Top Story: Sen. John Ensign Announces Resignation From US Senate
Sen. John Ensign announced Thursday he is resigning from his seat in Congress, where he served for 11 years, and he will send a letter to Vice President Joe Biden on Friday stating that his resignation from office will be effective on May 3, 2011.
Ensign, R-Nev., who is still a subject of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation, said in a statement that he has done nothing wrong and will not subject his family to more public scrutiny.
"While I stand behind my firm belief that I have not violated any law, rule or standard of conduct of the Senate, and I have fought to prove this publicly," he wrote in his prepared statement, "I will not continue to subject my family, my constituents, or the Senate to any further rounds of investigation, depositions, drawn out proceedings, or especially public hearings. For my family and me, this continued personal cost is simply too great."
Ensign, 52, announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection to a third term in 2012.
In 2009, the senator admitted to an extramarital affair with the wife of his former top aide, Doug Hampton, which was soon followed by the revelations that Ensign's parents paid the Hamptons $96,000, and that the senator helped Doug Hampton find a lobbying job.
Last December, the Department of Justice dropped its investigation related to payments he made to his former staffer.
"I am gratified that, after extended investigations, both the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission saw no grounds on which to charge me with improper conduct," said Ensign in Thursday's statement. "I was hopeful that, with the closure of these investigations against me, the wear and tear on my family and me would soon be over. This was not the case."
Ensign said the Senate Ethics Committee recently decided to devote more resources to its investigation by hiring an outside counsel.
There are two House members actively running for the Ensign's Senate seat -- Shelley Berkley, a Democrat, and Dean Heller, a Republican.
Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who already has endorsed Heller, will appoint a successor, according to The Associated Press.
Bay Area News:
At last, you can avoid the public radio pledge drive
San Francisco public radio station KQED has unveiled its pledge-free stream, which allows subscribers to skip annoying pledge breaks.
(Credit: KQED)For anyone who listens to public radio, there may be no greater annoyance than the semi-regular pledge drives that seem to go on for weeks and constantly interrupt your favorite programs.
Of course, these stations have little choice but to conduct the pledge drives, but if you've already given money, it can be doubly frustrating to continue to have to listen to the pleas. Well, if you're from the San Francisco area, local NPR affiliate KQED may have just the solution.
Starting today, anyone who ponies up a donation of $45 will be given access to a special online stream of KQED's programming that is entirely free of interruptions during its upcoming pledge drive.
"We had to build a better system for people to donate," said Don Derheim, KQED's executive vice president and COO. "And maybe this is it. We think it's part of the evolution of on-air fundraising."
According to Derheim, people who sign up for the initiative will get a unique user code that will allow them to access the pledge-free stream on up to four different devices. That means that KQED listeners will be able to run the stream on a computer, and also mobile devices like iPhones, Android gadgets, or other smartphones and tablets.
The stream will be accessible through KQED's Web site, said Yoon Lee, the station's director of digital media fundraising, and not via a special application. Those interested must donate before May 5.
Derheim said KQED ran the pledge-free stream as a small test experiment a couple of years ago, giving about 50 people access. And while he suggested that the testers liked what they got, the station wasn't ready to roll it out to everyone.
Now, however, technology has progressed, and perhaps more important, there's a much wider understanding of what streaming media is. And that means that KQED won't have to work as hard to explain to listeners what it is that it's offering. "There's extraordinary new pressure to continue our innovation," Derheim said. "The other week we recorded our largest weekly radio audience in our history, and that just tells us that when you're at your top, you'd better make sure you're ready to change."
For media observers, KQED's move may be just the thing to help loyal listeners--especially those who regularly donate--get their public radio fix without having to endure the endless pledge breaks.
"I think it's a great idea," said Mark Glaser, the executive editor of PBS' Mediashift. "One of the things about public media that's always been annoying is that you give money...but then you still have to hear them asking for more. This idea, where once you've given...money you get access to the stream, is great. It makes a lot of sense, and it's rewarding people who have paid."
Or as NPR journalist Chris Amico tweeted yesterday, "I think KQED just saved (public radio) journalism. Been wanting this for years."
Other stations
One of the biggest questions about this effort is whether other public radio stations around the country will follow KQED's lead. Derheim said the technology behind its effort was built in-house, but that the station would be happy to help others build their own version or replicate KQED's. But he knows that before any of that happens, it will be vital for KQED to show that listeners responded to the offer.
"Given the feedback already from other stations and interested parties and public media," Derheim said, "there's going to be a lot of eyes" on the project.
