Alabama Gambling Halls Are Out of Luck
SHORTER, Ala. – The VictoryLand gambling complex in this town of 375 is Macon County’s largest employer and biggest taxpayer. It has helped pay for police cars and raises for county employees. Now, in the worst recession in generations, VictoryLand is shuttered. Its 1,600 employees are trying to get unemployment checks and planning to protest [...]
Man Laughs Off Taser Jolt While Fighting Cops
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A 24-year-old man who accused of attacking two Rochester police officers Wednesday laughed when one of the officers used a Taser to try to arrest him, according to court documents. Even pepper spray did not completely subdue Paul J. Sutton, but it slowed him enough so that officers could finally take him [...]
Class Size Change Advances to Full Senate
The initiative ease up a bit on the class size provision in the state Constitution got a vote of support from a key Senate committee Thursday, advancing it to the full Senate where it appears likely to win passage. The move to change the class size provision, which phased in a class size capping system, [...]
For Kudrow, Family is First
NEW YORK – Who does Lisa Kudrow’s 11-year-old son, Julian, think she is? He has a tongue-in-cheek name for his mother, who says she turns into “a wild animal” where her son’s well-being is concerned. And that’s why he calls her “Satan’s wife,” Kudrow says, smiling. “I’m not Satan because everyone knows Satan’s a man. [...]
Commentary: Should People Play With Wild Animals?
Al Neuharth is founder of USA TODAY. SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau’s funeral in Chicago this week and her killing by a whale last week at SeaWorld in Orlando keep getting strong reactions about animal-people relationships. Some critics think the killer whale, Tilikum, should be put back to sea. That’s probably unrealistic, although the movie Free [...]
Oscars Advertisers Aim to Build Buzz on Twitter, Facebook
The Oscar for the best place to chat about the Academy Awards goes to: social media. For the first time, social media are being embraced both by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Oscar show sponsors and others looking for a way to cash in on Oscar buzz. Several of Sunday night’s [...]
Looking Into the Oscars Crystal Ball
The most intriguing Oscar category Sunday will be for best director. It’s the first time ex-spouses (James Cameron for “Avatar” and Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”) are competing. It could be the first time a woman (Bigelow) or an African American (Lee Daniels for “Precious”) wins. But most unpredictable is best picture, with its [...]
Drama at the Oscars
LOS ANGELES – Leave it to Oscar to pile on the drama. For starters, you have ex-spouses and competing directors vying for the same short metal trophy. Then there’s the David and Goliath thing as the biggest film of all time squares off against one of the most obscure for best picture. Oh, and the [...]
Study: Gov’t Jobs Pay Better Than Private Industry
Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds. Accountants, nurses, chemists, surveyors, cooks, clerks and janitors are among the wide range of jobs that get paid more on average in the federal government than in the private sector. [...]
Body Scanners Headed to 11 Major Airports
WASHINGTON – Eleven major airports will begin using body scanners to screen passengers as the Transportation Security Administration launches a plan to buy 1,000 of the machines over the next two years. The scanners can look under passengers’ clothing in order to detect weapons and explosives. Boston Logan International Airport received one new scanner this [...]
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