Friday, July 29, 2005

Two N.C. reporters who made up quotes resign, and so does their editor . . .

An editor and two reporters at a The Reidsville (N.C.) Review have resigned after the writers were accused of inventing quotes published on the paper's front page. See item in yesterday's Rural Blog.

Managing Editor Jeff Sykes told William L. Holmes of The Associated Press he resigned yesterday afternoon. (Read more) Sykes apologized to The Review's subscribers in a column published yesterday. Sykes said he learned of the deception earlier this month and verbally disciplined both reporters, but believes he made a mistake by not immediately firing them. He told AP, "I was trying be compassionate."

Ellen Ishmael, publisher of the 5,195-circulation Media General daily, said in a Letter to Readers today, "We let you down by not having an appropriate check and balance system. I assure you we will impose a better editing process immediately. And I will continue to investigate the accuracy of other stories written by the two reporters. ... I am committed to giving you a fair and accurate news report every morning. I will dedicate myself to regaining your trust."

Reporters Brook R. Corwin and Michael Pucci "were making up quotes and attributing them to friends and family members who do not live in Reidsville," Ishmael wrote. They invented quotes for the daily 'Two Cents Worth' feature, which includes a small picture of a person, along with their name and response to a question," AP writes. An article this week in the Greensboro News & Record, circulation 90,436, reported on a number of individuals who were included in the column disputing they had said what they were quoted as saying, and charging they had never given permission for use of their photos.

Sykes told Lesley Messer of Editor & Publisher that when the reporters admitted their transgression, "I was just dumbfounded at that point. I was in shock. I think I said, 'You guys are killing me.' Sykes told Messer he is "the one paying the price." Sykes added, "When I made the decision that they deserved a second chance, I didn't think about the fact that this would spread across the globe in the blink of an eye and that I would be scrutinized a la Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass," infamous fakers. (Read more)

To Jim Romenesko at The Poynter Institute, Sykes wrote "An apology to journalism," saying he had made the wrong decision but was upset about "a disagreement with my publisher and some advertising staff over the independence of the editorial department" and wanted to give a second chance to "two of the best and hardest working reporters I had recruited here to our group of two daily and one weekly newspapers. . . . I never thought about their sins again until the mighty sword of journalistic morality fell upon me Tuesday. I did not believe that a Two-Cent item that runs with an ad on the front page was part of the editorial responsibility, and that the breach of trust was not one of journalism ethics, but of being forced in a small market to do leg work for other departments." Sykes was editor of all three papers.

. . . Meanwhile, rural expert says reporters and editor aren't all to blame

After reading the E&P story, Tim Marema of the Center for Rural Strategies voices sympathy with Skyes, in an e-mail to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues: "Part of what's going on, aside from bad journalism, are pressures on editors and reporters to churn it out. The chains are all about the bottom line until some poor sucker like this editor makes a big mistake, and then suddenly they are about journalism ethics? I don't think so.

"Small-town editors are in a bad position. They have to keep their costs down by limiting the number of staff, increasing the number of assignments, and keeping wages as low as possible. They have to provide all the features the publisher, circulation, and advertising departments think are going to sell papers (on top of actually covering the news). And they have to abide by the rules of journalism and police their staff to make sure they are doing the same. Under conditions like these, it's not suprising that an editor would
say, 'All in all, I can't afford to fire these guys right now because I'll never get the paper out if I do.'

"I think he made the wrong decision, but if I were in his shoes, I would have thought long and hard before firing 40 percent of my reporting staff (and 100 percent of my government reporters) in one day. Why are the government reporters having to do a worthless feature like "Two Cents Worth" anyhow? Because some publisher or ad exec thinks it sells papers, that's why. You know the editor and reporters thought it was crap. They shouldn't have treated it that way, but I don't blame them for thinking it.

"If the editor had fired those reporters, he would have to explain to his publisher not only why there was no 'Two Cents Worth' on the front page, but why the rest of the front-page copy was recycled press releases and wedding announcements. What those reporters did was wrong, and they deserved to be fired for it.
But when you place tremendous economic pressure on editors who are supposed to operate based on ethical standards, the press, of all people, shouldn't be surprised when they cave. So, there's my 2 cents."

Other postings on this issue will be considered for publication. Click the List Serve button above.

Energy bill with tax breaks for companies, longer DST nears final passage

A far-ranging energy bill, sought by President Bush since taking office, with billions in tax breaks and other incentives to encourage energy production from traditional and alternative sources, appears headed toward passage today in the U. S. Senate after the House approved it yesterday.

The measure includes $14.5 billion in tax breaks, most for coal, oil, natural gas and utilities. Other incentives are designated for hybrid cars, alternative sources of energy such as wind, and for energy efficiency -- including a four-week expansion of daylight saving time. Supporters say the bill will help develop less polluting sources of electricity, including nuclear and "clean coal" facilities, and could improve the nation's electrical grid making it more reliable through enforceable rules regulating its operation,writes Justin Blum of The Washington Post. (Read more)

Opponents, however, say the bill does little to bring down gasoline prices or lessen dependence on foreign oil. They say the measure fleeces taxpayers by providing billions in tax breaks and subsidies to oil and gas companies, already set to experience huge profits this year.

