, too, will be paying close attention to what the president has to say about upcoming plans that could affect them. Capital Eye takes a look at the key issues Obama is likely to discuss--and the industries, sectors and groups that will be listening closely to his message.
2009 Legislative Preview
January 15, 2009 | Within the next few months, it will become increasingly clear how the federal government intends to tackle pressing issues, including the economy, health care reform and curbing global warming. Those efforts, led by a Democratic president and an expanded Democratic majority in Congress, might look drastically different from those of the last eight years under Republican President Bush. What won't change, however, are the attempts by special interests to influence legislation. Capital Eye looks at which industries are spending money to shape the economic stimulus, health care reform, energy policy and labor laws.
Nominated for Transportation Secretary, Republican LaHood Got Rare Support from Unions
December 18, 2008 | The first registered Republican to be appointed to Barack Obama's Cabinet holds another distinction-he is one of few GOP lawmakers whose campaigns have relied, in part, on transportation unions, a Democratic-leaning industry.
Outsourcing the Income
December 6, 2007 | As individuals are pushed to replace soft money, professional fundraisers profit.
Power Play Series: Energy & Coal Mining
June 21, 2007 | The industry tries to convince policymakers that coal can be clean.
Under the Radar
April 12, 2007 | Loopholes in disclosure rules have allowed at least $223 million in "stealth" lobbying to remain a mystery, Center finds.
New Web Tools Track Congressional Finances and Travel
October 10, 2006 | Easy-to-search databases add to free offerings of award-winning OpenSecrets.org ____________________ The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics has added two new features to its award-winning money-in-politics Web site, OpenSecrets.org. One database details more than $2.4 billion in assets reported by members of Congress, the president and other top federal officials, making their personal financial disclosures fully…
Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics. For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: email@example.com


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WIU Home > COEHS > CPEP > Certification
Individuals who have already earned a bachelor's degree and are interested in seeking an initial licensure in Illinois, or individuals who already hold a valid Illinois license and seek to add additional endorsements to the existing license, may apply for an evaluation through the WIU Licensure Office.
The Licensure Officer will evaluate the transcripts to provide of list of courses necessary to complete the desired program of study. Course work and/or field experiences may be completed at either the undergraduate or graduate level, depending on the program sought.
Individuals seeking this evaluation should contact the Licensure Office (309) 298-1434 .


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LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Purdue University student accused in the shooting of a fellow student in a classroom was formally charged with murder on Thursday.
The Tippecanoe County prosecutor's office filed the charge against Cody Cousins, 23, shortly before a scheduled initial court hearing.
The court documents say 21-year-old Andrew Boldt of West Bend, Wis., suffered both gunshot and knife wounds when he was fatally attacked shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in Purdue's Electrical Engineering Building.
The charging document says several other people were in the classroom and witnessed the attack, but it doesn't give a possible motive.
Police say when an officer arrived, he spotted Cousins sitting on the ground outside the building with his hands behind his head. The officer said Cousins, who has addresses in Warsaw, Ind., and Centerville, Ohio, had blood on his hands and clothes.
Cousins was arrested without incident.
Officers found a knife and handgun on the ground, along with some spent shell casings. Police said there were bloody footprints on the floor outside the room where the shooting took place.
Police have said Cousins targeted Boldt, but haven't disclosed why or how the two might have known each other. Both Cousins and Boldt were seniors, and police identified Boldt as a teaching assistant. Documents posted on the engineering school's website also listed Cousins as a teaching assistant.
Boldt's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in his hometown of West Bend, Wis. The visitation will be Tuesday afternoon at Saint Frances Cabrini Church, followed by a funeral Mass that night. Friends from Purdue, as well as his former classmates from Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, are invited to attend, as are members of the local community.
Pastor Nathan Reesman says Boldt's family members continue to request that their privacy be respected. He also asks that media not attend the visitation and funeral.


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News out of Ferguson, Mo., has been devastating.
After unarmed teenager Michael Brown was killed by a police officer, local police responded to the community's demonstration of outrage with unprecedented force, using military-style weaponry to suppress peaceful protests, arrest black elected officials and detain journalists.
And Brown's death seems to have unearthed a history of disregard for the rights of black residents.
There is outrage across the country because Ferguson officials have not behaved as though the black citizens of this majority-black town have the same rights as all other Americans. Reporters keep saying that these images do not look like America,...


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I sat in on an organizational meeting of the U.S. Rice Producers Association, so I know some of its background. The USRPA folks thought they were being sand-bagged by the USA Rice Federation, which was formed in 1996 by the U.S. Rice Producers Group, the Rice Council and the Rice Millers Association.
The USRPA objected to rice cooperatives holding producer seats on the USA RICE board of directors because the breakaway group felt the co-ops were actually rice millers in producers' clothing.
In recent months, relations have begun to thaw. Stuart Proctor, the then-new president and CEO of USA Rice, first talked about bringing the two groups back together in articles in Delta Farm Press last fall.
In a recent conversation, Proctor talked about meeting with a former colleague in USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service shortly before he took the USA Rice position. "He told me that foreign buyers don't understand why there are two groups representing rice farmers," Proctor said. "They see it as brother against brother. When he said having two groups was hurting the U.S. rice industry, I knew something had to be done."
More recently, Delta Council leaders have they wanted to work to unite the groups. Whether that would be under the umbrella of the USA Rice Federation remains to be seen.
Speaking at a USA Rice Conference in Washington Feb. 3, Berry said rice farmers are fighting an uphill battle politically while two groups represent them. "It's almost impossible to accomplish anything if you don't have the industry pulling together," he said. "Let me encourage you to do whatever you must to get everyone on the same page."
Later, House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte told the group he opposed the Cochran disaster assistance bill because it doesn't "provide enough assistance to those who really need it."
Those remarks were another indication of how many in Congress have been blinded by press accounts of the severe drought in the upper Midwest to the dire conditions faced by southern farmers from a multitude of weather problems.
At press time, Sen. Thad Cochran was trying to work out an agreement to keep "all the disaster money from moving north," as someone put it. But he, too, faces an uphill battle because of yet another example of ag interests failing to work together for all of agriculture.
Footnote: The Bush administration wasn't helping with its flip-flop from Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman's endorsement of the Cochran legislation to Budget Director Mitch Daniels' demands that any disaster funding come out of the 2002 farm bill.
Given the rising sentiments for war in Iraq and new forecasts of triple-digit budget deficits, it looks like farmers once again may be made to pay for the foreign policy mistakes of their government.


