| Analysis: No-fly list will be cut in half
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Transportation Security Administration has nearly completed a review of every name on its notorious no-fly list and has scrubbed nearly half of them, the agency's chief told lawmakers Wednesday. "To assure the accuracy of the no-fly list itself, we will shortly conclude a case-by-case review of every name," agency Director Edmund "Kip" Hawley told a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Wednesday. "Working with our partners at the Terrorist Screening Center and in the intelligence community and law enforcement, this effort will effectively cut the no-fly list in half," he said. He also said that it would be nearly two years before the agency was ready to begin deployment of its ill-starred Secure Flight system -- supposed to replace the airline-administered, name-based no-fly list with an online government-run system providing real-time access to federal databases of suspected terrorists.
LPD patrol catches burglar
About 99 percent of the time, an alarm means nothing. Most of the time something harmless has tripped the alarm. But each time the Laurel Police Department receives an alarm call, the officers approach the area as if there really is someone inside. Early Friday morning, that attention to detail paid off in the apprehension of a man who authorities said was in the process of burglarizing a local business. .
Moose have the faith in Hunter
Is it possible to lead a religious and spiritual off-ice life while playing typically gritty, chippy, all-out Canadian-style hockey? Living a pious life would not seem to come easily to a third-line AHL checking centreman who must kill penalties, play a gritty game and drop the gloves when needed, all while doing so without the security of an NHL contract. But Manitoba Moose centre J.J. Hunter reconciles the two approaches, different as they may seem to be. Hunter grew up in a household in which religion played an important role, and he takes those home-grown Christian beliefs with him on to the ice. Hunter does not shy from discussing his religious beliefs. "(Religion) has been a big part of my background as well. I'm not ashamed to say that.
Microsoft Vista's debut revs up excitement for home, business
It's been a long time coming, but general reaction is that the new Microsoft Vista operating system is worth the wait.
Early reviews of Windows Vista - Microsoft's first revision of the operating system since Windows XP in 2001 - and Office 2007 were positive at a rollout this week in Des Moines, although critics say that both systems still have bugs and will take time for users to learn. Other users say the streamlined systems will make navigating programs easier.
"I am excited about the possibilities," said Terri Pitcher, senior vice president and chief information officer at ITA Group Inc. in West Des Moines. The company will be spending "in the six figures" to convert to the new Microsoft products over the next year.
The 450 workers at her office have been working on computers that have a variety of programs, which has been "a huge productivity issue for us," she said.
Pet alligator seized in N.J.
SPOTSWOOD, N.J., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Police in Spotswood, N.J., have seized a 2-foot-long alligator from the home of a local who says he did not know keeping the animal was illegal. Steven Brennan said he was not aware permits are required to keep alligators in New Jersey when police and an official from the state Division of Fish and Wildlife confiscated his pet, "Steveo," the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Thursday. "The alligator is the most submissive of the crocodilian family," Brennan said. "It's docile." "They took it away," Brennan said. "The thing wasn't dangerous. It wasn't going to go out and eat kids or neighbors' cats. He never bit me once. He behaved. He just chilled out." Darlene Yuhas, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said permits are issued for scientific and zoological purposes, not pets or hobbies.
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