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Person of the Day
Robin Roberts
If you Google Robin Roberts' name right now, at least a dozen links pop up about her recent Facebook message on her Good Morning America anchor page.
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Federal Health Care Sign-Ups Pass 1 Million Mark
The government's rehabilitated health insurance website has seen a December surge in customer sign-ups, pushing enrollment past the 1 million mark, the Obama administration says.
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Israel Prepares to Free Palestinian Prisoners
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a public uproar Monday over the impending release of more than two dozen Palestinian prisoners convicted in deadly attacks as part of a U.S.-brokered package …
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Wish for Continued Downtown Growth in 2014
Downtown is leaving 2013 with a bang with a number of exciting new restaurants with opening of Tom Ramsey's La Finestra and the reopening of the Iron Horse Grill. Fischer …
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Ukrainian Leader Slams West, Tilts Toward Russia
Ukraine's embattled president slammed the West on Thursday for supporting the massive street protests calling for his ouster and announced plans to partially join a Moscow-led economic union—a move that …
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Art
Pearl’s Joyful Tatter
Tatting is a lace-making technique from the era of Jane Austen, candlelight and wire spectacles.
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Food
Season’s Eatings
While filling stockings and wrapping presents for your friends and family, don't forget to get a gift to yourself this holiday—a day off from cooking and cleaning. Plan to pick …
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City Must Give More Notice to City Council
The Jackson City Council was frustrated last week when the Mayor Chokwe Lumumba introduced two emergency items at its special meeting Monday afternoon.
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Getting Creative with Kwanzaa
Boneqweesha Jones: "Greeting, television viewers. I'm your back-on-the-scene reporter coming to you live from Jojo's Discount Dollar Store."
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City & County
Federal Money Restarts Projects
The Jackson City Council recently approved a pair of emergency change orders to restart work on Capitol Street and Fortification Street.
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City & County
Lumumba Wants More Siemens Oversight
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has taken a city-first approach to infrastructure—he wants to pave city streets and fix the water and sewer network by hiring local contractors instead of handing …
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Editor's Note
Build an Army for Kids, Not Against Them
I was mortified, if not really surprised, to see some of the angry responses to R.L. Nave's excellent cover story last week about the killing of Quardious Thomas.
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The AFA Warned Us! Polgamy Now Legal and It's the Gays' Fault
By Todd StaufferThe American Family Association's president, Tim Wildmon, sent out an "AFA ActionAlert" this morning to let us know that our worst fears are, indeed, coming true. Thanks to an "activist" Federal judge in Utah, "...polygamy is now essentially legal in the United States."
Whoa! I tell you, those activist judges are out. of. control.
Of course, Wildmon had tried to tell us...
We warned from the beginning that once the biblical standard of man-woman marriage was breached, there would be no logical place to stop.
The AFA ActionAlert somewhat surprisingly links to this USA Today story about the ruling—I say surprisingly because, presumably, we're not actually supposed to read the USA Today story, since it only barely says anything like what Wildmon's ActionAlert says.
There is a judge, and a lawsuit—one brought by the reality TV stars of "Sister Wives," a show which focuses on a polygamist family formerly of Utah—now in Vegas.
From USA Today:
U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups said in the ruling that the phrase in Utah law that forbids cohabitation with another person was a violation of the First Amendment.
Utah, it seems, has the most limiting polygamy law on the books—while 49 other states have laws against polygamy (being legally married to more than one person at a time), Utah's law "makes it illegal to even purport to be married to multiple partners or live together."
In other words, it's illegal in Utah to pretend to be married to more than one person at a time; in every other state it's only illegal to actually be married to more than one person at a time.
Back to Wildmon:
Though we have been accused of exaggerating and scare-mongering, this ruling shows that we were right all along to sound the alarm. Bans against incest are now at risk of being overturned.
Ahhh. Well, I guess we could see that one coming. Feels like a bit of a stretch… unless those rumors I've been hearing about a new show being cast in Appalachia called "Cousin Wives," prove to be true…
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Sochi Olympic Critics Get Terrorist Treatment
They are fearless, stubborn and increasingly under siege. Environmentalists, activists and journalists in Sochi have spent years exposing the dark side of Vladimir Putin's showcase Winter Games—and now they're paying …
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Putin: Russia to Buy $15 Billion in Ukraine Bonds
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened his wallet in the battle with the European Union over Ukraine's future, saying Moscow will buy $15 billion worth of Ukrainian government bonds …
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Events
Community Meetings and Events
New Stage Theatre presents "A Christmas Carol" for 3 nights from Wednesday, Dec. 18 to Friday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
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Environment
New Report: Unregulated Contaminants Common in Drinking Water
Traces of 18 unregulated chemicals were found in drinking water from more than one-third of U.S. water utilities in a nationwide sampling, according to new, unpublished research by federal scientists.
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Events
It's the Weekend!
On Sunday, Ballet Magnificat! presents "Snow Queen" at 2 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall.
