Federal judges on opposite sides of the country ruled Friday that the Fish and Wildlife Service had acted arbitrarily and violated the Endangered Species Act when it reversed its own decisions and cut back on protections for two disparate species.
The judges - one in San Francisco and one in Brattleboro, Vt. - overturned separate regulations involving California tiger salamanders and gray wolves in New England.
In both cases, the Bush administration had combined sparser, distinct populations of a species with larger, robust populations, and then said protections could be reduced.
The above is from Felicity Barringer's "Judges Rebuff Government on Endangered Species" in this morning's New York Times. Make this your must read (or know about) article from the paper today.
Of the Associated Press articles the Times is running (online or in print), we'll note (with sadness) "Coretta Scott King Is Mostly Paralyzed:"
Coretta Scott King is mostly paralyzed on the right side of her body and faces a long, difficult recovery from a stroke, but she managed to say a few words Friday, her doctor said.
Dr. Maggie Mermin, King's personal physician, said that the 78-year-old widow of Martin Luther King Jr. is unable to walk and has been mostly unable to speak since the stroke Tuesday in the left side of her brain, which controls speech functions.
''She said a few words today. We're very encouraged by that,'' the doctor said.
Mermin said King would be in Piedmont Hospital for at least another week and said, ''I'm not certain she'll have full recovery. ... We certainly hope for that.''
Remember that the Un-Embed the Media tour continues:
* Amy Goodman in Hopland, CA:
Sat, August 20
TIME: 3:30 PM
10th Annual Sol Fest Benefit
Solar Living Center
Hopland, California
Tickets: $20/day or $30/weekend
For more information, visit http://www.solarliving.org/solfest2005.cfm
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
