[center][img]http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq32/aboltik/USGS/LIBNews2_zpsihrys86j.png[/img][/center]

[b][size=150]1. Stamford Girl Scout case in trial[/size][/b]

The controversial trial for William Henderson continued this week as the defense began offering its case in favor of acquitting Mr. Henderson of several firearms charges relating to an incident that made headlines last year where the defendant used a gun to stop an alleged attacker of a Gil Scout troop in Stamford. Despite cries for former Governor Heaton and current Governor Augustine to pardon Mr. Henderson, the trial has continued with the defense looking to use descriptions of Mr. Henderson as a "Good Samaritan" who doesn't deserve any time in prison for his actions.

William Henderson is on trial for possession of an illegal firearm, firing a weapon inside city limits, and filing a false police report in relation to his role in a recent shooting where Mr. Henderson allegedly used a firearm to subdue Robert McMechen, also of Stamford, who had attacked a Girl Scout meeting armed with a knife. McMechen suffered wounds in the back when Mr. Henderson shot him. McMechen is on trial for murder, and is expected to serve at least one life sentence for the attack.

The trial has gone on despite near-daily protests from community activists, many of whom are supporters of reducing restrictions on firearms who have said the case proves that "the law in place now is meant to deter not just crime, but the actions of individuals who are trying to actually help others with their firearms," said protester Curtis Waltz, who has been in front of the courthouse since the trial began. Legal experts have remarked that the prosecution has built a strong case on their charges, and the fact that they are not moving forward on an assault with a deadly weapon charge will make it harder for the "good Samaritan" defense to get around more technical crimes such as owning an illegal firearm. These same experts have expressed shock that the case was not settled via a plea bargain, although neither side has ruled out that possibility yet.

[b][size=150]2. Providence leads region in using eminent domain to expand airports[/size][/b]

The Liberty Airport Corporation, which owns and operates T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, announced this week its plans to invest in a "serious expansion" of the facility including lengthening its current runways and adding in a third runway to accommodate more transcontinental flights and direct flights to Europe which have only begun in the last few years. While plans to expand the airport have been in the works for more than a decade, and have included the airport's operating authority (formerly the State of Rhode Island, now the Region of Liberty) purchasing lands near the airport to expand.

However, in order to add a third runway to the airport, the Liberty Airport Corporation has been using eminent domain to seize residential and some commercial properties (those who do not voluntarily sell, that is) in order to get the land necessary for the project.

The third runway has long been desired by the airport to set T.F. Green as a legitimate competitor to airports such as Boston's Logan Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy Airport; T.F. Green is far cheaper than either airport and has become somewhat of a hub for some low-cost carriers, and several European airlines have expressed interest in flying to the city in order to save costs for customers looking to fly to the Northeast U.S. However, the Warwick City Council (where the airport is actually based) in particular has tried to block the expansion, fearful of overusing eminent domain; with regionalization and the adoption of New York's laws on eminent domain, for one reason or another that block is no longer there. The project itself is popular throughout Providence, with many saying that the expansion can create jobs and economic opportunity; the only real opponents seem to be those whose homes and businesses will soon be turned into a 10,000-foot asphalt runway.

[b][size=150]3. Maple farm arsons continuing throughout Vermont, New Hampshire[/size][/b]

Recent weeks have seen attacks on maple syrup producers in Vermont- and now New Hampshire- in incidents that regional police forces are describing as "serial arson" which have targeted processing facilities, vehicles, and residences. The attacks are all similar in nature, which have led police to start investigating rival farms which have yet to be hit as well as employees and others involved in the lucrative syrup industry in the two states. No group or individual has yet to come forward and claim responsibility, which has led rumors and speculation to grow.

"We have no idea what this is," said regional law enforcement spokeswoman Leandra Davies. "Someone who was fired and has just turned to crime and violence? Some eco-nut? There are too many leads going in too many directions, and sadly the ones that are really paying the costs are the hard-working maple farmers of this region."

Law enforcement have begun to work with other farmers to set up cameras to try to catch the perpetrators and have appealed to the community for assistance, with maple farmers offering up to $100,000 for anyone who can provide information relating to the identification and capture of whoever is responsible.

