Recent Updates
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Hedge fund operator Rajaratnam pleads not guilty
National News 12/28/2009Wealthy hedge fund operator Raj Rajaratnam and a codefendant pleaded not guilty Monday to charges they were major players in a scheme that used inside information to make stock trades that generated millions of dollars in profits.Prosecutors, who hav...
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Kansas gov to propose tobacco tax increase in 2010
National News 12/23/2009Gov. Mark Parkinson will propose increasing Kansas' tobacco taxes next year, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.The Democratic governor's plan is likely to face strong opposition in the Republican-controlled Legislature, although the Senate's top leader sa...
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Lingle: Use hotel tax money for state budget
National News 12/22/2009Faced with a $1.2 billion budget gap, Gov. Linda Lingle on Monday proposed the state take about $100 million in hotel taxes from Hawaii's four counties next year and delay the payment of some personal and corporate income tax refunds.The governor's s...
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Pittsburgh won't tax tuition; nonprofits to donate
National News 12/21/2009Pittsburgh officials shelved an idea for a first-of-its-kind tax on college tuition after two universities and a nonprofit health insurer agreed on Monday to make large contributions to the city.Mayor Luke Ravenstahl hopes the contributions from the ...
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Bill would give undocumented legal status
National News 12/15/2009Hispanic, black, Asian and other House lawmakers backing immigration overhaul called Tuesday for legalizing illegal immigrants in the U.S., despite a weakened economy and joblessness.The coalition of lawmakers said Tuesday immigration reform can prot...
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Burglars hit offices of Blagojevich's legal team
National News 12/08/2009Burglars broke into the offices occupied by two members of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's legal defense team overnight and stole eight computers and a safe, police said Friday.The break-in occurred at the South Side offices of veteran Chicago criminal...
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Lawsuit says ads in social games are scamming players
National News 12/07/2009Gamers are crying foul play over what they claim are misleading ads on social games. A class-action lawsuit last month highlights what thousands of consumers say are bogus offers tied to social games available on Facebook and other social networks. T...
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Court again upholds Fla. homeowner tax breaks
National News 11/18/2009A three-judge panel Tuesday rejected another challenge to state constitutional amendments that give property tax breaks to Florida's primary homeowners, but not to owners of second homes.The panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal disagreed with ar...
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Fla. lawyer suspected in $1B fraud losing license
National News 11/18/2009A South Florida lawyer suspected of operating a $1 billion Ponzi scheme is asking for his own disbarment.A Florida Bar committee has approved the disbarment request submitted by attorney Scott Rothstein. A spokeswoman said Wednesday the final decisio...
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Chavez says Obama did "nothing" to deserve Nobel
National News 10/12/2009CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that U.S. President Barack Obama had done nothing beyond wishful thinking to earn the Nobel Peace Prize. Chavez, who has mixed praise for Obama personally with criticism of h...
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Obama's nominees for federal court vacancies
National News 10/02/2009A look at President Barack Obama's nominees to fill federal court vacancies:___NOMINEES CONFIRMED_ Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, nominated June 1, confirmed Aug. 6._ Gerard Lynch, 2nd Circuit, nominated April 2, confirmed Sept. 17._ Jeffrey L. Vike...
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Justices Meet Early for Campaign-Finance Case
National News 09/08/2009According to Courthouse News, the Supreme Court ended its summer recess early this year to consider a case that could decide the future of campaign-finance law. The justices will decide whether a conservative nonprofit group should have been blocked ...