Glaser, who works for PBS but who has no connections with KQED, agreed that the idea could easily catch on elsewhere in the country, saying it makes a lot of sense for many public radio stations. "If KQED can show that it's going to bring in more money," Glaser said, "or make people giving money more satisfied in some way, then I couldn't see why it wouldn't work in other places."
Of course, for those public radio listeners used to getting gifts like KQED-branded coffee mugs, free DVDs, or other swag, paying the $45 for access to the pledge-free stream means none of those other free gifts will be arriving in the mail in six to eight weeks. Clearly, KQED thinks the pledge-free stream is gift enough.
Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20056270-52.html#ixzz1KDhtuuZe
United States News:
Phylicia Barnes, Missing North Carolina Teen, Found Dead Near Baltimore; Cause of Death Unknown
Police do not yet know what caused the death of Phylicia Barnes, a star student from North Carolina whose naked body was found in a Marylandriver Wednesday, or the death of a black male whose unclothed body was found three to four miles downstream.
Barnes, missing since late December, has been the subject of a multi-jurisdictional missing persons investigation since at least January, officials said.
"We're now at stage one of a new phase of the investigation," Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld told reporters this evening. "There's a mountain of investigative work that needs to be done."
Preliminary autopsies failed to determine what caused the deaths of Barnes or the unidentified male, said Terrence Sheridan, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, and there was no evidence linking the two deaths other than the proximity of their bodies.
"There was no indication of any overt wounds or injuries to Phylicia Barnes' body," Sheridan said.
"Nothing was found on the bodies, attached to the bodies when we recovered them from the river," he added.
ABC News
The body of Phylicia Barnes, who was missing since December, is believed to have been found on April... View Full Size
Phylicia Barnes: Maryland Authorities Speak Watch Video
Missing Teen's Mom: 'Let Her Go'Watch Video
Baltimore Police Search for Star Student Watch Video
For more on the Barnes case, see ABC News coverage of her disappearance.
Anthony Guglielmi of the Baltimore Police confirmed Thursday that investigators found not one, but two bodies Wednesday near the Susquehanna River about 35 miles from Baltimore.
One was that of the 16-year-old Barnes, who was identified via dental records, Sheridan said.
The identity of the second body -- a 6-foot-4, 240-pound, black male -- was not immediately clear. Police were trying to identify him through fingerprint records, Sheridan said.
Workers at the Conowingo Dam spotted Barnes' body floating in the water around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and notified state troopers in the area, according to Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley. While investigators were still in the area, they discovered a second body floating three or four miles south of the dam a few hours later.
Barnes was 16 when she went missing Dec. 28 during a trip to visit her half-sister. She would have turned 17 in January.
"The medical examiner has indicated to us that it's not out of the realm of possibility that the body could have been there" in the river since the time of Barnes' disappearance, Sheridan said.
The cold water could have preserved the body, he said, and the swiftness of the river flow may make it difficult to learn where Barnes entered the river.
"When you look at that river, how fast it's moving when the floodgates opened, anything could have happened," Sheridan said.
Barnes was from Monroe, N.C., a straight-A student, and was last heard from Dec. 28, 2010, via Facebook, when she posted a note saying she was at her sister's apartment with her sister's boyfriend.
Hundreds went to the Facebook page "Pray for Phylicia Barnes," leaving notes of condolences after police announced her body was discovered.
"R.I.P Phylicia...we pray for peace with your family and justice served for the person or persons responsible for ending your life," one Facebook user wrote.
Entertainment:
'American Idol' results: Which top seven contestant was eliminated?
April 21, 2011 | 7:22 pm
Proving that you can only elude the inevitable for so long, Stefano Langone was eliminated from "American Idol" Thursday night -- as the top seven shrank to the top six.
Toward the end -- after the cheesy-again group numbers, the more-interesting-than-usual Ford music video, and the disparate performances by Season 7 "Idol" winner David Cook and Katy Perry (with Kanye West) -- it was down to only two on the stools of doom: Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone. (Haley Reinhart barely had time to take her perch in the bottom three before Ryan Seacrest stage-whispered her to safety, satisfying Jennifer Lopez's fervent desire that Thursday's eliminated contestant not be female.)
Jacob, who had been condemned to purgatory early in the show, looked glum about, if not surprised by, his predicament. Stefano, however, had lived to laugh at doom many times before, and appeared to regard elimination with equanimity.
Backstage, Ryan asked both endangered singers what the competition meant to them.
Jacob said it was "everything" and that he was happy to have had the chance to show his "gift" to the American people. He gave us his best, he said, and he thinks we got that.
