Alcoholic News Blog @newzblogz.com

Cornell, a recovering alcoholic himself, will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award during the third annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert organized by the MusiCares Foundation, the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, the group that hands out the Grammys. The fund provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.

Cornell, who will release his second solo album, "Carry On," on June 5, will perform during the event at the Music Box theater. Other scheduled acts include David Gahan of Depeche Mode, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the band Army of Anyone, whose lineup includes two former members of Stone Temple Pilots and former Filter singer Richard Patrick.

Music promoter Jeff McClusky will also be honored. The intimate fundraiser is open to the public, albeit at steep prices, starting at $10,000 for a table of 10 at the front, through to $100 for a balcony seat.

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AARON, MICHAEL SHANE W M 08/25/1970 OBT PROPERTY W/C

AARON, NICOLE B F 11/18/1983 ISSUE W/C

ABELS, PHILLIP LEE W M 10/01/1977 VOP DOMESTIC BATTERY

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Investigators of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control cited an Auburn clerk for selling alcohol to a minor before a local business owner cut the decoy's identification.Investigators attempted to purchase alcohol from 15 retail alcohol licensees in Auburn Saturday -- one failed the test."A clerk at the Grocery Outlet on Grass Valley Highway faces a misdemeanor sale of alcohol to a minor," said John Carr, information officer for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.The c...

Randy Hicks, owner of Rowdy Randy's in Auburn, is paying the price for a clerk's previous mistake."They locked my (liquor) doors for 20 days because two years ago one of my clerks sold to an undercover," Hicks said. "Nothing happened to the clerk."Hicks feels the actions of the ABC are misguided. Business owners are punished for a crime committed by one of their employees."I would have to pay a fine from $2,500 to $25,000 or not sell beer," he said.ABC would not release to Hick...

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CORRECTED: Chris Cornell to be honored for charity work

2007-03-21

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Editor?s note: A jail sentence ?to be served at the court?s discretion? generally means jail time is suspended, but will be imposed if the person violates any laws or sentencing conditions within a noted time period. OUIL means driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor; AHSE stands for Alcohol Highway Safety Education classes; AA stands for Alcoholics Anonymous, and CVRF stands for the Crime Victim?s Right Fund.

The following people were recently sentenced in the respective courts:

78th District Court

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YOU CAN MAKE your own healthful treats or buy homemade goodies for your pooch.

Chelsea, Stoli, Ali and Grace are crazy for dog bones. And so is their owner.

D.J. Tillman, the owner of Dog Bone Crazy in the Cactus Alley Courtyard Shopping Center at 2610 Salem Ave., said she and her mother bake homemade dog biscuits every Monday.

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STOCKTON - If one plus one equals two, money plus a gun equals drugs.The math was that simple for law enforcement officers checking on some of Stockton's most dangerous parolees Wednesday in a sweep that targeted gang members, sex offenders and other violent criminals on parole in south Stockton.In one of 140 searches planned for the day, a team of city, county, state and federal law enforcement officers knocked at a home in the 700 block of South San Joaquin Street to check on a parolee.

The search began routinely with the parolee being handcuffed as a standard safety precaution.Then a California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control investigator lifted a toilet tank lid and found a gun wrapped in a towel. The parolee's friend claimed the gun and was arrested after it was discovered that the weapon had been reported stolen.Investigators soon had $100 bills splayed out on a desk - money the parolee told them belonged to his aunt.A call was made for a drug-sniffing dog to com...

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A one-time donation of $1,600 from the Arcadia City Council will help downtown.

ARCADIA -- Producer Paul Hoover asked the Arcadia City Council to back his new venture, dubbed "Personality Theatre," at the council's Tuesday night meeting.

Given the fact that any profits will go straight to Hoover's wallet, City Attorney David Holloman told the council to forgo any direct association with the dinner theater production.

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No more limousine rides. No more expensive cigars from the

mini-bar. No more bottles of wine.

The state's student financial aid agency would no

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Officials hope that pretending more than 40 La Porte High School students died recently could help keep all students alive during prom and graduation.

That's the theory behind "Shattered Dreams," a two-day program to help juniors and seniors make responsible decisions about drinking and driving. The program demonstrates the result of bad decision-making.

"We always try to do it right before spring break," said La Porte High School Associate Principal Jerry Herd.