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It's been a while since movie fans encountered such a stacked week for releases. Several Best Picture nominees are in the pile, as well as some favorites from directors Peter Jackson and Judd Apatow. Read on to learn about some of this week's best releases, and maybe even a few that slipped under your radar.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had a deck stacked in its favor even before it was created, with hordes of built-in fans, the return of Peter Jackson as director, and a gorgeous setting and world to build off of, thanks to the success of The Lord of the Rings franchise. Due to one book being split into three parts, all of that may have been for naught had An Unexpected Journey failed to craft a satisfying story that ended on a note looking to the future of the trilogy. Luckily, in the trustworthy, wizardy hands of Jackson, fans had little to worry about.
The Hobbit, like LOTR, follows a journey in Middle-earth, this time centering on hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and a crew of 13 rambunctious dwarves journeying to reclaim the dwarves' former lair. Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf and other familiar characters still populate the world of Middle-earth, but in many ways, fans get the opportunity to focus on other creature communities in the world, while still getting a bumbling and curmudgeonly but ultimately likeable hero of a hobbit. An Unexpected Journey doesn't have the same pace or urgency as its Jackson predecessors, but it very much finds its own fit and stands firmly on its own two feet.
Best Special Feature: While I was a little disappointed by the lack of audio commentary (extended edition, maybe?), there are still hours of bonus features on the disc, even if the extras look pretty sparse, below. The bulk of these are the ten video blogs available with the Blu-ray release. Each of these can be accessed individually, or with a "play all" option, and they cover topics as diverse as shooting favorite scenes, creating a film in 3D, working in post production, shooting on location, and the world premiere of the film.
If we're going to get nitpicky, I particularly enjoyed Video Blog #3, otherwise known as "Shooting Block One." While people invested with the film are involved with each of the video blogs, this one was particularly appealing because it focused on some of the actors' favorite moments and what they thought about each of their characters. Additionally, one of the nicest things about the bonus features on this disc is that they are also shot in HD, which is a nice change-up from the home video footage shot for LOTR. The nicer footage also gives fans a chance to see how glorious the landscapes the cast and crew were able to shoot in throughout New Zealand truly are.
Other Special Features:
"New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth"
Theatrical Trailers
Game Trailers


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Blackhawks' Bolland, Eager out Thursday at Red Wings
The Blackhawks practiced Wednesday morning before boarding their charter flight to Detroit where they'll face the Red Wings on Thursday night.
The Hawks will be short-handed against the Wings, as Dave Bolland (back) and Ben Eager (upper body) will miss the game. Troy Brouwer (lower body) will be a gametime decision. The trio missed practice for the second consecutive day and afterward coach Joel Quenneville said Bolland could return for Saturday's home opener against the Colorado Avalanche while Eager may be sidelined for a while.
"Ben is going to get further testing here," Quenneville said. "We're checking things out here and we'll see how it progresses after today. We'll know more when we get back from Detroit.
"Bolland, we're going to be shooting for Saturday for him. Hopefully a couple of more days of rest in here will get him ready. We want to make sure it's not [lingering] and give him a little time to make sure he's ready to go.
"Hopefully Brouwer can play [Thursday] night."
"We'll have to rearrange some lines a little bit," Quenneville added. "We had a lot of offense in the first games but with Detroit, checking is always a focus for our team and we'll try and establish a strong checking game. At the same time, we feel we have enough offense with our guys.
Quenneville said "we might have to play a couple of guys up front" because of the injuries, and that would likely mean defenseman Aaron Johnson would shift to forward and possibly Jordan Hendry as well.
These were the lines during Wednesday's practice:
ONE-TIMERS: The Hawks spent part of Wednesday's practice working on the power play. ... Several Hawks players, including Johnson, Brian Campbell, Patrick Sharp, Cam Barker, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Adam Burish, attended the Chicago screening of the movie "Couples Retreat" and hung out with star Vince Vaughn on Tuesday night. ... Bulls season must be approaching as workers were touching up the Michael Jordan statue outside the United Center.


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Report shows persistence of TV violence
NEW YORK (AP) — Violence has shown no signs of disappearing from prime-time television.
A study of nearly 400 prime-time scripted programs finds that even in the sensitive period directly following the Connecticut school shooting, there were plenty of shootings, stabbings and beat-downs on TV. Violence was seen in nearly half of the shows.
The portrayals of violence cited by the Parents Television Council also include the cartoonish -- such as Homer strangling Bart for mouthing off on "The Simpsons."
Others examples cited by the council between Jan. 11 and Feb. 11 are much more gory.
The parents' group says it found not only an increase in gore from other studies it has conducted over 18 years, but a greater specificity and darkness to the violence.
Broadcast networks find themselves competing with cable networks that are able to be more explicit in what they show.
Jim Dyke, executive director of TV Watch, says it's unfair for a group like the PTC to study broadcast violence and not include what's on cable. TV Watch is a Washington-based advocacy group that opposes government involvement in television programming.


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Apple posts dev-only iOS 4.3
Features leak immediately
Apple posted a pre-release version of iOS 4.3 last night. Almost immediately, juicy snippets from the developer-only download have leaked out.
Firstly, and perhaps least surprisingly, the software contains coded references to the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5. Apple has so far refreshed its smartphone every year in June, and it seems unlikely to buck the trend this year. Likewise it is expected to announce a second-generation iPad very soon. Given both products' timelines, it would be odd indeed if iOS 4.3 didn't refer to them.
iPad users - whichever version of the tablet they have - are set to get some extra multi-touch gestures, all primarily geared toward navigating around the tablet. Leaks refer to swiping up to reveal the multi-tasking bar then swiping sideways to switch between apps. Swipe with four or five fingers to access the home screen.
Some of these gestures will clash with those used by apps themselves, which is why Apple is referring to these features as a "preview". Essentially, it's serving notice on developers that it is considering implementing these and that they need to adjust their applications accordingly.
As such, they may not make it to the final release of iOS 4.3. If not, they'll probably comes in iOS 5. Either way, the iOS 4.3 beta includes a switch to turn them on or off.
Useful stuff, these multi-touch additions, but not as handy as the new ability to choose whether the switch on the side of the iPad acts as a screen-rotation lock, as was originally the case, or the volume mute switch introduced with iOS 4.
As forecast, iOS 4.3 will introduce the Personal Hotspot Wi-Fi sharing feature that will debut on the Verizon iPhone 4 next month. There is also a new master switch for Location Services.
Pre-programmed string variables in the Mobile Me settings panel show a new entry: Find My Friends. Undoubtedly, this is a location-based service tied into social media - Apple's version of Google's Latitude.
AirPlay, Apple's media streaming tech, becomes more widely accessible in iOS 4.3. Developers can now support it in their own apps. Games on the iDevice appearing on your HD TV? Potentially, yes. ®