[size=150][b]4. New England fish catches "on a decline."[/b][/size]

Scientists with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have confirmed that ongoing effects of climate change are starting to affect New England fisheries from Rhode Island up to Maine as the rising ocean temperatures and growing ocean acidification are interrupting spawning seasons and grounds for many popular types of wild-caught seafood. While current catch figures are not catastrophically low, the figures represent what is being called a "continuing trend" which could cause greater problems in the years ahead.

As global air temperatures have risen, soo too have water temperatures, and the growing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have cause the ocean's pH levels to fall. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans and reacts with the water to form carbonic acid and various ions to increase acidity; rising ocean acidity makes it more difficult for marine organisms such as shrimps, oysters, or corals to form their shells. This affects not only catches directly but also various food chain lifeforms including plankton.

DeAndra Jenkins of NOAA has said that while the science of exactly how the ocean is becoming more acidic- and how to help find other forms of absorbing carbon dioxide such as through the creation of limestone- is still a "hot" field of science, the issue to current fisheries in the Northeast is "far more real" as yields are down and as slim profit margins are disappearing. "I don't know if the solution is greater financial support or somehow some mass move to aquaculture that will address this, but the fact of the matter is that while people are only being squeezed now, what the future holds 10, 20, or 30 years down the line is going to be a lot worse," said Jenkins.

[size=150][b]5. Are absentee apartment and condo owners responsible for rising rent?[/b][/size]

While construction of upscale apartment and condo buildings throughout the region- particularly in ever-popular cities like New York- are nothing new, officials have noticed a new and growing trend: apartments and condos are being bought, but never occupied. Lights are left off and moving vans never arrive. According to some studies, nearly 1 in 4 new, high-end apartments in New York City are never lived in. Wealthy buyers are using these residences as investments as interest rates are still at historic lows and some banks have turned to charging fees for the large deposits of millionaires and billionaires around the world.

These purchases have fueled further expansion in the high-end apartment and condo market; as long as wealthy individuals are buying, developers are willing to expand the number of units they're manufacturing, sometimes with the help of eminent domain but sometimes through purchasing existing units directly and pushing lower- and middle-income residents out of their homes. Part of the reason for this is a srot of economic subsidization; while property tax rates on homes and apartments in places like New York city are about the same as the national average, property taxes on apartments and condos is far, far lower.

For instance, a $6 million house would have a property tax of $120,000 annually (or thereabouts); for an equivalent value apartment, the tax is about $1,200 annually. Cities and counties are foregoing billions of dollars in revenue because of this differential. At the same time, high value apartments which are larger mean that communities have less residents which has been negatively impacting businesses. In New York, Maria Lanauze has laid off all but family employees of her 99 Cent and Hardware store due to lack of foot traffic. The largest residential unit near her shop was recently emptied of residents who were paying $1,200 to $1,500 a month for their apartments; the building is now being renovated for clients who can pay twice as much. At the same time, the lower property taxes are leading to cuts in municipal services such as programs designed to help promote the affordability of housing.

[size=150][b]6. New "Reproductive Rights" law hailed, subject to lawsuits[/b][/size]

Liberty Governor [b]Selene Augustine[/b] signed a landmark law on reproductive rights this week that establishes rights for paid maternity and paternity leave, that would expand various family-related tax credits, requires insurance providers to cover contraception, and establishes a "protective zone" around abortion clinics where individuals will be strictly controlled on what sort of protests and activities can take place. While womens' rights groups hailed the legislation, particularly sections dealing with nondiscrimination in employment and ensuring that Liberty becomes the first region in the nation to provide a limited amount of paid maternity and paternity leave for individuals who choose to start a family.

Religious groups and pro-life organizations, however, have chosen to focus their ire on the so-called "buffer zone" which greatly limits activities within 100 feet of an abortion clinic; even in the most liberal communities in Liberty there is always a contingent of individuals that seek to protest outside these clinics and provide information on abortion alternatives to women who go to those clinics. Catholic Sister Mary Rose Reddy and six other anti-abortion activists have said they intend to file a lawsuit against this particular provision of law. Reddy regularly goes to the Joan Lovering Health Center in Greenland, New Hampshire, and prays while holding a banner reading, in part, "We Stand For Life," and has said the legislation is attacking the protected right to free speech.

Sister Reddy said she hopes women entering the Greenland clinic  will see her and her banner "as an encouragement to seek alternatives to abortion and to come to speak with me. I also pray that women who've had abortions will seek post-abortive healing. At no time have I obstructed or otherwise prevented access into or out of an entrance to an abortion facility."