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Basalt does not plan on changing its BYOB (bring your own booze) policy at its summer concert series, but the issue ? which has raised tensions recently in Snowmass Village ? did merit some discussion at Tuesday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

P&Z Commissioner Brian Dillard pointedly asked planning director Susan Philp if the town was considering altering its alcohol policy, in light of the recent decision by Snowmass town staff to ban the public from bringing alcohol to the free Thursday night concert series.

"There are no plans for altering the existing policy," said Philp. "No one has approached the city with any complaints, so we haven't seen any reason to even begin discussions."

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Win or lose tonight, the University of Memphis is looking to move up in the standings -- at least in Tennessee. Boosters and school officials are pushing for more clout in Nashville and more power in Memphis.

With momentum brewing from a winning basketball season, which continues tonight in the NCAA South Regional against Texas A&M, and numerous multimillion redevelopment projects both on and off campus, prominent donors are aggressively calling for an independent governing board that would allow the school to call its own shots.

U of M booster Harold W. Byrd, vice chairman and president of the Bank of Bartlett, said the request for an independent governing board touches on the longstanding desire of many alums who are eager to elevate the status of their alma mater.

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They're sweet, they're fruity and they're everywhere. Adults may not have noticed the presence of so-called "alcopops" next to the beer in convenience stores and gas stations. Chances are, however, their kids are aware of colorful concoctions with names such as Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and Mike's Hard Lemonade. And, for many young people, such carbonated beverages are already their alcoholic drink of choice.

Experts on alcoholism and substance abuse say alcopops are targeted to very young drinkers. Allen Sandusky, president of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association, says these drinks - which are classified as malt beverages - are being marketed to young girls who want to be accepted onto the party scene but don't like the taste of beer or hard liquor.

Alcopops are sold in the same places as beer. Accessibility and low price are reasons for their success. So are ads that show young people having fun in a tropical setting. Testifying before a state Senate committee last week, Sandusky said these beverages are popular with underage girls because they have a "Kool-aid-like flavor." He said nearly half the alcohol in them comes from hard liquor or distilled spirits.

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They're sweet, they're fruity, and they're everywhere. Adults may not have noticed the presence of so-called "alcopops" next to the beer in convenience stores and gas stations. Chances are, however, their kids are aware of colorful concoctions with names like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver and Mike's Hard Lemonade. For many young people, such carbonated beverages already are their alcoholic drink of choice.

Experts on alcoholism and substance abuse say alcopops are targeted to very young drinkers. Allen Sandusky, president of the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association, says these drinks -- which are classified as malt beverages -- are being marketed to young girls who want to be accepted onto the party scene but don't like the taste of beer or hard liquor.

Alcopops are sold in the same places as beer. Accessibility and low price are reasons for their success. So are ads that show young people having fun in a tropical setting. Testifying before a state Senate committee last week, Sandusky said these beverages are popular with underage girls because they have a "Kool-Aid-like flavor." He said nearly half the alcohol in them comes from hard liquor or distilled spirits.

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DAVIS COUNTY Billboards are popping up in Davis County, reminding parents of their responsibility in the fight against underage drinking. Underage drinking is a problem that can cause serious harm in more ways than one. Parents Empowered, a statewide campaign focusing on eliminating underage drinking in Utah, finds that parents have the most influence over whether their children drink.

Research shows that disapproval from parents is the number one reason kids choose not to drink, said Larry V. Lunt, Chairman, Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission. A quick glance at a billboard helps parents know that they should be strong and steadfast in their resolve to prevent their children from drinking.

The billboards can be seen in Bountiful on I15 at 837 North, and in Layton at 300 N. and I15, at 399 E. Gentile St. and at 1855 N. Main Street.

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Unfortunately for Dr. David Stephenson, who ran the site from his home near Syracuse, the pilot was actually a New York state investigator looking to see just how difficult it was to buy controlled substances online without ever seeing a physician, a crime in that state and several others.

Stephenson was arrested he later pleaded guilty and it became shockingly clear that getting highly addictive drugs over the Internet was as easy as ordering a book.

That first arrest in 2005 sparked what is now a nationwide dragnet by Albany County, N.Y., prosecutors into the illicit sale of steroids entering New York. Twenty people from three states Florida, Texas and New York have been indicted, and authorities are promising more arrests.

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Advocates for and against allowing beer to be sold in

Pennsylvania's grocery and convenience stores testified

yesterday before two legislative committees that have input

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Berkley business owner Rudy Simons returned from a peace mission to Iran with no doubt about the sentiment shared by students, professors and government leaders on one of the hottest topics in international affairs: They want nuclear power.

