| OU student named Gates Cambridge Scholar
As the daughter of a high-school geology teacher, she said she hopes to use her degree to pursue some form of public service. I want to do research and teach for a while at a university, or research at a national lab, and then eventually move into science policy or public policy, she said. They need scientists to talk about nuclear energy and nuclear waste. In her junior year, Gunderson also received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, for students who plan to pursue a research degree in science, and the Moris K. Udall Scholarship, for students who plan to pursue a career in the environment, Wright said. She is the first OU student to win both awards. Katie Gunderson has set the highest standards of excellence in all areas of her life during her time at OU, OU President David L.
IA Senator Wants Driver's Licenses for Bikes
IOWA CITY – State lawmakers have several big issues to tackle this legislative session.One of the more interesting proposals involves requiring people to pay to ride their bikes. An eastern Iowa senator is pushing the bill. Senator John Putney wants bicyclists to be licensed. The Tama republican says the measure will help pay for state infrastructure. But as you might guess, cyclists have plenty of questions.The political wheels are greased and the state legislature is ready to roll. One bump in the road is a possible fee for riding a bike in parts of the state. It is a required driver's license for riding on highways and secondary roads. Cyclist Jason Hicks said, “You have a driver's license, you should be able to ride a bike, I hope. That's ridiculous. Do I have to ride my bike around the block with a little old lady?"Obviously, bike enthusiasts are not so enthused with the proposal.
KRIEGER: Forsberg worth the risk
Forsberg's homecoming may produce a similar result. But the joy of his return for hockey fans will be in the discovery. It doesn't have to be the same as it was. It only has to be better than it is. Joel Quenneville suggested he will skate on a line with Sakic or Paul Stastny once he is ready. Is there a hockey fan in Denver who would not pay to watch that? Peter Forsberg is a special hockey player who has a special relationship with this town. Sport may be a business, but it can also be a bond, a sentiment. We are allowed to celebrate the return of a favorite son and to let everything else take care of itself. Bringing back Forsberg is not a forlorn attempt to recapture the past. It is the hard-headed addition of a unique hockey asset with all the upside in the world and no downside at all.
Course gives students closer view of Holocaust
Recent events such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the crisis in Darfur make learning about the Holocaust relevant today, she said. Since 2000, there also has been encouragement from the Anti-Defamation League and the Archdiocese of Atlanta to teach students in Catholic schools about the Holocaust, said Tam Smith, Mount de Sales' social studies chairman and the teacher of the class. "It's a way for Catholics to reconcile with the Jewish faith over years of divisiveness," he said. "I guess there is emphasis on Catholic schools being more aware of what's going on with the Holocaust, that it's the worst example of genocide, yet it's still happening." In a way, he said, it also may be about teaching good citizenship to "train people to stand up and say no to this - never again." Mount de Sales students don't use a Holocaust textbook.
In our view: Common sense is the best reason to applaud helmet law
If you have wheels under you, better have a helmet over you. That’s the message from the Vancouver City Council, which on Monday passed a law requiring helmets on riders of bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, roller blades, scooters and unicycles on public streets, sidewalks and trails. The helmet law is the first in Clark County but is similar to regulations in Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma. We hope Clark County commissioners and other cities in the county follow suit. Both supporters and opponents of the helmet law are able to debate this topic ad infinitum, and anecdotal references often cloud their arguments, but our preference is to rely on basic common sense. It just stands to reason that riders of these wheeled implements should be required to wear helmets in public places for reasons of public safety.
Candidates offer final messages before Iowa caucus
And, I think the best first place to start is with the politicians that blocked the bipartisan SCHIP bills for the kids. Passed by congress twice. But what about the President. It was Bush after all that blocked the bipartisan SCHIP bill passed by congress to assure more health coverage for Americas kids. So which of the presidential hopefuls do I think will be most supportive of implementing the demand of the majority of the American people to have HR 676 (Medicare For All) passed into law immediately! We have some very fine presidential candidates who would make good presidents. But none of the top Presidential candidates directly support HR 676, the only true Universal Health Care plan. So I am supporting Hillary Clinton. She is the only top candidate that has ever actually fought for universal health care before.
Gas costs forcing drivers to cut back
Inveterate drivers are carpooling, combining errands to eliminate trips, trying mass transit, and even walking. As a result, gasoline consumption, which grew steadily in recent years as prices passed $2, $2.50, and $3 a gallon, has flattened and even declined, according to the US Energy Department. Average daily gasoline consumption in the United States has decreased in each of the past four weeks from a year ago, according to recent data. In the past six months, average daily consumption slipped two-tenths of a percent from a year earlier, after growing 2.5 percent in the previous year. In the Northeast, gasoline demand has dropped as much as 3 percent, after growing 1 to 2 percent annually in recent years, said Joe Petrowski, chief executive of Gulf Oil LP, a Newton wholesaler and distributor that supplies about 10 percent of the region's gas stations.
Local business briefs
Medtronic Inc., the Fridley maker of electronic heart devices, said proposed U.S. legislation requiring medical technology companies to disclose payments to doctors should be expanded to businesses of all sizes. The U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging holds a hearing on the proposal today. The legislation aims to curb conflicts of interest between surgeons and the device industry, and Medtronic supports that goal, the company said in a prepared statement. But the proposal excludes companies with annual revenue of less than $100 million and physician-owned companies, Medtronic said. BLOOMBERG NEWS Pipeline construction to curb refinery output Flint Hills Resources, the refining subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc., said the company's refinery in Rosemount will run at reduced capacity until a new crude-oil pipeline is completed later this year.
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