National News for Jan. 12 - 25

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

Jan. 22 - The Department of Homeland Security plans to require identification at the Canadian and Mexican borders starting on Jan. 31. A driver's license or a declaration of citizenship will no longer be sufficient for passing between Canada and the United States. This goes against a bill passed by Congress after Sept. 11 that says extra identification cannot be required. The bill is supposed to go into effect in June 2009.

Jan. 17 - The lowest number of abortions performed in the United States since 1976 was reported in 2005. The decline is connected to the increased use of contraception and the wide-spread availability of the abortion pill RU-486, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which specializes in reproductive-health research.

Los Angeles, CA

Jan. 25- Five museums in Southern California, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art, were searched by federal officials. The raid came after a five-year investigation into antique smuggling from Thailand, Myanmar, China and Native American reservations. The search was focused on the owners of the Silk Roads Gallery.

Minneapolis, MN

Jan. 23- Injured victims from the Aug. 1 collapse of the 35W bridge have filed the first round of paperwork in an effort to sue the state. Seventy-three injured victims and their families have submitted paperwork according to the state's Attorney General Lori Swanson's office. The accident killed 13 people and injured another 145 when the bridge crumbled into the Mississippi River.

Durham, NC

Jan. 23- Mike Pressler, former Duke lacrosse coach, sued the university on the basis of slander and libel. Pressler was fired when three of his players were accused of raping a stripper in 2006, a case that was later dropped. Duke vice president Pamela Bernard said that the case is unmerited.

Corona, CA

Jan. 20- Two private plans crashed near the Corona Municipal Airport, killing four people. Three of the victims were on the plane and the fourth died when debris fell to the ground. According to victims, the smaller plane was completely destroyed and divided into at least 20 pieces while the larger plane maintained its shape as it plummeted into the ground. The cause of the collision is unknown.