Archive for January, 2011
Napolitano touts safety of US border communities
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday that U.S. communities on the border with Mexico are safer than most Americans believe, but also warned Mexican drug cartels they’ll be “met by an overwhelming response” should they move north. Napolitano told an audience at the University of Texas at El Paso – just across the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juarez and the unprecedented wave of drug-fueled violence engulfing it – that it’s “inaccurate to state, as too many have, that the border is overrun with violence and out of control.” “This statement, often made only to score political points, is just plain wrong,” said Napolitano, who was governor of Arizona before being confirmed as Homeland Security secretary in 2009
McDreamy gains credibility with podium finish
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — It was no fluke when Patrick Dempsey led laps overnight in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Group protests over video removed from Smithsonian
WASHINGTON (AP) — An art group is protesting outside the Smithsonian Institution over the removal of a gay artist’s video that depicted ants crawling on a crucifix. The scene in the video drew complaints from the Catholic League as well as incoming Republican leaders in Congress who said the Smithsonian was misusing its public funding, though its exhibits are privately funded. Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough said he decided to remove the video to head off controversy.
House panel: Drilling companies still use diesel
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional investigators say oil and gas companies have injected more than 32 million gallons of fluids containing diesel fuel in a widely used technique known as hydraulic fracturing. Democratic lawmakers say the practice by large companies, such as Halliburton and BJ Services Co., appears to violate the Safe Drinking Water Act, because the companies did not obtain needed permits for use of diesel fuel.
Bengals fire offensive coordinator Bratkowski
CINCINNATI (AP) — The Bengals fired longtime offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski on Monday, the first change in their coaching staff following a 4-12 season that is still reverberating through the franchise. The move came two weeks after quarterback Carson Palmer asked to be traded because of the franchise’s futility. The Bengals have only two winning records in the last 20 years
Medvedev: State companies too slow to modernize
MOSCOW (AP) — President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday sharply criticized Russia’s biggest oil company and other state corporations for moving too slowly to introduce new technologies, and he warned that their managers could lose their jobs. Medvedev said the state-controlled Rosneft oil company was among the worst performers in terms of the amount spent on research and development.
