Uproar over federal drilling leases next to parks

November 17 12:05:02 PM, Yahoo News

AP - The View of Delicate Arch natural bridge � an unspoiled landmark so iconic it's on Utah's license plates � could one day include a drilling platform under a proposal that environmentalists call a Bush administration "fire sale" for the oil and gas industry.

Source

National Mall reflects magnificence and neglect
The sad decline of the historic promenade shows in trampled lawns and unfiltered pools. With 2 million visitors expected for the inauguration and 25 million yearly, the park service can't keep up. …
Global economic woes deepen, more action urged
Reuters - Bleak economic data in Europe and disappointing December retail sales figures in the United States unsettled financial markets on Thursday, strengthening the case for more government stimulus…
AP source: Smoltz agrees to deal with Boston
AP - John Smoltz has reached a preliminary agreement on a contract with the Boston Red Sox, a stunning end to his long career with the Atlanta Braves.
Gunmen kill Sri Lankan newspaper editor
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Gunmen on a motorcycle Thursday shot and killed the editor of a Sri Lankan newspaper critical of the government, the second violent attack on media this week.
Senate paves the way for Burris
Democratic leaders, amid racial fallout and prodding from Obama, appear ready to seat Blagojevich's choice. …
Thaw in the air as Russia-Ukraine gas crisis talks begin in Brussels
AFP - Key players in the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute held emergency talks in Brussels on Thursday amid signs of an easing in the tension which is putting many European countries into a winter energy crisis.
Russia says will restore gas when monitors in place
Reuters - Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly said on Thursday it would restore supplies to Europe through Ukraine, cut off after a dispute between Moscow and Kiev, as soon as international monitors…
U.N. agency halts work in Gaza as death toll tops 700
Reuters - Palestinians faced even grimmer conditions in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after a U.N. aid agency halted work, saying its staff were at risk from Israeli forces fighting Hamas militants, after…
Palestinians find 35 bodies in Gaza battle zone
AP - A Palestinian health official says the bodies of 35 people have been found in the rubble of a Gaza Strip battle zone.
Jobless rolls at 26-year high, retail sales weak
Reuters - Unemployment benefit rolls swelled to a 26-year high in the last week of December, data showed on Thursday, while retailers, including market leader Wal-Mart, reported poor sales as the year-long…
Defense wants conviction dismissed in Web hoax
AP - Contending it's not a federal crime to violate the service terms of a Web site, a defense attorney has asked a judge to dismiss the conviction of a Missouri mother in a cruel Internet hoax on a 13-year-old…
Microsoft's Ballmer: Windows 7 is nearly final
AP - Microsoft Corp.'s next version of the Windows operating system is almost ready for prime time. That's one message Chief Executive Steve Ballmer delivered on the eve of the official opening of the…
Satyam in crisis as India vows to end company fraud
Reuters - India's Satyam Computer faces a crisis of "unimaginable proportions," its interim chief executive said a day after the chairman revealed profits had been falsely inflated for years.
APNewsBreak: Larry Craig dropping further appeals
AP - A lawyer for former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig says they won't ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to void Craig's conviction in an airport bathroom sex sting.
NY man demands estranged wife pay him for kidney
AP - A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation.
China's dairy industry took deadly shortcuts to growth
Milk was an unpopular product only a generation ago, and then business executives and the government pushed its consumption. Some couldn't compete and cheated. …
Obama pushes stimulus and warns on recession
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama sought to rally support on Thursday for a massive fiscal stimulus package by warning that the United States could remain mired in recession for years without bold…
Shooting by Oakland, Calif., officer sparks anger
AP - Mayor Ron Dellums urged residents to remain calm after protests turned violent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer.
Ala. sheriff locked up over measly jail meals
AP - A northern Alabama sheriff was in federal custody Thursday after a judge ruled he purposely fed inmates skimpy meals so he could make money from an unusual system that lets sheriffs turn a profit…
Black holes sprout galaxies, not vice versa
A new study appears to have solved the question of which came first. One problem: No one can explain how a galaxy grows out of a black hole at its core. …
Study: Bad judgment leads to peril in Utah parks
AP - If you're a guy on a day hike in a national park in Utah, step carefully. You're among the most likely to need rescuing.
Panel poised to back Blagojevich impeachment vote
AP - The Illinois House committee investigating Gov. Rod Blagojevich released a draft report Thursday saying the panel believes the Democratic governor has abused his power and recommending the full chamber…
Panel poised to back Blagojevich impeachment vote
AP - The Illinois House committee investigating Gov. Rod Blagojevich released a draft report Thursday saying the panel believes the Democratic governor has abused his power and recommending the full chamber…
Shooting by Oakland, Calif., officer sparks anger
AP - Mayor Ron Dellums urged residents to remain calm after protests turned violent in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a transit police officer.