President Bush recently allocated $4.8 to increase the security of the U.S. water systems. However, well-documented reports show that U.S. operations during the Gulf War virtually destroyed the Iraqi water infrastructure. Jane McBee of the Colorado Springs Independent traveled to Iraq recently with a humantiarian group to capture on film the lingering effects of the war and continuing economic and political sanctions, especially the impact on Iraqi children. "Water and sanitation are the biggest killers of children in this country. Not all the food and medicine in the world will improve the condition or the livelihood of these people 'til water and sanitation are improved," an Iraqi woman told McBee.
“The Family” is taking on new meaning in Spokane, Wash. The Local Planet Weekly reports that the Cowles family, developers of River Park Square mall in downtown Spokane, has filed subpoenas in the long-running legal battle over the public-private partnership established to remodel the mall and adjoining parking garage. The Cowles family also owns Spokane’s daily newspaper, The Spokesman-Review, as well as the local business journal and NBC television affiliate. The subpoenas target political opponents, including The Local Planet Weekly and anyone who helped with its AAN first-place award-winning story, "All in the Family," which details the Cowles family's conflicts of interest.
