Teachers union challenges Congress on education

Teachers union challengesCongress on education
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The head of the country's largest education union said Sunday that teachers welcome the accountability measures imposed by the No Child Left Behind Act -- and they'll demand the same from Congress when the law comes up for renewal in 2007. National Education Association President Reg Weaver said members will intensify efforts to get Congress to increase education spending and loosen guidelines the union says threaten teachers' jobs, even if only some of their students fail. "We are not afraid, although our detractors would like to paint us that way," Weaver told about 9,000 delegates at the union's annual meeting, which ends Wednesday. "Accountability is not a one-way street. You can't hold us accountable for environments over which we have no control."
Casinos in Atlantic Cityare ordered to close
TRENTON, N.J. -- Atlantic City's casinos were ordered to close Wednesday, the latest casualty of a state government shutdown that entered its second day Sunday after the Legislature failed to adopt a budget by its July 1 deadline. The head of the Casino Control Commission ordered gaming in Atlantic City to cease at 8 a.m. Wednesday -- the day after the July Fourth holiday -- if New Jersey fails to enact a budget by then. Atlantic City's 12 casinos, which require state monitoring, have waged a court battle to remain open, and an appeals court was weighing the matter Sunday. There was no word on when a ruling would be made, courts spokeswoman Winnie Comfort said. Gov. Jon S. Corzine said Sunday there was "no immediate prospect of a budget." State parks, beaches and historic sites also were expected to shut down Wednesday.
Anesthesiologists leader:'Steer clear' of executions
In a potentially significant development in the controversy over lethal injection executions, the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists has strongly urged members to "steer clear" of any participation in them. Dr. Orin F. Guidry, president of the 40,000-member group, posted a four page "Message from the President" on the organization's Web site (http://www.asahq.org/), Friday saying that anesthesiologists had been "reluctantly thrust into the middle [of a legal controversy]," and it was not their responsibility to solve problems created by the nation's judicial system. "Lethal injection was not anesthesiology's idea," wrote Guidry, who works at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans. "American society decided to have capital punishment as part of our legal system and to carry it out with lethal injection. ... The legal system has painted itself into this corner and it is not our obligation to get it out." In recent months there has been a flurry of litigation over lethal injections. Lawyers for condemned inmates say that procedures being used in states around the country might be causing unnecessary and excruciating pain in violation of the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
Ebert in serious condition
CHICAGO -- Film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, was in serious but stable condition Sunday after an emergency operation to repair complications from a previous cancer surgery. Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper -- co-host of the "Ebert and Roeper" movie review show -- told the paper that Ebert's vital signs appeared to be good after the hours-long operation. Ebert had surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. He told Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder at the time that the condition was not life-threatening and he expected to make a full recovery. About 8 p.m. Saturday, a blood vessel burst near the site of the operation, the Sun-Times reported Sunday on its Web site. A Northwestern Memorial Hospital spokeswoman declined to comment Sunday afternoon.
2 British soldiers killed
KABUL, Afghanistan -- An insurgent attack on a British base killed two soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, military officials said Sunday, while at least 20 militants died during clashes and coalition airstrikes. A U.S. helicopter crashed in an accident in southern Afghanistan, killing one crew member, the U.S. military said. The deaths came amid a massive anti-Taliban campaign in southern Afghanistan involving more than 10,000 Afghan and coalition soldiers. It is the largest military offensive since the hard-line regime's ouster in late 2001. The two British soldiers died after their base was hit by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades Saturday night in southern Helmand province, said military spokesman Capt. Drew Gibson. An Afghan interpreter also was killed, coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis said. Four other British soldiers were wounded but are in stable condition, he said.
Combined dispatches