The James Logan Courier

By Julie Cart
Los Angeles Times (MCT)

LOS ANGELES — A lone gray wolf that authorities have been tracking for months in southern Oregon crossed the state line into northern Siskiyou County this week, becoming the first wolf known to be at large in California since 1924.

The radio collar on the young male, known to biologists as OR7, indicated that it crossed into the state around noon Wednesday. Authorities say the animal is in "dispersal" mode, wandering the rugged California-Oregon border to define a home range and searching for other wolves to establish a pack.

"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into California is a historic event and result of much work by the wildlife agencies in the West," said Fish and Game Director Charlton H. Bonham. "If the gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much more work to do here."

From wikipedia:
Roger Williams (c. 1603 – between January and March 1683) was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America, the First Baptist Church of Providence. He was a student of Native American languages and an advocate for fair dealings with Native Americans.

Roger Williams was born in London about 1603. The record of his birth was destroyed in the Great London Fire of 1666 when St. Sepulchre's Church was burned. At age 12 he had a conversion experience of which his father disapproved. His father, James Williams (1562–1620), was a merchant tailor in Smithfield, England. His mother was Alice Pemberton (1564–1634).

Read "A Plea for Religious Liberty," by Roger Williams, free from constitution.org.

By Lisa M. Krieger
San Jose Mercury News (MCT)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Stanford University's ambitious bid to build a New York City campus came to a sudden stop on Friday, when the university abruptly withdrew from the competition.

In a startling announcement, President John Hennessy said the university and the city "could not find a way to realize our mutual goals."

The university was considered a front-runner for the graduate school in applied sciences and engineering, a plan conceived by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a way to bolster the region's tech talent and catalyze a second Silicon Valley.

By Joseph Agharanya, Courier Staff Writer

Guy Mclntyre, a former Forty-Niner player, inspired students with his personal life story on Tuesday. He came to Logan to tell his personal life story on how drugs affected and almost ruined his life and playing career. He is now challenging students in America to live their lives for a higher purpose, that is, other than “getting high” and “chasing girls” as he put it.

Mclntyre opened up his speech and said, “I Love sports … I grew up close to my high school stadium … I could hear the band playing and see the lights … and I soon began to love the game of football.”

By Larry Gordon
Los Angeles Times (MCT)

LOS ANGELES — Trying to ease the burden of middle-income families squeezed by the recession and skyrocketing tuition costs, the University of California, Berkeley announced plans Wednesday to extend financial aid to thousands of students from households earning $80,000 to $140,000 a year.

With the program, which starts next fall, UC Berkeley becomes a pioneer among public universities in a national effort to make a college education more affordable for a wider swath of middle-income families. Well-funded private colleges previously have led the way.

By Rick LaPlante, New Haven Schools Director of Parent and Community Relations

The Board of Education on Tuesday night approved an extension of winter break by one day, through Monday, Jan. 2. Schools, which will be closed starting next Monday (Dec. 19), will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 3.

To maintain a 175-day school year, the District’s employee groups agreed to open schools Wednesday, March 21, which previously was designated as one of the six furlough days being forced upon the District because of state budget cuts.

By Zohal Sharif, Courier Staff Writer

Many species that are used for dissection include cats, mice, rats, frogs, worms, dogs, rabbits, fetal pigs and fish. Some animals come from breeding facilities that cater to institutions and business that use animals in experiments, and other animals are caught in the wild. Some animals are also stolen or abandoned companion animals.

Frogs are the most commonly dissected animals below the university level. The frog dissection has been used all over the schools in the US and other countries. By moral reasons some students or their parents are against it. Some cases go as far as an A student received a C refusing to preform the task. Why a frog? Some reason are: it is small, it is easily found, it is not cute or used as a pet, and they have about the same organs as a human’s body.

By Kayleen Garingan, Courier Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 6, 2011 an A cappella group from Cal Berkeley University attended James Logan to perform during 4th and 5th period lunches in the little theater. The group, “Note Worthy Guys” consisted of 8 members. Before performing, Alexander Prucha a tenor, introduced the group and shared a bit of background. He explained how the various members had joined and how long they have been in the group. Their originality and style was clearly shown in their performance as they started off with an original song, sung to the tune of the “Family Guy” theme song.

Los Angeles Times (MCT)

LOS ANGELES — Zynga Inc., creator of "FarmVille" and other social games, is preparing to reap a billion-dollar bumper crop from its initial public offering after company executives spend the next two weeks trying to convince potential investors that their 4-year-old firm is worth $9 billion or more.

The valuation of the San Francisco online game publisher, derived from documents filed Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, would put Zynga's value on par with Electronic Arts Inc.'s $7.7 billion, even though EA's revenue is roughly three times that of Zynga's.

By Zohal Sharif, Courier Staff Writer

Knock off Uggs are made with the pelts of Chinese raccoon dogs rather than than the sheep skin found in authentic Uggs. In order to pass the savings for these counterfeits on to the customer, the raccoon dogs are tortured and murdered in a mind-blowing horrific fashion.

By By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Director of Community and Parent Relation

Gamblers will be using funny money, but for a serious cause, when the New Haven Schools Foundation hosts “An Evening in Monte Carlo,” to raise funds to continue to help students in the New Haven Unified School District.

Black Jack, Texas Hold ‘em, craps and roulette – with guests competing for prizes – will be just part of the fun Saturday, Feb. 4, when the Union City Sports Center will be transformed into a luxurious casino and resort.

By Georgina Gustin
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)

ST. LOUIS — Corn plants genetically engineered by Monsanto to repel pests are suffering severe damage from insects in more areas than previously reported, according to government scientists, who called the company's monitoring of the problem "inadequate."

In a memorandum posted this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, scientists reported that corn plants genetically engineered to kill the corn rootworm are showing signs of severe damage in Minnesota and Nebraska fields.

This past summer, researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Illinois reported damage in their states. At the time, those appeared to be the only states with reported damage. But the EPA memo, dated Nov. 22, said that reports of severe damage in Minnesota and Nebraska actually surfaced three and four years ago.