Nearly 1/3 of Iraq veterans have mental problems; strain on rural health care?

The Army’s surgeon general has reported that 30 percent of U.S. troops returning from the Iraq war have developed stress-related mental health problems three to four months after coming home. Veterans are disproportionately from rural areas, where treatment of such maladies is often hard to find.

The problems "include anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger and an inability to concentrate," said Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley and other military medical officials, writes John J. Lumpkin for The Associated Press. (Read more) Some troops experienced more severe symptoms and were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a serious mental illness.

The 30 percent figure contradicts the 3 to 5 percent who are diagnosed with a significant mental health issue as they left the war theater. A study of troops who were still in the combat zone in 2004 found 13 percent experienced significant mental health problems. Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a military psychiatrist on Kiley's staff, said such problems are sometimes more acute in members of the National Guard, who return to civilian jobs when they leave active duty.

Rural users need continued analog cell phone service, says newspaper

The Federal Communications Commission wants an all-digital cell phone system nationwide. What will happen to rural residents with phone systems not set up for digital and who rely on the old-fashioned telephones to keep in touch or call for help? A Henderson, N.C., newspaper has taken up that cause.

By the end of this year, notes the Henderson Daily Dispatch, the FCC wants 95 percent of each wireless company's customers to have digital phones, allowing emergency operators to pinpoint a 911 call location. And, by 2008, wireless firms could drop analog service entirely. (Read more)

"Which is all well and good, provided you can actually get digital reception everywhere. Right now, in mid-2005, you can't," the Dispatch said in a recent editorial. The paper noted other efforts to "rally support for a resolution seeking to suspend or modify the deadline on location-capable phones." It quoted FCC Commissioner Bob Sahr as saying that for rural areas "analog phones are the only kind that really work."

The newspaper emphasized that "The National Emergency Number Association opposes a blanket delay in the move to new digital phones, even though it confesses that fewer than half of the nation's 911 centers even have the technology to pinpoint the digital phones' emergency chips." They conclude, "Clearly, digital cell phones are superior. Reception (where you can get it) is clearer, and they offer far better functions and features. But a digital phone with no signal is a paperweight."

FDA bans poultry antibiotic, citing cases of resistant infections in humans

The Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of an antibiotic in poultry because of concerns it could lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in people. FDA Commissioner Lester M. Crawford ordered that approval for use of the drug Baytril be withdrawn effective Sept. 12, reports The Associated Press.

Manufactured in Germany, Baytril is similar to the popular drug Cipro, used in humans. Crawford cited concerns about a particular bacteria which is increasingly causing serious illness in humans, and the agency notes treatment efforts can be less effective if the germ has already developed resistance. (Read more)

Margaret Mellon, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told reporters, "It's the first time [the] FDA has withdrawn a veterinary drug on the basis of antibiotic resistance concerns." Crawford said the particular bacteria -- Campylobacter -- is commonly found in the intestinal tracts of turkeys and chickens, where it does not generally cause illness. The wire service reports that resistant bacteria may be present in poultry sold at retail outlets. Crawford noted that since the drug Baytril was introduced for poultry in the 1990s, the proportion of resistant infections in humans has risen significantly.

CAFTA chatter pits USDA secretary versus Louisiana's top farm official

This week's narrow passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has caused such a clatter, we opened up the Web to see what was the matter. No fewer than 37 groups had CAFTA statements today on Government Policy News-links. Here are takes fom each side.

U.S. Department of Agricuture Secretary Mike Johanns called CAFTA a boon to American farmers. "The implications of this trade agreement extend well beyond agriculture," he a statement at Info-line.com.

Louisiana’s Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom is among those denouncing CAFTA's passage in a report by Steve Sabludowsky in the Metairie, La., publication Bayou Buzz. (Read more) "I am terribly disappointed that Congress and the Administration supported something that could cause such great damage to American agriculture," Odom said. "Our sugarcane and poultry industries will face negative effects from this agreement."

Poultry, Sabludowsky notes, is Louisiana’s most valuable livestock commodity at $1.5 billion in total value last year. Under CAFTA, exports of some assorted package chicken will not be eliminated for at least 10 years. Sugarcane, which may be more heavily affected by CAFTA, has an economic impact of nearly $500 million, with 720 sugarcane producers and some 29,000 jobs tied to the industry.

Ontario cattlemen say mad-cow crisis has strengthened Canada's beef industry

Canada's embattled beef industry says it's better positioned to compete in the global market following a two-year U.S. ban on Canadian beef spurred by mad-cow disease.

The Ontario Cattlemen's Association said "The closure of the U.S. border to Canadian cattle cost the industry an estimated $7 billion but also gave rise to a state-of-the-art beef production industry in Canada," reports The Canadian Press, Canada's analogue to The Associated Press. (Read more)

Association President Ian McKillop told the news agency, "This has made us a very strong competitor with the U.S. on the world market, stronger than before. By processing the animals in Canada, putting the beef in boxes, we have the ability to ship it around the world."