"With one exception, they all thought they needed nuclear power," said Simons, a Southfield resident who owns a music publishing company in Berkley. "They were all firm on that. They were not looking for the bomb, but nuclear energy. Some expressed the thought they would have nuclear energy whether anyone else liked it or not."

Simons, 78, was exhausted, and elated, from his two-week trip into a land few Americans see. He traveled with 23 people from across the country with the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

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A Miramar police sergeant testified Tuesday he did not know who he was pursuing when he chased then-Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman's speeding car and arrested him in front of his house almost two years ago.

Sgt. Jeffery Whitehurst said an officer who arrived at the scene asked him, "Do you know who this is?"

"I said it doesn't matter who he is, he ought to be ashamed running from the police like this," Whitehurst testified as Salesman's trial began.

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A Miramar police sergeant testified Tuesday he did not know who he was pursuing when he chased then-Miramar Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman's speeding car and arrested him in front of his house almost two years ago.

Sgt. Jeffery Whitehurst said an officer who arrived at the scene asked him, "Do you know who this is?"

"I said it doesn't matter who he is, he ought to be ashamed running from the police like this," Whitehurst testified as Salesman's trial began.

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The forecast is clear and sunny, with a high of fifty-four degrees and a

low of thirty-five... perfect weather to walk eighteen holes. But leave

your clubs at home, because this isn't your average round of golf--this

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Searching for solutions on how to eradicate drunken driving and underage drinking, Houston leaders from law enforcement and the Harris County district attorney's office sought community input at a town hall meeting Tuesday .

The session held in Pasadena was the first of several similar sessions that will be held in the Houston area by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which announced a new program called "Take the Wheel" last year.

Harris County leads the nation in the number of deaths per capita from accidents involving drunken drivers. In 2006, 147 people were killed in wrecks caused by drunken drivers, compared with 203 in 2005.

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The mood is mellow. The wine is stimulating and the company comforting. The effect of 13 Celsius wine room is immediate. Lorie Hood feels tension unwinding like a spool of thread.

"13 Celsius has such a warm feel to it. The lighting helps you to relax. It takes me to New York City or San Francisco when I am here," the Midtown rRealtor says. "That's not a bad thing. We all need to escape now and then."

Five years ago, however, escape options were slim. You had the Wine Bucket and later the Tasting Room.

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A total of 36 retail stores in Lake County were recently cited for selling alcoholic beverages to minors in a survey designed to reduce the sale of alcohol to minors.

Of a total of 126 businesses surveyed in the operation from March 13-17, 36 were found to be involved in the sale of alcohol to underage persons, and employees of those stores were arrested for unlawful sales of alcohol to a minor or a similar Class A misdemeanor, according to a release from the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association's Underage Drinking Committee. Those arrested were released on recognizance bonds awaiting court hearings.

We want to send a clear, consistent message that selling alcohol to minors is not allowed anywhere in Lake County, William Biang, Waukegan chief of police and co-chair of the enforcement subcommittee, said in the release.

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J.A. Jance, the New York Times best-selling author has a new murder mystery out, "Dead Wrong." If you miss it - no matter whether you are a mystery fan or not - you will have missed what I believe will be one of the best reads of 2007.

Jance is a master at blending topics of today - social problems, inadequate funding for law enforcement, handicapped people, illegal immigrants, gays, violent crimes, alcoholism, teen-agers, Huntington's Disease, humane treatment of animals - into her wonderful books.

Jance's heroine is a county sheriff in Cochise County, Arizona who is married, pregnant and has an impossible mother and mother-in-law to deal with. Her department is under-staffed and under-funded and is not only responsible for the safety of her domain but is also saddled with the animal control unit.

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NEENAH The Board of Education gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a policy governing advertisements, sponsorships and exclusive-rights contracts in Neenah schools.

The policy requires the district to take reasonable precautions to ensure that commercial advertising on school property or at school-sponsored events does not interfere with educational programs or compromise the mission or reputation of the district.

The policy bans advertisements in the classroom and any advertisements or promotions for alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, unhealthy food choices or illegal activities.

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People who want to legalize the sale of alcohol in Tyler County are facing an April 2 deadline. That is when they must turn in signatures on a petition seeking to place the issue on the November ballot.

