Chula Vista, California becomes model for blight control laws in the US

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 The San Diego, California suburb of Chula Vista has responded to the recent housing crisis with an aggressive blight control ordinance that compels lenders to maintain the appearance of vacant homes. As foreclosures increase both locally and throughout the United States, the one year old ordinance has become a model for …

United States: Dr. Larry Nassar sentenced in sexual abuse case

Saturday, January 27, 2018 Former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for 40 to 175 years in Ingham County, Michigan, United States. Nassar pleaded guilty in November to seven charges of sexual assault in Ingham County, however, he is alleged to have victimized over a hundred girls over several …

The Onion: An interview with ‘America’s Finest News Source’

Sunday, November 25, 2007 Despite the hopes of many University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) students, The Onion was not named after their student center. “People always ask questions about where the name The Onion came from,” said President Sean Mills in an interview with David Shankbone, “and when I recently asked Tim Keck, who was one …

Late-night vote sets Obamacare up for filibuster-free repeal

Saturday, January 14, 2017 At 1:30 a.m. on Thursday morning the United States Senate voted to include the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, as part of a budget blueprint. This procedural measure allows most of Obamacare to be repealed by a simple majority rather than the usual requirement of 60 …

China overtakes Germany as world’s biggest exporter

Sunday, January 10, 2010 Chinese officials have said that their country’s exports surged last December to edge out Germany as the world’s biggest exporter. The official Xinhua news agency reported today that figures from the General Administration for Customs showed that exports jumped 17.7% in December from a year earlier. Over the whole of 2009 …

FDA issues proposed rules requiring calorie content on menus

Sunday, April 3, 2011 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued proposed calorie labeling rules requiring most retail food vendors to display the calorie counts in items on their menus and menu boards. The proposed rules, issued Friday and expected to be finalized in 2012, would apply to most restaurants, snack bars, vending …

American film director John Hughes dies at age 59

Thursday, August 6, 2009 American film director John Hughes, noted for such movies as Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, died Thursday due to a heart attack. A statement, released by his representative, said that he experienced the heart attack while on a morning stroll in Manhattan, New York. Hughes was born …

Former Illinois governor Blagojevich asks US Supreme Court to delay corruption trial, prosecutors to respond by Friday

Saturday, May 22, 2010 US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has given federal prosecutors until next Friday to respond to the request of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and his brother Robert to delay their corruption trial.  The trial is set to begin on June 3, and many of the charges they face are …

China and Russia sign trade deals worth US$3.5 billion

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 China and Russia has signed billions of dollars worth of deals during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing on Tuesday. The trip was aimed at bolstering business, political and military ties. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said that Putin came to Beijing to mark the 60th anniversary of …