The James Logan Courier

By Rick Pearson and Ray Long
Chicago Tribune (MCT)

CHICAGO — In a display of political bravado, disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday appointed former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, challenging national Democratic leaders to reject the appointment of an African-American to the seat that propelled Barack Obama to the White House.

The defiant move tests the resolve of Senate Democrats who said they would not admit anyone appointed by Blagojevich, who is facing impeachment after being accused of trying to sell the Senate seat for personal gain. And it reveals to a nation celebrating Obama's victory the underbelly of Chicago's race-based political scene.

By Saeed Shah and Jonathan S. Landay
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan is moving some troops away from its border with Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said on Friday, sparking renewed fears that last month's terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, could trigger a fourth war between the two countries, both of which are now armed with nuclear weapons.

Media reports in both countries, most unconfirmed and some false or exaggerated, have fueled rising war hysteria in India and Pakistan, and U.S. officials and independent analysts worry that any signs of preparation for war could trigger a conflict that neither country wants and that neither can afford.

By Dion Nissenbaum
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military Saturday unleashed a devastating series of air strikes on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, targeting security compounds and killing more than 200 people in the deadliest day of the decade for Palestinians.

Saturday night, medical officials in Gaza said that 225 people were killed and 300 more were injured in the prolonged Israeli attacks, which propelled Israel's confrontation with the militant Islamic group into a new and even more volatile phase.

The White House gave tacit support for the assault by blaming Hamas for provoking the Israeli attack.

By Tony Bizjak
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Deeply in debt, California officials took the extraordinary step Wednesday of halting funds for thousands of public works projects statewide, including roads, levees, schools and prisons.

State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who voted his approval, called the action regrettable, but necessary to preserve cash as the state General Fund tumbles toward insolvency.

"You can't spend money that you don't have," Lockyer said.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

The Board of Education on Tuesday night approved the first interim report on the 2008-09 budget and multi-year projections. Chief Business Officer Ted Hood reminded the Board that New Haven -- along with every other district in the state -- once again this year was forced to adopt a budget without knowing how it would be affected by the state budget, because legislators once again ignored the deadline for approving a state budget.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven School Public Information Officer

Santa and Mrs. Claus visited teachers throughout the New Haven Unified School District today, sharing more than $6,000 worth of classroom grants awarded through the New Haven Schools Foundation’s “Innovations in Education” program, for special projects that promote learning.

The Foundation, in the fourth year of its classroom grant program, received applications this year for 34 projects representing the efforts of 37 teachers, from kindergarten through high school. Teachers could apply for up to $500 per project. In addition, the District’s Health Education and Resource Team (HEART) accepted applications for $200 grants, for projects promoting a healthy lifestyle.

A total of 15 projects were selected, including three involving two teachers each. Of those, 17 teachers received their awards today when Santa and Mrs. Claus toured the schools -- accompanied by Foundation, HEART and District leaders -- to surprise the teachers in front of their students. The Foundation funded 11 projects and shared funding with HEART on two others. HEART independently funded another project.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

UNION CITY (Friday. Dec. 12, 2008) – For families of children who were not quite old enough to attend kindergarten when the 2008-09 school year began, a few openings still exist in the New Haven Unified School District’s mid-year, full-day kindergarten program that starts in January.

“One of the things that impresses me most about New Haven is that it’s a forward-thinking district that’s always seeking better ways to serve our children, and mid-year kindergarten is a wonderful example,” said new Superintendent Kari McVeigh, who joined the District on Dec. 1. “It’s exciting to be able to offer families an opportunity to enroll their children in a quality program that will give them a solid foundation when they start regular kindergarten classes in 2009.”

By Jonathan S. Landay
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

WASHINGTON &$8212; A United Nations Security Council committee put three Pakistani leaders of the group Lashkar-e-Taiba and a Saudi operative on a terrorist watch list Wednesday as new evidence surfaced that the group blamed for the Mumbai attacks has expanded its activities and its fundraising well beyond South Asia.

A U.N. document obtained by McClatchy Newspapers said that LeT has sent operatives to attack U.S. troops in Iraq, established a branch in Saudi Arabia and been raising funds in Europe. The group may also have received money from al-Qaida, suggesting that it has close ties with Osama bin Laden's terrorist network based along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, the document said.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer
Jonas Dino, Kevin Harper and Michelle Matthews were sworn in Tuesday night as members of the Board of Education – Mr. Dino for his third term, Mr. Harper for his second and Ms. Matthews for her first – and the new Board elected Gertrude Gregorio as President and Gwen Estes as Clerk.

