He'll be back--and forth: will California's governor get past his schizophrenia over same-sex marriage and become a reliable ally?
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOR SUCH A DECISIVE FIGURE, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can sure seem wimpy when it comes to same-sex marriage. How does a politician who's married to Maria Shriver and advised by lesbian chief of staff Susan Kennedy veto a marriage-equality bill not once but twice?...

Nine 2008 votes from the House of Representatives examined.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The following are short explanations of nine House votes taken in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 110th Congress, second session, during calendar year 2008. In italics is a short tag name given each vote for easy reference, followed by the official...

'Junked ordinance' still in effect, Panlilio says.
SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga -- Gov. Eddie Panlilio said that the ordinance that "seeks to regulate overloading of quarry trucks" in the province is still in effect as his office has not yet received any copy of Ordinance 326, which repeals it. The provincial board repealed last...

Protecting pay equity.
Byline: The Register-Guard House Democrats struck a blow for victims of discrimination on Friday by pushing through legislation that restores civil rights wrongly restricted by a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision. If the Senate approves the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, as expected, it will...

Pass public lands bill.
Byline: The Register-Guard The U.S. House of Representatives is understandably preoccupied with figuring out how to fibrillate the nation's moribund economy. But it must not miss the opportunity to pass an omnibus public lands bill that would designate more than 2 million acres across nine states, from...

Consumer Mood Declines Toward December Level; Gap in ratings between upper- and lower-income Americans closing.
Byline: Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist Synopsis: Consumer ratings of the economy deteriorated by 6 points during the week of Jan. 5-11 from the previous week's level, but they remain slightly more positive than the average for December 2008. PRINCETON, NJ -- Consumer ratings of the...

Board told a `muni' would be a better deal.
Byline: Matthew Bruun LUNENBURG - Town officials will weigh in the coming days on whether to lend their support to proposed legislation that would make it easier for communities to start their own municipal power agencies. Selectmen, still riled by Unitil's response to the Dec....

Analysis.
WASHINGTON -- US leaders failed to take meaningful steps to reduce smoking over the past year, with a tobacco regulation bill stalling in Congress and a global treaty gathering dust, a major health group said on Tuesday. In its annual report on US tobacco control efforts, the...

Forward with the green agenda.
WITH the world in an economic slump, some analysts claim that the growing clean energy movement could come to a halt. The lower price of coal and oil makes it more difficult to wean businesses and consumers from these traditional energy sources. At the same time, the threat to...

US Congress vote on bailout fund seen.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A request for the remaining $ 350 billion in financial industry bailout funds could come as early as Monday as the Bush administration and President-elect Barack Obama tag-team uneasy lawmakers for the money. A vote in Congress is likely as early as this week,...