Aired 1/9/15 on KPBS News.

For years, the city of San Diego has worked to expand its Convention Center, but a court decision in August brought the project to a halt and little has been mentioned about it since.

Inside the annual San Diego International Auto Show this month, three locals were asked a question: What do you think about using public dollars to expand the Convention Center?

That, I dont really have much of an opinion on," Steven Schott said.

Public dollars for an expansion? I havent even thought of that one. Im not sure about that question," Johnny Moon said.

Well, I dont know. It all comes down to distributing funds and looking at the whole big picture. So I dont know," Maggie Pettit said.

Pettits a Coronado resident, but Schott and Moon are San Diego taxpayers and theyll likely be asked to OK using public funds for an expansion.

Their uncertainty is understandable. Originally the city didnt think it needed approval from voters to cover the $520 million project. But last summer a judge ruled it did. With no back-up payment plan, Mayor Kevin Faulconer faces a tough decision on how to move forward.

And attorney Cory Briggs is part of the problem. He represents groups opposed to various elements of the expansion. So far, hes successfully argued in court against the funding scheme. He has another lawsuit pending over the location. The current design would add to the existing Convention Center on the San Diego Bay.

If the city wants an expansion, three conditions must be met, said Briggs in an interview from his law offices.

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Faulconers San Diego Convention Center Decision Expected Next Week

It quickly emerged after Wednesday's Charlie Hebdo shootings that the prime suspects, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, had a long history of involvement in extremist circles.

The men are thought to have carried out the killings of 12 people in Paris. Both are thought to have died after a hostage siege in the town of Dammartin-en-Goele in northern France.

Cherif was arrested in 2005 while preparing to travel to Iraq to fight for an Islamist cell. He served 18 months of a three-year sentence.

Reuters has quoted US and European sources as saying that Said trained with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen in 2011.

US government sources said both were listed in two American security databases including a "no fly" list.

Both men are also understood to have been on a a British watch and no-fly list, preventing them from entering the UK or passing through a British airport.

France's intelligence agencies are now likely to face the same questions asked of their UK counterparts after it emerged that the men who murdered Fusilier Lee Riby in Woolwich in 2013, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, had featured in seven intelligence investigations.

In Australia the government has ordered an inquiry into Man Haron Monis, who died following a hostage siege in a Sydney cafe last month, after it emerged he had dropped off security watch lists.

Andrew Parker, the director general of MI5, said in a speech yesterday that the UK authorities have stopped three deadly terror plots in recent months, with terror-related arrests up 35 per cent compared with four years ago.

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Can any security service stop terror attacks?

West Virginia's longest-serving governor, Arch A. Moore Jr. died Jan. 7 in Charleston at age 91 just one day after his daughter, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., was sworn into office.

The man with a reputation throughout the Mountain State for always recalling names, occupations and family details with incredible accuracy died after battling heart trouble and dementia.

Moore, a Marshall County native, launched his life in politics at age 28 by winning his uncle's former seat in the House of Delegates. He was married to the late Shelley Riley Moore for 65 years. She died in September 2014 at age 88. The Moores were parents toShelley Moore Capito, Lucy Moore Durbin and Arch III.Shelley Moore Capito's office issued a statement just before 8:30 p.m., saying all three children were "deeply saddened to share the news of their father's passing this evening in Charleston ... with his family by his side."

To call our father a source of inspiration would be an understatement. He was -- and will continue to be -- the force that drives us and our families each and every day. Dad loved the state of West Virginia as if it were a member of our family. Serving West Virginians was at the core of his very being and he cherished every moment of it. We will miss his warm embraces, beautiful smile, sky blue eyes and words of encouragement. We are deeply saddened to say goodbye to our loving father, but we take solace in the knowledge that he is at home with the Lord, and reunited with our beloved mother in Heaven.

Moore attended Lafayette College and West Virginia University, where he met his wife during a blind double date. Moore worked at his family's law firm in Moundsville and was an Army combat sergeant in WWII. He earned a bronze star and a Purple Heart.

He was defeated in 1954 when he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, but was elected to Congress in 1956 and stayed there until he was sent to the governor's mansion. He was elected governor in 1968, 1972 and 1984.

