The word democracy has its origin in two Greek words which together mean ‘people power’ (demos = people; kratos = power). Democracy is the most common form of government today and is promoted as the most desirable. Perhaps owing to its popularity, democracy had been defined in many ways at different places and times. It has become necessary to make a distinction between governments only formed on the basis of democracy and governments which operate as democracies.
In the first instance, the principles of democracy are applied only to the formation of a government in that an electorate is empowered to choose from among itself suitable persons to form a government. Proportional and geographic representation, gender and age balance and the right to vote are all important considerations for democratically formed governments. In the latter case, the principles of democracy are applied to the operations of government, and the electorate plays a real role in the political affairs of the nation. This is referred to as functional democracy.
Political scientists do not only agree that there are no good examples of functional democracy, but also that the concept is not utopian; several countries have realised notable levels functional democracy. One approach to realising functional democracy is democratic decentralization. This involves the devolution of real power (responsibilities and resources) from a central government to local governing bodies. Democratic decentralization is established in the laws of Guyana by the various local government Acts.
Local governments allow the electorate a significant role in the administration of the affairs of their communities – roads, drainage, community development, resource utilisation, etc. More significantly, local government systems allow for greater transparency and accountability, and reduce the risk of corruption at least as it relates to community affairs. Transparency is almost inevitable in local governments as the elected officials are necessarily part of the community and live not very far from the electorate. Elected and electorate generally meet frequently for commerce, culture and religion. The community members almost always know what is going on. They see the quality of the work of contractors and know precisely when the chairman or councillor becomes suddenly and unexplainably wealthy.
With this inherent transparency, the electorate need only to be willing and able to hold the elected accountable for actions and eliminate corruption wherever it is found. Two complementary courses of action are provided for in law. The first, and perhaps more difficult to pursue, is for a citizen or group to take legal action against the elected. This depends heavily on having a functional and independent judiciary, but also on there being sufficient hard evidence of wrongdoing. Even in places where the judiciary is functional and independent, having admissible evidence becomes the greatest hindrance to a court case. As a result, it is more common to have allegations of accountability and corruption tried in the court of public opinion, which has the power to remove from public offices those elected officials. This course of action is only dependent on the regular democratic election of officials, which is usually required by law. When such elections are not held in accordance with the law, the electorate has no power to remove corrupt officials from office.
In Guyana, the Local Authorities (Elections) Act 1990 requires that Local Authorities be elected every three years and that such elections are held by the first Monday of December in the third year. However, there has been no election for local authorities since 1994. This means that the local officials currently occupying offices to which they were elected represent the choice of the electorate two decades ago. It also means that the electorate is made to accept officials elected before a significant percentage of current electorate was even born, and before more than 50% of the current electorate was able to vote. Most importantly, it means that the electorate has been disempowered as it relates to their ability to remove corrupt officials and therefore such officials could be occupying offices for as much as seventeen years longer than they might have if an election was called.
The Government’s preferred alternative to periodic elections as required by law has been to have the Local Government Minister exercise the power given to his office to impose Interim Management Committees (IMC) where he believes that the elected body is dysfunctional. This approach substitutes autocratic and non-participatory selection in place of democratic practices. Its widespread application, and more so without the holding of election for new officials, is entirely against the principles of functional democracy. When a Minister appoints an IMC, the membership is representative only of the choice of the minister who is unlikely to be a member of the local community being governed. More importantly, with the Minister having the power to hire and fire, members of an IMC are more likely to see themselves as accountable to the Minister rather than the community. The IMC is therefore most likely to do the will of the Minister and thereby allow central government far more influence over local affairs than is provided for by law. This is a corruption of the local government system.
The Transparency Institute Guyana Inc is a politically neutral organisation and is therefore not concerned with who is elected to local offices. TIGI’s only concern is that the affairs of the people be managed in a transparent manner with high accountability and zero corruption. In order for that to be realized, however, communities must at the very least be empowered to democratically elect their representatives in accordance to the law and to thereby hold officials accountable for actions, and eliminate corruption. As long as local government election continues to be delayed in Guyana, democracy is assaulted, transparency and accountability are reduced, corruption will continue and local communities will suffer the consequences without any practical means of recourse. For this reason, TIGI strongly urges the Minister of Local Government to take necessary steps to have the election of local authorities held on or before the first Monday of December 2014, as is required by law.


Towns has thrown himself into acclimating himself to the area with same enthusiasm he has to making the transition to the NBA, sampling local restaurants and hitting the Mall of America with friends just as most 20-year-olds do.
The former University of Kentucky star is averaging 15.7 points and 9.4 rebounds as the Timberwolves near the halfway point of the season, solidifying himself as a favorite for the league’s rookie of the year award. And he’s already leaving quite an impression on those in the league.
“He’s a future Hall of Famer,” Oklahoma City star Kevin Durant said.
Towns has also been active in the community, organizing a shoe drive to provide footwear for those in need, participating in a pair of shopping sprees for children before Christmas and this month he launched a “My Brother’s Keeper” campaign with the NBA and the White House to promote the importance of mentoring.
Towns has been active in charitable endeavors for years because it was encouraged by his parents at home. There was never a lot of money to go around while growing up in Piscataway, but Towns devoted his time to working with autistic children and several other endeavors.
Towns lauded the mentorship he received from Atlanta Hawks star Al Horford when the two were teammates on the Dominican national team. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is also featured in the campaign.
At 12-28, the young Timberwolves have won more games than just three other teams in the league. The losing hasn’t been easy for Towns to get used to. But getting used to a new city and a new home has gone much better.


April is the Month of the Military Child. This video celebrates the serve of those young heroes whom serve with their families. Thank you to the Children of the Military.
The 35th Fighter Squadron Commander gives his goals for the flying unit participating in the 38th iteration of Exercise Cobra Gold.
Today's episode of Base Alpha Kilo Radio tells the story of Alaska-based Soldiers working with partners in Mongolia for earthquake readiness.
The Indo-Pacific Defender is an annual publication highlighting events within the 94th AAMDC AOR.


St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco recently named its annual Nurse of the Year award recipients. They are (from left to right): Kathy Black, Trixie VanderSchaaff, Jackie Macy and (not pictured) Stephanie Seabrook.
As part of National Nurses Week and Florence Nightingale’s birthday, St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco honors their nurses for their commitment to delivering high-level care to the community.
This year, based on the criteria of stewardship, excellence, imagination and compassion, four nurses were selected as the Nurses of the Year: Kathy Black, Trixie VanderSchaaff, Jackie Macy and Stephanie Seabrook.
Kathy Black was chosen because of her stewardship. The long-standing registered nurse works in the operating room of the hospital. She is known for cultivating a spirit of excellence among her coworkers by being the first to accept additional assignments. According to hospital personnel, her commitment to mentoring new employees and improving the health-care team at the hospital is unquestioned.
Trixie VanderShcaaff was recognized for her overall excellence. As the director of inpatient services, her leadership is said to raise the bar on professionalism and exemplifies the compassion, innovation and quality that contributes to the hospital’s high aims of care. Recognized by her staff as an inspirational leader, she fosters an environment of critical thinkers who collaborate to find solutions. According to the hospital, she has always been an outstanding advocate for patient care and is known for her efforts in delivering top-notch service at SASMC.
Jackie Macy was conferred the award because of her imagination. Hospital personnel say she often causes others around her to raise their level because of her optimistic attitude and calm demeanor. She is known for being instrumental in taking on challenges and breaking them down into solvable issues using creativity. Her noted ability to keep outwardly stressful situations from changing her pleasant and thoughtful demeanor is why her fellow associates feel honored to work alongside her.
Stephanie Seabrook was recognized for her compassion. She works in the obstetric department and, like all labor and delivery nurses at the hospital, is tasked with helping patients through very emotional times. With the hospital’s Nurses Day acknowledgement held on Nightingale’s birthday, perhaps no one better represents the high standard of compassionate care set by this model than her, said hospital staff. Colleagues say her ability to always lend a hand and understand the emotional demands of her patients is matched only by her vibrant and positive outlook.