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Police say YouTube videos led them to alleged pot growerBy JAMES A. KIMBLE
Union Leader Correspondent
January 09. 2013 8:20PM
BRENTWOOD -- An Auburn man who allegedly decided to show off his marijuana-growing operation on YouTube attracted one viewer that took a keen interest in his budding hobby - the Rockingham County Sheriff's Drug Task Force.
Kyle Thomas Berry, 40, of 515 Bunker Hill Road was arraigned Wednesday morning in 10th Circuit Court in Auburn for having about 16 marijuana plants at his home. The street value of the plants was estimated at $16,000, deputies said.
Investigators built their case around the 35 YouTube videos in which Berry allegedly narrates the various stages of his grow operation from the basement of his Auburn home.
► Click here to view the videos.
"He was showing off some of his handiwork," Maj. Al Brackett said.
But the video's narrator wasn't just talking about grow cycles, preferred soils and the variety of plants sprouting up under heat lamps and fans.
One video entry titled "Merry Christmas" shows an outdoor campfire in which he wishes everyone happy holidays. Berry also allegedly mentions plans for a "potential summertime grow" on his 7 1/2-acre wooded lot.
In another video, Berry brags about how his U.K.-based seed supplier, Herbies Seeds, "packages things stealthily to avoid detection" by mislabeling the contents, according to Deputy Sgt. Jay Murphy.
"As you can see, it's very secretly stealth," Berry allegedly says on the Oct. 17 video. "They have it down as a video game. Awesome, right?"
But the video also shows the package has Berry's name on it, followed by the narrator opening it to reveal packages of marijuana seeds inside.
A confidential source first tipped off sheriff's detectives about Berry posting his videos under the username "beginnergrowerktb1."
"It appears that Berry is careful not to show his face, but does nothing to disguise his voice," Murphy said in a sworn affidavit about the videos.
Deputies began collecting information about Berry on Dec. 20, including his home address, a booking photo from a November 2010 jail stint and a driver's license photo.
And they kept watching more YouTube videos, Murphy said.
"In a video dated 10/26/12, you can see Berry's face reflecting off the wall as he explains the feeding schedule and chemicals he uses," Murphy said in the affidavit. "Using that video, I have identified Berry by comparing the license photo and jail booking photo I recently received."
Berry was charged Tuesday with illegal manufacture of a controlled drug and possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute.
Deputies executed a search warrant at Berry's home finding the marijuana plants, a pound of loose marijuana and a variety of unknown chemicals that are being tested by the state, court records say.
Investigators with the state forensic laboratory and the Drug Enforcement Administration's Clandestine Laboratory Enforcement Team assisted with the search, Brackett said.
During an interview with investigators, Berry admitted to buying his grow equipment at a store in Manchester and ordering marijuana seeds from Herbies Seeds in the United Kingdom, Murphy said in the affidavit. Berry told investigators he had been growing marijuana for about eight months.
He is being held at the Rockingham County jail on $7,500 cash bail.


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Using her own career as illustration, Acting Director Elaine Kaplan gave career advice for women in the federal government at last week's White House Summit on Women in Leadership.
"Today we recognize that we gain strength from including women fully, at every level of responsibility. Your career path in the Federal government should depend on your ability to do the job, not your gender. You deserve to be held to the same standard as men – and to be paid the same for the work you do."
Elaine Kaplan, Acting Director of OPM, speaks about women in the Senior Executive Service.
USOPM Photo By: Timothy Grant (6/5/2013)


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Basic Urban Beekeeping Certification Workshop
This 12-hour class will cover basic urban beekeeping topics. The textbook, "The Handbook for the Bee Loving Beekeeper" can be purchased from rosedogbooks.com or at the start of class for $19. This book is helpful in following the lectures and for later reference. An exam at the end of the course meets the City of Spokane Ordinance for beekeeping ($10/person for the exam). Registration required at store or online at www.sunpeopledrygoods.com.
- When:
- 6-9 p.m.
- Where:
- Sun People Dry Goods, 32 W. Second Ave.
- City:
- Spokane
- Neighborhood:
- Riverside neighborhood, Downtown
- Cost:
- $30
- Phone:
- (509) 368-9378
- Website:
- http://www.sunpeopledrygoods.com/
- More like this:
- Home/Garden


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You've been through the meticulous details of the program design, custom cocktails, seating card display, and yes, even the ring bearer's pillow. We all know that preparing the ceremony details can often be the most stressful period of planning before the big day, but it doesn't have to be.
Why not start relaxing in full honeymoon style and total bliss on a pre-wedding moon for you or you and your spouse close to home? So, when the anticipated date arrives you'll be relaxed, reset, and most importantly ready for your big debut.
Click through the slideshow for the best domestic destinations for a pre-wedding "earlymoon."


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AG says hired fundraisers' expenses can cut charities' takeBy SHAWNE K. WICKHAM
New Hampshire Sunday News
December 14. 2013 7:53PM
'Tis the season for giving, but authorities are warning folks to make sure they know where their donations are going.
Because if it's a professional fundraiser asking for your money, they say, there's a good chance the solicitor is keeping most of it.
A new state law requires the director of charitable trusts to report the results of fundraising campaigns conducted here by paid solicitors for nonprofits. Sponsored by Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, the law requires the reports to be posted in a "searchable format" on the state website.
The Attorney General's Office recently released the first such report, which details what percentage of donations to nonprofits actually went to the organizations and how much went to salaries and expenses of paid solicitors.
Popular charities
Many familiar names are in the report, from such national groups as Habitat for Humanity, Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International to local police and firefighter organizations. The percentage of proceeds that went to the nonprofits ranged from zero to 100 percent.
Anne Edwards, an associate attorney general who is interim director of charitable trusts, said nonprofits and paid solicitors must register with the state and report both the gross revenues from fundraising campaigns and their associated costs.
"And in many cases, you'll see the total expenses match the gross revenue," she said.
"What we draw from that is that in those campaigns, the fundraiser is really just doing the campaign in order to support its business."
Ask questions
When a fundraiser calls, people need to ask how much of their donation is going to the charity, Edwards said. "People work very hard for the money that they earn, and they really want to make sure that this money goes to the organization and goes to the purpose that they're supporting."
According to the AG's report, Donor Services Group LLC of California conducted a campaign for the Humane Society of the United States from Nov. 1, 2011, to Oct. 31, 2012, raising $1,297,320. It listed its total expenses as $1,313,908, including $605,575 in salaries.
The percentage to the charity: zero.
It was the same for a 2012 campaign for the Natural Resources Defense Council Inc., which raised $348,708. Donor Services Group listed expenses of $408,870, a net loss of $60,166.
And DSG raised $269,221 for the National Parks Conservation Association in 2011-12, but its expenses totaled $290,274, so no money went to the charity, according to the report.
"What they're saying is it cost them $290,000 to raise $269,000," Edwards said. "That doesn't seem like a particularly strong business model."
Despite repeated attempts, Donor Services Group could not be reached for comment last week.On the other hand, a 2012 campaign by 2Listen LLC for Feed The Children raised $22,0887.94, and 100 percent went to the charity, according to the report.
Edwards said some paid solicitors have a threshold: "If we don't raise more than a certain amount of money, we're not going to take our expenses."
She said there are legitimate costs in raising money. "But to have it be 80 percent, 90 percent, 100 percent of the money being raised? It's significant."
Edwards said groups that support veterans, police and firefighters are among those on the list that only get a fraction of the funds raised.
"And we do raise concerns with the local organizations ... that we really think this is using their good name and their good reputation, and it's not for enough of a financial gain for them as a charity to allow their good name to be used."
More to the story
But some local organizations say the numbers don't tell the whole story.
FireCo LLC conducted a campaign for Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire in 2012, raising $343,824.90. It reported expenses of $290,591, including $136,046 in salaries, according to the report.
The PFFNH got $53,233, just 15 percent of revenues.
David Lang is president of PFFNH. "The public wants police officers and firefighters doing their job on the street, not raising money for the good things they do," he said. "In order to do that, you need to hire a professional to do that."
Lang said his organization has had "a 20-year relationship" with Tennessee-based FireCO LLC. The group previously organized "family entertainment" shows, and while expenses were high, the shows were popular with the local community.
Other fundraising campaigns provided fire-prevention coloring books to schoolchildren statewide and purchased carbon monoxide monitors for local fire departments. Those were among the "expenses" of the campaigns, Lang said.
And that's not evident in the AG's report, he said.
Still, Lang said the PFFNH no longer uses a professional fundraiser; he said changes such as the "Do Not Call" list and caller ID have made telemarketing less effective.
Edwards has another concern: "copycat" charities with similar names to well-known, respected groups.
Lang shares Edwards' concerns on that score. He said there are organizations in the report he's never heard of, including the Firefighters Charitable Foundation and the Association for Firefighters and Paramedics.
Enforcement needed
Lang would rather see the AG's Office delve deeper into what some of these "charities" are.
"We need stronger enforcement," he said. "We need a big stick to make sure that the people at their homes are not being taken advantage of."
Another nonprofit that says the AG's report was off the mark is the Appalachian Mountain Club.
The report lists a 2012-13 campaign that raised $172,464. Total expenses were $169,977, and the amount that went to the AMC was $2,486.09 - just 1.44 percent.
Teri Morrow, director of membership for the AMC, said the report is "more than a bit misleading." She said money that came in after the report deadline wasn't included in the total raised.
Morrow also said AMC contracts with Comnet Marketing Group not only for fundraising, but also to conduct membership drives. "We do a lot of talking to former members, asking them to rejoin," she said.
Morrow said using a professional solicitor is more efficient than other means of reaching supporters, such as direct mail.
"Telemarketing is a tiny portion of what we do, but it does efficiently identify people who haven't given before who'd like to give," she said. "And it does reach out to people who do like to give after having spoken to someone."
George Mallios is a Manchester police officer and treasurer of New Hampshire Police Association. The NHPA got 26 percent of the $134,439 raised in a 2012-13 campaign, according to the report.
Mallios said NHPA's contract with Police Publications Inc. has served it well in the past. But he said the board recently decided to do its fundraising in-house instead.
"Even if we raise 25 percent of last year's revenue but keep 100 percent of it, we'd raise as much," he said.
The NHPA is looking at events such as benefit tournaments that would bring local police officers into direct contact with those in their communities, he said.
"It's a transition phase," Mallios said. "We have some great ideas on the table, and we just have to implement them."
Don't be discouraged
Edwards said she doesn't want the new reports, which she hopes to issue quarterly, to discourage charitable giving.
"One of our concerns always in issuing a report like this is that people will say, 'I'm not giving at all.' And that is the last message we want to send because there are so many needs out there and there are so many charities that do such good work and use those donation dollars very, very wisely.
"But it comes down to: You really need to know who you're giving to."
Giving locally, Edwards said, "is a wonderful start."
"And in New Hampshire, we have more than 9,000 charities.... People can find a charity here to do just about anything they want to donate to.". A copy of the report can be found at : doj.nh.gov/charitable-trusts/professional-fundraisers.htm.