The legislation specifically says that within the 100-foot buffer zone that it is illegal to get within 8 feet of an individual, which may not affect Sister Reddy's prayer, but the Sister says that is irrelevant. "Anyone could walk towards me and I'd be in violation of the law. Why should I have to move to a place where my message and the message of the Lord could be diminished when I am just trying to help heal those in need?"

While no lawsuit has been filed yet, businesses and organizations in Liberty are slowly working on updating their rules to apply to the legislation- and preparing for a possible fight to come.

[size=150][b]7. Stern tour getting Saratogans excited about new "family first" tax proposals[/b][/size]

Saratoga has been taken by storm by a series of legislative proposals being pushed in a regional tour by newly-appointed Senator and President [i]pro tempore[/i] of the Senate [b]Morgan Stern[/b] which is being sold as a "Families First" initiative that promises to expand tax credits and benefits to individuals who are raising families nationwide. According to the Senator, the legislative proposals have the potential to return up to $44,000 (a year's income or more for many individuals) to taxpayers over the first 18 years of a child's life and has already seen unanimous support in the Senate; part of Senator Stern's outreach has been to put pressure on the House to consider the legislation.

In Saratoga, given the Senator's outspoken support for the legislative package, [b]some polls are showing that voters approve of the legislative proposals by 75% or more. [/b]Central Falls, Rhode Island resident Martha Pinbacker, who went to see the Senator when he came to her community, summed up many of these feelings by saying "there's really been no one against giving families more money- and if it's as good as Senator Stern has claimed, I guess I have to ask why Congress is going to make us wait for this. That money is going to help us buy clothes and supplies and ensure that we can provide for our children and our communities."

The tour, and the legislative package, has given support to the new Senator by increasing name recognition as well as bringing support behind at least one individual in an institution (Congress) which has never won popularity accolades. And according to Saratoga, the actions of Mr. Stern, if passed, just might help make Congress that much more favorable in people's eyes.

[b][i]NOTE TO PLAYERS:[/i][/b] I am happy to recognize your works and accomplishments in the regional news! The more you get out and do, the more you sell your work, the better the odds are of favorable articles like this which help to ensure your hard work gets noticed. Keep it up out there!

[size=150][b]8. Decade after Sandy, Atlantic City still a city on the ropes[/b][/size]

Almost ten years on from Hurricane Sandy and the recovery efforts that poured in New Jersey after the superstorm, the hurricane seems as though it may be claiming another victim: Atlantic City. Casinos which were a huge draw to tourists to the New Jersey coastal cities, have never recovered from the damage, and the last one, a Harrah's, has announced that it may close down its location in the city. The closure of the $2.4-billion dollar Revel in 2014 was perhaps the most famous flop in Atlantic City (after being open for just three years, and finished only thanks to a quarter-billion dollar tax break from the State of New Jersey), and as the giant casinos started to close, a drop in tourism numbers affected many other venues such as clubs which saw fewer and fewer visitors every season.

Atlantic City, which began as a proposition of sorts as a railroad-accessible entertainment and relaxation spot for visitors from Philadelphia, seems to be losing the one thing that it could offer: a good time. Part of the problem has been the competition in casinos and racetracks offering video gambling taking people away from Atlantic City, though the destruction of Sandy hastened the city's decline. The city has fewer than forty thousand permanent residents; the majority of Atlantic City’s workers live offshore, in the townships of Atlantic County, which, in the first quarter of this year, led the nation in foreclosures. Property taxes in the city have doubled since 2008 and were up twenty-nine per cent in 2014, to make up for the drop in tax revenue from the casinos and in the taxable value of the property. The city's debt is considered to be junk status- not worth investing in- and the city is failing to pay even its most basic bills.

Some say that Atlantic City is suffering the same fate as Baltimore, and that a cash injection from the regional government might be all that's needed, but some residents disagree. "Baltimore had a purpose," said Ravi Jain, a 20-year resident who, for the last 18 years, has dealt cars at a number of casinos, leaping from job to job as casinos came and went. "Atlantic City does too, but it's not a purpose that is only available in this city. I'm 62 years old; when Harrah's goes, am I supposed to move somewhere else to start over? There's no way to do it. There's no big businesses, there's no big port, there's just a casino and clubs... and you can find those almost anywhere now."