U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins met with Ontario farmers to discuss last week's border re-opening and he told the CP, "The administration's position is very clear, that we support open borders and support the flow of Canadian cattle to the United States." Wilkins commented just hours before U.S. officials revealed another potential mad-cow case. The renewed trade applies to cattle under 30 months old, thought to be at lowest risk for mad cow. Up step would be trading older cattle, including breeding stock.

Colorado officials cite agri-terrorism, want homeland security beyond metros

A top state administrator in Colorado says the state's rural settings deserve no less federal support than metro areas when it comes to protection against a terrorist strike.

"Michael Beasley, executive director of the state Department of Local Affairs, spoke with The Daily Sentinel to address the way federal homeland security grants are divvied up across Colorado," writes Danie Harrelson of the Grand Junction newspaper. (Read more)

A 10-county region of northwest Colorado has received more than $2.1 million in federal anti-terrorism assistance in 2005, money that critics say "would be better spent on such obvious targets as ports and high-profile cities with high-traffic borders," writes Harrelson. But Beasley told the newspaper local communities, large or small, that are prepared to handle any hazard are better prepared to handle a terrorist strike. “I worry as much about agri-terrorism. People can’t underestimate the threat to the nation’s food or water supply," Beasley added.

Sen. Ron Teck (R-Grand Junction) told editors, "Trying to identify what regions or sites in the state face a bigger threat of terrorism and thereby merit more anti-terrorism funding doesn’t yield cut-and-dried answers," the newspaper writes. “It truly is a bit of a shell game. Do I assume a terrorist would attack a water supply or a sports arena?" Teck asked.

In 2002, Gov. Bill Owens established an Office of Preparedness, Security and Fire Safety to oversee Homeland Security efforts, and last year he split the responsibilities between an existing anti-terrorism agency and the Department of Local Affairs. That split has caused statewide debate, Harrelson writes.

Old farm company joins new-age venture, invests in rural wind harvesting

One of the oldest and most steadfast names in farming, John Deere, has announced its investment in several wind energy projects in Minnesota and Texas. The company is also considering projects in other states and has reviewed projects in other countries.

"Over the next 15 years, experts in the industry predict the amount of energy generated from wind power will increase dramatically," reports Agriculture Online. (Read more) Wind power in the United States produced less than 7,000 megawatts in 2004 but could reach more than 100,000 megawatts in 2020.

John Deere has created a business unit to provide project development, debt financing and other services for those interested in harvesting wind. The wind energy initiative, the company says, will help it improve profitability and productivity. Blogger's note: It used to be "nothing runs like a Deere." Now, it might be said, "Deere runs like the wind."

U.S. attorneys from Iowa, Nebraska send strong signal to meth makers

U.S. Attorneys for Nebraska and Iowa are sending a strong message to manufacturers of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine. They want to get their respective state anti-meth laws federalized, reports The Associated Press. (Read more) For a story focused on Iowa, click here.

"Nebraska's U.S. Attorney Mike Heavican and his counterparts in Iowa, Charles Larson, Sr. and Matthew G. Whitaker, [have warned that] anyone who intends to cross state lines to obtain the key meth-ingredient pseudoephedrine may be prosecuted in federal court," AP writes.

Iowa's new law, effective May 21, is touted as the nation's toughest. A new Nebraska law, taking effect Sept. 3, "requires common cold and allergy products that contain pseudoephedrine to be placed behind the counter or in a locked case, limits how much of it can be sold at once, requires the purchaser to show an ID and be at least 18 years old," and is similar to new laws in numerous states, AP notes.

A U.S. Senate committee has passed an amendment to a proposed federal anti-methamphetamine law. That amendment would protect Oklahoma's stronger regulations. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) lobbied for the change to protect Oklahoma's existing and highly effective anti-methamphetamine law. Read more from a staff report in the Tulsa World. Coburn told reporters, "This amendment will ensure that a federal 'one-size-fits-all' solution does not water down Oklahoma's successful law."

Ohio senator questions Shawnee chief about off-the-reservation casino plans

U.S. Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio) yesterday questioned an Indian tribe's chief attempting to build casinos in his state on whether to curtail off-reservation gambling.

Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Chief Charles D. Enyart, a proponent of casinos in several Ohio communities, told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee his tribe seeks "a mutually beneficial and political economic relationship with the state" 150 years after its ancestors were forcibly removed from [it]," writes Sabrina Eaton of The Plain Dealer. (Read more)

The tribe filed a lawsuit last month seeking the return of its ancestral lands after Ohio elected officials refused to discuss the matter, writes Eaton from the Cleveland newspaper's Washington bureau. Casinos in Ohio communities would boost area economies and help lift his once impoverished tribe, Enyart told committee chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain has conducted hearings to determine whether Indian gambling laws should be revised.

Voinovich accused the tribe of gold-digging in more populous parts if Ohio, and insisted the tribe and its financial partners are "blackmailing the state and they are not even being subtle about it." Voinovich has introduced a bill to limit the scope of Indian casino gambling. A representative of the Interior Department, which regulates Indian tribes, told the newspaper it's rare for tribes to seek off-reservation casinos, and the Eastern Shawnee haven't yet sought permission from the agency to build in Ohio.