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Man, boy survive Manchester fireMARK HAYWARD
New Hampshire Union Leader
December 24. 2012 3:52PM
MANCHESTER - The resident of a Pearl Street apartment said he lost nearly everything when a fire blackened the contents of apartment early morning on Christmas Eve.
Everything, that is, except the blanket-totting 9-year-old boy who calls him Daddy. And his cat, named Blaze, who is still coughing and hacking but very much alive.
Craig Ogden and the boy, Jaydon Labbe, are among the five people displaced from the two-family building at 366 Pearl St. home Monday. Manchester fire officials said they fire was so intense it initially drove firefighters from the structure, who then regrouped, re-entered and extinguished the fire.
Still, damage to the building was estimated at $100,000, and early Monday afternoon, workmen were boarding up the home, securing behind a plywood barrier any burned and soggy hopes of a normal Christmas for Ogden.
'Everything's gone, everything's gone; there's nothing,' said Ogden, 32, an unemployed lawn-care worker. That includes a 45-year-old Bonsai tree, $450 in coins, heirloom family furniture and a 47-inch flat-screen TV, he said.
Hobbled and dazed, Ogden recounted what happened in the early Monday hours when he woke to beeping that emanated from the basement. He had fallen asleep on the living room couch with Labbe beside him. (Labbe is not his biological son, but Ogden has cared for him since his birth and a breakup with the boy's mother.)
Labbe said he went to the basement to investigate. Flames and smoke pushed him back when he opened a 6-by-7-foot cedar closet where he put two cats he was pet-sitting.
He ran upstairs to get Labbe and his roommate out of the apartment. He screamed for upstairs neighbors to evacuate, and twice he returned to try to rescue animals, spraining his ankles while doing so.
He said the smoke was so thick he dropped to his knees and had to crawl outside.
'Daddy saved my life because I was sleeping,' Labbe said. 'He kept going inside. I said 'come out, come out.' He could have died in the smoke.'
Ogden thought he had lost Blaze, a cat he's owned for 7 years. But the feline crawled under the bed of Ogden's roommate and burrowed inside the mattress, where it survived.
In the four days before the Pearl Street fire, three New Hampshire people have died in home fires, including a 2-year-old in New Ipswich and a 17-month-old in Londonderry.
Nearly every window of the 2 1/2-story structure was broken by early Monday afternoon. Vinyl siding discolored and crinkled outside the living room window. Inside, the living room and the bedroom of Ogden's roomate, Bob Jeffreys, showed the most damage.
Landlord Costas Georgakopoulas said it appears that an overloaded power strip was responsible for the fire. He said he was able to speak to his insurance agent, but the insurance company was closed for the Christmas holiday.
Still, he was having workers board up the property.
Ogden spoke from the lobby of a local hotel, where the Red Cross has put him up for three nights. He said the Red Cross gave him a $480 debit card and a list of possible places to move, but all were closed Monday for Christmas.
He spoke highly of neighbors, who bundled him with clothes and blankets as he watched firefighters save the structure. And he praised Georgakopoulas for keeping smoke detectors in order.
As he spoke, Ogden's eyes drooped from a sleep-deprived, adrenaline-inspired restlessness. He walked around with a tired limp. Friends called on his cell phone. And he wanted to take his cat to see a vet.
Labbe insisted on staying with Ogden on Monday, but he was to eventually go to his mother's home for Christmas.
As for Ogden: 'I'll be here alone,' he said.


