Last surviving US WWI vet turns 110

Last surviving US WWI vet turns 110

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va.

America’s last surviving World War I veteran is celebrating his 110th birthday.

Frank Woodruff Buckles of Jefferson County reached the milestone Tuesday.

Michigan filmmaker David DeJonge told The Journal in Martinsburg that the veteran spent his birthday at home with close family and friends. DeJonge is producing a documentary about Buckles.

Buckles has lobbied for a National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., and is the oldest person to have testified before the U.S. Senate.

Charlotte to host ’12 Dem convention

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

President Barack Obama’s selection of this Southern city for the 2012 Democratic convention signals he will try to reassemble his diverse coalition of 2008 supporters and fight for the conservative-leaning states that helped him win the White House.

The Democratic National Committee announced the selection of Charlotte on Tuesday, rejecting bids by a trio of Midwestern cities hit hard by the recession — Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis — in favor of the more economically stable North Carolina.

The convention’s apparent theme — The People’s Convention — indicates that the president will try to rekindle the grass-roots flavor of his groundbreaking 2008 bid.

Bush daughter supports gay unions

NEW YORK

Former President George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara has announced her support for gay marriage, breaking with her father on a key social issue but joining her mother and other prominent Republicans who back same-sex unions.

The Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights organization, released a video Tuesday featuring the 29-year old Bush, a New York resident who runs Global Health Corps, a nonprofit public-health organization.

“I’m a New Yorker for marriage equality,” Bush says in the video. “New York is about fairness and equality, and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love.”

FDA rejects diet pill

WASHINGTON

The government on Tuesday unexpectedly rejected what appeared to be the most-promising candidate among a class of new diet drugs, wiping out hopes for a new medication to fight obesity anytime soon.

Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. said the Food and Drug Administration is concerned about the heart side-effects of its drug Contrave and will require a new study, a costly undertaking that may prove too burdensome for the small drug maker.

Scientists find 5 new Parkinson’s genes

LONDON

Scientists have identified five new genes linked to Parkinson’s disease in a large genetic analysis of the illness, according to a new study.

After reviewing nearly 8 million possible genetic mutations, researchers pinpointed five genes connected to Parkinson’s disease. Previously, six other genes were identified, and experts say there is now increasing proof the degenerative disease is sparked by peoples’ genes.

The discovery doesn’t mean there are any new treatments just yet, but experts are optimistic they are getting closer.

Associated Press