Also, an Indiana tribe seeking to build a Michigan casino has filed a motion in federal court to intervene in a suit aimed at blocking the facility, reports Chris Knape of The Grand Rapids Press. (Read more)

Rural Virginians get free health care via Remote Area Medical Expedition

Health care for many southwest Virginia residents is an unaffordable luxury in a region that habitually records some of the worst health statistics in the nation. Once a year, however, thousands get wide-ranging free medical care at the Wise County Remote Area Medical Expedition, which last year provided almost $1 million in free services to about 6,000 poor people.

The 2005 medical expedition began early today near Wise, Va. Last night on America Public Media's Marketplace, heard on many National Public Radio stations, Julia DeBruicker had a preview of this year's event and a retrospective on what the medical help has meant to area folks. (Story web-page) (Listening to story requires high-end Web audio capability.)

Sonja Cox told DeBruicker she is "disabled and doesn't make enough money for a pair of bifocals." Most attending the expedition make a thousand dollars a month or less. The Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps, is a 20-year-old non-profit, volunteer, airborne relief effort that provides free health, dental and eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to rural residents.

Last year in Wise, doctors, nurses and dentists provided care to 6,026 patients; extracted 3,291 bad teeth and filled 932; gave 3,398 consultations, including lab procedures, pharmacy and telemedicine; performed 104 mammograms; and conducted 1,078 eye examinations with free prescription eyeglasses, many of which were provided on site. All that free care was valued at $946,326, reports Marketplace.

Wal-Mart going green? Company uses wind turbine and rainwater pond

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is experimenting in McKinney, Tex., with its first environmentally friendly store to conserve resources and save money, the company says.

"The world's largest retailer opened a 206,000-square-foot building last week that will include such features as a 120-foot tall wind turbine that will produce about 5 percent of the store's energy and a rainwater harvesting pond designed to provide 95 percent of the water needed for irrigation," writes Steve Quinn of The Associated Press. (Read more)

"McKinney's hot summer climate also made it an ideal location for Wal-Mart to test its new energy-efficient cooling and heating systems," writes Danny Gallagher of the daily McKinney Courier-Gazette, with a story that offers many details about the project. (Read more)

Don Moseley, manager of Wal-Mart experimental projects, told Quaid, "We want to be more sustainable, more economical or more environmentally responsible." The company said there were additional costs with the conservation efforts, but would not elaborate on the price tag. Gus Whitcomb, a regional Wal-Mart spokesman, said, "We want to see if this can save us some money and keep our costs down."

Wal-Mart has been working to polish its image as an employee- and community-friendly corporation, and has earmarked $35 million over 10 years to help the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation conserve 1 acre of priority habitat for each acre developed, writes Quaid. Analyst Al Meyers of Retail Forward Inc., a consultancy, said he'll be watching the store and the company's environmental efforts closely.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Energy bill almost ready for president; last-minute coal cleanup idea left out

"After coming up short for years, Congress is preparing to enact a broad energy plan that would provide generous federal subsidies to the oil and gas industries, encourage new nuclear power plant construction and try to whet the nation's appetite for renewable fuels like ethanol and wind power," write Carl Hulse and Michael Janofsky of The New York Times. (Read more)

Final details were ironed out in a nine-hour meeting that ended early Tuesday. House and Senate leaders hope to get the bill in President Bush's hands by week's end, a goal that has been on the administration's to-do list since 2001. The last step - an estimated $11 billion in tax breaks for energy production and efficiency - was being handled Tuesday night, report Hulse and Janofsky.

An editorial by the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune attacked the bill: "The current version of the energy bill provides plenty of expensive incentives to satiate America's hunger for energy, but painfully little to curb its growing appetite. House and Senate negotiators are nearing completion of a comprehensive energy package, and they could send this pork-laden measure to the president's desk by the end of the week." (Read more)

The editorial criticizes legislators for leaving out a coal cleanup provision. “Rep. Barbara Cubin [wanted] to re-authorize the 1977 abandoned mine cleanup law, which is set to expire Sept. 30,” the paper writes. “Cubin, a member of the House-Senate conference committee working on final details of the energy bill, had said last week she hoped to include the compromise measure she and Eastern lawmakers had crafted.”

Cubin (R-Wyo.) and Rep. John Peterson (R.-Pa.) tried to resolve their differences on the mining provision. “Wyoming, which now produces more coal than any other state, is the biggest contributor to the federal cleanup fund and gets the most money from it,” writes Mary Clare Jalonick of The Associated Press. “But Eastern states like Pennsylvania have declining coal production and the most abandoned mine land.” (Read more)

Peterson wanted more funding for states with the most abandoned land, while Cubin wanted more funds for Wyoming. Some legislators from Appalachian states supported adding the amendment to the energy bill, reports Jalonick, because it expanded guaranteed health care benefits to thousands more retired miners from the United Mine Workers of America who worked for now-defunct companies.

Farm Bureau praises energy bill, neglects to mention daylight saving time

As earlier noted, many rural folk feel daylight saving time is a "feuding, fighting and fussing" issue. And yet, the American Farm Bureau Federation, which one would think takes rural folks to heart, praises the federal energy bill containing DST expansion without noticing the "March of Time" provision.

