Now guilty, Kilpatrick’s ex-deputy Kandia Milton to help FBI

FreepFormer Detroit Deputy Mayor Kandia Milton, a childhood friend of ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, became the latest symbol of public corruption in the city, pleading guilty Thursday to bribery conspiracy in a $3.5-million city real estate deal.Milton is the first member of Kilpatrick’s inner circle to be convicted in the ongoing federal probe of public corruption.He is also the first person close… Read more

Pa. House Puts off Debate on Casino-Expansion Bill

ABC NewsPlans collapsed Thursday for a vote in the state House of Representatives on a bill to expand legalized casino gambling in Pennsylvania and deliver more tax revenue to the cash-strapped state.With legislative approval of more than $700 million for several universities tied to passage of the bill, partisan finger-pointing erupted. Meanwhile, the state’s largest university, Penn State,… Read more

House approves $447 billion omnibus spending measure

Washington PostThe House voted Thursday to approve half a dozen spending bills contained in one large package, as the chamber races to complete its work before adjourning for the year.The $447 billion measure, which combines six appropriations bills, passed 221 to 202, with 28 Democrats joining all 174 Republicans present in opposing it. GOP lawmakers said the measure was overinflated and rushed… Read more

calf born with cross-shaped marking to be spared from slaughter

Los Angeles TimesA calf born last week in Connecticut is getting a lot of attention for his unusual forehead marking: a cross that's been immortalized in "holy cow!" and "sacred calf" headlines from news organizations all over the world. (You'll notice, if you please, that we've spared you that cutesy headline-writing here.)The calf, a Jersey-Holstein cross whom… Read more

Senate Committee Passes Shield Law

New York TimesA bill to protect reporters’ confidential sources in federal court cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 14-to-5 vote, ending months of stalemate. If the full Senate approves the legislation, it will have to be reconciled with a different version approved earlier by the House. The bill does not give journalists absolute authority to protect sources, providing for exceptions in… Read more

California Justices Hear Arguments in Polanski Case

New York TimesLOS ANGELES – The legal brawl over the fate of Roman Polanski moved to California on Thursday, where an appeals court heard a trio of lawyers debate whether Mr. Polanski, an Oscar-winning director, should be allowed to challenge his conviction on a 32-year-old sex charge while still under house arrest in Switzerland.Speaking before a courtroom packed with reporters and camera crews,… Read more

Slowing Expansion, Harvard Suspends Work on Tower

New York TimesBOSTON – Harvard announced Thursday that it would indefinitely suspend construction on a high-tech science complex in the Allston neighborhood of Boston because of money problems.’The altered financial landscape of the university, and of the wider world, necessitates a shift away from rapid development in Allston,’ Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard’s president, wrote in a letter released… Read more

Drugmakers, Hospitals, Insurers Fight Changes to Health Bill

BloombergDec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Drugmakers, hospitals and insurers are ramping up their opposition to provisions targeting their industries in health-care legislation as senators try to squeeze more savings out of the companies.The U.S. Senate today may vote on an amendment that would allow the importation of cheaper medicines from Canada and other countries. The plan, from lawmakers led by North… Read more

Fla. House set to vote on rail bill

MiamiHeraldTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House is set to vote on a bill that would clear the way for the proposed SunRail commuter system in central Florida.The chamber Monday is expected to pass the legislation. It’ll then go to the Senate, where the outcome remains in doubt. Lawmakers there have twice before defeated similar measures.Supporters say SunRail will create thousands of… Read more

Bomber attacks court in Pakistani city of Peshawar

BBC NEWSAt least five people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack outside a court in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials say.More than 20 others were injured in the blast outside the court.The bomber blew himself up at the gate to the court building after police stopped him, officials said.Peshawar, near the Afghan border, has been targeted repeatedly since Pakistan sent… Read more