Moore benefited from the 1968 Modern Budget Amendment, which gave him more budgetary powers than any previous governor. During his tenure, the Department of Highways was established and the modern interstate system was constructed. The Board of Regents also was created to manage state colleges and universities while Moore was Governor, and public kindergarten was developed. During Moore's first term, black lung was officially designated as a disease, and Moore became involved in labor disputes, firing road maintenance workers and transit workers who were on strike.He also helped negotiate an end to a national coal strike and a riot with hostages at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville. Moore was governor in 1972 when the Buffalo Creek dam broke, killing 125 people and destroying the homes of 4,000 more. New state medical schools were established in Lewisburg and at Marshall University during his second term as governor, along with the Culture Center at the State Capitol Complex.

Moore and his campaign manager were indicted for extortion in 1975, making Moore the first seated governor to officially be charged with a crime. Both men were found not guilty. Moore left office and established private law practices in Charleston, Moundsville and Washington, D.C. He ran for U.S. Senate in 1978 and was defeated. He was defeated in his 1980 run for governor, but was successful in his 1984 run.

During his third term, Moore expanded corporate tax credits to attract business. He was defeated in 1988 by Democrat Gov. Gaston Caperton, and in 1990 Moore was convicted of mail fraud. He served two years in federal prison, paid a fine and his license to practice law was suspended, something he fought vehemently for several years to have reinstated.

According to Arch: The Life of Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr., the book by Brad Crouser, Moore never used a signature stamp or a machine throughout his entire career.

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Former WV Gov. Arch Moore dies at age 91

Most bowlers dread the thought of facing the worlds biggest hitters when it comes to Twenty20 cricket.

But Stephen Parry cant wait to do just that after his Big Bash dream came true.

The Lancashire spinner has been handed the chance of a lifetime to join Red Rose team-mate Andrew Flintoff playing for the Brisbane Heat in Australias showpiece T20 competition.

He flew out last night, and is set to make his debut at the Gabba on Sunday against the Sydney Sixers in place of Daniel Vettori, who is joining up with the New Zealand squad.

And after failing to make Englands World Cup squad, who also head Down Under last night as they prepared for next months tournament, Parry knows an impressive performance in the Big Bash will give his chances of another call-up a major boost and even open up the opportunity to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League.

I am really excited to play in such a big tournament. It is as big as any global tournament, Parry told M.E.N. Sport. It shows how highly people rate me around the world. It is a bit of a dream for me.

Not many English players have been asked to play in it, but I have been asked to. It gives a little reminder to England too.

And if it goes really well, then England will have to take another look at me.

I want to play cricket against the best in the world, thats what it is all about. For me to get better, if I dont get international exposure in the next 12 months, I want to make sure I am getting in these competitions and in first-class cricket around the world.

I think its just going to make me a better cricketer.

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Stephen Parry ready for his Big Bash dream

At the end of every year, I drop a dented dipper into the river of life and look at the lives of 10 people from the Lansing area who died in the past year. They are not all famous or accomplished, but they are worth remembering.

FLOYD D. "BUBBY" EATON SR.

1930-2014

In the late 1950s, Floyd D. Eaton started work at Atlas Drop Forge, a pillar of mid- 20th-century Lansing industry and a quick walk from Eaton's downtown Lansing house. Two years later, both of his hands were crushed in a stamping press.

Eaton switched gears and went to work for Lansing's Sanitation Department, rising through the ranks from sanitation worker to supervisor. To liven up monotonous runs, workers stacked as many galvanized steel garbage cans as they could balance on their hips and carried them to the truck. He was so good at it he developed a passion for weightlifting that lasted the rest of his life.

At age 39, in 1968-69, he was named Mr. Michigan.

Eaton died Nov. 22 at 84.

"His laugh was infectious. People gravitated to him," Eaton's son, Mujahid Abdul Hameed, said. "He didn't know any strangers."

Born in Lansing, Eaton was an athlete from his swimming and diving days at West Junior High. He was a three-time wrestling champion at Sexton High and the only African- American on the wrestling team.

Hameed recalled that Sexton's head wrestling coach, Iggy Conrad, would tell him to lose a match, "depending on where they were playing," because the opponents wouldn't tolerate losing to an African-American wrestler. Eaton politely declined to take any dives.

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A cup from the river of life

Lancashire will sit down with Andrew Flintoff to discuss his future with the club when he returns from playing in Australias Twenty20 Big Bash League next month.

The former England all-rounder is set to make his debut for Brisbane Heat on Sunday after a late injury to fellow overseas star Samuel Badree ruled the West Indies star out of the competition.

Flintoff, 37, was originally scheduled to play only the second half of the competition as a replacement for New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori in the New Year. But he will now play alongside the ex-Kiwi skipper.

