Owners of property defaced by shark posters say they don’t want actress prosecuted

October 8th, 2009 Lesbians in military discharged more than gay menSAN FRANCISCO — Pentagon statistics obtained by University of California researchers show that lesbians were discharged under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy at a much higher rate than gay men. Every military branch dismissed a disproportionate number of women in 2008 under the policy banning openly gay servicemembers.

September 24th, 2009 AP: Palau creates world's first shark sanctuaryUNITED NATIONS — The tiny Pacific nation of Palau is creating the world's first shark sanctuary, a biological hotspot to protect great hammerheads, leopard sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks and more than 130 other species fighting extinction in the Pacific Ocean. But with only one boat to patrol 240,000 square miles (621,600 square kilometers) of Palau's newly protected waters — including its exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, that extends 200 miles (320 kilometers) from its coastline — enforcement of the new measure could be almost like swimming against the tide.

September 21st, 2009 Honololu issues preliminary ban on shark toursHONOLULU — The Honolulu City Council has given preliminary approval to a ban on shark tour businesses operating on Oahu, according to The Honolulu Advertiser. State law already prohibits the operation of shark tours within three miles of the shore.

September 5th, 2009 Mass. officials tag great white for first timeBOSTON — Massachusetts officials are using a high-tech tag to track the movements of a great white shark near Cape Cod — the first time the fearsome fish has ever been tagged in the Atlantic Ocean. The electronic tag uses satellite technology to record the shark's travels, allowing scientists to better understand its migratory patterns.

August 25th, 2009 Windows with health-care posters smashed in DenverDENVER — Someone smashed windows bearing health-care reform posters at the Colorado Democratic headquarters in Denver, and party officials say the vandalism appears to be politically motivated. Police say the windows were broken at about 2:30 a.m.

July 22nd, 2009 Dead shark left in Miami street after failed saleMIAMI — The body of a shark was left lying in the middle of a downtown Miami street after two men tried to sell it to several fish markets. The men apparently carried the five or six-foot-long fish around on the city's Metromover downtown train, prompting calls to police.

July 15th, 2009 Shark washes up and dies on NY beachBABYLON, N.Y. — A 20-foot-long basking shark that washed ashore on a beach on New York's Long Island appears to have died from some kind of illness.

July 15th, 2009 Attack victims push Congress for shark protectionsWASHINGTON — Nearly a dozen shark-attack victims — many of them badly scarred or missing limbs — pressed Congress on Wednesday to protect a sea creature they'd rather not run into again. The group wants to strengthen laws protecting sharks from "finning," in which fins are sliced from sharks for their meat, leaving the fish for dead.

July 3rd, 2009 Tropicana Las Vegas emerges from bankruptcyLAS VEGAS — Tropicana Las Vegas has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy with new owners. Toronto-based Onex Corporation and former MGM Mirage President Alex Yemenidjian acquired a majority stake in the Las Vegas hotel-casino this week, as it completed its yearlong bankruptcy process.

June 29th, 2009 Labor secretary denounces gay pride poster vandalsWASHINGTON — Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is denouncing vandals who defaced many of the gay pride posters installed at the agency's Washington headquarters. Solis, the first secretary in the department's history to publicly recognize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month, sent an agency-wide e-mail last Friday saying she would not tolerate anti-gay misconduct.

June 18th, 2009 Mexico: almost 1 ton of cocaine found in sharksMEXICO CITY — Mexico says it found nearly one ton of cocaine hidden inside frozen shark carcasses. Prosecutors says hundreds of packages stuffed in the bellies of dozens of dead sharks seized in the Gulf port of Progreso contained 1,965 pounds (893 kilograms) of cocaine.

June 15th, 2009 High court steps into Fla. beach erosion disputeWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has stepped into a property-rights dispute over plans to rebuild eroded beaches on Florida's Gulf coast.

June 11th, 2009 Calif. resort that hosted AIG faces foreclosureDANA POINT, Calif. — The Southern California resort where AIG sponsored a luxury retreat after receiving federal bailout money is facing a foreclosure auction, according to a published report.

June 1st, 2009 LegoLand News: Sharks, slide, Star WarsCARLSBAD, Calif. — LegoLand in California has a number of new attractions this summer, including a shark exhibit and an adventure slide.

May 12th, 2009 Flight 93 memorial member resigns over land issueSOMERSET, Pa. — A member of a commission helping to organize a Flight 93 memorial has resigned because of the government's plan to take property owners' land in southwestern Pennsylvania for the project.