A Farm Bureau news release -- a statement from president Bob Stallman on the energy bill -- reads, "The House and Senate conference committee compiled an excellent compromise energy bill that will benefit all Americans, including farmers and ranchers."

"Of major importance is that the conference report requires the use of 7.5 billion gallons of home-grown renewable fuels by 2012," he states. “Farm Bureau is urging the full Senate and House to pass the compromise legislation so that President Bush may sign it into law. Enacting the legislation will start reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Farmers and ranchers will increase their use of renewable fuels, mainly biodiesel and ethanol, and farmers will also play a big part in producing these fuels from such crops as soybeans and corn."

There's no mention, however, as noted in our July 25 Rural Blog, that "The four-week extension [of daylight saving time] is less than initially proposed. Under the measure, [it] would begin on the second Sunday of March and clocks would be turned back an hour on the first Sunday of November. Currently, [it] starts the first Sunday in April and lasts to the last Sunday in October. The extension would become effective one year after passage of the bill and requires the Energy Department to study its impact," we wrote. Blogger's note: Should we get Mr. Stallman a rooster?

Wal-Mart lifts ban on Pensacola paper; company didn't like critical column

The Pensacola News Journal will soon be back on the rack at northwest-Florida area Wal-Mart stores. The nation's largest retailer had imposed a ban when a local manager considered a newspaper column derogatory.

"Columnist Mark O'Brien wrote Pensacola should 'be more than the Wal-Mart kind of town we're becoming -- cheap and comfy on the surface, lots of unhappiness and hidden costs underneath,'" writes Bill Kaczor of The Associated Press. (Read more) O'Brien's column cited a New York Times report which found 10,000 children of Wal-Mart employees in Georgia's health-care program, costing taxpayers nearly $10 million a year. O'Brien noted the Times report was cited in "The World is Flat," a global economy book by Thomas Friedman.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber said, "We did make an error in judgment. They should be available in our stores by the end of the week." News Journal Executive Editor Randy Hammer told Kaczor, "There are lots of different ways to disagree with people; this wasn't necessarily one of them." The offended manager defended Wal-Mart's wage and employment practices in a letter to the editor citing the average full-time pay at more than $10 an hour, twice the federal minimum wage, and that an estimated 160,000 people obtained health insurance by going to work for Wal-Mart.

In a Sunday column, Hammer said that in a conversation with the offended Wal-Mart manager, the manager discussed lifting the ban if the newspaper fired O'Brien. But, Hammer said, "I might understand it if Wal-Mart [had] said I ought to fire Mark because what he wasn't accurate, but that isn't the case." The Wall Street Journal yesterday ran a profile of Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott which included "a very good summary of how the company turned from darling to devil," notes IRJCI Director Al Cross. The WSJ article requires a subscription. The News Journal, owned by Gannett, has a circulation of 63,016. The original Mark O'Brien News Journal column is archived requiring a search, and a fee after seven days.

Montana governor issues order to inspect Canada beef after ban lifted

With Canadian cattle crossing the U.S. border again, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer last week ordered that all livestock headed for Montana must be checked to ensure federal restrictions compliance.

Schweitzer told reporters state Livestock Department supervised veterinarians will inspect cattle that are younger than 30 months, not pregnant and have the mandated "CAN" brand, writes Bob Anez of The Associated Press. (Read more) Owners will pay the cost, an estimated $3 to $5 a head.

Schweitzer, who is a rancher, said, "I am committed to the ranchers and consumers in this state. We will take every precaution available to us to protect [our people and our] cattle industry," writes Anez. Schweitzer said he'd urge similar action by governors in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. Montana cattle industry leaders and the activist R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) applauded the move. John Lockie, executive director of the Montana Cattlemen's Association, told the AP, "It only makes sense to make sure that we're checking and we're getting what we're supposed to be getting."

Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said his only concern was whether Canadian ranchers could be forced to pay for the inspections in Montana. Rob McNabb, assistant manager of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, said producers won't pay again for the same inspection they finance before their cows can be shipped. The United States banned Canadian cattle in May 2003 following Canada's first case of mad cow disease.

The Consumers Union has called on the USDA to release data on the government's inspection program, in light of the mad cow scare and the reopening of the Canadian border, which it says "raises serious concerns about credibility of government surveillance program." For the story on that click here.

Canadian farming co-op forging independent meat processing facility

A Northern Alberta, Canada farming cooperative is progressing on plans to build its own meat processing facility.

"Members of the Peace Country Tender Beef Co-op say they're not deterred by the long-awaited reopening of the American border to Canadian cattle," reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Read more)

The co-op formed during the border closure and industry ban following the discovery of a case of mad cow disease in 2003, and has grown to about 600 members. Member Seth Barnfield told reporters Canadians need to become less dependent on the United States. "We've got to get more value added, we've got to get more processing in our country or we're going to be behind it all the time. We're shipping everything out, like our lumber, and we're just killing our small communities."