TUPPER LAKE — Starting today, the state Department of Transportation will undertake replacing a culvert under state Route 30 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake, and plans to reroute traffic onto a side road while the work shuts down the main artery for the next month.
But some wildlife advocates say the plan has not faced any public scrutiny and puts wildlife and tourism-related businesses at risk. The Northern New York Audubon Society says such a move puts rare birds and wildlife in danger from increased traffic. Other people, especially residents of the small hamlet of Long Lake, say the detour will be a danger and a hassle as they commute to and from work and errands.
Construction will start today and is expected to end before Memorial Day weekend. According to DOT spokesperson Jim Piccola, the contractor, Slate Hill Constructors of Warners, will work 12-hour days, seven days a week to end the project as soon as possible.
DOT plans to replace a 42-inch culvert, and traffic will be routed onto Sabattis Circle Road, which leads to Little Tupper Lake and the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area.
The culvert has been under supervision since bridge inspectors noticed the embankment’s gradual deterioration in November of last year, according to the DOT spokesman. He said a rumor that the DOT accidentally damaged the culvert while dynamiting a beaver dam is not true.
DOT inspectors determined that the frozen ground would bridge the culvert’s flaw for the winter and inspected the damage weekly. Now that the ground is thawing, they will excavate the area, replace the culvert, fill in the dirt and lay new asphalt.
The DOT had two options for construction: open-cutting the road across both lanes of traffic and rerouting traffic, or boring under one side and open-cutting the other, with a lag wall to maintain one-lane traffic. They chose the latter.
“We are very aware of the wildlife in that area, and we are taking every precaution to let our folks know, also the people who use that detour,” Piccola said.
Collins, who lives in Long Lake, said over the phone on Tuesday that she was not only concerned about the wildlife but about a large increase in traffic, including tractor-trailers, on Sabattis Circle Road, and that ambulances would face an additional 20 minutes on their way from Long Lake to the hospital in Saranac Lake.
Piccola said the DOT will add 1,200 feet of guardrail along Sabattis Circle Road, signs lower the speed limit to 40 mph and add warning signs for curves and wildlife. Collins said the DOT originally told her the speed would be limited to 30 or 35 miles per hour.
After the project is completed, the speed limit signs will be removed but all the other additions will stay.
The shoulders of the thin road will also be patched before construction. The road’s 6-ton weight limit will be lifted, and the edges will be monitored for damage. A bridge on the road will also be reduced to an alternating one lane with signals.
NNYAS recommended in its letter that DOT install a temporary traffic light and allow one-lane travel on Route 30 rather than the detour.
Jack Carney said he and other Long Lake residents only learned of the project when they saw road signs on April 18.
“Everyone I spoke to expressed dismay when I shared what I had learned from the construction supervisor,” he wrote in a Guest Commentary published in Tuesday’s Enterprise. “They knew Sabattis Circle Drive and feared for the safety of family members and friends who would be obliged to share the narrow, curve-filled road with two-way traffic, large 18-wheelers and unwary wildlife, including deer and moose.” He said he had shared these concerns with the DOT and sent copies to the state Adirondack Park Agency and Department of Environmental Conservation.
Michale Glennon of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack office in Saranac Lake also wrote to the DOT about concerns WCS has with DOT’s plan, noting that WCS has conducted extensive studies in the area.
“We have collectively referred to this habitat as the Adirondack lowland boreal and have surveyed, studied, and written extensively on the plant and bird communities,” Glennon wrote. “These boreal wetland communities, such as sub-boreal spruce flats and acidic basin fens and swamps, contain some of the rarest birds in the state.
Glennon went on to explain that if DOT must use the detour, the project would have less of a negative impact on wildlife if construction occurs in the fall instead of now.
Piccola said the DOT wants to complete this culvert replacement as soon as possible for the safety of drivers, adding that driver safety comes foremost for the department.
If the project stays on schedule, it should not interfere with the Adirondack Birding Festival field trip.


Former Congressman Mark Foley says he has not made a final decision about running for mayor of West Palm Beach but don’t buy it. Foley is acting like a candidate and he says he will wait until the last day of qualifying on Dec. 27 to decide. It would be a major comeback for Foley, who was thought to be a respected conservative, family-values member of Congress in 2006 when scandal erupted around him. Foley, who had been rumored to be gay, was caught sending explicit text messages to an underage male Congressional page. He was forced to resign and then was targeted in investigations conducted by the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over his conduct. No charges were brought.
Palm Beach Gardens police officer Withfield Merrick, 35, was charged with sexual battery for alleged inappropriate touching of a woman during a search for drugs. According to the arrest affidavit, Merrick arrested the woman on an outstanding warrant and, while transporting her to jail, he asked her if she had any weapons or drugs. When woman stated she had Xanax pills and marijuana, he pulled into a dark area and began to conduct a body cavity search. Department policy requires that a female officer be called in such situations. He threw the drugs away and never charged her or documented them. As a result, he was also charged with official misconduct and tampering with evidence.
The long awaited audit of three events — the Founder’s [Cracker] Day, Mango and Brazilian festivals — is finally completed and its findings are scary. Deerfield Beach city commissioners approved the audit at the urging of blogger and city hall monitor Chaz Stevens, who has been vigilantly watching over the dysfunctional City Hall. The audit findings detail unaccounted for funds in all three events, particularly the Brazilian and Mango festivals. It raises questions as to the role several politicians and department heads played in the missing cash and even the destruction of financial records. For example, during questioning about the whereabouts of certain records, former Parks Department Director George Edmunds responded by asking whether he should “get a lawyer.” The audit also shows that Deerfield Beach has suffered years of lax control over its finances, mismanagement and incompetent political leadership. No doubt the State Attorney’s Office will begin an investigation – and it won’t be a minute too soon.
The city of Lauderdale Lakes is broke and may be on a path to insolvency, according to several City Hall insiders. The city’s reserves are said to be depleted and more layoffs are planned. Some are pointing the finger at City Manager Anita Fain-Taylor, who has not responded to questions about the issue. However, blaming Fain-Taylor alone won’t cut it because commissioners share some of the responsibility. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but any resolution will not be pretty.
Deerfield Beach City Manager Burgess Hanson continues to ignore employee grievances filed over the manner by which dozens of layoffs were handled, according to the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). The union contends Hanson failed to give proper notice and sprung the layoffs on employees as they arrived at work without regard for seniority or labor contract procedures. City commissioners have been derelict in their duty by failing to address concerns raised by workers about Hanson and the process he used and that’s regrettable. The rules of the Florida Commission on Public Employees (PERC) mandate employers to process grievances and abide by collective bargaining agreements. IUPAT has proven to be a weak union and this has undoubtedly led city officials to disregard their contract without fear of repercussions.
Several years ago, Plantation city officials considered erecting a wall along the east side of State Road 7 to keep out residents from the predominantly black Melrose Park neighborhood, due to increasing crime along the corridor. That was a callous notion and the city suffered a backlash as a result. Now, this same city has banned Goodwill Industries from setting up temporary locations where the charitable organization can continue collecting donated clothes, household goods and other items for the needy and disabled. City officials cited the Goodwill donation trailer for several code violations, forcing it to shut down, and reportedly told them they were not wanted in the city.
By the time you read this, Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra will likely be fired. The much ballyhooed Heat was expected to contend for an NBA championship but, instead, the players are being out coached to the point where they are barely winning half their games. With talent like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade the Heat should perform better. Spoeltra, pack your things, you’re leaving.
Devonn Tillman, 22, and Albert Amador, 27, were arrested in connection with a violent home invasion at Northwest 14th Street in Florida City on Friday, Nov. 26. The men were involved in a fight at the home earlier that day and returned later with guns drawn. One man was shot multiple times and another who went to help the homeowner was shot and killed as he entered the house. None of the children who were home at the time were harmed.
After a convincing win over several contenders in the Democratic primary, Frederica Wilson handily defeated an independant candidate to win election to Congress on Nov. 2. She is now completing orientation for new members of the 112th Congress. There are a number of serious issues that will come before this Congress; but Wilson made national news not over any of them but over her hats. Members of Congress have been banned from wearing hats during session since 1837. Wilson says she is researching ways for incoming House Speaker John Boehner to change the rules to allow her to wear hats. She and the people of her district would be better served if she let it go, and prepare for the contentious fights ahead over critical issues.


If you're old enough, the pictures of Soviet ICBM missiles presented to the United Nations during the Cuban missile crisis left an indelible mark in your cortex.
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, placed a series of photos on an easel to answer Soviet charges that the US had no proof that the Soviets had placed missiles in the island state and that the Soviets were just helping Cuba develop.
Stevenson told the Soviets that, "we do have the evidence. We have it, and it is clear and it is incontrovertible." And it was. The first pictures were of an area north of the village of Candelaria, southwest of Havana. The first photograph was taken in late August 1962 and it simply showed undeveloped countryside. The next picture showed a few tents and vehicles and several new roads. The next picture, taken 24 hours later, revealed tents for up to 500 men and seven ICBM missile trailers. But the jackpot wasn't hit until mid-October when a U-2 aircraft photographed the area of San Cristobal.
"In only six minutes, US Air Force Maj. Richard Heyser snapped 928 photographs that yielded the first confirmation of offensive missiles in Cuba," according to "Soviet Deception in the Cuban Missile Crisis," an April 2007 article by James Hansen, who served in both CIA and DIA.
The Soviets had lied about the presence of missiles just 90 miles from the US mainland and they had been caught at it. This was probably the first time that Americans were exposed publicly to the art and science of what intelligence types call change detection. But it turns out that what has become one of the touchstones of the fabulous capabilities of spies in the skies -- also known as high-flying planes such as the U-2 and satellites -- was not quite as seminal as it seemed at the time.
Many argued that the pictures were proof of the superiority of what became known during the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) as "national technical means."
But, at an April 28 conference held at Georgetown University to celebrate the donation to the university of a lot of personal papers and recently declassified files from former CIA Director Richard Helms, that conventional wisdom was dealt a death blow.
Bud Wheelon, the CIA's first deputy director for science and technology, said that the agency knew about the missiles from other, more prosaic sources beforehand. In fact, human sources in Cuba had obtained detailed information about the Cuban bombers and missiles, Wheelon told me this week.
The first solid information was obtained Sept. 17, he said, from agents on the ground. Using that and other information, the US flew the U-2 and other planes over Cuba to get confirmation and to provide the world with undeniable proof that did not compromise intelligence sources and methods. After all, the Cubans and Soviets knew about the U-2s and other planes because they shot at them. We understand that at least one senior intelligence official -- long since retired -- was secretly awarded one of the CIA's highest honors for the spying done on the ground in Cuba. Senior intelligence officials, including Wheelon and CIA Director John McCone, knew about the intelligence from the agent and believed it. But the intelligence community did not.
A National Intelligence Estimate dated Sept. 19, 1962 concluded the Soviets were unlikely to try and install missiles in Cuba.
"The USSR could derive considerable military advantage from the establishment of Soviet medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles in Cuba, or from the establishment of a Soviet submarine base there. As between these two, the establishment of a submarine base would be the more likely. Either development, however, would be incompatible with Soviet practice to date and with Soviet policy as we presently estimate it," the estimate concluded.
Not the first time they goofed. And it won't be the last. But that is the nature of intelligence. It is the analysis of uncertain information and yields insights that are often wrong. But remember that the U-2 was built. Remember that agent working in Cuba.
And remember those 928 photographs. The process wasn't perfect. But war was averted.


