Free Republic

A local Iraqi casts his vote during the Diyara Agricultural Union elections Aug. 12. The 1,200 member union elected seven councilmen to decide the direction of the union, which will enable farmers in the southern Baghdad and northern Babil province region to make profits they haven't seen in years. DoD photo by Cpl. Michael Molinaro. FOB KALSU – The Diyara Agricultural Union held its first elections in the history of the program at the Diyara secondary school Aug. 12.Farmers from the region voted for seven members to sit on the board of directors that will be depended upon to...

SACRAMENTO Caught in a political dustup over English-learning students and their own philosophical divide, members of the state Board of Education decided Wednesday to put their trust in the state's top political leaders to restore funding after the body was stripped of its entire operating budget. The loss of the board's $1.6 million annual staff budget came as political retaliation for its split vote in April not to allow alternative textbooks for English-learner students. The board rejected pleas from bilingual education advocates to allow schools to use different textbooks for students learning English. That vote angered the Democratic Latino Caucus,...

The state board that oversees flood control in the Central Valley plans to meet in a closed session Friday to discuss whether it violated an open meetings law. The California Reclamation Board has been criticized for approving a permit for 11,000 luxury homes near Lathrop even though the board's attorney warned that the action was illegal because the project wasn't on the agenda for that April 21 meeting. The Natural Resources Defense Council has asked the board to rescind that vote and reconsider the matter after giving proper public notice. The board says the NRDC petition amounts to "pending litigation"...

6/13/2006 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill (AFPN) -- The results of an investigation into the C-5 Galaxy crash at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on April 3 found that human error was the cause, Air Mobility Command officials released today. The accident investigation board determined the pilots and flight engineers did not properly configure, maneuver and power the aircraft during approach and landing. Following a normal takeoff and initial climb, the C-5 aircrew observed a No. 2 engine “Thrust Reverser Not Locked” indication light. They shut down the No. 2 engine as a precaution and returned to Dover AFB....

SEATTLE — When Boeing names an airplane design after a Muppet, it must be pretty different. Two small teams at the company are re-imagining the airplane in futuristic configurations that sprout wings, tails and engines in unexpected shapes and places. The research, illustrated in internal documents, aims in two directions: low-cost airplanes, and environment-friendly planes that will be quieter, use much less fuel and leave fewer pollutants in the upper atmosphere. In the latter category is the "Kermit Kruiser," a low-noise concept airplane with main wings radically swept forward rather than back, and sporting miniature wings on the front. Then...

The state board that investigates lawyer misconduct says it is on record pace for disciplining Minnesota attorneys this year. The Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board says the number of sanctions, ranging from public reprimands to disbarments, is up and it is only spring. If the trend continues, it could lead to the highest number of sanctions leveled against Minnesota lawyers in over five years. St. Paul, Minn. — Many of the complaints the Lawyer's Board investigates get dismissed. Those include a large number filed by clients upset simply because their attorney lost. Every year, however, there a few attorneys the board...

LISBON — Charles A. Wilson Jr. doesn't have enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions to run in the Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District race, The Vindicator has learned. The Columbiana County Board of Elections is left with no other choice but to disqualify Wilson's candidacy for the seat at its meeting today. Wilson has only 48 valid signatures on his nominating petitions, according to two Democratic sources and one Republican source with knowledge of his petitions. Congressional candidates need 50 valid signatures from registered voters in their districts to get on the ballot. Wilson, a state senator...

THE 'BORED,' BEFUDDLED POLITICS OF JOHN KERRY RETURNSCALLS FOR ALITO FILIBUSTER FROM 'SKI SLOPES' POURQUOI JOHN KERRY EST DANGEREUX POUR L'AMÉRIQUE   by Mia T, 01.28.06 JIM LEHRER: To the analysis of Shields and Brooks, syndicated columnist Mark Shields, New York Times columnist David Brooks. Mark, how do you read the John Kerry sudden push for a filibuster, what is that about? MARK SHIELDS: Well, I think there an unfortunate call for it, the venue is not ideal -- JIM LEHRER: The ski slopes. MARK SHIELDS: Yeah, the Swiss connection.... Windsurfing in the Persian GulfPOURQUOI JOHN KERRY EST DANGEREUX...

Unfair Labor Practice On December 22, 2005 NJSCA/FOP 200 Parole Officer State Representative Joseph Martin sent an email to the State Parole Board Chairman John D’Amico regarding three very serious labor related issues. Those issues involved the State Parole Board administration forcing parole officers to become essential status without negotiation, the recent epidemic of involuntary transfers against the negotiated contract, and the grievance procedure (a recent grievance decision in particular). Later that same day, State Parole Board Executive Director Michael Dowling scheduled a meeting with the Parole Officer State Representative for 12/23/05 at 9:00am. The following administration staff were present...