The co-op is transforming a curling club into a meat processing plant to be open this fall, and is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on plans for a new slaughter house for 2006. "The Canadian cattle industry was decimated by the closure of the U.S. border," reports the CBC. Exports losses were about $7 billion. The Canadian government and provinces spent $2.5 billion to keep the industry afloat. Blogger's note: 'Curling' is a distinctly British Isles sport which involves sliding a pumpkin-shaped object over ice to bump your opponents' out of the way to score points; kind of shuffleboard with bigger pucks.

Pennsylvania congressman's bill limits Indian tribes' casino ventures

A dispute between an American Indian tribe and township property owners over 315 acres of land sought as part of a casino venture ended in a victory for the township when a federal judge ruled in their favor. But, U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent says he's filing a bill to give property owners more protection.

Dent (R-Lehigh Valley) said, "The threat is far from over," writes Sarah Mausolf of The Express Times in Easton. (Read more) Dent noted, "An appeal [of the township-American Indian tribe decision] is before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. [And] I am concerned about this kind of 'reservation shopping.'"

Dent has unveiled a bill limiting the ability of tribes to expand into new properties "for the sole purpose of building casinos," writes Mausolf, by stiffening the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. That measure forbids American Indian gaming but has numerous exceptions. Dent told reporters ''reservation shopping'' places unsuspecting homeowners at risk. Under Dent's proposal, tribes wanting to build casinos could only claim lands adjacent to existing reservations. All other lands would be off limits.

Dent's bill would also limit the power to base a claim on land deals reached before the United States was founded. In Forks Township, the Delaware Nation argued it was swindled out of land by William Penn's son in 1737, 50 years prior to the enactment of the U.S. Constitution. "The bill would give the Legislature power to block land claims fueled by casino projects. Presently, only the governor can contradict such a land claim once it has been approved by the U.S. Department of the Interior," writes Mausolf.

Activist group announces national campaign against Moosehead development

A coalition of environmental groups says it is ready to launch a "national campaign" to stop a proposed large-scale development in Maine's Moosehead Lake Region.

Former Green Party gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Carter said the "Save Moosehead" campaign will pursue every "political, legal and legislative" option to end the development. If that fails, he said, the coalition will be ready to start a petition drive for a statewide vote, writes Jerry Harkavy of The Associated Press. (Read more)

A development group called Plum Creek filed a plan with state officials involving 426,000 acres, of which about 10,000 are slated for development. The development would include 575 shorefront lots and 400 back lots, writes Harkavy. Carter charges the developers deceived the residents of Maine when Plum Creek bought 900,000 acres seven years ago and stated they had no plans to carve it up for vacation homes.

Carter, now director of the Forest Ecology Network, told AP, "We´re going to attack from all sides." Jim Lehner, Plum Creek´s regional general manager, said, "Opposition to the project by environmental groups was not unexpected or beyond the level that his company had foreseen."

ACLU challenging the practice of courts not allowing non-Christian oaths

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina has filed a lawsuit challenging the state's practice of refusing to allow people of faith to take an oath in court using a religious text other than the Bible.

Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, states in an ACLU news release, "The government cannot favor one set of religious values over another and must allow all individuals of faith to be sworn in on the holy text that is in accordance with their faith." Rudinger says limiting an oath to only the Bible is "discriminating against people of other faiths." The lawsuit filed in Wake County Superior Court seeks a court order clarifying the phrase "Holy Scriptures" in the state’s existing statute, which the ACLU claims is broad enough to allow the use of multiple religious texts.

The ACLU has asked the state Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to adopt a policy allowing the use of the Qur'an and other religious texts, and an Islamic Center previously offered to donate copies of the Qur'an to the Guilford County court system for this purpose, notes the release. Muslim groups, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and interfaith religious organizations also joined the ACLU in calling upon the state courts to respect religious diversity. The AOC responded that the legislature or a court ruling would have to settle the case.

But, the ACLU notes, "Existing North Carolina statutes allow for the use of a religious oath to be sworn 'with upraised hand,' without the use of any religious text, and for the use of a secular oath [where] the word 'affirm' replaces the word 'swear' and the words 'so help me God' are deleted." The ACLU lawsuit does not concern these options but is to address religious oaths using religious text.

Study shows decline in crossings' collisions; is more safety needed?

A U.S. Department of Transportation study reports highway railroad crossings deaths decreased 50 percent last year from 1995 figures. Poynter Institute commentator Al Tompkins is asking if more should be done.

Tompkins' column states, "There were almost eight such collisions a day [3,045 total] in 2004, resulting in at least one death per day [and 368 fatalities that year]. In the last 10 years, the feds have closed tens of thousands of crossings and installed more than 4,000 crossing gates and flashing lights. Train companies have had to install new reflective stickers on railroad cars, increase the sound of warning horns and install locomotive event recorders."

Tompkins asks, "So what can be done to further reduce the numbers?" And, he challenges, "Here is your local angle. Read this fairly mind-blowing section of the report." "The biggest cause of train/car wrecks now," Tompkins opines, "is knuckleheads driving around the automatic warning gates." In other words, Tompkins continues, "Additional gains will be harder to achieve. To illustrate, automatic warning devices do not prevent all accidents. Nearly half of the crossing collisions that occurred in the last five years occurred at crossings with active warning devices."