The Portland Generating Station in Upper Mount Bethel Township, a coal-fired plant whose decades-old infrastructure and heavy pollution made it a target of environmentalists, will shut down in 2015.
In a statement released Wednesday, Houston power company GenOn Energy announced plans to close the plant and seven others between 2012 and 2015, saying new federal environmental laws will make them unprofitable.
The other affected plants are in Berks County, western Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey. The Upper Mount Bethel facility will close in January 2015.
"It's not something that we'd like to do. We're not in the business to shut down power plants," said Steve Davies, a vice president at GenOn who oversees the Portland plant. "But you do what you have to do."
GenOn operates more than 40 power plants in 11 states. The closings will slash 13 percent of the company's generating power.
In Upper Mount Bethel, the power plant lauded for providing 70 jobs became better known in recent years for chart-topping emissions of sulfur dioxide and other airborne toxins, which have been linked to increased asthma rates in New Jersey. Some mornings, residents in nearby Knowlton, N.J., would wake up to find ash from an overnight burn-off coating their cars and homes.
In 2010, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection filed a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to force the plant to reduce emissions, blaming GenOn for the Garden State's low air-quality scores.
The EPA upheld New Jersey's request, ordering the plant, which has minimal pollution controls, to cut pollution by 81 percent in three years.
But Davies said the federal ruling, which his company is appealing, is only a small part of the decision to shutter Portland. A "suite" of new federal rules has made small-scale coal power increasingly more expensive, he said.
Even if the EPA rule had fallen more in GenOn's favor, new mercury and air toxins standards that strictly limit mercury emissions nationwide would have done in the plant anyway.
"At the end of the day, it's really MATS that's driving this," Davies said, referring to the standards.
The regulation in question marks a shift from statewide limits in emissions, which allowed dirtier power producers to buy credits offsetting their pollution, to individual caps for facilities, which are harder to avoid. Some aspects also require installing pollution control technology, which Portland lacks.
If GenOn succeeds in its appeal involving New Jersey, it would push the plant's closing date back to April 2015, Davies said. Three natural gas turbines will continue to operate at the facility after the coal-burning generators shut down, but they'll only need about 10 staff members to operate. Layoffs won't begin until 2015, Davies said.
Environmentalists and some local residents met the news with jubilation, celebrating the end of a two-year fight to close the plant. At the peak of the protests last year, activists flew above the plant in a Greenpeace airship that read "IF YOU CAN READ THIS, YOU ARE BREATHING COAL POLLUTION."
"This is a victory for our lungs," Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club of New Jersey, said in a statement. "Closing this dirty coal plant is a major step forward in improving New Jersey's air quality. This plant is the largest source of pollution in northwest New Jersey, and now the people of New Jersey will be able to breathe easier."
That was echoed by Myriam Fallon, a Greenpeace organizer working with the Multi-State Alliance to Promote Lasting Energy, a local group leading the fight against the plant. Her phone had been ringing with the news all morning, she said.
"They're all just incredibly happy to know that air quality as a whole will get better," she said.
New Jersey's joy was tempered by a vow to continue pressing GenOn to reduce the Portland plant's emissions 60 percent by January 2013 and at least 81 percent by 2015.
"Those steps are essential for the health and welfare of our residents," Bob Martin, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement.
But in Upper Mount Bethel and beyond, where the plant has survived for five decades as one of the area's oldest and largest employers, few thoughts were spared Wednesday for the environmental benefits.
Portland Mayor Lance Prator has seen neighbors land good jobs and retire on good pensions thanks to the plant. He said the borough has never had cause for complaint with GenOn. And Ron Angle, a former Northampton County councilman and longtime Slate Belt resident, fears for the hundreds of acres the facility will leave behind.
"It is a key piece of land for economic development for our area," Angle said. "I hate to see them close up. But I understand what the dilemma is. There's not a thing we can demand or ask of them. It's a corporate decision — they have to do what's best for GenOn shareholders."
The plant closures drew criticism from U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., who blamed an overzealous EPA for the loss of 315 jobs in Pennsylvania. He has signed two resolutions of disapproval asking the agency to scale back its plans.
"I am dismayed by the news that hundreds of Pennsylvanians will lose their jobs because of this impending wave of federal regulations," he said in a statement.
No one yet knows what will happen come closing day. Angle said he's talked to GenOn about reopening the station as a natural gas-fired power plant, which could save jobs and the company's tax dollars.
Converting the coal plant to run on gas, while currently too expensive, could be possible in the future, Davies said. As Marcellus Shale exploration expands, natural gas prices are set to hit record lows in the coming decade.
But the prospect of a reborn Portland Generating Station does little for activists.
"We definitely think that's the wrong decision, especially in a state like Pennsylvania that's having so much trouble from fracking," said Greenpeace's Fallon, referring to hydraulic fracturing, the process of freeing natural gas from shale. "This is a plant that doesn't need to be running for the electrical grid. It's solely there for GenOn's profits."
Besides the Portland plant, GenOn will close plants are in Elrama, Washington County; New Castle, Lawrence County; Shawville, Clearfield County; Birdsboro, Berks County; Niles, Ohio; Avon Lake, Ohio, and Glen Gardner, N.J.


Shawn Grate wants everyone to know that he has killed five women.
But it sounds like he is not quite sure there weren’t more.
“Let me see,” he replies, looking at a list she presses against the glass of the visitor’s room at the Ashland County jail.
That’s what he said in a letter to another reporter, apologizing, not for the murders but his sloppy handwriting, which he blames on having only a golf pencil to write with, in accordance with jail rules.
Shawn Grate, as is apparent, is not a normal person.
Though formally accused of two murders — for the moment, of Elizabeth Griffith and Stacey Stanley — he has confessed to five slayings. He is not a normal defendant, either. He has confessed but has pleaded not guilty and he has suggested he did so at the insistence of his lawyers.
And rather than keeping quiet, as lawyers insist that defendants do, he has been confessing to all who ask.
“I admitted it,” he told the interviewer for WOIO Cleveland 19 news, Cassie Nist, the TV station’s senior producer of investigations.
He has confessed and talked so much that on Thursday, at the request of both the prosecutor and his defense lawyers, Ashland Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald Forsthoefel ordered him to shut up, imposing a gag order that will make his jailers screen all his mail and other communications, prohibiting “defendant from communicating, in any fashion, with any member of the public regarding the pending case,” as WKYC reported.
He started confessing the day police caught up with him.
They got him by sheer luck. He picked up a woman who had been out walking, took her to an abandoned house in a desolate neighborhood of Ashland, and tied her up, forcing her to engage in sexual activity, she told police.
She managed to loosen the ties that bound her, and she slipped over to a telephone in the bedroom and, while Grate slept, called 911.
“I’ve been kidnapped,” she told the responder.
Police hadn’t even known about the slayings until they got to the house and found two bodies. Then he started confessing to more killings, telling police where they could find the bodies, which they did.
All told, as his list said, there were five since at least 2001 — or, maybe 2003, he’s not sure — one of whom has yet to be identified.
In his interview with KFVS, he ticked off each one, and had something to say about them all. Nist was not allowed to bring a recorder to the interview, but recounted his words from her memory in Q&A form, stressing that her account was not entirely verbatim.
There was Dana, or Diane. Grate is not exactly sure of her name. Neither are authorities. They have a body, but no identity.
He said the woman came to the house and “tried to tell me that she would pay for half the subscription and if I paid the other half. I could tell she was scheming me,” he said.
Stabbing was not his usual method, he said.
He preferred choking, which is what he said he did to Elizabeth Griffith.
On and on he talks.
Stacey Stanley in September, Candice Cunningham in June and Rebekah Leicy in March 2015.
The interviewer asked if he’s remorseful.
“It’s about 50/50,” he said.
“They tried to put me on psych pills but I didn’t want anything controlling my brain.
He was briefly married and fathered a daughter. But his wife filed for divorce in 2012, less than a year after they wed.
A woman who knew him, and used him as a handyman, told the Enquirer that though he had an unhappy childhood, he seemed respectful. He also seemed, at times, very strange.
“He would stand and stare at you,” said the woman, who did not want her full name used. “… One time my cousin came over to the house,” she recalled, “and I had to tell him three times to go about his business before he would stop standing there,” staring.
His motive, as described in his letter to News 5 Cleveland, was incoherent, as he described it: He blamed “government assistance” for stealing the minds of his victims.
“The reasons he’s giving are not reasons that a rational person would give for explaining this kind of conduct,” Jonathan Witmer-Rich, a law professor at Cleveland Marshall School of Law, told the station.
Nor are his answers likely to be useful should he try to avoid the death penalty by claiming insanity.
Among the admissions he made was that he was fully aware he had done “horrible” things. He makes no pretense of not knowing right from wrong.
At the end of her interview, Nist asked Grate if there was anything else he wanted to say.
Correction: Cassie Nist works for WOIO CBS Cleveland 19 News, not as the original version of this story said, KFYS. And she showed Grate the list of victims, not the other way around, as originally reported.


