QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I have experienced a really long career in this area, and my worry meter has never been this high.”
Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, on a Western drought, now in its third year, that has prevented farmers from planting crops and forced ranchers to sell their cattle Article, this page
Florida officials probe chemist pill swaps
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Saturday that it is investigating 2,600 cases handled by a Pensacola-based agency chemist after discovering dozens of instances where drugs that were tested as evidence were swapped with over-the-counter pills.
Department Commissioner Gerald Bailey said the chemist handled cases involving 80 law-enforcement agencies from 35 counties since he was hired in 2006. Most, but not all, of the cases involved testing drug evidence, though it was not immediately clear how many cases might be compromised.
The situation was discovered after Escambia County investigators realized evidence was missing and later found other evidence packages where prescription pills had been substituted with nonprescription pills.
It potentially means drug charges will have to be dropped and prisoners released if it’s determined the chemist tampered with evidence, Bailey said.
“This has the potential of impacting hundreds of drug cases across our state,” Bailey said.
The department is using agents from each of its offices to review all the cases handled by the chemist, who is on paid leave while under criminal investigation. He is not being identified while under investigation, but Bailey said he hopes charges are filed quickly, at which point the chemist will be fired.
The department is contacting state attorneys and law-enforcement agencies across the state that have pending cases that could be compromised.
Ex-ally out for himself, Christie email says
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie went on the offensive after a former loyalist said he has evidence the Republican governor knew more than he has admitted about a traffic jam ordered by one of his aides last year.
The governor’s political team sent an email Saturday to donors, as well as to columnists and pundits, bashing the man Christie put in a top post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the accusations David Wildstein’s lawyer made in a letter Friday.
The email says Wildstein “will do and say anything to save David Wildstein.”
Christie’s team noted that Wildstein did not present any proof to back up the claims his lawyer, Alan Zegas, made in the letter. The email also denies that Christie knew about the traffic jam or its political motive and bashes Wildstein on a variety of fronts, characterizing him as a litigious teenager and criticizing his past career as an anonymous political blogger.
Navy ship christened for astronaut Glenn
SAN DIEGO - The military on Saturday christened a Navy logistics ship in honor of John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth.
The former U.S. senator from Ohio attended the ceremony in San Diego at General Dynamics’ National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., along with his wife and daughter.
The 785-foot USNS John Glenn is a Mobile Landing Platform ship - a new type of amphibious staging and assault vessel. It’s the second one ordered by the Navy to quickly transport troops and supplies to shore.
“What better name could adorn this ship than John Glenn - a risk-taker, an innovator, a man who got the job done,” said Rear Adm. Thomas Shannon during the nearly hour-long ceremony.
The 92-year-old Glenn, a Marine pilot during World War II and the Korean War, told the audience that he was proud of the ship bearing his name. He also paid homage to the people he served alongside.
“We’re proud of this ship for them and along with my name on it. We’re joint partners in this,” he said.
FCC to double school, library Net funds
WASHINGTON - The Federal Communications Commission will double the amount of money it devotes to adding high-speed Internet connections in schools and libraries over the next two years, in an effort to meet President Barack Obama’s promise to provide broadband service for an estimated 20 million U.S. students in 15,000 schools, officials said Saturday.
Financing for the new spending will come from restructuring the $2.4 billion E-Rate program, which provides money for “advanced telecommunications and information services” using the proceeds of fees paid by telecommunications users, they said.
The proportion that goes to broadband service in schools and libraries will increase to $2 billion a year from $1 billion.
Obama referred to the changes during his State of the Union address last week. The changes will not require any additional taxes or assessments, according to an FCC official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because a formal announcement is not planned until this week.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 02/02/2014