TresSugar

Answer to Crime? Keep People Off the Streets With Curfews?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:30 -0700

It's just like being a teenager, except your parents are the police! And instead of grounding, they can put you in jail! Curfews are popping up in tons of places, aimed at controlling crime. With goals similar to the police checkpoints in Washington DC, the newest towns getting an early bedtime: Helena, Arkansas and Hartford, Connecticut.

Sparked by violence, Helena, AR has implemented a 24-hour curfew in a troubled neighborhood, questioning all passers by. The city council voted unanimously to allow police to expand the program to any area of the city, despite ACLU claims that the police action is unconstitutional. The patrols have resulted in 32 arrests since they locked down the 10-block radius. The council acknowledges the hardship of the curfew but says those living in the city want the random and drug-fueled shootings to stop, regardless of what it takes.

To see what's happening in Hartford, and whether it actually works, read more.

Hartford, CT has a youth curfew scheduled to begin today, aimed at stopping gang violence. For one month, all juveniles have to be in by 9 p.m. After a parade Saturday left one dead, a 7-year-old shot in the head, and a 15-month-old shot in the leg, Hartford's mayor says, "we must do this because we cannot and will not tolerate innocent people, especially children, to be victims." The ACLU says the curfew blatantly violates the civil rights of minors.

With similar youth rules in Rochester, NY, and the rule's efficacy being questioned in Philadelphia, PA, (more crime happens right after school) is a curfew a good way to combat crime - or a crime against civil rights?

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Front Page: Tornadoes, American Airlines, Petraeus Day Two, Nepal

CitizenSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:57:46 -0700

Several tornadoes ripped through West Texas and Oklahoma last night. Winds of up to 70 mph and heavy rains left one dead, at least five houses destroyed, and 3,500 without power. Flooding caused the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to close five highways in the state, while Arkansas also saw flash flooding.
American Airlines has canceled 900 additional flights today as it continues to perform safety inspections on certain jets. It's the third consecutive day of cancellations for American Airlines, who also canceled 1,094 flights on Wednesday and 460 flights the day before.

General Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, remained consistent in his second day of testimony before Congress with his recommendation to suspend troop reductions in Iraq. The recommendation shows that Iraqi forces remain unprepared to take over the mission of securing their own nation. Some questioning Petraeus became frustrated as he steadfastly declined to specify what conditions would need to be present on the ground before he would endorse withdrawals to take the number of American troops far below the 140,000 set to remain there after July. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed his frustration saying, “based on everything we have heard, we can reach only one conclusion: With 160,000 courageous American troops serving in Iraq, President Bush has an exit strategy for just one man - himself - on Jan. 20, 2009.”
Voters in Nepal have cast ballots in historic elections, the first since 1999. At question is an assembly that is expected to rewrite Nepal's constitution and abolish its monarchy. Polling was mostly peaceful, although one person was killed in election-related violence. Results are expected over the next 10 days.

Front Page: Tornado, Prince Philip in Hospital, MLK Jr. Remembered, Zimbabwe Raids

CitizenSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:01:15 -0700

A tornado ripped through the Little Rock, AR, area last night. The National Weather Service is reporting an unknown number of injuries. A spokesman for the local sheriff's department says, "there's some structural damage in the city of Little Rock and several areas north of North Little Rock. A lot of trees and power lines are down." The storm decimated a mobile home park leaving 50 trailers on fire. This Winter's weather hasn't been kind to Arkansas. In the last two months, Arkansas has seen a tornado during a storm outbreak that killed 13, a foot of snow, more than a foot of rain, and near-record flooding.

Britain's Prince Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth, has been hospitalized. The 86-year-old is being treated for a chest infection. Reports say he's stable, and a spokeswoman says "His Royal Highness's program of engagements for the weekend have been canceled."
This day marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. King was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, while helping organize a strike by sanitation workers, then some of the poorest of the city's working poor. Dr. King will be remembered today nationwide and with a march through Memphis and the laying of wreaths at the site of King's assassination.
Zimbabwe's government staged separate police raids on the main opposition party and foreign journalists. Four journalists, including one from the New York Times, have been taken into custody for violating the country's media laws. Zimbabwe only has one, government-controlled newspaper.

Say What? Beth Ditto Gets Squirrelly

TresSugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:10:00 -0700

"Everyone's just doing their job. At the end of the day, I'm not going to be mad when someone asks if I want ketchup with my fries, and I'm not going to get mad at people if they ask if I ate squirrel as a kid. Yes, I did. A lot of 'em. Tons. Trees full."

- The Gossip singer Beth Ditto, when asked in Elle magazine's July 2009 issue if she gets sick of people asking if she ate squirrel as a kid. She's from a small town in Arkansas, and mentioned it once in an interview.

Cute Alert: German Penguins Make Case For Gay Adoption

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:00 -0700

A pair of gay male penguins are raising a chick in Germany's Bremerhaven zoo. The little chick was abandoned by its parents while it was still an egg, so the penguins put the egg in their nest and incubated it for 30 days. Since the chick hatched, they have continued to care for it.

If you're wondering how the zoo knows the penguins are gay, the pair has tried to mate with each other before, and they've shown no interest in female penguins. The zoo says: "Sex and coupling in our world don't always have something to do with reproduction."