Slate’s Culture Gabfest on HBO’s Getting On, the hoaxy saga of Elan Gale and Diane in 7A, and the 100th anniversary of the crossword puzzle with guest Will Shortz.
Slate’s Culture Gabfest on HBO’s Getting On, the saga of “Diane in 7A,” and the crossword puzzles with Will Shortz.
Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 272 with Stephen Metcalf, John Swansburg, and Julia Turner with the audio player below.
The sponsors of this week’s show are Stamps.com and Audible. Go to Stamps.com and use the promo code “CULTUREFEST” for your no-risk free trial and bonus offer. Get a free audiobook from Audible’s collection of more than 100,000 titles and a subscription to a daily audio digest when you sign up for a 30-day free trial at www.audiblepodcast.com/culturefest.
On this week’s episode, the critics discuss Getting On, a new HBO comedy set on an extended care hospital wing. Do the show’s representation of the elderly pose a departure from the bumbling, slapstick seniors of network TV? Next, the gabbers discuss one’s right to privacy in the Twitter age. Inspired by the faux Twitter feud between Elan Gale, a producer of The Bachelor, and “Diane,” an anonymous—and perhaps apocryphal—passenger on Gale’s Thanksgiving flight, the critics wonder: Should all our public experiences be open to Twitter-criticism? And finally, the Gabfest welcomes Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword, to celebrate the puzzle’s 100-year history. Guard your ulnae and hide your etui. The critics get Shortz’s take on crosswordese.
BuzzFeed’s promotion and later debunking of the Elan/Diane saga.
This podcast was produced by Chris Wade. Our intern is Anna Shechtman.


We've heard from multiple sources today that LucasArts has laid off approximately 50-100 of its employees, including a handful of higher profile names like VP of Product Development Peter Hirschmann. The move comes just a few days after the publisher and developer released LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures on multiple platforms and four months after the departure of LucasArts president Jim Ward.
When Ward resigned, the company cited "personal reasons," but an alleged and anonymous LucasArts employee later suggested in a post on Gamasutra that Ward may have been pressured to leave, pointing to differing philosophies within the company.
That anonymous poster wrote "There are some that believe that more money can be made by licensing the SW and Indiana Jones IP to third party developers than through in-house development," hinting that the change in leadership "could spell trouble for the LucasArts division."
Ward was replaced by interim president Howard Roffman until former EA COO Darrell Rodriguez was named president in April. Whether the rumored layoffs are part of a plan to reorganize LucasArts development is unknown.
We've contacted LucasArts for clarification and comment, but did not hear back as of press time.
Update: While LucasArts public relations did not get back to us today, several former LucasArts staffers did, with one telling us that 75-100 employees were laid off from the company, including the producer of LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Shawn Storc.
According to another source, up to 80% of staff has been laid off in departments such as Production Services, which includes QA and Compliance, with jobs planned to be outsourced overseas. Cuts were also said to be made in development, with art and programming staffers being laid off.
Mike Fahey and Leigh Alexander contributed to this story.


July 4th falls on a Friday this year, and you know what that means... We get an entire three-day weekend jam packed with entertainment options, woo hoo! We suggest you stay local on Friday for Philly's Party on the Parkway and 4th of July Jam and Fireworks Finale. For the road warriors itching to get out of dodge, here's an option for your Saturday.
Head down to Maryland for a free “Salute to Independence” Concert at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg (near Hagerstown). Every year on the first Saturday in July, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra (MSO) puts on one heck of a patriotic show at the battlefield, culminating in one of the largest, most spectacular fireworks displays in the state.
Count on hearing heart-swelling favorites like the National Anthem, Armed Forces Salute, Stars and Stripes Forever, Fanfare for the Common Man, American Salute, the 1812 Overture and more.
For more information, visit the Maryland Symphony Orchestra website.
Antietam National Battlefield is one of America’s National Parks and is the site of the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. On September 17, 1862 more than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or declared missing in action after 12 hours of savage combat.
Bring - Be sure to bring a blanket(s), plenty of water or soft drinks, and a flashlight. Food and drinks are available for purchase on-site.
Parking - Limited parking is available in the park and additional parking can be found on Rt. 65 and Rt. 34 bordering the park. Shuttle buses are provided from Route 34 between 3 and 11:30 p.m. but plan to walk another 300 yards or so. The cost is $2.00 round-trip and children under five are free.
Reserve your spot - Bring a tarp to mark your space in advance, but take note: Any tarp placed prior to 6 a.m., and/or not occupied by 7:00 p.m. will be removed. Label personal property with your name, just in case.
Patience – It’s a free concert, folks, so plan accordingly! More than 20,000 spectators are anticipated, so expect heavy delays.
Lodging - If you decide to stay overnight, you'll find a few of the area's lodging options after the jump.


It was a rare moment in Congress this week when a purely political maneuver to halt the wind farm off Cape Cod was stopped.
This was a bipartisan power play involving Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and Republican Governor Mitt Romney. The plan, included in a Coast Guard appropriation bill and never discussed in public - as befits such back-door dealing - would have given the governor veto power over a wind farm. And Romney would have used it.
But powerful senators from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee were joined last month by the Bush administration in opposing the move, on grounds it would likely stall future alternative energy projects. They were right, and this week a compromise emerged, giving the Coast Guard the final word on offshore wind turbines and their effect on navigation.
The Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, which envisions 130 wind turbines, is the most controversial wind farm under consideration, in large part because of the firepower of the opposition. However, for five years, the proposal has passed each governmental review it’s been subjected to.
Read the rest of today's Patriot Ledger Editorial here, and comment below.


MARTINSBURG — A Martinsburg man arrested by police Thursday morning on outstanding drug distribution warrants allegedly confessed to a shooting on South Raleigh Street over the weekend, according to a press release from the Martinsburg Police Department.
Alvin Gilbert, 27, will be arraigned today on the felony charge of first-degree murder, police said. Gilbert was booked at the Eastern Regional Jail at 2:52 a.m. today to await arraignment, according to jail records.
The MPD and the Martinsburg Fire Department responded at approximately 4:03 p.m. Sunday to 405 S. Raleigh Street for a call of a male shot in the chest.
Corey Barkhamer, 26, was located inside the home with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Officers and medics rendered aid and Barkhamer was transported to Berkeley Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries.
MPD detectives conducted an investigation and determined involvement in the murder by Gilbert, the press release said. During the investigation, it was determined that Barkhamer is a resident of 405 S. Raleigh St., and he was shot during an attempted home invasion.
At the Martinsburg Police Department this morning, Gilbert waived his Miranda rights and gave a statement eventually confessing to the killing, according to the press release.
In May, Gilbert, also known as Albert D. Gilbert was arraigned on the felony charges of possession with the intent to deliver marijuana, possession with the intent to deliver cocaine, armed robbery and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. These charges stem from an alleged armed robbery of a female bar patron in Martinsburg.
Gilbert is incarcerated in the Eastern Regional Jail in lieu of no bond, according to jail records.
The Journal will update this story when more information becomes available.


In this exclusive interview with The New American magazine, longtime political operative Roger Stone warns that the establishment hates Trump with a passion because he threatens their agenda to undermine U.S. sovereignty and the broader “globalist agenda.” So passionate is this hatred that the Deep State will go to any lengths to stop the president. “He's a one-man obstacle to the downward spiral in American strength,” Stone said. Among the schemes to remove Trump are the Russia conspiracy theories, the claims that Trump is crazy, and, as Stone explained in a previous interview with The New American — assassination. By mid-2018, Stone suggested the establishment media would seek to whip up a crescendo of hysteria over Trump's mental state. The goal: remove him under the 25th amendment to the Constitution. But Trump is “crazy like a fox,” Stone said, adding that he was confident in Trump's ability to overcome the attacks against him.


A rare blend of tranquility and practicality if found in this post and beam three family compound. Great for investment or for your own family. This former farmhouse property is comprised of a main house, a cottage and a series of out buildings. The gingerbread details and gorgeous wrap around porch invite you to enjoy an afternoon looking at the beautiful mountain views. The park like landscaping and sprawling yard is filled with well placed flowering surprises. The front house is a two family with lovely wood details and the back cottage also has a charming porch framed by birch trees. Everything is meticulously maintained and has been in the same family for decades. Separate building for storage and two car garage is rented separately and has separate electric. A unique opportunity as either a smart investment or a charming house or weekend retreat. The front two family could easily be converted back to a one family with a guest house in back for your visiting friends. Back cottage is the image of small house perfection with a gas stove and sliding glass doors leading back to a wrap around deck. Very close to restaurants and shops, as well as fishing and hiking. Main Street Margaretville offers a lifestyle which is enchanting and rare. Come see for yourself!


Published: Sep 30, 2018 at 5:30 a.m.
6 a.m. – Wake up.
6:30 a.m. – Head to his new business, Somerset Ice Cream Bar.
6:45 a.m. – Start cleaning, doing kitchen prep, payroll, etc.
8:45 a.m. – Attend Grade 11 classes at Kinkora Regional High School.
3 p.m. – Leave school, head back to ice cream bar.
4 p.m. – Open for business.
8 p.m. – Close shop and head home.
Despite his young age, Harrison, 16, has already thrown himself head-first into entrepreneurship.
The Kinkora resident is the owner/operator of Somerset Ice Cream Bar, located at 2 Somerset St.
The business opened in early July. The summer season was a trial by fire - or in this case ice cream - for the budding business owner.
“It’s awesome. I think we were very well set up and prepared for our first year. Sure, we had our odd hiccup now and then. But it was a great summer and I don’t have any regrets,” he said.
Harrison worked full-time hours at the ice cream bar and employed four people part-time.
So how does a 16-year-old get such an enterprise rolling?
Apparently, a drive to learn and surprisingly little help from mom and dad.
Harrison’s parents are Robert and Karen Duffy. Karen explained that Robert co-signed a new business loan with Harrison, but it was her son’s effort that made his business a reality.
Harrison came up with the idea, developed his own business plan, took bookkeeping and business management classes and even bought a used soft-serve ice cream machine to take apart and tinker with, just so he would know how it worked in case he ever had to fix one.
“We’re really proud of his efforts,” said Karen.
Harrison got the idea to open an ice cream bar after realizing there was untapped market in Kinkora and the surrounding area. From there, it was a matter of getting his loan, buying his lot and getting it rezoned, then buying a used farm market building, moving and renovating it.
He originally considered starting with something a little less ambitious, but eventually decided to go all-in and open something full-sized.
“I thought just go big or go home. Why not jump in and do it all? Then you don’t have worry about upgrading,” he said.
The response from the community has been incredible, added Harrison. He has even received support from erstwhile competitors, like Kool Breeze Ice Cream Barn in Summerside and Frosty Treat in Kensington. Both of those businesses encouraged him and allowed him to work in their establishments so he could do some training.
Chris Gaudet of North Tryon stopped by for some soft serve last Thursday afternoon.
“Saves me driving to Summerside every day,” chuckled Gaudet, when asked about presence of the business in the community.
Somerset Ice Cream Bar is currently on off-season reduced hours, though Harrison intends to keep it open at least until the end of September. Customers can stop in for an ice cream from 4 to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday, and Noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Today, from 4 to 6 p.m., Harrison is hosting a Customer Appreciation Day to thank the community for their support in his inaugural year.