Rumors are always abound all over the place. It could be your cousin is seeing someone a little older than they should be. Maybe your brother got a speeding ticket no one was supposed to know about. Or perhaps a former president of the United States might be considering a job at the top of a tech company.The blog, VoIP Watch, reported on the number of visits Bill Clinton has been making to Microsoft's facilities up in Redmond, Wa. According to their reporting, Clinton has been in talks with Microsoft for several months, interviewing him for the top slot. This...

Florida School Board Sued for Unequal Education Friday, November 18, 2005 PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A first-of-its-kind class-action lawsuit in Pinellas County, Fla., could force the local school board to reveal how it teaches and disciplines its 20,000 black students, who struggle academically in disproportionate numbers to students of other races. "Public education, to me personally, is specifically set up to dumb us down," said William Crowley, who filed the lawsuit. Click in the video box to the right to watch a report by FOX News' Orlando Salinas. Crowley said the white-run school system allowed his son to fall behind....

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minneapolis school board member may owe the district more than $29,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums due a computer glitch, according to documents obtained by the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. Board member Audrey Johnson's unpaid premiums began adding up during the 2000-01 school year, when she made partial payments, according to a district memo written in May. In the past two school years, the amount jumped by about $20,000 when she was listed as paying nothing.

NEW ORLEANS - The head of the Orleans Levee Board has quit amid questions about no-bid contracts to his relatives in the days after Hurricane Katrina. The final days of board president Jim Huey's tenure also had been marred by his collection of nearly $100,000 in back pay several weeks before the storm. Huey had led the board for nine years. Huey defended the contracts and said he was legally entitled to the back pay. "Every single decision made during this crisis situation was made in the best interest of the levee district, and that will be proven in time,"...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Wednesday he was open to across-the-board spending cuts in the federal budget to help pay for hurricane assistance. In a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, Bush also said he was working with congressional Republicans on a plan for pushing "significant reductions in mandatory and discretionary spending." Some Republican conservatives have been outraged at the level of federal spending under the Bush administration and projections of up to $200 billion to help rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

A lawyer for San Diego's retirement system determined in May 2004 that board members likely had broken the state conflict-of-interest law – a conclusion reached in private one year before prosecutors brought charges against six current and former pension trustees. In a May 13, 2004, memo, Michael A. Leone wrote that it was "probable" that a court would find that the law was broken when the trustees voted to adopt a city proposal to continue underfunding the pension system while simultaneously enhancing future benefits for city workers. The memo is one of 60,000 documents and e-mail messages released last week...

Nine seek seats on CalPERS board http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/13651572p-14493894c.html (EXCERPT) Nine candidates, including two incumbents, are vying for a pair of at-large seats on the 13-member governing board of the California Public Employees' Retirement System, the nation's largest public pension fund. The open seats are for four-year terms starting in mid-January. Overall, six of the 13 trustees are elected by members. The governor appoints two representatives. The Assembly speaker and Senate Rules Committee jointly name one trustee, and the state Personnel Board selects one. The state treasurer, controller and director of the Department of Personnel Administration also serve on the board overseeing...

Is the Orleans Levee Board doing its job? Critics allege corruption, charge the board with wasteful spending By Lisa Myers & the NBC Investigative Unit NBC News Updated: 11:52 a.m. ET Sept. 15, 2005 Lisa Myers Senior investigative correspondent The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit. "They misspent the money," says Billy Nungesser, a former top...

What would you have done? This evening the wife of a gentleman running for our local school board stopped by my house (well situated on a corner) to ask if she could post campaign signs for her husband who was running for the local school board. I didn't know either of them, so I said, "if you don't mind, first could you tell me what platform he's running on?" "Oh," she said, "it's nothing strange. We moved here from out of state and have three girls and want to make sure that the school doesn't cut programs because of budget...

S 517 IS 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 517To establish the Weather Modification Operations and Research Board, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 3, 2005 Mrs. HUTCHISON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILLTo establish the Weather Modification Operations and Research Board, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Weather Modification Research and Technology...

Former police chief Haulk files to run for CIty Council By PETER J. HOVANEC -- MONROE (Aug. 5, 2005) With about three hours left in the municipal filing period, the races keep getting more interesting. On the last full day of filing, former Monroe Police Chief Bobby Haulk joined the race for Monroe City Council. Haulk retired in June from after being ousted by the former city manager and many of the council members he is looking to join. Haulk first retired Oct. 28, reportedly after being given an ultimatum by the council to resign or be fired. He was...