National News for August 15 - August 29

This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from
The Washington Post. Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion.

Aug. 19 - Medicare announced it will no longer pay for hospital-caused illnesses, including falls, infections and objects left in patients during surgery. Medicare will add another three conditions to the list in the next year.

New Orleans, LA
Aug. 29- In observance of the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President George W. Bush toured New Orleans and parts of Mississippi, assuring the public that progress has been made in rebuilding the area. Many protesters expressed a different sentiment, showing disgust with how the federal government handled the catastrophe.

Washington, D.C.
Aug. 29 - President George W. Bush plans to ask Congress for an additional $50 billion to fund the war in Iraq when Congress resumes in September. The extra money would fund the U.S.'s counter offense in Iraq. The money was not included in the original Iraq budget because the Pentagon was unsure how long more troops would be needed.

Aug. 27 – Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez resigned following threats of impeachment in response to his Congressional testimony about the firing of U.S. attorneys. Gonzalez will step down Sept. 17 but a successor has not yet been named.

Cape Canaveral, FL
Aug. 21 - The space shuttle Endeavour returned safely to Earth. Damage to the heat-resistant tiles originally posed questions about the possibility of the shuttle having a safe return to Earth, but NASA decided that that damage would not endanger the seven-person crew. The Endeavour transported two tons of cargo to the International Space Station. The space shuttle traveled 5.3 million miles, orbiting the Earth 201 times.

Orlando, FL
Aug. 29 - Ex-astronaut Lisa Nowak is exploring a temporary insanity defense to explain her Feb. 5 arrest. She allegedly stalked and attacked Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman who was involved with a former boyfriend of Nowak.

Sioux Falls, SD
Aug. 29 - Democratic Senator Dennis Johnson made his first public appearance following his December brain hemorrhage. The Senator appeared in a wheelchair and slurred some of his words. Senator Johnson is up for reelection in 2008.

Winona, MN
Aug. 20- A foot of flood water washed away houses and roads, killing 13 people in Minnesota, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Most people managed to evacuate before the rivers flooded.

Jackson, MS
Aug. 25 - Ku Klux Klansman James Ford Seale was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison. Seale was accused of kidnapping and conspiracy in the murders of two black Mississippi teenagers, Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah in 1964.

St. Louis, MO
Aug. 18 - The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the suspension of the death penalty that has existed for over a year. The moratorium began when a judge heard testimony that the execution procedure violates the Bill of Rights.