Executives defend the high fees that their companies charge for terminating wireless services early.
LAS VEGAS--Executives from AT&T and Verizon Communications defended early termination fees for wireless customers Tuesday, but said they wouldn't oppose Federal Communications Commission rules that required these fees to be "reasonable."
Jim Cicconi, AT&T senior executive and vice president for legislative affairs for AT&T, and Tom Tauke, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for Verizon, said following a panel discussion at the NxtComm tradeshow here, that their companies are justified in charging early termination fees for wireless contracts, which often top out at $200.
The battle over early termination fees is heating up as wireless operators face multimillion-dollar class action suits from consumers who say these fees are unfair and deter competition. So far, wireless operators seem to have the upper hand in the battle, as a California state jury ruled in favor of Sprint Nextel last week in the first of these class action lawsuits.
But now, the FCC is considering taking jurisdiction over early termination fees. And the agency is considering a proposal from Chairman Kevin Martin that would require consumers be given a 30-day grace period to cancel their contracts without penalty. After those 30 days, early termination charges would then be prorated or reduced over the duration of the contract. Martin also proposes that fees should be based on the cost of the phone and that they should be "reasonable."
Cicconi and Tauke said that they are confident they could reasonably justify the cost of their fees, despite criticism from consumer advocates who say these fees are not used to recover costs but are merely used to deter customers from switching services. One industry expert who testified at a recent FCC hearing said that the early termination fees wireless operators charge are roughly 12 times higher than the cost of the actual phone subsidy they claim to be recovering.
"The fact is that it costs us hundreds of dollars more than the fees we charge to acquire a customer," Tauke said.
The executives also argued that consumers have many choices when it comes to the phones they buy and the services they subscribe to. Both carriers offer some phones at full price and allow customers to subscribe to month-to-month contracts, they said.
While AT&T and Verizon Wireless might offer some phones at full retail price in exchange for month-to-month service contracts, most of the hottest and most popular phones are not offered in this way. For example, the new 3G version of Apple's iPhone offered exclusively on AT&T's network can only be bought for the subsidized price of $199. AT&T also requires new iPhone users to sign up for a two-year contract. The previous version of the iPhone, which was not subsidized by AT&T, also required customers to sign up for a two-year contract with AT&T.
When asked why AT&T isn't giving consumers the choice of buying the new iPhone for the unsubsidized retail price without the constraints of a contract, AT&T's Cicconi had this to say: "Apple is providing the iPhone on these terms and conditions that it negotiated with AT&T. And if customers don't want to accept these terms, they can buy other devices."
While that's true, consumers still have no other way to buy this particularly innovative phone without agreeing to strict contractual terms from AT&T. This is despite the fact that AT&T said it has found its iPhone users to be among its most loyal customers.
"People have a choice," Cicconi continued. "They make decisions based on a lot of factors, like features and functionality of the phone and the terms and conditions under which that device is offered. Why should the government intercede on a deal that was struck between AT&T and Apple? I don't think the FCC should single out any one device in making policy."
Verizon's Tauke chimed in by saying that other industries also require term contracts.
"My gym requires me to have a year contract," he said. "The lawn service that cuts my grass has a one-year contract. Tivo requires a year service. This isn't unusual, and it's questionable that any government should regulate fees on any service."
This might be true, but there are many goods and services, particularly utility services, which don't require contracts. I've never had to sign a contract to get water or electricity. And I never signed a contract for my landline telephone service. I'm interested to hear what readers think about this issue. So please share your thoughts in the "Talk Back" section below.


Some lucky fool has captured video of the 2011 Lexus LF-A bombing around some track called the Nurburgring and it's making a positively glorious sound. As it screams down the straights, a sweet F1-like wail emerges from ToyMoCo's pending supercar and we couldn't be more surprised or intrigued by this auditory information. Yes, the brakes make a pretty gnarley squealing noise as it's pulling into the garage, but that's no concern at this point in the development process. Unlike the previous versions we've seen, this one appears to be the fixed rear wing version being set up for the 36th ADAC Zurich 24h Race 2008 at Nurburgring.


Mostly cloudy. High around 60F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 39F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
El Paso County — the state’s largest and home to more than 45,500 concealed-carry permits — plans to sue if a red-flag gun bill making its way through the Legislature becomes law, Sheriff Bill Elder said last week.
At least four other Colorado counties — Weld, Montezuma, Fremont and Custer — have declared themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries in response to the proposal.
The red-flag bill, officially known as the Extreme Risk Protection Orders, would allow a judge to order the confiscation of firearms from someone found to be a danger to themselves or others.
Unlike the other counties, though, Elder said his deputies will enforce court orders if the bill, which already has passed the state House, is approved by the Senate and signed by the governor.
He said he hopes it doesn’t come to that.
“I want the constitutional question answered, and I suspect that what would happen is under a constitutional challenge, it would get overturned,” Elder said.
Under House Bill 1177, a family or household member or law enforcement officer could petition a court for a temporary “extreme risk protection order” if they can demonstrate that a person poses a significant risk to themselves or others by possessing a firearm.
A second hearing would be held within 14 days, at which “clear and convincing evidence” would have to show that the person remains a danger.
Weapons could then be held for up to 364 days while the person from whom they were taken seeks treatment, which can be ordered by the court under the bill.
Once the temporary order is issued, all weapons must be turned over to law enforcement or a federally licensed firearm dealer. To recover the weapons, the person must prove they are no longer a danger, using a “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard.
The bill “infringes upon the inalienable rights of the citizens of unincorporated El Paso County,” the resolution the commissioners plan to vote on next week states.
According to the resolution, the red-flag bill would let family members and law enforcement petition to seize a person’s guns without them present in court and without notice.
It would order officers to “forcibly enter premises and seize a citizen’s property with no evidence of a crime” and shifts “the burden of proof to gun owners accused under this law to prove themselves not a danger by clear and convincing evidence after an order for removal,” the resolution says.
Officers also would be placed at risk enforcing the court’s orders to seize weapons, he said.
“If the recipient, the accused, is in need of mental health help because they’re in crisis, and we’re going to go take their guns, that is a really dangerous situation, which means we’re going to have to have an elevated layer of response,” Elder said. “When that happens, we are more likely than not going to be in an armed confrontation with someone who really needs mental health help.
The bill also would be an unfunded mandate, siphoning resources from regular law enforcement duties, Elder said.
Commissioners will vote on the resolution during the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, which begins at 9 a.m. in Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave.