Stefano, meanwhile, said that, ultimately, he'd been true to himself, and that "if it's the end of the road, it’s the end of the road" and that he'd keep pushing in his career.
Toward the end -- after the cheesy-again group numbers, the more-interesting-than-usual Ford music video, and the disparate performances by Season 7 "Idol" winner David Cook and Katy Perry (with Kanye West) -- it was down to only two on the stools of doom: Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone. (Haley Reinhart barely had time to take her perch in the bottom three before Ryan Seacrest stage-whispered her to safety, satisfying Jennifer Lopez's fervent desire that Thursday's eliminated contestant not be female.)
Jacob, who had been condemned to purgatory early in the show, looked glum about, if not surprised by, his predicament. Stefano, however, had lived to laugh at doom many times before, and appeared to regard elimination with equanimity.
Backstage, Ryan asked both endangered singers what the competition meant to them.
Jacob said it was "everything" and that he was happy to have had the chance to show his "gift" to the American people. He gave us his best, he said, and he thinks we got that.
Stefano, meanwhile, said that, ultimately, he'd been true to himself, and that "if it's the end of the road, it’s the end of the road" and that he'd keep pushing in his career.
Back onstage, the judges gave both contestants some encouraging words about how hard they've worked, how much they have ahead of them and how many fans they'll take with them when they leave.
"None of them deserve to be standing there," Steven Tyler said, sweetly. "I love them all. They all sing their butts off." He reminded whoever was to leave that "a lot of love" is "going to be coming your way real soon."
Then Ryan delivered the blow: "After 52 million votes, the person who's going to be leaving us tonight is … Stefano."
Stefano's pal James Durbin, in the safe zone, looked stricken, hiding his head in his hands. But Stefano appeared, if anything, kind of pumped. After having stood next to so many other contestants who were heading out of the " 'Idol' bubble," as Ryan called it, and off to capitalize on their fame and launch their careers, it almost felt like the moment he'd been waiting for.
As if he needed to, Ryan reminded us how far Stefano had come –- a guy who overcame a "life-threatening accident" and a "wild card pick," he was a hard worker and a survivor. Stefano said he was "blessed" to have made it as far as he did and that he really wanted to sing.
So Ryan let him, and Stefano put his all into his swan song, "Lately," emphasizing in particular, it seemed to me, the word "goodbye."
On the very last note, he was nearly tackled by James, making me realize that, indeed, Stefano had acquired a few valuable skills during his time on "Idol": He might not have seen that hug coming –- but at least he finally learned to keep his eyes open when he sang.
Six months later, the Giants will look to bounce back from a rare recent loss at the Braves' expense Friday night in San Francisco.
Each contest in the October series was decided by one run, including San Francisco's 3-2 victory in Game 4. Madison Bumgarner won the clincher, and the left-hander will take the mound again hoping to help the Giants (10-8) win for the seventh time in nine games.
San Francisco, however, is coming off a 10-2 loss Wednesday at Colorado, and the Giants emerged from the game with doubts about the health of two players.
Aaron Rowand left in the fourth inning after being hit by a pitch, and Pablo Sandoval was a late scratch after straining his right triceps during batting practice.
Catcher Buster Posey, who appears unhurt despite being struck on the top of his left hand by Ty Wigginton's follow-through in the second inning, drove in both runs. Cody Ross went 0 for 4 in his first appearance of the season after recovering from a calf injury.
Starter Matt Cain was roughed up in the loss and said an extra day to recover may be what the Giants need.
"Maybe we'll get kind of lucky that (Thursday was) a day off," Cain told the team's official website.
Bumgarner (0-2, 7.36 ERA) will also be looking to bounce back from a sluggish start. His disappointing April continued as he allowed four runs and eight hits through 6 2-3 innings Sunday during a 6-5, 12-inning defeat against Arizona - San Francisco's only other loss in its last eight games.
Bumgarner has never faced the Braves in the regular season, but he held Atlanta to two runs in six innings of Game 4.
Tommy Hanson (1-3, 3.86) started Atlanta's lone victory in the series - a 5-4 road win in 11 innings in Game 2 - and will take the mound Friday hoping to rebound from his latest loss.
The right-hander allowed three runs and struck out nine through five innings Sunday in a 3-2 defeat against the New York Mets.
"I missed my spot a couple times," Hanson told the Braves' official website. "Really, looking back, there was only a pitch or two I would take back. It took me all of the first inning to get locked in and make some pitches. I felt really good as a whole. I just didn't get the results I wanted."
