The big news breaking the Internets is that Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nation’s leading breast cancer charity, is pulling its grants from Planned Parenthood affiliates. The charity gave about $680,000 last year and $580,000 in 2010, which is mostly used to provide free breast exams for low-income women.—-
Although Komen officials say the action was done because Planned Parenthood has come under investigation by Congress, the switch occurs less than a year after the charity got a new vice president who is anti-abortion. Abortion is a service provided at some, not all, Planned Parenthood clinics. The vice president, Karen Handel, had run for governor of Georgia in 2010 on “an aggressively anti-abortion and anti-Planned Parenthood platform and was endorsed by Sarah Palin because of her opposition to reproductive choice,” according to The Huffington Post.
In the 2009-10 fiscal year, the charity reported $365 million in contributions from the public. Of its revenues, $76.7 million (21.3 percent of total expenditures) went toward fund-raising and administrative costs. This includes $459,406 in salary for Nancy Brinker, the group’s CEO and founder.
The Washington Post is speculating about a possible alliance between ex-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), both of whom are seeking the GOP’s presidential nomination. Amy Gardner writes, “It is a strategic partnership: For Paul, an opportunity to gain a seat at the table if his long-shot bid for the presidency fails; for Romney, a chance to gain support from one of the most vibrant subgroups within the Republican Party.”
Federal agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are at fault for the botched “Fast and Furious” gun-trafficking operation, concludes a report by Congressional Republicans. The report says President Obama’s Justice Department has failed to fully investigate the matter and hold staffers responsible.
Pakistan's Supreme Court has summoned Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to appear later this month for his indictment on contempt charges based on his refusal to pursue corruption cases against the country's president, Asif Ali Zardari. The prime minister has said the president has immunity from criminal prosecution because he is a head of state but the court disagrees, setting the stage for a potential constitutional crisis.
Freezing temperatures in Eastern Europe have claimed 110 lives so far, including 63 in Ukraine and 29 in Poland. Temperatures have dipped as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas, and minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in others.
The oil and natural gas industries are trying to turn Ohio into its dumping ground for wastewater from fracking in other states. More than half of the record-setting levels of wastewater pumped into the ground in Ohio was from out of state, reported Bloomberg Businessweek.
Locally, a University of Cincinnati football player has confessed to burglarizing a dormitory room, campus police said. Akise Teague, a running back on the team, was arrested Wednesday. He has been suspended indefinitely.
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County has introduced a new mobile telephone application. The app allows users to track the library’s resources, like books and CDs, and is compatible with most smartphones including Android, iPhone and BlackBerry.
Routine deputy patrols by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will end in 10 townships after March 31. Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. said the changes were necessary after county commissioners cut his 2012 patrol budget by about $4 million. If they want the patrols to remain, township officials must chip in $70,000 per deputy this year, and more in coming years.