The Heat open their campaign against new England one-day captain Eoin Morgans Sydney Thunder at Sydneys Olympic Stadium on Sunday, a match which will interest Lancashire cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles.

Flintoff played three T20 matches for the Lightning last season after stunning cricket by coming out of retirement following five years away from the game, and he impressed with both ball and bat, including in the final defeat to Birmingham Bears in August. He has already said he wants to return to Emirates Old Trafford again next season.

Weve been in contact with Fred, and well monitor how he goes through this Big Bash and then speak to him when he gets back to England, revealed Giles, a former England team-mate of Flintoffs.

Weve not decided on anything at the moment, but Freds Mr Lancashire.

Hes still fit and firing, so good on him. I wish I could still get out there and do it like he can!

Leg-spinner Badree requires surgery on a shoulder injury, leaving Flintoff as a candidate to take the new ball as that was the role the West Indian was due to take on.

Flintoffs Heat coach Stuart Law, his former Lancashire team-mate, said: It is a pretty clear case that we need a new-ball option, which we thought we had with Samuel.

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Lancashire to hold talks with Andrew Flintoff over T20 return

PRESS RELEASE

The University of Houston Alumni Association (UHAA) has announced its 2015 Alumni Awards recipients, which include nationally and locally prominent leaders in their fieldsfrom CEOs to radio and television personalities as well as individuals who have a history of service to the University and community. Honorees will be recognized at the 61st Annual Awards Gala on May 2, 2015, at the Westin Houston, Memorial City.

Distinguished Alumni Awards are given to individuals whose professional accomplishments bring prestige to the University. Five people are being honored in 2015:

Aylwin Lewis (76, M.B.A. 90) is the president and chief executive officer of Potbelly Corp. and is a board member at the Walt Disney Co. and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Bill Worrell (69) is in his 32nd season as the play-by-play announcer for the Houston Rockets. In 2011, he was honored with a Lone Star Emmy for best play-by-play announcer.

Rushion McDonald (83) is the executive producer of the Emmy-winning Steve Harvey Show. He is a co-founder of the Neighborhood Awards show (formerly the Hoodie Awards), a tribute to the best leaders and organizations in local neighborhoods throughout the nation. McDonald was listed as one of Showtime Networks top 50 U.S. comedians for three consecutive years.

Ken Bailey (69, J.D. 72) is a founding partner of the civil litigation law firm Bailey Peavy Bailey, PLLC. While at the University of Houston, he was the starting quarterback during the 1967-1969 seasons and, in 1968, was a recipient of the Charles Saunders Award for an Outstanding Athlete. He has held numerous volunteer positions, which include serving on the UH Law Centers Law Foundation Board and co-chairing the UH Athletics Director Search Committee in 2009.

Dominic Ng (80) is chairman and chief executive officer of East West Bancorp Inc. and East West Bank. His numerous volunteer positions include director and former chairman of the Committee of 100 Inc., member of the University of Southern Californias board of trustees, committee member on the Resnick Institute advisory council at the California Institute of Technology, member of the Bowers Museum board of governors, and board member of the Southern California Asia Society Inc.

The 2015 UHAA Distinguished Service Award recipient is Laurie Rutherford (86, M.B.A. 91, M.S. 04), director of Enterprise Risk Management at CenterPoint Energy. This award is given to UHAA Life Members who are set apart by a history of service to the association and University. Rutherford serves as president of the UH CenterPoint Energy Alumni Association and is a former member of the Houston Cougars womens basketball team.

John T. McNabb and Drue DaSilva (93, M.S. 99) have been named Outstanding Volunteer Award recipients. The Outstanding Volunteer Award recognizes alumni and University supporters who exemplify a spirit of volunteerism to advance UHAAs mission. McNabb is chairman and chief executive officer of the Willbros Group, as well as senior advisor and former vice chairman of corporate finance at Duff and Phelps Corp. He is a former member and chairman of the deans advisory board at the University of Houstons C.T. Bauer College of Business, where he developed and taught a course in leadership. DaSilva is manager of inside sales at ShoreGroup and is an active volunteer with many alumni organizations including Moores School of Music, the University of Houstons College of Technology and Chi Omega.

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University of Houston Alumni Association announces 2015 honorees

Black is one of the most respected managers in Major League Baseball, and by all rights he should be locked in for the long term. But he said this week as the Winter Meetings took place in the Padres' backyard that there has been no discussion with Preller about an extension.

