Around the Nation

Federal Probe Targets Uneven Discipline At Seattle Schools

6:13pm March 07, 2013

by Ann Dornfeld

Students of color have long been punished in far higher numbers than white students in Seattle. The Education Department is looking at whether black students are disciplined more frequently and more harshly than white students for the same behavior.

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Challenge To Michigan's Gay Marriage Ban Grows From Adoption Case

1:36pm March 07, 2013

by Rick Pluta

A federal judge could rule as soon as Thursday in the case, which comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is also set to deal with gay marriage later this month. In Michigan, a lesbian couple sued because the state bans same-sex couples from adopting kids. Then, the judge invited them to go even further.

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National

Sequestered Spring Means Fewer Rangers, Services At National Parks

11:49am March 07, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Early March is when Yosemite National Park officials would normally be gearing up for the busy tourist season. Instead, they're figuring out how to cut $1.5 million from their budget because of the recent sequestration that forced across-the-board cuts. The National Park Service must now cut $134 million from sites around the country.

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Brick Doesn't Break Shop Owner's Creativity

7:07am March 07, 2013

A vandal threw a brick through the window of a Pittsburgh printing shop. The owner, undismayed, offered the brick for auction to raise money to fix the window. Sympathetic friends threw in prizes to go with the brick, like tickets to a hockey game. The winning bid was $1,150.00 — enough to fix the window and make a donation to charity.

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses during a group photo in September 2009 in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Supreme Court's 'Heavyweight'

2:33pm March 06, 2013

In a profile of Ginsburg for this week's New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin describes how the incremental philosophy of litigation that helped her win many precedent-setting women's rights cases as a lawyer is reflected in her career as a Supreme Court justice.

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Tilghman Logan and his instructor, Craig Stagg, do some practice turns using sit skis. Some ski resorts have created opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in snow sports.

With Adaptive Skiing, Disabled People No Longer Left Out In The Cold

11:18am March 06, 2013

by Carrie Jung

As the fresh snow falls in New Mexico's ski resorts and mild temperatures welcome visitors into the region, new ski enthusiasts are making their way to the mountain tops. Some ski resorts now offer lessons to people with disabilities, and owners say not only is it a great equalizer, it's also increasing business.

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Construction on Chicago's Wells Street Bridge is taking place around the clock, as crews replace the south leaf section. The north leaf section will be replaced in the spring. The double-decked steel truss drawbridge was built in 1922.

A Chicago Bridge Gets A Complicated Overhaul

11:18am March 06, 2013

by David Schaper

The Wells Street drawbridge carries cars, buses, bikes, pedestrians and elevated trains across the Chicago River. Half of the 91-year-old bridge will be replaced in just nine days. The project is so complex that one Chicago transportation official compares it to open heart surgery.

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National

Drones Come Home, Privacy Concerns Fly High

8:45am March 06, 2013

Across the country, law enforcement and first responders are flying unmanned aircrafts to take aerial photographs of traffic accidents and crime scenes. As the technology improves and more police departments acquire permits to fly them, concerns about privacy and regulation increase.

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Sports

A Shifting Tide For Gay Athletes In Professional Sports?

8:45am March 06, 2013

Two professional football players asked the Supreme Court to support same-sex marriage in February. This was an unusual moment for the NFL. No professional athlete in the four major leagues has come out of the closet during their career. Many say that's likely to change soon.

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Wash. Lawmaker Apologizes For Cyclist Comment

7:15am March 05, 2013

When Washington State lawmakers proposed a new tax on bikes, the owner of several bike shops protested. He ended up in an email argument with a Republican lawmaker. State Senator Ed Orcutt argued cyclists pollute just by breathing. It is true that a heavy breathing cyclist would emit more carbon dioxide than a person who's just sitting, but Orcutt reconsider his claim and apologized.

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