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Archive of Crime & Courts on Monday June 29, 2009
US: National sex offender registry delayed a year
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. has given states and American Indian tribes another year to feed a national Internet database set up to protect children by showing where possible predators live and work. Read More
SC: Woman linked to Sanford comments on e-mail
BUENOS AIRES — The Argentine woman linked to Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina said Sunday that she had a "firm suspicion" of who broke into one of her e-mail accounts that discussed her relationship with the governor, but she declined to name the person. Read More
AL: Siegelman absent at conference
Former Gov. Don Siegelman was a no-show at a Friday morning conference dedicated to allegations of selective federal prosecutions under the Bush administration. Siegelman had been scheduled to speak, but had to return to Alabama because of "a major filing" in his court case, said Andrew Krieg , one of the conference organizers. Read More
AZ: Audit -- CPS slow to probe abuse
Child Protective Services investigators are failing to investigate complaints of abuse in group homes and treatment centers in the required time frame, an audit has found, placing children at risk of further harm. Read More
CA: Roadshow -- California's hands-free cell phone law is increasingly being ignored
As officer Ruben Jones eased his California Highway Patrol cruiser onto the freeway last July 1 looking for drivers ignoring the state's new hands-free cell phone law, he figured he'd be one busy cop. Read More
CA: Fiscal changes hit prison officers union hard
Once seen as the model of public employee labor sophistication and clout, California's prison officers union is struggling amid the state's financial meltdown and a sour relationship with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read More
CT: Court rules for white New Haven firefighters over promotions
The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of 20 New Haven firefighters who claim in a reverse discrimination case that they were denied promotion for racial reasons. Read More
DE: Deadline looms for sex-abuse cases
The two-year window of Delaware's 2007 Child Victim's Act is about to close, putting an end to a steady stream of civil lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse that dates to the 1950s and reaches to churches, schools and private homes. Read More
FL: Florida attorney general's schedule shows part-time workload
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has carried a part-time workload for the past two months, according to his schedule posted on his website. Read More
FL: The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives...
The special investigator hired by the Florida House of Representatives to investigate Rep. Ray Sansom's dealings with a Panhandle college has concluded that there is probable cause that the former speaker of the House violated House rules and could be sanctioned. Read More
FL: Florida House panel to review Sansom case
State Rep. Ray Sansom, already indicted by a grand jury, now faces disciplinary action from his colleagues after an investigator Friday found probable cause that he damaged ''faith and confidence'' in the Florida House. Read More
HI: School contracts under scrutiny
The state attorney general's criminal division is investigating procurement practices at the state Department of Education. Read More
IA: Courts to cut 50 jobs, save $5.4 million
Iowa's court system will eliminate or hold vacant about 50 jobs, officials said Thursday. Read More
IL: State Senate yet to confirm state police director
The Illinois Senate still hasn't approved Gov. Pat Quinn's selection of a 29-year-old with no police experience to head the Illinois State Police. Read More
KS: High court narrows rule for search during traffic stop
The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday narrowed the scope of police searches at traffic stops in the state, saying its ruling was prompted by a similar decision from the nation's highest court. Read More
KS: State Supreme Court rules against Lawrence area landowners in water case
A Kansas Supreme Court ruling on Friday affirms a water district's right to get a temporary easement for test drilling for groundwater on an area farm. Read More
KS: Audit rocking Kansas higher ed
It was one of the strangest situations in Kansas politics in recent years, and that's saying something. Read More
KY: Attorneys to reap benefits of special session
Prosecutors and public defenders were among those who benefitted from the recently completed General Assembly special session. Read More
MA: Mass. high court upholds local fee for burial permits
A quest by members of a Fall River clan to end what they considered an illegal tax on grieving families ended yesterday when the state's high court said burial permit fees are legal. Read More
MO: Judge strikes down Missouri affirmative action measure
A state judge on Friday struck down a proposed constitutional amendment limiting affirmative action programs in Missouri, and supporters may have to start from scratch to get it on the 2010 ballot. Read More
MO: Bombing suspect had supremacist history in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The white supremacist charged in a 2004 mail bombing in Arizona has a history of hate group activity in Missouri and Oklahoma, including claims that he sent a note of support to Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 1996 but condemned the killings, an expert says. Read More
MO: Illegal drugs such as Ecstasy showing up as cartoon-shaped pills in KC
Drugs shaped like Snoopy, Transformers and President Barack Obama's head recently showed up on Kansas City area streets, adding to a trend that worries police and health experts. Read More
MO: Sex offenses regain a role
About 124 convicted sex offenders in Boone County who had been exempt from state registration requirements will receive letters in two weeks ordering them to register with the county. Read More
MO: Record numbers seek permits to carry concealed weapons
Jackie Poynter surveys the row of handguns on the metal table and picks out a silver .22-caliber Smith & Wesson. Read More
NH: Prison officers: Cuts have created unsafe conditions
State corrections officers say budget cuts that led to layoff notices for 32 prison-guards have created a powder keg inside the state's already overcrowded and understaffed prisons. Read More