"I'm comfortable with this. I'm comfortable managing," Black told a group of reporters during his media session on Wednesday. "I think those of us in this game realize at certain points contracts will be worked out if they're going to get worked out. I think we've seen over the years a lot of managers go into the last year, head coaches go into the last year of a contract and everything is fine. It's all good. I'm good with it."

This all depends on a person's temperament, and certainly these matters change from era to era.

After the 1985 season in San Diego, late Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams decided he didn't want to return to the Padres for the 1986 season with only one year left on his contract. By virtue of a .520 winning percentage, he raised the heretofore doormat Padres to respectability. They had four .500 or better seasons and won the 1984 National League pennant in Williams' four-year tenure. Prior to that, the Padres had only enjoyed one winning season in the first 13 years of the franchise's existence, 1978 under Roger Craig.

Williams wanted the security of a long-term contract, felt he deserved it and was very public about it. It never happened. There was a highly publicized summit after the 1985 season at owner Joan Kroc's La Jolla, Calif., mansion that included Williams, general manager Jack McKeon and club president Ballard Smith, then Kroc's son-in-law. When the smoke began billowing out of her chimney, reports varied. At first, Williams was out. Hours later, they all emerged smiling. Williams would honor his contract. There would not be an extension.

But when the club reported for Spring Training only months later in Yuma, Ariz., Williams was nowhere to be found. The club called a news conference back in San Diego and announced that Williams was resigning. He was replaced days later by Steve Boros.

There has been no such intrigue this offseason surrounding Black, who always seems to keep his composure through the good times and bad and will be there in Peoria, Ariz., when the Padres go to camp in February. He has a .476 winning percentage in eight seasons as manager, and that may be more a product of the Padres' historical whirling dervish approach to player and coaching personnel than anything else. For example, the Padres are on their seventh hitting coach since moving into spacious Petco Park in 2004. The new guy, Mark Kotsay, was a player on the team only two seasons ago.

Comparatively, Bochy, the man Black replaced, has a 20-year record of only 14 games over .500, largely because he was 24 games under .500 during his 12 years with the Padres, despite four division titles and the 1998 pennant. And Bochy has widely been touted now as a Hall of Fame manager after leading the Giants to three World Series titles in the past five seasons.

One wonders what Black might have accomplished with the same kind of Minor League system and continuity of management Bochy has had in his eight years with the Giants. Bochy has a .515 winning percentage in San Francisco with 50 more wins during the same period both men have been in their respective jobs.

But everyone has to keep moving forward. One can only look back for patterns and perspective.

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Black 'comfortable' heading into final year of contract

The University of Houston Alumni Association (UHAA) has announced its 2015 Alumni Awards recipients, which include nationally and locally prominent leaders in their fieldsfrom CEOs to radio and television personalities as well as individuals who have a history of service to the University and community. Honorees will be recognized at the 61st Annual Awards Gala on May 2, 2015, at the Westin Houston, Memorial City.

Distinguished Alumni Awards are given to individuals whose professional accomplishments bring prestige to the University. Five people are being honored in 2015:

Aylwin Lewis (76, M.B.A. 90) is the president and chief executive officer of Potbelly Corp. and is a board member at the Walt Disney Co. and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Bill Worrell (69) is in his 32nd season as the play-by-play announcer for the Houston Rockets. In 2011, he was honored with a Lone Star Emmy for best play-by-play announcer.

Rushion McDonald (83) is the executive producer of the Emmy-winning Steve Harvey Show. He is a co-founder of the Neighborhood Awards show (formerly the Hoodie Awards), a tribute to the best leaders and organizations in local neighborhoods throughout the nation. McDonald was listed as one of Showtime Networks top 50 U.S. comedians for three consecutive years.

Ken Bailey (69, J.D. 72) is a founding partner of the civil litigation law firm Bailey Peavy Bailey, PLLC. While at the University of Houston, he was the starting quarterback during the 1967-1969 seasons and, in 1968, was a recipient of the Charles Saunders Award for an Outstanding Athlete. He has held numerous volunteer positions, which include serving on the UH Law Centers Law Foundation Board and co-chairing the UH Athletics Director Search Committee in 2009.

Dominic Ng (80) is chairman and chief executive officer of East West Bancorp Inc. and East West Bank. His numerous volunteer positions include director and former chairman of the Committee of 100 Inc., member of the University of Southern Californias board of trustees, committee member on the Resnick Institute advisory council at the California Institute of Technology, member of the Bowers Museum board of governors, and board member of the Southern California Asia Society Inc.