Trump unleashes weekend tweet tirade. TRANSCRIPT: 3/18/19, Hardball w/ Chris Matthews.
Senator Cory Booker is up next.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST: Have you no decency? Let`s play HARDBALL.
Arizona Senator John McCain succumbed to brain cancer.
passing the Christopher Steele dossier along to the FBI back in 2016.
working together failed as usual. Even the fake news refused this garbage.
dossier to the FBI in December of 2016, after the presidential election.
And there`s no evidence whatever he ever gave the dossier to the media.
Cory Booker, who spoke with me this morning in Iowa.
MATTHEWS: What was your instinctive reaction when you heard that?
vandalism and him just tearing at the fabric of this country.
the book to silence the majority of our country. Wow.
with his weird sort of attempt to assassinate a guy who`s already gone?
chance to undo Obamacare. I`m sure he`s never forgiven McCain for that.
back. That`s perfect for Trump. He loves a target that can`t fight back.
It really is low. It doesn`t get much lower than this.
important to me. I get the sense that he feels that something is coming.
that. And I think this is what is happening now.
the body. Nothing about his service will ever be changed or diminished.
here is Meghan today on The View.
you everything you needed to know about his pathetic life right now.
this kind of stuff? Your thoughts?
that do that when they get anxious, when they`re worried, they talk a lot.
It seems like that is what the President was doing over the weekend.
here, that combination, that mixture of feelings.
don`t want to play one on TV.
MATTHEWS: But you`re pretty good. You`re pretty good at it.
comedy show or another politician. It`s born of insecurity, not strength.
but. He`s a bully and he`s a coward.
spooking the hell out of our president. I mean, he is spooked by this guy.
Anyway, Trump has been fixated on McCain way back since the summer of 2015.
Let`s watch him back then.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: He`s not a war hero.
TRUMP: He is a war hero.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5.5 years in PW camp.
weren`t captured, okay? I hate to tell you.
reason to worry about just a little update on the court, on Robert Mueller?
weekend, he won`t take a day off.
the meantime, he has plenty to worry about without anything else.
a thief. That`s how they talk about him.
enough that it will cost you too much to sue. You`re not going to sue us.
It`s not worth it to you.
WINE-BANKS: Exactly. It`s a deliberate ploy.
so much of a mention of the other side, same with the late night shows.
One thing, Congresswoman, I know that democrats aren`t so good at is jokes.
KELLY: And he`s a gift that keeps on giving so they don`t need to call us.
have? Or would you investigate Fox for getting calls from the White House?
can`t beat you, you can only beat yourself.
want more of you in my pocket.
REAGAN: Well, there`s a couple of aspects to this that`s really scary.
anymore then. Then things get serious in a hurry.
CURBELO: Ron is absolutely right, Chris.
will not take a shot at Trump.
to have parties that organize based on ideas for the future of the country.
And I really hope more republicans would stand up and do that.
would put at the top five of the best presidents in our country.
psychoanalysis of this particular guy. Carlos Curbelo, thank you for that.
open guy. I mean, I hate to sound na‹ve but I think he`s an open person.
President Trump`s attack on the late Senator McCain, he`s got one too.
a few minutes. Stick with us, a lot of Cory coming up. Stick with us.
voters as a uniter for the country.
President`s rough talk about his deceased former colleague.
women that are serving this nation? So I found it repulsive.
try to pits us against each other, now, pitting us against a dead American.
republicans you like in the Senate.
MATTHEWS: Name them. There`s 53 to go through.
BOOKER: Look, I have friends on the other side of the aisle.
BOOKER: I just told you one. Tim Scott is a friend.
BOOKER: Mike Lee is a friend from Utah.
MATTHEWS: You agree with him on nothing.
BOOKER: We are Americans. Sincerely, we`re Americans.
to do Bible study, I saw his black grandchildren, adopted grandchildren.
and you meet them over prayer, you meet them in the gym working out.
begin to see them first as human beings, in common cause.
BOOKER: It`s what the military does as well.
you don`t love the people and all the people.
MATTHEWS: OK, let`s talk about the other end of the spectrum, hate.
language from the time of the campaign – talk about pulling the race card.
Muslims, started talking about our – the divisions in America.
MATTHEWS: Is he a racist?
BOOKER: Racists thinks he`s racist. And his language hurts people.
BOOKER: In South Carolina, where there was a hate crime.
MATTHEWS: How do we stop this world market, this global market for hatred?
on Inter – on the social media.
can – can stop the social media from being the traffic for that?
a toxic spiritual state. I think cynicism is a refuge for cowards.
racist. That`s not enough. Racism exists. You have to be anti-racist.
decency and to try to revive civic grace.
two or three degrees of separation.
MATTHEWS: How did – how did – President Obama tried to do that, right?
BOOKER: Of course he – of course he tried to do it, yes.
revival of civic grace in our civic spaces.
what we`re against. We need to talk about what we`re for.
BOOKER: … the loopholes to get around Davis-Bacon, attacks on farmers.
rivers rising, historic floods happening year after year after year.
to have a politics where we say, hey, we`re – we have got common cause.
We definitely have common pain.
Let me ask you about some of these current debates.
least for now, not to talk about it. Where are you on that?
finish his work and then make our determinations after that.
would consider pardoning Donald Trump once he got into office.
if he got into office.
MATTHEWS: You went to Yale, the best law school. Everybody knows that.
No, I mean it. Everybody – everybody knows it is the best law school.
about the service you give.
MATTHEWS: OK. Well, let`s talk about a couple of them.
MATTHEWS: Well, you`re pushing me into my areas here, OK.
if he took the presidency?
BOOKER: What`s he been – what has he been convicted of?
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s start with obstruction of justice.
You got to you got to believe that is in play here.
MATTHEWS: … that he`s being investigated on.
on the issues he`s being investigated on.
better if you`re rich and guilty than if you`re poor and innocent.
pardon or who are being punished unjustly in this country.
BOOKER: And you know who doesn`t get arrested from smoking marijuana?
now we`re talking about a billionaire getting another pardon.
you don`t – you`re not willing to say he obstructed justice yet?
BOOKER: I`m going to wait for the Mueller report.
Let me ask you about a couple economic issues.
discouraged it from doing that.
Where would you have been on that one?
MATTHEWS: OK. You would support that now?
MATTHEWS: So, New York, you think, was wrong to run them out?
Where are you standing on that?
BOOKER: And so we just need to use our antitrust laws.
chemicals used, two-thirds of the seeds you use.
MATTHEWS: I agree with that.
BOOKER: Driving up farmer prices.
companies to sell to. Now he`s have got one.
MATTHEWS: Where are you on this discussion about socialism now?
What`s wrong with being for capitalism?
MATTHEWS: It`s always been part of our growth.
MATTHEWS: OK, all right, that is – that is – OK, I agree.
MATTHEWS: I know. That`s a good rhetorical flourish.
BOOKER: … onto society. It`s not rhetorical flourish. It`s true.
BOOKER: I live in Jersey. I live in Jersey.
businesses, you might get half of the people starting.
Small businesses are the ones that are creating jobs in this country.
BOOKER: And so we don`t have competition anymore.
MATTHEWS: OK, how about the word socialist, and where are you on that?
BOOKER: I am not a socialist.
MATTHEWS: Well, you have got people in the party who are.
BOOKER: I am a Democrat. I believe in fundamental democratic principles.
in politics is anti-democratic. I think gerrymandering is anti-democratic.
MATTHEWS: Do you think voter suppression is immoral?
MATTHEWS: I do. I think so.
progressives on there. Where are you on that?
MATTHEWS: Can we keep it at nine? Should we keep it at nine?
MATTHEWS: OK. Voter suppression, I asked you about.
BOOKER: God, I would be a hypocrite.
BOOKER: I was a high school All-American football player.
MATTHEWS: No, but you played for a really great school.
BOOKER: And I played for some great coaches, like Denny Green.
the show tonight, and 81.
MATTHEWS: And I was asking you.
MATTHEWS: And you catch that ball right there on the sidelines.
MATTHEWS: You know who I was rooting for?
BOOKER: I`m sure you were rooting for Notre Dame.
BOOKER: But anybody – that is the mecca of football.
that end zone himself, had me turn around. I don`t care what.
touchdown in that end zone.
MATTHEWS: You could have been Rudy.
American cornerback, comes up. He falls for my fake. He falls down.
end zone. But you`re right. I got hit really hard, dragged out of bounds.
It takes your wind away, but the adrenaline`s running.
MATTHEWS: Should kids 12 years old play?
BOOKER: And “Touchdown Tommy” Vardell, you remember him?
MATTHEWS: Should they go into football?
you make helmets safer to absorb more?
things is, to me, unconscionable.
That`s straight ahead. Stay tuned.
president might do with that additional executive power.
was murdered at the top of my block where I live.
are afraid of their houses of worship, they feel a sense of emergency.
MATTHEWS: So, you would consider it as a national emergency, declaring it?
sense gun safety laws to stop the carnage we`re seeing.
America is not a war zone.
BOOKER: We should not have this level of violence.
sort of what we`re looking at, we like?
MATTHEWS: The chancellor of Germany, yes.
MATTHEWS: Why does he go that?
Netanyahu? He likes all these tough guys.
BOOKER: You know, the way he talked about it, the North Korean dictator.
I mean, this is a guy that to me has weakened our nation abroad.
by the Russians and they are still coming at us.
America stronger, he`s making America weaker.
even admit that threat in this country.
MATTHEWS: I know, I know the whole history.
allies to do it and we`re going to need strong coalitions to do it.
restore American support for the Iranian nuclear deal?
thing that best protected Israel and Israel`s safety.
need a strong alliance in that region.
MATTHEWS: Senator Booker, thank you for your time.
BOOKER: Thank you very much.
MATTHEWS: We`ll be back again.
BOOKER: I hope so. Thank you.
Tommy`s Cafe at Davenport, Iowa, for hosting us today.
latest bizarre attack on Joe Biden. That`s ahead.
and fellow at Harvard`s Institute of Politics.
First of all, I want to start with Aisha.
What did you make of Senator Booker for that long interview?
civility back into our process, into our politics, into our campaigning.
He talked a lot about decency. He talked a lot about bipartisanship.
MATTHEWS: Did you believe him?
MOODIE-MILLS: You know, I believe him because I think that he is genuine.
didn`t know the party was in a ferocious mood. How could he not know that?
Aisha, you and I know it`s in a ferocious mood.
tough, and very angry at times.
kind of candidate they want.
there yet, but that`s what – it`s the kind of candidate they`re wanting.
MATTHEWS: I think it`s tonal. I think Aisha is right. It`s tonal.
We`ll see which side wins. There are two sides, I think. We`ll see.
weekend. Let`s watch him in action.
Of anybody who would run.
president. Get used to it, another low I.Q. individual.
renovation (ph) – if you look at some of it.
Our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Nambia.
God bless the United States.
occasionally certainly, but this president is unfamiliar.
furniture of our children. This is powerful stuff.
even knows how to put words together.
problematic. He`s governing in the same way that he`s making those gaffes.
thing. Don`t announce for president.
the way he is, it kind of shows he`s scared.
no foul, whatever, same thing.
Natasha Korecki, thank you. Aisha Moodie-Mills, thank you both.
considered indecent for anyone, much less a president to do such a thing.
Well, that no longer applies.
destiny. In other words, the onset of another civil war.
last Thursday`s interview with “Breitbart”.
are tougher, but they don`t play it tougher. OK?
would be very bad, very bad.
thousand died in battlefields where men faced each other and fired to kill.
would accept war rather than let it perish and the war came.
war so he can at least find a friendly bunker?


