Ex-Chicago cop on the run

During it Saturday broadcast, "America's Most Wanted" featured Eddie Hicks, a former Chicago Police Department sergent accused of operating a racketeering ring during the last 10 years of his 30 years on the force. An FBI sting caught Hicks, and other Chicago cops, pretending to be DEA agents taking drugs from suspected dealers only to resell the drugs to another dealer.

Hicks, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2001 on charges of possession of a controlled substance and racketeering, never showed for his trial on June 9, 2003. Police suspect Hicks may either be in Brazil or Nevada.

The allegations against Hicks come amidst a police department that has been under already intense scrutiny for misconduct and corruption. For more on those allegations, go to "60 Minutes" and "20/20."

U.C. condos officially on the market

University of Charleston officials hope that if people are considering moving South upon retirement it will be to South Ruffner.

On Monday, the University of Charleston officially made available to the public the opportunity to live in one if its proposed luxury condominiums along the Kanawha River. About 40 people gathered in the Erma Byrd Art Gallery in Riggleman Hall to get more details on the condos including amenities, cost and projected move-in date.

Though it has cleared all legal and regulatory hurdles, ground has not yet been broken on the condominium project. In the course of her presentation on the project, Vice President for Administration and Finance Cleta Mae Harless said plans to begin construction no later than January 1, 2009.

However, Harless said construction on the proposed 16-unit complex is conditional on two things. First, getting commitments from at least 14 individuals or couples to buy a unit who will, second, put 10 percent down on the purchase price.

“We need 14-10 percent people to make this project go,” Harless said.
Currently, Harlesss said plans are to build one six-story complex along 19th Street and Kanawha Avenue behind Triana Field. Should an additional 14 people come along and put 10 percent down, then an additional complex will be built.

In the event that UC doesn’t receive the necessary commitments and cash by the Jan. 1 deadline, Harless said the project is likely to be cancelled, and refunds to those who did make a commitment will be issued. However, she said despite current economic conditions, including the possibility of a recession, U.C. is confident 1900 Kanawha Ave., the address for the condo project, will become a reality.

“We’re going to aggressively pursue this,” Harless said. “Who knows what tomorrow brings.”

Just like home

So, what would potential residents receive in the unit? Well, “all the comforts of home,” and then some, Harless said.

Though there are different size units ranging from 2,100 to 3,200 square feet, all have gas heat, phone and cable service, 10-foot ceilings with both a hillside and river view. Also, while many of the fixtures are standard in each unit, Harless said a resident can have them upgraded.

“I told someone if you want diamonds in your countertop, you can have diamonds in your countertop,” Harless said. “It’s just going to cost you a little extra.”

Among the amenities common to the complex will be controlled entry, an underground parking area, first floor trash chute and upper level exercise and activity room.

The price of completed units range from $770,000 to $1.3 million, Harless said. The price does not include a contractual $75,000 donation a resident would have to make to UC during the life of his or her agreement, and annual association dues.

According to Harless, the U.C. Condominium Association would be a separate and distinct organization from the university.

Though anyone with the right amount of money can purchase a unit, both Harless and U.C. President Ed Welch said the project was created with retirees or high-income professionals who wanted to downgrade from a home in mind. In fact, Welch said it was those very people who several years ago approached U.C. about the possibility of developing a condominium project.

For those on the cusp of retirement, provisions are available for unit owners to rent it out to someone for a 12-month period up to a total of 36 months. The reason for the limitations, Harless said, is so that what was designed to be a “permanent facility” does not turn into a “transient community.”

Depending upon when ground is broken, Harless, in conferring with the project’s general contraction, BBL Carleton, said residents could move in about a year later. If ground is broken during the winter months, the move-in date could be pushed back as much as six months.

The Clay Center v. Florida

One couple eager to move in is Russ and Virginia Keys of Charleston. The retired business executive and state employee who live on Edgewood Drive are one of the seven people who’ve already made a commitment, and put money down on a unit.

The Keys’ epitomize UC’s intent for the condo project as Russ said he and Virginia were “just looking for something simple to get away from the upkeep of a home.”

Likewise, Virginia said while popular destinations live Florida do offer warmer weather during the winter, having a retirement “home” there would just be more hassle. Besides, migrating South would mean missing out on all the featured events at the Clay Center.

“What’s the point in going to Florida when the Clay Center’s season is September through May,” she said.

Photo: U.C. Vice President for Admininstration and Finance Cleta Mae Harless, explains some of the features available in the university's proposed condominum project during an open house Monday at the Erma Byrd Art Galley in Riggleman Hall. U.C. officials hope to break gound on the 16-unit complex by January

Del. man wanted for kidnapping may be in W. Va.

