National News Sept. 30 – Oct. 12

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.

Washington, D.C.

Oct. 10- The Democrats have put legislation requiring the withdrawal of troops on hold in favor of war-related bills that are also supported by the Republicans. The Democrats do not have enough support to pass such a controversial bill right now. The party is concerned with passing legislation in order to have some things to show for their first year of being in the majority.

Oct. 10- Democrats in the House of Representatives attempted to revise the country's new foreign intelligence surveillance law but were stopped by opposition from the White House, Republican Congressmen and their party. President Bush threatened to veto the bill.

Oct. 3- The Senate approved the Pentagon's $459 billion budget. This is a 10 percent increase so that the Pentagon can spend more funds on a new weapon system. The Senate added $3 billion to the budget to secure control of the Mexico border. This budget does not include the $190 billion President George W. Bush has asked the Senate for to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Memphis, TN

Oct. 2- The Memphis Police Department charged three men with the fatal shooting of Taylor Bradford, a University of Memphis football player. Bradford was driving his car on Sept. 30 when he was shot and then crashed into a tree. The three men allegedly were trying to rob Bradford. The shooting took place near the campus but the three men being charged are not students.

Atlanta, GA

Oct. 2- Authorities determined that professional wrestler Chris Benoit received excess amounts of testosterone when being treated for a hormone disorder. Benoit strangled his wife and 7-year-old son before hanging himself on June 22. Benoit's physician, Phil Astin, has been charged with over prescribing to two other patients.

Dallas, TX

Oct. 2- Federal officials released indictments of alleged bribery and extortion involving a state representative, current and previous employees at City Hall and a real estate developer. The indictment accuses 14 people of illegal transactions with contractors dealing with publicly funded affordable-housing developments. Two more people were also indicted, one for participating in alleged tax fraud and the other for embezzlement.

Fort Leavenworth, KS

Oct. 2- Former Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Ivan L. Frederick II, the highest-ranking U.S. solider convicted in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, was paroled from military prison. Fredrick served three years of an eight-year sentence for abusing prisoners in various ways, including handing a detainee wires and saying that he would be electrocuted if he fell off of a box.

New York, NY

Oct. 3- Two New Jersey men were indicted for alleged grand larceny for attempting to steal $500,000 from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's personal account, according to Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. Morgenthau is unsure if the two men were working together.

Oxford, MS

Oct. 2- University of Mississippi sprinter Rodney Lydale Lockhart was shot to death Sept. 29. Authorities found him dead in his apartment near the campus. The death is considered a homicide.

San Diego, CA

Oct. 4- A sinkhole destroyed a four-lane road in La Jolla, decimating one house and damaging five others. Power lines in the area came down and 20 houses were evacuated by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. No injuries have been reported.