LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
"There's things that you can't replace, but it's just stuff. But there are four people in our family and we're all safe so we're glad for that."
Deborah Golden,
whose split-level home in Atlanta was mostly underwater Article, 3A
Five in family found slain in Illinois
BEASON, Ill. - A couple and three of their children were found slain inside their home in this central Illinois farming community, and authorities warned residents Tuesday to lock their doors at night while investigators try to identify suspects.
Authorities discovered the bodies Monday afternoon after responding to a 911 call about possible shots fired at the address, Logan County Sheriff Steven Nichols said at a news conference.
A 3-year-old girl survived the attack and was taken to a hospital in Peoria, he said. The girl's grandmother identified her as the couple's daughter, Tabitha Gee.
Nichols declined to say why his office didn't release information about the slayings until Tuesday morning. He said detectives were trying to identify suspects and that those responsible for the killings should be considered "armed and dangerous."
Nichols identified the victims and gave their approximate ages as: Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46; Ruth Gee, 39; Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11.
ACORN hires lawyer to scrutinize it
WASHINGTON - The community activist group ACORN said Tuesday that it has selected a former Massachusetts attorney general to investigate its housing program and other public-service projects. The move comes after employees were caught on video giving advice to a couple posing as a prostitute and pimp, and Congress moved to cut off its federal funding.
Democrat Scott Harshbarger, a lawyer whose specialties include corporate governance, will handle the internal investigation.
Video shot by the couple in Brooklyn appears to show ACORN employees advising the pair to lie about the source of their income or to launder the money to get housing assistance. The Brooklyn video and footage shot by the couple in other cities has been running on the Internet and television news programs for days.
ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) said last week that it was suspending the admission of new clients into its service programs pending the outcome of its investigation and had fired several employees.
Harshbarger will look at ACORN's housing program, taxpreparation program and other public-service work, such as screening for benefits like food stamps.
Flavored-cigarettes ban now in effect
RICHMOND, Va. - The new federal ban on flavored cigarettes took effect Tuesday, marking one of the first visible signs of the Food and Drug Administration's new authority to regulate tobacco.
The ban on manufacturing, importing, marketing and distribution includes candy-, fruit- and clove-flavored cigarettes, which health and federal authorities say are more appealing to youths. It does not include a ban on menthol or other flavored tobacco products like cigars - issues that the FDA is studying.
In June, President Barack Obama signed the law that allows the FDA to regulate the industry. Its authority includes the ability to ban certain products, reduce nicotine in tobacco products and block labels such as "low tar" and "light." Tobacco companies also will be required to cover their cartons with large, graphic warnings.
The law won't let the FDA ban nicotine or tobacco outright, but the agency will be able to regulate what goes into tobacco products, make public the ingredients and prohibit marketing campaigns, especially those geared toward children.
Court upholds N.Y. governor's powers
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York's top court has upheld Gov.
David Paterson's power to appoint a lieutenant governor, reversing a lower court's decision.
The court ruling released Tuesday is a timely victory for Paterson, who is facing calls from national Democratic Party leaders to abandon his bid for governor in 2010.
The ruling makes Richard Ravitch the state's lieutenant governor. Paterson appointed him July 8 to help break a month-long Senate leadership struggle. Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos then filed a lawsuit challenging Paterson's authority to make the appointment.
The lieutenant governor's post had been empty since Paterson stepped up to replace then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned last year amid a prostitution scandal.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 09/23/2009