WIVB 4 News

ALBANY, N.Y. (WIVB) – New York State will end its successful “I Love NY” highway  campaign, the state DOT announced Friday.

The announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration sent a letter Thursday to New York transportation officials saying the state stands to lose $14 million in federal funding for failing to remove the 500-plus “I Love NY” signs.   Continue reading “NYS to end “I Love New York” campaign after being warned of possible loss of federal funding”

New York Times – by Donald G. McNeil Jr., December 19, 2017

Federal officials on Tuesday ended a moratorium imposed three years ago on funding research that alters germs to make them more lethal.

Such work can now proceed, said Dr. Francis S. Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, but only if a scientific panel decides that the benefits justify the risks.   Continue reading “A Federal Ban on Making Lethal Viruses Is Lifted”

Reuters

STERLING, Va./ WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress made no notable progress this week toward a deal on the status of 700,000 “Dreamer” immigrants, with President Donald Trump saying on Friday that one “could very well not happen” by a deadline next month.

Whether the lack of progress signaled the possibility of another federal government shutdown next week was unclear, but it worried the Dreamers, young people who were brought illegally into the United States as children.   Continue reading “No progress on ‘Dreamers’ as another U.S. shutdown looms”

RT

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has postponed a visit by a Polish security official. The move comes amid a row between Tel Aviv and Warsaw over a bill that criminalizes blaming Poles for Nazi crimes committed on Polish soil.

Israel asked to suspend the planned visit by the head of the Polish National Security Council, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The Polish official, Pawel Soloch, was scheduled to head to Israel on February 4, and among other things visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
Continue reading “Holocaust bill row: Angry Israel calls off visit by Polish security chief”

St. Louis Public Radio

When Dennis Edwards was tapped to fill the flashy suit of a well-known lead singer in one of the hottest male soul groups in music history, he hesitated. The Temptations needed him to replace David Ruffin, who had established himself as the undisputed voice of romance with lush ballads that included what would become the group’s signature song: “My Girl.”

“I went home and it wasn’t but about 10 minutes,” Ruffin said, during a 2011 interview with Fox2 News. “I said I would love to try out.”   Continue reading “Obituary: Dennis Edwards, legendary ‘6th’ Temptation”

Valley News Live

Los Angeles police say the students hurt in the middle school shooting suffered their injuries after a single gunshot was fired from inside a 12-year-old girl’s backpack in a middle school classroom.

Police spokesman Josh Rubenstein said Friday that investigators believe the bullet struck a 15-year-old girl in the wrist and then hit another classmate in the head.   Continue reading “Gun in LA school shooting went off in backpack”

Page Six – by Emily Smith

Renee Rockefeller, the daughter-in-law of former Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, was caught shoplifting at a five-star resort in Mexico, multiple sources say, while on a trip with a big group of boldface names.

Renee, the wife of Mark Rockefeller — whose father Nelson was vice president from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford — was on a trip to Punta Mita with pals including Tory Burch and Jamie Tisch to celebrate a socialite’s birthday over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.   Continue reading “Renee Rockefeller accused of shoplifting at Mexican resort”

Daily Mail

A concrete dome holding the radioactive waste of 43 nuclear explosions is leaking into the ocean, veterans have warned.

The Enewetak Atoll was used by the US government to test 30 megatons of weapons – equivalent to 2,000 Hiroshima blasts – between 1948 and 1958.

More than 8,000 people, including US troops, would later work to clean up these Pacific islands, shifting 110,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris into a blast crater.  Continue reading “Radioactive waste from 43 nuclear explosions is LEAKING into the Pacific”

Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

New Miami, OH — In a time where there are daily attacks on the US constitution, a glimmer of hope has arisen in New Miami, Ohio as the state appeals court ruled in the favor of the citizens. All drivers who were sent one of the town’s ‘unconstitutional’ speed camera tickets will be getting a refund thanks to a court system that protected freedom instead of the state.

The court ruled that the $3 million in fines stolen from drivers with no due process was all obtained illegally and they must now pay it back.  Continue reading “Court Finds Red Light Camera Fines ‘Unconstitutional’—Forces City to Refund ALL Tickets”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

Speaking to Congressional Republicans during a visit to Greenbriar resort on Thursday, Defense Secretary James Mattis announced that he believes the US military needs to be made “more lethal,” and pushing for yet more money.

After a massive military spending increase last yar, Mattis says he wants another $50 billion tacked on for next year. He mocked the idea of the military being an “equal opportunity employer” and emphasized lethality.   Continue reading “Mattis Wants to Make US Military More Lethal”

Pacific Standard – by David M Perry

There’s a new psychiatric medication on the market called Abilify MyCite. On its own, the drug Abilify is a partial dopamine agonist that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2013 as an anti-psychotic medication. It’s generally prescribed to people with conditions such as such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, though questions remain about its effectiveness and the severity of its side effects. The “MyCite” pill, approved just last year, does something new. It contains a digital sensor that tracks whether a patient has ingested the drug, then shares that information with doctors, family, or whoever is programmed to receive it.  Continue reading “Your Pills Are Spying on You”