NJ: Where prison is shuttered, hope mingles with concern
This is the time of year when the inmates of Riverfront State Prison in Camden would start ratting on each other. In whispers, letters and phone calls, they traded gossip in hopes of landing a cell facing the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline. Then, on the Fourth of July, the luckiest convicts had the best view of the fireworks. Read More
NJ: Worker furloughs shut state courts
State courts will be closed today while judiciary workers are on the furlough ordered by Gov. Jon Corzine. County probation offices and business offices where the public files court papers or makes payments to the courts will also be closed. Read More
NJ: 104 newest New Jersey state troopers graduate academy
Governor Jon Corzine, Attorney General Anne Milgram and State Police Superintendent Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes Friday presented badges to New Jersey's newest state troopers during graduation ceremonies at the Ritacco Center in Toms River. Read More
NJ: After months of stalls, legislators slap limits on buying handguns
Handgun purchases in New Jersey would be limited to one per month after lawmakers gave final approval early yesterday to a controversial bill that had stalled for months and re-emerged in the rush before the Legislature's summer break. Read More
NM: New Mexico death penalty repeal set to take effect
Although New Mexico officially abolishes the death penalty on Wednesday, that doesn't mean there won't be another execution in the state. Read More
NY: State official under Pataki pleads guilty
Antonia C. Novello, the former United States surgeon general, pleaded guilty on Friday to a felony charge as part of a plea deal, admitting that she forced state employees to handle personal chores when she was the health commissioner of New York State. Read More
OR: Senate agrees to suspend property crimes measure
A voter-passed measure requiring repeat property and drug offenders to serve stricter prison sentences will be suspended for 18 months, after the Senate approved the delay to avoid making cuts to other public safety programs. Read More
OR: House OKs phase-in of Measure 57
The Oregon House voted Friday on a second try to phase in a new tough-on-crime law and use the savings to offset spending cuts in public-safety agencies. Read More
OR: Crime measure delay heads to governor
Oregon lawmakers completed action Saturday on a measure to suspend most provisions of a voter-approved measure requiring longer sentences for repeat property and drug offenders. Read More
OR: Revision of rape law clears Oregon Legislature
If a woman drinks too much at a party and is raped, under current Oregon law her attacker could be charged with second-degree sex abuse. Read More
PA: Files prompt grand jury to look at DeWeese again
A state grand jury is poring over the contents of a recently discovered box of files from a Capitol office, a find that has triggered renewed prosecutorial interest in longtime state Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene. Read More
PA: Pennsylvania prisoners seeking exoneration via DNA may get help
Pennsylvania lawmakers might be asked to allow prisoners easier access to genetic tests that could prove their innocence. Read More
PA: Luzerne County detention centers overcharged other counties according to audit
A pair of juvenile detention centers at the crux of a bribery scandal in Luzerne County also were charging counties like Allegheny and Butler too much for their services, according to a state audit. Read More
RI: R.I. law-enforcement officials say Senate bill outlawing indoor prostitution is flawed
Efforts to outlaw indoor prostitution stalled as state lawmakers went home for the weekend with no agreement on how to close a nearly 30-year-old "loophole" in the state law. Read More
TN: Assembly in political cross hairs
Tennessee lawmakers found themselves in the political crosshairs this year as gun-rights advocates pushed several dozen gun bills, including controversial moves to expand places where handgun-carry permit holders can take their loaded weapons. Read More
TN: Gov. Bredesen signs judicial vacancies bill
A proposal to change the way judicial vacancies are filled in Tennessee has been signed by the governor. Read More
TX: Prison guard shortage eases
Texas' longstanding shortage of prison guards has evaporated significantly in recent months — to the lowest numbers in more than a decade, thanks to a struggling economy and pay incentives that include bonuses and raises. Read More
VT: Vermont drug law gains national attention
Among all the laws the Vermont Legislature passed this year, one that has attracted almost as much national attention as the state's gay marriage bill is a new drug marketing disclosure measure. Read More
WA: Medical pot a challenge for law enforcement
A thief kicked in his door, ransacked his kitchen and stole his eight-ounce marijuana stash. So the victim called police. Read More
WA: Fewer inmates to fight fires due to state budget cuts
Legislative budget cuts mean the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will have fewer inmate work crews trained to fight forest fires this year. Read More
WI: State budget deal reached
Oil companies would not face a new tax and illegal immigrants would not be issued special cards so they could drive legally on Wisconsin roads under a budget deal reached privately by Democratic lawmakers and released Thursday. Read More
WI: Immigrant groups seek driver's card, tuition break in Wisconsin budget
Advocates are making a final push to convince Wisconsin lawmakers to cut tuition rates and create a new driver's card for illegal immigrants. Read More
WI: State To Monitor Dane County Child Services Cases
An internal Dane County document obtained by WISC-TV said the Dane County Human Services Department is understaffed in Child Protective Services, the division that protects children from abuse and neglect. Read More
New section follows stimulus spending
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New courts tailored to war veterans
Twenty years after local officials in Miami opened the nation's first drug court — a specialized "treatment court" aimed at rehabilitating low-level drug offenders instead of locking them up — state lawmakers in Illinois and Nevada are applying the same idea to a different population: war veterans who have had run-ins with the law. Read More |
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