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Pope Wants Protection For U.S.-Bound Child Migrants
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis on Wednesday called for "urgent intervention" to protect minors traveling on their own in increasing numbers from Central and South America to the United States.
The pontiff, in a letter to a Vatican conference on migration in Mexico, called the phenomenon "a hallmark of our society" that is present in almost all countries and yet treated as a sporadic event.
Francis drew special attention to "tens of thousands of children who are emigrating alone, unaccompanied, to flee poverty and violence."
He noted significant human rights challenges: "Many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes."
The pope said measures to protect unaccompanied children would be insufficient without an information campaign on the dangers of the journey and measures to promote development in their home countries. He also called on the international community to rise to the challenge and adopt "new forms of legal and safe migration."
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How in his candy-coated world of peppermint sticks and lemon drops does he do it?
Game after game, night after night, loss after loss, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn continues to find the good amid the badness.
How in his candy-coated world of peppermint sticks and lemon drops does he do it?
Game after game, night after night, loss after loss, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn continues to find the good amid the badness.
"We're playing hard," he'll say.
"If we'd made just a couple more shots," he'll say.
"I saw some good things out there," he'll say.
"We're going to learn from this and get better because of it," he'll say.
Is it just me or does Vaughn seem like the type of guy who gets cut off in traffic and gives the offending driver the thumbs-up instead of the middle finger?
"You have a choice in life that you can control," Vaughn says. "I choose to look at the best in people and believe in the human spirit."
When it comes to the Magic, most of us see Kate Smith in flannel pajamas; Vaughn sees Kate Upton in a string bikini. Most of us see liver and onions; he sees surf and turf. Most of us see the Titanic, but he is the captain of the Good Ship Lollipop.
Remember when the Magic hired Chuck Daly and he transformed into the Prince of Pessimism whenever the Magic fell behind the Celtics by two points? Now they have Vaughn, who is the Prince of Positivity even when the Magic are down 20 to the Bobcats.
There's an old country rock song by Wet Willie called "Keep On Smilin', " and I'm convinced it was written with Jolly Jacque in mind.
"Keep on smilin' through the rain, laughin' at the pain
Just flowin' with the changes, till the sun comes out again."
You don't have to be an astrophysics professor or an infrared astronomer to realize that it's going to be quite some time before the sun shines again on a franchise enduring a massive solar eclipse during these dark days of rebuilding. And maybe that's why a young, eternally optimistic coach such as Vaughn is just what a young, mentally fragile team needs.
If you have no choice but to lose, you might as well put a smiley face on it, right? Really, what good does it do to complain about the inevitable? The city and its fans are smart enough to know the Magic are a bad team; they don't need the head coach to drill it into their civic psyches.
The Magic, after all, are a business with customers who are accustomed to a certain standard of excellence. Once the product of that business becomes inferior, it would be suicidal to start advertising it. Imagine if there were a beef shortage and McDonald's suddenly started selling a nasty, smelly "goat burger" instead of its two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun. Do you really think the CEO of McDonald's would come out and tell you how unappetizing the new goat burger is?
Of course not. The Magic are selling goat burgers right now but hoping some day they will once again be churning out Big Macs. Struggling teams always — ALWAYS — try to sell their fans on the future. And, frankly, that's all the Magic can do at this precarious juncture. They already have guys like me telling you how bad they are right now; they need somebody like Vaughn telling you how good they will be some day.
"In all of us," Vaughn says, "there's a battle and a struggle to be positive. … I really believe in relationships because those are the test of who you are as a human being. When people come across me, I want to them to say they had a positive interaction. They might never see me again, but I want that one time to be positive."
Even Vaughn's own players are amazed at how he has remained so upbeat during these down times.
"If I were him I'd be going crazy and pulling my hair out," rookie Moe Harkless says and smiles. "Except, he doesn't have any hair. I don't know how he does it."
"Keep on smilin' through the rain, laughin' at the pain
Just flowin' with the changes, till the sun comes out again."
In this day and age when the sports world revolves around the nattering nabobs of negativity, isn't it sort of refreshing to have a perpetual purveyor of positivity?
email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @BianchiWrites. Listen to his radio show every weekday from 6 to 9 a.m. on 740 AM.


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Main Menu
Give to UH Portage Menu
University Hospitals Portage Medical Center is continually seeking new ways to meet the needs of our patients, their families and the community. Often times, the greatest need of a patient or guest is comfort. Art Reflections provides an opportunity to weave the love of a comforting environment with the skill of our dedicated staff to create the masterpiece that is UH Portage Medical Center.
Donating to the Foundation is a very caring expression, which ensures your money will benefit others. Whether it goes toward valuable training, vital medical equipment, or the endowment fund, it is a gift of a lifetime that will help propel health care further into the future.
Gift of Cash
The easiest way to give to Portage Medical Center Foundation is simply by writing a check. Cash gifts are accepted for any purpose consistent with the Medical Center's mission and objectives.
Gifts of Stock
Giving long-term appreciated stock offers two tax advantages. First, the donor avoids paying any capital gains tax on the increase in value of the stock. In addition, the donor receives a tax deduction for the full fair-market value of the stock on the date of the gift. For income tax purposes the value of such gifts may be deducted up to 30 percent of adjusted gross income, with an additional five-year carry forward.
Gifts of Life Insurance
Donors who own a life insurance policy that is no longer needed, may consider it as a perfect charitable gift. To receive a charitable income tax deduction, name Portage Medical Center Foundation as both the owner and beneficiary of the policy. The donor must also legally assign and deliver the policy to Portage Medical Center Foundation. If the policy has a cash value, the donor may receive a charitable income tax deduction equal to the cash value at the time of the gift. In addition, if annual premiums are required and the donor continues to pay them, those premiums will be income tax deductible annually. Please consult with a life insurance agent on which forms to complete or call the Foundation Office.
Memorial and Tribute Gifts
A gift can be made to remember or honor a special person or occasion in your life. At the time you make your gift, we immediately notify those in whose name it is given.
Many people do not like to think about preparing a will, but actually, a will is a very thoughtful gift a person can give to their loved ones. It is a way to express your wishes and to assure that the people you care about and support are taken care of after your death. A will enables donors to provide for future generations, and also makes it possible for people to make significant donations they would not have felt comfortable making during their lifetime. Portage Medical Center Foundation is one institution which can be remembered in wills.
To find out more about how you can make a difference at UH, contact us:
Join our patient feedback community.
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216-844-8447 or 888-844-8447
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text:
Indiana teen arrested in rape of 11-year-old girl
ANDERSON, Ind —
An Indiana prosecutor said he wanted a 17-year-old boy accused of raping an 11-year-old girl to be tried as an adult.
The Herald Bulletin reported the teen was arrested Friday at the Anderson Police Department on a charge of rape. An initial hearing for him was scheduled for Monday in Anderson.
Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said he will seek to have the boy waived to adult court.
An initial hearing scheduled for Friday was delayed because a Spanish-speaking interpreter was not available.
Cummings said a judge appointed Anderson attorney Steve Smith to act as a guardian for the teen, who has no family.
Smith didn't return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment Saturday.