The 2015 UHAA Distinguished Service Award recipient is Laurie Rutherford (86, M.B.A. 91, M.S. 04), director of Enterprise Risk Management at CenterPoint Energy. This award is given to UHAA Life Members who are set apart by a history of service to the association and University. Rutherford serves as president of the UH CenterPoint Energy Alumni Association and is a former member of the Houston Cougars womens basketball team.

John T. McNabb and Drue DaSilva (93, M.S. 99) have been named Outstanding Volunteer Award recipients. The Outstanding Volunteer Award recognizes alumni and University supporters who exemplify a spirit of volunteerism to advance UHAAs mission. McNabb is chairman and chief executive officer of the Willbros Group, as well as senior advisor and former vice chairman of corporate finance at Duff and Phelps Corp. He is a former member and chairman of the deans advisory board at the University of Houstons C.T. Bauer College of Business, where he developed and taught a course in leadership. DaSilva is manager of inside sales at ShoreGroup and is an active volunteer with many alumni organizations including Moores School of Music, the University of Houstons College of Technology and Chi Omega.

Sports journalist and ESPN anchor Robert Flores (92) has been named UHAAs Rising Star, which honors motivated young alumni who have excelled beyond the norm early in their careers. Flores hosts ESPN2s Fantasy Football Now and is co-host of SportsCenters Top 10 of the Month on ESPN.

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UHAA announces 2015 honorees

Something I am calling Design 2.0 is bubbling up in the engineering community, injecting new energy into the profession. In many ways, it's the new Moore's Law.

Hackathons, accelerators, incubators, and crowdfunding sources are some of its key elements. Its motivation is to enable anyone with a good idea to make more innovation happen faster.

It has a sort of parallel universe in the Maker movement that's geared more for fun than for profit. Similar sets of tech-savvy geeks inhabit both worlds, dipping into a communal pool of tools such as open source software and low-cost boards -- Arduino, Raspberry Pi, flavor of the month.

At a time when corporate design methodologies are exhibiting an advanced sclerosis of documented best practices, Design 2.0 is the Nike of a new generation, saying, "Just do it."

For example, I know a veteran microprocessor designer who left Intel not long ago, complaining that it takes a decade to get from a good idea to a shipping SoC. By contrast, Thomas Sohmers, a high school dropout, aims to create a chip next year that will beat the pants off anything in GFlops/Watt. He was inspired in part by Andreas Olofsson, who shipped multiple versions of his Epiphany chips in less than five years on less than $5 million in funding.

The Web 2.0 crowd helped spawn Design 2.0. The first hackathon I ever attended was at a Facebook event, where I heard its motto, "Move fast and break things."

Hackathons make sense for folks such as Facebook and Google. They run vast server farms where you can plant a new software program and -- with some luck and considerable tweaking -- quickly wind up with a bumper crop of profitable web services.

Facebook applied this design philosophy to its data center hardware with its Open Compute Project, disrupting the staid markets for servers and switches. The GoogleX lab did the same for hardware projects from smartglasses to driverless cars.

We've written stories on all these things, but there's much more to be told. It's early days for Design 2.0. You have many still-evolving stories we need to hear.

I'm hoping to hear from the full spectrum of engineers, from twenty-somethings getting their first work experiences to veteran corporate R&D chiefs trying something new.

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Design 2.0: A New Moores Law

Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, beaten and set alight by vigilante neighbours in 2013 Four police staff have now been charged with offences linked to his death Further 12 officers from Avon and Somerset Police accused of misconduct Police watchdog probing whether victim had six years of contact with force Mr Ebrahami died after he photographed youths vandalising his flowers He planned to give the images to police as evidence but they arrested him Neighbour falsely reported him as a paedophile, which was untrue Police took Mr Ebrahimi away in front of neighbours chanting 'Paedo' Officers released him but two days he was attacked and killed near home

By Martin Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 08:20 EST, 5 December 2014 | Updated: 10:57 EST, 5 December 2014

Victim: Three police officers and PCSO will be prosecuted following the murder of Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, who was burned to death by neighbours who wrongly believed he was a paedophile

Three police officers and a PCSO have been charged with offences linked to the murder of a man beaten and burned to death by neighbours who wrongly believed he was a paedophile.

PCs Kevin Duffy, Helen Harris and Leanne Winter of Avon and Somerset Police are accused of 'failing to respond to allegations and calls for help' by Bijan Ebrahimi.

PCSO Andrew Passmore is accused of lying about the contact he had with the murder victim.