Before the meeting, a reception was held in honor of Mr. Dino, Mr. Harper and Ms. Matthews. An Aztec dance group from Decoto, “Olin Nauhauc,” performed at the invitation of Ms. Matthews.

New Superintendent Kari McVeigh, attending her first meeting, was welcomed by the Board.

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven School Public Information Officer

The New Haven Unified School District and the California School Employees Association have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year contract, through June 2011.

“Combined with the contracts that we reached last spring with the New Haven Teachers Association and the New Haven Administrators Association, the agreement with CSEA gives our community three more years of labor peace,” said Associate Superintendent for Personnel Derek McNamara, lead negotiator for the District.

By Richard Seven

The Seattle Times (MCT)

SEATTLE — Texting over your cell phone works fine to instruct, remind or arrange a meet time. If you want company or context, however, you use it the old-fashioned way and speak. It's no different for the deaf and hard-of-hearing who sign. Texting works, but they want conversation, company and context.

That has spurred University of Washington researchers to work on developing software with processing power great enough to support real-time, two-way video on cell phones that allow signing communication. Supported mainly by grants from the National Science Foundation, the team plans to conduct further field studies on the device, called MobileASL (American Sign Language), next year.

By Jessica Stewart, Courier Editor-in-Chief

A James Logan senior hit by a car on her way to school this morning is recovering from her injuries at home after a brief visit to the hospital.

A little bit before seven this morning, Jamie Maxfield, one of the two editors-in-chief of The Courier, was crossing Alvarado Niles on the way to her first class.

Courier Staff Report

Making a tour of her new school district, New Haven's newly appointed superintendent, Kari McVeigh, visited James Logan Tuesday morning and met some of the school's staff.

On Monday, she visited Alvarado Elementary School, and after her Logan visit, she planned to visit Emanuele Elementary, the adult school and the food services center.

She'll be introduced to the district formally at a public reception in her honor from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the district office.

By Caitlin Baca, Courier Staff Writer

Holiday shopping is definitely in full swing. Malls are full with chaos as shoppers attempt to find the best deals and sales as they shop for others.

The intensity of shoppers seems to be at an all time high this year, especially with the horrific events that happened Black Friday 2008. Two were killed during a shoot-out in a Toys "R" Us of Palm Desert, California. In addition, a 34 year old Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by sale-hungry shoppers.

By Kerri Ginis
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

FRESNO, Calif. — On every third Sunday of the month, about eight men gather at the Hometown Buffet in Clovis, Calif., to talk about an event in American history that binds them forever — the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

It used to be a monthly meeting for more than 100 Pearl Harbor survivors. Now the group is lucky if just a handful show up. And it's likely that within the next several years, the Central California Chapter 8 of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will officially shut down.

By Bob Albrecht
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)

WASHINGTON — Civil rights leaders gathered Wednesday to declare that they had finally overcome their money obstacles and raised more than $100 million to build the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial near the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall.

The group, headed by St. Louis native Harry Johnson, unveiled an elaborate design of the long-delayed memorial, which will include a 30-foot-high granite statue of the slain civil rights leader.

"We're doing everything within our power to get this built," Johnson said. "Once the memorial is built you cannot take it away."

By Tim Barker
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)

ST. LOUIS — Next time you install a piece of software or visit a new Web site, pour yourself a cup of coffee and really dig into that arcane document labeled something along the lines of "terms of service."

It's your chance to do something few have ever done.

By Steven Thomma
McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)

CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama named his national security team Monday, vowing to bolster military strength with diplomacy. Highlighting the change, he named Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state.

Obama noted Clinton's "tremendous stature" as he picked her as the nation's chief diplomat.

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

Kari McVeigh begins work today as Superintendent of the New Haven Unified School District, bringing experience in improving student achievement and enthusiasm for focusing on literacy - qualities matching both the goals and strategies of the District.

"Kari's experience and her skill set are a remarkable fit for our district," Board of Education President Kevin Harper said when Ms. McVeigh's hiring was announced Oct. 31. "She understands our needs and priorities - she has more than 30 years of experience in dealing with such issues - and she also understands that we've started on a course here, with our Strategic Plan, and we need someone to step in and take us to the next level.''

By Joe Crawford
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)

ST. LOUIS — Seventh-grader Tristan Papes has been keeping an eye on the recent turbulence in the stock market.

So has professional money manager Chris Lissner.

Lissner, president of Acropolis Investment Management, has studied the market for more than 30 years. Papes, who attends McKinley Middle School in St. Louis, has been purchasing imaginary stocks for about a month.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.