Tompkins contends, "Further progress will be difficult because railroad accident reports attributed 91 percent of collisions [over the last five years] to reckless or inattentive drivers [ignoring] warning signs or [driving] around barriers as trains approach." The Department of Transportation, Tompkins notes, "says railroad companies must also be more vigilant in reporting serious accidents to the federal government quickly [21 percent go unreported]." "The report suggests the federal government should aggressively fine railroads for unsafe crossings," writes Tompkins. Currently, only about 5 percent of critical violations ever get punished with fines, and he draws our attention to page five of the report.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Laws aiding rural hospitals against large competition facing court challenge

Rural health care is a precious commodity. In an effort to protect public hospitals some counties have prevented private health care businesses from building new facilities. That practice now faces opposition.

"Counties around the nation, and at least three in Indiana, have adopted ordinances that prevent health care businesses from building new facilities for one year," The Times of Munster, Ind., reported Sunday in a story by Matthew Van Dusen. (Read more) For The Associated Press's updated version, click here.

"The ordinances can protect public hospitals from private firms that siphon off profitable services ... that hospitals use to support unprofitable specialties such as maternity care," writes Van Dusen. Officials at county-owned Porter hospital asked local commissioners to pass a one-year moratorium on outpatient surgical centers, imaging centers and specialty hospitals. Similar ordinances have prompted lawsuits claiming unfair competition, and that counties do not have the power to regulate health care businesses.

Kentuckiana Medical Center LLC is suing Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana and Sisters of St. Francis Health Services is suing Morgan County for similar restrictions. Proponents say such restrictions are allowed under the state's home rule statute, which allows local governments to make any law that is not forbidden and to regulate what is not already regulated. The lawsuits say the restrictions give the counties the power to regulate hospitals, which they claim belongs solely to the Indiana Department of Health.

Stephen Bush, a Floyd County commissioner who voted against the law, told Van Dusen, "I opposed it, saying competition is good.Why send people over the river (to Kentucky)?" Bush believes new hospitals expand the tax base and provide more health care options. Porter hospital board Chairman John Rhame told reporters private hospitals and health-care "boutiques" generally are not concerned with treating the poor or indigent, [and] do not provide unprofitable, but necessary, services.

'No wading in the meth pool,' says expert; addicted teens need special help

A Wyoming detention facility has started a unique program after seeing an alarming increase in teenagers addicted to methamphetamine, and finding treatment especially challenging for the young users who are instantly seduced by the drug and face permanent damage.

The Jeffrey C. Wardle Academy is where Mandy (last name protected) has gone for help on her 16th birthday. "This is her second stay at the detention facility east of Cheyenne, though no details were offered about her first time here. She's a long way from her western Wyoming home," writes Juliette Rule of the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. (Read more)

Mandy and seven other teens are among the first in the country to participate in the special program, says psychiatrist Chris Reyburn, who is medical director for Compass Point Wellness Center. The center formed last year to bring this and other substance abuse treatment programs to the academy. Reyburn told Rule, "Other programs aren't designed with kids who use meth ... in mind."

Experts say meth inhibits brain development and teens need more intense treatment. Compass Point psychologist Earl Faulkner told Rule addicts use meth because it is cheap and delivers instant gratification. He said meth corrodes the passages of the brain through the cerebral cortex, which is the attention-driving, impulse-curbing part of the brain. Faulkner explains that is why high-level users are prone to anxiety, aggression and sometimes violence.

Faulkner says meth's effects can be permanent, stunting the brain's ability to develop beyond early to mid-teen years. He told Rule, "A [general treatment plan] is not going [be intensive enough]. We wanted something to address the intensity and specificity of [teen] meth addiction." Reyburn, describing the addictive power of the drug to quickly seduce users, said, "There is no shallow end of the meth pool. People can wade into the water of alcohol and marijuana, but there's no wading in the meth pool."

Farming's future: Son ignored father's advice, took up the profession

A 27-year-old farmer near Dover, Wis., didn't listen to his dad. Steve Henningfield is an anomaly "in an industry that's rapidly aging, where production expenses are out-pacing agriculture prices and where market values are fluctuating drastically," writes Tom Barton of the Journal Times. (Read more)

But he says he is determined. The youngest of nine siblings, he was the only one to follow his father, Frank Henningfield, into farming. "It was the one lifestyle Frank did not want for his children," writes Barton.

But Steve couldn't be happier, telling the Racine newspaper, "There's only one thing I know I can do well and which I enjoy, and that's farming. I really enjoy it. I like being my own boss and setting my own schedule." He's in the minority. U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture estimates and U.S. Census figures show about 2 percent of the U.S. population are farmers and in Wisconsin farming accounted for less than 1 percent of the state population in 2002.

USDA figures show fewer than 4 percent of farmers in Wisconsin are 27 years old or younger. Other key statistics: The average age of all principal U.S. farm operators has increased to 55 in 2002 from 50 in 1974. The age of farm operators 65 years and older in 1974 was 1 in 6. It was roughly 1 in 4 in 2002. The number of U.S. farmers 35 years and younger has declined to about 6 percent in 2002 from about 16 percent in 1982. Wisconsin farmers 25 to 34 years old fell to 4,380 in 2002 from 6,144 in 1997.