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every TAC figure has that packaging. gets boring after a while.
Matt, no, your rapidly aging eyes are not deceiving you, there's no real indication of the figure's name anywhere [on Canadian cards].
It would be cool to pick up one, but i much prefer the specific artwork of the American cards.
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The Jefferson County Commission, in a special session Wednesday, moved closer to offering former County Administrator Leslie Smith a contract position to help analyze the county budget and find solutions to financial problems facing the group.
The topic had been on the commission's Thursday agenda and was moved to the special session to allow for public input and amendments to a proposed contract. Only two individuals were present at the Wednesday meeting. One, Debbie Royalty, spoke against hiring Smith, who had been terminated by the county and who sued for wrongful termination. Smith received a settlement of more than $200,000 from the county.
Royalty also questioned the legality of the entire process saying that no bid was put out for the contract which would pay Smith a minimum of $10,000 with additional costs added for travel, expenses and insurance.
The meeting ran nearly two hours as commissioners went section by section through a proposed contract for consulting services. Commissioner Lyn Widmyer, who opposed the hiring of Smith, or any consultant at this time, questioned multiple components of the document.
"We are getting close to hiring a finance director," Widmyer said. "We do not need this agreement at this time. I will vote against it."
Joining Widmyer in the sentiment that the need is not a current one, Walt Pellish said he had first agreed with the idea; however being close to finalizing a hire has changed his mind.
"If that new person, when hired, would find it beneficial to consult with Leslie when starting, then let's bring her in," Pellish said.
There was not a majority consensus to put aside the contract altogether, so varying parts were questioned and proposed amendments made. Among the areas of concern voiced by Widmyer were that the contact was too vague and broad. Widmyer also questioned the timeline of budgetary analysis to be made by Smith, calling for a specific period of fiscal year 2014. An amendment made to focus only on that time frame failed for lack of a second.
"I don't think we should look backwards," Widmyer said in reference to Smith analyzing any year other than the 2014 budget.
"It took longer than one year to get in the mess we're in," Dale Manuel said. "We learn from our mistakes or we're doomed to repeat them."
Other sticking points in the contract that were discussed included travel costs for Smith who now resides in Charleston. The commission agreed to limit Smith's visits here to two visits. The group also agreed to pay for 50 percent of insurance costs for Smith's coverage. The motion to split the coverage came from Commissioner Jane Tabb who explained that any potential liability would come against Smith as a consultant as well as against the county who may or may not take the consultant's advice.
Widmyer said several times that she had reservations about hiring Smith because of a settlement agreement that was reached when Smith's suit against the county was settled. Widmyer asked counsel Stephen Groh his opinion on the clause that said that Smith would not apply for employment with the county. Widmyer questioned if being hired as a consultant violated that clause.
Groh explained that the agreement stated that if Smith applied for employment, the county did not have to hire her.
"The agreement doesn't say she can't apply or can't be hired," Groh said. "It says we don't have to hire her."
The vote came to accept the amended contract and have counsel proceed to get the contract ratified. Voting against the motion were Widmyer and Pellish.
"This is one more tool we can utilize to get our current budget under control, using an expert on working with budgets in the state of West Virginia."


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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- It's not every store where someone walks in not to buy, but because they support the mission of the shop.
But that's what happens on occasion at Girl AGain in White Plains, a resale shop that's run by Yes She Can Inc ., a nonprofit that teaches and develops job skills for young women with autism.
The store, which opened in February 2014 in Hartsdale and then moved to White Plains in October of the same year, came out of an idea Marjorie Madfis had after her own daughter, who is autistic, declared her career ambition to work at American Girl Place doll hair salon.
"Mo, the head of the American Girl doll hair salon, was exceptionally accommodating," said the White Plains resident, "And had no problem teaching Isabelle and her friends how to style their dolls' hair for Isabelle's 11th birthday party"
The experience got Madfis thinking about the job skills her daughter would need in the future and so, the concept of a resale shop took hold. She didn't act on it until she retired from IBM and figured it was either get another marketing job or do something that would have a social benefit.
The lure of helping other girls like Isabelle was her catalyst. "GirlAGain would not exist if it weren't for her," she said.
"Since she was 11-years-old, she wanted to work at American Girl Place."
That's when the concept of a resale store designed as a job skills training experience took root.
Eighty percent of adults with autism -- regardless of academic achievement -- are unemployed, explained Madfis. There are few programs to address this, and women on the spectrum, in particular, are underserved.
Girl AGain helps develop transferable job skills by teaching trainees business processes. While they sort, clean and prepare the merchandise, price it, and display it. they are also learning about marketing, merchandising, retailing, customer service, and inventory acquisition in addition to appropriate workplace behavior, research, collaboration and decision-making. They are coached by clinical professionals who have expertise in autism and related social and learning disabilities.
About half of Yes She Can trainees are enrolled in local colleges; some have even graduated. All have an interest in employment. Each is paired with a job coach and there are "neruo-typical" volunteers that work side by side too.
"One of our goals is to change society's expectations of people with autism," stressed Madfis.
"And to do that, we need to expose people at a young age to workers who are differently abled. Our 8-year-old customers interact with our trainees who help them select dolls and outfits.
"It helps, too, that her store looks like a fashion boutique. The store features authentic gently used American Girl dolls, clothing, furniture, accessories, and books, all of which have been cleaned and prepared for sale at fair prices. Customers will also find a host of in-store events such as American Girl book author readings, tea parties, and craft activities.
Madfis said she always gave herself three years to see if her dream could really work. Her answer is in the customers who come -- some from as far as upstate -- and in the women -- both autistic and not -- that she's helped along the way.
Isabelle, by the way, is now 21 and a student at Westchester Community College who still has a passion for American Girl dolls and the hopes of a career at American Girl Place.
Girl AGain is at 4 Martine Ave. Store 2B, (914) 358-1460, www.girlagain.com/ .
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Launch of the 2012 – Sunday 19th February
The Brighton Half Marathon is the initial major half marathon of 2012 and perfectly suited as a training for all the upcoming marathons. There is a new route mostly along the seafront, received a lot of praise and positive feedback from veterans. Go check out the new website and registration is now open for the 2012. Partners confirmed include Brooks, Sweatshop, VisitBrighton, Juice 107.2 FM, The Argus, Studio57 and Brighton & Hove City Council. The Brighton Half Marathon is organised by and the main fundraiser for The Sussex Beacon. Official website.
The Oriental is a Luxury B&B guesthouse with a peculiar oblique sea view. Great food and cocktails. Check us out on www.orientalbrighton.co.uk.


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Upcoming ARISS Contact Schedule as of 2002-04-18 03:00 UTC The ARISS (a joint effort of AMSAT, the ARRL, NASA, the ARISS international partners including Canada, Russia, the European Partners, and Japan) operations team wishes to announce the following very tentative schedule for ARISS school contacts. This schedule is very fluid and may change at the last minute. Remember that amateur radio use on the ISS is considered secondary. Please check the various AMSAT and ARISS webpages for the latest announcements. Changes from the last announcement are noted with (***). Also, please check MSNBC.com for possible live retransmissions (http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp). Listen for the ISS on the downlink of 145.80 MHz. ISS Expedition 4 hams: Yuri Onufrienko RK3DUO Carl Walz KC5TIE Dan Bursch KD5PNU Lucee Jeanne D'Arc, France and Ecole Louis Pergaud, France 1st choice Thursday 2002-04-25 09:27 UTC 2nd choice Monday 2002-04-22 10:38 UTC Shenandoah Elementary School, Florida, USA direct via KG4IZR 1st choice Thursday 2002-04-25 14:00 UTC 2nd choice Tuesday 2002-04-23 14:16 UTC Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, New York, USA 1st choice Wednesday 2002-05-01 16:11 UTC via WH6PN 2nd choice Tuesday 2002-04-30 12:35 UTC via NN1SS Hambright Elementary School Lancaster, PA, USA direct via K3IR 1st choice Thursday 2002-05-09 15:20 UTC (***) 2nd choice Monday 2002-05-06 16:36 UTC (***) *** New Feature*** The latest ARISS announcement and successful school list in now available on the ARISS web site. Several ways to get there. http://ariss.gsfc.nasa.gov click on English (sorry I don't know French) you are now at http://www.rac.ca/ariss.htm (***) click on News Currently the ARISS operations team has a list of over 40 schools that we hope will be able to have a contact during 2002. As the schedule becomes more solidified, we will be letting everyone know. Current plans call for an average of one scheduled school contact per week. 73, Charlie Sufana AJ9N One of the ARISS operation team mentors ---- Via the sarex mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA. To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe sarex" to email@example.com
AMSAT Home


