National News for March 8 - 21

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.

San Diego, CA

March 8 - Hearing damage is the primary reported disability of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The VA predicts that about 70,000 of the 1.3 million soldiers who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan receive disability payments for tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, and over 58,000 more receive money for other hearing problems. The United States Army has announced plans to strengthen the efforts to protect soldiers from hearing loss.

Selma, AL

March 9 - Black leaders Rep. John Lewis, Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton and over 3,000 marchers crossed the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate "Bloody Sunday." The march along with the three-day festival in Selma is in remembrance of when state troopers attacked 600 civil rights activists on March 7, 1965 as they tried to walk from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights for blacks.

Albany, NY

March 12 - Democratic New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation in light of a federal investigation that has linked him to expensive prostitutes. Spitzer apologized for his personal shortcomings but assured the audience that Lieutenant Governor David Paterson will be a capable leader. Paterson took over the position March 17 and is the state's first black governor.

March 18 - In a 25-minute news conference the day after he was sworn in, Paterson fielded questions from reporters about both his and his wife's extramarital affairs. The governor sought to end wild rumors and move on from the commotion following his predecessor's resignation.

Washington, D.C.

March 13 - The permitted amount of pollution-causing ozone in the air has been dropped to 75 parts per billion according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA announced the limited level because its scientific advisers have pushed to remedy the unhealthy air pollution that currently exists.

March 18 - The Supreme Court decided to rule on the government's standards for monitoring public airwaves. The policy was established 30 years ago when the Supreme Court declared that George Carlin's "seven dirty words" monologue was inappropriate for a midday radio broadcast. The current procedure that is enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allows for punishments for every single utterance of an obscene word on the radio or television during the day or in the early evening.