It was also revealed today that a further 12 officers from the same force now face misconduct proceedings over claims MrEbrahimi had six years of contact with police before his murder.

Disabled Ebrahimi, a keen gardener, died after he was beaten, burned and left to die on a patch of grass near his home.

The 44-year-old, originally from Iran, had taken photographs of youths vandalising his hanging baskets and intended to hand them to police as evidence.

View original post here:

Three officers and PCSO charged over death of Bijan Ebrahimi

Guard reinforcements contain damage in Ferguson Guard reinforcements contain damage in Ferguson

Updated: Wednesday, November 26 2014 12:54 PM EST2014-11-26 17:54:41 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, November 26 2014 12:45 PM EST2014-11-26 17:45:17 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, November 26 2014 12:14 PM EST2014-11-26 17:14:01 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, November 26 2014 12:12 PM EST2014-11-26 17:12:41 GMT

Updated: Wednesday, November 26 2014 12:05 PM EST2014-11-26 17:05:30 GMT

Anderson will only be in office until a new commissioner is elected on February 10th.

A wreck on Highway 72 over Chapman Mountain slowed traffic early Tuesday morning.

The three-car wreck happened around 6 a.m. between Moores Mill Road and Epworth Drive. A white SUV flipped on its side and a red vehicle's air bags were all deployed. Another SUV was also involved in the wreck.

Traffic was shut down to one lane headed westbound and was backed as crews worked to clear the scene.

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Scene clear after wreck on Chapman Mountain

On any given day, hundreds of thousands of emails shoot into and out of the accounts of New Mexicos estimated 26,000 state employees.

The content of these messages can be as weighty as policy memos that shed light on how the publics business is being done, requests for help and demands for favors. They can be as trivial as a report that glazed donuts are available in the break room.

Deciding which are important enough to keep and which can be trashed presents a challenge. Finding the saved messages later adds another layer of difficulty.

And from the looks of things, state government doesnt have a good handle on the situation. The dilemma is illustrated by what happened last year, when SFR was tracking communication between two key public officials.

One of the players involved was a newly elected state senator who had just finished serving his first legislative session. The other was Gov. Susana Martinez point-person for working with the state Legislature.

During the 2013 legislative session, Sen. Mark Moores, R-Bernalillo, had publicly made a fuss about a procedural action in the Senate Rules Committee.

His concern? The committee planned to allow Michael Corwina well-known political opposition researcher for Democrats and at the time the director of a political committee known for digging up dirt on the Martinez administrationto testify against one of her key political appointees.

Your decision to grant special treatment to Mr. Corwin is unwarranted, reads a draft of a letter from Moores addressed to committee chairwoman Sen. Linda Lopez, a Democrat from Albuquerque. I ask that you consider my request to reverse that decision.

Moores apparently didnt write the letter all on his own. Janel Anderson, the governors legislative liaison, emailed the draft to him from her government account in a message with the subject line letter.

But that message wasnt provided by the governors office in response to a public records request about correspondence related to the hearing. Instead, SFR hunted it down through the states Legislative Council Service.

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Email Fail

A law graduate who only sings in the shower has said she is over the moon after becoming the voice of Christmas in a heartwarming Waitrose advert.

Beth Pernells angelic voice rings out as a young girl shyly hands over a gingerbread man at the end of the uplifting commercial.

The 23-year-olds voice was chosen from thousands donated to the charity advert which has been shown on TV nationwide and become an internet sensation since it was first aired on Sunday night during the X Factor.

But Beth, who recorded her entry at her home in Vicars Cross, almost didnt enter her version of the Dolly Parton hit Try for the sound track and even jokes that her shower singing annoys her neighbours.

It was completely last minute. I saw the advert on Spotify and I thought it was for a good cause so I may as well give it a go, said Beth who, until recently, worked at Helsby Golf Club.

It is a bit overwhelming. I havent done anything like this before. It is an amazing feeling hearing your voice on TV.

I used to sing in high school, but I havent done much since then. I am mainly a shower singer. It has been a massive confidence boost for me.

Beth, who spent hours learning the song before recording it and uploaded it to the Donate Your Voice just as it was closing, said she didnt think she had a chance of her entry making it onto the advert.

She was astonished when the supermarket giant wrote to her saying they were blown away by her voice and wanted to use it as a solo in the soundtrack, produced by David Kosten, who has worked with some of the worlds biggest stars including The Flaming Lips and Coldplays Chris Martin.

