WICHITA, KANSAS —6-10-09 -The family of the slain abortion doctor, George Tiller, has decided to close his abortion clinic forever. Tiller, who was shot to death May 31 while serving as an usher in his Lutheran church, was one of only a handful of doctors in the country that performed third term abortions.
TEHRAN, IRAN-6-15-09- Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed victory in elections held Friday, June 12. Opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi’s supporters took to the street in protest, claiming massive fraud.
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL-6-15-09- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, for the first time, endorsed the idea of a demilitarized Palestinian state to co-exist along-side Israel. He has refused to order a halt to West Bank settlements. Palestinians immediately rejected his terms.
HOLLYWOOD-6-26-09- America lost two high profile entertainers as Farrah Faucett, 62, died from anal cancer, and pop icon Michael Jackson, 50, succumbed to cardiac arrest while preparing for his come back concert tour scheduled for 50 dates in London.
SACRAMENTO-6-24-09- A 24-Year-old Sacramento woman became the state’s tenth swine flu related death.
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS-6-28-09- Leftist President Manuel Zelaya was ousted in a bloodless military coup and forced into exile. The United States has strong military ties with the Honduran military, and President Obama has strongly condemned the action. Zelaya has been pushing an unpopular constitutional referendum seen as an attempt by him to stay in power beyond the current one-term limit.
SOUTH ATLANTIC-7-04-09- Signals from the “black boxes” of Air France flight 447 continue to fade and weaken along with hopes of resolving the mystery of what caused the Airbus jet to break up in the skies off of Brazil’s northeast coast, killing all 228 people on board.
ST. PAUL, MINN. – 6-30-09- The state Supreme Court voted unanimously to certify former Saturday Night Live comedian Al Franken as the victor for the state’s contested seat in the U.S. Senate. The vote gives Democrats in the U.S. Senate a filibuster proof 60 seat majority over Republicans. Franken won over Republican Norm Coleman by 312 votes out of 2.9 million cast.
SACRAMENTO, CA.-7-01-09- With the legislature unable to agree on how to close the state’s massive deficit, state controller John Chiang began issuing interest bearing I.O.U’s to pay a portion of the state’s debts. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is forcing the state’s 220,000 workers to take a third unpaid monthly day off beginning in July.
WASILLA, ALASKA-7-04-09- Gov. Sarah Palin resigned July 25, long before her term was to expire in 2010. The announcement by the 2008 Republican vice president candidate shocked the Republican party and could boost former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to the front of the Republican presidential hopeful pack for 2012. No clear-cut reason was given by Palin for her decision.
NOWA, AFGHNISTAN-7-05-09- Four thousand U.S. Marines continued to root out Taliban fighters in the biggest U.S. military operation since the American-led invasion began in 2001. The operation, centered in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province is meant to take and hold Taliban controlled areas prior to upcoming elections.
WASHINGTON-7-01-09- A panel of the Food and Drug Administration has voted for the removal for sale of such pain-killing drugs as Vicodin and Percocet. The drugs contain acetaminophen, which is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. A final decision is pending. Other popular drugs that combine acetaminophen with other pain-killing ingredients, are Tylenol, Excedrin, Nyquil, and Theraflu.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK-7-04-09- A 25-year-old San Jose man gobbled a record 68 hot dogs to claim his third straight crown at the annual July fourth Coney Island hot dog eating contest. Joey Chestnut bested six-time titleholder Takeru Kobayashi 68 to 64 1/2 dogs.
THE VATICAN, ITALY-7-04-09-The Vatican posted a budget deficit for the second straight year. This year’s deficit was around 1.28 million, and donations to the Holy See from the churches world wide were down to about $75.8 million from $79.8 million in 2007.
NASHVILLE, TENN. -7-04-09- Former NFL quarter back Steve McNair was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds, the victim of a possible murder-suicide. McNair was a three- time Pro-Bowler and Super Bowl quarterback who threw for 31,304 yards and 174 touchdowns during his 13-year career. He retired following the 2007 season.
HONDURAS-7-06-09- The Honduran military blocked a runway with trucks and soldiers to prevent a plane carrying deposed president Manuel Zelaya from landing. Zelaya vowed to return at a later time.
