US Hits Refineries, No Bill for Tony Stewart

World: Overnight US air strikes destroyed small oil refineries in Syria that made about $2 million a day for the ISIS terrorist army.

In a blunt speech to the UN Security Council, President Obama called for world cooperation in the fight against international terrorism and the flow of foreign fighters into conflict zones. “For if there was ever a challenge in our interconnected world that cannot be met by any one nation alone,” the President said, “it is this: terrorists crossing borders and threatening to unleash unspeakable violence.” Obama said there’s no military solution to international terrorism and that eliminating the threat must include eliminating the conditions that lead to terrorism, and convincing Muslim terrorists they are following a twisted version of their faith.

Beheaded: French tourist Herve Gourdel, 55, was beheaded in Algeria by a group linked to ISIS demanding the end of French involvement in the fight. Gourdel was seized only on Sunday. French President Francois Hollande condemned Gourdel’s murder as a “cruel and cowardly” act and said French air strikes against ISIS would continue.  

No Bill: A grand jury in Western New York decided not to indict race driver Tony Stewart in the Aug. 9 death of a fellow driver during a sprint car dirt track race. Driver Kevin Ward, Jr. spun out then got out of his car onto the track pointing an accusing finger at Stewart, who then hit him. The local prosecutor said Ward had enough marijuana in his system at the time to impair his judgment.

The Ward family said they are likely to sue Stewart, saying in a statement the race was suspended after the initial accident and that “All the other vehicles were reducing speed and not accelerating except for Tony Stewart, who intentionally tried to intimidate Kevin by accelerating and sliding his car toward him, causing this tragedy.”

1968: Hundreds of students at Colgate University in upstate New York have occupied the administration building since Monday, protesting racism and what they say is the lack of diversity in the student body. Colgate, in a rural area, is 70 percent white. The protest was inspired in part by social media comments considered racist. The students have posted demands including diversity training for faculty, more minority faculty, and more student aid. Colgate had a similar sit-in in 1968.

The Minimum: The Los Angeles City Council voted to raise the minimum wage at large hotels to $15.37, making it one of the highest minimum wage mandates in the country. As many as 13,000 workers could benefit. The hotels opposed the law and said it could lead to layoffs.

Update: The California highway patrol officer videotaped beating a homeless woman along the side of a freeway has resigned, according to the agency. The CHP also agreed to pay the woman $1.5 million. The video of the officer sitting on the woman’s chest and pounding her with his fists went viral.

The Sports Page: New York Yankee great Derek Jeter plays his last home game today against the Orioles, weather permitting. The weather forecast predicts a possible rainout, but scalpers have been getting nearly $650 for a seat. Jeter is expected to finish his career in a series against the Red Sox in Boston.

What’s the Matter With Kansas?: The state of Kansas is conducting an online sale of sex toys seized from a chain of adult stores for failure to pay back taxes. Democratic opponents of tax cuts in the near-broke state say the Republicans in control are so desperate for income they’d rather go into the porn business than raise taxes.

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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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