Store owners are pushing for the change in the historically dry county, while a pastor says it will take away from the quality of life.

Tyler County store owners are ringing up regular customers, but these days they're more interested in what they can't sell.

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March 19, 2007JUPITER ? Police Chief Frank Kitzerow has recommended 22-year veteran officer Jeffrey Sprauer's employment be terminated, in an Internal Affairs investigation report to Town Manager Andy Lukasik that was released Monday.

Surrounding a traffic stop for suspicion of DUI, Sprauer committed conduct unbecoming an officer, did not report misconduct to his supervisor, committed a misdemeanor, was untruthful and was untruthful in an official proceeding, Kitzerow wrote in his conclusion to the 21-page document and recommendation to Lukasik.

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WASHINGTON -- The late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously declared that he could not define pornography but he knew it when he saw it. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas does not define affirmative action in the same way that a lot of other people do, but he knows when he has not benefited from it.

He reveals that view and more in a rare and surprisingly expansive interview with Business Week senior writer Diane Brady, posted on the magazine's Web site.

Thomas has a reputation for saying little on the bench and even less to reporters. But he granted this rare interview because Brady was writing an article about Thomas' beloved college mentor, the Rev. John E. Brooks, former president of Holy Cross College.

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JUPITER ? Police Chief Frank Kitzerow has recommended the termination of a police officer who was suspected of driving under the influence in Stuart but not arrested because of a lack of agency manpower.

Jeffrey Sprauer, a 22-year officer, committed conduct unbecoming an officer, did not report misconduct to his supervisor, committed a misdemeanor, was untruthful and was untruthful in an official proceeding, Kitzerow wrote in a 21-page Internal Affairs report to Town Manager Andy Lukasik.

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      Elvis has left the building.

      That's why Salt Lake City's footwear appears to be a little duller these days.

      Elvis has moved. Who would have thought?

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Listen up, writers and producers of 24: We want our Chloe back.

We're more than halfway into season six, and we haven't seen the Chloe we fell in love with when you introduced her during season three: snippy, impatient and devoid of social skills.

We don't mind that you've dressed her better and made her a little more feminine. But although she's wearing a skirt, she's acting like a dishrag. She's been so busy dealing with her recovering-alcoholic ex, Morris (Carlo Rota), that she hasn't had time for her usual sarcastic rejoinders.

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(3/19/07 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT) - Merlot can be a variety of grape or a type of red wine, but not an acceptable personalized license plate in the state of Utah.

Glenn Eurick's 1996 Mercedes has had the license plate reading "merlot" for 10 years. He says the plate never got a lot of notice until the Utah Tax Commission told him last week that he had to remove it because the state doesn't allow words of intoxicant to be used on vanity plates.

Six or seven-letter words like liquor or whiskey probably wouldn't make it through the state screening process before the plates are issued. But merlot did and Eurick was fine until an anonymous caller told the state that merlot was also an alcoholic beverage.

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Neighbors called police after hearing gunshots at Chachos on Perrin Beitel early Saturday morning.

"There's just a whole bunch of commotion, people running back and forth, people yelling," said Marcus Chacon, who called police. "I could hear people yelling at each other."

Close to 40 officers were called to break up the fight. Police said workers told them there have been problems at the restaurant before.

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Jupiter– Police Chief Frank Kitzerow has decided 22-year veteran officer Jeffrey Sprauer "violated the public trust" when he was stopped on suspicion of driving while under the influence and recommends that he be fired.

During and after the traffic stop, Sprauer committed conduct unbecoming an officer, did not report misconduct to his supervisor, committed a misdemeanor, was untruthful and was untruthful in an official proceeding, Kitzerow wrote in the 21-page report released Monday.

State Attorney Barry Krischer told Kitzerow he will not prosecute any of Sprauer's future cases because of the untruthfulness violation, the chief said.

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EL PASO, Tx - Court records obtained by ABC-7 reveal that Eduardo Sandoval, the man who allegedly ran over two pedestrians, was drinking at King's X bar in west El Paso.

Sandoval has been arrested in the deaths of James Kaiser, 26, and Amanda Carrasco, 24.

Investigators believe Sandoval was at the bar until 1:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.  He allegedly ran over Kaiser and Sandoval 15 minutes later.