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About this font family
The Snasm font family is an augmentation of some of the ideas employed in late 20th Century modular letterforms including the instrumental typeface designs of Donald Handel. From the late seventies to the early 1990s, there was a logo trend using correspondingly laconic, molded plastic forms. The Pepsi Cola (1987) and Nintendo Super Famicom (1990) logos are good examples of this smooth, high-tech design tactic.
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This week is only a few hours old, but we have winner already for our coveted Green Weenie Award. And it's a repeat winner—the electric car! This really is necessary because of the commenter who suggested that we idiot Californians deal with our high gasoline prices by getting electric cars; yeah, great idea with our long commutes and near highest in the nation electricity rates.
Anyway, electric cars win their second Green Weenie in a month on the back of a new study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology of the total lifecycle of electric cars which finds their environmental impact is often higher than diesel or gasoline powered cars. Let the BBC explain the crushed hopes of green weenies everywhere:
In essence, they considered how the production, the use and the end-of-life dismantling of a car affects the environment, explained co-author Prof Anders Hammer Stromman.
"The production phase of electric vehicles proved substantially more environmentally intensive," the report said, comparing it to how petrol and diesel cars are made.
"The global warming potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that of conventional vehicles."
In addition, producing batteries and electric motors requires a lot of toxic minerals such as nickel, copper and aluminium.
Hence, the acidification impact is much greater than that of conventional car production.
"Across the other impacts considered in the analysis including potential for effects related to acid rain, airborne particulate matter, smog, human toxicity, ecosystem toxicity and depletion of fossil fuel and mineral resources, electric vehicles consistently perform worse or on par with modern internal combustion engine vehicles, despite virtually zero direct emissions during operation," according to Prof Stromman.
As Glenn Reynolds says: Heh. To which we add our trademarked summary: Losers.
Walter Russell Mead (I'm going to have to start following his breakfast diet, by the way) offers the right coda:
Green jobs, green energy, green cars: the record of green public policy is far more problematic than most environmentalists are willing to acknowledge. Like the "peace activists" of the 1930s whose foolish policies helped Hitler stage a bid for global mastery by disarming the democracies, green activists today are often doing more harm than good.
The world needs better environmental policies; unfortunately, environmentalists are often some of the biggest obstacles to clear thinking and smart policy. The movement isn't ready for prime time.


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Jamie Moyer spoke his mind on Tuesday.
This is good.
Moyer said he was "disheartened" by the decision to yank him out of the Phillies' starting rotation. He said he had been "misled" during off-season contract negotiations with the club, when this kind of scenario was raised and he was assured he would not be banished to the bullpen. Moyer also said he would not be a distraction.
There are people who see all of this as inconsistent. I don't, not even a little bit.
I continue to be amazed by media people who ask questions for a living who are horrified when the answers are truthful. It's absurd. I ask people things and I want to know what they really think. I don't want robots. I don't want coach-speak. We have all spent such a large portion of our lives listening to athletes say nothing that, when somebody actually does say something, there are people who recoil.
Of course he's disheartened -- and there is nothing wrong with saying it.
If he feels he was misled, there is nothing wrong with saying that either. Because there are promises and there are promises and everybody knows it. The Phillies promised Chan Ho Park an honest competition in spring training for a spot in the rotation and they gave him the job because he won it. That's honorable. This is a little different because of Moyer's elevated earned-run average. At 5.47, it's about as bad as a starter can possibly have and remain a starter. And know this: at a certain point, everyone would agree -- hell, Moyer would agree -- that an exorbitant ERA would cancel any off-season conversation. So we are just talking about the definition of exorbitant.
One final thing: he will not be a distraction. Because making a single newspaper headline is not the same thing as dividing a clubhouse. Moyer won't do that -- he just won't. It isn't in his DNA and, frankly, it isn't within his power. Because while the man is universally respected, the numbers are the numbers, and 5.47 is 5.47, and everybody in the Phillies' clubhouse can see that.