Link:

Watch: Waitrose Christmas ad 2014 stars 'shower singing' Liverpool John Moores University graduate

The following are arrests and citations recently issued in Craven County:

New Bern Police Department:

Christopher Blake Gaskill, 18, 106 Hilda Drive, Nov. 4, gun on educational property, weapons on campus/educational facility. Officer: T. Fisher.

Gregory Benton Jr., 25, 1902 Sycamore St., Nov. 4, driving while license revoked, canceled/suspended/revoked tags. Officer: B.J. McKee.

Alpacino Marshburn, 26, U-167 Craven Terrace Apartments, Nov. 4, misdemeanor larceny. Officer: J.A. Weaver.

Nassar Ture Mack, 33, 924 Bern St., Nov. 1, assault inflicting serious injury, resisting public officer. Officer: S. Oltrogge.

Alonzo LeCraft, age unknown, 1624 Park Ave., Nov. 1, assault inflicting serious injury. Officer: S. Oltrogge.

Corey Lopez Johnson, 45, 628 Watson Ave., Nov. 1, common law robbery, assault on a female, communicating threats, resisting public officer. Officer: B. Dale.

Donwonta M. Weatherspoon, 32, 308 Jones St., Oct. 29, assault by strangulation. Officer: L. Heckman.

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Craven County arrests and citation for Nov. 8

The following are arrests and citations recently issued in Craven County:

New Bern Police Department:

Christopher Blake Gaskill, 18, 106 Hilda Drive, Nov. 4, gun on educational property, weapons on campus/educational facility. Officer: T. Fisher.

Gregory Benton Jr., 25, 1902 Sycamore St., Nov. 4, driving while license revoked, canceled/suspended/revoked tags. Officer: B.J. McKee.

Alpacino Marshburn, 26, U-167 Craven Terrace Apartments, Nov. 4, misdemeanor larceny. Officer: J.A. Weaver.

Nassar Ture Mack, 33, 924 Bern St., Nov. 1, assault inflicting serious injury, resisting public officer. Officer: S. Oltrogge.

Alonzo LeCraft, age unknown, 1624 Park Ave., Nov. 1, assault inflicting serious injury. Officer: S. Oltrogge.

Corey Lopez Johnson, 45, 628 Watson Ave., Nov. 1, common law robbery, assault on a female, communicating threats, resisting public officer. Officer: B. Dale.

Donwonta M. Weatherspoon, 32, 308 Jones St., Oct. 29, assault by strangulation. Officer: L. Heckman.

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Craven count arrests and citation for Nov. 8

Like outgoing governor Deval Patrick, Foxboro residents like casinos. Just not in their town.

Local residents vote by a nearly 2 to 1 margin Monday against a ballot question aimed at killing casinos in Massachusetts even before the first glittering gambling house opens.

Foxboro helped defeat the casino repeal ballot question by a vote of 4,460 to 2,512. Less than three years ago, the town by a huge margin elected two selectmen who had opposed a Wynn Resorts casino here on Route 1.

Tuesday's State Election drew 7,055 of the town's 11,111 registered voters, a 63 percent turnout.

Maura Healey, the state's new attorney general and a casino foe, had local backing, 3,503 to John B. Miller's 3,201.

Among the unopposed candidates, Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, received the highest number of symbolic endorsements with 5,170 votes of thanks.

Also running unopposed for reelection were U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III and state Sen. James E. Timilty.

All local election results can be viewed on the town's website.

The town voted with the state on all four ballot questions, eliminating automatic gas tax hikes, refusing to expand the bottle deposit law, leaving the casino law in place, and supporting earned sick time for employees.

For some, the act of voting rivals the importance of specific outcomes.

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Casinos, Baker win big in state election

Liverpool John Moores Universitys School of Law will provide free legal advice to start-up businesses and members of the public as part of a new service, launched today.

Following the success of a pilot scheme earlier this year, the university is opening the LJMU Legal Advice Centre.

It will cover more areas of law than the pilot, doubling the number of appointments available.

The service will be staffed by students completing the Legal Practice Course, Graduate Diploma in Law and LLB programmes, under the supervision of solicitors from local law firms. Areas covered will be family and employment law, and in Spring 2015 advice on wills and administration will also be given.

A new commercial arm of the centre will give advice on matters affecting start-up businesses, such as contract and intellectual property law.

Clients will initially make contact by phone or an online form to request an appointment. If they can be helped they will be offered a face-to-face meeting with the case team.

A detailed letter of advice will follow after the appointment, usually within 14 days of the interview. The service is entirely free and confidential.

