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The U.S. House of Representatives National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee heard testimony today on a bill that would set aside a consent decree and return management of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the National Park Service’s interim plan. Even as the witnesses were testifying in the House, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources dealt the legislation what may be a fatal blow.The Senate committee voted 12-11 not to report the bill, S3113, out of committee. The vote split along party lines, with Republicans, including North Carolina’s Sen. Richard Burr, voting to report the bill out...

Off-road vehicle use on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is again threatened by the latest salvo in a round of attacks by environmental groups on the tradition of beach driving. It will be at least April before residents, visitors, and business owners find out if a federal judge will agree with environmental groups and shut down the most popular recreational areas of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to off-road vehicles year-round. U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle set Friday, April 4, at 2 p.m. for a hearing in a request by The Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society, represented...

A Wilson County soldier went to war and now is fighting another battle back here at home. Capt. John Parker says he was forced to decide between serving his country and saving his job as a school teacher. Like so many soldiers who have helped fight the war on terror, Capt. John Parker put his life on the line every day while he was deployed in Afghanistan. "I signed up to serve my country," Parker tells NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Jennifer Kraus. And serve he did, which is why he was so shocked at how he was treated when he...

Member of Marines not 'sort of person UW wanted to produce'The University of Washington's student senate rejected a memorial for alumnus Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of "Black Sheep Squadron" fame amid concerns a military hero who shot down enemy planes was not the right kind of person to represent the school. Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."

CHARLOTTE (AP) — Regional bank BB&T Corp. will make no loans to developers who plan to build commercial projects on land taken from private citizens by the government through the power of eminent domain, the company said Wednesday. "The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided, in fact it's just plain wrong," John Allison, chairman and chief executive of the Winston-Salem-based bank, said in a statement.

Oil company a rarity in modern corporate America for refusing to extend special rights to homosexuals. For the seventh year in a row, Exxon/Mobil shareholders have resoundingly defeated a proposal to add sexual orientation language to the company's nondiscrimination policy. Fewer than 30 percent of shareholders voted for the proposal this time around — keeping Exxon the only company in the Fortune 50 that refuses to give in to pressure from the homosexual lobby. Mac McQuiston of the CEO Forum said Exxon's stand comes right from the top. "They've said, 'You know what? Right is right,' " McQuiston explained. "And...

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this, so moderators, feel free to move it where it needs to be. On December 2, my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly. He was 59 and died of a massive heart attack. I could go on for days about this man's character, but suffice to say he was a wonderful father and an all-around good man. One of the highlights of his life was his service in the Marine Corps from 1966-1968, particularly his time in Vietnam. During his service, he had his picture taken by a photographer after coming off patrol. The...

Nick Lemonds was aboard an aircraft carrier, with only a few minutes left on a calling card, when time ran out and the phone clicked dead. The last words his wife of just six months said were full of tantalizing news. She was pregnant, but she hadn't quite said so. The next day, with a new calling card in hand, he learned that the news was true. "I could picture his big goofy grin smiling from ear to ear," says his wife, Tiffanie Lemonds. Now the new dad, new husband and veteran is at home and analyzing the mission he...

The Vietnam War rages on. Witness the barrages being fired by Viet vets on the right and the left: "George W. Bush is a draft-dodger"; "John F. Kerry isn't a war hero." Once again, that tragic war divides America - and this time around it's vet pitted against vet. Sure, Bush dodged the draft, along with a reported 14 million other Americans with the savvy to work out that Vietnam was a no-win, sorry war. But although he had the luck and the connections to land a spot in the Air Guard, he did put his butt on the line...

Each year at Memorial Day, I like to say thank you to all who have served who I have contact with and to let them know that their efforts and the efforts of those who have died have not gone unappreciated by me and my family. Please feel free to pass these words on to anyone you see fit. They are words from my heart and I have no problem who hears them. First, let me say a heartfelt thank you for those who have and are serving in the military. The freedom we enjoy to pray, play, speak our...

Fortune 500 Companies See Money in Gay Families Wednesday, May 26, 2004 By Catherine Donaldson-Evans NEW YORK — Now that gay marriage has taken center stage as a hot-button issue and has been legalized in Massachusetts, Fortune 500 companies are eyeing its business potential — and seeing dollar signs. Recognizing same-sex couples and families as an emerging market, large corporations have begun targeting the demographic in their ads. Companies including International Business Machines (IBM), Volvo and JP Morgan (JPM) have featured gay couples or parents, mostly in print or online ads. And Subaru has been marketing to the gay population...