Both sides are lining up, about to be welcomed by beautiful sunshine and screaming fans. They emerge, kick-off is not far away now.
We are only ten minutes away from kick-off but the atmosphere is building inside the Cardiff City Stadium. If the home fans can roar their charges forward like they did against City last week, the Evertonians may be in need of ear plugs!
Everton get the game underway, kicking from right to left.
It's Cardiff who are getting stuck in first as Leon Osman is bundled over by Gunnarsson in the centre circle. Plenty of time for this game to settle.
CLOSE! The Toffees knock on the door, first and Mirallas is beaten to a loose ball at the back post by Taylor, who clears it behind. The away support are incensed when a goal kick is given. That looked like the Bluebirds ball, to me.
OUCH! It looks like Craig Bellamy's personal vendetta today is to get in Baines' face...literally. The Bluebirds captain punts an elbow into the England International's face in what looked like a deliberate attempt to unsettle the defender. Well, i'd be!
CHANCE! The Toffees are knocking again as Pienaar slots the ball through to England hopeful Ross Barkley, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked by Steven Caulker and trickes wide for a corner, which ultimately leads to nowt. Great play from Roberto Martinez's men.
Barkley's movement is superb as the 19-year-old shows just why he has been picked by Roy Hodgson for England's double header next week. The youngster jinks past two Cardiff defenders but his through-ball is too heavy for Jelavic. The intensity of this game is slowly beginning to rise.
The visitors are enjoying a spell on the ball and Mirallas sees one ball into the area headed away by Caulker and then his next two attempts for a cross are also thwarted. The final ball is all thats lacking for the men in blue right now.
Seamus Coleman is spoken to by the referee after leaving his leg in and bringing Kim down near the halfway line. The intensity of the crowd bays for a yellow but it's just a ticking off for the Everton youngster.
CHANCE! Fraizer Campbell, who is making his 150th career appearance today, latches onto a bouncer in the box but sees his effort skew high over the crossbar. The lineman's flag is up anyway, so it would not have counted, but the Bluebird striker was almost in the right place to strike, there.
CHANCE! Baines swings in a free-kick from the left flank and Mirallas is left unmarked but skies his header into the stand.
Baines is being given license to roam down the left flank but he is crowded out by the Bluebirds defence before he can find a killer pass. Like I said earlier, we are one cracking final ball away from an opener here.
CHANCE! Jelavic cuts the ball back on the left-hand-side of the City box and puts a lovely cross onto the head of Mirallas, who once again fluffs his lines and sees his free header skim wide.
CHANCE! I wonder if Tim Howard likes butter? Why, I hear you ask? Because his gloves are the colour of buttercups. A through ball from Gunnarsson away after it had been intercepted by Campbell...despite the Iceman's intentions to find Wittingham instead, who had made a great run into the box.
CHANCE! Another free-kick, floated in from the left from Baines, is met by a leaping Jagielka, whose looping header is comfortably smothered by Marshall.
Everton catch the home side on the break and Fellaini, being booed the whole time by the Cardiff support, is tackled by Caulker who puts the ball into safety. The Toffees definitely have the edge in this game.
R. Barkley goes into the referee's book.
PENALTY SHOUT! Ooh, is that a penalty for the Toffees? Leighton Baines plays a fantastic one-two with Pienaar and goes down under a challenge from Taylor in the box. The left-back does not complain as the visitors appeal, but that could easily have been given.
We are one minute plus stoppages away from the break and both sides are yet to break the deadlock. Roberto Martinez will be happier with his side's performance but maybe thinking how they have been denied a penalty in this first-half.
The two teams are back out on the pitch and the second half begins. Can the Bluebirds claim another major scalp or will the Toffees win their first game of the season?
CHANCE! Connolly slices the balls wide after a corner from the right-hand side is cleared to his feet at the edge of the area.
...which finds Jelavic in an offside position.
CHANCE! Oh, Jelavic. Good work from Barkley as he puts the striker through on goal but the out-of-form hitman scuffs his shot high over the bar when it looked easier to score.
There's a bit of argy-bargy as Fellaini brings Campbell down inside the Everton half. The Bluebirds striker gets into a needless but short scuffle with the Belgian and both players are spoken to by the referee.
Nearing the hour mark at the Cardiff City Stadium and it is still 0-0. Would it be too much to ask for a goal?
The Toffees are currently boasting a poccession percentage of 66% but that final ball is still missing. Martinez looks to his bench. Is the time approaching to throw Wigan old-boy Kone into the mix?
...Actually, it's Barkley who steps up and tnrashes the ball into the Cardiff wall.
Instead, Pienaat steps up and tries to play Jelavic in, but the tide of red shirts break apart the attack. The confidence-stricken Croatian International prepares to depart the field of play after another disappointing afternoon in front of goal.
Another free-kick is given to the Toffees in a similar position to the last one. Will Barkley improve his radar with this one?
N. Jelavi? is replaced with A. Koné.
We have twenty minutes to go and Cardiff have a corner on the right-hand side. Can they score from here?
Ultimately, that corner was a waste and the Toffees come back into the game. Is there a late winner here?
15 minutes to go and Everton continue to press, but Coleman is put under pressure from a crowd of red shirts and his cross hits the side netting. Is there some form of rain dance you can do to make it rain goals?
To paraphrase a quote from The IT Crowd, the trouble with Everton is that they try and walk it in. There are many nice touches around the box from Fellaini et al but the Bluebirds are able to contain the pressure and clear into safety.
Ten minutes to go and we are still waiting for the breakthrough. Kone brings a marvellous save from Marshall again but the striker is offside when the ball reaches him.
N. Maynard comes on for Bo-Kyung Kim.
CHANCE! The Fellaini - Baines connection nearly gives us the deadlock-breaker. The Belgian midfielder turns ourside the box and tees his fellow Man Utd target up - but this time on his wrong foot. He leathers it wide much to the relief of Malky Mackay on the touchline.
Gerard Deulofeu enters play, replacing K. Mirallas.
J. Mutch comes on for G. Medel.
So, it ends in a stalemate as both managers shake hands at the end of a rarely exciting afternoon of football.
We are into the final minute of the second half and Campbell is put through only to be blocked off by a great tackle by Jagielka.


Get ready for lots of openings this week, plus a breakfast menu at a River North favorite.
The Robey Hotel has added a rooftop, poolside bar called Cabana Club (1616 N. Milwaukee Ave., Bucktown). While only guests are allowed to take a dip in the pool, anybody can sip a Mexican-themed cocktail whilst taking in the scene.
The recently renovated Talbott Hotel (20 E. Delaware Pl., Gold Coast) has a new dining option in 20 East—an American food restaurant and lounge that’s open from breakfast through dinner and operated by Four Corners Tavern Group (Steak Bar, Federales).
Fat Baby Tacos (109 W. Hubbard St., River North) is open and ready to sate Hubbard Street bargoers with tacos and burritos into the wee hours (until 5 a.m. Thursday to Saturday).
For those seeking a more authentic Mexican meal, West Loop newbie La Josie (740 W. Randolph St.)—a multilevel spot from a family that also operates a number of Mexican eateries on the South Side—may be the ticket.
The always-jammed ramen destination Wasabi (2115 N. Milwaukee Ave., Logan Square) has moved into the neighboring storefront, and switched from being BYOB to offering a full bar menu. In the original space, a separate concept (from the same ownership), Wasabi Sushi & Robata, will be BYOB when it opens in the coming weeks.
Rodelio Aglibot has opened his third FireFin Poké Shop (1415 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wicker Park). This location offers the mini-chain’s largest menu (including hot, fish-free items) and will roll out weekend brunch this summer.
Now you can pig out at breakfast—the Purple Pig (500 N. Michigan Ave., River North) is now serving some morning specialties on weekdays from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Selections include smoked salmon with bagels and plenty of house-cured meats, of course.
The sad news of seafood café Snaggletooth’s demise is lessened by this: Bill Montagne will take over as chef de cuisine at Nico Osteria (1015 N. Rush St., Gold Coast) when Erling Wu-Bower steps out to open his new restaurant with fellow One Off Hospitality chef Cosmo Goss.


US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman praised US President Donald Trump Tuesday, telling the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that supporters of Israel owe him a “tremendous debt” for his historic changes to the US-Israel relationship.
Addressing close to 20,000 attendees at the 2018 AIPAC conference in Washington DC, Friedman hailed President Trump’s “historic” recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, adding that it capped off a year of “historic firsts”, including the first visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem by a sitting US president.
"A few weeks later, I became the first US ambassador to Israel to attend the celebration of [Jerusalem Day], the 50th anniversary of the day Israel recaptured the Western Wall. Just the next day, President Trump became the first sitting president in American history to visit the... Western Wall.
"And by December of last year, we were, of course, in even greater historic territory, when President Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“I am so proud of what the Trump administration has accomplished this past year in regards to Israel.
“We owe [Trump] a tremendous debt of attitude. We entered historic territory when Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Jerusalem.
Friedman also used his address Tuesday to lambast what he called “disingenuous” supporters of Israel, a veiled reference to self-described peace organizations.


The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has slapped PC World for advertising product on TV that it was unable to supply to customers because of lack of stocks.
The UK retail chain, part of DSG International, has been told not to show the ad on TV again. This is the second time this year the ASA has chastised PC World on the same issue.
This time round, the ad featured an Advent 7000A notebook priced at £349. Three people who saw the ad told the ASA the product had already sold out in the local PC World stores before the spot had even been broadcast.
PC World said it had 2000 laptops available - a significant quantity and adequate to meet anticipated demand, the chain told the ASA. However, the ASA ruled that the complaints showed PC World "did not have adequate stock" of the product at the time the ad was broadcast.
The ASA rejected one complaint from a buyer who had claimed he was told the laptop was part of a more expensive bundle - he had simply been misinformed by local PC World staff, the chain said. Yes, that's rather poor customer service, but it is outside the ASA's remit.
However, the ads watchdog upheld a third complaint which objected to PC World's characterisation of the laptop's 40GB hard drive as "huge", a statement which the ASA ruled "exaggerated the technical specifications" of the low-cost computer.
PC World was ordered not to run the ad again in its current form. That's hardly a compelling sanction: since the low-price deal is now past, it's unlikely to do so in any case.
In January this year, the ASA ruled PC World has "misled" consumers by running an ad for product which it apparently had insufficient stock to meet demand. PC World had "not shown that it had made a reasonable estimate of demand based on previous similar promotions, or that sufficient stock of the product was available to meet that demand", the ASA ruled at the time.