The legal firms supporting the scheme are Weightmans, DWF, Brabners, Heaney Watson, and Thompsons Solicitors.

Rachel OHanlon, senior lecturer and Legal Advice Centre coordinator, said: We are thrilled that the pilot scheme was such a success.

We were inundated with enquiries and we are delighted to be able to provide more advice on more matters to more members of the public, as well as extending the offer to start-up businesses.

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Small firms to get free legal help from Liverpool JMU

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Judge rules in favor of plaintiff who claims he received more than 30 telephone calls from Dish Network within an eight-month period, despite the fact that he was not, nor had ever been, an account holder with the company.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (PRWEB) October 21, 2014

Charleston-based attorney Harry F. Bell, Jr., managing partner of The Bell Law Firm, in partnership with Tampa law firm Morgan & Morgan, has secured a favorable decision for Chester Moore, who filed suit against Dish Network in the Northern District of West Virginia Martinsburg, for unwarranted phone calls it made to his number in 2012. (Civil action no. 3:13-CV-36) (1)

"We are very pleased that our team was able to get the court to agree these calls were clearly in violation of the law, Bell said.

In a ruling issued October 16, Judge Gina Groh found that Dish Network had committed numerous violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by calling Moore 31 times in an attempt to collect a debt from a former Dish customer to whom Moores cell phone number was previously assigned. (2)

The court awarded triple damages to Moore for numerous calls he received from Dish, even after he called the company several times to clarify that he was not the former customer. (3) Moore had never been a Dish customer, he simply had been assigned a phone number belonging to a former Dish account holder. (4)

The court awarded Moore $500 for each of 24 unwanted calls, and $1,500 for each of seven calls he received after notifying Dish that he was not the person the company was trying to contact. (5)

The TCPA prohibits companies from making calls using an automated dialing system or artificial or prerecorded voice to cell phone customers, unless the call recipient has given prior consent or the call is made for emergency purposes. (6)

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Plaintiff Represented by The Bell Law Firm Awarded Triple Damages in Suit Against Dish Network

"It now costs less to build a biotech startup than an app startup," entrepreneur and venture partner Bill Liao tells the audience at Pioneers Festival in Vienna. As the man behind Indie.Bio, a synthetic biology accelerator in Ireland that funds startups using biology as a basis for technology, Liao understands the costs better than most.

He also knows why synthetic biology is worthwhile investing in. He became interested in the subject when his daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, meaning that she became dependent upon insulin produced by reprogrammed cells.

Biohacker and entrepreneur Ryan Bethencourt has also noticed the vast shift in price his work entails. "The cost of doing biology has dropped dramatically," he says. "In tech were saw Moores Law disrupt everything, in biotech we're beating that curve."

Both Bethencourt and Liao are keen to see more people -- both computer scientists and biologists -- think more about the entrepreneurship options that could be open to them. "You go to the existing labs and see people with strings of letters and they are working on validating a single molecule and they've been doing it for five years," says Liao. These are seriously smart people, he adds. "With all that skill, would you like to just take that skill and do something? A big part of what we are doing with our accelerator is inviting someone who has operated under a different covenant to start behaving like an entrepreneur."

He acknowledges though that it's not always an easy leap to make. "Biotech has had a lot of broken promises. All of that's still very hard, but there's a lot of stuff that's easier -- there's low hanging fruit." At one end of the spectrum there's the work that the people like Andrew Hessel are doing, attempting to create 3D-printed cancer-fighting viruses. But at the other end of the spectrum are the less controversial technologies that are more likely to actually make money.

"Commercialisation is going to come first in areas that aren't heavily regulated, because regulation always sets things back," he says. As an example he points to the startup Muufri, which is making milk without cows, using instead the key proteins and the fatty acids to build it from the bottom up.

"The stuff they make is not genetically modified," says Liao. "What you end up with is a liquid identical to that that comes out of cows." This technology could mean that vegan milk is widely available on shop shelves in less than two years. "It's about looking at things from the perspective of what can I make without genetically modifying organisms."

Liao doesn't come from a biology background and neither he nor Bethencourt believe that you have to be to get involved in biotechnology. "I want to democratise access to the tools. I want everyone to do biotechnology at home, and I don't want the government to be able to stop it," says Bethencourt. The fact that you can do biotech for under the cost of developing an app, means that anyone can do it, he adds. "You just have to teach yourself how to use science."

Originally posted here:

Indie.Bio: it's cheaper to biohack than develop an app startup