Hanson is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two career regular-season starts against the Giants, and Ross and Sandoval are a combined 0 for 14 with seven strikeouts against him.
The Braves (8-12) have lost four of five after falling 5-3 in 12 innings Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jason Heyward did not start and came on as a pinch-runner in the ninth, fouling out in his only at-bat in the 11th. Heyward, who finished second behind Posey for last season's NL rookie of the year award, is mired in an 0-for-14 slump and is hitting .188. He went 2 for 16 (.125) against San Francisco in the playoffs.
The Braves won three of the last four regular-season meetings with the Giants in 2010.
"None of them deserve to be standing there," Steven Tyler said, sweetly. "I love them all. They all sing their butts off." He reminded whoever was to leave that "a lot of love" is "going to be coming your way real soon."
Then Ryan delivered the blow: "After 52 million votes, the person who's going to be leaving us tonight is … Stefano."
Stefano's pal James Durbin, in the safe zone, looked stricken, hiding his head in his hands. But Stefano appeared, if anything, kind of pumped. After having stood next to so many other contestants who were heading out of the " 'Idol' bubble," as Ryan called it, and off to capitalize on their fame and launch their careers, it almost felt like the moment he'd been waiting for.
As if he needed to, Ryan reminded us how far Stefano had come –- a guy who overcame a "life-threatening accident" and a "wild card pick," he was a hard worker and a survivor. Stefano said he was "blessed" to have made it as far as he did and that he really wanted to sing.
So Ryan let him, and Stefano put his all into his swan song, "Lately," emphasizing in particular, it seemed to me, the word "goodbye."
On the very last note, he was nearly tackled by James, making me realize that, indeed, Stefano had acquired a few valuable skills during his time on "Idol": He might not have seen that hug coming –- but at least he finally learned to keep his eyes open when he sang.
What do you think? Are you sad to see Stefano go?
San Fransisco Giants News:
TIME: 10:15 P.M. EST
VENUE: AT&T Park
The last time the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves met, the Giants completed a four-game NL division series victory en route to winning the World Series.VENUE: AT&T Park
Six months later, the Giants will look to bounce back from a rare recent loss at the Braves' expense Friday night in San Francisco.
Each contest in the October series was decided by one run, including San Francisco's 3-2 victory in Game 4. Madison Bumgarner won the clincher, and the left-hander will take the mound again hoping to help the Giants (10-8) win for the seventh time in nine games.
San Francisco, however, is coming off a 10-2 loss Wednesday at Colorado, and the Giants emerged from the game with doubts about the health of two players.
Aaron Rowand left in the fourth inning after being hit by a pitch, and Pablo Sandoval was a late scratch after straining his right triceps during batting practice.
Catcher Buster Posey, who appears unhurt despite being struck on the top of his left hand by Ty Wigginton's follow-through in the second inning, drove in both runs. Cody Ross went 0 for 4 in his first appearance of the season after recovering from a calf injury.
Starter Matt Cain was roughed up in the loss and said an extra day to recover may be what the Giants need.
"Maybe we'll get kind of lucky that (Thursday was) a day off," Cain told the team's official website.
Bumgarner (0-2, 7.36 ERA) will also be looking to bounce back from a sluggish start. His disappointing April continued as he allowed four runs and eight hits through 6 2-3 innings Sunday during a 6-5, 12-inning defeat against Arizona - San Francisco's only other loss in its last eight games.
Bumgarner has never faced the Braves in the regular season, but he held Atlanta to two runs in six innings of Game 4.
Tommy Hanson (1-3, 3.86) started Atlanta's lone victory in the series - a 5-4 road win in 11 innings in Game 2 - and will take the mound Friday hoping to rebound from his latest loss.
The right-hander allowed three runs and struck out nine through five innings Sunday in a 3-2 defeat against the New York Mets.
"I missed my spot a couple times," Hanson told the Braves' official website. "Really, looking back, there was only a pitch or two I would take back. It took me all of the first inning to get locked in and make some pitches. I felt really good as a whole. I just didn't get the results I wanted."
Hanson is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in two career regular-season starts against the Giants, and Ross and Sandoval are a combined 0 for 14 with seven strikeouts against him.
The Braves (8-12) have lost four of five after falling 5-3 in 12 innings Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jason Heyward did not start and came on as a pinch-runner in the ninth, fouling out in his only at-bat in the 11th. Heyward, who finished second behind Posey for last season's NL rookie of the year award, is mired in an 0-for-14 slump and is hitting .188. He went 2 for 16 (.125) against San Francisco in the playoffs.
The Braves won three of the last four regular-season meetings with the Giants in 2010.
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