Brenda Lee Johnson, 53, of Keller, entered a plea of no contest in Accomack court.
A woman hired to care for elderly family members entered an Alford plea in Accomack County Circuit Court on Thursday to each of seven counts of forgery, credit card fraud and larceny.
Brenda Lee Johnson, 53, of Keller, entered a plea of no-contest, which means she does not admit to the crime but knows the commonwealth has enough evidence for a conviction. Johnson worked as a caretaker for Lynn Sherwood’s mother.
The agreed upon rate for Johnson was $10 an hour, said Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan. Johnson altered her paychecks by changing the written amount, he said.
One check written by Sherwood for $720 was changed to $820, Morgan said. Another check written for $890 was changed to $1,890.
There is a photo of the defendant presenting the checks at each of the banks, said Morgan. When confronted by police, Johnson denied altering the checks, he told the court.
A second case with a different family involved credit card larceny, Morgan said. Cathy Hall hired Johnson to care for a family member.
Hall noticed fraudulent charges on her credit card bill. There was a charge on her Discover card to pay a Dish Network bill.
Investigation showed the address on the Dish bill was at a house owned by Johnson’s deceased parents, where she now lived. Morgan said there was money missing from that employer as well but police were unable to get fingerprints or DNA to prove that charge.
"These are her first serious charges," said defense attorney Paul Watson. "She has no (previous) felony record."
He asked that his client be allowed to remain on bond until her sentencing so she can pay restitution. She owes restitution in the amount of $1,100 to Lynn Sherwood and $178.85 for the credit card fraud.
Though the victim did not have to pay, "Someone is out that money," said Judge W. Revell Lewis.
He allowed Johnson to remain free on bond and ordered that a presentence investigation report be prepared.


VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Wednesday his new coalition would focus on fighting anti-Semitism, after Israel made it clear it would not work directly with any ministers from the far-right party now back in government.
Kurz, a 31-year-old conservative, was sworn in with the rest of his government on Monday after reaching a coalition deal that handed control of much of Austria’s security apparatus to the anti-Islam Freedom Party (FPO). The FPO came third in October’s parliamentary election with 26 percent of the vote.
Israel reacted to the inauguration by saying it would do business only with the “operational echelons” of government departments headed by an FPO minister. The FPO now controls the foreign, interior and defence ministries, though Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl is not officially a member of the party.
“Israel wishes to underline its total commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and commemorating the Holocaust,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a short statement on Monday in response to the Austrian government’s swearing in.
“The Freedom Party cannot use the Jewish community as a fig leaf and must show tolerance and acceptance towards all communities and minorities,” it said on Monday.
Austria, where Adolf Hitler was born, was annexed by Nazi Germany in March 1938. Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of that takeover as well as the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One, which led to the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Kurz said the events of 1938 were “shameful and sad”.
His People’s Party (OVP) and the FPO published a 180-page coalition manifesto over the weekend, which includes plans to cut public spending, taxes and benefits for refugees.
The OVP won October’s election with a hard line on immigration that often overlapped with the FPO’s. The issue dominated the campaign after Austria took in large numbers of asylum seekers during Europe’s migration crisis, many of them from Muslim countries.
Austria’s Jewish community of just over 10,000 is tiny relative to the more than half a million Muslims who live in the nation of almost 9 million, many of whom are Turkish or of Turkish origin.
Both Kurz and Strache have warned of Muslim “parallel societies” they say are emerging in Austria, despite there being few obvious signs of sectarian tension.
Kurz flew to Brussels on Tuesday to dispel concerns that his alliance with the far right will undermine the European Union. In their speeches to parliament, both he and Strache said they opposed Turkey joining the European Union — a position that polls show a majority of Austrians support.
“Turkey is moving in the wrong direction, which means Turkey will certainly have no future in the European Union,” said Kurz, who has criticised Ankara’s clampdown on dissent since a failed coup last year.
On Tuesday night during his first foreign visit as chancellor, to Brussels, Kurz told broadcaster ORF he would “soon” meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


More Dividends on the Way?
According to recent trends, the answer is "yes."
After years of watching dividend yields shrink, investors are beginning to see more companies either introducing or increasing dividend payments.
The reasoning behind this is simple: Investors have increased their preference for dividends.
A recent survey by Eaton Vance showed that "Among individual investors polled, a clear majority (57%) said they prefer quarterly dividends over stock buybacks (23%) or special dividends (8%)."
The increased demand for dividends, according to the survey, is a "significant shift" from the 1990s, when investors preferred stock buybacks, which fueled EPS growth for many of the favored stocks of the day.
Perhaps greater board oversight following Sarbanes-Oxley, or the reduced dividend tax rates introduced by the 2003 tax reforms, have something to do with the renewed interest in dividends. But, in any case, dividends are back in the spotlight.
The Eaton Vance survey also noted that "63.2% of S&P 500 companies increased or initiated a dividend during 2005." Included in this group is Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT), Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), and FedEx (NYSE:FDX).
Moreover, the average yield of S&P 500 stocks is currently 1.7%, up from 1.1% in 1999.
For income-sensitive investors who have seen their incomes suppressed over the past few years by historically low bond yields, these are especially welcoming developments. In fact, the yields of Washington Mutual (NYSE:WM), Reynolds American (NYSE:RAI), and US Bancorp (NYSE:USB) hover near those of current 10-year Treasuries.
Now, on a short-term risk-return basis, Treasuries may still have the upper hand, but dividend-paying stocks are a necessary part of any retirement portfolio. They not only generate income, but also maintain portfolio growth throughout your retirement years.
Despite these encouraging trends, not all companies can afford to increase their dividend payments. Some major corporations, like Eastman Kodak (NYSE:EK), have even shrunk their dividend payments over the past few years.
That's why it's important to look for companies that not only have room to continue their current dividend payments, but can actually grow them for years to come.
Fool dividend expert James Early and the Motley Fool Income Investor service are always on the hunt for such companies. If you'd like to see the stocks they've recommended for subscribers, simply follow this link for a free 30-day trial to the service. There is no obligation to subscribe.
Todd Wenning does not own shares of any company mentioned. US Bancorp and Washington Mutual are Income Investor recommendations. Time Warner and FedEx are Stock Advisor choices. The Fool is investors writing for investors.


The quality of legal services for New York City's poor defendants continues to decline. The city has steadily reduced its contributions to the Legal Aid Society, the main nonprofit agency providing representation for indigent defendants, even as caseloads have grown. A recent report from a court-appointed committee shows how desperate the situation has become.
Legal Aid's troubles go back to a disastrous four-day strike in 1994 that prompted Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to retaliate by farming out some of the public-defender work to other nonprofit groups. Since then City Hall has steadily cut Legal Aid's funding from $79 million in 1994 to roughly $52 million this year, based on the assumption that the agency's workload would drop accordingly. But the decline did not materialize. Instead, the agency has been representing nearly the same number of clients for far fewer dollars.
Legal Aid's arrangement with the city requires it to represent poor criminal defendants for a fixed contract price. But Mr. Giuliani's vigorous pursuit of quality-of-life crimes has produced many more cases than expected. The average lawyer in the agency's Manhattan office is assigned some 650 criminal cases a year, a breathtakingly high number that makes proper representation extremely difficult if not impossible. The other defender agencies have city contracts for a fixed number of cases.
The court-appointed panel calls it ''imperative'' that the city change its contract with Legal Aid to limit the caseload or provide more funding. The City Council allocated an extra $10 million to the Legal Aid Society in the fiscal 1999 budget, but Mr. Giuliani has refused to release the money. The new report shows that the agency needs more resources to meet the city's constitutional obligation to provide legal services for the accused.


In the first game of its three-game series against Texas Tech, San Diego State baseball was able to hold the Red Raiders to just three runs in a loss.
It was not the same story a day later, as the Raiders walloped the Aztecs 10-0 Saturday afternoon in Lubbock, Texas.
The loss put the Aztecs at 10-22 on the season, while the Red Raiders improve to 28-9.
SDSU once again struggled to keep the big inning from getting out of hand.
After the Aztecs’ starting pitcher, junior lefty Marcus Reyes, went 3 1/3 innings while giving up four runs, it wasn’t until the sixth when things got out of hand.
Junior right hander Adrian Orozco came into the game after Reyes, and started his appearance by giving up a leadoff home run. Two outs and five batters later, the Red Raiders’ lead was extended to 8-0 after a sacrifice fly was followed by another home run.
Freshman righty Jordan Wyke relieved Orozco, and gave up a triple that scored two after an error in center field by sophomore David Hensley. Half of the runs in the six-run frame came with two outs. The Aztecs used seven pitchers on the day.
Reyes (0-4) took the loss for SDSU.
Five of SDSU’s six hits came from the bats of sophomore shortstop Alan Trejo, who had three hits, and sophomore outfielder Tyler Adkison, who had two. Trejo had a triple with two outs in the first inning, but was unable to be cashed in.
The Aztecs were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base. The Raiders weren’t much better but had many more chances, going 3-for-17.
SDSU and Texas Tech play the final game of their three-game series on Sunday. The contest starts at 11:30 a.m.