Yesterday, "America's Most Wanted" featured David Matusiewicz during its "15 Seconds of Shame" Segment. Matusiewicz, 41, is wanted by p0lice in New Castle, Del. for kidnapping his three daughters, Laura, Leigh and Karen, then-5-, 4- and 2-years old, respectively, on Aug. 26, 2007.
According to AMW, Matusiewicz, a licensed optometrist, was scheduled to take the children on a tw0-week trip to Florida. When they did not arrive back on schedule, Matusiewicz's ex-wife, Christine Belford, who has custody of the children, called police.

Matusiewicz is wanted for felony interference with custody.

Though no reasons were given, it is believed that Matusiewicz may be working in either Texas or West Virginia. Those with information on Matusiewicz's whereabouts are encouraged to contact either AMW or your local police department.

Ohio man gets MADD about modern-day probibitionsim

Welcome to Jeff Brown's counter crusade!

History about to repeat itself in bailout of mortgage industry

by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

Ludwig von Mises had a theory about interventionism. It doesn't accomplish its stated ends. Instead it distorts the market. That distortion cries out for a fix. The fix can consist in pulling back and freeing the market or taking further steps toward intervention. The State nearly always chooses the latter course, unless forced to do otherwise. The result is more distortion, leading eventually, by small steps, toward ever more nationalization and its attendant stagnation and bankruptcy.

When you think about the current Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac crisis, you must remember Mises's theory of intervention. Reporters will not, but you must, provided you want to understand what is going on. President Bush is considering a fateful step in a 60-year-old problem: the nationalization of these mortgage companies. He wants to guarantee the $5 trillion (that's trillion with a "t") in debt owned by these companies. Another option would be to put these monstrosities under "conservatorship," which means that you and I will pay for their losses directly.

Either way, it turns out that there is no magic way to put every American citizen, regardless of financial means or credit history, in a 3,000 square foot home. Someone, somewhere, sometime has to pay. No matter what rescue plan they are able to cobble together, that someone is you.

For more on this op/ed piece, go to LewRockwell.com

Ga. high court refuses to compel Athens police to open files on unsolved 1992 murder

Atlanta, Ga. - The public cannot force police to release files in the unsolved 1992 rape and murder of University of Georgia student Jennifer Lynn Stone until someone is arrested and prosecuted for the crime, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a 4-3 decision, the court ruled that though police haven't identified suspects or developed new information in the murder, even dormant cases are exempt from the state Open Records Act under a "pending investigation" provision. The decision overturned a state appellate court ruling.

"It is a hard fact of law enforcement, of which the General Assembly was undoubtedly aware, that crimes sometimes remain unsolved for years until a break in the case, whether from a formerly reluctant witness or some new connection of previously seized evidence to a particular suspect," Justice George Carley wrote in the majority decision.

Attorneys for the Athens Banner-Herald, which sued the Athens-Clarke County government for the Stone files in 2005, argued that authorities abuse the pending-investigation exemption to keep information from the public. County attorneys countered that forcing police to release documents in unsolved crimes could undermine investigations.

For an overview of the Jennifer Lynn Stone case, go to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Website

Obama and McCain are both wrong on foreign policy

by Sheldon Richman

Barack Obama’s call for talks with “our enemies” is shaping up as a major bone of contention between him and John McCain in the presidential campaign. As usual, both the Democrat and the Republican get it wrong.

Obama says he would sit down with so-called adversaries such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Cuban President Raul Castro, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to talk out their differences. Although somewhat vague, he emphasizes that such talks should be held with few conditions. As his website puts it, “Obama is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe. He will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table, and that he is willing to lead.”

McCain has slammed Obama, arguing that his position shows his “inexperience and reckless judgment.”

How can both be wrong?

For more on this commentary, go to The Future of Freedom Foundation.

NBC - TASS, American style

Did NBC (and many other mainstream media outlets) provide a pro-Bush, pro-war slant to news coverage leading up to the invasion of Iraq? "Yes, indeedy," says best-selling author, attorney and Salon contributor Glenn Greenwald.

"Don't Talk to the Police"

Virginia Beach, Va. - On March 14, Regent University Law Professor James Duane gave a presentation to the university's chapter of the Federalist Society titled "In Praise of the Fifth Amendment: Why No Criminal Suspect Should Ever Talk to the Police." Whether you're a student of constitutional law, or someone who's a suspect in a criminal investigation, Prof. Duane's talk is an excellent primer on the much maligned Fifth Amendment.

E. Michigan University levied largest fine ever for Clery Act violation

Ypsilanti, Mich. — Eastern Michigan University will pay $350,000 in federal fines for failing to disclose crime information in violation of the Clery Act, the largest such fine ever.

"We're pleased to have arrived at an agreement with the DOE and we appreciate their recognition of the progress and improvements that EMU has made during the past year in regards to Clery Act Compliance," said university provost and executive vice president Don Loppnow in a press release issued Friday.

The $350,000 is slightly less than the original $357,500 fine proposed by the DOE in a Dec. 14 letter to the university. Within the letter, the DOE called the university's conduct an "egregious violation, which endangered the entire EMU campus community."

For more on this article, go to The Student Press Law Center