Of course it's unclear if this would be allowed at the Arkansas zoo, since voters in that state outlawed gay adoption last November. If you're curious, here's a rundown of where gay adoption is legal in the US.

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Headline of the Day

GiggleSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:00:00 -0800

Arkansas Man Lives Undetected in Woman's Attic For Days

Nope, that's not the plotline to a Hollywood horror film, but it might as well be. Pennsylvania resident Stacy Ferrance and her family got the shock of their lives when they discovered, after things had gone missing in their home for days around Christmas time, that some creepy dude had been living in their attic for about a week. 21-year-old Stanley Carter had been staying with Ferrance's neighbors next door, but when they asked him to leave, the unwanted guest decided to check out the attic next door. Carter also checked out the Ferrance's laptop, furnishings, and - when he finally emerged knowing that the cops were in the house - he was wearing Stacy's daughter's pajama bottoms (!) and Stacy's top. Whoa. Good thing this psycho freeloader is in prison now! This is the stuff of nightmares. Click here to read more and here to watch the news story.

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DVD Explains How to Fight the Local Gay Agenda

LibertySugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:30:25 -0800

Eureka Springs has become the San Francisco of Arkansas, according to the American Family Association. The AFA's latest DVD - They're Coming to Your Town - teaches unsuspecting Christian communities how to prevent gays from taking over their towns. If you're so inclined, you can purchase the DVD in a five-pack and distribute it to your friends or Sunday school teachers.

Salon points out that the besieged town's city council recently implemented a domestic partnership registry for gay couples after a unanimous vote, thus making Eureka a great example of the homosexual threat AFA seeks to combat. I guess only straight people can be part of American families?

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Gay Marriage Goes Down, But Not Without a Fight

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:25:00 -0800

California county registrars may have stopped issuing licenses to same-sex couples, but not all Californians are ready to accept the newly approved marriage ban. The city of San Francisco filed lawsuits challenging Prop. 8's passage, and California Attorney General Jerry Brown says he will fight to defend the legality of the marriage licenses already issued to 18,000 same-sex couples.

Last night at a West Hollywood rally, 2,500 joined a protest of Prop. 8, which eventually clashed with the LAPD. Seven protesters were arrested. In San Francisco's Castro neighborhood the rainbow flag is flying at half-staff, and last night gay marriage supporters held a candle light vigil at San Francisco's City Hall. Rallies of support for gay marriage were held in other parts of the state, too.

Gay marriage bans also passed in Arizona and Florida on Tuesday, along with an Arkansas ban on adoption by anyone except a married man and woman. How long do you think the struggle for gay marriage will go on before it is completely successful? Will it ever be?

View 4 Photos ›

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Same-sex Marriage Ban Leading in California

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:34:48 -0800

It's still too close call, but it looks like California voters have backed Proposition 8, which would change the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. California Supreme Court legalized nuptials for same-sex couples earlier this year, and more than 18,000 couples took advantage of the landmark decision.

Right now about 95 percent of the vote is counted and the measure has 52 percent of the vote, but election officials estimate there could be as many as two million ballots left to count - primarily mail ballots that arrived Tuesday. The San Francisco City Attorney's office says he plans to challenge the validity of a ballot measure.

Yesterday was a sad day for America across the board in terms of gay marriage. In Arizona, Proposition 102 which bans gay marriage, easily passed. In Florida, the gay marriage ban needed 60 percent of the vote and still passed, which also restricts rights of any cohabitating couple who are not husband and wife. Meanwhile, Arkansas passed a measure forbidding anyone other than a married man and woman from adopting a child.

Stay tuned for final results as they come in.

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Who Will Be the Next President? Watch the Results With Us!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:21:46 -0800

Election Night is finally here! We've followed the 2008 Presidential campaign trail from primaries, conventions, debates to every hilarious and unexpected moment in between. East Coast polls have started to close, and we'll be here updating you on the electoral votes as they come in using predictions from pollster and major networks. Join us as we wait for the next American president!

Senator Barack Obama

338

Senator John McCain

156

You can check out all the major headlines of the night right here, and I'll be filling in the results for each state as they come in. To see results, read more.

State	Electoral Votes	State	Electoral Votes
Alabama	9	Montana	3
Alaska	3	Nebraska	5
Arizona	10	Nevada	5
Arkansas	6	New Hampshire	4
California	55	New Jersey	15
Colorado	9	New Mexico	5
Connecticut	7	New York	31
Delaware	3	North Carolina	15
D.C.	3	North Dakota	3
Florida	27	Ohio	20
Georgia	15	Oklahoma	7
Hawaii	4	Oregon	7
Idaho	4	Pennsylvania	21
Illinois	21	Rhode Island	4
Indiana	11	South Carolina	8
Iowa	7	South Dakota	3
Kansas	6	Tennessee	11
Kentucky	8	Texas	34
Louisiana	9	Utah	5
Maine	4	Vermont	3
Maryland	10	Virginia	13
Massachusetts	12	Washington	11
Michigan	17	West Virginia	5
Minnesota	10	Wisconsin	10
Mississippi	6	Wyoming	3
Missouri	11