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DELRAY BEACH - Three masked gunman robbed a food store at 3327 S. Dixie Highway Saturday night, police said. The robbers, who wore white shirts, black masks and gloves, stole $450 from a cash register and $500 from one of the store clerks, according to a police report. Before leaving, they reached over the counter and took several cigars. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477).

DELRAY BEACH - Two men were robbed within 10 minutes of each other Saturday night, possibly by the same gunman, police said. At 10:22 p.m., a 44-year-old man was walking in the 900 block of Casuarina Road when a man wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweatshirt pointed a silver handgun at him and demanded his wallet and keys, police said. At 10:30 p.m., police were called to the 700 block of Southeast First Street, where a 36-year-old man had been robbed of his wallet by an armed gunman wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Police are looking for a missing 71-year-old West Palm Beach man who may be in danger. Investigators think Gale Lee Clark possibly is being held against his will by Timothy Heaton, 44, and Connie Van Allen. The three were at Journey's Inn hotel in Lake Park Monday, but when Heaton learned police had called Clark there, they checked out, police said. Heaton was last seen driving a red Ford Explorer. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (561) 822-1656 .

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The papers were found by a self-proclaimed ID thief

 By Stephanie Guadian

(3/19/07 - KTRK/LIBERTY, TX) - Private, personal documents, with everything from social security numbers to credit card numbers, were found discarded in a Liberty dumpster, putting many people at risk for identity theft.

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At my house, St. Patrick's Day is more a celebration of Irish hospitality than a wearing o' the green.

My husband and I have traveled to Ireland twice, and have fond memories of the warm welcomes and wonderful meals we enjoyed there. This weekend, those memories will inspire our fifth-annual St. Patrick's Day party, with a nod toward contemporary Irish cuisine and a minimum of green.

Admittedly, the exterior of our house will be bathed in a soft green spotlight, with a few shamrock lights shamelessly strung inside the front porch and the requisite leprechaun windsock greeting guests as they arrive ... all in good fun.

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CRYSTAL BEACH ? A crowd of thousands, encouraged by the warm sun and festive atmosphere, flocked to Crystal Beach Saturday to celebrate spring break.

?This crowd is bigger than it?s been for the past two years,? said Sgt. Douglas Hudson of the Galveston County Sheriff?s Office. ?I don?t know why.

?I guess you could speculate some were discouraged by gas prices in recent years, but this year we?re seeing crowds from Houston and Beaumont ? all around East Texas.?

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Laura Seitz, Deseret Morning NewsIn Salt Lake City Justice Court, a man is taken into custody on domestic violence charges in Judge John Baxter's courtroom.

"M1/2 told complainant if she called police he would kill her." — Salt Lake City Police Department report, May 25, 2006

· · · · ·

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The death last week of Betty Hutton - known as Hollywood's "blonde bombshell" in the 1940s - left people scrambling for memories of her Lansing years.

"My mother used to tell about seeing her singing at the Rock Tavern," said Jim Church of Bath.

The specifics are elusive because of Hollywood revisionism. The basics are:

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Too many Illinoisans do not see underage drinking for what it is--dangerous

and unhealthy. Surveys tell us that by 12th grade, more than half of Illinois

teens drink alcohol, and 35 percent of them binge drink. Adding to the appeal

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MOSCOW - "Russians colonized us. Now, we are free at last - but European and American missionaries flooded my country as soon as we won independence. They are out to make my nation a Western puppet," a Turkmen secret service officer said hotly to a friend of mine, a local Protestant.

Though his reasoning surely did not hold water, he was correct on one point. Protestant missionaries are among the most effective disseminators of globalization. They openly say they want to turn this world into one big community resting on Christian values, democracy and the free market. They see South Korea as one of their greatest victories - a former Buddhist country where Christian converts presently make up a majority. South Korean missionaries working in Central Asia emphasize that the Pr...

Obstacles to globalization are nowhere so formidable as in former Soviet countries, especially in Central Asia - a region that serves as practical proof of Samuel Huntington's warning. As the American political expert once said, attempts to turn the world into a single community would meet harsh resistance in Muslim countries.

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St. Patrick's Day crowds kept police busier than last year, but were manageable with mostly local law enforcement officers, said Chico Police Sgt. Dave Britt.

Police reported 65 arrests from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday.

Sixty arrests were for misdemeanor charges involving alcohol, including 37 drunk-in-public arrests and eight DUIs.

