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4B – Daily News – Wednesday, October 13, 2010 WORLD BRIEFING Judge stops ’don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge issued a worldwide injunction Tuesday immediately stopping enforcement of the military’s ‘‘don’t ask, don’t tell’’ policy, sus- pending the 17-year-old ban on openly gay U.S. troops. U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips’ landmark ruling also ordered the govern- ment to suspend and discontinue all pend- ing discharge proceedings and investiga- tions under the policy. U.S. Department of Justice attorneys have 60 days to appeal. Pentagon and Department of Justice officials said they are reviewing the case and had no immediate comment. The injunction goes into effect immedi- ately, said Dan Woods, the attorney who represented the Log Cabin Republicans, the gay rights group that filed the lawsuit in 2004 to stop the ban’s enforcement. ‘‘Don’t ask, don’t tell, as of today at least, is done, and the government is going to have to do something now to resurrect it,’’ Woods said. ‘‘This is an extremely sig- nificant, historic decision. Once and for all, this failed policy is stopped. Fortunately now we hope all Americans who wish to serve their country can.’’ Mexican police officer investigating shooting of US tourist is slain AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Mexican police commander investigating the disap- pearance of an American tourist on a border lake plagued by pirates was killed, U.S. and Mexican officials said Tuesday. Rolando Flores, the commander of state investigators in Ciudad Miguel Aleman who was part of a group investigating the reported shooting of David Hartley, was killed, said Ruben Rios, spokesman for the Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office. Rios said authorities ‘‘don’t know how or why he was killed. We don’t have any details on how he died.’’ U.S. officials have said threats from drug gangs who control the area around Falcon Lake have hampered the search for Hartley. Hartley’s wife, Tiffany, says she and her husband were attacked by pirates on the lake on Sept. 30, while they were returning to the United States from Mexico on Jet Skis. Hartley was shot and presumably fell into the lake. Chile choreographs dramatic finale to trapped miners saga SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) — Fresh air and freedom were just hours away Tues- day for the first of 33 miners trapped a half- mile underground for 69 days, men whose endurance and unity captivated the world as the Chilean government meticulously pre- pared their rescue. No one in the history of mining has been trapped so long and sur- vived. The first miner was expected to be lifted to the surface late Tuesday in a custom- made capsule. President Sebastian Pinera was at the mine, waiting to greet him. ‘‘We made a promise to never surrender, and we kept it,’’ Pinera said at about 5:45 p.m. local time (4:45 p.m. EDT), shortly before two rescue workers were expected to go down to prepare the miners for their trip. The president said the first miner will be brought up about two hours later. Chile has taken extensive precautions to ensure the miners’ health and privacy, send- ing down Navy special forces paramedics to prepare them for the trip and using a screen to block the top of the shaft from more than 1,000 journalists at the scene. The miners will be ushered through an inflatable tunnel, like those used in sports stadiums, to an ambulance for a trip of sev- eral hundred yards (meters) to a triage sta- tion for an immediate medical check. They will gather with a few family members, in an area also closed to the media, before being transported by helicopter to a hospi- tal. Government lifts deep water drilling moratorium in Gulf WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is back in the deep water oil-drilling business. The question now is when work will resume. The Obama administration, under heavy pressure from the oil industry and Gulf states and with elections nearing, lifted the moratorium that it imposed last April in the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill. The ban had been scheduled to expire Nov. 30, but Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday he was moving up the date because new rules imposed after the spill had reduced the risk of another catastrophic blowout. Industry leaders warily waited for details of those rules, saying the moratori- um wouldn’t be truly lifted until then. home-delivered subscription to PAY No more checks to write, stamps to buy, trips to the Daily News office to pay your paper bill, or big payments in advance to get a lower rate Now you can …. SAVE over 17% compared to the regular subscription price! with a painless charge every 13 weeks to your Visa or Mastercard. 13 weeks Home Delivery – only $ Other time increments available also at discounted rates. 530 527-2151 Or use our new online Subscription Concierge service: www.redbluffdailynews.com Click on Subscription Services, upper right on the home page. 24! For more information or to convert or extend your subscription, call ‘‘The policy position that we are articu- lating today is that we are open for busi- ness,’’ Salazar declared. The reality is more complicated. While the temporary ban on exploratory oil and gas drilling is lifted immediately, drilling is unlikely to resume for several weeks at least as oil and gas companies struggle to meet a host of new safety regulations. For example, the CEO of a company responsible for a well would have to certify it had complied with all regulations. That could make the person at the top liable for any future acci- dents. ‘‘Operators who play by the rules and Convert your Daily News clear the higher bar can be allowed to resume,’’ Salazar said. Negative political ads hit with a vengeance in final weeks WASHINGTON (AP) — Is anybody fit for office any more? A Florida congress- man casts his foe as a religious extremist, ‘‘Taliban Dan.’’ A challenger in West Vir- ginia stresses a lawmaker’s Arab-American ancestry as shadowy and foreign. Other candidates are nothing but liars, misers, cheaters, even traitors, judging by the 30- second TV attacks. Deep-pocketed independent political groups are making the 2010 election home- stretch the most scathing in years. In the frantic final days before the voting, a blitz of negative ads is hitting the air in more than two dozen tight congressional races. The ads warn that candidates who say they’re on your side actually care more about Arabs or illegal immigrants — take your pick — than about you. And the other guy seeking your vote? Why, he’ll simply make stuff up to get it. This is personal. But often anonymous. In the past month, candidates, the politi- cal parties and outside groups have pur- chased millions of dollars in commercial time. Of the resulting ads, 60 percent have assailed candidates for their stands on issues or for their character, according to the Cam- paign Media Analysis Group, which moni- tors such advertising. USDAturns to psychology to get kids to make better school lunch choices Hide the chocolate milk behind the plain milk. Get those apples and oranges out of stainless steel bins and into pretty baskets. Cash only for desserts. These subtle moves can entice kids to make healthier choices in school lunch lines, studies show. Food and restaurant marketers have long used similar tricks. Now the government wants in on the act. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced what it called a major new ini- tiative Tuesday, giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to find ways to use psy- chology to improve kids’ use of the federal school lunch program and fight childhood obesity. A fresh approach is clearly needed, those behind the effort say. About one-third of children and teens are obese or overweight. Bans on soda and junk food have backfired in some places. Some students have abandoned school meal pro- grams that tried to force-feed healthy choic- es. When one school district put fruit on every lunch tray, most of it ended up in the garbage. Band arrested after stop on freeway LOS ANGELES (AP) — A rock band will have to face the music after blocking a Los Angeles freeway and performing atop its trailer. California Highway Patrol spokesman Rick Quin- tero said a big box van decorated with Imperial Stars’ logo stopped on the southbound U.S. 101 near Sunset Boule- vard at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, block- ing four of the five lanes. The driver took the keys and fled in another car, then three musicians climbed on top of the van and began to perform. Quintero said they were arrested and the truck was finally towed away around noon after causing a mile-long traffic jam. Quintero said the musicians could face charges of obstructing traffic. The group, whose credits include ‘‘Traffic Jam 101,’’ said on its website it is dedicated to helping homeless chil- dren. Tehama County History …as it happened The Daily News’ Pages of History Edition A collection of 32 reduced full pages pulled from copies of The Daily News, Daily People’s Cause and Evening Sentinel, previously published over the past 125 years. $100 per copy Tax included Available at the front counter at D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY 545 Diamond Avenue, Red Bluff Office Hours: 8:30-5:00 M-F