Steve Henningfield told Barton, "My dad discouraged the whole family from farming. He said it was too hard of a life and it was too hard to farm. I'm the only one that didn't listen." Barton writes, "In 1989, after farming for nearly 40 years, Frank Henningfield sold his milking operation, including his cows and machinery." The farm was still left, but plans were to sell or rent it out. Steve Henningfield didn't listen.

Gettysburg battle roils between history preservationists, gambling developers

President Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, "We cannot consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract." But some developers armed with the state's new expanded gambling law have their eyes and wallets set on -- or at least near -- that hallowed ground.

"About four miles from one of America’s most sacred sites [the] developers energized by a new Pennsylvania law that authorizes the largest expansion of gambling in state history want to build a slot machine casino," writes Peter Durantine in a special report to Stateline.org. (Read more)

The 3,000-machine casino proposal has ignited a global uproar, including the Oval Office. A Virginia congressman has written President Bush and called for action. Opponents don’t doubt a group of investors named Chance Enterprises and their leader, Gettysburg businessman David LeVan, can afford the state’s $50 million license fee. Their plans include a luxury hotel and spa, restaurant and shopping mall.

Several leading Pennsylvania legislators denounced the idea. "The 70,000-member Civil War Preservation Trust and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson also have excoriated it," Durantine notes. A fusillade of mostly critical coverage appears to have not slowed developers, but they have stopped talking to reporters. LeVan previously told the Scotsman the casino is far from earshot and eyesight of the battlefield. “The only thing it’s going to have in common is the name Gettysburg,” he said.

"Unlike other Civil War battlefields such as Vicksburg, Miss., where riverboat casinos are docked along the Mississippi River about a half mile from a historic site," Durantine writes, the Gettysburg site hasn't had to face a lot of development pressures until now. Katie Lawhon, a spokeswoman for the park, which is maintained by the National Park Service, told Durantine, "We’re fortunate in that it hasn't’t happened often here. We have a good track record of acquiring land to preserve the battlefield."

Historic Minnesota forest land up for auction; helps Forest Service pay bills

Valuable northwoods Minnesota land owned by the U.S. Forest Service is for sale to the highest bidder.

"The sale is part of a national pilot project that allows individual national forests to keep the proceeds from property sales and use the money for local projects. In the past, the money went to Washington, " writes John Meyers of the Duluth News Tribune. (Read more)

Some of the houses to be auctioned off are in "pristine condition with modern plumbing — one with a three-season porch and a giant stone fireplace. The logs are big, more than 18 inches wide, and are unusual because they are poplar or aspen, not pine," writes Meyers.

Crews from the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps built the houses in 1933 on bluestone foundations. The oldest cabins are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and buyers will be required to keep the character of the buildings intact.

It's not clear what the properties are worth. Forest Service appraisals aren't complete. "The sales are part of a nationwide trend in which national forests are selling little-used or abandoned properties to reduce the backlog of unfunded repairs and maintenance estimated at $1.2 billion," notes Meyers. Interested buyers can go on the Web starting next month and hundreds of people have already inquired. The government will take online bids and will decide how to sell based on the best offer.

North Carolina enviros want state to be national model on hog-waste ponds

Environmental Defense and the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) want North Carolina to draw up a "multifaceted plan" based on systems being tested at state universities to help hog farmers convert hog-lagoons to waste management technologies to protect the environment and public health.

"N.C. State University (NCSU) has announced [more] waste systems under review meet stringent environmental performance standards ... bringing to five the number of cleaner systems identified," Environmental Defense reports in a news release on its Web site. (Read more)

Joe Rudek, senior scientist with the North Carolina office of Environmental Defense, says in the release,"We now know for sure that there are cleaner technologies for hog waste treatment. Now it's time to design a plan that will ensure that hog farmers can afford to switch to cleaner technologies and properly close out polluting lagoons." Rudek's statement continues, "We call upon [North Carolina) Attorney General Roy Cooper and Governor Easley ... to provide bold leadership. And we call upon the pork industry to rededicate themselves to showing the nation how to solve this problem."

The group says despite a moratorium on new open-air lagoons and improved regulations, residents near hog farms "continue to suffer from odor and air pollution, contaminated groundwater and polluted streams." SELC Senior Attorney Michelle Nowlin said in the release, "We urge lawmakers to support cleaner waste technologies and move the state's hog industry to a total phase out of hog lagoons."

Environmental Defense is a national nonprofit organization claiming more than 400,000 members. Since 1967, the organization says it has linked science, economics, law and private-sector partnerships to create solutions to serious environmental problems.

Drought-parched Illinois formally requests federal disaster aid; farmers hit hard

As expected, Illinois Governor Rod Blogojevich yesterday requested a federal disaster declaration for his drought-drained state where farming has been scorched by record heat and parched by a lack of rain.

"With counties in the northern and western parts of the state seven to 10 inches below normal precipitation levels, many farmers expect to lose all or part of their crops. The ... declaration would allow them to apply for low-interest loans to cover ... losses," writes Courtney Flynn of the Chicago Tribune. (Rea