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> Thur., Apr. 14, 2005
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
House of Representatives Passes Bankruptcy Reform Bill
Legislation Requiring Pharmacists to Fill Contraception Prescription
in Congress
Consumer's Rights Advocates Release GMO Field Test
Witnesses Observe Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide
Sacred Land Threaten by Urban Sprawl in New Mexico
Wisconsin Seeks to Rollback Environmental Regulations
FSRN Headlines
The Oregon state Supreme Court has tossed out close to 3-thousand
marriage licenses issued to same sex couples in one county.
Judges ruled that even if a county has questions about the
constitutionality of the state’s marriage laws officials
have no authority to change them. Last year, Multnomah county
officials handed out marriage licenses to nearly 3-thousand
same sex couples until a judge ordered them to stop. Oregon
voters opted to approve a constitutional amendment to make
marriage in the state only available to one man and one woman.
However, the Oregon state court left open the legal possibility
that the state could institute civil unions for same sex couples.
The civil union legislation in Connecticut will be debated
by the state Senate next week. The state House passed the
measure late last night after approving a provision that also
reserves marriage only for one man and one woman.
Also in Connecticut, Yale graduate assistants voted to go
on strike for one week beginning on Monday. Melinda Tuhus
reports from New Haven.
Mexico’s state run oil company is the source of an
ammonia spill and explosion, the most recent toxic accident
from aging pipelines. Shannon Young has the story from Oaxaca.
Police arrested a Texas oilman and two oil traders today
in the U.S. Justice Department’s probe into the United
Nation’s “oil-for-food” program. From KPFT
in Houston, Renee Feltz reports.
A deadly flu virus from the 1950’s was sent around
the world by mistake from a U.S. lab. Brian Zinn reports from
D.C.
[top]
House of Representatives Passes Bankruptcy Reform
Bill (4:02)
The House of Representatives passed a bankruptcy reform
bill today that will make it harder for most people to wipe
out their debt by filing under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy
code. The bill is now on its way to George Bush's desk where
the President has said he'll sign it. It's considered the
second major victory for corporate interests in Washington
this year following the passage of another bill to limit class
action lawsuits. Other business backed measures such as the
energy and medical malpractice bills are also beginning to
make their way through Congress. Mitch Jeserich reports.
[top]
Legislation Requiring Pharmacists to Fill Contraception
Prescription in Congress (2:28)
The Arkansas House passed a bill yesterday that would require
hospitals that choose not to provide emergency contraceptive
pills to rape victims to refer them to a hospital or clinic
that will prescribe them. Meanwhile, legislation was introduced
in the U.S. Congress today that would require pharmacists
to fill prescriptions for some birth control pills. Women's
rights groups are concerned with the growing number of pharmacists
who refuse to dispense these prescriptions across the country.
Dolores M. Bernal reports from the Capitol.
[top]
Consumer's Rights Advocates Release GMO Field Test
(2:00)
The European Union is considering suspending imports of
animal feed from the US this week after receiving shipments
of genetically engineered corn. Meanwhile, consumers' rights
advocates in Texas say tens of thousands of experimental crops
could contaminate the domestic food supply. From KPFT in Houston,
Erika McDonald reports.
[top]
Witnesses Observe Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide
(3:50)
A moment of silence was observed as part of the activities
to mark the 11-year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Witnesses
gave moving testimonies at a landing site at Golo in the Mpigi
district next to mass graves of victims of the genocide. Joshua
Kyalimpa reports.
[top]
Sacred Land Threaten by Urban Sprawl in New Mexico
(3:02)
Albuquerque, New Mexico's sprawling suburbs are threatening
sacred places of its original inhabitants. One such area is
situated near ancient volcanoes on the west side of the city.
Most of the 17-mile-long cliff created by ancient eruptions
is protected by its status as a national monument, but the
city plans to extend a major thoroughfare through part of
the monument to accommodate existing and future development.
As Leslie Clark reports, proponents of the road extension
say the construction is inevitable and necessary, while Native
Americans and others in the city say its desecration.
[top]
Wisconsin Seeks to Rollback Environmental Regulations
(3:55)
Wisconsin's state assembly has passed two bills that seek
to relax environmental regulations for industry by giving
the Department of Natural Resources more leeway to allow factories
to pollute and limit the ability of the public to contest
that pollution in court. Campaign watchdog groups and environmentalists
are lambasting the speed with which the bills were passed
in the assembly and the lack of public input in the process.
Steve Zelaznik of WORT has the story.
[top]
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