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John DiStaso's Granite Status: Sen Ted Cruz added to 'Freedom Summit' lineupBy JOHN DiSTASO
Senior Political Reporter
February 12. 2014 11:28AM
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12: CRUZ CONFIRMED FOR SUMMIT. As we first reported Tuesday night, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, is the latest nationally-known conservative Republican who will be featured at the "Freedom Summit" sponsored by Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Citizens United.
The official announcement was made by the two advocacy groups Wednesday morning. The event, already sold out, is slated for April 12 at the Executive Court in Manchester.
Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King is also expected, but has not yet formally announced. ee our item below.
Greg Moore, state director of Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire, said Wednesday,
"Adding Senator Cruz to the Freedom Summit reinforces that this is the 'must attend' political event of the year in New Hampshire. On April 12, the center of the political universe will be right here in Manchester. The Americans for Prosperity Foundation and Citizens United are looking for ways to allow more people to participate in the event, given the extraordinary demand that will only be growing over the next few weeks as we add more of the top conservative voices in the country to what is already a phenomenal speakers list."
Meanwhile, 2012 presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has been added to the lineup at the NHGOP's Northeast Republican Leadership Conference March 14 and 15 in Nashua.
(Earlier Granite Status reports follow.)
TUESDAY, FEB. 11: CRUZ, KING CONFIRMED. Americans for Prosperity Foundation is confirming tonight that it has added Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Iowa U.S. Rep. Steve King to its lineup of high-profile conservative speakers at the "Freedom Summit" it is sponsoring with Citizens United.
The formal announcement is expected on Wednesday.
As we first reported last week, the event will be held April 12 at the Executive Court in Manchester and is sure to attract national media attention.
Cruz is the fourth potential 2016 presidential candidate to agree to appear, along with real estate magnate Donald Trump, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.
Also scheduled to attend are former House speaker Newt Gingrich, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks.
Tickets, which were free, were sold out late last week and a waiting list has set up.
(Earlier Granite Status reports follow.)
TUESDAY, FEB. 11; INNIS MESSAGE TESTING. We've received reports that 1st Congressional District voters are being message tested by Republican U.S. House candidate Dan Innis' campaign.
The polling firm, from Texas, says at the end of the calls that it is polling on behalf of Innis and in the meantime tests a few potentially controversial points about Innis and Republican primary foe Frank Guinta.
Essentially, the voters are being asked whether they approved of Guinta being a "career politician." There is also mention of crime in Manchester during his tenure as mayor and the fact that he was once being late paying a sewer bill. A few votes he made as New Hampshire House member were also mentioned, and his congressional voting record was compared to that of conservative Minnesota Rep Michele Bachmann.
The callers also tested the fact that Innis is openly gay and that he was a dean of the business school at the University of New Hampshire.
TUESDAY, FEB. 11: HEMINGWAY'S STEERING COMMITTEE. Republican candidate for governor Andrew Hemingway has rolled out a campaign steering committee chock full of conservative politicians and businessmen.
Heading the list is former U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey, who has also lined up with U.S. Senate candidate Jim Rubens.
Also on Hemingway's committee are businessmen Ray Pinard, Sarah Ponn and Bill Ninteau of Manchester, Harold Turner of Concord, Mike Hartwick of Bedford, Phil Bean, who is also a Hampton selectman, Biz Corrow of Exeter and Don Gobin.
Others backing Hemingway are Cliff Hurst and Jeff Frost, both former Manchester Republican Committee chairmen; former state Sen. Jim Luther of Hollis, state Reps. Emily Sandblade of Manchester, Laura Jones of Rochester and John Burt of Goffstown, former state Commissioner of Employment Security Richard Brothers of Sanbornton, former Libertarian Party candidate for governor John Babiarz of Grafton and Goffstown GOP activist Pamela Manney.
(The full Sunday, Feb. 9 Granite Status follows.)
SUNDAY, FEB. 9: DOLLARS AND MORE DOLLARS. With recent polling showing both of the state's Democratic U.S. House members in trouble, they have at least one thing going for them - fundraising.
That's especially true for Rep. Annie Kuster, but even Carol Shea-Porter, not known as a big fundraiser, is ahead of her GOP challengers, as well.
The 2013 year-end fundraising reports, made public just over a week ago, show Kuster leading the group with just over $1 million ready to spend this year.
Of course, individual candidate fundraising is less important in this post-Citizens United era than it had been previously. The big money comes from the parties, the SuperPACs and the issue advocacy groups.
But how much is raised by the incumbents and challenger, along with polling, is often a guide for where these groups put their massive amounts of money.
In the 2nd District, Kuster, after raising $335,000 in the fourth quarter and $1.36 million since being elected in November 2012, entered 2014 with $1.06 million on hand.
Of her total raised, $938,000, or 68 percent, came from individuals and $419,000, or 32 percent, came from PACs.
Kuster far out-raised her two Republican challengers, who, in fairness, entered the race relatively recently.Gary Lambert, who announced for the office last September, raised $71,000 in the fourth quarter and $245,000 since entering the race.
Only $1,500 came from PAC contributions; the rest from individuals.
And Lambert entered the year with $218,500 on hand.Marilinda Garcia, who only filed her candidacy papers and began raising money in late November, reported raising $42,000, with all but $1,000 of it from individuals.
She entered the year with $34,000 on hand.
In the 1st District, Shea-Porter, after raising $160,000 in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $542,000 since being elected and returned to the seat in November 2012, entered the year with $357,389 on hand.
She has received about 60 percent of her cycle-to-date total contributions from individuals and 40 percent ($224,000) from PACs since the last election.
Republican former Rep. Frank Guinta led primary foe newcomer Dan Innis in fundraising, but not by very much.
Guinta reported raising $164,000 in the fourth quarter and $168,000 since he lost the seat to Shea-Porter in November 2012.
Of the total raised, $106,000, or 63 percent came from individuals while $62,000, or 37 percent, came from PACs.
Guinta began the year with $128,000 on hand.
Guinta's fundraising total is noteworthy because last fall, his campaign adviser told us the campaign had raised "over $200,000" for an event featuring U.S. Rep. and 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan - an event that had to be postponed due to Ryan's scheduling conflict brought about by the government shutdown.
That event is now scheduled for Feb. 18 in Manchester, also featuring Sen. Kelly Ayotte (who has obviously taken sides in the GOP primary).
So what about the "missing" $32,000?
The adviser, Ethan Zorfas, said it's not missing at all.
He said the event "raised about $200,000, as I mentioned at the time. Some of those commitments will be collected over the next several months."
And by the way, Guinta's campaign still lists outstanding loan balances totaling $288,500 from personal loans he made to his campaign back during his successful 2010 campaign.
Innis raised $106,000 between Oct. 28, when he filed his candidacy, and Dec. 31. He gave his campaign a $20,000 contribution and the rest came from other individual donors; no PAC money.
His campaign entered the year with $31,000 on hand.
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BROWN FOR GUINTA. Scott Brown, who headlined a fund-raiser for Guinta in Portsmouth in November, last week penned a fundraising email for him as well.
In the email, Brown mentions that Guinta is a former Manchester mayor (but not that he is a former congressman) and calls him a "friend" and "the type of guy we need fighting for us against Washington."
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THE LATEST ROUND. Democrats and the GOP continue to fight the fight that isn't - at least not yet: Jeanne Shaheen vs. Scott Brown for the U.S. Senate seat.
We first reported on Twitter last week that the National Republican Senatorial Committee was hitting Shaheen with a web ad based on her radio comment that you can keep your doctor and hospital under Obamacare if you are "willing to pay more.
The ad sarcastically says "it's the Democrats' new health care fix - to keep your doctor, just pay more."
The New Hampshire Democratic Party continued to criticize Scott Brown for renting his email list to a firm that used it and his name to send out an email touting a controversial doctor who has espoused theories at odds with scientific evidence.
Brown's PAC reportedly collected $55,000 last year for renting out the email list.
Brown severed his ties with the vendor last Wednesday, but the state Democratic Party pressed on, saying Brown was "spreading misleading and dangerous" health-related information.
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DEMOCRATIC NEWS. The NHDP's quarterly state committee meeting was held Saturday in Laconia.
District 1 Executive Council candidate Mike Cryans was the featured attraction and members were urged to get active in the campaign leading up to the March 11 special election.
(Republican council candidate Joe Kenney is taking the weekend off from campaigning, GOP sources said, and with good reason: He's on Marine duty at Fort Devens.)
It was the first Democratic State Committee meeting with Sean Doyle as party executive director. He was formally named to the post Jan. 22 after serving as acting executive director for several months.
Prior to working at the NHDP, Doyle, 27, was the director of operations at the Association of State Democratic Chairs, headed by NHDP Chairman Raymond Buckley, at the Democratic National Committee.
Doyle is a Manchester native and a graduate of Franklin Pierce University, where he also served as the president of the College Democrats of New Hampshire.
Buckley said Doyle "has a sharp political mind and will play a key role in New Hampshire Democratic victories in 2014 and beyond."
-- State Sen. Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, will be at the White House this week for a welcome ceremony for French President Nicolas Hollande. Soucy is the top elected Franco-American in New Hampshire state government and is fluent in French.
-- John F. Kennedy's top New Hampshire operative and former state party finance chairman Bob Shaine of Manchester was celebrated on his 90th birthday in Manchester last Wednesday by family, friends and political leaders.
Soucy, Buckley, Executive Councilor Chris Pappas, and former NHDP chair and Ambassador George Bruno delivered remarks, while former Gov. John Lynch, former Ambassador and U.S. Rep. Dick Swett, Shea-Porter and former presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman sent messages.
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CONSERVATIVE NEWS. Americans for Prosperity-New Hampshire will continue its crusade against the Affordable Care Act on Tuesday with a "Real People, Real Stories" luncheon at the Concord Holiday Inn at noon.
AFP-NH says some Granite Staters will talk about the "impact" the ACA has had on them. We're told Fox News and CNN have inquired about national coverage.
-- Five hundred available free tickets were scooped up within 24 hours of the announcement last Wednesday of the "Freedom Summit" sponsored by the national AFP Foundation and Citizens United, AFP-NH state director Greg Moore says.
A waiting list is being compiled for the possible addition of more seating capacity at the Executive Court.
As we reported first, speakers will include Donald Trump, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Arkansas Gov. and Fox News talk show host Mike Huckabee, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks.
John DiStaso is senior political reporter of the New Hampshire Union Leader and New Hampshire Sunday News. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com and followed on Twitter: @jdistaso.