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A camera monitored by Lufkin police still watches over Brandon Park and old buildings and houses in North Lufkin I reported on months ago have been demolished. Pastor Lonnie Williams welcomes the progress. Pastor Williams' church Greater Shiloh sits next door to Brandon Park. "Our intent for the camera was not as people think for some prostitute, some drug addict or some alcoholic," says Pastor Williams.

Pastor Williams says the camera is to stop fights and other violence at Brandon Park.  "Our concern was the safety of the children in the park with the element that wanted to be John Wayne or a gangster. We wanted to cut that out," says Pastor Williams.

Pastor Williams says he doesn't want to cut out is what God has commanded him to do, love everyone. "Those people that are sick with drug addictions and other issues in their life, that's a sickness, that's what the church is here for to help people, to help them come into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are not here to run that element off. We are here to minister to people," says Pastor Williams.

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Trailer Web site ...

HONOLULU Chris Gardner is still pursuing happiness.

Despite being a best-selling author, a sought-after motivational speaker and having a bank account as big as his beaming smile, Gardner says he's unhappy fed up, actually with how the poor, homeless and veterans are treated in America.

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Laffapalooza was hosted by the Society for African-American Studies. All proceeds went to the American Cancer Society.

Laughter: we all need more of it in our lives. The stress from school, work and life in general can be overwhelming at times. Laughter has been medically proven to relieve stress and be beneficial to ones overall health.

Plenty of laughter could be found coming from the EMU Student Center Grand Ballroom on Thursday night, as the Society for African-American Studies played host to its second annual humanitarian benefit Laffapalooza: Comedy For a Cause. Tickets for the event were only five dollars. All proceeds went toward the American Cancer Society in the name of the late Dr. TeResa Green.

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SUNRISE Authorities are vowing to beef up enforcement at a popular three-day South Florida music festival after flagrant drug and alcohol violations led to 216 arrests.

Drugs were used and sold in front of uniformed officers at the Langerado Music Festival last weekend, said Capt. Carol Owsiany of the state division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

The deals were going down in front of them to the point that all they had to do was just turn around and make the arrests, Owsiany said. Most of the arrests were for misdemeanor possession of marijuana or underage drinking. She said additional agents could have made many more arrests.

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Give Shea Flinn credit. He didn't shy away from tackling seemingly insurmountable legislative challenges during his short stint as a Tennessee state senator.

Flinn, an interim appointee who filled the seat vacated when Steve Cohen was elected to Congress, served his final day in the General Assembly last week, the same day Beverly Robison Marrero was elected to replace him.

On Flinn's last day of service, two sensible and well-intentioned bills he had proposed fell victim to Tennessee's powerful liquor lobby.

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Joe Coleson Sr. died Sunday, March 18, 2007. Memorial services: 7 p.m. Friday at Community Crossroads Church in Brewton, Ala. Jay Funeral Home is directing.

Betty Jean Goodwin, 65, of Longstreet, La., died Thursday, March 15, 2007. Graveside services: 2 p.m. today at Baldwin Memorial Cemetery with visitation following.

Betty Joan Sales, 72, died Saturday, March 17, 2007. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South. Services: 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

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SUNRISE, Fla. -- Authorities are vowing to beef up enforcement at a popular three-day South Florida music festival after "flagrant" drug and alcohol violations led to 216 arrests.

Drugs were used and sold in front of uniformed officers at the Langerado Music Festival last weekend, said Capt. Carol Owsiany of the state division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

"The deals were going down in front of them to the point that all they had to do was just turn around and make the arrests," Owsiany said. Most of the arrests were for misdemeanor possession of marijuana or underage drinking. She said additional agents could have made many more arrests.

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Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day and many people, those with Irish ancestry and those who wish they had Irish ancestry will be taking part in this fun celebration of a country with a rich history of folklore, leprechauns, stout ale and an abundance of shamrocks. Many of the political families in the United States can trace their roots back to Ireland; the most notable of course is probably the Kennedy family.On St. Patrick’s Day there will be plenty of parades, a sea of green clothing a...

The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in this country took place in Boston, which is still the site of some of the most elaborate parades and celebrations.Because so many Americans have an Irish heritage, March was chosen Irish American Heritage Month in 1995 by Congress.St. Patrick’s Day by the Number

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Colton Meadows and his mom, Lori Hudson, know there's more to a Marion Mayhem football game than tackles and touchdowns.

For the Marion residents, Saturdays at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the Mayhem play their home games, is 5 1/2 hours of fun.

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