Friday, October 23, 2009
House panel approves consumer financial agency
WASHINGTON — A federal agency to regulate home loans, credit cards, savings accounts and other financial services won the approval of a House committee Thursday in spite of loud complaints from banks and businesses.
President Barack Obama, who had proposed the agency to Congress, applauded the 39-29 vote, which fell mostly along party lines.
The House Financial Services Committee also approved by voice vote legislation that would impose new rules for credit cards by Dec. 1, moving up the date from mid-February.
The proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency is a cornerstone to Obama’s broader plan to clamp down on Wall Street and prevent much of the reckless lending that contributed to last year’s near-collapse of the market.
Caretaker: Woman who recanted has mental issues
COLUMBUS — A black woman who recanted 2007 allegations of being kidnapped and tortured by a group of white people in West Virginia has mental issues and has changed her version of what happened more than once, her caretaker said Thursday.
Valencia Daniels of Columbus said that Megan Williams “goes back and forth, back and forth” about the allegations of being beaten, raped and tortured. Williams sometimes says the story is true and other times says some of it didn’t happen, Daniels said.
Seven people pleaded guilty to charges in the case. Six are serving lengthy prison terms.
Daniels’ comments came one day after an attorney for Williams had a news conference to say Williams was recanting the whole story.
FCC moves forward with Net-neutrality rules
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators took an important step Thursday toward prohibiting broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain kinds of Internet traffic.
Despite the concerns of the telecommunications industry and the agency’s two Republicans, the Federal Communications Commission voted to begin writing so-called “network neutrality” regulations to prevent phone and cable companies from abusing their control over the market for broadband access.
Afghanistan earthquake
KABUL — A strong earthquake centered in the towering Hindu Kush mountains shook a wide area of eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan early today, swaying buildings in the Afghan and Pakistani capitals.
There were no initial reports of damage or casualties from the quake, which struck about 12:21 a.m. Afghan time.
However, the temblor was centered in a remote mountain area where communications are poor and reports of casualties take time to reach the capital.
The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Report: NASA focused on wrong destination
WASHINGTON — NASA needs to make a major detour on its grand plans to return astronauts to the moon, a special independent panel told the White House on Thursday.
Under current plans, NASA has picked the wrong destination with the wrong rocket, the panel’s chairman said. A test-flight version of the rocket, the new Ares I, is on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, awaiting liftoff later this month for its first experimental flight.
Instead, NASA should be concentrating on bigger rockets and new places to explore, the panel members said, as they issued their final 155-page report.
On Thursday in a news conference, panel Chairman Norman Augustine focused on fresh destinations for NASA, saying that it makes more sense to put astronauts on a nearby asteroid or one of the moons of Mars.
La-Z-Boy chair crash
MINNEAPOLIS — The operator of a La-Z-Boy chair converted into a motorized vehicle — complete with a stereo and cup holders — has admitted that he crashed the piece of furniture after leaving a bar in Proctor, Minn., extremely drunk.
Dennis LeRoy Anderson, 61, of Proctor, pleaded guilty Monday to hopping on the chair on the night of Aug. 31, 2008, after visiting the Keyboard Lounge, then crashing into a more-traditional vehicle in the parking lot. Anderson’s blood-alcohol content was 0.29 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.
Deputy Police Chief Troy Foucault said Thursday that the chair is “quite decked out.” Along with the stereo and cup holders, it is powered by a converted gasoline-powered lawn mower, a steering wheel, headlights and a power antenna.
Combined dispatches